Red Lentil Spaghetti Sauce

1 c. chopped onion
2 green peppers, diced
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. pepper
2 T. + 1 tsp. oregano
1 T. parsley
1 T. + 2 tsp. basil
4 c. tomato puree
1 c. tomato paste
4 c. water
2 c. red lentils, rinsed
2 T. Parmesan cheese

• In bottom of large dutch oven, saute onions, garlic, green peppers, and mushrooms in oil until tender
• Add seasonings, tomato puree and paste, lentils, water, and Parmesan cheese
• Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally (keep pot uncovered)
• Serve over hot pasta topped with more Parmesan cheese. 
• Makes about 10 servings

I love lentils because you can sneak them into so many things and the family never knows.  Here's another one of those recipes that the boys never know is meat free and I don't volunteer the information!  Am I a bad mom or what?  They gobble it up and I sit back, satisfied that my family is eating some healthy stuff for dinner. 

Happy eats -

M.

Moist Chocolate-Lentil Cake

2 c. boiling water
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c. washed lentils
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. cake flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

• Add lentils and salt to boiling water.  Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. 
• Drain lentils, reserving liquid.  
• Add 1/4 c. of liquid back to lentils. Make puree in blender or food processor.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
• Mix sugar, oil, eggs and beat well for 2 minutes.
• Add vanilla and pureed lentils to creamed mixture.
• Sift flour, cocoa, salt, and soda and then add to creamed mixture. Beat for an additional 2 minutes.
• Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Cool and then frost with favorite frosting!

Sssshhhhh - this cake is SO delicious your kids will never know there are lentils tucked away in there!  You can reduce the fat by substituting 1/2 c. applesauce for 1/2 c. of the oil as well. It doesn't stay as moist for as long but I have found it never sticks around long enough to matter. 

Happy eats -

M.

Family Recipes ~ The Easiest One Ever

I thought I would start with the simple and easy recipes first.

Now all two of my readers might be wondering, "What does a stick of butter with a finger swipe out of it have to do with family recipes*?" However, if either of you grew up in my house, you know exactly what it has to do with family recipes.

You see, my former-father was notorious for eating butter. By the spoonful, the fingerful, the what-ever-was-convenient-ful. Just plain butter. Not butter on toast. Or butter melted over veggies or potatoes.  Or butter as part of another recipe. Just butter, straight up. Certainly I had my own gastronomic idiosyncrasies, but this is one Family Recipe I can proudly admit that I have never tried.

I think this recipe is so easy it speaks for itself so I won't bother including instructions.

Just be on the look out for Scalloped Potatoes in the next day or two. My gorgeous sis Melynie requested that recipe way back in January and I fully intended to put it together for her birthday at the end of that month but here it is...April.  Can I blame it on this pregnancy? Has that excuse worn thin yet? At any rate, I am excited and pleased to be able to do it for her, even if it is a very belated birthday present.

Smooches -

M.



* As further evidence that genetics do in fact play a role in an individual's behavior, this picture is actually one that was taken after The Professor helped himself to some butter I had sitting on the counter getting soft for another recipe. When I asked him about it, he declared that he couldn't help himself because it was so good! Remember, this is a child who has never met his biological grandfather and so there is no way he learned his love of butter by watching other people eat it. Plain.

Pico de Gallo (or A Party for Your Mouth)

This is another one of those recipes that I make frequently and keep on hand because it tastes so darn good on just about everything. Just between you and I, I like it so much that sometimes I just put it in a bowl and eat it like ice cream. 

Cast of Characters: 
6 medium tomatoes

1 medium white onion

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 c. lime juice
1or 2 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 clove garlic

salt


Directions:
Dice tomatoes and onion. Finely chop cilantro. Seed and mince peppers. Peel and dice the garlic, then sprinkle on some salt. Using a large knife blade, mash the garlic & salt into a paste. Put all ingredients (including lime juice) in a bowl & stir well.  Let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving so flavors have a chance to get to know each other.

Fish for Tacos

Cast of Characters:

1 lb. fresh white flaky fish fillets (tilapia or mahi mahi works well)

1 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

½ t. pepper

½ t. chipotle powder

2 eggs

2 T. water

1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Canola oil

Directions:

In a shallow dish, mix flour, salt, pepper, and chipotle powder together. In another shallow dish, whisk eggs and water together.  In a third shallow dish, spread bread crumbs out evenly.

• Preheat canola oil in large skillet while you bread the fish fillets.
• Dredge fish fillets in flour, then egg mixture, and then coat with panko bread crumbs.
• Cook in hot skillet until brown on both sides.
• Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

 

Simple Fish Tacos

"Oh, sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!"

