Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

A slice of yumminess

I love breakfast for dinner. This is an easy dish that tastes great. I lightened this traditionally fat and calorie laden dish by using egg substitute, fat free half and half, and low fat milk. Turkey sausage will work in this dish as well. Yes- it is still good. It was so good that we ate all of it. There were no leftovers.

1 lb (.45 kg) of Sausage
1 Tbsp of Canola or Vegetable Oil
20 oz (570  g) of Grated Potatoes
1 Cup (240 ml) of Egg Substitute (4 Eggs)
1 Cup (240 ml) of Fat Free Half N Half
1 Cup (240 ml) of Low Fat Milk
2 Cups (240 g) of Grated Cheese (Your choice)
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
Several Dashes of Cayenne or Southwest Seasoning (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. Spray a 9x9 inches (3.5x3.5 cm) baking pan with cooking spray. In a large skillet cook the sausage until no longer pink. Dump cooked sausage into the bottom of the baking pan.

I love the smell of frying sausage

Pour about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and dump in the grated potatoes. Lightly cook the grated potatoes in the skillet and dump over the sausage.

Lightly frying the potatoes

Whisk the eggs, milk, and half and half until combined and pour over the top of the grated potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with seasonings.

Ready for the oven.

Place uncovered in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Yum!

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes and I will continue to use my lower in fat and calorie substitutes. 

Not Your Average Spicy Coleslaw

The ingredients for coleslaw

I love coleslaw. I grew up with barbecue sandwiches made with pulled pork and coleslaw. I love creamy coleslaw and vinegar-based coleslaw. I did not like all of the calories in coleslaw dressing, and I did not like cabbage that was drowning in dressing.  I started experimenting with coleslaw recipes. I wanted the taste of the cabbage, carrots, onions, and radishes (yes radishes) to shine though and not get drowned in the dressing. This coleslaw delivers. It is a mustard based dressing and you can taste the flavors of the veggies. My husband complained about the lack of dressing until he tasted it.   I really like the radishes in this slaw- it adds a bit of bite. This makes a lot of slaw which is a good thing because I could eat it for an entire meal.

Dressing
3 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons of Vinegar (Your Choice, I like Rice Wine Vinegar)
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
1/2 Teaspoon of Cayenne or 2 Chiles, Crushed or Minced

Dressing ingredients

Whisk dressing ingredients together.

Coleslaw dressing

Slaw
1/2 Head of Cabbage, Shredded
3 Carrots, Grated
1/2 Onion, Grated
1-2 Handfuls of Radishes, Grated

Combine slaw ingredients with dressing.

All that grated cabbage

Refrigerate until ready to eat. Best to refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavors to blend.

A perfect combination: pulled pork and coleslaw

The bottom line: Will I make this again? Yes- love it. This is the coleslaw I make every time I make pulled pork.

Oil Free Pesto

Pesto with roasted tomatoes instead of oil

I love pesto and I make it with all kinds of greens and nuts. I haven't made a bad pesto yet. This time of year when we have lots of new greens it is easy to go outside and pick your dinner. I used a combination of arugula, spinach, parsley, and basil decided to make an oil-less pesto by using roasted tomatoes (frozen from last year's harvest) instead of oil. Yes, it can be done. And it can be delicious. I know I had seconds. I would have had thirds but it was all gone. I need to get a bigger bowl.

1/2 Cup (60 g) of Nuts, Toasted
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 Cups (340 g) of Roasted Tomatoes With Juice
2 Cups (40 g) of Basil, Spinach, Arugula, and/or Parsley
1/2 of Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Place nuts, garlic, and cheese in the food processor and process until coarse.

Nuts, garlic, and cheese

Add the roasted tomatoes, salt, and pepper and process.

The pesto with roasted tomatoes

Add the basil, spinach, arugula, and/or parsley and process until pesto consistency is reached.

Adding the greens

Serve over pasta.

Pesto over pasta

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. It is wonderful even if it isn't a beautiful bright green pesto. It is so good that my husband did not know it was oil-less until we discussed this blog post.

Roasted Veggies (Roasted Radishes)

Veggies ready to be chopped and roasted

I make roasted veggies all year round switching out veggies for what is in season. Everyone in my family loves roasted veggies. People who don't like veggies love these. I actually crave this dish. It's true- I do. I love them. I made them as part of a special date night dinner- just me and my husband. All you do is cut up some veggies, put them in a bag (I use one of the bags the veggies came in), throw in some fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and spices. Shake the bag to mix everything together, dump it onto a greased baking sheet, and roast. The result- amazing roasted veggies. I like mine al dente (with just a bit of a bite but cooked through). Believe it or not they are sweet and so incredible. This is also great with winter and summer squash.This time I tried roasting radishes. Radishes? Yes, radishes. They were excellent. They mellowed and became sweet when roasted. I can't wait until I have fresh beets-- talk about incredible. I love roasted beets and goat cheese. This is a great recipe to make using a convection oven.

Veggies-- (These change each time I make this dish; this time I used)

1/2 Head of Cauliflower
1 Sweet Onion, Sliced into Rings
6 Cloves of Garlic, Unpeeled
2 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
6 Radishes, Quartered
6 New Potatoes, Diced
A Couple of Handfuls of Green Beans, Cut in Half
A Couple of Handfuls of Radishes, Quartered

Fresh Herbs (These also change based on my mood, the veggies, and the seasoning)

1 Sprig of Rosemary, Chopped
2 Sprigs of Thyme, Chopped

Seasoning

Salt and Pepper, To Taste
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper (or Cumin or Smoked Paprika or Cajun seasoning-- you get the idea)

Oil

1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Olive or Grape Seed Oil

Preheat oven to 475F/246C/ Gas Mark 9 (convection 450F/232C/Gas Mark 8). Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl or bag and shake or stir until all of the veggies are covered in oil.

