The Guest Kitchen: Overnight Breakfast Casserole from Tara McCausland

Tara McCausland always has the best dishes at events I attended with their family. I always ask for the recipes. This is a pretty easy recipe and is adjustable to your taste. See the adjustments I made below.

The ingredients:

1 bag Simply Potatoes southwest hashbrowns

Breakfast meat of choice

2 C shredded cheese

12 eggs

1 C Milk

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook meat and drain. 

Mix the hashbrowns, cheese, and meat and place in a casserole dish.

Scramble the eggs with the milk and pour over the top of the potato mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

You add any additions you would like to the potato mixture like tomatoes, peppers, seasoning, olives, etc.

My adjustments:

I used sausage and pepperjack cheese. I added a can of rotel, some green bell pepper, olives, and sliced jalapeños. I also used black lime and a bit of taco seasoning. I only had 7 eggs so that's what I used and I omitted the milk. 

You can garnish with things like salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, cilantro, etc.

The Healthy Kitchen: Quinoa Stuffing with Chicken and Green beans topped with Chicken gravy

 My mom used to make chicken and stuffing and it was so good! One of my favorites. Over the years, I have tried different variations of this recipe. Today I am making a healthier option for those who are not able to have all of the bread and are trying to eat more low fat. There is no butter, and this is made with leaner chicken or turkey. Of course, the main thing is I am replacing the bread in stuffing with quinoa. I also added some green beans to get some veggies added in. This of course could be left out. The gravy is made with Better than Boullion and was pretty easy to make. If you need to watch your sodium you can get reduced sodium broth and Better than Bouillon. 

The ingredients:

1 C quinoa cooked

1 C chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 heaping C of diced celery

1 medium white onion diced

small handful of fresh sage chopped apprx 2 TBSP

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP olive oil

sea salt

shredded or diced cooked chicken

pepper

veggies if desired

The recipe:

Cook the quinoa with a bit of salt, pepper, and the bay leaf.  I cook mine in chicken broth so tend to omit the salt. Set aside when done. 

Heat olive oil in a pan over low heat. Add in the chopped celery and onion and any other veggies. Cook until they and tender/clear about 5-10 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and broth, sage, garlic 

powder, and cooked chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. and simmer for a few minutes. 

Combine the quinoa with the meat mixture and stir well. Place into a greased over safe dish. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Then broil under a low flame until the top is golden brown. 

To top I made a Better than Bouillon Chicken Gravy with some Thyme added. 

 

The ingredients:

4 1/2 C water

2 1/2 TBSP Better than Bouillon

1/3 C cornstarch

pepper to taste

Thyme to taste

The recipe:

On medium high heat add 4 C water to pot and bring to a boil

In a separate bowl mix the 1/2 C water with the cornstarch and mix until dissolved.

Add the Better than Bouillon to the boiling water and whisk to dissolve. 

Pout the cornstarch into the pot a little at a time. Continuing to whisk. Wisk 1-2 minutes until thickened. 

Add pepper and Thyme to taste and serve warm. 

Some adjustments:

I was out of sage, so I used thyme instead, I was also out of onion, so I used onion powder. I added green beans. I used a precooked rotisserie chicken. I topped this with some panko. However, by broiler did not get it very crunchy.  In the gravy, I also added some of the thyme. 

Interesting podcasts for the foodie

 If you like learning about food and all aspects from cooking, to chefs, to the science and history of food there are some great podcasts out there that are interesting. All are available on many sites but I have found all of them on Spotify. 

Gastropod

A podcast that explores the hidden history and surprising science behind a different food or farming related topic. Experts are interviewed and locations are visited.

Food People by Bon Appetit

A podcast from Bon Appetit made for people who love food. Each week features a food question. They bring in staffers, chefs, writers, and other experts as guests.

This is TASTE

A podcast about food, home cooking, and culture. Interviews with interesting people in the world of food. Hosted by TASTE editors.

Food Network Obsessed

This is the official Food Network podcast. Each week the host interviews we'll known Chefs, food influencers, and Food Network personalities. You get to hear about how they got started, failures, and triumphs in the food world. 

