Best Egg Salad I've Ever Tasted!

Seriously, it really is the best-tasting egg salad I've had. If you'd like, you can make it the way the Moosewood book suggested and leave out most of the yolk. That way it has much less fat and cholesterol than a regular egg salad.

Makes 2 sandwiches
This is also great on crackers or on top of a bed of lettuce. I'd love to try it stuffed into an avocado or tomato.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled, and then diced
1/2 stalk of celery, diced
1/8 of a red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 tbsp. sweet or dill pickle, minced
1 tsp. capers, drained
1/8 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tbsp. fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired
Bread or rolls
Lettuce, tomato, sliced green onion, additional Dijon mustard as sandwich garnishes

Method:
1. Stir together chopped eggs, celery, capers, bell pepper, pickle, onion, dill, yogurt, horseradish, and mustard.

2. Serve as a sandwich on bread/rolls or as a salad.

Reference:
Based on the Egg Salad recipe from the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook.

My changes:
I used yogurt in place of mayonnaise. I thought about making my own mayo but just couldn't be bothered... heh :) Least I'm honest!
I added the capers. I also used sweet pickle in place of dill pickle.

Peruvian Baked Quinoa and Cheese

It's like a great familiar outfit with a fabulous new pair of shoes. :) Mmmm... this was a nice change from regular mac and cheese and it's gluten-free for those who are on GF diets. And if that's not enough to win your heart, check out all the superfoods!

I just read a little blurb in Vegetarian Times that gave me another reason to love quinoa! It has 8 essential amino acids and is a complete protein all by itself! I did also just read that vegetarians really don't have to worry about "complete proteins" but whatever.. This same blurb also stated that quinoa is high in antioxidant activity. Yeay for super foods! :)

I changed a few things from the original recipe so I'll mark those in purple.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil (superfood!)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (original recipe called for 1/2 a medium leek, white and green parts, halved and sliced)
1/8 cup red onion (superfood!)
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced (I used a mix of red, green, and yellow peppers)
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (I think of quinoa as a superfood!)
1 garlic clove, minced (superfood!)
1 1/2 cups water
1 large egg (some, myself included, would say eggs are a superfood!)
1/2 cup nonfat milk
3/4 cup grated cheese (I used sharp 1/2 C Cheddar, 1/8 C Parmesan, and 1/8 C mozzarella; original only called for Cheddar)
1 tomato, seeded and chopped (superfood!)

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onion, red onion, and bell peppers. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the quinoa and garlic. Cook, uncovered 3-4 minutes or until the quinoa grains turn opaque (pretty sure mine took a bit longer than that but I wasn't paying attention - trying to get DH's food done at the same time!)

2. Add 1 1/2 cups water, season with salt if desired. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 3-4 minutes more or until most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray (the one I used is about 9-inch x 6.5-inch - it's a ceramic Le Creuset thing/not marked!)
Whisk the egg and milk together in a large bowl. Fold in the quinoa mixture, tomatoes, and cheese. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and bake 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and on top.

Reference: From the April 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.

Couple Yummy Salads

I could eat salad every day and be happy as a clam! So yummy and there are so many things you can do with it - gotta love versatility! I discovered a new (new to me, anyway) dressing over the weekend so these both use that.

For the goddess (or god!) in all of us...

Goddess Salad Version 1
Spinach (superfood!)
Lettuce
Grape or cherry tomatoes (superfood!)
Avocado, diced (superfood!)
Carrots
Cucumber, diced
Dried cranberries (pretty sure these are a superfood!)
Walnuts (superfood!)
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing

Goddess Salad Version 2 (a slightly fattier [but higher in protein!] version of the above salad
Spinach (superfood!)
Lettuce
Grape or cherry tomatoes (superfood!)
Carrots
Cucumber, diced
Red onion, chopped (superfood!)
Crumbled goat cheese
Dried cranberries (superfood, I think!)
Walnuts (superfood!)
Hard-boiled egg, diced (or just leave it off to the side and eat it whole) - superfood!
Fresh mint, chopped
Cilantro, chopped (actually, I just pulled the leaves off a couple stems!)
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing

