Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Last weekend I had an unusual dream. I had visions of a baked ziti with a medley of vegetables. What made this so strange was I have never made baked ziti before, the only time I have ever had baked ziti was when one of my friends brought me dinner after my second little guy was born. It was delicious, but it was almost a year ago.

So when we were planning our meals for this week, I had just to get all the ingredients I had in my dream to make this dish.  There were a few vegetables that I had I wanted to put in this dish, but once I started making it they didn't seem to go. But what I added made for a delicious combination of flavors. My sister actually suggested the butternut squash and I am glad she did, because it really compliments the rest of the flavors. Thanks Sister!  

Vegetarian Baked Ziti

1 Tbs Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Onion, chopped (approx 1 cup)
2-3 cups Butternut Squash, cubed 
1 small box of Mushrooms, chopped
3 cups Spinach, chopped
16 oz Cottage Cheese
28 oz Smashed Tomatoes with Basil
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 
16 oz box of Ziti Noodles
2 cups Part-Skim Mozzarella, shredded

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. 
• Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Put garlic and onion in pan, cook for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add in butternut squash and cook for another 10 minutes, until the squash is tender, stirring frequently. 
• Meanwhile cook mushrooms in a separate pan until cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. 
• Cook pasta noodles according to package directions, set aside. 
• Add in spinach and cook another 2 minutes until it is slightly wilted. 
• Next add in the cottage cheese and stir until well combined. 
• Mix in the smashed tomatoes and the Parmesan cheese. 
• Combine tomato mixture to the noodles and stir until well mixed. 
• Put half of the mixture in the prepared casserole dish. Then layer with half the mozzarella. 
• Put the remaining pasta mixture in the dish and then the remaining mozzarella. 
• Cook covered for 20 minutes, then take off cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges. 

This made a ton of food, we had enough for dinner for the three of us, left overs last night and still more for left overs tonight.  I cooked the mushrooms in a separate pan because I have had bad luck with the juicy nature of the mushrooms making it take longer to saute, but honestly with this dish you could cook them in the same pan as the rest of the vegetables. Mushrooms cook quickly, so I would put them in after the squash is soft but before putting in the spinach. I had luck with using cottage cheese in the Baked Mac n' Cheese dish and I thought I would try it here as well because I liked the flavor it added.

Hopefully I have more visions of delicious dinners. It was fun to work on my own creation. I used a recipe from Health for the Whole Self to help guide me, but this recipe was mostly my creation.

Are there any recipes that you have had in your dreams? How did they turn out?

I love your comments. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated. 

Hummus and Pita Chips

One of the reasons I like doing my own cooking is that I know what is going into my meals. I can control how much salt, oil, veggies, etc... are in my food. Recently I have realized that I can make many food other items (besides meals) I buy at the store, for relatively less money and not much extra work. It started with my apple chip experiment and has grown from there. I have been gaining on confidence since I started buying dried beans and cooking them, instead of buying canned. Most of my little experiments have been successful, others not so much. For example homemade tortilla chips taste stale and nothing like the ones bought at the store. Another example that I have been working on is homemade marshmallows, but I will get that one to work and post shortly.

I always thought that hummus was one of those things that you just had to buy from the store. But after my successful go at making pita chips, I though that I couldn't have homemade pita chips without homemade hummus also. My first attempt at hummus had the right consistency but had too much of bite to it. I love garlic, but the raw garlic in the hummus was a bit much. For my second attempt I sauteed the garlic and made a wonderful batch to go with my pita chips. Now I feel confident to try all sorts of different hummus combinations.

 Hummus

1/2 cup dried Garbanzo beans
2 Tbs Tahini
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
3 Tbs Olive Oil plus 1 tsp divided
3 Garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
Cumin for dusting

• Soak beans in water overnight, discard any that float to the top. 
• Simmer beans for 2 hours and drain. Reserve some of the water to mix in hummus. 
• In a small pan, saute the garlic in the 1 tsp of olive oil. Cook just until the garlic starts to get brown about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Put beans in a food processor until beans are well ground.
• Add in tahini, lemon juice, the 3 Tbs olive oil, and garlic and turn on food processor. 
• Drizzle in reserved water until the hummus is the right consistency. 
• Add in salt to taste (and any other additional ingredients) and pulse a couple times. 
• Place hummus in serving dish and lightly dust with cumin. 

Pita Chips

1 bag of Whole Wheat Pitas
Olive Oil Cooking spray
Salt to taste

• Pre-heat oven to 375 and lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Spray both sides of pitas with oil spray and cut into chips (I used a pizza cutter).
• Lightly sprinkle with salt. 
• Put in oven and cook for 5 minutes. Turn once and set timer for 2 minutes. Depending on how thick your pitas are it will take from 2-5 minutes to cook on the second side. 
• Once chips are crispy they are ready to serve with your hummus.

