Vegetarian

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

April 22, 2013 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Garlic Bagel Chips rock my Casbah. I’m pretty sure just about everyone out there has tried them at one time or another, but it should come as no surprise that the homemade variety -fresh and crisp and hot- from your own oven is THAT much better. That they’re ridiculously simple to make is icing on the cake …Or cream cheese on the bagel, if you will.

There are really only two tricks you need to keep in mind when making your own bagel chips.

Do not eat the bagels you intend to turn into chips. Don’t laugh. I really need this reminder.
Take your time slicing the bagels. Ultimately, the direction you cut the bagel doesn’t matter as much as getting the slices uniformly thin (as much as is possible) and generally the same size.

Here’s the beauty of making them yourself.

Homemade Bagel Chips are crispy without being rock hard. You can salt them as much (yes, please!) or as little as you’d like. You can completely control how much of what kind of bagel you like best; for instance, I a-d-o-r-e dark bagels. I love pumpernickel, rye, and whole wheat. If I can control myself around the fresh bagels, I like to have a higher concentration of those dark bagels for chips than any others. If I can’t (and you can tell from the picture above that I suffered a huge lapse in self-control) then I have more white bagel chips. If you have topped and/or seedy bagels, they work beautifully here. Toss any toppings that fell off of the bagels during slicing into the bowl when you add the salt and they should re-stick by virtue of the oil coating on the bagel slices.

Make more than you think you need.

Believe you me, you’re going to have a heckuva time keeping your hands off of these things when they’re warm from the oven. Be kind to yourself and make a double batch to compensate for what you’re going to inevitably consume while they’re still hot. Why do you want so many around? Here’s a list just to get you started: croutons on salads or soups, topped with a schmear of cream cheese and a little smoked salmon as an appetizer, in place of crackers with a cheese tray, or served plain or with dip as a snack. I’m sure there’s more, but isn’t that enough, really?

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Garlic Bagel Chips | Make Ahead Mondays

No one in my house can keep their hands out of the jar of garlic bagel chips. These perfectly crispy, salty, garlicky bagel crisps are an addictive snack! Eat them plain, with dip or topped with a little schmear of cream cheese and a little smoked salmon for a second-to-none appetizer.

Ingredients

6 savoury bagels, any variety (I like a mixture of pumpernickel and white bagels, most often of the everything sort.)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Slice the bagels thinly -no thicker than 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. How you slice them doesn't matter as much as how uniform they are. Take the time to make the slices as close to each other in size as you can. Put the bagel slices in a deep mixing bowl.

In a small liquid measuring cup, use a fork or small whisk to combine the olive oil and granulated garlic or garlic powder. Drizzle this over the bagel slices and use your hands to toss until the oil is evenly distributed. Scatter the salt over the top and toss again to evenly distribute it.

Divide the bagel slices between two pans, trying to keep them in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the pans ever 15 minutes, or until crisp but not hard. Remove the pans from the oven and let the chips cool completely on the pans before transferring to a jar or other container with a tight fitting lid.

These store very well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/22/garlic-bagel-chips-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Super Bowl, Vegetarian

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

April 17, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

Piña Colada Smoothies are my new go-to smoothie. They’re kind of fabulous.

You know how I’ve told you I was a picky eater when I was a kid? I was a total texture-phobe and I was dead picky about flavour combinations. My mom now says, “Hey, we just didn’t know you were gourmet.” My mom is the Queen of the Euphemism.

I must’ve been a righteous pain in the rear to feed.

The reason I’m confessing this (again) is that pineapple and coconut were both on my no-fly list. I didn’t like pineapple because of the stringy texture. I didn’t like coconut because the sum exposure I had to coconut in Northern Michigan in the 70s and 80s was the über-sweetened stuff in the middle of Mounds candy bars or in a macaroon. Both grossed me out, so piña coladas were a serious no go.

Fast forward to now and my insatiable desire to eat both of those ingredients. (Okay, I still dislike sweetened coconut flakes, but honestly, can you blame me?) I love the fruity, tangy, acidic pineapple AND its texture. I can’t get enough coconut milk -which I’m pretty sure is an ingredient given to humanity by the grace of God-, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.

