Mexican Breakfast Bowl (Vegetarian)

My kitty Koda says hi to everyone!!!

So this recipe is actually from memory. My old coworker made this for me and ever since I've been making it for myself. I don't just eat it for breakfast. I feel like it could be for anytime of the day! I don't know why that day my coworker made this for me but I'm very glad he did. It wasn't on the menu and isn't really part of anything he just made it for me and told me it was called a Mexican breakfast bowl so here it is!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked brown or white rice
1/2 cup black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup pico de gallo
1 fried egg however you like it.

Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to the package. Usually I cook the bean separate but I found out that its easier to add the beans in with the rice and let them cook that way.
2. Cook the egg however you like. I like mine over easy.
3. Add everything together and enjoy!

Fantastic Ranting Hour! Haha!

Well you obviously know that I love this recipe!!! It has a good flavor and has an awesome memory behind it. Actually this recipe makes me sad that I won't really see those coworkers again but its nice knowing that I have something to remember them by. I do have to tell the story of my kitty and this recipe too! My kitty loves black beans and for some odd reason hes always around me when I'm cooking. Maybe that has something to do with him being a kitten and me holding him while I cooked! Haha! Anyways, He's always at my feet and trying to get up the cabinets to get to the food, but when I cook black beans he goes crazy! He actually tripped me when I was walking with the bowl. So I guess I shouldn't have taught him that, that's okay. Oh well! He might pop up every once in awhile, just letting you know. Well that's it!

Ta Ta For Now,
Lil' Char

Lasagna Primavera (vegetarian)

Hey guy!!!! How is everyone? As for me, I am amazing! This recipe I'm bringing you is awesome! do you know why its awesome? Well I'm going to tell you anyways. It because my boyfriend decided to help out! Actually he basically made the whole thing! I couldn't be happier! Food always tastes better when someone else makes it! But I did help!

Ingredients:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups frozen broccoli florets (from 14oz bag), thawed and well drained
3 large carrots roughly chopped or shredded (I chopped mine)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, well drained
2 medium bell peppers, cut into 1/2- inch pieces
1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 containers (10oz each) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 bag (16oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (4 cups)






Directions:

1. Cook and drain noodles according to the package.

2. Meanwhile, cut the veggies and keep in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix both of the cheeses and the egg.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large glass baking dish, (13 x 9 - inch or 3- quart) spoon 2/3 cup of the Alfredo sauce. Place 4 noodles over sauce. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and 2 1/2 cups of vegetable mixture; randomly spoon 2/3 cup remaining sauce in dollops over nodes. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat that step once more.

4. Place the remaining 4 noodles on top and cover with the remaining vegetables and Alfredo sauce. Cover with cheese and bake.

5. Bake uncovers for about 45 to 60 minutes or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.


*** Side note. The Alfredo sauce may bubble over the sides of the dish so to prevent the bottom of the oven from getting dirty place a cookie sheet under the glass dish***

Ye Old Rambling Corner:

As you know before my boyfriend happened to make most of this recipe so it was nice to be able to sit back and chill. I loved the long baking time because I could actually update my blog while it cooked. Most of the time I wait until after. Oh and while we were putting this dish together I found a water mark on a noodle that made me super happy! I thought it actually looked like a dinosaur!!! I would love to hear your opinions on it so I'll have to post a picture of it! I find it adorable!
This dish is perfect for a cold winter night, all nestled in front of the fire, with a good book! I guess in my mind I feel like anything that uses the oven is a winter dish! Especially, here in Minnesota. It gets very cold here so warm oven dishes make the best things on a cold night! I guess it could be good in the summer with some summer veggies, like squash and zucchini, but have the air on or you'll be sweating! Oh man I wish we would have done that! We are gong to have to try that soon!!!! Oh and we added some asparagus to the mix. We had it in the fridge and wanted to use it! it made a very good addition! Oh and you know how the recipe calls for a can of diced tomatoes.... Well we were so distracted by the dino noodle to add it in.... It was still super yummy without it but I think next time we will have to remember it! Haha!

Vegan/ Gluten Free Banana Blue Berry Bread

So my friend just got back from studying abroad in Chile. the reason I'm bringing this up is that she has a gluten allergy and because of that, I've decided to try more gluten free recipes.Also with it being a new year and a lot of people's new years resolutions being eating healthy, I'm one of them, I'm trying more healthy recipes and also more vegan/ vegetarian recipes. So that is why this recipe is perfect! It has the option of being gluten free. I chose to use make it gluten free so that my friend could have breakfast!

I found this recipe on the best website ever! haha! Pinterest! The person who posted it on pinterest was from the blog TreeHugger. I haven't had a chance to look at this blog too much but if all of her recipes are like this one then I think I should!

Ingredients:
3 large over-ripe bananas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup of your choice of soymilk, almond milk, or apple sauce (I used almond milk)
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 cups whole wheat flour or gluten free flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen works fine too)


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a light layer of cooking oil.
2. If using soy or almond milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it and let it stand until it curdles. About 1 minute. Skip this step if using apple sauce.
 3. In a large bowl, mash up the bananas until smooth (but don't be afraid to leave some chunks -- these make a sweet surprise in a slice of bread). Add lemon juice, the curdled milk substitute or apple sauce, and agave nectar. Stir to combine.
4. In another bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until combined and everything is moistened.
6. Toss in your blueberries and gently stir until evenly mixed.

7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before transferring to a plate.
8. Enjoy!

Note: Whenever I bake I usually skip the whole dry and wet ingredients thing. When I learned how to bake it was always slowly add everything in and not to separate.

