Artichoke and Cheese Tart

Hmmm, time to play catch up, again. Does this seem to be a recurrent theme here? I'll try to be better about posting once the kitchen is completed. With the kitchen fresh in your minds, I should also note that we will be tearing out the old counter tops on Thursday, getting the new ones installed Friday, and hopefully having a functional kitchen by Sunday. No cooking in our kitchen after Wednesday evening - Yikes!!!!

I believe we had burgers on Tuesday night, then this delicious tart Wednesday. This was a new recipe for us, and it was very good. I thought it came out a bit soft, but Jason liked the texture. The flavor was wonderful!

I used the pre-made, refrigerated pie crust for this dish. If you are feeling spunky and domestic, make your own, but I found the convenience of the refrigerated, pre-rolled crust to be exactly what I needed to try this recipe.

Artichoke and Cheese Tart

2 TBS olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 1/2 cans artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, halved (about 10 - 12 hearts)

1 - 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 TBS fresh chopped rosemary OR 1 tsp dried

2/3 cups milk

1. Heat skillet over med-high heat and saute onions about 3 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and cook another couple minutes. (if using DRIED rosemary, add at the same time as artichoke hearts)

2. Mix the cheeses with the beaten egg and milk. (if using FRESH rosemary, add now)

3. Stir in the artichoke mixture and season with salt/pepper to taste. Be sure to omit any cooking liquid to prevent soggy tart. I think this is were I messed up.

4. Spoon the artichoke and cheese mix into the pie dish with awaiting crust. Sprinkle with more cheese (about 1/2 cup). Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. 

If you don't care for blue cheese, I am sure this would be tasty with swiss or feta in it's place. The Gorgonzola added a zing.

I served this with a side of quorn patties cooked with salt/pepper/rosemary/olive oil. Simple but good. 

Sauteed Chicken with White Wine Sauce

This is another oldie but goodie, found in the red and white plaid Better Homes cook book. This was dinner on Monday night.

1 pkg veggie chicken

2 - 3 TBS flour

salt/pepper

2 TBS butter

1 package mushrooms, sliced

2 - 3 shallots, chopped

1 cup white wine

2 cups veggie broth

2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped

1. Saute veggie chicken until golden brown, remove from heat. Let cool enough to touch, cut into cubes.

2. Add shallots, mushrooms, salt and pepper to pan. Saute until browning.

3. Add wine, letting the bits loosen. Add flour to the veggie (cool) veggie broth, mix together until smooth, no flour clumps. Add broth to wine mixture, cook 10 - 15 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly, and reduce a bit. Add chicken and parsley.

I served this with white Jasmine rice which was great for soaking up the yummy sauce. Good with a side veggie such as peas.

Chick Parmesan

I can't believe I forgot to post this one! Well, yes I can actually. Given that last week was extremely busy with painting the kitchen after work, having a terrible headache Wednesday, working all day Thursday, then leaving the house Friday while it was still dark to catch a plane to Tampa....

Chick Parmesan is a favorite of ours, and is actually fairly simple. I think Morning Star original breaded chick patties work best for this recipe. If you want an extra rich smokey flavor, add sliced provolone on the top.

A salad and dinner bread make this a filling meal, especially when served over cooked spaghetti.

Chick Parmesan

4 chick patties

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 - 3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/8 tsp pepper

a little tiny bit of salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 small onion, chopped

2 1/4 pound canned tomato (1 big and 1 normal can)

shredded mixed Italian cheese

Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 slices provolone (optional, but good)

1. Heat oven to 375

2. Saute onion until just tender. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

3. Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, herbs, salt and pepper to pan. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

4. Place about 1/3 cup of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

5. Place chic patties in, spoon tomato sauce on top.

6. Sprinkle with cheeses - use as much or little as you like.

7. Bake 30 minutes.

**** I usually use 2 boxes of chick patties (8 total patties) and just repeat the layers. I put chick patties, cheese, sauce, chick patties, sauce, cheese. This leaves us with alot of delicious leftovers. ****

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Yummy. I am tired this evening, so no descriptive write up about this dish - sorry, yummy is all you get. Well, I will say this is not a spicy dish, so if you are scared of heat in your food, this is one that is safe. There is always leftovers with this dish, so look forward to eating it again the next day for lunch, or later in the week for a quick dinner.