Eight-Treasure Fried Rice

I found this recipe as part of a feature on Chinese New Year meals. Totally forgot about it during Chinese New Year but oh well ;) Better late than never, right?!
The original recipe called for shrimp and sausage to be two of the eight treasures... I made mine vegetarian by subbing some marinated tofu and broccoli for those items. The eight treasures here are represented by: eggs, tofu, mushrooms, peas, broccoli, pineapple, cashews, and cilantro.
For next time, I'd make it more colorful by adding some red (a lucky colour in the Chinese culture) with some red bell pepper or even some cherry or grape tomatoes which I'd add after cooking. You could also easily make this vegan by omitting the egg and using agave nectar in place of the honey. Since tofu is a great egg substitute, you won't miss it! Just be sure to replace it with an ingredient to keep the eight treasure theme going!

This made quite a lot! Probably enough for 2 main-dish servings or 4 side-dish servings. The amounts are a bit weird since I divided the original recipe by 3...

Ingredients:
White or brown rice, cooked and cooled (I used 1/4 cup rice and 1/2 cup water to cook it)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1/12 cup chopped onion (probably works out to be 2-3 tbsp.)
3 white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1/4 cup cashews (I chopped mine up a little)
1/6 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/6 cup sweet-and-sour sauce
Small amount of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup broccoli florets
1/4 block extra-firm tofu
1 tbsp. honey or agave nectar
1 tbsp. orange juice (you could also use pineapple juice or half orange/half pineapple if desired)
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
A quick shake of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. vinegar

Method:
1. Marinate tofu. Squeeze tofu between paper towels to remove the excess moisture. Cut into small cubes. Mix together the honey, orange juice, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and vinegar in a zip-lock bag. Add the tofu and toss to coat. Let it marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes - it doesn't need long. Work on the rest of the recipe while the tofu marinates.

2. Heat 1/2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until hot. Add the egg and scramble until set. Remove the eggs from the skillet and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook the onion 15 seconds or until shiny and fragrant. Add the tofu (discard the marinade); stir-fry until cooked through. Add the mushrooms, broccoli, and peas; cook one minute.

4. Add the rice and toss to combine. Add the egg, pineapple, cashews, green onions, and sweet-and-sour sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes until the rice is tender and all ingredients are heated through. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Reference:
This is based on an eight-treasure fried rice recipe I found in the February/March 2008 issue of Cooking Pleasures magazine. The tofu marinade is based on the Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1996 edition).

Guilt-Free Rice Pudding

**Update - it is even better a day later! :) I threw the leftovers in the fridge yesterday and just heated some up for a little pre-lunch goody! Yum :)**

Mmmm... I have been craving rice pudding for goodness knows how long! I can't remember the last time I had it but I know it's been way too long! It was sort of a staple dessert for my family growing up. We really only ate dessert after Sunday lunch but we often had rice pudding... it's like ambrosia to me!

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and tagged it to try but since my husband won't eat it, I've been reluctant to try it. I finally decided "oh well, too bad for him" and made it anyway! So creamy and delicious - he obviously doesn't know what he's missing ;)

It's really low-fat and I skipped the salt that was called for in the recipe... the egg does add quite a bit of cholesterol but it's really not much since it's only 1/4 egg per serving. Besides, it's protein! :) You could use 2 egg whites in place of the whole egg to make it even less of a guilty dessert.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked short-grain rice (I used 1/2 cup dry rice and 1 cup water to get this)
1 3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/6 cup sugar
1/8 cup nonfat dry milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Combine the rice, liquid and dry milks, and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally.

2. Place the egg in a medium bowl. Gradually add half of the rice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk while adding. Return the egg mixture to the pan/remaining rice over medium-low heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Reference:
Based on the Rice Pudding recipe from the October 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine.
Changes: I actually used medium-grain rice since I couldn't find short-grain that wasn't obnoxiously expensive! I left out the raisins (I'm actually eating those on the side!) and I added some nutmeg in place of half the cinnamon. My mom makes rice pudding and uses nutmeg so we can thank her for that :)
She also bakes it - I am definitely going to have to remember to ask for the recipe!

Sundried Tomato and Olive Ravioli

This is the vegetarian version of the ravioli I made. I really made this up as I went..! It was very tasty, I'll definitely make it again! One thing I'll do next time is roll the pasta even thinner. It was a little thick when it all came together.

