Crimini Spinach Pesto Lasagna

For the pesto, I used:

1/3 c walnuts

4 c spinach

2 c basil (or whatever you have left, just not more that 2 c)

4 cloves of garlic

½ c olive oil

¼ c grated Parmesan Cheese

1 t salt

½ t fresh ground pepper

For the lasagna, I used:

12 oz firm tofu

8 oz lasagna noodles, cooked (following boiling instructions on box)

8 oz crimini mushrooms

2 c mozzerella cheese

¾ c Parmesan Cheese (or more!)

In a food processor or mill, grind the walnuts to a paste. Add garlic and Parmesan.

Also add spinach and basil, salt and pepper.

Add olive oil while blending. I forgot the pepper, so I added it here.

Saute mushrooms in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. If the pan dries out, add a tablespoon of water. Cook on medium-high heat stirring regularly until the mushrooms start to look transparent.

Basically, when the white color is gone, they’re cooked, but this is just getting some flavor on them. They’ll cook more in the slow-cooker; so really, you could just roll them around in the olive oil, salt and pepper until they’re coated and then go ahead and put them in the slow-cooker in layers.

Slice the tofu into quarters or so that pieces fit into your palm. I used my hand to crush and crumble it into the pot.

Spray the inside of the slow-cooker with cooking spray, coat the bottom and sides halfway to the top. Spread half of the pesto mix into the bottom of the pot along with half of the mushrooms.

Cover the pesto and mushroom mix with half of the cooked noodles, tearing off or folding over pieces to cover the pesto as best as possible. Crumble half of the tofu on top.

Cover the noodles with half of the mozzarella spreading it to the edges, so there is no pasta showing (it will dry out otherwise). Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan.

Repeat by adding another layer in the same order.

I forgot the rest of the mushrooms, so I just put them on top.

The result. I did not use ricotta since the tofu had the same texture and since this is vegetarian, the usual amount of cheese may have been overwhelming.

It was gone! SO good! If you’d like to try it vegan, just be sure to use vegan cheese and noodles. Enjoy!

Quick Cooker Turkey Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

This was delicious but almost a disaster! I had to run the cycle twice. When the meatloaf first came out, I let it set for a couple of minutes, then started slicing it. The middle was a little mushy! I got mike to probe it with a meat thermometer, and sure enough, it has not reached temperature! Possible Salmonella. I put everything back into the pressure cooker, reset it, and washed all my utensils.

Put the potatoes in the Quick Cooker first.

1 ½ – 3 lbs. golden potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered

1 cup Better Than Bouillon, Chicken Flavor

1 cup half and half (I used Whipping Cream since that’s what I had)

4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

For the meatloaf;

2 lb. lean ground turkey

1 sleeve of crackers

2 eggs

4 oz chopped mushrooms

1 medium shallot, diced

½ cup ketchup 

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt and pepper

Brussel sprouts to fit around meatloaf

I used the Ceramic Pot for the Quick Cooker and stuffed Brussel sprouts into the remaining space after shaping the meatloaf into a loaf as best as I could. Adding mushrooms to meatloaf was new to me.

Cover the Ceramic Pot with the Silicone Lid, place into wire cradle and lowered it into the Quick Cooker to rest on the rack above the potatoes.

 

The Brussel sprouts were overcooked but still yummy.

Salt and peppered golden potatoes which are our favorite for this recipe! Rack for pot…

Potatoes done.

Creamier than their supposed to be since we used less potatoes than the recipe listed but kept the rest of the ingredients the same.

Set the Quick Cooker on CUSTOM for at least 40 minutes. I will update when I redo for actual time. You want the internal temperature to be 165F.

Mike put Chipotle Cholula hot sauce as a topping instead of ketchup. It was very, very good!

Here’s the recipe I used (as a guide): https://iwashyoudry.com/instant-pot-meatloaf-mashed-potatoes/

Baked Beans

We had dinner at family’s for the holidays and someone made home-made baked beans. Of course, this gave me the idea that I needed to try to make my own.

Saute one shallot in one tablespoon of olive oil until softened.

Add six pieces of crispy bacon, crumbled.

Two cans of Navy or Great Northern beans with liquid.

Add spices; one teaspoon of ground pepper, one tablespoon of brown sugar, 1/3 c molasses.

Add three cups of chicken stock (I use a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Chicken flavor and three cups of water) and a tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce.

Bring to a boil on Medium-High heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer in cast-iron Dutch oven on Low for 40 minutes.

Pretty good! No chunks of pork fat, and I know exactly what’s in it.

Chicken Tamales with Red Sauce

Since I’ve made this a number of times already with minor variations not having the same recipe available, I figured I’d better post the results so I can repeat it easily.

I started with cooking the chicken ahead of time in the Crock-Pot, removing it to shred 30-60 minutes before it was done, and adding the red sauce.

