Aline's Crawfish Etouffee

My wonderful Cajun friend Aline is a terrific source for a lot of Louisiana style cookery! This recipe was her submission for the Football Futbol Chefery Challenge.  The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Her team: The New Orleans Saints

serving suggestion

Her recipe: Crawfish Etouffee

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Crayfish (bag of peeled tails*)

1 Medium Onion (Chopped Fine)

2 Stalks Celery

¼ Green Bell Pepper

1 Stick Butter

3 Tablespoons Tony Chachere Instant Roux**

1 Cup Water Cold Water

1 clove garlic

½  Tsp. of Salt or Salt to your Taste

½ Tsp. Red Pepper or Pepper to your Taste

1/3 can Cream of Mushroom soup

3 Stalks Green Onions (Chopped)

1 to 1-1/2 cups of white rice, cooked per package directions

Directions:

Saute onion, celery, bell pepper , and garlic for 10 to 12 minutes.  Add crayfish, salt, red pepper, cream of mushroom soup and Roux simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add 1 cup of water and simmer for another 15 minutes (if too thick add more water).  Turn off and mix in green onions and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Serve over white rice.

Options:

yup, that's a crawfish/crayfish/crawdad

* Peeling a crawfish is very similar to prepping a shrimp, except that the shell is harder and more red in color. They are common in South Louisiana.. Break off the head and peel the tail and pop them in the Etouffee! There are many ways to cook a crawfish - many love to boil them in the same way you do a shrimp boil.

**make your own roux if you prefer, but Tony Chachere makes a great instant version!

Janice's Chicago Style Soy Dog

This "recipe" is for the Chefery Football Futbol Challenge. The team - The Chicago Bears!

The sandwich can be made with a soy hotdog or a turkey hotdog, a regular hotdog, or better still a nice Polish sausage! The nutrition facts were done for the soy dog as so many at CC Palate will choose one of those to save calories and sodium (I hear they have improved the taste too!).

If you use any other hot dog, be sure to use Calorie Count to find the nutrition facts for your dog of choice!

A Soy Dog Done in the Traditional Drag it Through the Garden Chicago Way

Ingredients:

1 Soy Hotdog
1 poppy seed bun
1 t mustard (approx)
1 T onion, fine chopped
1 T sweet relish
1 dill pickle, sliced lengthwise
1/4 tomato, half the tomato and make some nice half moon slices
2 Sport Peppers
Dash of celery salt

Directions:

assemble and eat!

Grammie Vee's Chili

Grammie says - This actually sounds like more work than it really is - much of it can be started the night before so all you have to do is mix it all together in the morning. I have been making chili like this for over 40 years and everyone that eats it loves it. The recipe makes a lot of chili so make sure to freeze or can it for quick meals later!

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Grammie Vee's Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds dry beans (you can use your favorite or a combination of varieties).
1 Quart beef broth or stock
2 32 oz cans diced tomatoes
4 Medium to large yellow onions (what we call cooking onions) diced
1 Garlic head seperated and finely chopped
3 Packages 6 Gun Chili Mix
2-3 Pounds extra lean ground beef or extra lean beef (like round steak) cut in small cubes. I usually just use the ground beef because it is easier.
1-2 T Cumin or to taste
Johnny's Seasoning Salt to taste

Options:

Peppers - hot or sweet chopped up
Olives
Celery
Anything else you think of you like in chili

Directions:

I usually set the beans to soak the night before I plan to start the cooking (i.e. if going to cook the chili on Saturday, I will start the soaking Thursday night then wash and rinse Friday morning and put to cook Friday night).

Open all three packages of the chili mix and throw the package with the directions on it away.

Soak the beans for a day rinsing and washing about every 8-12 hours.