And piña coladas? Well, until recently they were still on my no-fly list because -frankly- I don’t really like alcoholic smoothies, which is what I always viewed piña coladas as being. Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall for a moment, would ya?

THUD THUD THUD

Howzabout just omitting the hooch, dingbat?

The result of leaving out the high octane stuff was a creamy, dreamy, coconutty, silken pineapple, thick concoction that pretty much makes my eyes roll back into my head. Let me let you in on a little something… There is ZERO added sugar and there doesn’t need to be because the frozen bananas do double duty. They thicken the mixture to milkshake consistency and they sweeten it to boot. Oh and HEY! If you happen to be vegan or cutting back on dairy OR allergic to anything dairy, this is still kosher for you (small ‘k’ kosher because I make no claim to understand kosher law!)

It’s warming up out there, friends. You need this in your lives this summer.

Double Bonus: If you have leftover smoothie (HA. Like that would happen here unless I plan for it.) you can freeze it in ice pop molds for some wicked good popsicles. You are welcome. Mwah.

Rebecca

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

These super creamy, indulgent tasting, family friendly pineapple and coconut Piña Colada Smoothies will transport you to the tropics in a matter of minutes. Using only 3 easy-to-find and healthy ingredients just boosts the appeal of this naturally vegan, dairy-free treat!

If you've got a hankering to make this a true piña colada, you can stir in a shot of rum before serving.

Ingredients

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
3 bananas, peeled and frozen

Optional Garnish:

A slice of pineapple
a dusting of shredded coconut

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately!

Leftovers can be frozen in ice pop form.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/17/pina-colada-smoothies-vegan-and-dairy-free/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, Breakfast, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, Snacks, vegan, Vegetarian

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

April 15, 2013 by Rebecca 9 Comments

I am more than just a wee bit obsessed with granola.

I eat it on yogurt with fruit almost every day. On the days when I don’t have it on yogurt, I have it, um, on my hands. As in, I eat it by the handful. I especially adore clumpy clusters of granola. While I’ve been making my own granola for years, I recently discovered KIND Cranberry Dark Chocolate Clusters and I couldn’t get enough.

I was hooked on the super crispy, crunchy, just-sweet-enough combo that was studded with tiny little chopped dried cranberries and had little morsels of chocolate adhered to the crunchy bits. My word… who wouldn’t be, I ask you?

I’m not the only one in my family with a thaaaaang for granola, though. Every single one of my guys can plough through it at such a pace that it’s a wonder they ever get more than a few steps away from a toilet.

Oh gosh. That was probably really unappetizing of me to say that. Apologies. It’s what comes of living with six males.

The point is this… my dainty little bags of KIND clusters were disappearing at an alarming rate. I had to do something. I had to make my own.

Thankfully, granola making isn’t rocket science and today’s recipe was not only a fairly simple one to nail down the way I wanted it, but it’s a ridiculously easy recipe to repeat.

In short, you stir stuff together.

Now, there’s a little trick to getting the clumps but it’s not taxing; you firmly press the sticky wet mixture together with a stiff spatula in the form of a rectangle (“Wonder Twin powers activate! Form of… A RECTANGLE! Form of… A SPATULA!”) When you remove the granola to give it a stir, you restrain yourself and -instead- flip the mixture over with the spatula, then press it together again and bake. Then, when the baking is finished, you sprinkle with the chocolate (CHOCOLATE GRANOLA!) and press the little ruby-hued bits of dried cranberry into the whole lot and let it cool before you mess with it again. Ta da! Giant slab-o-granola just waiting to be broken into clumpy bits. What a happy, happy thing to load into jars!

This has an enthusiastic stamp of approval from every single member of my household, INCLUDING the no-fruit duo who -for whatever reason- do not seem to mind tiny minced bits of dried cranberries but would rather stage a dramatic hunger strike than eat a WHOLE dried cranberry. Whatever. If it ain’t broke…

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

This isn't just any old homemade granola, this is power food! Protein packed by virtue of it's amazing medley of quinoa, millet, amaranth, and rice, this sweet, crunchy Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola takes the cake for nutrition AND taste, too. It bakes up nice and clumpy, too, making it an ideal healthy out-of-hand snack! It tastes almost exactly like KIND Cranberry Dark Chocolate Clusters.