Pitas are cut, oiled and seasoned and ready to put into the oven.

Ready to serve with hummus.

For the hummus: If you don't have the time or don't feel like cooking your own beans, you can use a can of garbanzo beans. A 16 oz can of beans looks to be about the same as a half cup of dried once cooked. Just make sure you save the liquid from the can to mix into your hummus for the consistency. Also you can add all sorts of different ingredients to the hummus. You can add roasted red peppers, green chilis, red onions, artichoke hearts the list goes on from there.

For the pita chips: You can also add different seasonings to these to give them different flavor. You can do spicy and add chili powder or a bit of cayenne, or you can add garlic salt or paprika to give a different flavor.  If you want to go sweet you can do cinnamon and sugar, I would do a canola or lighter oil for spray if you are going sweet.

Are there any items that you make at home instead of buying at the store? I am always looking for new things to try.

Disappearing Banana Bread

Ever since I discovered my love of cooking, the kitchen has been a place for me to escape. Some reason this week has seemed a bit hectic. What a relief it was today when, my older son was at preschool and the little guy was napping. I decided I needed some kitchen therapy. I wanted to make something easy and mindless that I have made before. I have a banana bread recipe that is absolutely amazing, it usually disappears the same day I make it. I had a couple bananas that I was saving to make this later in the week. They weren't completely over ripe, but they were close enough to make banana bread.

Usually I make the batter and then proceed to make muffins or mini-muffins. But this time I decided to make a loaf. One of the reasons why I started making muffins was the sunken center in my banana bread. I loved to make the bread, but I would have this gorgeous loaf inside the oven and once I pulled it out the center would sink, it was always such a bummer.  That has never happened with muffins. Since starting my blog, I have done a lot more investigating different recipes online. I decided to try hand mixing instead of using an electric mixer to see if that would make any difference. I also wondered if I added baking powder (the original recipe only had baking soda) if that would make a difference. It did! My first perfect loaf at altitude, actually ever.

Disappearing Banana Bread

See below for changes if you are at sea-level

1 2/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 Tbs Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
2/3 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)
2/3 cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped (optional)

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x4 loaf pan (see below for tip). 
• Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. 
• In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and the eggs until light and fluffy.
• Drizzle in canola oil, mix until well blended. 
• Mix bananas, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended. 
• Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips and nuts (if using). 
• Pour into loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes or until cooked all the way through (use the toothpick test). 

Lower Elevation Changes: Instead of using both baking soda and baking powder, just use 1 tsp of baking soda. Also bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. So far this is the only recipe I have had to make major modifications to make work at higher elevation.

Buttering Pan tip: When ever I need something I am making to pop out of what I am baking it in, I grease the pan with butter and then take about an 1/8 cup of all-purpose flour and put it in the pan. I then coat the buttered part with the all purpose flour by sifting and hitting the side of the pan with my hands and then discard the remaining flour.

This has been modified from an article from Runner's World Magazine in 2007. At the time I made this recipe I didn't have any pastry flour, so I substituted 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup of all purpose. It was still light, fluffy and didn't have too heavy of a texture. I also usually make it low fat by replacing half of the oil with applesauce, but I was out of that as well. It was nice that I was still able to make this recipe with substitutions. Another bonus, I am getting better at taking pictures of my process, I can't believe they all turned out!

First five ingredients ready to be mixed together.

Sugar and eggs whisked until light and fluffy.

Oil drizzled.

Bananas mashed and ready to be mixed with rest of batter.

Folding in flour in batches.

Bake me!

My first perfect loaf!

Ready to disappear.

I have some big plans for some banana bread mini-muffins, stay tuned...

Chicken Taquitos in a Tomatillo Sauce

I love just about anything I can put hot sauce on, which is why I seem to really enjoy food with Latin flare. I was inspired by The Galley Gourmet's Chicken Flauta's in a Roasted Tomatillo Sauce. I planned on following this recipe for everything including the tomatillo sauce. When I was getting ready to roast the vegetables for the sauce, I remembered that my broiler doesn't work. So I had to modify a bit, I used the tomatillo sauce from my Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas instead. I also decided to make this recipe a bit healthier by baking instead frying these in oil.

Chicken Taquitos in a Tomatillo Sauce 

Tomatillo Sauce

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
8 oz fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved.
1/2 medium white onion, quartered
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 jalapenos, quartered (for a milder taste remove the seeds and membrane)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cumin


Taquitos

1 Tbs Canola Oil
1 medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1-15 oz can of Refried Black Beans
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 tsp Cumin
Kosher Salt to taste
Pepper to taste 
12 Corn Tortillas
Cooking spray  

Tomatillo Sauce 

• Combine all ingredients into a medium sauce pan on high. 
• Cover once boiling and reduce to a simmer, medium-low heat, until all the vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. 
• Put into a blender or food processor and puree. 
• Set sauce aside.