In VERY LARGE crockpot (I have a 7 quart and usually run it over) put in soaked, washed and rinsed beans, the beef broth/stock (add enough water so beans are well covered - you may need to add more water before going to bed as the beans will absorbe a lot of it), 1/2 the garlic, 1 Tablespoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt, 1-2 Tablespoons cumin (I love cumin and usually make a well rounded tablespoon full) and all three red packages from one of the chili mix package. The littlest red package is cayenne and gives the chili just a little bit of a "back taste" but not that bad. For people that can't take even that much heat sour cream and cheese will tone it down. If you do not want any heat at all, just don't use any of the littlest packages. The only cayanne I use is what I put in the beans, I don't use the other two little packages of cayenne. Some of the guys will add to the other two little packages to their personal bowls or other foods; so it doesn't go to waste. Turn on high for 2-3 hours until bedtime. At bedtime turn down to low.

I usually get my meat mixture ready the night before so I can just throw it in before going out the door to work. Brown the beef with a little salt (not too much though as the seasoning packet has salt), add in the balance of the garlic and all four chopped onions and countinue to brown until onions are nice and carmelized. Add in the two larger red packages from the other two chili mix packages (total 4 red packets) and stir to distribute evenly. Then add all three white packets (masa) and stir until evenly distributed.

Assembly - The best thing to do is use a HUGE roaster pan or steel bowl to mix everything up. Pour in the beans, stir in the meat mixture, then empty the two cans of diced tomatoes in and stir until well mixed. Refill the crockpot as much as you can and put the balance into a container with a lid and refrigerate until after your dinner. After you and your family have eaten 1/2 the pot for dinner, you can add the reserved chili cook for an hour or two more then put into a covered container and refrigerate. OR... If you are going to can your chili, you can just go straight from this point into the jars and pressure canner. The chili also freezes quite well.

Janice's Italian Beef Stew

The nutrition facts for this wonderful comforting stew can be found at Calorie Count!

Italian Beef Stew

Ingredients:

(Makes 8 servings)

3 pounds sirloin, cubed

5  tomatoes, squished

1 medium  onion, chopped

2 c  carrots, cubed

3 medium  potatoes, cubed

½ c  celery, sliced

2 t  basil

1 t  oregano

½ t  black pepper

1 T  olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Trim all visible fat from the sirloin and cube, place in oven suitable pot with an oven proof lid. You could brown the meat, but I usually don’t.

Squish and add the tomatoes. You can use 1 can of crushed tomatoes if you like, but Italians just squish those tomatoes up by hand! The number is an estimate; you want to have just enough liquid to almost cover – the beef will add its own liquid and you don’t want the stew thin.

Chop the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery and stir into the pot. Another option here is to sauté first, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It’s delicious either way

Add the spices and stir.

Add the olive oil (this is replacing some of the fat you trimmed off and it’s much better for you) and stir gently.

Cover and cook in the preheated oven for at least 2 1/2 hours. Taste after 2 hours, test to see if the veggies are cooking well, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Crazypotato98's Roasted Ratataouille

Ratatouille can be made on your stove top, in your oven, or on your grill! The ingredients vary to personal taste - so when Crazypotato98 says "squash" - you use the type you love! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Roasted Ratatouille

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups  eggplant, cubed

1 cup  squash, cubed

8  pearl onions, halved

1  yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch strips

2 tbsp  fresh parsley, snipped

1 tbsp  olive oil

2 cloves  garlic, minced

1/8 tsp  salt

1/8 tsp  black pepper

2 large  tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ tsp  lemon juice

Directions:

Coat a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place eggplant, squash, onions, sweet pepper, and parsley in the pan.

In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat.

Roast, uncovered, in a 450 oven about 20 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned, stirring once. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice. Roast, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes more or until tomatoes are very soft and starting to juice out.

Experimental Ratatouille

This is one of my experimental recipes. I've found a bunch of ratatouille recipes on line and in cookery books. I kind of liked the layered idea in this one. It may be that I'll just pan saute the whole thing, but I'd like to see what you all think first!

not mine, but I thought it was pretty ratatouille!