Ingredients

8 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup puffed brown rice or white rice cereal
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (red or white)
1/2 cup uncooked millet
1/2 cup uncooked amaranth
1/4 cup untoasted white sesame seeds
1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup, honey, light agave syrup, Lyle's Golden Syrup, light corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses or a combination thereof. (*See Notes)
1/2 cup almond butter (or your preferred nut butter: peanut, sunflower, cashew, etc...)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla paste or real vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, chopped into small bits
1 1/2 cups finely chopped dark chocolate or miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two rimmed half-sheet pans with silpats or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl toss together the oats, puffed rice cereal, quinoa, millet, amaranth, and sesame seeds with your hands. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together whichever combination of sweet syrup/honey you're using, the almond or other nut butter, the salt and the vanilla paste or extract until smooth. Pour this over the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. Divide the mixture between the two lined pans and press it into a rectangle with the back of a spoon or spatula.

Place the pans in the oven, immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 225°F, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and use a spatula to flip the mixture over in sections. It may fall apart as you do this, but do your best to flip it all over and make sure the stuff from the edges is now toward the center. Press it back together with the spatula and return to the oven for another 30 minutes. The mixture should be very sticky. To test whether it has been cooked enough, pull a pinch from the center and let it come to room temperature. If it is crispy, it has baked enough. If it is still sticky, it may require as much as another 30 minutes of baking. If you need to return it to the oven, repeat the flipping it over in sections and pressing it back together before returning the pans to bake longer.

When the granola is done toasting, remove the pans from the oven and sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly between the two pans. Use your hands to break up the chopped cranberries and sprinkle those evenly over the two pans as well. After the cranberries are added, use the palms of your hands to press the cranberries into the mixture. Let it cool completely on the pans and then break up into a mixing bowl before storing in jars or other containers with tight fitting lids.

The granola is good for up to a month when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

*While you can use any combination of these liquid sweeteners to make your granola, I do recommend using at least half brown rice syrup, honey, or corn syrup for their super sticky qualities. You can make up the rest with maple syrup, agave syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup, or add up to 1/4 cup of molasses. Any more molasses tends to be a bit too bitter.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/15/ancient-grains-cranberry-dark-chocolate-granola-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, budget friendly, dessert, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Peanut Butter Molasses Ginger Chews

March 27, 2013 by Rebecca 15 Comments

Cookies are the instant gratification fix of the food world. You mix things together, you scoop, you bake and you iiiiiiinhale them. Or at least that’s what I do. This recipe was developed at the request of my dear-ole-dad who asked me to find a road-tested peanut butter and molasses cookie recipe for him. I couldn’t. So I did what any self-respected recipe developer would do.

I made one up. Then I tested it like I was doing a recipe for a company, because people, this is my DAD we’re talking about. I don’t give him lousy recipes. Something about owing my life -in part- to him, blah blah blah.

I put everything my dad loves in a cookie into one little chewy, crispy package: peanut butter, molasses, and ginger. And Dad specifically asked that I make it “not-cakey”. He said, “Crispy and chewy are both fine, but if I want cake, I’ll eat cake.”

Understood.

The addition of peanut oil to this recipe helps it to spread while it bakes. This does double duty- it prevents cakiness and it adds a bit of crispiness to the edges. I call these “The Incredible Morphing Cookies” because when they come out of the oven, they’re domed and puffy and soft.

As they sit on the cooling racks, they deflate a bit. When they’re completely cooled, they become crisp. When you transfer them to a cookie jar and let them rest overnight, they remain crisp at the edges and soften to chewy inside. Every single stage is delicious. I highly recommend eating a couple at each point. You know, for scientific reasons.

Peanut Butter Molasses Ginger Chews

Rating: 51

Peanut Butter Molasses Ginger Chews

These crisp-yet-chewy cookies are full of good stuff: peanut butter, molasses, white whole wheat flour, ginger, butter and more. They are simple, fast and taste like Mary Jane candies!

Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup peanut oil (or vegetable or canola oil)
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

Cream together the sugar, peanut butter, butter, oil, molasses and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl until smooth.

Sift the flours, baking soda, ginger and salt together then add to the peanut butter mixture. Beat on low or stir in the flour until it is well mixed and even.

Use a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon to scoop the cookie dough into mounds that are about 2 teaspoons worth of dough. Roll the dough into balls and roll the balls in the extra sugar to coat completely.

Place the sugar coated cookie dough balls in 5 rows of 4 (using an extra cookie sheet if necessary to make sure you have at least 2 inches between each cookie dough ball.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are set in the center and firm at the edges.

Let the cookies cool on the pans for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/27/peanut-butter-molasses-ginger-chews/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Cookies, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, cookies, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

March 18, 2013 by Rebecca 11 Comments

Time again for Tasty Penance wherein I apologize for all the fattening recipes I give you by offering a super healthy one that still tastes great. I present to you: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars! They taste ever so much like a proper oatmeal raisin cookie but they are good for you. How good for you? They’re made entirely of dates, raisins, almonds, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and a wee pinch of salt. This is the home version of the fancy-pants energy bars (Cliff, Lara, etc…) for which you almost need a second mortgage if you want to eat them regularly.

Since they are essentially dried fruit and nuts with just a little bit of this and that thrown in, they are -if eaten in large amounts- very caloric which would seem to defeat the whole Tasty Penance idea, right? The saving grace here is that it doesn’t take a huge energy bar to deliver that pick-me-up and burst of power you want. Dried fruits and nuts eaten together are very filling. Additionally, the carbohydrates from the fruit give you a quick blast of energy while the protein from the nuts make you stay satisfied longer. So a small energy bar gives you a lot of bang for your caloric buck. Besides that, we’re talking iron, calcium, tannins, beta-carotene, potassium, maganese, magnesium, copper, lutein and FIBER all in one tasty little package.

Since these are little powerhouses of nutrition, they make a great mid morning or afternoon snack. Pop one or two in your kids’ or loved ones’ lunches. Deliver some to a friend who just had a baby or a shut-in. Stuff a couple in your mail carrier or UPS person’s hand. I guarantee smiles of surprise and contentment.

Some Tips for Energy Bar Success:

Because dates can vary widely in their moisture content (depending on age, proper storage and other extenuating circumstances) use the amount of nut butter called for as a starting point. Don’t feel obliged to stop at two tablespoons if the mixture isn’t clumping. Be patient, add more little by little until the mixture holds together without crumbling when squeezed in your hand.
When pressing the mixture into the pan, really push down as hard as you can without breaking the pan. Pay some extra attention around the edges, being sure to press them as firmly as you did the center so the edges don’t crumble when removed from the pan. You can use your hands, a little roller or the edge of a sturdy (not glass) cup to do the job, just do press down.

Taste the mixture as you go along and adjust with more cinnamon, more vanilla, more of whatever you like personally. Since there are no ‘dangerous’ ingredients in this, you can taste to your heart’s content and make it exactly what you want it to be.
If you want these to be truly raw in the ‘raw, living foods’ sense, don’t toast the oats before grinding them. Personally, I prefer the taste of toasted oats, but it’s strictly optional.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

These tasty little morsels made of dates, raisins, almonds, toasted oats, cinnamon, and vanilla taste just like oatmeal cookies, but deliver a serious nutritional punch while providing energy to get done what you need to do.

Ingredients

2 cups pitted dates
2 cups raisins
2 tablespoons nut butter (Peanut butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc...)
1 1/2 cups raw or toasted almonds
3/4 cup raw or toasted quick or rolled oats (*See Notes)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch straight sided pan with a piece of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the long edges. Set aside.

Add the almonds and oats to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Fix the lid in place and pulse until the mixture inside resembles fresh bread crumbs.

Add in the cinnamon and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add half of the dates, half of the raisins and about half of the vanilla extract and process until a paste forms and clumps together in the workbowl. Open the food processor and add in 1 tablespoon of the nut butter and half of the ground nuts and oats. Replace the lid and process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Repeat with the remaining dates, raisins, vanilla, nut butter and nuts/oats.