1 TBS olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, mashed

2 X 15oz Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced veggie chicken (your choice, but quorn works well)

1 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup black olives, sliced

18 X 6inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

16 oz jar green salsa

sour cream for topping

1. pre heat oven to 350

2. Saute onion about 3 minutes. Add cumin, garlic and chili powder. Stir in chicken and cook another few minutes.

3. Add beans and cook over medium heat until warm. Add green onion and remove from heat.

4. Lightly grease 9 X 13 inch baking dish with oil. Layer 6 tortillas on the bottom. Spread 1/2 bean mixture, then sprinkle with some cheese. Repeat layers once, topping with tortillas.

5. Combine milk, cilantro and salsa in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour over tortillas.

6. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese, green onions and black olives. Bake 5 - 10 minutes until melted.

Top with a dollop of sour cream if you want. I think it's delicious this way.

Sesame Chicken And Noodles

I have this recipe in my book with "good" written over the top. It has been a while since I made this dish and put it on the menu last week. I have no modifications noted, other than using fake chicken of course. After making this dish, and eating it, I am not sure if I agree with the good rating. It was not bad, but I did not eat the leftovers the next day. I'll post the recipe and leave it up to you - try or not?

I do have to admit I did make a few alterations this time around that may have led to the so-so result. First, I chose to use rice noodles, not traditional spaghetti. I also had regular peanut butter, not natural style. To make up for the added sweetener in the regular peanut butter, I did not add any brown sugar.

12 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/2 cup veggie broth

1/4 cup natural style peanut butter

2 TBS sesame seeds, divided

1 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS rice vinegar

2 TBS low sodium soy sauce

1 TBS lime juice

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)

2 tsp olive oil

1 pkg fake chicken, cut into cubes

2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup sliced green onions

1. Cook pasta, drain.

2. Combine broth, peanut butter, 1 TBS sesame seeds, and next 5 ingredients.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken to pan and saute 3 minutes. Add carrots and onions, saute another couple minutes. Stir in broth mixture.

4. Add pasta to pan, tossing to coat. Top with remaining sesame seeds.

Sauteed Spinach and Temphe

We are in the midst of our kitchen remodel, and this means easy meals. All the contents the cupboards are currently spread across the living room, including spices, pots, pans, plates....

After a few hours of priming the cabinets, dinner had to be simple. I chose to make sauteed spinach and temphe last night. Not much to prepare, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Sauteed Spinach and Temphe

olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 - 4 cloves garlic

salt/pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce, divided

2 pkg temphe (your choice of flavor, I used wild rice temphe last night)

large bag fresh spinach

rice or egg noodles, cooked

1. Cube the temphe, then drizzle with about 1/2 the soy sauce, let sit

2. Heat remaining soy sauce and some olive oil in a large pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute onion and temphe until beginning to brown. Add garlic, stir. Cook for a minute or so.

3. Add fresh spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted.

4. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.

Jason's Kidney Beans and Rice

Friday was pizza night again - cheese pizza and onion/black olive pizza. Saturday was extra busy, a very long day - work, the rest of the grocery shopping I did not complete Friday, and a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement. By the time I got home and ready to cook, it was after 8pm. One of the easiest meals on the weeks list was Jason's Kidney Beans and Rice.

This is a Jason original, cooked up for the first time almost 8 years ago while we lived in Florida. Simple, but very tasty... yet another good dish for a busy night. I usually serve this with some kind of flavored tofu on the side, but the meal is fine by itself. Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice. Another side that works well is fresh broccoli, sauteed in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Jason's Kidney Beans and Rice

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced

1/4 tsp cayan pepper powder

1 TBS Chili powder

14 1/2 oz can chopped tomatoes

3 cans kidney beans

1 TBS fresh parsley, chopped

Jasmine or Basmati rice, cooked (usually 1 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice)

1. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil for 3 - 5 minutes.

2. Add cayan pepper and chili powder, stir, cooking 30 seconds.

3. Add parsley, beans and tomatoes, stir. Cook about 10 minutes until heated.