Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

Oh my word, my dog just swiped her paws across my keyboard and erased this whole post.

So, here goes again:

I have lost so many of my new creations because I forget to blog them.  Blaming it on the start of the school year and a busy summer before that.  We are mostly vegetarian now so I've had to get creative in a lot of ways.  Anyhoo...

1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked however you like(I roasted mine) and cool enough to handle
1 smaller(maybe 12-14 oz?) jar of roasted red peppers, drained
3 large eggs
various Italian seasonings to taste, including fennel, garlic & onion powders, and Italian seasoning blend, salt, and pepper.
1 smaller container full-fat cottage cheese(I like the large curd)
1/4 cup gluten free baking mix(or flour, I just happened to have the gf stuff)
1 scant cup shredded mozzarella(big, giant handful, close enough)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, or parmesan cheese

Combine peppers, seasonings, and eggs in an old, quart-sized, Mason jar or pitcher of a blender and blend thoroughly.  My blender happens to fit Mason jars and I love using them to blend up smaller batches of things.  Shred the spaghetti squash into a large mixing bowl, add the pepper mixture and the cheeses and mix well.  Pour into an oiled casserole dish, 9x13, 8x12, doesn't matter I don't think, and bake for as long as it takes to cook it.  I cook in a toaster/convection oven and that is way different from a regular oven.  I'm guessing 30-35 minutes.

We are veggie-tarians so I didn't add meat, plus it is 7pm and we're hungry, so the ingredients are quite simple.  Adding veggie crumbles(ground meat type) or chopped up pepperonis or bacon or ham, or whatever meats you want, black olives, etc., would be awesome in this!  Now, I have not tested this but wanted to get it written down before a dog destroys it again, or I forget.  I will add an edit to let yall know how it goes.

EDIT:  I baked it about 45 minutes to get it to set and there is a TON of it!!  This is so very tasty, will definitely be in the monthly rotation.  It is good comfort food and would probably be better with the additions I suggested or even shrimp, spinach, or some other greens veggie(broccoli might be too strong though).  I actually made this for us to take to school for lunch, I imagine it will be even better reheated!

Vegan Stuffed Peppers(cheater style)

These are so easy and vegan unless you use dairy cheese to finish the top(we did).

5 largish red bell peppers, split vertically, and seeded
1 pkg Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice
2/3 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups Morning Star "beef" crumbles
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
(last 5 ingredient amounts are approximate)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the filling ingredients and heat in a few spoonfuls of oil until hot and well-mixed.  You may need to add 1/4 cup water if it starts to stick like mine did(because I had the heat too high).  Oil a pan and fill peppers generously with the mix, you will have leftovers for a few soft tacos or a salad!

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are as tender as you'd like.  Another recipe I read said 30-40 min covered, and another 10 uncovered.  Mine are topped with grated white cheddar cheese, so not vegan for us.  I cook in a toaster/convection oven at around 400, watched closely.

Vegetarian Chili

Easy peasy and delish!  This was my second bowl!!!!

1 32-oz box veggie broth(or chicken)
1 can petit diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans of water
1 medium onion, diced
garlic and onion powder, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, and parsley(about 1 teaspoon of most, 3tsp of the chili powder though)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or up to 1/4 cup

salt to taste

2/3 cup lentils
2/3 cup quinoa
1 pkg Quorn grounds(resembles ground beef)

Combine everything in a 2-3 quart crock cooker, stir well and cook on high for about 8 hours, or until the lentils are done.

Serve over crushed corn chips with cheese and yogurt or sour cream, or with cornbread.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This one is easy!

1 large head of cauliflower, in pieces and roasted in a bit of olive oil until softened.
Add to a soup pot with 32 ounces veggie(or beef or chicken) broth and spices to suit you.  I used cumin, curry powder, garlic and onion powder, and a bit of smoked paprika.  Cook, covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, maybe 15-20 minutes.  Uncover and let cool for a bit.  Blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender til smooth.  Add 2 cups flax milk(or whatever kind you like) and a spoonful of cream cheese and/or greek yogurt, some salt and pepper and reheat on low until hot.  Serve!

Beluga Lentil-Quorn Chili Stew....

 Because I had no idea what we were going to eat tonight...

All measurements are approximate.

1.5 cups dry black(beluga) lentils
32 oz vegetable broth(or water)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1/2 teaspoon(or to taste) each, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika
1 teaspoon each, chili powder, oregano, and cumin
Optional, add 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.