When all of the ingredients have been thus processed, wet your hands and use them to press the mixture as evenly over the bottom of the pan as possible. Fold the excess parchment over the bars to cover them and use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before moving onto the slicing.

To slice:

Use the excess parchment paper like a sling to transfer the now-firm bars from the pan to a large cutting board.

Cut into desired size (I prefer to cut 9 rows of 6 squares) and store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. An unrefrigerated bar will be good for 48 hours, covered, at room temperature.

Notes

*To toast oats, pour the oats into a dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan large enough to hold the oats in a single layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until they smell nutty and are golden brown. Pour into a bowl or onto a plate until cool enough to handle comfortably. Voila! Toasted oats!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/18/oatmeal-raisin-cookie-energy-bars-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, seasonal, Snacks, Vegetarian

Roasted Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

March 11, 2013 by Rebecca 16 Comments

Remember how I said I was eating more healthy foods here? Well, I am. But I’m also doing things like what’s pictured above, so you should probably ignore any health claims I make.

I’m TRYING to have willpower people, but then I go and do this to myself. Honest-to-Pete, this uses three cups of heavy cream, a whole stick of butter, and about fifty billion pounds of various cheeses. This? Oh this. This is a Roasted Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna. And all God’s people said, “Yum and pass the elastic waist pants.” Good golly.

When I made this, the kids weren’t all nutso about the idea because I only have two children who like Alfredo sauce and they’re also card-carrying members of the no-visible-veg club. Besides, a.) it’ didn’t have a meat sauce, b.) it has visible green vegetables, and c.) where’s the meat? My husband and I, on the other hand, were just too happy to have two pans of this to ourselves. In fact, we were frightened by how happy we were to have this to ourselves. The Evil Genius exclaimed, “This is great! You need to make MORE food the kids don’t like!”

I’ve been mama to these honyaks their entire lives, so that this didn’t fly over well with them was not surprising to me. Not only did I see it coming, but I planned for the eventuality in dividing the lasagna between two pans rather than cooking it in one large one.

The idea was to freeze one pan of the lasagna to eat at a later date or give to a friend who was in need of a meal while eating the other one. And since my husband and I ARE both trying to eat right (*$&#&@$*!@^#^), we each had one piece and I wrapped the chilled leftovers in individual servings for the freezer.

When one of us is on a business trip, the other can heat up a single serving of the good stuff for ourselves.

Before I share the recipe, I have to give you a couple of pictures from the “Keeping it real” file. I almost always photograph food on my porch because the light is free and easy out there. Have a good look at the dark area at the left edge of this picture. What do you think that is?

Have you guessed yet?

…

…. …

… … …

… … … …

… … … … …

It’s the chicken lasagna mafia. This hen was menacing my piece of heaven. She hopped up on the table and tried to peck it just as I whisked it away behind my back. Who knew chickens like lasagna? Little beast.

Roased Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 2 (8-inch by 8-inch) lasagnas or 18 pieces

Serving Size: 1 piece

Roased Garlic Spinach Alfredo Lasagna | Make Ahead Mondays

Tender lasagna noodles are layered with creamy, rich Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce, ricotta cheese, spinach and mozzarella in this indulgent and memorable lasagna that comes together in minutes courtesy of no-boil lasagna noodles.

Ingredients

For the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

8-12 cloves of roasted garlic, depending on how strong you'd like the roasted garlic flavour to be (*See Notes)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/4 of a pound) unsalted butter
3 cups heavy cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

For the Lasagna:

2 boxes (9 ounces each) no-cook lasagna noodles. This recipe was prepared using Barilla brand noodles.
1 batch Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
1 bag of frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid
1 (32 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

To Make the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce:

Add the butter and roasted garlic cloves to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts and the garlic cloves warm, smash them using a fork or a potato masher to break it up. Pour the heavy cream in and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil gently for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk it until it is even in colour. While whisking the eggs, slowly drizzle in two ladles full of the hot garlic cream mixture, then whisk it back into the remaining hot garlic cream mixture. When it is evenly combined, whisk in the grated cheese and set aside.