The Sweet Kitchen: Strawberry Lime Muffins with Lime glaze

 This is a great recipe to make if you have some strawberries you need to use up and is great for a spring snack or dessert. I made mini muffins to keep the portion size low. I will give you the basic recipe but will also tell you the adjustments I made to make them healthier.

The ingredients:

1 1/2 C flour

1/3 C sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

3/4 C milk

1/4 C neutral oil

1 tsp lemon zest

2 C fruit (this can be any fruit of your choosing)

My adjustments were 1 1/2 C of white whole wheat flour, 4 TBSP chia seeds, Truvia sugar blend instead of sugar and you use half of the amount. I was out of milk, so I used evaporated milk instead. Instead of lemon zest I added a bit of lime juice to the strawberries before adding to the mixture. I then added a lime glaze made out of lime juice and Splenda for a bit of added flavor. 

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper wrappers and set aside.

In a small bowl, dice up about 2 C of strawberries and add a bit of lime juice and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, chia seeds, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to mix then make a well in the center and set aside. 

In a second bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Stir well. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir until no dry streaks of flour remain. 

Fold in the strawberry mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. 

Bake for 13-15 minutes for mini muffins, 18-20 minutes for regular sized muffins or until a tester comes out clean. Cool muffins. 

Once cooled, make the glaze with some lime juice and Splenda or powdered sugar 4:1 ratio. Stir to combine and drizzle or use a brush to apply to the top of the muffins. Note: if using Splenda is does not set up like powdered sugar but you will still be able to taste it. 

The Healthy Global Kitchen: Mexican Quinoa Bowl

I am still loving cooking with quinoa. It's healthy, filling, and so versatile. Tonight's recipe is also versatile in how you eat it. You can eat it plain in a bowl like I did, or you can make it the filling of a burrito or taco. You can even add it to eggs for breakfast! You can play around with the ingredients for what goes in this based on your tastes and dietary needs. This also could be made with rice instead of quinoa if you prefer. A nice thing about this recipe is also that you probably have most of the ingredients on hand already. This dish takes less than 30 minutes to make for those busy weekday nights. This is a great meal to make for your next Taco Tuesday!

The ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 C diced bell pepper

1 C quinoa

1 C broth

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can rotel

1 C corn kernels

2 tsp taco seasoning

1 tsp black lime  or lime juice

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 jalapeno minced (I used jarred sliced)

Cooked chicken (I used precooked rotisserie, but you can use any chicken, turkey, or beef)

The recipe:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and pepper (onion if desired) and cook stirring frequently until fragrant about 1 minute. 

Stir in the quinoa (uncooked), broth, beans, corn, Rotel, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce and simmer until the quinoa is cooked through about 20 minutes. If too dry you can add more broth. 

I finished by adding the cooked chicken, and sliced jalapenos and stirring to combine. 

Garnish with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, cilantro, or tortilla chips. 

Serve immediately. 

 

Tips: 

I did add some additional taco seasoning about an additional tsp and a shake of additional black lime for my taste. 

If you do not have cilantro but have a cilantro crema or cilantro street taco sauce you get the great cilantro taste in a sauce that you can drizzle over the top. 

This can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the meat and using vegetable broth. 

The Healthy Kitchen: How to sauce up your grain bowl

 I have been loving cooking with quinoa. But how can you adjust your bowls, so they are move versatile? Change up the sauce. You can use a basic build for your quinoa bowl and just change the sauce to totally change up the flavors.

You start with your basic ingredients of a bowl: protein, veggies, herbs/spices, and quinoa. The only thing you have to figure out is how do you want to flavor your bowl? I'm going to give you some ideas you can throw together that are healthy and can be used to make an outstanding bowl. 