Cook the lentils and onion in the spiced broth for about 10 minutes.

Add: 
1 cup dry quinoa
1 cup frozen greens(I used broccoli rabe but mustard, kale, spinach, or collards would be fine, its mostly for color)
1 can petit diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 pkg Quorn chikn tenders(or a cooked chicken breast or two)

Cook, covered on med-low, about 30 minutes, adding up to 2 cups water a little at a time to keep it from thickening too much.  Serve over corn chips with extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I think this cheese works best because it brightens the flavor a bit.

I'm putting this recipe in our rotation, it was that good!  Next time we'll take it mobile and go eat at our favorite picnic area down the road at Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Asian Eggplant Stew

So I saw this /http://vegetariangastronomy.com/2013/05/thai-basil-eggplant-vegan-contains-gluten/ delish-looking dish on pinterest and wanted to duplicate it.  We all know how that can turn out!  Mine, however different, is sooooo awesomely creamy and satisfying!

3 medium purple and white eggplants(or your choice, maybe 6-8 cups, cubed)
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped(mine were small and from a garden so they kind of melted away)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely diced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

2 cups dry quinoa, cooked in 4 cups of water(I don't add salt or oil), according to directions on pkg if you have them.

Cook all the veggies in a few tablespoons of oil until they are sort of tender.

Mix the following:

1/3 cup bragg's aminos(or soy sauce)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup sugar or more to taste
garlic and onion powder and red pepper flakes to taste
(adjust amounts to suit your tastebuds, we like tangy so the acv is right for us but might be too much for others)

Add to veggies, cover, and cook til mostly tender.

Add a cup to 1.5 cups of water(or broth) and arrowroot, cornstarch, or rice powder, following the directions for the thickener you choose.  I use a rice powder that just needs a few shakes over the food and to cook about 5 minutes.

Serve over the quinoa and enjoy the goodness!  Dobro sure thought he wanted a plateful!!!

Good things from leftovers...

I had leftover spaghetti squash from making a fake mac & cheese dish(real cheese, fake mac).   There were maybe 2 cups of the mixture in the fridge and I was pretty sure it'd get tossed because reheated fake mac & cheese, bluck.  So, I thought about fritters or making it into pizza crust or something.  Then it hit me, PANCAKES!!!  Like zucchini pancakes only with spaghetti squash!  YESSSSS!!!

So, here goes my best guestimates:

2 cups spaghetti squash
1 cup coconut milk(from a box)
1 cup gluten free baking mix(Betty Crocker is what I used)
2 eggs

I hope that's all I used, I've slept since then!  Mix well and cook one on a hot griddle to see how it does.  Adjust liquids or powders to get the right consistency if you need to and make some more!  I cooked mine on a 10-inch cast iron skillet on a hot plate thingy.  It made a LOT, at least 15, 4-inch pancakes!  I ate mine with sriracha ketchup and livermush, everyone else had butter and syrup.

 

And these quinoa-navy bean enchiladas with sour cream green sauce....

About 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
1 can navy beans, drained but not rinsed
2-3 tablespoons salsa verde
cumin, onion and garlic powder, oregano, salt, to taste

Mix well.  This will fill 10-12 small tortillas(I used corn and only had 8 but I have leftover filling)  I sprinkled a tiny bit of cheese in each too.

Put these in an oiled casserole dish.  Mix about 3/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup coconut milk(unsweet, boxed) and a few tablespoons of salsa verde and maybe some nutritional yeast flakes if you have them, and pour over the enchiladas.  Top with a handful of cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly.  I cooked mine in a toaster oven at 400 and the bottoms got a little tough so next time I'll lower the temp.

Banana Pancakes

2 very ripe(black) medium bananas
3/4-1 cup gluten free baking mix(Betty Crocker rice blend)
2/3-1 cup So Delicious coconut milk(the 45 calorie/cup kind)
3 eggs
dash of vanilla and grind of salt

Put it all in a quart-size Mason jar, put it on the blender and fire it up!  Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet, or the pancake griddle of your choice.  Pour into 3-inch rounds and flip when the bubbles appear and they look a little dry.  This made 22 bitty pancakes(1 WW point each) but you can make them big as you want.  I ate mine with a little butter and raspberry jam. 

Stir fried veggies and mac and cheese...