To Assemble the Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spray 2 8-inch by 8-inch pans that are at least 2-inches deep with non-stick cooking spray. Lay three lasagna noodles -slightly overlapping them- to cover the bottom of each pan. Spread about 2/3 of a cup of ricotta cheese in each pan over the noodles. You don't have to be perfect, you just want to try to distribute it relatively evenly. Scatter about 1/6th of the spinach over the ricotta in each pan. Drizzle a ladle full of Roasted Garlic Alfredo over each pan, then toss about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over each pan. Repeat these layers two more times.

Finally, finish the lasagna by adding one more layer of the noodles and splitting the remaining Alfredo Sauce between the two pans. Pour about 3/4 of a cup of milk slowly over each of the pans of lasagna, taking your time so it doesn't leak over the sides. Cover the pans tightly with foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, covered, or until the noodles are tender and the filling is bubbly. Uncover the pans, divide the remaining mozzarella between the two pans and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the edges appear browned.

Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into 9 equal pieces and serving.

To Freeze and Reheat Leftover Lasagna:

Method A: Chill the lasagna in the pan in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the pan tightly with foil then wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat the lasagna, remove the plastic wrap but leave the foil wrap intact, set on a rimmed baking sheet in a cold oven, and turn the heat to 350°. Once the oven reaches full temperature, begin timing for 30 minutes. The lasagna should be hot all the way through after 30 minutes. You can test this with an instant read thermometer or by inserting a butterknife into the center of the lasagna and carefully touching the knife to see whether it feels hot.

Method B: Chill the lasagna in the pan in the refrigerator overnight. Cut the lasagna into 9 equal pieces. Use a spatula to carefully remove and transfer each piece of lasagna to a platter or plate. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap a lasagna piece, put on a microwave safe plate and drape the plastic wrap over the top. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until hot all the way through. Alternatively, you can place the piece in a small, oven-safe dish and warm in a 350°F oven for 20 or so minutes or until hot through.

Notes

You can use purchased or homemade roasted garlic in this recipe. If you'd like to make your own roasted garlic, preheat the oven to 300°F. Use a high-sided pan that is just slightly larger around than the number of heads of garlic you wish to use. I always roast at least 4 heads of garlic, because I use roasted garlic in quite a few dishes. Cut at least 1/2-inch from the tops of the heads of garlic to expose the cloves. If the heads are quite large, you may need to take off up to an inch to do this. Lay them cut side down in your pan and pour in enough olive oil to come halfway up the sides of the heads of garlic. This is why you're using a smaller pan! Cover the pan with foil and bake for about an hour, or until the heads of garlic give a little when squeezed gently with tongs. Transfer the roasted garlic to a paper towel to drain a little bit. Pour the oil through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve and save for other recipes. When the heads of garlic are cool enough to handle, turn them cut side down over a bowl and squeeze to remove the cloves. Store this in a canning jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to a month!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/11/roasted-garlic-spinach-alfredo-lasagna-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Make Ahead Mondays, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: family-friendly, party food, Vegetarian

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

March 6, 2013 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Get the yoga pants out now, folks, because I discovered something very dangerous indeed when I was making empanadas last week. I’ve told you before of my abiding love for Goya Discos and empanadas and that I always keep a stash of those lovely little shortcut pastry rounds in my freezer. How can you go wrong for one-dollar-forty-cents for a package of ten, I ask you? You can’t! If you’re having trouble locating them, ask your local stores to carry them. If they have Goya canned goods, there’s a likelihood that they can get discos for you!

Back to the trouble at hand, though… I’m not sure WHAT motivated me to do it as I’m trying desperately to fit into a cute pair of jeans these days, but the thought process went something like, “I love these discos, I’d love to make a pie with them some day. Hey. I could make fried pies. Hey. I have oil going. HEY. I am going to make fried pies. WHOA. I am going to make cheesecake fried pies.”

And I did. And they were too good for my good. My husband’s eyes rolled back into his head when he bit into one. Warm raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a deep-fried wrapper just about did the poor guy in for the joy of it all.

When I tell you these pies can be made as fast as you can slap some cream cheese and raspberry pie filling on a disco, crimp it and drop it in some hot oil, I mean it. I’m a double crimping kind of gal, because I like my filling to stay INSIDE the pastry where I put it. If you’re more sanguine, stick with a single crimp and you’ll have pie a few seconds faster.

