Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Bruschetta and Caramelized Onions

Little bites of fall heaven

Creating recipes is tough, yall. This dish was inspired by a need to use up some food in my kitchen. It was a very make it up as I go type dinner that happened to work out well. Score, there is usually about a 50/50 shot of that. I knew I needed to use a half empty container of ricotta and already had flagged a recipe for ricotta bruschetta in one of Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks. The recipe called for the cheese mixture to be served on toasted bread, but I wanted to healthy that up a bit. That began the elaborate process of looking around my kitchen to see what else I could use. My eyes surveyed the bowl of local vegetables on the counter and honed in on some boring looking sweet potatoes. Of course we all know how far from boring sweet potatoes taste, but they are not lookers. Yellow onions hid underneath the sweet potatoes, just hoping to get thrown in the mix. My college roommate and I used to make these baked sweet potatoes that were so (oooooooo) good, and since I had local sweet potatoes I figured might as well combine two awesome recipes to see what would happen.

Success! Baked Sweet Potatoes topped with an herby ricotta mixture finished with sweet caramelized onions were in fact little bites of savory goodness. Baking the sweet potatoes gave them a lovely soft texture while the breadcrumbs added a needed crunch. The ricotta bruschetta was light and full of all the right herbs, while caramelized onions finished it off with a hit of sweetness. I'm sure I could improve on this recipe, and will certainly try, but for now it's pretty freaking good. It is a good main course, served with a side of green vegetables, but would also make a great appetizer. As an appetizer I would try to get small thin sweet potatoes as to make them bite sized. I used large sweet potatoes, which required a plate and a fork if you consider yourself fancy.
Sliced avocado was what I wanted to top these with first, but they were all rock hard and expensive at the grocery store. The onions were delicious, but I bet you could top this with fresh tomatoes, avocado, perhaps evenly lightly sautéed mushrooms. All the vegetables used in this (except the herbs) are seasonal, and the greens, browns, and orange are perfect fall colors to decorate your dinner plate.

Ricotta Bruschetta with Baked Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from my brain, with help from the Barefoot Contessa.

The Goods: Serves 4-6 as main course
2-3 large sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch
2 cups breadcrumbs ( I prefer panko, just read the ingredients before you buy them)
4 tablespoons (more or less) of butter, melted plus 2 tablespoons for the onions
2 cups ricotta
3 tablespoons scallions white and green parts, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced in 1/8 inch slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

The Deal:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 2 large cookie sheets. First caramelize your onions: In a large saute pan on medium high heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onions and saute until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Reduce heat to medium (or medium low depending on your burner) and cook onions until soft and browned, about 40 minutes. Only stir occasionally, but watch for burning. If they begin to burn reduce heat.

2. Set up your breading station. Place melted butter in a shallow bowl. Then place breadcrumbs and a good dash of salt and pepper in second bowl. Coat sweet potato in butter, letting excess butter drip off, then dredge in the breadcrumbs being sure it is evenly coated. Place on the greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining sweet potatoes. Bake until lightly browned and soft, about 20-25 minutes.

3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, make your ricotta bruschetta. Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl.

4. Once your sweet potatoes and caramelized onions are ready, assemble your dish. Place 1 breaded sweet potato on the plate, followed by a heaping tablespoon of ricotta mixture, and finish with a a good dash of onions. Serve immediately.

Tofu "Chicken" Salad

Creating an healthy inspired lunch can feel as if Im trying to sleep on jello; exhausting, funny, but mostly confusing. I am having a serious no salad phase, for no good reason besides I have no desire to eat one. Or the energy to make a good one. Salads come and go with me, there are months I can't get enough, and then large chunks of time where I barely want to look at one. I long for the time in my life where I crave salad every day, where my hunger for rabbit food overrides my desire for bread and cheese. Probably referring to salad as rabbit food doesn't help my cause. Dammit.

What I am currently craving is chicken salad. ALL. THE. TIME. I think once a day I have a food day dream about it. As we all know, thats not the really the type of salad that makes for a healthy body. Its not the gross kind at a regular supermarket, but they light mayo rotisserie chicken salad at our organic markets that barely have anything but mayo, herbs and chicken. Dammit. Now I want one, thanks ME.

