One mixing bowl desserts and cakes... you gotta love that, right!? I came across a recipe via a Facebook ad thrown at my face that sounded sort of souffle-ish, sort of custard-ish, sort of cheesecake-ish... and I thought it sounded pretty good, but would be better with a few adjustments. Lo and behold, it came out great first time around! What I didn't know is that there is a name for these sort of dishes - the French call it clafoutis. This is my version with blueberries... not super sweet, which is the kind of desserts we prefer. You could most certainly sprinkle the top with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar if you wanted.
Had a cover of a Depeche Mode song come on the speakers while I was typing this recipe out and I was like, "Who is this?! I like this!" Turns out, it was No Use For A Name doing "Enjoy the Silence". Give it a go! -jen
BLUEBERRY CLAFOUTIS Prep Time: 10 minute Cook Time: 50-55 (with an additional 30 to rest) Difficulty: Easy Serves: 6-8
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1+1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1+1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray - bottom and up sides.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar together until smooth. Add melted butter, ricotta, yogurt and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add flour, salt and baking powder - mix until combined.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle blueberries over the top. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes. Edges should turn golden brown and tester inserted in center should come out clean. Cool in pan on baking rack for 30 minutes. Serve room temp or chilled.
I've had a huge bag of cranberries in my freezer since Christmas (and it's April), so I decided it was about time I used them in something. I'd considered doing cranberry cheesecake, but decided to cross cheesecake with bars instead. (I like bars!) They came out so good, that I made another batch with the remaining cranberries to send with Justin to work so he could share (and double-checking my recipe writing!)
The topping and crust is a little salty, the cream cheese filling is lemony and the cranberry sauce is tart with a cinnamon and vanilla warmth. All three layers just seem to compliment each other so nicely, I was way pleased with this recipe! It's a little time consuming but I've made them twice now and they're really not that hard - you just have to dedicate some time to them.
Justin was feeling like something early from The Offspring. "Jennifer Lost The War" from their 1989 self titled album. This was actually the first time I've heard this song, I think. -jen
1.5 cups rolled oats (also known as old fashioned oats)
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
Cheese Filling:
8oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
zest of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the
cranberry sauce first by bringing water, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon
and salt to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add cranberries and bring back to a boil, then
lower to a steady simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently - cranberries will pop and
begin to break down. (Careful not to let it boil over!) Remove from
heat and refrigerate to cool while you continue with the other steps.
Grease a 13"x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
For
the crust, combine the flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar and salt in a
mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter and coconut oil until combined and all flour is absorbed.
Mixture should be slightly clumpy but break up easily. Set aside 1.5
cups for topping but spread the remaining mixture into your prepared
baking dish, pressing it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350
F for 15 minutes. Set aside.
While crust is baking
and sauce is cooling, make the cheese filling. Using a hand mixer or the
whipping attachment on your stand mixer, whip the softened cream cheese
on high for 2-3 minutes until very smooth. Add remaining ingredients
and mix thoroughly on high until smooth (remember to scrape the bottom).
Spread the cream cheese mixture
evenly over your baked crust. Stir in corn starch to cooled cranberry sauce, then gently dollop over
the top of the filling and gently spread it evenly with the back of a
spoon, trying not to mix it into the cheese filling. Sprinkle the
remaining flour and oat mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 350 F for
40 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. I like to refrigerate them overnight.
Last year around the holidays, I made homemade cheese spreads for the first time - a basic Cheddar Cheese Spread and then a fantastic nutty cheese spread that was inspired by French Onion soup and the store bought Swiss Almond spreads - my Swiss-Almond Cheese Spread with Caramelized Onions. We ate the hell out of them.
This year, I was thinking about a southern classic, Pimiento Cheese Spread...but traditionally, the spread is simply made with cheese, mayo and pimientos. I really like using cream cheese because I wanted it more like a cracker dip than a sandwich spread. I also wanted to boost it up a little with flavour, so I added a lot more than what the traditional spread has - garlic, Worcestershire, jalapeño, wine, etc. It's not hot or spicy at all... so even if you shy away from jalapeños, I say add 'em to this recipe. It just adds a little depth to the spread - more layers of flavour.
