Monday Munchies - Party Potatoes

So, this is my first post in a series of Thanksgiving inspired recipes. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love spending time with my family and just the time I spend leading up to it dwelling on the Lord's blessings and the fact that I can thank Him for absolutely everything in my life, because I know that He is using it for my good and ultimately for His glory, what a comforting thought!

But back to the food...on Thanksgiving day, the last thing I want is to feel the pressure of not being able to enjoy the Thanksgiving day gathering because I'm trying to get food ready at the last minute.  These potatoes are super tasty and can be prepped early then frozen.  Just take them out in the morning on the day before your thanksgiving meal, and when you're ready, stick them in either the oven or a crock pot and don't think about them again!  Trust me, I'm a (self-proclaimed) potato expert, and although these are easy and you can freeze them, the taste is not compromised, AT ALL! These are probably my favorite mashed potatoes ever.  It's like the inside of a twice baked potato, need I say more?!?  Also, you have my permission to put them in a foil pan or use crock pot liners for easy clean up.  I may not be the most experienced entertainer, but I have learned that sometimes convenience is worth being able to enjoy your guests rather than spending time with your hands in the dishwater.  Also, I apologize for not having a picture, but they look like mashed potatoes.  Use your imagination, then make them and see for yourself!

Party Potatoes

8-10 medium/large potatoes, peeled
1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
Garlic salt
Pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mash until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.  Put the potatoes in once the dish is buttered.  Freeze.

When ready to bake, put pats of butter and paprika on top and bake at 350 degrees till nicely browned on top and heated all the way through.

Optional - you can add green onions, chives, parsley, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, basically anything you would put in a twice baked potato.

Monday Munchies - Southwestern Quinoa with Veggies and Mango

After getting back from Colorado Springs at 2:00 AM yesterday morning, with a full day of work and church ahead, I decided Monday Munchies was going to wait to make it's appearance until Tuesday.  We had a great road trip and the fall colors were at their peak which made the scenic routes that we took even more beautiful.  I'm resisting the urge to post fall recipes until October, but I'll share a couple of pictures from our trip with you to get you in the mood!

Just outside of town

Steamboat Springs

About an hour outside of Estes Park

But while summer veggies are still readily available, take advantage of it and make this recipe for a yummy and healthy salad or main course.  I actually have a confession to make about this recipe...I didn't measure out my lime juice and the first day it was REALLY limey tasting.  Like, pucker you up almost inedible (is that a word?).  However, I decided to squirt a tablespoon or so of ranch dressing on it, which masked the lime juice just as I hoped, and gave it kind of a nice creamy texture. If you wanted something simpler I think this would also be good to swap the dressing from this recipe with southwestern ranch for a creamier salad.

Southwestern Quinoa with Veggies and Mango

1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 t. ground cumin

1 c. frozen or canned corn (drained)

1 c. black beans

1 tomato, diced

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 small cucumber, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 c. red onion, diced

1 small mango, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c. lime juice

1/3 c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. ground turmeric

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; add quinoa and cumin. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Mix together quinoa, corn, beans, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mango, jalapeno, and cilantro in a large bowl.

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder and turmeric in a small bowl.  Drizzle over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Monday Munchies - Veggie Wrap

The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY around here.  My laptop died...two days after I had transferred all of my food photos off of my memory card, which is why there was no post last week.  This week has been full of adventures like falling asleep in the mountains watching a meteor shower, and being face to face with a mama grizzly (well, maybe not quite, but 50 ft. away feels VERY close).  But more on that later, lets get to the food!

Since life has been busy I have found myself eating peanut butter and jelly/honey/banana sandwiches almost everyday for lunch.  And although I never get tired of peanut butter, this wrap makes lunch a little classier.

Veggie Wrap
1 Tortilla
2-3 T. Hummus
1/2 c. Couscous
Veggies of your choice (I used red peppers, onions, tomatoes and spinach)
Cheese (I used mozzarella because that's what we had in fridge)

Spread hummus all over the inside of the tortilla, then top with couscous, veggies and cheese. Roll and eat!

Monday Munchies - Quick Eggplant Parmesan

This week's recipe is another meatless main dish - don't worry, the Jackson hippies haven't gotten to me yet, although there are a bunch of cute hippie skirts for sale around town, and I think it's only a matter of time until one of those makes its way into my closet!  Eggplant Parmesan is a great weeknight meal, quick and easy, but tastes like you spent a lot more time on it.  Also, with the exception of eggplant, all of the ingredients are things that I keep in the pantry so it doesn't require a lot of extra thought or planning.  I like eating these as patties, but they would be a good pasta topper as well!

Quick Eggplant Parmesan
Serves: 2
1 egg
1 T. water
1 small eggplant cut into 3/4" thick slices
1 c. dried bread crumbs, seasoned (I would probably start with 2/3 or 3/4 cup next time, I had quite a bit leftover that I had to throw away, and if you start with less you can always add more if needed)
1 and 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

1/4 c. spaghetti sauce
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

In a small bowl beat the egg and water together.  Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish.  Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs, being sure to coat thoroughly.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add eggplant slices and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and tender.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over eggplant during the last minute of cooking to melt.

While eggplant is cooking, combine spaghetti sauce and pepper flakes in a microwave safe measuring cup.  Cover with plastic wrap and cook at high power for 2 minutes or until heated through.

Top eggplant with sauce and Parmesan cheese to serve.

Source: My mom's recipe box - other than that I have no clue!

Monday Munchies - Kale Chips

It's Monday again, and my last Monday in Missouri for awhile!  As I told many people goodbye at church yesterday, reality started sinking in - I'm moving in 2 days!!!

Anyway, back to business.  I had seen recipes for kale chips on a lot of food blogs several months back.  Honestly, I have no idea what kale tastes like raw, I should probably try it someday, but for now I'll stick with the roasted crunchy chip version.  I made these for the first time a couple of weeks ago and the consensus was that it was girl food, for the Hoffman family, but maybe your boys are less picky, in which case, you should roast them some kale chips!  These are light, flavorful and pretty quick to throw together.  Although we made them for dinner, I think they would be a really good afternoon snack.  The crunch factor and saltiness kind of make you forget you're eating a vegetable, but I will say the curly edges give it a strange texture, not bad, just strange.  Surprisingly, these also warmed up rather well.  I threw them in the oven under the broiler for a couple of minutes and they crisped right up again, good as new!  So, if you're looking for a quick and easy snack or side dish, give these a try!

Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale
1 T. olive oil
Salt to taste (I love using coarse salt for roasted veggies.  The salt has a more concentrated flavor, so I find myself using less without compromising the taste!) 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Rinse and dry the kale and remove the leaves from the stems.  (I found it was pretty easy to lay a piece of kale flat on a cutting board with the stem pointing down.  Cut an inverted "V" around the tough center ribs, then cut them up into pieces.)  Toss the kale with olive oil in a bowl, then lay out flat on a baking sheet or two, and sprinkle with desired amount of salt.  Bake 20 minutes or until crisp.  (The original recipe tells you to turn the chips over halfway through baking.  However, I'm terrible at reading recipes through, thought I was done with all the steps, went for a quick run and ignored this step, and they still turned out fine.)


Adapted from: The Food Network