Quinoa with Summer Vegetables & Baked Sweet Potatoes

I'm getting in touch with my vegetarian side.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/06/quinoa-with-summer-vegetables.html

Tex Mex Lasagna, Spanish Rice, baby carrots

3/4 cup bottled salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can no salt-added tomato sauce
Cooking spray
6 precooked lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once; top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions.

(from cooking light)

I also did Spanish Rice. Saute bell peppers, onion, garlic. Add rice, tomatoes, and water, bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 min, until water is absorbed. Add spices.

Combo Fried rice and Chinese Scallion pancakes with Spicy Soy Sauce

Rex told me that he likes sticky white rice, so I made that first, then used it to fry up, but it ended up kind of mushy... sorry about that!

So I cooked the rice first. In a large pan I sauteed 2 onions and 4 stalks of celery, along with about 8 cloves of garlic. Once those were nice and soft I added in 3 cut up chicken breasts and cooked until they were done, then I added some of the left over marinated beef from last week that I had frozen, 1 bag of frozen shrimp and a can of mixed vegetables. I heated up coconut oil in a wok then fried the rice with soy sauce and sesame oil. I mixed in the meat and veggie mixture when the rice was cooked through.

For the Scallion Pancakes:

2 cups GF flour

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 cup scallions

Place flour in a food processor, While motor is running add in 1/2 cup warm water ( I had to add about double the water called for, since GF flour needs a lot more moisture to work well) until a slightly sticky dough forms. Dump onto a floured surface and kneed until uniform and smooth, about 3 minutes. Cover with a damp rag and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Combine sesame oil, vegetable oil and salt in a small bowl. Cut dough in half, then each half in 3 equal pieces. Form each into a ball and work with 1 ball at a time (keep the others covered with the damp rag). Roll out onto a well floured surface into a thin circle about 1/16 inch thick. Spread a tsp of the oil mixture evenly on the pancake, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and 1 Tbsp scallions. Roll up from one end like a jelly roll, then coil roll around to form a spiral; pinch end so roll stays in place. Press spiral with your palm to flatten it, then roll out pancake to 1/8 inch thick. Set pancake in pan with hot oil and saute until golden, about 1 minute. Flip and repeat on other side.

For dipping sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup scallions

2 tsp freshly minced ginger

2 tsp sugar

red pepper flakes

combine all ingredients except chillis in a small bowl. stir in sugar until just dissolved. Add chillis at the last minute before serving; the longer they are in the hotter it gets.

Korean Beef Skewers with Ginger Carrots and Rice

Ginger Carrots:

4 cups grated carrots

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 Tbsp whey (if not available, use additional Tbsp salt)

Mix all ingredients and pound to release juices. Place in a quart sized jar and press down until juices cover the carrots. Cover tightly and leave at room temp for about 3 days before transferring to fridge. (I didn't read this recipe carefully enough to have it made 3 days in advance, so ours only sat for 24 hours. I think it is supposed to taste a bit more like sourcraut since it is considered a fermented vegetable dish, but I tasted it and it was still good, if a bit salty.)

Korean Beef Skewers:

Slice steak as thinly as possible, across the grain. Mix other ingredients in and marinate beef in the mixture, refridgerated overnight or for several hours. Ribbon strips onto skewers, and grill 5 or 7 minutes on each side.

I didn't do a very good job of trimming the fat off of the meat, so if you get a chewy piece just spit it out and please accept my apologies!

I cooked the rice in vegetable broth instead of water to give it more flavor, and because I needed to use it up!

Teriaki Chicken & Rice with Veggies

Cube chicken and brown in a skillet until done.

Add mixture of 1/2 C soy sauce, 1/2 C honey, minced garlic, and a little ginger.

Let simmer and serve over rice.

I also like to add veggies to the mix.

This is very easy and tasty! I needed something very easy to make this week because John is out of town.

