Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 recipe of Slice-able Cashew Cheese (see recipe at end)
3 cans of black beans or 1/2 lb. dried beans cooked in crock pot for 8+ hours
20 small wheat tortillas
1 recipe of Yellow Cheese Sauce (see recipe at end)
Partially thaw spinach in microwave oven (about 1 min) cut into large chunks and place in a food processor with the cashew cheese. Process until it becomes like a spinach dip. Layer beans (a generous amount) and then some of the spinach dip on the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down into a 9 x 13 pan. (you might need a second smaller pan depending on how tight you can fit them in).
Once they’re in the pan, pour the cheese sauce over the enchiladas.
Bake at 400 for about 20 minuets. Serve with salad and yellow rice.
Slice-able Cashew Cheese
2 cups water
3 TBSP agar flakes or 3 tsp of agar powder
1 cup raw cashew nuts
2 TBSP pimentos or 1/2 red bell pepper (only for YELLOW cheese)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1. boil together the agar and water for 1-2 minutes (it thickens, but has not set yet, that happens when it cools). Place in blender with all the remaining ingredients and blend for 1-2 minuets until very smooth.
2. Pour into containers and chill. Slice when firm. (this takes about 1 hour in fridge)
(This cheese does not melt like a milk or soy based cheese might, it does slice and shred, but has a texture similar to ricotta cheese)
Yellow Cheese Sauce:
1/2 cup pimiento
2 TBSP unbleached white flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 cup water
3 TBSP sesame tahini
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
Blend all ingredients together. Heat until thickened in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Works well as a dip, over pasta for a macaroni and cheese, or in casseroles that call for a cheese topping.
Shelia’s Cream Cheese Patties
“This recipe was given to me by one of my dear friends, Shelia. She brought these patties to potluck and I just loved them! ” – Melissa
Cream Cheese Patties
6 eggs, beaten
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, diced
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 large can mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cracker crumbs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together until well combined. Form into patties and fry until brown on both sides. Really good served with a cream of mushroom or brown gravy.
Note: If mixture is too sticky, add more bread crumbs.
Garlic Cheese Butter
1 cup Butter, softened
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
2tsp Lemon juice
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 c Cheddar, shredded
1/8 tsp Pepper
Beat butter and seasoning until fluffy. Blend in cheese and lemon juice. Form a log and refrigerate.
Use to make garlic toast.
Angel Food Cake
18 egg whites
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift cake flour and confectioners sugar together 5 times and set aside.
In a large clean bowl, whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar while beating, and continue to beat until very stiff. Add vanilla. Quickly fold in flour mixture. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
Carrot Rice
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon margarine
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
3/4 cup grated carrots
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and allow to steam until tender, about 20 minutes.
While rice is cooking, pulverize peanuts in a blender and set aside. Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until golden brown. Stir in ginger, carrots, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and cover to steam 5 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper and peanuts. When rice is done, add it to skillet and stir gently to combine with other ingredients. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Shaving Cream Paint
I found this idea over at No Time for Flash Cards.
Shaving Cream Paint
3/4 cup shaving cream
1/4 cup white school glue
spoonful of paint for color (optional)
Mix together. You now have an awesome 3-D paint for your little ones!
Vegan Tapioca Pudding
This recipe is taken from Vegan Homestyle by Kay Hansen.
Tapioca Pudding
4 cups almond milk
1/2 cup honey
1/3 pearl tapioca
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
Blend the almond milk, honey, and vanilla together until smooth. Pour into the top of a double broiler and add tapioca. Allow to soak for 1 hour. Turn up heat on double broiler. When tapioca begins to bubble, remove from heat and stir. Allow to sit 2 -3 minutes. Stir. Let it sit 2 – 3 minutes more, then stir. Sit 10 minutes. Remove to a serving dish or individual cups and chill.
Homemade Cream Soup: Improve Health and Save Money
Cream soups make such comforting casseroles and side dishes. They are a popular ingredient, but full of MSG. When I can find cream soups for $.50 a can on sale, I will store a few in my pantry for emergency speed cooking. But usually I prefer to make mine from scratch. It doesn’t take too long and I can control the ingredients and health for my family.