Thai Peanut Sauce

3/4 C peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt

3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

1-2 TBSP maple syrup or honey

1 TBSP toasted sesame oil optional

2 TBSP rice vinegar

2 small cloves garlic minced

1 TBSP lime juice

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Add all ingredients to bowl and whisk. Add water slowly starting with 1/4 C until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired

* Store for up to 10 days in the fridge

Creamy Wasabi Sauce

1/4 C mayonnaise

2 TBSP wasabi paste

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP honey or sugar

Mix all ingredients together until they are fully combined, and you have a smooth sauce

Spicy Tahini Sauce

1/2 C tahini

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP lemon juice

4 TBSP water

3 cloves garlic minced

1 TBSP sriracha

Whisk tahini, soy sauce, and lemon juice until smooth. 

Add water 1 TBSP at a time until desired consistency.

Add minced garlic and sriracha until well combined.

*Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Lemon Honey Sauce

1/2 C chicken stock

1/4 C lemon juice

1 whole lemon zest only

1/3 C Honey

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes 

Whisk together all the ingredients. 

Cajun Sauce

1.5 C mayonnaise

1 TBSP Cajun seasoning

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp tomato paste

salt, pepper to taste

Combine mayo, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Combine everything with a whisk. 

Hot Honey Sauce

1/4 C Raw Honey

3 TBSP salted butter

1 tsp ground Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, butter, cayenne, chili powder, and paprika. Cook, stirring, until the butter is melted, and sauce is warmed through about 2-3 minutes. Taste and add more cayenne as desired. 

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

2/3 C sweet Thai chili sauce

1/4 C soy sauce

2 TBSP fish sauce

2 TBSP tahini

zest and juice of 1 lime

1in knob of ginger peeled and grated

1 garlic clove minced or grated

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth and combined. 

Ranch Pork Glaze

2 TBSP honey

2TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP ranch dressing mix

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Whisk together until combined. 

Some simple condiments you can use to flavor a bowl is a balsamic vinegar reduction. herbs, sriracha, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce.

*Some of the sauces obtained from recipes from Joanna Gaines and Teighan Girard, authors of the Magnolia Table and Half Baked Harvest cookbooks. Others found using Pinterest. 

The Sweet Kitchen: a healthier blueberry muffin

 Growing up my mom always made blueberry muffins and they were so good. Nothing special just from a mix but I loved them. With my current health conditions, I can't eat muffins loaded with sugar without my sugars spiking like crazy. I've been on the hunt for a recipe that would be good for me but also tasted pretty good. I know nothing will taste the same but something that is good. Most low carb recipes are made with almond flour, and I just do not like almond flours texture. I've made it a mission of mine to find something and I think I just might have. With some alterations to a recipe I found I was able to eat a blueberry muffin with my sugars staying in the normal range. 

The ingredients:

1 3/4 C all purpose flour (I used 1 C regular and 3/4 C whole wheat)

1/3 C granulated sugar (I used splenda)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

3/4 C milk

1/4 C oil

1 tsp lemon zest

2 C fresh or frozen blueberries

The Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper wrappers (grease bottom of wrappers as well) and set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well then make a well in the center and set aside. I also added a bit of cinnamon. 

In a second bowl, add the egg, milk, and oil. Stir well. Pour this mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Stir by hand until no dry streaks of flour remain. 

Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan filling 2/3 full. 

Bake 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool muffins completely on a wire rack.

My take aways on these are they are not a strong wheat taste, there is a bit of an aftertaste from the Splenda, but I feel most of the sweetness comes through from the blueberries. Next time, I will add a bit more cinnamon and not use the wrappers. I have problems with the muffins sticking to the wrappers. They definitely are not as sweet as a regular blueberry muffin but for me that is a good thing. This recipe makes it so I can enjoy a muffin every so often without the guilt and sugar spikes. It was also a pretty easy recipe to whip together, and it could be adjusted with different types of fruit and berries. 

I mad another version of muffins based on this recipe. A Nutty Apple Cinnamon Muffin.

I swapped out the blueberries for approx. 1/2 C of unsweetened applesauce or 1 tub from a 6 pack. and added approximately 1.5 TBSP of cinnamon and about a 1/3 C of chopped pecans. This time I did not use muffin wrappers just a well-greased muffin tin. They did not rise as well as the blueberry.  I forgot the baking powder! Trial and error and learning from my mistakes. 

*Recipe based on a low sugar blueberry muffin from Bunsen Burner Bakery found on Pinterest.