A Cookbook of My Own

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Red Lentil Chili

Originally posted by: https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/red-lentil-chili/#recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon oil (olive)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced bell pepper (green)

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 cups sliced zucchini

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 14oz can kidney beans, drained (light red)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 + cups vegetable broth or water (14 oz +)

1 cup red lentils

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, peppers, and salt and saute until beginning to soften. Add zucchini and cook until vegetables are soft and beginning to turn golden in spots. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, and 2 cups broth, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then add the lentils. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, adding more water if needed. Stir in sugar and adjust seasoning to taste. Remove from heat.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe was really good! Surprisingly so. I normally don't like chili much, but the fire roasted tomatoes really added a ton of flavor. Also, I liked the red Lentils. I did add a pound of ground beef to appease my kids and add a bit more heartiness. It didn't detract from the recipe at all, but I'm sure the recipe would be just as good without the meat. I started by browning the ground beef. Instead of draining the oil as I usually would, I sautéed the onions and peppers with the beef after it was browned. I did add some olive oil when I put in the zucchini because it was getting dry, and I didn't want it to stick to the pan. I also added seasoned salt and pepper at that time. Otherwise, the recipe is as written. I used a 14 oz can of vegetable broth plus maybe another half cup of water. 20 minutes did the trick. Yum! I will definitely make this again. :) Even the kids liked it, and when it comes to healthy meals, they are super picky! Definitely make sure to use the fire-roasted tomatoes! :)

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Eggroll in a Bowl

From: Work Cookbook

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe is really good! I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it was pretty easy to make, too. Not as quick as I was hoping, but not too bad at ~30 minutes. What I like about this recipe is all the veggies. The kids liked it okay. They didn't hate it, anyway, so that is a win. :) I think the kids would have liked the filing better in an eggroll, ha! I will definitely make it again. :l

Chocolate Protein Balls

From: Will Run for Doughnuts Cookbook by Rachel Wyman

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: These are okay but not my favorite. I like some of the other protein ball recipes I have made better. I wanted to try them because they are chocolate. I added chocolate chips, a handful. I also used about a half cup less of the oats and added chia seeds and ground flax instead, about 1/3 cup then topped off the rest with oats. I also used nutzo butter for the nut butter, plus an extra couple tablespoons of jif smooth peanut butter.

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Intense Ginger Cookie

Originally posted by:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/ultimate-ginger-cookie-recipe-1917558.amp

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup unsulfured molasses

1 extra-large egg, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger (6 ounces)

Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Hot Mama Grade: A-/B+

Hot Mama Notes: This cookie is intense because it is a Gingerbread cookie with crystallized ginger chips. Holy ginger, batman! These cookies were rather a lot of work, especially cutting up the crystallized ginger into small pieces. It wasn't fun. The knife or food scissors get very gunked up and clumpy. The mixer had to work very hard at the end with the thick dough. The Gingerbread dough was good. My kid said the cookies would be better without the ginger chips, and I think for me that is true. Still, otherwise a great cookie. Great flavor and texture/consistency. Also, very good directions. The bake time was spot on. Not sure I would make it again given the work and intensity. I did substitute a fresh ginger paste from the tube for the powdered ginger. I grated nutneg fresh. No sifting.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Vegetables

Originally posted by:

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chicken-enchilada-casserole-recipe/

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium white onion, peeled and diced

1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

2 (15 ounce) cans beans, rinsed and drained (I used one can pinto, one can black beans)

1 (8 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

3 cups (about 1.5 pounds) shredded or diced cooked chicken

3 cups red enchilada sauce, homemade or store-bought, divided

12 corn tortillas, halved

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly-sliced green onion and/or diced avocado

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 6-7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the diced green chiles, beans, corn, chicken and 2 cups enchilada sauce, and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is evenly coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves, so that the entire dish is covered. Top evenly with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Followed by a final layer of tortillas, chicken mixture, the remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, and cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes.

Remove pan and remove aluminum foil. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Remove from the oven and serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I liked this recipe. I wanted enchiladas with more veggies, and this fits the bill. I used las palmas green enchilada sauce. I started cooking the chicken in the crock pot with the enchilada sauce like I usually do, but I ran out of time. I took the casserole dish and put it on the oven on 400F for 20 to 25 minutes to cook the chicken fatter. The meat thermometer did the chicken was fine, and then I shredded it, and followed the recipe. I would make it again, even though it had more steps and more dishes than my usual enchilada recipe.

I used frozen corn. And just over 1c monterrey jack cheese, the rest was a Mexican cheese blend. I used flour tortillas, la las brand. I used less, too, because they were large burrito size.