I have a little trick for you to keep pie filling from squirting out the sides of the discos when you fold them. After you put the cream cheese just off center on the pastry and dollop the pie filling over it, bring the opposite sides together to fold it in half, but lift it off of the counter as you do it so that you’re holding it by the center edge that you’re pinching together, before continuing to crimp it, immediately pinch both ends shut to keep the filling from leaking out. Then, still holding it up in the air by that center edge, work your way around the seam, squeezing the pastry edges together to seal them. THEN lay it down on its side and crimp with a fork. Here’s where my Anal-Retentive Chef tendencies come through. After that first crimp, I usually fold the edges back toward the center and crimp again with a fork. Ta da!

It probably goes without saying that these taste best when warm. In the interest of scientific inquiry, though, we ate a few of them room temperature and also cold and they were still darned good. In order, we preferred them warm, then room temperature, then cold, but we wouldn’t say no to any of them if offered.

Were you to top a warm pie with a scoop of ice cream, you’d probably swoon. Alas, I will not do this at least until April because I gave up ice cream for Lent. Could someone maybe give that a try and tell me about it so that I can live vicariously?

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

Rating: 51

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

There's nothing more dangerous than these pies that are done in the blink of an eye and stuffed with tart, sweet raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a blistery, crispy yet tender fried package.

Ingredients

1 package Goya Discos Empanada wrappers (without annatto), thawed
1 cup raspberry pie filling
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel Cream Cheese)
2-3 inches of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil or shortening in a high-sided, heavy pan or deep-fryer

Instructions

Heat the oil to 350°F.

Slightly roll out the discos wrappers to make them just a touch thinner. This allows you to cram more of the good stuff into the wrappers before closing them. Add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese just off center on each disco wrapper.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of raspberry pie filling over the cream cheese.

Fold it in half, lifting by the center edges. Pinch both ends shut to prevent the pie filling from leaking out as you seal the wrapper. Still holding it in the air, pinch the edges to seal, working your way around the seam. Lay it down on the counter and crimp shut with a fork. If desired, you can fold the excess in toward the center and crimp the edges again. Repeat until all the disco wrappers are filled.

Fry the pies 2 to 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan or deep fryer, taking care not to overcrowd them as they will expand slightly as they fry. Turn them over, if necessary after about 45 seconds (*See Notes). Continue to fry for another 45 seconds or until they are a deep golden brown. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the fried pies carefully to a paper towel lined plate. Let rest for at least one minute before eating.

Notes

*If you find that the pies are getting dark before the cheese has melted inside the pie, lower the temperature of your oil slightly. The goal is for the pies to be a rich brown on the outside with melted cheese and hot filling on the inside.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/06/quick-dirty-raspberry-cheesecake-fried-pies/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

This post was NOT sponsored by Goya. They have no idea who I am, I just really dig their discos!

Filed Under: Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, budget friendly, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

March 5, 2013 by Rebecca 16 Comments

I have this little self-indulgent thing I do every time I go REAL grocery shopping. By real grocery shopping, I mean the kind where my husband stays home with the boys so that I don’t have to fend off requests for everything from Japanese rice crackers to day-glo cereals to a giant ham to adult diapers (because can you even imagine how hilarious it would be if we bought those to wear to youth group over our pants?)

My routine is this… I drive to the nearest biggish town and hit Aldi first where I probably look for all the world like a doomsday prepper with the amount of tuna and chili beans I’m buying (my kids snack on chili beans. I know. I KNOW. We’re weird.) I move onto The Wal-Marts where I again look like I’m stocking up for armageddon by virtue of the sheer volume of toilet tissue I’m purchasing. These exercises in embarrassment over, I move onto Wegman’s where I get beautiful produce, meats, jugs of olive oil and one little thing just for me. I always get myself a little roll from the bakery section and it’s almost always a crusty olive roll.

When I’ve crammed our little gas-efficient, tiny clown car with all the groceries I think we’ll need for three or four weeks (because I can take the bonnie wee thing instead of the massive purple van when I go solo), I sit in the car, listen to the classical music station and eat my crusty roll to reward myself for not filling my cart entirely with avocados and dark chocolate.