Shaken not stirred

Dump onto a greased baking sheet.

Chopped, oiled, seasoned, and ready for the oven

Roast (stirring every 10 minutes) for 35-45 minutes (convection 25 -35 minutes) or until the veggies are browned (but still crunchy).  

Roasting

Will I make this again? Yes- every week. This is my favorite way to eat veggies (and I like to eat veggies. Well, I actually like to eat. I like pretty much any kind of food as long as it is well prepared.) It is also time for a confession- I estimated on the seasoning-- I just sprinkle until it looks right. Go ahead and taste the veggies and adjust the seasonings. My family ends up eating several handfuls ("testing the seasoning") before they go into the oven.

A plate full of roasted veggies

Pearl Couscous and Lima Beans

Lima bean couscous

Believe it or not I have a child who loves lima beans. (Yes, we are growing them this year in our garden; we are also growing beets). She does not like peas unless they are fresh from the garden (like she picked them and immediately ate them). If you don't like lima beans just substitute peas. If you have fresh use fresh. If not use frozen please do not used canned. Also this is a recipe for pearl or Israeli couscous. I use homemade broth instead of canned. I make broth in large batches and freeze it.

3 Tbsp of Olive Oil or Butter
2 Cups (372 g) of Israeli or Pearl Couscous
1 1/2 Cups (270 g) of Lima Beans or Peas
3 1/2 Cups (840 ml) of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Small Handful of  Basil, Thinly Sliced

Heat oil or butter in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add couscous and stir for 3-5 minutes until couscous's is stating to turn brown.

Sauteing couscous

Add beans/pas and broth. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer (stirring occasionally) until broth is absorbed about 10 - 15 minutes.

Finishing the couscous

 Add basil. Serve.

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, I just bought some more pearl couscous. It is a wonderful spring dish.

Easy Snickers Pie

Slice of snickers Pie

I make two different Snickers pies: one takes a lot of time and effort and the second is an easy no bake pie. I love them both. Now that I am working (you guessed it) the easy no bake pie it is. It is embarrassingly easy. Have 5 to 10 minutes and want to make a pie? This is the pie for you (I am not kidding). Well, it does need to chill overnight.

4 oz (113 g) of Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup (86 g) of Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter
3 Regular Size 2 oz. (57 g) Snickers Bars, Chopped
8 oz (226 g) of Frozen Whipped Topping, Thawed
1 Graham Cracker or Chocolate Crust

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter until creamy.

Mixing the cream cheese, powder sugar, and peanut butter

Stir in chopped snickers and whipped topping until mixed.

Adding the snickers bars

Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate overnight.

The finished pie

The bottom line: will I make this again. Yes, it is so yummy.

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Meatloaf cupcake with mashed potato frosting

I made meatloaf cupcakes  for April Fool's day this year but they are so good that we will eat them all year round.The key (I think) to moist meatloaf (and meatballs) is bread soaked in milk. I use potato bread.
I can't justify cream for the mashed potatoes so I use fat free half and half. They are just as good and so creamy.  I really wanted to color the mashed potatoes with beet juice but received too many protests from my family (I love beets and I really wanted pink mashed potatoes). Just wait until I harvest the beets in our garden (60 or so more days). We will be eating beets with every meal! I made extra mashed potatoes so we had leftovers (my family loves mashed potatoes). I prefer fresh fries or hash browns.

Meatloaf Cupcakes
1/2 Cup (125 ml) of Milk
3 Slices of Bread, Torn into Pieces
1 Tbsp of Butter
1/2 of a Large Onion, Finely Diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 lbs (.45 kg) of Ground Beef (or a mixture of beef and pork or beef and turkey)
1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper, to Taste

In a large bowl, soak the pieces of bread in milk.

Bread soaking in milk

Preheat the oven to 350F/176 C/ Gas mark 4. Place 12 foil muffin liners in muffin tins. In a medium skillet melt butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the onion and garlic saute until onion is tender.

Sauteing onions and garlic

Rub the bread between your fingers until mushy. Add the remaining ingredients to the bread and mix well.

Mixing the meatloaf

Spoon the meatloaf into the foil liners.

Meatloaf Glaze 
1/3 Cup (75 ml) of Ketchup
2 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp of Mustard

In a small bowl combine the ingredients and spoon onto the tops of each meatloaf muffin. (There will be glaze left over).

Meatloaf cupcakes

Bake the meatloaf cupcakes for 25 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

Several Potatoes, Peeled and Cut into Chunks
2 Tbsp of Butter
1/2 Cup (125 ml) of Fat Free Half and Half

Boil potatoes for approximately 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and rice potatoes.

Ricing the potatoes

Add butter and half and half. Stir well.

Assembly

Remove cupcakes from muffin tins. Top with mashed potatoes. For a spicy kick, sprinkle with Creole seasoning. Top with half of a cherry tomato if desired.

The bottom line: will I make these again? Yes. The meatloaf cupcakes cook in the foil cup are so juicy and tender. The glaze goes great with the mashed potatoes. I loved them and ate my allotment (4 cupcakes) in one sitting.