As always Jeanne Lemlin, author of my favorite Vegetarian cookbooks, to the rescue. I swear if I ever
meet her I will need for hugging and crying on a perfect stranger to be ok. I just want to hug her while she makes me food and stokes my hair. Lets all be honest, we all feel that way about her. It can't just be my Mom and I, right?

I had seen a Tofu "chicken" salad recipe that I had been wanting to try for a while, and finally did. Welcome to one of my new favorite staples. The damn tofu does taste pretty freakin close to chicken. Obviously not exactly, but the way you prepare it is clever, simple and makes a damn good fake chicken base. Then you can add the ingredients you love in your traditional chicken salad as you usually would, though next time I will probably try to make it more asian themed. The chicken is flavored with Braggs aka soy sauce, so I'm thinkin sliced orange, toasted sesame seeds, some food that is good at math would really make this salad sing. I like grapes and and any fresh herbs in my chicken salad, but everyone seems to have a a different favorite type of chicken salad. You must mix in what you feel is right FOR YOU :)

Actual in the kitchen time is only about 15 minutes, but you do need to let your tofu chill for at least an hour. If you try to make it warm it will turn out gross, so if you like gross stuff, then you shouldn't let it sit. The salad tasted best the first day I made it, but kept tasty for at least 3 days. I'm not sure how long it keeps, as always the sooner you eat something the better. Actually that is not always true, but it is for this, so there.

I planned to make my own mayo but simply ran out of time. Of course I only add enough mayo to hold the salad together, so its better to make your own, but not essential. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Serve on bread, or lettuce. I cannot say enough about how easy and tasty this was.

Be sure to get organic tofu without GMOs. GMO's are bad bad bad. Bad for the environment, bad for bodies, bad for land, they are evil and there is no law in the US requiring companies to label foods that contain GMOS. Here is site you can read all about them: NO TO GMOS!  Look for products that state they do not use GMOs especially products that use soy beans. Braggs liquid Amino Acids is a wonderful soy sauce equivalent for many reasons, including they do not use GMOs. I never use soy sauce any more, Im a Braggs girl through and through.

Tofu "Chicken" Salad

So yummy!

The Goods: Makes about 2 cups
1 package extra firm tofu, organic
1 tablespoon Braggs liquid Amino Acids (or Soy Sauce)
2-3 tablespoons mayo
1/4 cup grapes, quartered
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (vegetable or canola is fine)

The Deal: 
1. Drain your tofu. Place your tofu in a kitchen towel (or paper towels) between two plates. Press out as much liquid as possible. The dryer the better. Once dry, place tofu on cutting board and finely chop into pieces about the size of small peas.

2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add tofu and shake pan to evenly coat and prevent from sticking. Then using a spatula move it around until it is evenly browned, which should take 8-10 minutes. The pan may start to smoke, that's fine, but keep the heat high and stir frequently.

Just starting to brown

Browned and coated in Braggs

3. When tofu is golden brown, drop the tofu in a bowl and drizzle soy sauce over tofu, making sure to toss well. Let cool for 10 minutes. Then refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

4. Stir in remaining ingredients and keep covered until ready to serve.

Cold Sesame Noodles

Seed-a-licious

The elusive perfect pasta salad. It's become so rare for me to enjoy pasta salad, I started avoiding them at potlucks. There are either full of mayo, or the vegetables are overcooked and under flavored. There was one cold asian style noodle salad Trader Joes sells in its fresh section that drove me wild. Im talking had dreams about this salad. Living in Asheville is a gift, except of our lack of Traders Joes. Oh Traders, how I miss you. This one was not like the Traders one, it was tasty, but still not exactly what I wanted. You elude me again perfect pasta salad!

Don't get me wrong, this was great, but when you are seeking a particular flavor, nothing else will do.