For the red sauce:

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 c chili powder

15 oz can of tomato sauce 

3 c water 

½ t ground cumin

½ t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t salt

1/4 flour (optional)

Stir it all together and let it finish cooking the chicken.

In the meantime, mix the batter for the tamales (this makes about a dozen tamales):

4 c masa harina

2 t sea salt 

2 t baking powder

T cumin

T chili powder

½ T garlic powder

½ T dried oregano

1 1/3 c light olive oil

2 2/3 c water

T Better than Boullion Chicken Flavor

Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer until no remaining visible dry ingredients. Spread a scoopful of the mix across the wide end of a corn husk. I prefer my tamales to be fat, so it’s about a 1/3 scoop that I flatten out across the width of the corn husk to just inside the edge of the end. I love green chilis and so add a sliver as well as a small amount of the chicken to the center of the corn husk and then roll it up. Fold over the end.

Here’s the mess I made. The red sauce got everywhere since I didn’t take the time to drain it from the chicken; but then again, the chicken didn’t have a chance to dry out!

This is the most time-consuming part, so I have water and a small steamer basket in a big pot heating, so I can pop the tamales in the pot when I’m done rolling all of the mix into corn husks. I let them steam for 90 minutes. They make the house smell amazing!

Blackbean Chili

1 lb ground turkey

1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce

1 can tomatoes with green chilis

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 T chili powder 

½ t paprika

½ t dried oregano

½ t cayenne

½ t cumin

½ t salt 

½ t ground pepper

Easy, all in the pot recipe. After browning the ground turkey with salt and pepper. Add all ingredients into the slow-cooker and set to High for 3 hours.

I made this to go with the Cast-Iron Cornbread in my previous post. It’s usually the other way around, but when you try the cornbread, you may also find reasons to make it! Enjoy!

Chicken Tamales with Chili Verde

Some people might be offended by this. They’ll say I didn’t do it right, it’s supposed to take all day, I didn’t use the right ingredients, I’m not from Mexico…

In that case, should I change the name? How about masa rolls? Whatever you want to call them, they’re delicious! So whoever started this, thank you!

This may be my third attempt. The first attempt, I found, had tomatillos skins even after a run through with the immersion blender. So I decided to roast them first and peel the skins off. Along with some garlic in the broiler for about 7 minutes, rotating the pan halfway so everything got a fair chance with the flame.

We found some organic masa harina at Sprouts Farmers Market with a no lard recipe on the back.

Here’s what I ended up actually using:

4 c masa harina

2 t sea salt

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

½ T garlic powder

 ½ T oregano

1 1/3 c light olive oil

2 c water, plus 2 t Better Than Bouillion Chicken Flavor

The first batch I made with organic extra virgin olive oil and could taste the oil in some bites, so this time, used light olive oil. This seemed to come out perfectly; flavorful but not overpowering.

Everything in the mixer. The yellow goo in Better Than Boullion Chicken Flavor which I almost forgot.

For the chili verde:

1 lb of tomatillos (size varies, so please weigh them)

6 cloves of garlic

1 shallot, sliced

14 oz water, plus 2 t Better Than Bouillon

1 can (16 oz) of Great Northern Beans

1 can (4 oz) green chilis (I took two out of a large can of whole ones, but you can use a can of chopped just the same)

1 t cumin

Peeled tomatillos and garlic in the food processor.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Or pulse first…

Chicken was 1 lb ( 2 breasts) cooked in the Crock-Pot on High for 3 hours with salt and pepper and the shredded. The first time I tried to make tamales was with a pork loin, same cooking instructions, both with approximately 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. I used the Enchilada Sauce from a previous posting for each and both worked well (chicken with red sauce/enchilada sauce and pork with green sauce/chili verde).

Tamales in the pot to steam. This is a large stock pot with a small stainless steel colander inside. There’s just enough water to touch the bottom of the colander. I checked on it occasionally to add water, but didn’t end up needed to add any. Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Allow tamales to steam for 45-90 minutes. Longer is okay as long as you check on them to make sure anything touching the pan is not burning.

The corn husks were soaked in warm water while everything else was prepared. We like fat tamales, so I used a spatula to spread about a quarter inch of the masa mix across the wide half of the smooth side of the corn husk and then roll them up and fold over the empty ends.

There are many videos online on how to make tamales, some using a special rolling technique, some using a strip of the corn husk to tie up the tamales, but I didn’t stress about any of that since none of the information was consistent. I gave it a try to see what would work and what would need special attention, and really, the flavor, shape, texture was all good just like you would find in a restaurant, but personalized. No excess onions, but our favorite green chilis and shallots and chicken breast or pork loin.

Here was the final product sans a couple bites! Couldn’t wait to eat it! With a little spanish rice and beans on the side. I’m addicted.

