Christmas French Toast

This began as a Christmas breakfast but has creeped into General Conference or other times when an easy, delicious, maybe slightly fancy but not too fancy, make ahead breakfast is called for.
Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp + extra dusting for top Cinnamon
• 1 loaf of Challah bread or wheat bread (for more healthy, less desserty french toast)

Directions:

• Mix melted butter and brown sugar together and spread on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. 
• Mix together eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.
• Layer bread on top of sugar/butter mix and pour egg mixture over.
• Dust the top with extra Cinnamon.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge over night.  
• In the morning take out of the fridge.  Preheat oven to 350.  
• Remove plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil.  
• Bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake for another 15.  

This only needs a little touch of syrup for the maple flavor but not the sweet.  

Spencer's Dominican Mexican Black Beans

• Heat Olive Oil in a pan
• Smash and sautee 3-4 garlic cloves
• Saute about 1/3 of large onion, chopped
• Saute fresh oregano, about 2 tablespoons
• Less than 1 half of a small jalepeno diced, no seeds
• Dash of salt
• 1 can of black beans, not drained
• About 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
• Cook on medium to medium high heat for a few minutes
• Reduce heat to low until the beans are a good texture.  
• Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top, about 3 large sprigs

Serve over rice.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• Heaping 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• Optional: 1/4 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
• Optional: Top with streusel ( 1/4 cup cold butter, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon: blend with a pastry blender until well mixed)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 (350 convection).  
• Mix together sugar, egg, banana, vanilla, and butter.  Fold in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips or walnuts.
• Pour into greased or papered muffin cups. Top with streusel.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Adapted from All Recipes

Quinoa-2 Variations

I love quinoa so much, I'm not sure how I lived life before I knew it existed 2 years ago.  My mom makes these two fantastic salads with quinoa and even though similar recipes exist on Pinterest, these predate Pinterest.  The Tabbouleh like quinoa is fantastic when served with hummus and bread.  I like to eat both with grilled chicken.

"Tabbouleh" Mediterranean Quinoa
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
• 3 cups liquid to cook quinoa (I like to use low sodium chicken broth or half water)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced-to taste
• 6 green onions, sliced thin-more or less to taste
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 whole, large cucumber, quartered and sliced thin
• 1/2-1 bunch Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped-to taste
• about 2-3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Rinse quinoa and add to pot with liquid.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa looks fluffy.  Cool in the fridge
• Chop and prepare veggies.  Add to a large bowl with salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil.  Taste mix and adjust seasonings as desired.  There should be plenty of liquid to act as a dressing for the quinoa, if there isn't, add more lemon juice and/or olive oil.  Add cooled quinoa and mix to coat with dressing.  You can skip the parsley and it will still be delicious, just less like a real Tabbouleh. 

Mexican Quinoa

• 1 1/4 cups quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups liquid (1 can chicken broth + 1/2 cup water)
• Juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 -1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 1/2 avocados, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Rinse quinoa and combine with water in a pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Cool in the fridge or leave warm-both ways are good.
• Chop veggies and combine in a bowl.  Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Taste the mix and adjust seasonings as needed.  Add more tomatoes, avocados, or whatever you like.  Mix with quinoa and serve.  Delicious with black beans and corn, over lettuce, with grilled chicken, on top of tortilla chips, etc.

Teriyaki Chicken over Brown Onion Rice

I like healthy food that is tasty, easy to prepare, and uses minimally processed ingredients.  Sounds like a tall order, eh?  So I get a thrill whenever I find a recipe that fills all of these needs.  Often with a little tweaking, I can get just what I want, and that makes me happy.  This is another remix of a Weelicious recipe with a twist of Mark Bitman inspiration and my family's own preferences mixed in.  Delicious.  The onion rice was a staple at my house growing up.  My mom invented it to replace Rice-A-Roni, which she deemed more expensive and less healthy.  I used brown rice and it worked wonderfully. 

Teriyaki Chicken (Serves 2, double to serve 4).

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
• 3 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbs water
• 1 tsp dried ground ginger (because I didn't have fresh on hand, I would use A LOT of fresh if you go that way, maybe 3 tsp?)
• 2-3 medium to large garlic cloves.
• 2 large chicken breasts

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bag, except chicken.  Add chicken and make sure it is coated.  Refrigerate for an hour +.
• Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat until the pan is hot.  Add the chicken breasts and cook for 6 minutes on each side, or until done.
• Remove the chicken and keep warm on a separate plate.
• Add the remaining marinade to the skillet with 1 tsp cornstarch.  Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until thick. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
• Serve over plain steamed rice, brown rice, or my favorite, brown onion rice and veggies of your choice.