Next time I will add more vegetables and less pasta. Of course I "forgot" the red pepper, aka I still dont vibe with red peppers and dont add them to things. Walking into a kitchen when peppers are cooking makes my mouth water, I want to eat them, but then I do and regret it. Someday red/green peppers...someday.

 I think next time Ill use a different type of noodle. Chunky peanut butter was recommended but I had creamy so thats what I used. Always follow ingredients, but be careful when buying food that could go to waste. If you don't eat crunchy butter, don't buy it. 

I made them Sunday night, tasted them and had them again for Monday lunch. Sadly they were tastier Sunday night, but by no means gross on Monday. I ate them again today, and they were still tasty. I made enough for the week, so Ill see how long it holds. This would be a fantastic dish for a potluck, especially in the summer, because it whips up quick and the ingredients are cheap.

Sesame Seeds are healthy too, full of copper, magnesium, and calcium. Also the phrase "open sesame" comes from sesame seeds. When sesame seed pod reaches maturity they burst open, hence open sesame. I tell ya, the things you learn online. I knew there must be a reason they are on so many asian dishes. You can read all about them here: Sesame Seeds

I found this recipe in America's Best Test Kitchen: Family Cookbook, a cookbook I think every person should have. It has every basic recipe you would need, plus information on everything from the best olive oil, to how cook every bean, to a list of every type of cheese and what it goes well with. I've been missing sleep just to read this wonderful book, I would say its a "must have".
Do not let the ingredient list scare you, a lot of components are things you probably have around the house. Specifically the kitchen, hopefully you dont keep peanut butter in your bathroom, though to each his/her own.
Noodle note: Chinese eggs noodles may not be in your pantry, they sadly arent in mine, so use what you have on hand. I only buy whole wheat noodles these days, its good habit to get into. I used angel hair, but think rotini, spaghetti, or farfelle would all be great.

Cold Sesame Noodles

Crap picture, I promise the taste is better

The Goods: Serves 4-6

5 tablespoons sesame seeds

5 tablespoons soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1/2 cup hot water

1 tablespoon salt

1 pound fresh chinese noodles(see note)

4 scallions, sliced thin

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin

The Deal: 

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. Puree the remaining 4 tablespoons sesame seeds with soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and Tabasco in a food processor (or blender) until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream. You may not need all the water, the texture is key. 

Pre-pureed

Creamy and healthy. Yes!

2. Cook the noodles as directed until tender. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water until cool. Shake out excess water and transfer to a large bowl. Add the scallions, carrots, red pepper, and sesame sauce and toss to combine. Serve on a platter, or divide into bowls and sprinkle with reserved sesame seeds. 

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

Peanut---Peanut butter, and NOODLES!

Finding staple dinners is one of my larger missions with this blog. I love when I have hours to dot around in the kitchen, but most of the time I have a short window to cook in, and I want to find recipes that I can whip up and taste great. Of course being healthy makes them even better!

Asian cooking has heaps of vegetarian recipes, and I have just started exploring the flavors of this type of cooking. I would love to get the rough basics of Asian, Indian and Thai cooking, but of course it takes the time.

This dish is a play on peanut sauce, which I believe is Thai, but Im not sure. Regardless, its ridiculously tasty, and this dish will definitly be something I make come back to. Its also great to make for a big group, the ingredients are cheap and it whips up quick.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been reading "Simple Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin and this recipe is straight from that book. She said this dish was a staple in her house, because it was so easy and quick, and after trying it I know why. My addition was broccoli, because I wanted to make sure I had a good green vegetable. Carrots, shallots, garlic, corn, zucchini could all be great additions, the sauce is very versatile.

Clearly I LOVED the flavors in this dish. I would like to play around with them a bit more, next time I might try more peanut butter and less sesame oil, or perhaps add some rice vinegar, but this is a great base to work with. A bit more oily because of the sesame oil, and not as thick as a sauce with a large peanut butter base.