Experimental Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 eggplant

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 t thyme

Crushed red pepper to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 t basil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 zucchini, sliced thin

1 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 T Romano cheese - optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray Pam inside a 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Cut all vegetables except the eggplant and measure your spices to make assembly a snap.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium high skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. While the onion is sautéing, quickly dice the eggplant and add the diced bits to the pan as they are chopped until the entire eggplant is in the pan. Exposure to air is not a friend of eggplants and one reason it is often bitter or soggy. Add the chopped garlic and stir until the eggplant is soft (10 minutes or so). Add parsley and other seasonings – stir well.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with some of the cheese.

Add alternating layers of zucchini and cheese, mushrooms and cheese, bell pepper and cheese, and finally tomatoes and cheese on top of the eggplant.

Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes, remove the lid and allow the cheese to brown and the juices to evaporate a bit.

Top with a sprinkle of Romano cheese and serve with couscous.

Eggplant Curry

This is a curry I found doing a recipe search at Calorie Count! The nutrition facts can be found here.

Eggplant Curry

Ingredients:

1 large  eggplant

2 tbsp  vegetable oil

1 tsp  cumin seeds

1 medium  onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp  ginger garlic paste

1 clove  garlic, minced

1 tbsp  curry powder

1  tomato, diced

½ cup  plain yogurt

1  fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp  salt

1/8 cup  cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat. Cool, peel, and chop.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, garlic and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Susan's Boat Lasagna

This luscious pasta-free lasagna is the third entry in zucchini/tomato Chefery Challenge! Enjoy. The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Boat Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 very large zucchini

a drizzle (maybe a tablespoon) of olive oil

garlic bread sprinkle or garlic salt

black pepper

1 pound of lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt, pepper, italian seasonings mix

1 jar prego extra chunky pasta sauce

1/2 cup parmesan shredded

1 cup mozzarella shredded

1/2 cup ricotta

Directions:

Slice a large zucchini lengthwise and hollow out the seeds etc. Brush with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the garlic bread sprinkle or the garlic salt and black pepper.

place in 350 degree oven for about 30 or 40 minutes or until the zucchini has lost it's boat shape.

In a pan, brown the seasoned turkey in the oil and drain off some of the liquid. Add the Prego and let it simmer well to meld the flavors. Turn off the heat and let it sit until the zucchini boats are done.

Take the "boats" out of the oven and spoon the meat mixture onto them. coat with thin layers of riccota and cover with a mixture of the cheeses. Put back in the oven until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Hollie's Tomato Zucchini Souffle

This recipe, the result of The CC Palate's Chefery Challenge #2, was a delicious success! Excellent combination of ready to prepare (the ready to bake rolls) with freshly prepared vegetables make this dish a terrific choice for a busy weeknight.

The nutrition facts are on Calorie Count!

Tomato Zucchini Souffle

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can ready-to-bake crescent rolls (8 count)
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices
3 campari tomatoes, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1 hot hatch chili, finely chopped with seeds removed
5 eggs
1/4 cup low fat milk
4 heaping Tablespoons fresh mozzarella pearls (the smallest size, 1/4-1/2 inch pearls)
Seasonings: a few dashes of each of the following spices, to taste: sea salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and cumin - let your nose be your guide. When it smells just right, it probably is.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Generously spray a non-stick pie pan with cooking spray (try not to use an olive oil based spray, because this will burn easier in the oven).

Pull apart the crescent rolls, and line the pan, with the wide side in the center and the pointed ends draped over the sides of the pan. Gently press together any overlapped layers of dough to make a relatively flat surface.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with milk. Stir in chopped hatch chili and desired quantities of spices. Set aside.

On top of the dough, place the zucchini and tomatoes in a flat layer.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over the veggies, then evenly scatter the mozzarella pearls over the mixture.

Fold the ends of the crescent rolls in to the center. Some of the egg will spill around the edges of the pan, but this will not effect the baking or end presentation.