So if you're trying to come up with some appetizers to make and/or take to a New Year's party, this is a pretty easy and great one!
I think the Descendents said what we were all thinking. -jen
*I recommend at least half of your shredded cheese being sharp cheddar, and the other half could be any combination of Monterey Jack, Havarti, Gruyere, Gouda, Parmesan, etc. I used what I had, which was some Gouda, Havarti Dill, and Pecorino Romano.
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth and combined. Refrigerate (but I always have to eat some immediately. The flavours marry nicely if you give it a little time to refrigerate though.)
Serve with crackers or raw veggies, make a grilled cheese with some spread inside, use as a sandwich spread - eat it how you want! It'd probably be good mixed in with some pasta (though I've not tried that!)
I have another similar recipe on the blog, the Cheesy Cauliflower Bake. In that one I steamed the cauliflower in large chunks on the stove. Lately, I've been enjoying "riced" cauliflower with the food processor, then cooked in the microwave, so that's what I did this time. And broccoli, of course. Just a few little differences. We both really liked this recipe though. Had it tonight with pork medallions and I did up a pan gravy with the drippings. Delicious!
Have had Hot Water Music's "Wayfarer" in my head. -jen
3 tablespoons green onions, diced (about 3 medium)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste (I used my KFCseasoning, a little Mrs. Dash and some white pepper)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, F. Prepare a 2-quart 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Add cauliflower and broccoli to food processor. Pulse until vegetables are about the size of rice. Place in a microwave safe glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes (bowl will be hot!!) Let sit for 5 minutes with plastic wrap on.
Return cooked vegetables to the food processor and add butter, cream cheese, and yogurt/sour cream. Process on high until smooth and creamy. Return to glass bowl and stir in shredded cheese, green onions, Worcestershire, and Sriracha. Now is the time to add your salt and pepper while you can still taste it and adjust. Then stir in the egg.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish, making sure mixture is level. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Top should be golden brown. Serve immediately.
Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli Casserole with pork medallions and gravy
When we go grocery shopping, we always go with a budget and a list which means we generally have the week's meals planned out. Sometimes, things that weren't on the list sneak into the cart. This time I grabbed a cauliflower with no ideas for it... if nothing else, I knew it'd get thrown into the roasted veggie mixes (we eat baked chicken and roasted veggies once or twice a week for dinner).
I don't know why, but I decided I wanted cream soup, and I've never actually made a cauliflower soup, so it seemed like the thing to do. The cheese was a last minute idea since I remembered we had them in the fridge, and I'm glad I did! This soup came out great... I really liked it.
I can't even tell you why, but I've had Billy Joel running through my brain... which then, instantly makes me think of the Gimmes. So Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing "Only The Good Die Young" (because they didn't eat their cauliflower). -jen
6 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, separated
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 medium carrots, diced (about 1.5 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
1 poblano or green pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped
3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Cojack cheese
2 teaspoons sherry
several dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of cayenne pepper or Sriracha sauce (optional)
In a large stockpot, saute onion, carrots, celery and pepper in 6 tablespoons of butter over a medium-high heat until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, garlic, thyme, marjoram and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. (At this point, I like to use a stick blender or regular blender to blend about 2/3 of the soup, smoothing it out a little but I like to leave a few chunks. You can leave everything whole, or blend the whole thing, whatever you prefer!)
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt remaining 1 stick of butter. Stir in flour and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a roux. Remove from heat. When the cauliflower in the broth is tender (and blended, if you're blending any), add the roux and the heavy cream. Bring back to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stir until completely melted before adding next handful. Add sherry, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne or Sriracha, if desired.
I garnished mine with some of the shredded cojack and some diced scallions I had in the fridge.