Directions for Brown Onion Rice

Ingredients

• 1 can of reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 cup brown rice (or white if you prefer)

Directions:

• Melt butter over medium heat and add onions.  Saute until onions are translucent.
• Add rice and mix together
• Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, cover and let cook until rice is tender (about 1/2 hour)

Italian Chicken Pasta Bake: A Remix

Breaded chicken and pasta is one of my staple meals.  I can make it without thinking and I always have the ingredients on hand.  It's simple and easy, yet elegant enough that I can serve it for company.  I used to make extra because I love leftovers, but the chicken never tastes as good the second day and the pasta gets kind of mushy.  I was also thinking about the Italian Chicken Pastina Bake from Giada.  It always left me a little disappointed: I wanted it more flavorful and it seemed silly to cook chicken and pasta to then bake it in the oven and essentially cook it again.  I was always left with a million dishes to do (and I hate doing dishes).  It's almost like the dish was made for leftover chicken and pasta.

So it hit me.  I could make extra chicken and pasta and use it to remake the chicken pasta bake.  Brilliant.  It turned out way better than the original, and much easier.  Two different dinners for the price of one night of cooking (and one night of dishes, yay).  And it tricked my leftover hating toddler into eating leftovers and enjoying it.  I may never make the original again.

Ingredients: (fed 3 of us plus leftovers for lunch, could probably feed a family of 4)

• 1/2 cup leftover breaded chicken, cubed.  See here for recipe.
• 1/2 box of medium size pasta (penne, rigatoni, rotini, cavatappi, your favorite)
• Enough sauce to cover the pasta to your liking (I probably used about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) See here for a really good sauce recipe.
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup good Parmesan cheese (i.e. NOT Kraft)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Mix chicken, pasta, sauce and mozzarella in a 9x9 in baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray).
• Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan and garlic powder in a small bowl.  Pour over the top and dot with butter.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned on top and hot throughout. 

*You can easily add extra seasoning to the bread crumb topping if you like, I bet oregano, basil, and parsley would be delicious. 

Breaded Chicken

A staple that I grew up with so it should be listed.

Ingredients-to serve 4, increase as needed

·         4 large chicken breasts sliced in half on the diagonal

·         1 egg, slightly beaten

Ingredients-to serve 4, increase as needed

·         4 large chicken breasts sliced in half on the diagonal

·         1 egg, slightly beaten with a clove of minced garlic + salt

·         Bread crumbs to cover chicken

Directions

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray and pour in olive oil-just enough to make a thin film.

·         Dip the chicken in the egg and then coat with bread crumbs. 

·         Lay in a single layer on the baking sheet, drizzle top with a little bit more olive oil.

·         Bake for 15 minutes, turn, bake for another 10-15 minutes

      Alternate Directions:

           Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. (Prepare the chicken as usual)

           Pour about 2 TBS olive oil in the pan and heat for a minute.  Add the chicken and cook about 5-6 minutes per side (depending on thickness).  *This skillet version tends to be a little crispier and therefore tastier, but if you are making a lot it's easier in the oven.

Meal Ideas

·         Serve with pasta and sauce

·         Serve with onion rice

·         Make Panini’s using tomato sauce, pesto, cheese, etc.

·         Add to a salad with fruit, nuts, avocado, Caesar, vinaigrette, honey mustard, ranch, bbq sauce, etc.

Balsamic Chicken

This is one of the easiest chicken recipes ever.  I got it from Weelicious, again and it's become a staple for me because it's tasty, I can start it while Liam is napping, and then finish it easily right before we eat.  It takes next to no effort and if I marinate it in a Ziploc back, next to no dishes.  Hooray!  I love it with sweet potato fries or simply baked sweet potatoes.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 

·          2 Tbsp Olive Oil

·         2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

·         1 Garlic Clove, minced

·         4 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless

Directions:

·         Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, zipper bag or dish and whisk to combine.

·         Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinade for 1 hour or overnight

Cook chicken breasts on a grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through, but still moist OR  I spray a pan with cooking spray, heat for 2 minutes on medium/high heat, then add the chicken, lower to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.

Black Bean Hummus

I found this recipe on a website called Weelicious that has kid friendly but different recipes. I really like a lot of her recipes, but I often find that they are less flavorful than we like (maybe to appeal to kids?). I tend to add more of whatever seasoning she's using and even a little spice, like hot pepper. She also is way more conservative about sugar than I am. I note this so that if you happen to wander over to the website and think some of the food looks crazy, just note that I substitute sugar for agave and I'm not afraid to make things tastier. All in all, she provides a good base for starting. With all this said, this black bean hummus recipe is excellent-with a few additions.

1/3 Cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 Small Garlic Clove * I use 2 medium to large cloves
1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Water *As my other hummus recipe recommends, I use the liquid from the beans
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon * or more
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped (you can use the stems — they have tons of flavor) *I use about 1/3 cup

*I also add 1/4 tsp of chili powder and a few sprinkles of hot red pepper flakes

1. Place the pepitas in a dry sauté pan and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pepitas start to turn golden.
2. Place the pepitas and garlic clove in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

Hummus

This hummus recipe is from Ina Garten at The Food Network . I will warn you, once you make homemade, you can never go back to store bought hummus. Good thing this is easy to make.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)* I usually add a bit more, almost 1/3 cup of lemon juice.
• 2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
• 8 dashes hot sauce

Directions

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tomato Bread Salad (Panzanella)

This is my mom's most famous recipe and a summer favorite. I think it's the best thing you can do with delicious tomatoes.
Ingredients:

One loaf of very good bread cut into 1 inch cubes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil


The very best tomatoes that you can buy

Fresh garlic cloves peeled and lots of it

Red wine vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh Basil Leaves lots of them

Pinch of dried oregano

Finely chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley Just a little bit maybe a tablespoon

Kosher salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil


These are the ingredients. I will describe the technique, you will have to determine amounts by tasting as you go along.

