Spaghetti Squash Pancakes

I know what you must be thinking... Seriously?  Vegetables in a pancake?  Absolutely!  I haven't made them in a really long time, but everyone (and I mean everyone) gobbled these up!  I served them with a soup, if I remember correctly.  I honestly don't remember much about the preparation or anything, but I do remember their taste.  Delicious, especially with plain yogurt or sour cream topping!  I have no idea how I stumbled upon this recipe, or the website from where it came.  But, here it is from Mollie Katzen Online:

2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
1 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (scant measure)
4 large eggs
Black pepper to taste
Nonstick spray and/or butter for the pan
Sour cream or yogurt for the top
Salsa for the top, too (but not too spicy--these are delicate)

1. Place the squash in a medium-sized bowl and separate the strands a little with a fork. Use the fork to mix in the onion, flour, and salt, and then to beat in the eggs.
2. Place a skillet or griddle over medium heat. When the pan is hot, spray it with nonstick spray, and, if you like, melt in a little butter. Add the batter in 1/4-cup amounts to make 2 1/2-inch pancakes.
3. Cook the pancakes cook until golden on both sides. Unlike cakier pancakes which toughen when turned from side to side, these can be turned more than once. Get them really well-done on the outside. They will still be tender and light, kind of chewy-crisp. So cook them for a good 20 minutes, minimum!
4. Serve hot, with or without toppings.

Classic Russian Borscht

I was introduced to Borscht the first time by some family friends from Ukraine.  Anytime they have us over for dinner this was the first course of the meal.  I was instantly in love with the soup.  It's delicate in taste and mostly broth (though I suppose it would depend on the cook preparing it.)  When we moved to the Midwest, we became close friends with our neighbors who were originally from Russia.  They also made Borscht, and even brought us some whenever they made it, whether or not we joined them for dinner.  YUM!  I've learned that there are several ways with which it can be prepared.  I'm not sure on the specifics, but I imagine it depends on where you are from.  This recipe, from cooks.com is very good and reminds me of all of these friends, their hospitality, and their yummy smelling homes.  I didn't label it as meatless because the original recipe calls for beef stock, but I think you could substitute vegetable stock in it's place?  I haven't tried it, though. 

2 quarts beef stock
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup cabbage, finely chopped
1 cup potatoes, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup juice (from can of beets)
1 cup cooked or canned beets, diced
1 teaspoon vinegar
chopped dill or parsley (for garnishing)
sour cream

1. In a large heavy pan, melt butter and lightly sauté cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion for approximately 5 minutes. Add beef stock.
2. Blend canned tomatoes or press through a sieve until fine. Add pureed tomatoes and beet juice to stock. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are firmly tender but not soft.
3. At this point, add the chopped beets and vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper and remove from heat before the beets begin to lose their color.
4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill or parsley over each bowl.

Scallops Marscapone

The kids really like this recipe.  So do we!  We substituted broccoli for the asparagus and it came out fantastic!  Another good one from allrecipes.com

• 1 (16 ounce) package medium seashell pasta
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package sliced fresh button mushrooms
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 pound scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until al dente.
2. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mix in the parsley and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and season with salt, pepper and onion powder; cook, stirring occasionally until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes depending on the thickness. Place the scallops in the pan, and cook briefly on each side until lightly browned and the center is cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat when scallops are just finished.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the milk, mascarpone cheese and remaining butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is warm and butter is completely melted and blended in. Stir this sauce into the scallops and vegetables along with the pasta and serve immediately.

Moroccan Lentil Salad

This was another recipe I tested for vegetarian company.  Now I don't remember if we used it for that purpose or not, but I remember it being very good.  Even my husband would eat it.  I can't remember about the kids.  My guess is they didn't, as we only had it one time.  Regardless, it's a must stay on this blog, since my husband and I liked it.  Hopefully the kids' taste buds will grow to like it too!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry lentils
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 minced hot green chile peppers
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt to taste

1. Place lentils and water in a pot. Bring water to boil, reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl combine lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, green onions, green chilies, bell peppers, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, and salt to taste. Toss well. Chill for 20 minutes. Serve chilled.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Everyone has a great lasagna recipe.  Some have many.  We often entertain vegetarian guests, and I do struggle with what to serve them.  We recently had a crowd over for dinner, half of whom were vegetarian.  I made a regular lasagna (my mom's trusted recipe) and this one.  Both were a hit.  This one did particularly well with both meat and non-meat eaters alike.  I love the flavor of roasted vegetables, and they are so easy to do.  Thanks allrecipes!

• 1 pound eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 sweet red pepper, cut lenthwise into 6 pieces each
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) container reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1. Coat two 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place eggplant and mushrooms on a prepared pan. Place the zucchini and red pepper on the second pan. Combine the oil and garlic; brush over both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn vegetables over. Bake 15 minutes longer. Remove eggplant and mushrooms. Bake zucchini and red pepper 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are browned.
2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg substitute. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with four lasagna noodles (noodles will overlap slightly), half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, a third of pasta sauce and 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half of basil. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles and pasta sauce.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Strawberry Muffins

These were taken off the lid of a StonyField Farms yogurt container.  They also have a website, which I haven't perused in a while full of great recipes.  You may be seeing more of their recipes soon!  We love yogurt, and really can't keep enough of it in the house.  I love that these muffins use whole wheat flour as well-- it speaks to my fiber lovin' heart!  These were moist, delicious, and gone in a flash!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup Stoynfield lowfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and baking soda. In another bowl, stir together eggs, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla until blended. Toss the strawberries with the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the flour is just moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 20 ? 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Yields 12 muffins. 

Cheesy Chicken Quiche

This is one of my crockpot favorites.  (So much so, I think I've burnt my family out of eating it!  It is currently and very sadly out of my meal rotation.)  This recipe is so incredibly easy and so good!  I literally throw the chicken from the freezer into the crockpot and let it cook all day long.  The rest of the ingredients go in for just about an hour (though I give it longer, since it sometimes isn't quite ready when I want it to be!)  One word of caution, I've tried with varied success adding vegetables to this dish.  To me, it begs for them.  However, if you are throwing in frozen veggies, you'll need more time for the meal to cook on the end.  The veggies may also add some unwanted water causing you to question whether or not the egg has set.  You may have better luck thawing the veggies first and draining them.  Enjoy!  Oh, and thanks for another great one, Stephanie!

2 T corn oil
2 lbs chicken breasts
3/4 c flour
3/4 t bk powder
1/2 t salt
1 c evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 c sh cheddar cheese
2 T chopped onion
2 t dried parsley flakes

1. Coat crock with corn oil. Cook chicken on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours or until fork tender. 2. Stir together flour, bk powder, salt, milk, eggs.
3. Fold in cheese, onion, & parsley. Pour over chicken & cook 1 hour on high. Serves 6.