Chili Verde

This may be only the second time I’ve ever used tomatillos, maybe the first! The first time I’ve cooked with them, for sure. I think the first time we bought some, they went in guacamole. We tried growing our own after that.

We have a favorite restaurant that makes pork tamales smothered in Chili Verde, and they are fresh, delicious, and addictive! Unfortunately, it’s a 45 minute drive and then another 20 minute wait for this “secret menu” item! So, of course, I want to try and duplicate this taste.

I stumbled on this recipe while looking for chili in my Costco-bought Crock-Pot Slow Cooker recipe book p. 118 which I’ve used many times but somehow overlooked this recipe.

These were from Nugget. They were only available from Wal-Mart online. Those are the two closest grocery stores in my area. Wal-Mart didn’t even have canned tomatillos. I found picking the larger ones were easier to chop.

They were easy to chop using my tomato knife. After you remove the husks, the skin is tacky like sap. I rinsed them off before cutting into chunks. I think in the future, I would roast them first and try to peel them skins off.

Pork tenderloin was the leanest cut I could find. I used Mike’s salmon fileting knife to trim the fat and cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Sliced shallots in place of onions.

Everything in the pot!

Almost forgot the pork…

Looks beautiful stirred together…

Added chopped cilantro when it was done.

We tried it like this which was according to the recipe, but it didn’t look like the Chili Verde we were used to eating. So, I separated the pork and took the immersion blender to the rest.

Here’s the result. That looks right! Minus the few tomatillo skins, it was very good. I mentioned roasting the tomatillos in the future to easily peel off the skins. That may also prevent the sauce from clogging up the blender.

Blanco Shepherd’s Pie

Not very colorful but lower carb. How? I substituted cauliflower and parsnips for potatoes and carrots, respectively.

Almost done! Waiting for the top to brown a little more.

Here’s my substitutes for today. The parsnips have already been peeled.

I boiled the cauliflower just covered with water with a little bit of sea salt for 20 minutes. Drained them, then mashed them with my immersion blender.

Look like potatoes, don’t they? Mike was tripping out how much they look like potatoes!

No photo, but I browned the ground turkey next and, in hindsight, I realized that I didn’t season the meat which you should always do, especially with poultry which has such a mild flavor; it has virtually no flavor without salt and pepper, so at the minimum, salt and pepper. I will add garlic powder next time also or just a lot more Worcestershire sauce!

Parsnips and shallots in half a stick of butter to soften.

Add the frozen veggies to warm.

Just enough heat to take the frost off. I’d like the veggies not to over-cook in the oven.

The other half of the stick of butter wrapped into the cauliflower while the cauliflower was cooling. I intentionally left it uncovered to cool, evaporating as much moisture as possible. I planned on patting it dry, but at this point, I was too tired; so I let more moisture evaporate by leaving the prepared recipe in the oven 20 minutes past the usual 30 minutes (in addition to waiting for extra browning of the top)!

Difficult to see, but I added chicken stock (Better than Bullion, actually) and Worcestershire Sauce here.

Non-stick spray in the pan, then the meat mixture on the bottom.

The cauliflower dropped on top in scoops, then spread out towards the edges making sure to fill in the gaps.

Smoothed out the top with a spatula making little waves as this dish tends to display. Sprinkled it with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

On the grill (we have a convection grill, so it cooks like an oven) for a total of 50 minutes (30, if you cooked everything through on the stove), warm everything back up and crisp the top!

What’s in it?

2 heads of cauliflower, florets only

2 parsnips, chopped

2 lbs ground turkey

1c frozen peas

1c frozen corn

1t Better Than Bouillon Chicken Flavor, plus 3/4 c water to dilute it

1½ t Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and pepper

I used this recipe as a guide. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_shepherds_pie/

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Going through older photos, I can’t believe I missed this one! It’s one of our go-to recipes for cold weather and for potlucks. I must be keeping it a secret! Not anymore.

Cook 2-3 chicken breasts on High for 3½ hours in the crock-pot with…

One shallot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

10 oz frozen corn

10 oz enchilada sauce

15 oz can chopped tomatoes

4 oz can chopped green chilis

1 c water

14.5 oz chicken broth

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 bay leaf

1 lime, juiced

1 T fresh cilantro

Remove chicken and bay leaf, shred chicken with fork, return to pot, stir together. Discard/compost bay leaf.

Top with fresh sliced avocado, lime juice, and tortilla strips

Tortilla Strips

Flour Tortillas sprinkled with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and bake for 12 minutes at 375°F.

Cashew Chicken Korma

Here’s an oldie but goodie! It was so labor-intensive that I forgot to take photos (except when it was done)!

I left out the tomatoes, used frozen chicken breast, a shallot instead of an onion, and ground ginger instead of fresh. It came out great (I hope it doesn’t offend anyone)!

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-cashew-korma