No, seriously.  They are that good.

So, in short, here's the cast of characters:

• Cooked fish fillets
  
• Corn tortillas
• Mayonesa
• Cabbage
• Red Onion
• Cilantro
• Fresh salsa (hiding in the back - he' a bit shy)
• Lime
  

Directions:

Cook fish as desired.  I use breaded fish fillets - naked grilled fish is equally good. My SIL recently admitted to using store-bought pre-cooked, breaded tilapia fillets. She claims they are just as good as the homemade kind but I haven't tried it so I can't vouch for her. (Click here for my recipe for the breaded fish fillets).

While fish is cooking:

Thinly slice cabbage.

Thinly slice red onion. The thinner the better. These aren't too thin - it's kind of hard to cut onions and operate a camera at the same time.

Chop cilantro. (picture to come) Cut lime wedges. (picture to come)

Steam two corn tortillas (I usually do it in the microwave) and stack them on top of each other. Then slather them with Mayonesa. You don't have to use as much as I do -  I am trying to gain back some of the 36 lbs I lost in the first 20 weeks of this pregnancy. At least that's my excuse for now.

Put some cooked fish on there. I like to break mine into pieces, Mr. Amazing Man likes to keep his in "logs."  I don't know...fish "logs" just doesn't sound good to me. Why can't he call them "sticks" instead?

Toss on some of that thinly sliced cabbage and red onion.  Don't ask me why it has to be a red onion, but it just tastes better that way. Trust me.

Spoon on a bit of fresh salsa if you want. Some fish taco purists will eschew this step, but hey - it is a great way to up the veggie intake for the day.

Sprinkle on some chopped cilantro.

Top with a generous squeeze of lime.

Enjoy! But first a final word about this gift from the heavens:

Sure, you can make your own white sauce, but why would you when you can just use this?  Trust me, this stuff gets a five-star rating for ease of use and taste.  For those on the west side of the Rockies, you can find it sold as "Best Foods Mayonesa" in nearly every grocery store. For those of us on the east side of the Rockies, it's a bit trickier to find but Wal-Mart usually carries it - just look for it on the bottom shelf in the mayo section. 

If you are unfortunate enough to not be able to find it (ahem, my friends in the frozen north), you can fudge a bit and make your own.  Just use some regular mayo, mix in a generous amount of lime juice and a bit of chipotle powder.  But if you can find this bad boy, buy it, use it, and savor the south-of-the-border goodness.

Just don't put it on your son's hot dogs. He won't think it is funny. Also, don't use it in a chocolate cake recipe. Lime-flavored mayo doesn't pair well with the other ingredients. Ask me how I know.

Orange-Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Hand dipped in White Chocolate

 Around these parts, no family gathering during the holidays is complete without these cookies.  My siblings don't care if I make it, as long as the cookies do.  I think I got the basics from a magazine about 12 years ago and then tweaked it to my liking because you know me, I can't just follow follow a recipe.

The secret to these cookies is making sure they have enough "body" to them before you bake them.  If they don't, they will spread out and not have enough character to hold together once you start dipping them in the white chocolate. I don't know how else to describe the certain je ne se qua the dough needs to have, but the texture should be more firm than the typical oatmeal cookie recipe.  Don't be afraid to add a couple of tablespoons of flour at the end, if needed.

Happy baking & love & all that stuff -

M.

(P.S. Pictures will follow, as soon as I can stand being in the kitchen again! Darn this "morning sickness" stuff).

Cast of characters:

1 1/2 c. raisins (or my new favorite, Craisins)
1 c. orange juice
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 ½ c. sugar
2 large eggs
¼ c. grated orange peel
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. cloves
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 c. rolled oats
16 oz. white chocolate baking chips
2 t. vegetable oil

Directions:

• Combine orange juice & raisins; let stand overnight.
• Cream butter & sugar together.
• Beat in eggs, orange peel, & spices until light and fluffy.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture.
• Add raisins, any soaking liquid, and oats; mix well.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
• Cool completely on cooling racks.
• In a small, deep bowl, melt the white chocolate & oil (put in microwave for 2-3 minutes on LOW power, stirring once. If it needs longer, microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring well between each one.)
• Dip one-third of the cool cookie into the white chocolate.
• Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets and chill until white chocolate is firm. Warning: the probability that several of these will go MIA before the rest are completed is fairly high. Plan accordingly.
  
• Makes about 3 dozen, depending on how many people have been snitching from the cookie dough bowl.