 Taquitos

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
• Saute onion in oil for 5 minutes, until translucent. Remove from heat and put in a large bowl to cool. 
• Add chicken, beans, cheese, cumin, salt and pepper to the onions. Stir until well mixed. 
• In small batches (I did three at a time), microwave tortillas for 15 seconds. Then fill the middle tortilla with a strip of the bean and chicken mixture, roll into a cigar like shape. Then place seam down on the tray. 
• Continue above step until all tortillas are filled and rolled.  
• Lightly spray cooking oil over the top of the taquitos.
• Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them. 
• Serve with Tomatillo Sauce. You can also garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, guacamole, hot sauce and/or sour cream.  

Not sure to how to cook the chicken? I lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the raw chicken breasts and then put on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium heat. Every three minutes rotate from one side to the other until cooked all the way through. Then I take two forks and shred the chicken. You could also put it on the grill it or broil in the oven.

I have tried making taquitos before and while I loved the pairing of flavors, I usually ended up with a big mess of chicken and beans and unrolled corn tortillas. I had never thought to use refried beans. The ingredients for the filling in these taquitos make a paste that kept the taquitos folded together. These were really easy to make and I will definitely make them again. If you are short on time or don't want to make the tomatillo sauce, any tomatillo salsa will work. I would warm it up a little as to not chill your taquitos.  

I love comments! Let me know what you think about this dish or any other recipes I have on my blog.

Cherry Cheesecake Mini-Cupcakes

Cheesecake is a great dessert to make from scratch. It is a short list of ingredients, but it is very rich and decadent.  The key to making a beautiful cheesecake is patience. So when I was thinking about what to make for a Valentine's Day dessert, a raspberry cheesecake cupcake recipe that I had made once before came to mind. However this time, I was inspired to try cherries and chocolate. It turned out amazing! I also decided to make mini-cupcakes, since I have an obsession with shrinking muffins and cupcakes. They are the perfect bite-sized treat, so you don't have to feel guilty about eating them. And one mini-cupcake is enough to satisfy a sweets craving.

The first time I made this recipe was for a bridal shower last June. I made the cupcakes according to the directions on AnnieEats. It didn't work according to plan. I am not sure if it was the altitude but they puffed up like gigantic cupcakes and then when I took them out of the oven they sunk and I had Grand Canyon size craters in the middle of the cupcakes. I obviously couldn't pass them off as a dessert at the shower, so I decided to try again using the tactics I have used other times making cheesecake. It worked like a charm. The two keys to cheesecake starting with your ingredients at room temperature and then after baking slowly bringing the temperature down to chilled. If you don't it can sink or crack.

Cherry Cheesecake Mini-Cupcakes

Crust
2 cups Chocolate Graham Crackers
5 Tbs Butter, melted
1 Tbs Sugar

Cherry Swirl
1/2 cup Frozen Cherries, thawed
1 Tbs Sugar

Filling
16 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs, at room temperature


To Make Crust:

• Preheat oven to 325, line mini pan with paper.
• In a food processor, blend together Graham crackers, melted butter and sugar until it starts to stick together but is still crumbly. 
• Scoop 3/4 tsp of the crust into each cupcake liner. Evenly press down into the bottom of the paper. I just used the back of a tsp. 
• Bake for 5-7 minutes until the crust is set. Set aside on a cooling rack. 

To make Cherry Swirl:

• Blend Cherries and Sugar together in food processor then strain.  

To Make Filling:

• Using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese on medium-high until light and fluffy. 
• Add in sugar and mix until well blended. 
• Add in salt and vanilla and mix in. 
• Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix well after each egg. 

 To Make Cupcakes:

• Take a spoon and dollop the filling on top of each crust (Don't fill all the way to the top as they will rise in the oven, if they are too full they will spill over the top).
• Dot a 1/4 tsp of the cherry swirl on top of each cupcake. 
• Take a toothpick and swirl together. 

To bake: 

• Prior to putting the cupcakes in the oven, set up a water bath. That is a baking sheet of water on the lower rack in the oven. 
• Put the cupcakes in the oven on the rack above the water. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating tray half way through. 
• Turn off the oven and open the oven door and leave the cupcakes in for another 15 minutes. 
• Remove and set on a cooling rack for another 15 minutes. 
• Refrigerate for 4 hours prior to serving. 

This recipe made 24 mini-cupcakes and 12 regular size cupcakes.  So it would probably make 48 or more mini-cupcakes. If you want to make less you can cut the recipe in half, or you can just freeze the rest to enjoy later. If you want to make regular cupcakes, just change the baking time to 22 minutes and keep everything else the same.