Regular (Full Fat) Cream Soup
4 tbsp. butter
¼ cup flour or 2 Tablespoons of corn starch
1 cup whole milk
1 cup chicken broth or vegetarian “chicken” flavored broth
¼ tsp. of salt and pepper (optional or to taste)
In a sauce pan melt butter. Wisk broth, milk, and flour or cornstarch. Pour into melted butter and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens.
Concentrated Cream Soup
4 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour or 3 tbsp. of corn starch
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetarian “chicken” flavored broth
1/3 cup instant dry milk or ¼ cup non-instant dry milk
¼ tsp. of salt and pepper (optional or to taste)
Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Wisk broth, dry milk, and flour or cornstarch together. Pour into melted butter and stir over medium heat until mixture is quite thick. This is the same as 1 can of concentrated cream soup.
Fat free Cream Soup
¼ cup flour or 2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup fat free chicken broth or vegetarian “chicken” flavored broth
1 cup skim milk
¼ tsp. of salt and pepper (optional or to taste)
Wisk all ingredients together in a medium sauce pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick. (For a creamier soup add ½ brick or 4oz of fat free cream cheese at the end.)
Tips: To use a crock-pot recipe with homemade cream soup, use the concentrated recipe, but leave out the dry milk until the end of the cooking time. Mix the dry milk with 2 tbsp. of water until you get a smooth paste. Stir this into your dish just before serving. If using a different recipe, save all dairy ingredients until the end of cooking time and stir in just before serving.
Chicken flavored bouillon can be used to create broth in a pinch, but be aware that most brands contain msg. McKay’s “Chicken” Seasoning comes with a MSG free product.
- To make cream of mushroom soup, drain the liquid off a 4oz can of mushrooms and use in place of part of the chicken broth. Add the mushrooms, chopped fine to the soup.
- To make cream of celery soup, add ¼ teaspoon celery seed.
- To make cream of broccoli soup, add the unstrained cooking liquid from chopped broccoli (saved from another meal) instead of the chicken broth. If the broccoli was unsalted, add ¼ teaspoon of salt
- To improve the health of your soups, use sun dried sea salt in place of table salt, and make your own broth.
Creamy Tomato Soup with Asiago Croutons
This recipe is from the Panera Bread Cookbook. I love this soup! – Melissa
Creamy Tomato Soup with Asiago Croutons
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1/2 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)
Adding baking soda to the tomatoes keeps the milk from curdling
1 Loaf of Asiago Bread(sliced Thick)
Note: I added 1 6 oz. can tomato soup and 1/2 tsp. more salt to make this recipe closer to what I ordered at the Panera Bread Company.
Melt the Butter in a soup pot.
Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened.
Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes to the milk, and bring just to a simmer.
Remove from the heat and put through a strainer.
Taste and correct seasonings.
Reheat before serving. Top with Asiago Croutons- The More the Better!
Make croutons for the top of the soup by cubing Panera Bread Asiago Loaf into 3/4-inch thick slices.
Butter both sides of those slices, then cut the slices into bite-size cubes.
Bake the bread in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until crispy.
Truck-Stop Buttermilk Pancakes
This recipe was submitted by Bonnie. She says, “I finally found a pancake recipe that works!”
Truck-stop Buttermilk Pancakes
Dry:
2 1/2 cups flour (wheat or white)
2 1/2 t baking powder
2 1/2 t baking soda
pinch salt
3 T white sugar
Wet:
2 1/2 heaping Tablespoons of sour cream
3/4 cup milk
3 T butter, melted
2 1/2 c buttermilk
Mix the dry and wet ingredients in seperate bowls. Combine them together when you are ready to make them, when the pan is hot enough. The skillet is hot enough when water sizzles on the surface. Be sure not to over mix the batter—even leaving little clumps of flour in it. Cook on the skillet (do not use oil). Flip to the other side when the pancake is dry looking in the middle with open bubbles in the middle. Keep warm in the oven.