We don't eat a lot of pasta, but lately I've been craving a lighter pasta dish. Generally, I love marinara and bolognese sauces, but don't really dig putting them on pasta - I'd rather put them over some spaghetti squash. This time, I felt like pasta, but didn't want one of those heavy sauces, so I did my own version of Puttanesca. It's mostly traditional, but a little of my own preferences thrown in there. Came out really delicious. When I minced together the garlic, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes and olives, it looked like a tapenade of the Gods! I just wanted to spread it on some garlic toast! Admittedly, I was spooning some of it onto the tomato halves, sprinkling some basil on top, and munching them that way as I was cutting them in half, heheh. The dish was really quick and easy to make!
I was reminded the other day that I hadn't used anything from Rancid's new album with one of our recipes. So here is another Rancid Recipe - the title track, "Honor Is All We Know". -jen
PASTA PUTTANESCA Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10-15 mimuntes Difficulty: Very easy Serves: 4-6, depending on serving size
6 large garlic cloves
6 anchovy filets (I'm inclined to use the whole 2oz can)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (or green, or black, or D-all of the above)
12oz dried pasta (your choice: spaghetti, bow tie, rotini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 large scallions, diced (about 1/2 a cup)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1/4 cup pasta water
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup basil, chopped or julienned
4oz Romano cheese, crumbled
Bring large stock pot of salted water to a boil while preparing the following steps.
Mince together garlic, anchovies, and sun dried tomatoes. Roughtly chop the kalamata olives right into the minced mix. Set aside.
Add pasta to boiling water, bring back to a boil, and then turn down to a low boil, cooking 6-8 minutes until al dente (still slightly under-cooked. Pasta will cook more in skillet.) Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet. Saute scallions and red pepper flakes for 1 minute. Add white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until wine has cooked down by half. Add grape tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes, olives and the rinsed capers. Cook for 2 more minutes or until sauce is reduced and thickened.
Add pasta to skillet mixture with 1/4 cup pasta water. Cook another 1-2 minutes (sauce will mostly absorb into pasta). Remove from heat and toss with lemon juice and zest, basil, (a dash more of wine, if you like,) and crumbled Romano. Add salt and pepper to taste (careful with the salt since the olives, capers and cheese will add a lot of salt). Serve immediately while hot, however, it is quite tasty left over cold, straight out of the fridge.
I'd like to take credit for this awesome dish, but I really feel like I need to give credit where it's due - Ina Garten's Scalloped Tomatoes. I went through and added what I wanted, subtracted what I didn't want and my methods were a little different. But I still wouldn't feel right if I didn't give Ina credit, as her recipe is great. Ours is just better. (Sorry, Ina! We love you!) Justin was baking us a loaf of boule the other day, but whether it was due to temperatures or humidity, it just didn't rise as much as he'd hoped, so it came out a little dense. I'd remembered seeing Ina make her Scalloped Tomatoes recipe and thought our dense bread would be perfect for this... and it was!
I wondered why this dish was called "scalloped"; it was my understanding that meant a dish was made with a cream sauce. So I did a little researching on the magic interweb and it seems there are a few different definitions of what "scalloped" means in the culinary world. While I didn't find a solid answer, I did find this article that summed up the variances nicely. Still, I didn't know if I really wanted to call this recipe Scalloped Tomatoes - I didn't know if it would really explain what the dish was to someone browsing recipe names. Now, the same website that broke down "scalloped" has this to say about "au gratin": "Au Gratin means garnished with crumbs (usually bread) and grated cheese, then baked or grilled (aka broiled.)" I think this definition fits the bill for my recipe more. Now, because I don't speak french, I don't know if it's grammatically correct to call the dish a "tomato gratin" or "tomatoes au gratin" and I couldn't find an answer on that.
I'm not sure how we've done all these recipes and not used a Black Flag song yet. What the hell is going on?! Rectified now... Black Flag (with a long-haired Rollins) doing "Nervous Breakdown". -jen
2.5 pounds (10-12) fresh Roma tomatoes, diced (1/2")
2 teaspoons salt
olive oil
2.5 cups cubed artisan bread (1/2")
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup rough-chopped green or kalamata olives
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (5-6 cloves)
1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped or julienned, packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a shallow 2-quart baking dish (8"x8") with non-stick cooking spray.