Corn and Poblano Pepper tamales, Spanish Rice, Tomatillo Avocado Salsa and Black beans

Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

• 12 tomatillo, husked, rinsed well
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 to 3 serrano chilies, stemmed
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Tamales

• 1 6-ounce package dried corn husks

• 1 pound large poblano chilies
• 2 cups Masa Harina (corn tortilla mix)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 5 cups frozen baby white corn kernels (about 25 ounces), thawed
• 3 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

preparation

Make Salsa:
Cook first 4 ingredients in heavy large skillet over high heat until charred in spots but still firm, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to processor; using on/off turns, chop coarsely. Add all remaining ingredients. Blend to coarse puree. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Make Tamales:
Selecting the largest and cleanest husks, place half of husks in large bowl; fill bowl with warm water. Weigh husks down with plate; soak husks until soft, separating occasionally, about 2 hours. Form 36 ties by tearing several husks into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Char chilies directly over gas flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in medium bowl; cover tightly with plastic. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop chilies.

To make dough, blend Masa Harina, butter, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in processor until coarse meal forms. Add broth and blend in (mixture will be crumbly). Transfer masa mixture to large bowl. Blend 2 1/2 cups corn, 1 cup cheese, baking powder, pepper, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in processor until coarse puree forms. Stir puree, then 2 1/2 cups corn into masa.

For each tamale, open 1 large softened husk. Place 1/3 cup tamale dough in center of husk. Make depression in center of dough; fill with 1 tablespoon chilies, then 1 tablespoon cheese. Using moistened fingertips, press dough over filling to cover; shape filled dough into 3-inch-long log parallel to 1 long edge of husk. Fold 1 long side of husk over filling and roll up to enclose. Tie ends of filled husks tightly with husk strips.

Add enough water to large pot containing steamer insert to reach bottom of insert. Layer tamales in steamer insert. Bring water to boil; cover pot. Steam until tamales are firm, removing insert and adding boiling water to pot to maintain water level as needed, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate. Before serving, re-steam 45 minutes to heat through.) Serve tamales in husks with salsa.

Let's see, changes I made to the recipie: I didn't use cheese, obviously, I just left it out completely. Also I used vegetable broth in the place of chicken broth so these would be strictly vegetarian and I can share them with Sonya for her food tree. I quadrupled this recipe so I am busted tired from standing in the kitchen for 6 hours cooking, but we have tons of tamales!

Spanish Rice:

Cook 1 onion, 4 stalks of celery and two bell peppers. Stir in 2 cups of rice, 2 cans of tomato sauce and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until water is absorbed.

(I found this fun website that shows you the nutritional value of your meals, so when I have time I'm gonna try to include this information as well!)

	Nutrition Facts for Salsa 18 Servings Amount Per Serving Calories 104.5 Total Fat 7.9 g Saturated Fat 1.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g Monounsaturated Fat 4.8 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 5.2 mg Potassium 413.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 9.0 g Dietary Fiber 4.6 g Sugars 2.1 g Protein 1.7 g Vitamin A 3.2 % Vitamin B-12 0.0 % Vitamin B-6 10.6 % Vitamin C 20.5 % Vitamin D 0.0 % Vitamin E 4.5 % Calcium 1.7 % Copper 7.0 % Folate 12.7 % Iron 3.9 % Magnesium 6.4 % Manganese 10.0 % Niacin 9.3 % Pantothenic Acid 8.2 % Phosphorus 5.3 % Riboflavin 5.6 % Selenium 1.1 % Thiamin 4.6 % Zinc 3.3 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Close This Window

Nutrition Facts for tamales
17 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		150.1
Total Fat		5.2 g
	Saturated Fat	2.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.2 g
Cholesterol		10.8 mg
Sodium		59.6 mg
Potassium		196.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		25.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.7 g
	Sugars	4.4 g
Protein		2.9 g

Vitamin A	7.0 %
Vitamin B-12	0.1 %
Vitamin B-6	8.1 %
Vitamin C	45.5 %
Vitamin D	0.7 %
Vitamin E	1.5 %
Calcium	1.5 %
Copper	2.3 %
Folate	6.1 %
Iron	3.6 %
Magnesium	4.7 %
Manganese	5.7 %
Niacin	4.8 %
Pantothenic Acid	1.7 %
Phosphorus	4.9 %
Riboflavin	3.2 %
Selenium	0.8 %
Thiamin	4.6 %
Zinc	2.5 %
Nutritional Info for Rice Servings Per Recipe: 16 Amount Per Serving Calories: 59.3 Total Fat: 0.3 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 328.1 mg Total Carbs: 13.4 g Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g Protein: 1.7 g