I have made cheesecake at high-elevation and at sea-level and have used the above tactics at both altitudes, so even if you make this recipe and you don't live in high altitude you can use my process for beautiful cheesecake cupcakes. If you haven't make cheesecake before, you should try it. This is a no-fail method will create a romantic dessert to share on Valentine's Day or any day!

Have you ever made cheesecake? What tricks do you use to keep it from sinking or cracking?

Graham crackers crust is mixed and ready for cupcakes.

Baked crust ready for cheesecake topping.

Make sure your cheesecake dollops are below the top of the cupcake liners.

Swirl using toothpick.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Crunchy Kale Chips

I was short on ideas on what to do for dinner the other night. It was just me and my toddler so I wanted something quick and easy. He is not big on dinner so I didn't want to spend too much time on our meal. I remembered that I had a bunch of kale in my fridge that needed to be used and I thought I could make some crunchy kale. I made this once before and it was a huge hit. My son and I ate a whole bowl together. This is great as a snack or to serve on the side.

Crunchy Kale

4-6 stems of Kale
1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Rinse kale in and then dry in a salad spinner.
• Take a paper towel and dry any wet spots (the kale has to be really dry to get crunchy).
• Remove thick center stems. Use scissors to cut or use fingers to tear kale into 'chip' size pieces. 
• Arrange kale on the baking sheet, make sure not to crowd them together too close. 
• Lightly drizzle oil on kale. Lightly sprinkle with salt. 
• Put in the oven for 5-10 minutes. After 5 minutes check every 1-2 minutes, as it can go from crispy to over cooked really fast. 

Kale is ready to go into the oven.

Kale is crispy and ready to eat.

Not only did he clear his plate, he ate off the tray and then we made a second batch.

This is the second time we have made crunchy kale in our house and both times it disappeared faster than the time it took to make it. Not only did my son eat all the Kale chips I put on his plate, he then climbed up on his step stool in the kitchen and ate what was left on the tray. After that he asked me to make more, so I made a second batch and he ate half of that too! I wasn't worried about him eating too many like I am with other types of chips.

Make sure you lightly drizzle the oil on top of the kale, too much and it will burn really fast. The first time I made this I put too much oil and they were over cooked in 5 minutes. This time I put less oil and they cooked for 7 minutes. If you would like to add different seasonings you can add Parmesan cheese or other seasonings once you take it out of the oven.  

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe. What healthy snacks you like to eat or feed your family? 

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my newly found kitchen tools is my crock pot. I have had my crock pot for over six years, it was a wedding gift, and until this month had only used it one time. I wish I had known how useful it was a long time ago. My mom had a crock pot when I was little, and growing up the only dish I can remember her cooking was beef stew. Because of that I had it in my head that Crock Pots were only used for cooking beef and I choose not to eat beef. I am so glad I learned that wasn't true, it makes dinner so easy!

This recipe is so easy, this is the second time I have made it in two weeks. The best part about this recipe is it makes a lot of left overs. I ate it almost every day for lunch or dinner or both for a week. I couldn't get enough of it. After it was gone, I was craving more so I had to make a second batch. 

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Low Sodium Fat-free Chicken Broth
8 oz Tomato Sauce
1-2 tsp Chipotle Chili in Adobo Sauce, chopped
1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
15 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Frozen Corn
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
16 oz Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts, whole
1/4 cup Chopped Scallions, for topping
3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt, for topping
Tortilla Chips or Strips (see below how to make strips)

• Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, stir until saute until soft. Onion will start to look clear and garlic will be fragrant, about 5 minutes. 
• Slowly add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and chipotle chili in adobo sauce.
• Bring to a boil, then add cilantro. Remove from stove and pour into crock pot. 
• In the crock pot, add black beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano and chicken breasts (whole).
• Cook for 4-6 hours. Prior to serving remove chicken breasts, shred the chicken using two forks and then put back into the soup. 
• Serve with scallions, cheese, sour cream or yogurt and tortilla strips, if desired. 

I slightly modified this recipe from amybites.com. Be advised that the chipotle chili in adobo sauce adds a kick to the soup, so if you don't like it too spicy add less. I added a little more than 2 tsp and had to cool it off a bit with Greek Yogurt, but I like spicy.

How to make your own tortilla strips: preheat oven to 375, take two corn tortillas and lightly coat with canola oil, cut into little strips (I used a pizza cutter and cut them about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide), bake for 5 minutes or until crispy. 

Saute garlic and onions.

Bringing onions, garlic, broth, tomato sauce and cilantro to a boil.

All ingredients in Crock Pot, ready to cook.

Soup prior to fixing with cheese, yogurt and tortilla strips.