Chiles Rellenos Casserole

I LOVE this dish.  I don't eat it very often though, since it has cheese & my hubby can't eat cheese.

14 oz canned whole green chili peppers (as hot or as mild as you prefer)
6 Cups (12 oz) shredded cheese (again, your preference), divided
4 green onions, thinly sliced
6 eggs
3 Cups milk
3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 oz green chili salsa

*preheat oven to 325 F
*split chili peppers lengthwise & remove seeds & pith
*spread chilies in a single layer on bottom of 9x13" baking dish
*sprinkle half the cheese over the chilies
*sprinkle the green onions over the cheese
*beat together eggs, milk, flour, & salt & carefully pour into baking dish
*bake for 50 minutes or until "set"
*mix salsa with remaining cheese, place on top of casserole
*bake for 10 minutes more or until cheese melts
*let stand for a few minutes before serving

Zucchini Bread

This bread is very popular in my house.  I make it quite often.

Zucchini Bread

2 1/2 Cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium)
1 Cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 Cup oil
3 eggs (or egg replacer, such as ener-G brand)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

*preheat oven to 350 F
*oil BOTTOMS of 2 loaf pans
*mix zucchini, applesauce, oil, egg, vanilla, & sugar until well blended
*stir in remaining ingredients except pecans & mix well
*fold in nuts
*spoon batter into pans
*bake 50-60 minutes
*cool 10 minutes, transfer to cooling rack for 1 hour

Note: this could easily be a vegan dish if you use an egg replacer

Home-Made Rice Milk

I LOVE making this myself, my toddler guzzles a couple of gallons per week easily & I cook & I bake with it plenty since my hubby has a dairy allergy.  It saves me money & I feel I get a better quality product by making it myself.

Home-Made Rice Milk

1 Cup uncooked long grain brown rice, rinsed well
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
8 Cups water (plus some more during the blending process)
1 teaspoon salt

*place 8 Cups water & rice & chia seeds in slow cooker & cook on low for 10-12 hours (I leave it overnight)
*add salt & stir
*blend in batches in blender--using equal portion rice mixture to equal portion water in blender batches (I do 3 cups rice mixture to 2 cups water in each batch & I do 3 batches, but it depends on the size of your blender jar)
*strain (I recently started making almond milk & learned about nut milk straining bags & I started using this to strain my rice milk as well now & I LOVE the result, very creamy & no sediment at all--I personally use a paint strainer bag from Lowe's, much more economical)
*I adjust if needed to make sure I have a total of 15 cups combined rice mixture & water in the end before stirring & placing in mason jars

Note 1: I store mine in mason jars, this recipe fills 4 quart mason jars (makes 1 gallon)

Note 2: If you don't have a slow cooker you could also simmer the rice on the stovetop for 3 hours.  I did try this recipe both ways & it was much easier to me to use the slow cooker, so I will definitely continue doing it that way.

Note 3: Although I prefer the taste of the almond milk, I do have to admit that rice milk is the more economical option if that's important to you.

Chorizo Seitan Sausages

Chorizo Seitan Sausages

1 1/2 Cups vegetable broth
4 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 garlic cloves, grated
1 2/3 Cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 Cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon ground dried chile powder
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne, or more to taste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

*tear off 6 pieces of foil, about 8" wide each
*preheat oven to 350 F
*combine wet ingredients
*combine dry ingredients
*add wet to dry & combine to form dough
*knead dough for 3 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes, knead again for 2 minutes
*place dough on cutting board & cut into 6 equal pieces
*shape each piece in a log (sausage) shape & place in foil
*wrap loosely in foil, twisting ends closed
*place foil wrapped sausage directly on middle baking rack in oven & bake for 35 minutes
*cool for 40 minutes before opening
*for best flavor chill overnight to let flavors blend more
*store tightly sealed in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze

Note 1: this item is fully cooked & ready to go--use it as you would cooked chorizo: add to beans, eggs, whatever you like

Note 2: I haven't tried yet, but plan to, to adjust the seasonings & make an Italian sausage as well

Honey Baked Chicken

I made this for dinner last night, so simple, yet my hubby LOOOVED it!  I highly recommend it!

Honey Baked Chicken

4 bone in chicken thighs (I did remove skin myself) or 2-4 b/s breasts
1/4 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Cup honey
2 Tablespoons mustard (I used grey poupon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

*preheat oven to 350 F
*place chicken in shallow baking dish, skin side up
*combine sauce ingredients & pour over chicken
*bake 75 minutes uncovered

Note: I sometimes add a little mayo to the sauce & put it all in the crock pot for 3-4 hours on low for breasts, 4-5 hours for thighs

Crock-Pot Vegan Marinara Sauce

This was really yummy.  I have made marinara sauce in the past, using both canned & fresh tomatoes.  I have to admit that using fresh tomatoes is a real pain, all the peeling & such.  I'm sure at some point (like when the garden is bursting with tomatoes at some point) I will make a marinara in the crock-pot from fresh tomatoes, but for now this one was really good & I was very happy with it.

Crock-Pot Vegan Marinara Sauce

2 cans (6 oz each) unsalted tomato paste
2 cans (12 oz each) diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 Cup water
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Cup olives, chopped
2-4 Cups sliced mushrooms
1 Tablespoon dried basil (or 3 Tablespoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
salt to taste

*combine all ingredients in slow cooker, cover, & cook on low for 6-8 hours

Mexican Tamales

This is my favorite tamale recipe.  You can essentially put any filling in it that you want, but this filling happens to be very good I must say.  The masa is low fat, which my hubby & in laws love. 