Place in preheated oven and bake about 30 minutes undisturbed. Pull out and check the center by inserting a knife. If it comes out clean, it's ready to eat! If there is any egg residue, pop back in the oven for about 3 minutes and check it again.

A perfectly baked Tomato zucchini Souffle

Janice's Broccoli and Carrot Alfredo

This light version of Alfredo is great on anything, but I particularly love it on pasta or baked potato!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

whenever possible, use organic vegetables

Broccoli and Carrot Alfredo

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Cups fresh broccoli florets
2 Cups carrots, slice thinly
2 T butter
1/2 Cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T flour
2 tsp low sodium instant bouillon
pinch pepper
2 Cups fat free milk
6-8 oz 0% fat Plain Greek Yogurt (calories based on 8 oz)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

Steam, microwave, or boil broccoli and carrots until crisp tender (about 6 minutes), drain and set aside to keep warm.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat and add onion. Saute til soft (several minutes). Add garlic and saute 2 minutes.

Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper til there are no lumps. then gradually stir in milk.

Cook on medium until the mix boils and thickens - stir constantly.

Stir in the cooked broccoli and carrots, yogurt and Parmesan

Toss with pasta or serve over baked potato.

Notes:

Get creative with vegetables and add whatever is seasonal to the sauce. Pearl onions rock. Peas too.  Mushrooms are superb.

Jam it full of veggies and treat it as a saucy veggie side dish!

Janice's Gnocchi in Cacciatori Sauce

these filling delicious puffy little bundles of potato and flour are wonderfully versatile and an excellent candidate for one of my favorite "comfort foods" so it's a good thing each serving is so low in calorie. Look for white or wheat gnocchi in boxes or tightly sealed plastic containers in the dried pasta section of your store.

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

gnocchi

Gnocchi in Cacciatori Sauce

Serves 4 for dinner or 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 T pure olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
30 oz tomatoes, if canned, drain into a bowl and crush them with your fingers
1/4 C parsley, fresh, torn or chopped
1/4 C basil, fresh, torn
1/8 cup red wine, only use a good drinkable wine, the type doesn't matter. Do not ever use cooking wine or I will disown you all.
4 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 T pure olive oil
16 oz gnocchi, white or wheat
Directions:

Heat 1 T pure olive oil in a medium pan. When it is hot and shimmering and add the onions, saute til soft. Add all the ingredients except the gnocchi and 1 T olive oil.

Heat to a simmer, partially cover, and stir every now and then. Taste after 10 minutes or so and adjust seasonings. You will notice that I do not add salt. I'm used to that. But you may not be, so add salt if you need to. Also, depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need to add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar to counter the acidity. Once you have the flavors as you prefer, just keep it going on low heat until the gnocchi are done.

To make the gnocchi, heat 1 T pure olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the gnocchi and toss or stir every now and then allowing the little puffy pillows of deliciousness to soften and turn a beautiful brown. Should take about 10 minutes or so depending on your stove. Let them sit every now and then for a minute or two as this encourages browning. Constant stirring prevents browning.

Either serve in separate bowls for people to fix on their plates, or arrange the gnocchi on a serving platter and top with sauce. Fresh grated parmigiana is perfect on this.

Notes:

To turn this into a casserole dish, combine the sauce and gnocchi, place in a pam sprayed casserole, top with a bit of parmigiana and heat in the oven til the cheese browns.

Trancendenz's Vegan Gyros

The same mix can be used to make Vegan "Chicken" Patties! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Vegan Gryos

Serves four

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) Grated Tempeh (use a cheese grater)
1 Grated onion
1/3 cup panko (or the "binder" of your choice such as vital wheat gluten, bread crumbs, or flour)
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh (use as much as you want, but I use what I can rip with one hand)
1 tsp Dill (or use 1 or two fresh sprigs)
Juice of one lemon or lime
1/8 t Salt
1/8 t pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/8 t Sage (a small pinch)
1/8 t Basil (a pinch)

Directions:

Chop parsley and dill. Mix with grated tempeh and onion, lemon juice, seasoning, and garlic. Once well combined mix in the binder. Form patties and fry for 5 minutes a side in 1 tbsp olive oil on lower heat.