4-5 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
about 3/4 pound small mushrooms, quartered
about 1.5 cups diced quorn chicken tenders
 part of a bell pepper
1/2 a bag of frozen broccoli rabe(Whole Foods)

Cook in coconut oil til crisp-tender. 
Add several dashes bragg's liquid aminos, garlic and onion powder, a swig of dark sesame oil, and some Asian or Indian spice of your choice. 
 Cook til softish. 
Serve over quinoa(2 cups, cooked in 4 cups water) seasoned with lemon juice, butter, and salt.

Adapted from this:  Monterrey Bay Spice Company's Herbed Macaroni and Cheese

I left out the herbs and almost doubled the cheese sauce.  My noodles are the giant elbows.  This was amazing!!!

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

 This reminds me of chicken spaghetti like my mom didn't make but I had at friends houses.

1 pkg spaghetti, broken in half

Cook the noodles al dente and meanwhile:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened and cubed
1-2 ounces blue cheese, Gorgonzola or Roquefort(optional), crumbled
2 cans petit diced tomatoes(or regular dice or whole, chopped up- whatever), undrained
1/2 tsp garlic and onion powders
2 tbsp-1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce for wings(or to taste, start light)
1.5 cups frozen spinach, thawed under hot water and drained a bit(doesn't have to be squeezed dry)

Combine everything but the noodles in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 2 minutes, or heat on the stove, stirring until the cheese is mostly melted.

Add:
1 pound COOKED chicken breast, cubed or 1 12-ounce pkg THAWED Quorn chik 'n tenders
2-3 tbsp sliced Kalamata olives.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Pour into an oiled 9x13 or 12-inch round baking dish or pan.  Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Veggie Quorn with Asian-inspired sauce...

This serves two, generously.

1 tbsp coconut oil.
1/3 bag of Quorn brand fake chicken tenders(about a cup's worth or slightly more), or real, pre-cooked chicken, cubed.
1 large yellow squash or zucchini(about 2 cups when quartered and sliced about 1/2 inch thick).
about 1 cup frozen, cut green beans(or asparagus or broccoli or whatever sounds good to you).
small handful raw cashew pieces.


Heat these things in a cast iron skillet, or non-stick, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring often.

Meanwhile, mix about 3tbsp Braggs liquid aminos, 2tbsp honey, 3tbsp red wine or rice wine or even apple cider vinegar, a pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and whatever Asian or Indian spices you might like(I don't remember the name of what I dashed it with, something with coriander and other sweet-smelling spices) and add to the veggie-quorn stuff.  Let it cook, covered, for another several minutes(4-8).

Meanwhile again, mix a tbsp of cornstarch(or arrowroot) with about 2/3 cup of water.  When the quorn is heated through and the veggies are to your liking, add the water mixture and stir until thickened, removing from heat.  If its too thick, add more water and stir well.  I added a shot of sesame oil and sriracha sauce to this after it was cooked.  Was way awesome!

Gluten Free Cheesy Pizza

You'll need:

2tbsp butter, mostly melted
3/4 cup gluten free baking mix(betty crocker)
1/4tsp baking powder. oregano, basil, garlic and onion powder to taste
2tbsp nutritional yeast 1/2 cup greek yogurt

2 eggs. Mix well.




I baked this on a well-oiled, 10-inch cast iron skillet in the toaster oven, at 450 for about 15 minutes.

Topped with about 3tbsp very thinly sliced onions and kalamata olives, a big handful of grated mozzerella mixed with a few tbsps Parmesan and blue cheeses. Continued baking another 10 minutes or so, until golden and bubbly.

The crust is chewy, not a texture I've ever had before. Not biscuity or pizza crusty. Somewhere in between but more elastic.  My 21-year-old son told me this was the best thing I've ever made.

Sausage with Greens and Noodles

 I stopped at our local farm stand yesterday and came home with two packages of their ground sausage, eggs, peaches, tomatoes, wonderful bread, and heavenly cheeses.  We dropped our daughters at an unschooling camp in Tennessee this afternoon and got home in time to be starving.  I had saved out a pound of the sausage thinking I'd make spaghetti sauce or sausage balls from it but this happened...

I was still thinking spaghetti but remembered it isn't my son's favorite.  I rummaged around for what to put with it and came up with a partially frozen tomato(someone put it way in the back of the fridge, not knowing), part of a bag of frozen collard greens, a box of rotini and some assorted spices.