Another benefit to this dish is how long it takes to make. Thirty minutes total, and that includes your prep work. Good for those who want a quick meal or have tiny hungry children to fed. Hope yall enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Broccoli

Brown and green look so lovely together

The Goods: Serves 3-4

1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup Braggs liquid Amino Acids or Tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup oriental sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups of broccoli, chopped
1 pound of spaghetti

The Deal: 
1. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile whisk together the peanut butter and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients-- except the the reserved scallions, broccoli and the spaghetti-- until smooth. Put low heat under the pot and warm the sauce, stirring occasionally.

This guy is saucy!

3. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't overcook the pasta; it should be chewy.

4. Once the pasta is cooking, steam your broccoli. Once pasta and broccoli are ready, drain pasta in colander and return to pot. Pour on the peanut sauce and broccoli and toss. Grabs some bowls and garnish with remaining scallions.

Faux Pigs in a Blanket

I call him "Pig Faux"

I feel pretty silly for posting this, hence the very silly picture. Also this is by no means healthy, simply less terrible than normal meat pigs in a blanket. It happens to be one of my all time favorites. ever. Plus they are the fanciest pigs in blanket you are likely to have. I use vegi dogs and find with the other additions I don't miss meat hot dogs and all their filler.
The scallions add an unexpected flavor and the sesame seeds are a crunchy delight.

This dish is not a meal, but would be a nice treat for a party.
One thing I am trying to do with this blog is take the normal, often boring recipes and give them a bit of a twist.

Anytime you are serving something with a lot of bread and cheese be sure you have a good vegetable to go with it. IE last night I had a big helping of steamed green beans with this meal. I also did not eat them all(though I could have, its real unhealthy how much I love these little puppies, I mean piggies!). I made sure half of my plate had a good simple vegetable, so I did not fill up on piggies(and then become one). It would have been better if I had brown rice instead of pastry and cheese, but Im getting there. Im getting there.

If you are having a party, serve these(or the miniature version, see note) and then have a big vegetable platter beside it. You can use homemade ranch for both!

I PROMISE something healthier to come in the next few days. With lots of vegetables, lots and lots. Eating healthy is HARD people. Remember these are for PARTIES, not night alone by yourself-ies *cough* me *cough*


 Note: For a larger party, you can also slice the fake dogs in 1/4s and the crescent triangles in half. You get the double the amount and they are more bite sized. Yum!

Faux Pigs in a Blanket

Right out of the oven, golden little non piggies!

The Goods: Makes 16 fake piggies
1 package of tofu dogs, each dog sliced in half
2 packages of immaculate baking crescent rolls(or any crescent rolls that aren't full of chemicals)
1 cup good cheddar, shredded( I prefer cabot for cheap yet still good cheddar)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons sesame seeds


The Deal: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

2. Pull apart a crescent roll triangle. Sprinkle a pinch of cheese and scallions on the triangle and lightly press into the dough. Then place half of one hot dog on the flat side of the triangle. Roll the dog towards the point. Then sprinkle sesame seeds on the top and sides, pressing lightly to help them adhere. Repeat with the remaining 15 dogs.

3. Place each fake piggie on a baking sheet and once they are all assembled place them in the oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until the roll is lightly browned(see picture above).

4. Serve hot with ketchup, honey mustard or homemade ranch on the side! How to make your own Ranch!

Potato, Scallion, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Simple ingredients=delicious dish

Yep, I was up to it again! On Sundays all I want to do is cook. The things I need to do: run, homework, clean the house, are all much less appealing then spending the day bopping around the kitchen.

I had a bunch of random leftover vegetables from various dishes so as I woke up disoriented from the time change, I decided to whip up a frittata with all my leftover vegetables. I hate hate hate throwing away produce, and one way to avoid that is using it asap. I try to have a plan before I buy produce, but having some leftovers is almost unavoidable.

I was surprised that I enjoyed the broccoli frittata more, but perhaps I am just in a greener mood. The frittata below was good but not perfect. I used a touch of rosemary, but next time I may use a touch more. Basil or thyme would also make a nice addition. I thought some crushed red pepper might add some nice heat and it did. Perhaps next time Ill try cayenne and see if I notice a difference. Havarti cheese would have been great with these flavors, but I still had goat cheese on hand so that's what I used.