Pile onto flat bread with onions and other wonderful gyros toppings!

Or you can bake them in an oven like a "chicken" patty.

Janice's Pan Sauteed Ravioli

This makes a fun side dish at a meal or a much talked about treat at a party. According to my son, they are  "Awesome! Like a warm stuffed chip!"

The nutrition facts are set for a decent sized party serving (assuming you are also filling up on all the wonderful fruits and veggies at the party this is more than enough to satisfy) and are at Calorie Count!

Pan Sauteed Ravioli

Serves 6

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh Four Cheese Ravioli (your favorite brand - you can use the big size or the small raviolis and stretch out your serving size!)
2 t olive oil (the calorie count is set at 1 t because only that much was absorbed)
1 cup your favorite thick marinara

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil shimmers or the pan feels hot when you hold you hand over it, add the ravioli in a single layer. Do two batches rather than crowd. Each ravioli must remain flat. Saute a few minutes checking for browning. When one side is brown, flip each over and brown the other.

Remove to a plate with a paper towel and pat down to remove as much oil as was not absorbed.

Arrange on a pretty plate with a bowl of warmed marinara. Treat the ravioli as you would chips and dip!

Or serve as the pasta part of your meal and top with marinara. Fast, easy, and delicious!

Hollie's Southwest Chicken Fried Rice

Fantastic and flavorful! The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Southwest Chicken Fried Rice

8 meal sized servings

Ingredients:

1 cups brown rice
2 cups water
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbl olive oil
1 chicken breast, precooked and diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 8 oz can corn, drained
1 14 oz can black beans, NOT drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 Tbl cumin
1/2 Tbl turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in rice, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer about 45 minutes.

When rice has about 10 minutes left, begin cooking remaining items.

In a large wok, heat olive oil and saute onion and bell pepper over medium heat, until tender. Stir in chicken, corn, beans with juice, tomatoes, and dry seasonings.

When rice is finished cooking, stir into wok along with cilantro.

Allow to sit cooking for about 15 minutes, flipping entire mixture every few minutes, until any excess liquid has evaporated.

Aea's Simply Peas

So easy and aromatic. Give this dish a try soon. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Simply Peas

Serves two

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen and rinsed peas
2 tsp. fresh mint leaves finely chopped or 2 pinches of dry rubbed mint
1/2 cup thin sliced celery (make sure you include some of the tender leaves)

Directions:

Steam saute in a splash of water for only few minutes until peas are warm and the celery/mint starts to smell great!

Notes:

Serve over brown or white steamed rice.  Aea likes the proportion of 1cup of peas to 1 cup of rice for a delicious meal.

Crazypotato98's Oven Fried Fish

These fillets were an instant hit in my house. My husband and my picky teenage stepson love eating them with ketchup or mayonnaise with or without bread. 

The nutrition facts for this wonderful fish can be found at Calorie Count!

Oven Fried Fish

Ingredients:

672 g  tilapia fillets

½ cup  dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp  Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

1  egg, beaten

1  parsley sprigs

Directions:

Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels.

Place egg in shallow dish and beat.

Mix bread crumbs and jerk seasoning in another shallow dish.

Take each fillet and dip it in the beaten egg until coated. Then dip in bread crumb mixture and roll fillet until completely coated with crumbs.

Place on baking pan and bake at 450 oven for 4-6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness of fillet or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with parsley.

Michael's Speckled Puppy Beans

Speckled puppies or speckled beans? Ok, make this great dish with speckled beans and pet the speckled puppy on that cute belly.