The bread croutons can be made in advance. I recommend that since the tomato salad itself needs to be done just prior to combining the tomatoes with the prepared bread.

Just put the bread cubes into a large baking pan and mix with enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to coat fairly evenly but not too thickly. Bake in a 350-375 oven until crispy and golden. Stir often. Sprinkle with kosher salt and let cool. Can be stored in a plastic bag. But be careful everybody wants to eat them.

Dice tomatoes into a large bowl. Pour in some EVOO and some salt. And let stand so that the tomatoes give up their juices. Put 4-6 peeled garlic cloves through a garlic press right into the oil on the tomatoes. It is important to get the garlic in the oil. Stir add some red wine vinegar and let rest stirring and tasting for more salt or garlic or oil or vinegar. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar (maybe two tablespoons) and a pinch of dried oregano and the parsley. Using a scissors snip the basil leaves into the salad. Taste again and adjust as you like. You will be surprised at how much garlic and salt it can take. Don’t be hesitant. This whole process should go on for no more than 30-45 minutes can be as little as 20 minutes the tomatoes will exude more juice the longer it stands and so the seasonings will need to be adjusted accordingly. When you feel the mix tastes right put the bread croutons in a bowl (you won’t typically need a whole loaf’s worth) and pour the tomato mix on top. Mix it up and let the croutons absorb the juices but not get soggy. Enjoy.

Lentil Soup

This recipe is from my mom, who is the best cook I know. Even if lentil soup doesn't sound appealing to you, try this one because it will change your mind. It's easy, fast, flavorful and cheap. When my son was starting solids, it was one of the only foods he would eat! * My mom doesn't always measure exactly, so many of these ingredients and to taste. You just have to try it. However, this is what she gave me and this is how I make it and it's always really great.

Ingredients:

2 cups of lentils (one pound package) I like Goya Brand

be sure to wash them---swish them in a bowl of water and then drain in a sieve

1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (or a combination of shallots, and leeks and onions)

Onions are what I usually use. Leeks etc. are if I want to be creative or I want to use up some odds and ends of veggies.

3 or 4 chopped garlic cloves (can add some whole garlic cloves into boiling mix if you want, too)

2 medium carrots peeled and trimmed and sliced or diced

1 large or 2 medium celery stalks diced including leaves

1 or 2 bay leaves

8-10 cups of chicken broth

3 tbs. olive oil

Saute onions and celery and carrots in oil over medium to low heat until veggies are softened. Add garlic and saute one or two minutes more.

Add Chicken broth and lentils bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Add about 1/4 cup of chopped parsley.

Can add three or four sliced scallions including some of the green part

Salt and pepper to taste

I always add a splash of olive oil onto the finished soup for brightness and flavor.

To make this extra yummy do the following:

Mix two tablespoons of soft butter with two tablespoons of flour into a soft paste. Stir the mix into the boiling lentils in spoonfuls stirring to incorporate. (This is called a beurre manie’ meaning kneaded butter.) It can be incorporated into a boiling liquid very easily and serves as a thickener. Just be sure to simmer for another 3 or 4 minutes to take away the raw taste of the flour. It is what I did when I heated up the soup in your apt the first time.

Variations: You can add some canned chopped tomatoes as part of the liquid or add a tablespoon of tomato paste. You can cook some elbow macaroni or rice to add to the finished soup. Serve as is or stir some spinach leaves into the hot soup. Can add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice.

And I read one recipe that adds ground cumin and some chili powder.

Fajitas

I found this fajita recipe on Simply Recipes . It was incredibly easy and really tasty too. I definitely will make this one again.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb flank steak *I used chicken sliced into 1 inch wide strips before cooking
• 1 medium onion sliced in half and then in thin strips
• 2 bell peppers, seeds and ribs removed, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
  

Marinade

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced. * I didn't have a jalapeno so I added a few hot red pepper flakes and it was good enough for us.
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems.

Directions

• Mix ingredients for marinade. Add meat and veggies and marinate for about an hour +.
• Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan or griddle. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes. * I spray the pan with a bit of cooking spray instead of oil and let it heat up for a few minutes before adding the chicken. Then I cooked the chicken strips for about 3 minutes per side.
• Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent. * I cooked the onions a bit longer because I like them caramelized. The peppers could have been cooked longer though.
• Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices.
• Serve with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, etc. on warm tortillas.