Remember frittatas can be eaten the next day. I refrigerate mine, then leave them out about an hour before I want to eat them. It is good room temperature or re-heated in the toaster oven. They are best served the day they are made, but I think they make a fine lunch option if you have leftovers. At least this one did, that could change depending on the ingredients.

Just another fine example of how versatile the frittata is. I encourage anyone reading this to attempt your own frittata, especially with vegetables that are at risk of a sad garbage can fate. Save your vegetables! Eat them! To view my previous frittata click here: Frittata with Broccoli and Zucchini

Potato, Scallion, and Goat Cheese Frittata

The Goods: Serves 4
Hashed brown potatoes(recipe below)
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
2 scallions, chopped green and white parts
1/3 cup goat cheese
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon butter or earth balance
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
 a couple pinches of red pepper(optional, I was craving heat so add if you desire heat)

The Deal:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk eggs and half and half until blended in a medium bowl. Then whisk in scallions, goat cheese, rosemary, potatoes(make sure they aren't hot), salt, pepper and red pepper if using.

3. Heat butter and garlic in a medium saute pan(that is oven safe up to 350 degrees) on medium heat for about one minute. Then add egg mixture and cook undisturbed for 8-10 minutes, until the bottom begins to firm.

4. Then place the pan in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is cooked. You'll want to check this about every 5 minutes, it is easy to overcook a frittata, which ruins the flavor. Once the top is cooked, remove from the oven and serve hot. This can also be served at room temperature.

Hashed brown potatoes

The Goods: 1 serving, enough for one Frittata
1-2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

The Deal:
1. Place potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. While they are cooking heat the oil(or butter) in a medium saute pan with the garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Drain and add potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to evenly brown all sides. Once browned serve warm. If using in a frittata, let them cool about 5 minutes before adding them into the egg mixture

Homemade Ranch Dressing

all homemade, thats a southern meal!

Im from the South yall. Like any good southerner I am also a ranch addict. Hot damn, I love me some ranch. Fittingly enough I don't enjoy ranch on salads, I want it on sweet potato fries, pizza and oh yeah regular fries. Such a fat kid.

My boyfriend does not like my ranch addiction, especially because I like Kraft ranch. I have tried Annies healthy ranch and its just not the same. I get organic ketchup, avoid high fructose syrup at all costs, but DAMMIT, Kraft ranch is simply the best(aka full of terrible chemicals and bad junk for my body).

One night while reading my lovely Barefoot Contessa, I noticed a recipe for homemade ranch. I cannot eat of a lot the recipes Barefoot makes, because they are often focused more on flavor than nutrition, but I trust her when it comes to ranch.

all the ingredients, before blended

Making your own dressings is easy, once you know a few you like, and makes you look very fancy at parties. Homemade dressing takes a salad from an "ok", to a "that salad was my favorite thing, you are genuis" Soon I want to make my caesar dressing and ginger dressing from some family friends. Im telling you people, dressings, they are not just for supermarkets anymore.

There are a few different bases people use for ranch. Some used all mayonnaise, others yogurt and mayo, some sour cream, buttermilk, everyone had a slightly different version. I really enjoyed this version, using mayo, yogurt and buttermilk. I would stick to greek yogurt instead of regular, greek yogurt is creamier. Also I used a light mayo and think it tasted great. I did not make it with regular mayo, so I wouldn't know and plan to keep it that way.

Letting this dressing sit for an hour is crucial. I tasted it right after I made it, and then an hour later, and was delighted. Those flavors must have worked so hard developing in my fridge, they were so much more delicious after an hour.

Not sure how long it will last, I assume at least a week, but I will let yall know when it goes bad. I have 3 cups of ranch, and it will take even ME a while to get through it.

This recipe is not healthy per say....Its healthier than getting ranch from the store, but its not a balsamic vinaigrette. This is good to make if your having a party and it will all get eaten.

As I mentioned above this recipe is straight out of Barefoot Contessa's new book, "How Easy is that?"
And yeah, it was like....easy.

Homemade Ranch

ranch in a jar, adorable!