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Speckled Puppy Beans

12 servings

1 lb. dried navy beans, sorted and rinsed
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
1-14 oz. can low sodium chicken stock
1-10.5 oz. can cream of celery soup
4 oz. good white wine
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups diced Canadian bacon or smoked ham
2 cups white or gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2” squares
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground thyme
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt, to taste

Place sorted beans and peas into a large pot. Add chicken stock, wine, butter, and cover well with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to warm. Add ground pepper, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover and let sit for an hour or so until beans begin to swell. Add water as necessary, but do NOT over-water.

When the beans and peas begin to soften, add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer until the beans are tender. Serve with warm cornbread.

Notes:

If you don't want to use the Canadian bacon, GOYA makes a ham-flavored bouillon that's quite good. Use two or three packets of that, about a tsp. each.

Meganr's Frittata with Broccoli and Mushrooms

The nutrition facts for this wonderful frittata that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be found at Calorie Count!

Frittata with Broccoli and Mushrooms

four servings

Ingredients:

6  eggs (at room temperature)

¼ cup  water

¼ cup  mustard (a spicy brown type or Dijon)

½ tsp  oregano, dried

½ tsp  basil, dried

3  garlic cloves, minced

6 tbsp  Parmesan cheese

½ cup  tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups  broccoli, cut into small pieces

¾ cup  mushrooms, sliced

½ cup  onions, minced (or 2 green onions)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 F.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs, water, mustard, herbs and garlic. Add the Parmesan and tomatoes and mix well.

In a large skillet (see above, cast-iron is great), saute the broccoli and onions in the olive oil for 3 - 5 minutes, until mostly tender. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes.

Before adding the egg mixture to the pan, make sure the saute mixture is evenly spread out. Then add the egg mixture, but do NOT mix or scramble, and cook for about 6 - 9 minutes or until the edges of the frittata are starting to separate from the sides of the pan.

At that point, put the pan directly into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until the center of the frittata is fully cooked. Remove from the oven.

Cut into four wedges.

Trancendenz's Vegan Fried "Chicken"

The nutrition facts for this Vegan recipe that can easily be made Vegetarian (see notes below) can be found at Calorie Count! There is a range of amounts indicated below, that is because the recipe is done by "feel" for texture. The nutrition facts were done using the lower amounts and assumes four patties - your patties may be a different size, or you may decide to make nuggets!.

a veggie "burger"

Vegan Fried "Chicken"

The "Meat" -

1/2 cup up to 1 cup of Textured Vegetable Protein (also called Textured Soy Protein)
1/2 up to 1 cup of "not chicken" broth, heated
poultry seasoning to taste (or just make a mix of garlic, salt, pepper)
2 tbsp. Vital wheat gluten

The "Breading" -

1/4 cup flour (whole wheat or regular flour is fine)
seasoned salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup crushed french's fried onions
1/4 cup unflavored soy milk

Combine TVP with hot stock or water and seasoning. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add vital wheat gluten or flour if that's all you have. Make patties.

If too loose add more vwg or flour. Then dip in egg or milk and coat with flour mixed with crushed fried onions. Fry in minimal oil (I use peanut oil, but other oils are OK; don't use olive oil because it will burn).

Notes:

Trancendenz doesn't use the pre-made stock because there's too much celery and sage flavor. You can use Veggie stock if you prefer it. If you have no stock, you can use water and "not chik'n" boullion cubes.

If you are not Vegan and prefer, you can use eggs instead of milk.

If you like your "chicken" more bready, increase the amounts in the fixings for that!

Claire's Chicken Mexicana

The nutrition facts for Claire's delicious simple and simply delicious dinner can be found at Calorie Count.

try making your own fresh salsa!

Chicken Mexicana

Ingredients:

16 ounces  chicken breast, fresh, boneless, skinless

8 ounces  salsa

8 ounces  corn

2 tablespoons  pepper, jalapeno, minced

Directions:

Put the salsa, peppers, and corn in a non stick skillet

Bring to a boil

Place the chicken breasts on top, spooning a little salsa over

Reduce the heat to a slow simmer

Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Be careful not to scorch the bottom. Add water if needed during cooking.