Now, I’ll tell ya, I like those crusty rolls perfectly well, but they’re so crusty, I can’t see making a sandwich on them unless I add some steel reinforcement to my teeth. I can eat a roll just fine, but if you add fillings you have to bite through, I think it might take more jaw work than I want to put into a meal because I like my sandwiches piled up-to-the-sky with innards.

I kept thinking about how much I’d love to have sandwich bread studded with those briny, fabulous olives, though, so the only recourse was to make it mahself. So I did.

The result was a seriously happy moment. Chewy outer crust, yielding and soft inner crumb and enough oil-cured olives to make my olive-loving heart sing.

The key to making these rolls is in the forming of them. Duh, right? No really, there is a technique that gives you that bakery-perfect round shape with the smooth top (with just a few olives lurking enticingly beneath the surface.) I had my eldest son shoot a quick video to show you how it’s done, it was a last minute idea and done with my iPhone, so please forgive any quality issues.

You’re really going to want to make these, both because there’s really not a happier vehicle for a sandwich and because you will most definitely want them on hand for a recipe I’m sharing in the next week or so. It involves feta, roasted garlic, and lots and lots of happy sighs.

In the meantime, I’d suggest you whip up a batch of these to make some very marvelous sandwiches. My sister thought they’d be great piled high with garden veggies… Clearly we’re dreaming of spring. I think they’d be fab for mopping up pasta sauce or stuffing with roasted turkey or chicken, cheese, and lots and lots of lettuce. How would you serve these?

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

Rating: 51

Black Olive Sandwich Rolls

These fabulous sandwich rolls have a chewy outer crust, yielding and soft inner crumb and enough oil-cured olives to make any olive-loving heart sing.

Ingredients

4 cups (1 pound, 1 ounce, by weight) all-purpose flour
2 cups (11½ ounces, by weight) semolina flour
3 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups (16 ounces, by weight or volume) lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups pitted oil-cured or kalamata olives, broken up coarsely with your hands
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

To Mix Dough By Hand:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to a large mixing bowl and stir together with a sturdy wooden spoon until you form a shaggy but cohesive dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered with a clean towel. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Stand Mixer:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn mixer onto the lowest setting and mix until a shiny, elastic dough forms. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To Mix Dough By Bread Machine:

Add all ingredients except for olives, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water to the pan of your bread machine that has been fitted with the dough paddle(s). Set the bread machine on the dough setting and press start. When the cycle is completed, proceed with shaping…

To Shape the Rolls:

Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a clean and very lightly floured surface or silicone mat. Roll it out into a rectangle that is about 12-inches by 18-inches. Scatter the olives over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch clear of olives on the side farthest from you.

Gently lift the edge closest to you and fold away from yourself over the olives.

Continue to carefully lift and roll the dough away from you until you have a long tube. Pinch the seam closed.Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut the dough into 16 equally-sized pieces.

Hold a piece of dough with the cut sides out. Use your thumbs to pull the top of the dough over the cut sides toward the bottom. Push that up under the roll toward the center, rotate the dough ball a half turn and repeat. Put the dough ball on the counter and cup your hand around it, rotating in one direction until the top of the dough is taut. (See the video in the blog post for an example of how to do this.) Place this on your lined baking sheets. Repeat, leaving plenty of room between the rolls for expansion in rising and baking.

Cover the rolls with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 minutes, or until they look a little puffy.

While they rise, use a fork to whisk a small amount of the water into the cornstarch in a microwave safe container or a small saucepan, forming a paste. Use the fork to whisk in the remaining water and microwave on HIGH for 30-60 seconds or boil until it is glassy.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the rolls with the cornstarch glaze and use a sharp knife to make three to four cuts of about 1/8-inch deep each to the top of the roll. I like to do a scallop pattern, but you could also do a tic-tac-toe pattern. This allows the roll to expand while baking without tearing that beautifully taut top you worked so hard to create.

Bake for 23-26 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the rolls to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. These are good for up to three days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/05/black-olive-sandwich-rolls/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Bread, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Bread, Vegetarian