The Goods: Makes 3 cups
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard(I used whole grain dijon mustard, b/c its what I had)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup good mayo(I used Hellmans light)
1/2 greek style yogurt, plain
1/2 cup buttermilk shaken

The Deal:
1. Place the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl of a food processor with a steel blade. Puree for 15-20 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.

2. Add mayo, yogurt and buttermilk and blend until smooth. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors develop.

Use on your favorite salads, or if you are like me, dip your pizza in. DONT be like me, pizza AND ranch, who am I? A healthier salad dressing to come, I promise!

Frittata with Broccoli, Zucchini, Chives and Goat Cheese

love the rich colors of this dish

If you have never made a Frittata walk into the kitchen and start cracking those eggs. What is egg-tastic about frittatas is they can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner and are delicious hot or cold. I think they are best for brunch, but also I have a serious love of brunch. I would marry brunch, but I foresee some difficulties with that.

Frittatas are so flexible and versetile, once you figure out how to make them, they will be your new favorite way to cook for guests. They also sound fancy but are simple to make, which is great for a beginner cook like myself.

Traditional Spanish frittatas are made with potatoes and onions. When I was traveling I met a few people from Spain who first tickled my interest about the deliciousness of the frittata. Once I got home, I noticed all the different frittatas out there. Recently I realized how good vegetables frittatas can be, and for those of us who have little time to cook, they only take about 30 minutes. Yippee!

Some recipes say 1 cup vegetables to 5-6 eggs. I prefer having it be vegetable heavy, instead of egg heavy. Not only do the vegetables make it healthier, they also add texture and I think balance out the flavor. So I used about 2 cups of vegetables to 6 eggs and found I still got plenty of egg flavor, but the eggs werent the predominate flavor.

Looking into recipes, some added as much as a stick of butter and others only used 1/3 cup of milk. I add a splash of half and half to my scrambled eggs, I find it makes them fluffy. So I added a few splashes of half and half and I think it was plenty. You could use milk or a tablespoon of butter, I think a little fat helps make it a bit moister, but you certainly don't need heavy cream(I love Barefoot Contessa but she really does add a stick of butter or a cup of cream to everything).

Herbs of some kind are often used in Frittatas. Similar to pizzas, Frittatas are fun because you can combine ingredients endlessly. Next time I might use some thyme, or perhaps rosemary. Im cautious in using herbs because too much can overpower the dish, and I love tasting the vegetables. Perhaps next thyme I suppose.....(I was raised by a pun crazy father, you will have to get used to it)

The method of cooking a frittata varies depending on who you read. I have tried cooking it on the stove and found it ended up being dry and overcooked. An egg dish can go from moist and light to dry and overcooked within a matter of minutes. So I start cooking my frittata on the stove top and then move it to the oven to finish it off. Its cooked throughout, while still staying moist and eggy.  A cast iron is really the best to use, but any oven safe saute pan will work.

This dish is enough for a meal, though I would recommend some type of vegetable on the side to round it off. On this night, I made roasted brussels sprouts, but steamed green beans would have been just as delicious. If serving for brunch serve with a good fruit salad.

I looked at few different methods of cooking a frittata, but the ingredients I added were my own idea.
Try not to eat it all yourself...*cough* I ate half myself *cough*

Frittata with Broccoli, Zucchini, Chives and Goat Cheese

a little slice of vegi heaven

The Goods: Serves 4

6 large eggs
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped into quarters
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
1/3-1/2 cup herb goat cheese(plain is fine)
2-3 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons half and half
2 tablespoons olive oil
a couple good pinches of sea salt and pepper

The Deal: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat in a medium saute pan(one that is oven safe). Once the oil is hot, add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add your broccoli and zucchini and cook until tender about 3-5 minutes.

cookin up greens, oh yeah!

2. Once your vegetables are cooked remove from heat and let cool for about 3 minutes(You dont want to put hot vegetables in eggs and risk cooking the eggs.)