So, here it is, Sausage with Greens and Noodles:  Feel free to make this your own with fresh herbs/spices/veggies instead of frozen or dried, zucchini "noodles", or whatever you think sounds good.

1 pound ground sausage
1.5-2 cups frozen collard greens(or spinach, or kale, or turnips, etc.)
1 large ripe tomato, diced fine
1 teaspoon each, onion and garlic powder
1 tablespoon or so of worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup mix of Parmesan and feta cheeses(or other cheese to suit you)

Brown meat.  Add veggies and seasonings and simmer, covered, while the noodles cook.

1 box(12-13 oz) rotini pasta, or shape of choice.  Rotini holds sausage and greens to it really well.

Drain the noodles well and add to meat mixture, add cheeses and let sit for 5 minutes to melt and blend flavors.  Enjoy!

Homemade "reecie" cups...

Around these parts, a certain candy that has a peanut butter filling with chocolate coating is called a reecie cup.  My daughters LOVE this candy but I don't buy it often because they pretty much inhale the stuff.  I was bored, hot, sleepy, and hungry for chocolate when I came up with an alternative I don't mind serving to them more often.

Reecie Cups

Just over a cup, maybe 1.5 cups, of crunchy peanut butter
a tablespoon or so of chia seeds
about 2 tablespoons coconut oil
about 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, or sugar, or whatever kind of sweetener you like.

Mix well.  This will be kind of thin but not soupy.  It won't drip off your spoon but will fall with a shake or two.


about a cup of chocolate chips(semi-sweet is my favorite), melted for a minute in the microwave
about 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Mix together til smooth.

Set out mini-muffin sized, plain paper cupcake liners on a baking sheet.

Put about 1/2 a teaspoon of chocolate mixture in the bottom of a liner.  Put about a heaping tablespoon of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate.  Then drop more chocolate on top.  Freeze about 30 minutes and store(haha) in freezer.  Eat these with the wrapper held around them for the least mess.  They do melt fast!

(I filled 12 liners and ended up with maybe enough peanut butter to do 6 more but I melted more chips and mixed in with it to make a different goodie)

Zucchini Pie

This is so easy it hurts.  Remember I'm cooking in a toaster oven, we don't have a normal oven or a normal stove.  In fact, not much about our lives is normal! We live in a 23x24ft room above my dad's art gallery/woodturning shop.  We have 5 dogs, 7 cats, and a squirrel.  My kitchen area is very small, we don't have a dishwasher either(we have several part-timers though).

So anyway....

Like I said, this is so easy it hurts.  And it is yummy as $#*%!

2 zucchini(med-large), julienne sliced with a mandolin or a knife
1 small white onion sliced on the mandolin or very, very thin with a knife
1 tablespoon each olive oil and coconut oil

Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until softened.  I think I cooked my about 20 minutes in a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  Let cool another 20 minutes.

1/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup gluten free bisquick
spices of your choosing(I used herbes fines, parsley, and garlic powder)
3 eggs
1/4 cup water

Mix well.  This should be a bit thicker than pancake batter, if not, add more gf bisquick.  I have never cooked with almond flour and wonder if this is what made it so tender.

1 cup mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
dash of pepper

Mix into the veggies well.  Add egg mixture and mix gently.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.  I never time and was NOT measuring as usual.  This baked up SUPER SOFT and was extremely flavorful.  I'm showing unbelievable self-control to not go over and eat the entire pan of it.  OMG.  I hope the kids and Mr. Slapdash show up soon or they might have to scrounge around in the pantry for their dinner.

Spinach Breakfast Cake...

This was really, really good!  Remember Slapdash Cooking means you don't measure accurately so use your best judgment with my recipes...  If it seems too thin for what you are after, thicken it up!  If your pan is smaller or larger, adjust accordingly.

1.5 cups frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry
2 cups grated cheese, we used mild cheddar
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
3-4 tablespoons Parmesan
coconut oil for pan

2/3 cup gluten free bisquick
3-4 tablespoons buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour and flaxseed meal
garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper(all to taste)
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, or whatever milk you want to use

Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet(or stoneware 9x9 or similar in size) with the coconut oil.  Spread spinach and cheeses around.  Combine flours, eggs, milk, and spices, mixing well.  Batter should be pancake thick.  Pour over spinach and cheeses and stir around a bit to mix.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  I hate to tell how long because I use a toaster oven on 425 and never look at the timer.  I'm thinking 25 minutes.  Let cool about 10 minutes.  It has a cake-like texture, not quiche-like, which makes it easy to eat out of hand.