The pasta recipe uses the KA mixer and pasta roller attachments. I'm sure this pasta recipe could be used with any pasta roller that you have (you could probably even roll it out the old-fashioned way with a rolling pin - I'm just lazy!) ;)
Pasta Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt

Pasta Method:
1. Place the eggs, water, whole wheat flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the bowl and flat beater to the mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 30 seconds.

2. Exchange the flat beater for the dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and hand-knead for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into 6-8 pieces before processing with the pasta roller attachment.

Filling Ingredients:
1/4 pound fat-free cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 egg white to seal

Filling Method:
1. Mix the cheeses, egg yolk, and seasonings in a bowl. Add the tomatoes and olives. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.

3. Process the pasta with a flat pasta sheet roller until it is as thin as possible. Keep pasta strips covered with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out prematurely.

4. Spoon teaspoons of filling onto one strip of pasta. Dip a pastry brush in the egg white and brush it around each spoonful of filling. Place a second sheet of pasta over the filled sheet and press down firmly to seal. Use a fluted pastry wheel or knife to cut the ravioli. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

5. Place the ravioli on trays lined with clean dish towels and let them dry for no longer than 3-4 hours. Turn occasionally.

6. To cook - bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Slide the ravioli into the water. Cover the pan and cook 3-5 minutes once the water has returned to a boil, stirring gently. Taste for doneness.

Serve with marinara (I used the red wine marinara from this blog) and some grated Parmesan cheese.

References:
I used several different recipes as a base for this one. I started with the recipe for Whole Wheat pasta from the little recipe book that came with the KitchenAid Pasta Sheet Roller and Cutter set. I also used a ravioli recipe from Pasta Recipes and Techniques which was published by the Cooking Club of America.

Tomato-Parmesan Strata

I'd never made, or even tried, a strata until tonight so I really wasn't sure what to expect! The ingredients in the recipe I used all sounded yummy so I figured I'd try it out. It was a success and this has officially been added to the "vegetarian meals to eat when DH isn't here" rotation. ;)
I also got to "baptize" my Le Creuset oval baking dish that I got for Christmas so that was a nice little bonus!

The original recipe was from Cooking Light but I changed just a couple things. Those changes included subbing broccoli for the spinach (out of spinach) adding mushrooms, and using 2 whole eggs in place of the 1 egg plus 3 egg whites (I admit, I was being lazy!)
Here's my version.

Serves 2 (yum - I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!)

Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup broccoli florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped, seeded tomato
3-4 white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the bread cubes in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add the broccoli and garlic; saute an additional minute or two. Remove from heat.

4. Combine thyme, salt, black pepper, and eggs in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir in the broccoli mixture, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes in the baking dish; sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set. Yummy with a salad.

Reference:
The original recipe was from the June 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Corn Bread Muffins

Like the baked beans below, this recipe came from the October 2007 issue of Cooking Light. These were great! They freeze well (up to 1 month) so I made a whole batch and have been serving them with different things over the last few weeks. If you freeze them, heat them through in the microwave/a warm oven - they taste even better warm!

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (the sharper the cheese, the better the flavour!)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion (subbed for the original recipe's green onions)
1 (8 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
Dash of hot sauce
1 large egg, beaten
Cooking spray

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next four ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Combine cheese and remaining ingredients (except cooking spray) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add the cheese mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.

3. Coat the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among the cups of the muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in cups 2 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. The recipe says to let them cool completely but they are so yummy served warm!

Reference:
The original recipe can be found in the October 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine. Corn Bread Bites.

Chilaquiles!

I worked at a Mexican restaurant for a little while during college and remember having chilaquiles for the first time at a brunch we had there... wow! Mexican breakfast food is so wonderful! I recently found this recipe in my lovely "San Diego Restaurant Cookbook" and had to try it. The recipe is from the El Pollo Grill restaurants.

Chilaquiles in Red Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 medium-sized tomatoes, I seeded mine then cut them into strips
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 serrano chili pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups water
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup oil
1 dozen corn tortillas, each cut into 8 pieces
4 eggs, beaten
Additional diced onions
Grated cotija cheese (or any Mexican cheese - asadero, Monterey jack, queso quesadilla. Good ol' cheddar makes a fine substitute if that's all you have. You could also do a mix of several cheeses).

