Chili Cheese Mini-Bites

I've been making a lot of muffin/cupcake shaped things recently, Banana Ginger Snap Cupcakes and Carrot Coconut Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Icing and today isn't any different. The major difference is that this recipe is a tasty little appetizer and not a full-blown, bag-your-diet sweet treat. I was thinking about that line from Julia Roberts' upcoming movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" where she says "leave no carb behind."  Very funny.  So in this recipe, I have left all carbs behind, and you and anyone else eating one can feel comfortable knowing you're eating a cheesy, spicy, veggie-filled little tidbit.  I'm mildly hooked on Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese these days, and I thought a combination of that plus the Seriously Sharp Cheddar would be a good combo.  They're great. Try them next time you're making appetizers.

  

CHILI CHEESE MINI-BITES 

1 Tbs. butter
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped (I used a Roma)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (I used half a dozen)
2 oz. Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese
2 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Vermont Cheddar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
S&P to taste

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a small pan and saute the onions, garlic and tomato until the onion is soft. Remove from heat and transfer this mixture to a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Shred both cheeses.
• Beat the eggs and add them to the vegetable mixture along with the remaining ingredients.
• Fill each mini muffin tin with a heaping Tablespoon of the mixture.
• Bake for ten minutes.
• Remove from oven, allow to sit for a minute, then run a knife around the edge of the cups and place on a serving dish.
• Serve warm. These can be reheated easily. Or, serve cold like a quiche.
• Makes a few less than two dozen, and only about 30 calories each, and a trace of carbs.

Peggy is always where the food is!

Delicious Onion Soup With Miniature Toasts and Parmesan Crisps

Why would I want to be making soup in south Florida in 90 degree weather? Better yet, why would I think any of my friends and family would want to make soup in such a torrential downpour of heat and sun? The answer is, I don't know why. I've just been thinking lately about making a good tasting onion soup after having had some so-so, rather salty onion soup in a restaurant last week with my mom. And, well, there is air conditioning keeping me cool inside for the venture. So, here it is.  Make this soup.  It's vegetarian (for all my non-meat eating friends and family.) It's delicious. It's topped with a wonderful miniature bread toast and a Parmesan crisp instead of that big blob of melted cheese. I know, I know. That's what's good about it, right? Try it this way, and let me know how you like it.

DELICIOUS ONION SOUP WITH MINIATURE TOASTS AND PARMESAN CRISPS

4 heaping cups of onions, peeled and thinly sliced

3 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup sherry (you can use bottled cooking sherry if you must, but don't tell anyone)

4 cups of vegetable broth (see below for my tip)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Packaged Miniature Toasts

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and cook and stir often over low to medium heat until the onions are fully softened and starting to brown. This process will take at least 45 minutes to one hour. There is no rushing this step.  Increase the heat to high, add the Worcestershire and sherry and cook for a minute or two, or until the sherry reduces. Stir in the 4 cups of broth, lower the heat and simmer another 20 minutes or so.  

Here's my tip for the broth.... You can use cans of broth if you like. In this recipe I used a seasoned roasted vegetable cooking base. Find them in the canned soup aisle, Better Than Bouillon is the one I used.  They really are much better than bouillon, less salty, and much more flavorful.  The jar costs a few dollars, but you'll find  that you'll be seasoning the water with it when you make rice, pasta, other soups, sauces. Use 1 tsp. per cup of water (you'll need 4 tsp. for this recipe.)

While the soup is simmering, make the crisps.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set the oven rack in the middle. Finely grate the Parmesan and use 1 Tbs. per crisp. Dump it onto a well oiled baking sheet (I used cooking spray) and then with the back of your spoon flatten the mound out a little. Grind some pepper on each one. Don't crowd, maybe only 6 to a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes approximately. 

Remove from oven and carefully slide your spatula around the edges and remove each one to a rack.  My pictures above show the process, and you CAN do this! It was actually very easy, and I surprised myself.  This is Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network.  They are soooo delicious! And no carbs! Ladle the soup into your bowl and set the bowl on a serving dish.  

Surround the bowl with one or two toasts and two or three crisps and let the lucky recipients assemble their own garnish.  Enjoy!!! And please say hello in the comment section below. 

Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Quiche

This has been a rough month to say the least! Whadda way to start the new year with my mother in and out of hospitals and rehab. I think I have managed to cook twice this month, this quiche being one of those times.  One of the best things about making a quiche is that you probably have just about everything you need to throw one together at any time... that is, if you keep frozen pie crusts around, and of course I do. Remember what I said in my book, I like a break once in a while too! And really, those frozen pie crusts are pretty darn good.  Combined with a great salad, dinner's ready in no time. Okay, so on with the recipe:

BROCCOLI AND SWISS CHEESE QUICHE
Cover the bottom of a one frozen deep dish pie crust shell with 2 cups of grated Gruyere or any good swiss cheese. If you like, you can use part swiss and part cheddar, your choice. Set aside.

Saute in a Tbs. of olive oil 1 small finely chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning or your favorite herb blend, S&P,  and about 1 1/2 cups of chopped broccoli, stems and florets, until soft. Spread over the cheese. Set aside.

Mix together in a blender or with a wire whisk:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard OR Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot sauce

Pour this mixture carefully over the cheese, onions and broccoli.  A little bit of the filling might not fit. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 55 minutes. A knife should come out clean when tested.  The quiche will be beautiful, puffy and golden brown on top from all that Parmesan you put on top, but will deflate as it cools. Serve it hot out of the oven, or just warm, or have it cold for breakfast.... really good!

