Spring Recipe Contest: Vegetarian Enchilada Pie

My wonderful friend Whitney gave this recipe to me, which I, of course, made a few minor changes. But I must say, great recommendation!!

Ingredients:

• a couple tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 summer squash, sliced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 2.5 cups chickpeas, mashed
• 1 7-oz can chopped green chiles, drained
  
• 1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
• about 7 corn tortillas
• 1.5 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and squash and saute for about 15, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. When the onion and squash are transparent, add the tomato, salt, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder. Mix together thoroughly and take off the heat. In a separate bowl combine the chickpeas, green chiles, and half of the enchilada sauce; this should be a spreadable consistency. In a greased 9 X 13 baking dish, layer about 3.5 tortillas along the bottom. Spread the chickpea mixture over the tortillas and then spread the squash mixture over the chickpeas. Layer the other 3.5 tortillas over the squash mixture. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Layer the cheese on top. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes.

Next time, I think I might use 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning instead of the cumin and oregano, and I might include a cup of frozen corn as well. I might also consider using whole wheat flour tortillas, just because I like the taste and texture of them a little more than corn tortillas. Another change I think I would make would be to use black beans instead of chickpeas. I was planning on using black beans, but all we had were dried beans, and I didn't cook them up in time, so I had to make do with chickpeas. Thanks, Whitney, for this great recipe! I think it's a keeper!

Lenten Series: Mushroom Pot Pie

When I was in Seattle a few weeks ago, I had a mushroom pot pie for dinner one night, and it was quite delicious. So I've been wanting to try to make it myself, so this was my attempt! We modified our pot pie from this recipe. This is the way we made it, but I will let you know all the changes we plan to do next time we make it:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1.5 lbs. (3 small cartons) portobello mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 cup frozen carrots
  
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
  
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (in the future I would probably substitute 1 tablespoon pasta sprinkle instead of the thyme)
• (in the future I would also add about 1 teaspoon salt; we didn't add any, and it definitely needed some!)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 sheets (1 17.3-oz package) puff pastry, thawed (you can find this by the frozen pies)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, peas, bell pepper, thyme, and salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, or about 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the broth and bring to a boil. In a greased 8 X 8 baking dish lay one sheet of the puff pastry across the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the mushroom mixture on top of the puff pastry. Lay the second layer of pastry on top and cut several vents in it. Bake until the crust is golden, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Lenten Series: Sloppy Lentils

As Lent is beginning to get closer to Easter, we have begun to realize that we need some other options besides stir fry and pasta! After searching for vegetarian recipes, I found this recipe, which we tried out, adjusting as necessary. Here's what we did:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
• about 5 cups of water
  
• a couple tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/4 lb. mushrooms (half of a small container)
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard (this would be your French's that you put on hotdogs)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup barbeque sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbeque Sauce)

In a saucepan combine the water and lentils until boiling. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Dump the lentils into a colander and let sit in the sink. In a dutch oven heat the oil on medium heat and saute the onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms until tender. Add the tomato sauce, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, salt, and barbeque sauce. Mix thoroughly then add the lentils. Reduce until it's a consistency that will stay on a bun and not drip off, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. Serve on warm buns.

I realized around 5:00pm that the original recipe was a slow cooker recipe, which required 8 hours to cook. Obviously that was not going to work for dinner that night! So I just cooked up the lentils on the stove instead. I needed to reduce the mixture afterwards, but that wasn't too big a deal since I was able to make up a salad and some french fries while it was reducing.

Carl said that this has been his favorite thing we've made in quite a while. Also, my in-laws were in town this week, and they really enjoyed this recipe too! The taste was quite similar to what you'd expect from a sloppy joe, but the texture was not quite right if you're expecting meat--it was a bit mushier. This is one of those recipes that improves with age; we made this about a week ago, and it was better today at lunch than it was the first time we ate them. Overall, I'd recommend these sloppy lentils!

Spring Recipe Contest

Okay, this is not a contest exactly, but more of a chance to share great recipes! I know you have great recipes out there that you love to cook, and I want to try them out. Here are my requirements:

Recipes must:

• Be vegetarian, as in no meat, including fish (this is for purely selfish reasons--I can't eat meat until Easter, so I don't want to be tempted!)
• Have be a taste of spring--I think we're all getting tired of all the heavy winter food
• Include a protein
  
• Be fun to cook--this is a blog on cooking "therapy" after all
• Be relatively inexpensive to make (I'm a graduate student, I'm not rich!)
  

You can send me your recipes by adding a comment to this post, or you can email them to me at lab11198@gmail.com. All the recipes that I get by the end of March and that meet my requirements I'll make and post on this blog. I'm ready to start cooking!

Lenten Series: Goat Cheese, Tomato, and Basil Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

This evening my husband and I made these stuffed mushrooms for supper. This is my favorite recipe that we've made in a long time!!! Carl found this recipe here, and of course, we altered it slightly.

Ingredients:

• 2 portobello mushrooms
• a couple tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• a couple tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• half an onion, chopped
• half a bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1 large tomato, chopped
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• a couple tablespoons goat cheese
  

Prepare the grill. Using a spoon, scrape the gills out of the mushroom caps. Discard the gills; remove and discard the stems. Place mushroom caps on a plate and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. In a skillet saute the onion and bell pepper in a tablespoon of olive oil. In a small bowl toss the tomato, garlic, basil, onion, and bell pepper with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place mushroom caps stem-side down on the grill and grill for five minutes on each side or until soft. Fill the mushrooms with a couple spoonfuls of goat cheese and spread it so it covers the mushroom evenly. Spoon a couple spoonfuls of the tomato mixture on top of the goat cheese. Grill for about 3 minutes.