Place diced tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl. Toss with salt and set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the bread cubes and toss in the olive oil to coat. Let cubes toast into croutons, stirring often, until dark golden-brown and crispy, 5-8 minutes. Add drained tomatoes, sugar, black pepper, olives, onion and garlic. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in basil.
Transfer mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top, and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Serve hot.
I haven't had as much time this year to make anything amazing or grand for the holidays like I'd hoped. But I made this for no reason at all this morning (okay, I made it because I've been in a cream cheese mood) and I thought, "This would be so fantastic for any holiday party and so easy!" So in a way, this recipe is perfect for the holidays which makes it both amazing and grand!
I'm a huge fan of crackers and cheese spread. Grew up with the store-bought kind, you know the ones... port wine, cheddar & bacon, Swiss almond. I actually don't see a lot of them in the stores anymore. Maybe it's a passé appetizer... or maybe we just live behind the Redwood Curtain and don't get a lot of selection at our stores. I try not to eat a lot of crackers anymore, but we have some crackers left over from a company Christmas party (where Justin made his own take on Ina Garten's Smoked Salmon dip, which was excellent, made with some fresh-caught, home-smoked salmon a friend gave us!) and we also have a ton of cheese in our house because my dad always sends a box of cheese and sausage from Wisconsin for Christmas - we look forward to it every year! So I was itching for a cheese spread and decided to make one. I don't think I will ever buy another store-bought cheese spread again! This was just so easy to make and the different ideas for what I could put in them seems endless! Beer, wine, garlic, onion, horseradish, bacon, herbs, roasted peppers.... you could put anything you liked into it! Whatever cheese you want to use (I'd really like to make a Swiss-almond one!) Like I said, I just used what I had at home and it came out fantastic!
I just heard this song for the first time the other day and I think it might be one of my new favourite Christmas songs. I've always loved Cyndi Lauper. Here she is with The Hives doing A Christmas Duel. -jen
CHEDDAR CHEESE SPREAD Time: 10 minutes Difficulty: So ridiculously easy Makes: about 2 cups
8oz cream cheese, softened
8oz medium or sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1/4 cup mayonnaise (optional, but helps it spread better)
2 teaspoons dried chives (optional)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
In a food processor (or with a fork), combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Serve immediately or chill for later. Really, you can choose whatever cheese you want and put whatever seasonings you like in it, that's just what I chose. Be creative!
Enchiladas are one of our favourite dishes to make and it took us a few years of trial and error
with technique and ingredients before we got it right where we want it. We really didn't think we could make it better...until a few weeks ago. We had left over shredded pork that we'd made in the slow cooker, and I decided to go the "lazy" route and try an enchilada casserole. I'd never had one, never made one, only heard of 'em.
Shockingly... we liked it better than our enchiladas. Justin nailed it when he said it's like a lasagna. The ratios were great. We loved the way all the flavours came together. And it took a lot less time to make than enchiladas because there wasn't the frying process or the rolling process. Just layer up the dish and go.
For this round, we decided to try ground beef instead of the shredded pork. I think we liked the shredded pork better, but the ground beef was still great (and we figured we'd go with it for the recipe because it seemed more accessible and quicker). Shredded chicken would probably be bomb, too! I think the corn and beans really make the dish - corn adds a nice crunch, beans add a great creaminess. We made our salsa verde extra spicy, so we didn't add jalapeños to it, but they would also be great amongst the layers. And since it heats up so well as a leftover, we made the recipe huge so we could have lunches to take to work for the next few days.
We were thinking we hadn't pulled out much old punk in a while. So Justin suggested some Suicidal Tendencies, and one he said he liked. "Memories of Tomorrow". -jen
4 cups shredded cheese of your choice (go for 6 cups if you like it cheesy!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add diced onion, diced chile and ground beef to pan. Cook until vegetables are soft and meat is thoroughly cooked, stirring intermittently. Drain grease from pan, add about 2 tablespoons of water and taco seasoning. Cook until water has cooked off. Set aside.
Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread a thin layer of salsa verde on the bottom of the dish. Lay out two layers of corn tortillas over the salsa verde. (I found I could get two whole tortillas in, and then broke up a 3rd one to fill in the holes for a single layer.) Sprinkle half of the seasoned meat over the tortillas. Add half of the beans and corn. Spoon another thin layer of salsa verde on top. Add half of the cilantro and one third of the shredded cheese. Repeat another double layer of tortillas, followed by a repeat of meat, beans, corn, salsa verde, cilantro and cheese. Finish with a single layer of tortillas. Top tortillas with a thin layer of salsa verde and then add the remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, uncovered. Remove and let rest 5-10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
In Eastern Wisconsin, just over the Illinois border, is a town called Bristol, which has held a large Renaissance Faire since 1972. Living outside of Chicago, we went to the faire many summers growing up. And then later, my aunt owned a permanent booth at the faire for years where she sold her very cool handmade dolls. It's like a small village. And in their food court, they have always sold these cheese fritters which are A-MAZ-ING! During a visit back to the Chicagoland area a few years ago, I took Justin to visit the faire for his first time and he agreed - we needed the recipe for those fritters. We were never successful in getting it.
The other night, Justin was mentioning these evil, addictive fritters again and I started Googling, on a mission to find a similar recipe. I ended up taking some ideas from a few different recipes and then added a few twists of my own to it. They came out awesome! We were so stoked! They were also super quick and very easy. Score!
I think I have the Nekromantix in my head because Halloween was just here... and I dig a little gothabilly/psychobilly sometimes. I'm a sucker for big pompadours and stand-up bass. Nekromantix's "Horny In A Hearse". -jen
FRIED CHEESE FRITTERS Time: 20-30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Makes: about 12 fritters, depending on size
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
2/3 cup whole milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I used just the green tops)
Preheat peanut or vegetable oil in deep fryer (or use 3 cups of oil in a large pan) to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
In a smaller mixing bowl, add egg and milk. Whisk. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix, just until dry ingredients are combined. Don't over-mix. Fold in shredded cheese and green onion.
Carefully drop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the oil. Most fryers or pots will hold about 4-5 fritters at a time. Do not overcrowd. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning fritters half-way through the cooking time. They should be a deep golden colour.
I made a quick spicy dipping sauce with 3 parts plain Greek yogurt, 1 part mayo, enough Sriracha to give it a spicy kick, and then a dash of Worcestershire, some seasoning salt, chili powder, cumin and tarragon. You could use ranch, mustard or barbecue sauce. Whatever you want. Or no dipping sauce.
People always tell us that they don't have time, money, patience or know-how to cook a good, healthy dinner at night. We call bullshit on that! We're broke people who stick to a weekly budget and we cook simple, healthy meals several times a week after both of us working a full day (usually with enough leftover to eat a healthy lunch the next day, saving even more money). A lot of the recipes we post on here are our "splurges" away from our regular, simple roasted protein/veggie dinners. I was about to make one of those simple dinners tonight, but then I thought I'd "get crazy" by doing a sauce and cheesing up the veggies. I wasn't really considering posting the recipes, they seemed too simple. Justin asked, "Why not? People like fast, easy and cheap recipes and it was really good!" So it's coming at you... basic stuff!
This tune's been going through my head the last few weeks as I've seen a lot of The Transplants' recent tour pics. Elvis Cortez, lead singer of Left Alone, was touring with them. So I've found myself listening to some Left Alone in the last few days, and this is them doing "My Whole Life". -jen
In a large bowl or plastic zip bag, combine zucchini and olive oil to coat. Turn oven to broil. Arrange zucchini in an even layer on a large baking sheet (I always line it with foil for ease of clean up!) Sprinkle basil and Parmesan evenly over zucchini. Broil for 3-5, until cheese browns.