Tip: Place the pie crust on a cookie sheet before setting in the oven, and you'll avoid any unwanted spills.

You can view a previous blog entry from September of 2009 entitled Yummy Pictures From the Book Singingirl Cooks for a look at some of the dishes in my book, and of course you know it's for sale. Just ask me!

Thanks and see you next time!

Kale Soup - Go Green!

All this talk about going green... how about a recipe for delicious kale soup to start the new year off? This concoction turned out to be a real winner for me and everyone else who tried it. And I actually felt like I was doing something good for me with all those dark leafy greens in there, lots of garlic and tomatoes, and no meat! Here's the recipe:

KALE SOUP
2 medium to large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups potatoes, diced but not too small
1 lb. chopped kale
5 cups of vegetable stock
1 28 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper
1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans

Start by heating the olive oil in a very large soup pot. Over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and saute until soft but not browned. Add the diced potato and cook a few moments longer. Rinse the kale well, and remove any tough, woody stems. If you buy the bag already chopped, which I did ;-) then it's all pretty much done for you except to give it a once over to make sure the tough stems, etc. are removed.  Okay, so add the whole bag to the pot. It will seem like it's just not all going to fit. But as it sautes it will wilt just like spinach does. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to saute until wilted down. At this point, add the 5 cups of liquid. Now you can buy cans of vegetable broth or you can use a cooking base like I did. This is the first time I've ever bought a seasoned vegetable cooking base, and I have to say it is waaaay different than using bouillon; specifically, it is less salty and has much more flavor. There's a brand out there called Better Than Bouillon or Glory Seasoned Cooking Base just to name two.  Whichever you use, make 5 cups of it and add it at this time to the soup pot along with the can of tomatoes and the rest of the seasonings. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer this for a good hour or so.  Remove a cup of the soup to a blender, let it cool for a few minutes, and then blend until smooth*. Return it back to the pot to give the soup nice color and texture. Remove the bay leaf. Add the beans and heat through. Serve!

*Have you ever tried to blend hot things in a blender? It explodes! So let the soup cool down for a few before blending.

A note on the photo.... I have friends who will strangle me because I used a flash to take this photo, leaving the food very unnatural looking. I couldn't help it! It was nighttime and I had no other choice. Apologies to all the fabulous food photographers out there.

Sesame & Panko Crusted Tofu with Toasted Coconut & Pineapple Rice

This dinner idea came to me in bits and pieces. I had all the ingredients but wasn't quite sure how I wanted to put them together. The tofu I bought several days ago. It was calling to me to please do something with it or throw it out. This is what I came up with.... And I should start by saying, please give tofu a try! It's soy, it's good for you, it's high in protein, it's low in cholesterol, low in carbs, economical, a great alternative to meat,  it goes well with everything, just like that neutral shade of lipstick you have. (I'm talkin' to the girls now....)

THE MARINADE:
1 pkg. extra firm tofu, drained and blotted dry. I wrap the whole block of tofu in paper towels and press it until most of the packaging liquid is removed from it.
2 green onions, finely chopped
Fresh ginger, 1 inch finely chopped (use powdered if you don't have fresh, to taste, probably 1/4 tsp.)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Sesame oil, 2 Tbs.
1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks. Open the can, drain into a cup, and use half the juice for this marinade. The other half of the juice you will use for cooking the rice (below). The pineapple chunks you'll use in the rice also.
1 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper

Cut the tofu into five slices. Cut each slice in half the long way, then cut it into 4 pieces. You should wind up with about 40 pieces of tofu. (In other words, you should get 8 chunks from one slice of tofu.) Throw those into a large zip-lock bag and add the above marinade ingredients. Refrigerate.

THE CRUST MIXTURE:
Using three bowls, place a couple handfuls of flour in one, 1 egg plus a little water in another bowl, and in the third bowl place 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs, 2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste. I buy the sesame seeds and toast them myself in a dry pan for a few minutes until browned.

Get some canola or another light oil hot in a pan, not olive oil. Place half the tofu chunks into the flour, stir to coat, shake off the excess flour. Then place the pieces into the egg/water mixture and stir to coat, then drop them into the third bowl of Panko/sesame seeds/salt and pepper. Fry on medium to medium-high heat, turning until nicely browned. Remove to paper towels to drain.  Repeat the process with the other half of the tofu, adding a little more oil to the pan if necessary. They turn out crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and just downright excellent.

THE RICE: 
Brown or white rice, you'll need 1 cup of raw, whichever you choose
1/4 cup or more of coconut, toasted in your toaster oven for a few minutes until nicely browned.
Pineapple chunks (from the can that you opened for the juice in the marinade)

I used brown rice. I made 2 cups of it, using mostly water and the rest of the pineapple juice to measure 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of uncooked rice, and I added a few drops of sesame oil. Cook according to the package directions.

When the rice is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the pineapple chunks and the toasted coconut, reserving a sprinkle to garnish the entire plate. I chopped the chunks of pineapple smaller too.

You are ready to plate!  I am serving this with a simple saute of the three vegetables that I had on hand, but it certainly was a good choice; red pepper, yellow pepper, zucchini, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper. The combination of those vegetables was delicious, but you can use whatever you like or have on hand.

Listen kids, I know this sounds like a lot of work. It was. Nothing that a cocktail won't smooth out :-) The whole process was really NOT that serious. And the end result was well worth a bit of effort. If you just can't handle the thought of tofu, then there'll be no convincing you otherwise. For the rest of you, please try the recipe and then let me know what you think. If nothing else,  just leave me a note and let me know you stopped by.