If you're not a huge fan of garlic, you might want to reduce that amount of garlic and you might want to saute it with the onion and bell pepper. The way we made it, the garlic is very potent. We also used goat cheese seasoned with garlic and oregano, which was a very good choice. I can't stress it enough, this recipe is absolutely delicious!! I know it doesn't look to appetizing from my pictures, but I would highly recommend that the next time you cook, you need to make these mushrooms!

Buttermilk Brownies

I. Love. Sweets. I love cookies, cake, brownies, pie, candy, ice cream, cobbler, pudding, and any other type of dessert you can possibly imagine! Let's just say that I can understand Hansel and Gretel's obsession with the witch's gingerbread house. Like a lot of other people, I use food as a way to cope with stress, and this is doubly true with sweets. Chocolate helps to melt my cares away! But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the process of cooking and baking is itself a stress reliever too, so I get a double dose of stress reduction when I bake! Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Today I'm going to share a recipe for buttermilk brownies. This is the first time I've made this recipe, which I got out of my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. You can also access the recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website by clicking here. I've never made brownies from scratch before; I've always used the Duncan Hinds or Betty Crocker mixes that you get at the grocery store, but I think this recipe turned out really well. My cook book says that this recipe is also known as Texas sheet cake and used to be found in the cake section, but because it is so rich, it fits better as a brownie. I would agree that this is either a cakey brownie or a rich cake, but either way, it's delicious!


Ingredients for Brownies:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (two sticks) butter
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Ingredients for Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting:

• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 X 13 baking pan. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, cocoa powder, and 1 cup water. Bring mixture just to boiling (I used medium heat), stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking and burning. (Mine never came to a boil; after about 20 minutes it got very thick and was beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan; I was afraid it was going to burn, so I took it off the heat right before it started boiling). Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture and beat with an electric (or stand) mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined (the original recipe says you can use high speed, but when I tried that, the flour spewed all over the kitchen). Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute; batter will be thin. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

While the brownies are baking, combine the butter, cocoa powder, and buttermilk in a medium saucepan on medium heat to make the frosting. Bring to boiling (I didn't bring to boiling; I was standing there for about 20 minutes, and it never boiled, so don't worry too much about it; just make sure everything is thoroughly combined and it's very hot). Remove from heat and place in a mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth. When brownies are done baking, immediately pour the warm frosting over the brownies, spreading evenly (my frosting was no where close to the consistency of being able to pour it; it was more along the lines of play dough--maybe that's why you need to let it reach boiling! After I was done mixing up my frosting, I heated it up in the oven, which was still hot from baking the brownies, for about 5 minutes, and then I was able to spread it over the brownies; I still wasn't able to "pour" it, but it was spreadable). Let cool for about an hour before cutting (naturally I did not wait the full hour, but since my frosting was already set up, I didn't need to!).

Of course I made some changes to this recipe, as I always do!! I used 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour, and the texture is not at all gritty. I think next time I'll try using solely whole wheat flour. I also used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar because we ran out of white sugar, and my husband didn't notice a difference in taste until I told him. In addition, I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mixture. I thought the chocolate, brown sugar, and cinnamon would taste really good together, and I think it turned out really well.

Lenten Series: Macaroni and Cheese--The Ultimate Comfort Food

I am currently in Seattle for grad school interviews, and after being away from home for four days now, I am ready to eat homemade food again! I really commend all those vegetarians out there who manage to not eat any meat while they travel. Let me tell you, I am getting so sick and tired of eating pizza and Mexican food; apparently, those are the two types of foods that you're guaranteed to get vegetarian! So now I'm craving fruits and veggies, but I'm especially craving my number one comfort food: macaroni and cheese. This is my go-to dish when I'm stressed, like when I'm interviewing for doctoral programs! So today, I'm going to share my recipe for spicy macaroni and cheese, which is by far the best mac and cheese out there!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup (8-oz) heavy whipping cream
• 3 cups skim milk
• 2 cans Rotel, drained and rinsed
• cayenne to taste
• 1 lb. elbow macaroni (or any noodle of your choice--I like shells personally)
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

In a heavy saucepan saute the onion, garlic, jalapenos, coriander, and cumin in the oil over medium heat until the onion is softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in the cream and milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Stir in Rotel. Simmer and add cayenne. In a separate pot, cook noodles for about 6-7 minutes, or until barely al dente. Drain and mix macaroni and tomato mixture into a greased baking dish. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese and half of the cheddar cheese. Spread the Parmesan and remaining cheddar cheese on top of the macaroni mixture. Broil uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
Tips for this recipe: be sure to wear rubber gloves when chopping the jalapenos. I've chopped them a couple of times without gloves, and they will burn my hands for the next day. Also, don't use the 2% fat cheese because it doesn't melt properly; it looks rubbery and doesn't turn golden when you broil it. I know the 2% cheese has less fat, but it just doesn't work with this recipe; save calories in another dish!