Awww yeah! I just made these bad boys a few minutes ago! They're like reverse chile rellenos - the eggs are on the inside instead of the outside. My fingers are still burning from the pasillas (which were spicier than expected, maybe I didn't de-vain them well enough!) - I never wear gloves when I handle chiles and then I regret it. Wear gloves!!! But really, these are only a little spicy, not really "hot".
I was thinking these stuffed chiles are pretty versatile. I used green onion and bacon. You could use jalapeños, cilantro (wish I'd had some!), sausage, chorizo, salsa. Someone gave a shout for more vegetarian recipes - well here's one you can make vegetarian any way you want. I love recipes like this where you can change it over and over and over again and just keep coming up with different combinations. And... low-carb, if you're watching that kind of thing.
What goes with breakfast? Well, naturally, I went straight to crack and dope... so Choking Victim was my only option, singing "500 Channels". Get your skank on. -jen
Wash and dry chiles. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I like to line the pan with foil for easy clean-up). Place chiles on baking sheet and broil on one side for 4-5 minutes until charred, then flip and broil on the other side 4-5 minutes until charred.
Immediately place charred chiles in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or place in a large plastic zip bag and seal. Let rest for 10-15 minutes so that the chiles sweat. Then remove and peel off the charred skins. Cut stem ends off chiles and slice down one side to open them up so that they lay flat. Remove all seeds and ribs from inside of chile. Re-spray the same baking sheet with more non-stick spray and lay chiles flayed open on baking sheet.
While chiles are roasting, you can dice up your bacon and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and crumbled, 10-15 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels and place the bacon onto the paper towel to absorb the grease. In the same skillet, saute the diced green onion for 1-2 minutes, just until tender. Mix in with the crumbled bacon on the paper towel plate.
When chiles are done roasting, turn oven down to 350 degrees F.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper, Tabasco, and dash of milk. (We always have some homemade "taco seasoning", and I used some of that to season my eggs, too!) Using the same skillet again (I left a little bit of the bacon grease in it, or you can drain the grease out and use non-stick spray) over medium heat, scramble the eggs. After 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the crumbled bacon and onion into the eggs and cook until just barely wet still. Turn off heat.
On the open-faced chiles, add a layer of shredded cheese, then 1/4 of the egg mixture, then another layer of cheddar cheese. Carefully fold the chile together and use a toothpick to secure it, leaving it seam-side up. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove toothpicks and serve immediately.
I guarantee you that you could serve this to 10 people who claim they don't like cauliflower, not tell them what it is, and at least 9 of them are going to love it. If you're into watching your carbs, this is the PERFECT substitution for mashed potatoes. A little high in fat, maybe, because of all the cheese. But it's great. We made it last night to eat with Fish Piccata and I'm eating the leftovers for breakfast as I type this up. Good way to fool kids into eating their veggies too, if you happen to have that problem.
So how about a little smooth and creamy singing by Iggy Pop with "The Passenger". (I dug all the clips from classic movies on this video.) -jen
salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasoning)
2 eggs
1/4 cup green onion, chopped (about 3 onions)
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Steam until tender. Times will vary, depending on the size of your florets, 5-15 minutes. You should be able to slide a fork into it easily - "fork-tender". Remove from heat.
Place cauliflower into food processor bowl (if you don't have a food processor, egg-beaters/hand mixer would probably work). Add butter, milk, garlic and cayenne. I added just a pinch of salt, a few cranks of fresh black pepper, and a pinch of Caldo de Pollo (seasoned Mexican chicken bouillon). You can use whatever seasoning you want - thyme, rosemary, dill, seasoning salt. Blend in the food processor until smooth and creamy. At this point taste it to see if it's seasoned to where you want it, add more seasoning if necessary. Then add the eggs and blend those in.
Stir in the green onion and cheeses with a spoon, leaving a little bit of cheese to sprinkle on top; don't use the food processor. Pour into your greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