Method:
Prepare Sauce:
1. In a blender, blend the tomatoes, tomato paste, chili, salt, and 1 cup of water.

2. In a medium skillet, saute the onions in some of the oil until the onions become translucent. Add the tomato mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you start the chilaquiles.

Prepare Chilaquiles:
1. In a large skillet, heat the rest of the oil for about 10 minutes. Add the tortilla triangles and cook until they are crispy and medium-brown in colour (you want them to be crispy so they don't get too soggy later on). Do not let the tortillas burn. Remove the tortillas from the oil and place them on a paper towel.

2. Add the beaten eggs to the tomato sauce and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Add the fried tortillas and 2 cups of water. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with a garnish of diced raw onions and cotija cheese, if desired.

I didn't take any photos, because it really does not look all that appetizing! They do taste so good, though, and really that's all that matters! Enjoy!

Reference:
Croce, Ingrid (2005). The San Diego Restaurant Cookbook: Recipes from America's Finest City. Avalanche Records and Books: San Diego, CA.

Freezing Egg Whites

Aw, my first post of the new month! Happy June everyone... there is only a week of school left (I'm a teacher) so I'm pretty excited! I do have to work until the middle of the month just finishing up paperwork (gotta love that!) and writing up my students' learning record reports but then I'm off until August when I got back limited hours (just for staff development, contacting new students, etc). I have tons of plans for summer projects which include lots of new recipes and lots of blogging! Glad I have a laptop so I can blog by the pool ;)

So, I'm planning on making ice cream this weekend - I've had this KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for a couple months and I have yet to use it. I was looking through the recipes and decided to be boring and start with French vanilla (so unlike me to be boring with food, but I know my husband will eat it... lol) The recipe calls for, yikes, 8 egg yolks. I have this great lemon-blueberry meringue pie recipe that I'd also like to try but not for a couple weeks. So, I was wondering if I could freeze the egg whites from these eight eggs and use part of that for the meringue. Turns out yes you can freeze the egg whites (yippee!). Here's the procedure which I found by doing an Ask.com search.

**If you need individual whites (maybe only 1 or 2):
You can freeze them in an ice-cube tray (genius!) so they are frozen individually and don't get all stuck together. They usually freeze overnight. After they are frozen, pop them out of the ice-cube tray and into a freezer-weight zipper bag. Label them with the date and how many whites are in each bag. Keep them in the freezer until ready to use.

**If you need multiple whites (like 6 for a recipe):
Just freeze the necessary number of whites in a container (freezer safe), then pop them out of the container when they are frozen (again, overnight should do it). You could even just freeze as many as you need in the ice-cube tray. You can then either wrap the block in plastic wrap then foil and store them in a freezer-safe container (Rubbermaid or a large zipper baggie). Write the date on the container as well as the number of whites.

The tip I found said you can save them in the freezer for up to 6 months. However; be sure to store long-term frozen goods in the coldest part of the freezer (the back and towards the bottom). I'm not sure I'd ever try to keep them for 6 months, but if you're going to be using them in a couple weeks or a month, I think this is a great option. Much better than wasting food.

To defrost the eggs, just remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight, just like you would with meats.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

So many people ask for a recipe, or more like method, for hard-boiled eggs. Here is how I make them.

Ingredients:
Eggs (as many as you need, figure 1 per person)
Salt
Water
A pinch of cream of tartar (only necessary if you have Teflon-coated pans - it prevents discoloration)
A little sprinkle of vinegar (regular old white vinegar works; you don't need anything fancy!)

Method:
Fill a saucepan 2/3 full of cold water. If you are using Teflon pans, now is the time to add that pinch of cream of tartar. Add as many eggs as you are cooking (they should not be crowded in the pan). Add 1 tsp. of salt and a little vinegar (the vinegar works to stop any cracks in the eggs - it seals them up). Bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 15 minutes.

Drain off the hot water and immediately run the eggs under cold water. Peel at once. You can make these ahead - peel them immediately after cooking then store them in a covered glass or plastic container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They cannot be frozen.