Sausage and Chick-peas over Couscous

Couscous is something I prepare often with meals. Joe and I both love it and kids adore couscous. It can be used in place of rice or pasta or even on its own as a side dish. Greta loves couscous so much that she specifically asks for it at the grocery store and she always asks for a second helping! Our favorite cous cous is Hodgson-Mills whole wheat. Last night we had a version of franks and beans with couscous.

Sausage and Chick-peas over Couscous

1 pkg. sausage of your choice (I use low sodium)

1 can chick-peas, drained and rinsed

1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 c. water

Cut sausage into slices or chunks and brown. Add onion, chick-peas, tomatoes and water and cook until sauce thickens. Serve over prepared couscous. Recipe based on Progresso brand recipe.

Greta's rating: She LOVED this and asked for more!

Lentil-Goat Cheese Burgers

What a fabulous dinner! The flavor in these little burgers is fantastic. I found this recipe on the blog Cara's Cravings. I served these on a bun with spinach and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The original recipe has a lemon vinaigrette that sounds amazing, but I was feeling a little lazy :) I will definitely make these again!

Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers

1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Place first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Discard bay leaf. Place lentils in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Cool slightly. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Add onion mixture, cheese, and remaining ingredients to lentils; stir well to combine. Cover and chill 45 minutes.

Divide mixture into 3-4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes on each side or until done.
Greta's rating: She ate a little of this. I might melt some cheese on top of hers next time.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not a vegan, but I am lactose intolerant and I wouldn't miss meat if I could never eat it again. Since I am lactose intolerant and my daughter has a dairy allergy, I am fascinated by vegan recipes and have been incorporating them into our meals and desserts...not because I want to "save the animals", but out of necessity and the recipes are much healthier. That being said vegan or not--this recipe is amazing! The original recipe is from Happy Vegan. I make these all the time and they are definitely best fresh, so I usually bake one batch and freeze the remaining portion of dough so we can have fresh baked cookies another night. This recipe is fabulous as written, but I have noted the way that I prepare them below. Enjoy!


Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 c. unbleached flour (I use 1 c. AP flour/ 1 c. Whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
**I also add 1/2 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
cinnamon to taste (I skip this)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like (I use mini-chips)
1 c. sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil (I use smart balance oil)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup water (I use rice milk, but have used skim successfully as well)

In large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose) and chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In medium bowl mix sugar and oil. Add the vanilla and then add the water (or milk). Mix well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix well but be careful not to overwork it. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Take them out before you normally would. If you do not, they will dry out very easily. Cool for 2 minutes on sheets before transferring to cooling racks.

Velvet Chicken

Ok, I really struggled with a title fcor this recipe... I was originally thinking earth chicken, but that kind of makes me think of chicken with dirt all over it. Anyway, I wanted to make this recipe for dinner tonight. When I started getting the ingredients out to make it, I realized that I did not have most of the ingredients. What we ended up with was a really amazing meal that everyone enjoyed. I'm just not sure what it should be called because there is not one flavor that stands out above the others. I guess velvet chicken will have to do.

Velvet Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Salt and Pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

3/4 c. chopped onion

8 oz. bella mushrooms, sliced

2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I use 4)

1 c. chicken stock

1 pkg. reduced fat cream cheese

3 T. spicy peanut sauce (store bought)

3 T. fresh basil, chopped

1lb. box penne pasta (or your favorite pasta)

Salt and pepper chicken and brown in oil over high heat. Remove from pan. Set aside. In same skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add onion. Saute until tender. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add stock and simmer about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and peanut sauce. Add chicken and basil to sauce.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta.

Greta's rating: She loved this and our 1 year old loved it as well!

Lentil Stew

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. I started a new job in November and have not had near as much time to try new recipes. This meal has become a regular at our house. It is easy, cheap and every one likes it. It's also a great meal to warm you up in the dead of winter.

Lentil Stew

6 c. water

3 vegetable bullion cubes

1 lb. lentils

1 1/2 lb. stew meat (optional)

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T. dried basil

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low all day (5-6 hours) or until meat is done. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Fudge

I was looking for a recipe for fudge, but did not have any evaporated milk on hand...I quickly discovered that there are few recipes for fudge that do not include this ingredient-so, I made my own!

Fudge

1/2 c. milk
1 3/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. salt

1 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla (or peppermint) extract
*nuts, dried fruit, etc. optional

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir well and quickly pour into greased 8x8 pan. After fudge is set, cut into squares.

Italian Meat Pie

This is a recipe of my Mothers. This is an ideal meal to make for guests who are less adventurous in their eating. The flavors are familiar but the dish is put together in a slightly different way. While this recipe does not photograph well, it is an easy crowd pleaser!

Italian Meat Pie
1 1lb. ground beef (I use turkey)
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 pkg. dried spaghetti mix
8 oz. sour cream (I use light)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 pkg. crescent rolls (I use reduced fat)
margarine
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in a little oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add onion and garlic and stir until just softened. Remove from heat and add tomato sauce and spaghetti mix. Stir and spread into 9 x13 casserole dish. Spread sour cream evenly over meat mixture. Sprinkle cheese over sour cream. Unroll crescent rolls over top of casserole and stretch to fit dish. Brush with melted margarine and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until crescent rolls are done.

Greta's rating: yum.yum.yum.yum!