3. While waiting for your vegetables to cool, whisk your eggs, half-and-half, scallions, goat cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

4. When the vegetables have cooled, add them to the egg mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in the saute pan. Pour the egg mixture in the pan and turn heat to medium low. Add dollops of goat cheese, if you desire more than what you already added. Cook undisturbed until the bottom of the eggs are firm about 8-10 minutes.

Cooking the frittata on the stove

5. Then place the pan in the oven. Cook your frittata until the egg on the top are set about 15-20 minutes. Check your frittata about every 5 minutes, this dish is easy to ruin if it over cooks. To check if its ready, use the handle to jiggle the pan, if there is still liquid its not ready, once the jiggle stops, take it out.

6. Once the top is set, remove from heat. Serve hot or room temperature, slice into eights.

Frittata Fives all around!

Bagel Sammich!

I struggle a lot with healthy lunches. Something portable, delicious, and healthy. I have been known to eat 3 packs of fruit snacks and a bag of chips for lunch. Yikes! I always pay for my bad lunch choices, because by days end Im exhausted, hungry, and grumpy. And then that turns into not wanting to make a healthy dinner because Im so "tired" (really Im just hungry), so I end up eating 6 slices of facon and some goldfish. I go to bed feeling awful and the cycle continues.

So I have started planning my meals for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its more work at the beginning of the week, but having my meals planned saves me stress throughout the week, and I make sure to get the nutrients I need. My challenge now that I have been planning is that after I eat something for a week, I get sick of it and have to try something new.

Salads are great, but I usually need to take a break from them after a few weeks. So this week Im trying something new, a bagel sandwich. Im using vegis I like, but this is really flexible, so use the vegis you have or look nice in the grocery store:

Healthy bagel sandwich

Ingredients: 1 serving, increase as needed

1 whole wheat bagel(ALWAYS check the bagel label and make sure 1st ingredient is WHOLE WHEAT FLOWER)

A "smear" of homemade scallion cream cheese(recipe to follow)

2-4 slices of red onion

Handful of baby spinach

12-15 Capers(if you like them,  since Im a salt-aholic, these are my guilty pleasure)

Carrots, shredded

1 slice of tomato

Any other vegis you like

HOMEMADE SCALLION CREAM CHEESE:

Making your own flavored cream cheese is super easy, and healthier because you dont get all the added chemicals most flavored cream cheese have. This should keep for 3-5 days, depending on your storage container.

8 ounces low fat or fat free cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup chopped scallions(2-3 scallions)

1 tbsp milk

pinch of salt then salt to taste.

Place cream cheese, scallions, milk, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth.

Bake that POTATO!

Man oh Man do I love twice baked potatoes. This is an easy recipe that uses cottage cheese instead of sour cream or heavy cream so its a bit healthier. If you are like me, you hate cottage cheese, but in this recipe you cant really taste it but you still get all the nutritional benefits. Plus less cream means less guilt!   The potatos do take a while to bake, so its good to throw them in the oven right when you get home, or plan ahead so you dont end up eating at like 9pm, which I have done many times and ended up a hungry grump.
It a good sized meal, but steamed broccoli or salad would make a nice side dish.


Stuffed Potatoes with Cheese and Scallions. 


Ingredients: Serving for 2, increases portions as you increase potatoes

2 large baking potatoes, well scrubbed

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 1/2 tbsp low fat milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese(fresh grated is ALWAYS better)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese(or any cheese you like)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Fresh ground pepper/salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Prick potatoes in a few places, place in oven and bake for an hour or until tender throughout, ie knife slide in like butter :)

2. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and let cool for a few minutes. While cooling prepare cottage cheese mixture.

3. In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese and milk until very smooth(no lumps!). Turn off blender and scrape cottage cheese mixture into a large bowl. Stir in scallions, your cheese, and salt/pepper.

4. Scoop out flesh of potato leaving enough of a shell to hold the new mixture, about 1/4 inch. Mash potato pulp with fork, then stir into cheese mixture. Mix well, but should still be lumpy. Spoon mixture into potato shells and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if desired. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake another 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

This is a recipe that has lots of variations, so try some of your own!