Mexican Tamales

Masa:
24 dried corn husks
1/4 Cup fresh or frozen & thawed corn kernels
2 Cups masa harina
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 Cup HOT water
1 Cup broth
3 Tablespoons lard or shortening (I personally use butter)

Filling:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2-3 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded & minced (wear gloves)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 oz finely chopped boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 Cup dry white wine
Salt to taste

Masa:
*Place corn husks in large bowl & cover with cold water; let soak for at least 2 hours
*puree the corn
*combine masa harina, salt, & baking powder; gradually add hot water, broth, pureed corn, & fat
*combine until consistency resembles play-doh (I use a stand mixer, I beat it for 15 minutes, but you can do it in a bowl or food processor also--the longer you beat it the more air will be incorporated into dough, making it lighter tasting)

Filling:
*heat oil, add onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, & cinnamon; cook for 3 minutes
*stir in chicken or turkey & cilantro; cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through
*add wine & cook for 5 minutes, season with salt to taste

Assemble:
*place 1 corn husk flat on a work surface, tapered end toward you
*mound 3 heaping Tablespoons of masa mixture in the center of the top half of the corn husk
*make a shallow groove the length of the corn mixture; place a spoonful of the filling in the groove; pinch the sides of the groove together to encase the filling
*fold tapered half of the corn husk over the top to enclose the filling
*lay another corn husk flat on the work surface, tapered end away from you
*place the first husk in the center of the bottom half of the second husk
*fold tapered end over the bottom to encase the tamale
*tie the bundle into a neat rectangle, using strips of corn husk or string (I use dental floss, LOL)
*repeat to use the remaining corn husks & filling
*insert a steamer basket into a lare pot; add 1" water & bring to a simmer over medium heat; stack the tamales to the basket, cover, & simmer for 90 minutes, or until the dough is set & comes away easily from the corn husks when tested
*remove the string before serving

Vegan Maple Cake

This is the cake I made my hubby for his birthday recently.  I wasn't necessarily looking for a no sugar cake, but decided to give it a shot.  It wasn't very sweet, although if I had put a sweet frosting on it it would've been perfect I think.  But I do have to say that my hubby has the biggest sweet tooth I've ever seen & he REALLY liked this cake.  I haven't told him that it's vegan (haven't told the kiddos either & they loved it too) yet but at some point I will.  It was very moist & very good I must say.

Vegan Maple Cake

1 Tablespoon egg relacer (I used Ener G brand)
2 Cups non-dairy milk (I used vanilla rice milk)
1 Cup maple syrup
1/2 Cup oil (I used sunflower oil)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*Preheat oven to 350 degress F
*grease & flour cake pans (2 8-9", 1 bundt, 1 9x13, 2 8x8--I used a bundt pan)
*whisk together egg replacer, milk, syrup, oil, vinegar, & vanilla
*separately mix together flours, baking powder, salt, & baking soda
*add dry mixture to wet & combine
*pour into pan & bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean

Lemon Bars

Ok, I haven't actually made these yet, so far I have never posted a recipe without trying it first, BUT I trust Brandi so I'm gonna take a leap of faith & post this & I do plan to make these VERY SOON.  I LOOOOOVE lemon desserts & lemon bars are very high on that list.  I can't wait to try these!!

Lemon Bar Recipe

Cake Decorating Icing

Making cakes & decorating them is something I really enjoy.  Although I'm good at making cakes, the decorating part is still pretty new to me & I have a long ways to go really.  But I plan to continue on that journey.  A friend of mine gave me this recipe a while back.  She is REALLY good at decorating cakes.  I found myself struggling when it came to "decorating" the cake--frosting is easy, but "decorating" was hard for me.  I always found the decorating stuff too soft & melting away later on.  I could never get it stiff enough.  This recipe works well.  I think the original recipe said to use either "lard" or "vegetable shortening", I can't remember, but I know it sounded very unappetizing for a cake.  I just subbed butter myself & it worked great.  However, today I was trying to do this recipe "vegan", so I used my Earth Balance instead of butter & it didn't turn out too great, it was very soft.  I do think it can be done, but I'm thinking don't add water & maybe more flour is needed.  If I do end up perfecting the vegan version at some point (maybe next month when I make Lil J's birthday cake) I will post it here, but for now I'm just gonna post it as the regular non-vegan version that I know works great.  I've used it several times.  It's exactly how I want it, where it's soft enough to work with while decorating & then as it dries it firms up nicely.

Cake Decorating Icing

1 Cup flour
1 Cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup water
Sugar
Coloring of choice

*Mix flour & butter until fluffy
*add salt
*add water, a little at a time & mix well
*add sugar & coloring

Note 1: I often split this into several batches after it's made & add the coloring separately to each batch so I have several different colors to work with.

Note 2: I am very health conscious, but I have used natural colorings & am not happy with them (if I had a girl I think I woud be--they come out very pastel & usually pinky or lavenderish) so I do use the artificial colors sometimes.  A couple of drops of food coloring goes a long way in this recipe so the actual amount eaten is super small & I honestly don't think that small amount once or twice a year is going to do any major damage in the grand scheme of things. 

Note 3: This makes quite a large amount, I often have too much left over.  Unless you need A LOT consider halving the recipe or even quartering it.

Note 4: You will need a pastry bag with decorating tips to use this.  I LOVE mine, I had never used one up until a couple of years ago.  They are so nice & easy to use.  At some point I ordered one (from someone's kid's school fund raiser I think) that is more like a syringe, but I don't have the same amount of control over it as I do with the pastry bag.  A simple one with only a couple of attachments is pretty cheap, definitely worth buying if you plan to make cakes.  I would still love a more deluxe kit with more tip attachments myself, maybe someday.......