Hoppin John

(ignore the cat scratches on my face, we have a mean one)

Here's what's in mine:

1 yellow bell pepper
1 celery stalk with leaves
1 red onion, all veggies chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 smoked kielbasa sausage, sliced 1/4inch thick
3 cans crowder peas, drained
3 cups turkey broth
1 bag of frozen turnip greens
garlic powder, dried savory leaves, red pepper flakes, salt, & black pepper(all to taste)
1 pound brown rice,

Here's what I did with it:

Softened the veggies in about 2tbsp butter.  Cooked rice as per instructions on bag with no salt or butter/oil, set aside.  Cooked turnip greens in turkey broth for about 20 minutes.  Added kielbasa to veggies and cooked about 10 minutes.  Added greens, broth, seasonings, and peas to veggies.  Simmered for about an hour.  Served over rice.  Pigged out.

Chicken, Potato, & Kale Zuppa Rustica

This was an experimental soup based on a pinterest posting found at http://vimandvigor.typepad.com/vim-and-vigor/2012/01/kale.html  and another recipe she has linked.

Mine is as follows and can be changed up any number of ways...

1 pound ground chicken(or pork, or turkey, or sausage)
5-6 cups diced red potatoes and a sweet potato(I'll add more of them next time)
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
spices of choice, I used sage, citrus mint, red(cayenne) pepper, black pepper, and celery seeds
water or broth(I have no broth made up right now and don't use store bought, water was fine), enough to cover potatoes by 2-inches or so
powdered goat's milk(we're currently rearing baby squirrels and it is their food too)
1/2 of a large bag of kale, at least a bunch worth or so
more water to cook the kale, fill it within an inch of the top of the pan if you want to, really you can't do much harm to this recipe, adjust seasonings if you need to
yogurt and/or sour cream, I used both, to taste
salt to taste
spoonful of butter(makes everything better)
parmesan cheese

Brown the meat and onion, add garlic, potatoes and water.  Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer for 40 minutes.  Add kale and simmer another 40 minutes.  Turn off heat after everything is soft enough and add dairy products.  Serve with crackers or bread.  YUM!

This made a TON of good soup!  It seemed to separate as it cooled but that didn't bother us at all.  It was probably just the sour cream getting too hot initially.  My son asked if he could have seconds!  By all means, child, help yourself!!
 

Coconut Cauliflower Soup(easy)

No pics because my camera is elsewhere.

This is easy and very satisfying.

2 large heads of cauliflower
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves
some butter
tandoori seasoning or curry powder to taste(maybe a tablespoon or so)
1-2 cups of water
1 can coconut milk
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
feta or blue cheese to serve

Wash, trim and chop the cauliflower and onion.  Soften onion in the butter, add garlic and cauliflower and heat for a few minutes.  Add water and spice.  Bring to boil, cover and turn down the heat.  Let simmer until the cauliflower is soft, maybe 20 minutes, maybe 30, depends.  Using a potato masher, squish it all up in the pot.  Transfer to a blender in batches and process til smooth.  I do about 2/3 of it smooth and leave the rest ricey.  Add coconut milk, salt and peppers and heat it back up.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, butter, green onions, etc, etc.

Throw it together soup...

Having one last cold snap(we hope) here in northeast Texas means I have one last time to make a healthy, comfort soup.  This didn't disappoint and was a clean out the fridge and freezer meal bonus!

2-3 quarts turkey or chicken stock(I used both).
2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can petit diced tomatoes(or 2 cans of the former)
1 small can Rotel sauce(not their diced tomatoes, its like a tomato sauce-use plain or a seasoned kind if you can't find the Rotel) *by the way, all my canned goods are no salt added.
Add some salsa if you feel like it, the Rotel stuff is spicy but not overly so.
1 can black beans, undrained
1 large baking potato, cubed
1 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon spearmint
1-2 teaspoons Balti seasoning(I get mine from Penzey's, LOVE them!)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the chicken in the broth with the tomatoes, Rotel, beans, and potato until tender and done, about 35-45 minutes maybe.  Add rice and seasonings.  Simmer, covered for 2-3 hours total(from adding the chicken).