Sorry I only took one picture. It still looks pretty though! Anyway, My roommate and I couldn't wait for this to get out of the oven! Our apartment smelt to amazing and our mouths were hard-core watering. I ended up doubling the recipe. I had a few bananas that I managed to not eat fast enough. I thought the first bite tasted weird but as i continued to eat I realized that it was just because I haven't really eaten anything gluten free before and I ended up really enjoying it! My boyfriend and his roommates were the same way but ended up eating a whole loaf in one sitting so I was happy about them liking it!

Ta Ta for now,
Lil' Char

Skinny Alfredo Spaghetti Squash

Hey guys,
Today I'm bringing you an amazing recipe! Now, I've had spaghetti squash before and its really good. I love it with a little bit of marinara sauce but today its an Alfredo recipe! I found this recipe on pinterest! The original post is from a blog called the Comfort of cooking. I haven't actually looked at it much yet but if her other posts are like this one I know I'll like it!

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk(I used fat-free)
1 Tablespoon cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley, for optional garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
First, prep the squash. Cut spaghetti squash in half using a large sharp knife, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet covered with water. Bake until tender, about an hour.
As an alternate way of baking: Poke a few holes deep into the whole squash with a paring knife. Bake for 60 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing in half with a large serrated knife. Scoop out the seedy inside leaving the spaghetti strands.
Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the “spaghetti” strands into the center.
For the sauce, melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Gently pull up the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce. Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.

Be careful when you take the spaghetti squash off the pans... It will be very hot and I almost burnt myself.

I loved this recipe and I can't wait until winter to make this again. It seemed like the perfect winter recipe. The only problem is I couldn't eat it all! Haha! I liked that it had a homemade Alfredo sauce. It added a lot more flavor and you know exactly what goes in it! Although in weird, I added maybe a teaspoon of pepper. I'm a pepper kind of girl!

since the month is over half way I thought I'd update you on how my month is going. So far I haven't touched meat in 22 days! I'm so proud that I have almost made it! My roommate even made tacos for us to celebrate our half month mark! I almost failed when I went out to eat the other day. I ordered a grilled cheese and they put bacon one it! Who puts bacon on a grilled cheese? Anyway they replaced it for me and it was super yummy! With work I'm okay. Its a bit hard when I want to try something but it has meat in it so I don't. I feel so bad when a costumer asks how it tastes and I have to explain that I'm currently not eating meat. Most are happy to take a taste though! I haven't decided if I'm going to completely change to a veggie diet but I also don't know if i want to go back to eating meat. Its a hard choice.
well that's it for now,
Lil' Char!  

Easy Veggie Lo Mein

This recipe was amazing! Its easy and quick! Once again I couldn't find the original post. when I clicked on the entry on pinterest it just came up with a picture so whoever posted this I give you credit!

Ingredients-

Pasta- I used a ramen packet. I know gross but I wanted a single serve and  I love those noodles.

garlic- 1 tsp minced
green onions- 2 TBSP
Veg. oil- 1 TBSP
sesame oil- a dash (less than 1/8 tsp)
Mushrooms- a small bunch sliced
soy sauce- 1/4 cup
sesame seeds- a dash

Directions-
 
Cook pasta to al dente, drain. Sauté garlic and green onions in veg oil and a little sesame oil. (and 1TBSP red pepper flakes if you like heat) Toss in pasta and 1/4 cup Soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cook 2 minutes tossing frequently and you have perfect Lo mien!



I recommend making this and adding random veggies. Just the noddles its really bland but with veggies its super good! My roommates was the best! sorry I didn't take a picture of it. Only mine. As for mine I added way to much soy sauce and man was it salty!!! I basically had to trash it and eat my roommates... or what she would let me. Please enjoy and post pictures if you try! I'd love to see your version!

Like always,
Lil' Char

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay guys, so I found this on yet again Pinterest! the only problem I had was finding who actually posted it originally so I can't give you much information on that. I will say that whoever did had found or created an amazing recipe!

Ingredients-

2 ripe bananas
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 heaping spoonful of peanut butter


Directions-

Mash all ingredients together and roll into a ball. I didn't smash mine down and it basically stayed in a ball so I would suggest pressing down a little bit. Then bake at 350 for 15 minutes! It's that simple!


Oh my gosh guys these cookies are healthy and simple! My roommates boyfriend just ate them up! I did let him though. Sorry this recipe is so simple but it was so good I had to post it! The recipe really only makes like 8 cookies depending on how big you make them. The picture on the pan is actually cooked.

Lil' Char

Black Bean Tacos!!!

Oh my gosh guys this recipe is so yummy! I again found this one on pinterest. When I saw it I wasn't very sure that I'd like it but oh my gosh its amazing. This post was originally on is Cornerstone Cooking! I haven't actually looked at it as much as I have done with the others but from this recipe I will be sure to keep looking! This recipe will definitely be in my keeper pile!

Ingredients

• 2 C. black beans, cooked
• ½ C. red onion, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• 4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Salsa
• Sour cream

 

Instructions

1.  In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.
2.  In a large, non-stick skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.
3.  Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. I tested it with my hand. All you have to do it touch the surface of the tortilla and make sure its warm. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.
4.  Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
5.  As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once. (we could only get 2 in at a time but it was worth it)
6.  Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
7.  When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.
8.  Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream. My friend and I added ranch. She is obsessed with ranch! haha.

Note: Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy. this is important! I didn't see it the first round of tacos and they didn't get as crunchy as I wanted, but still good!

 As I said before this recipe is amazing! I loved it and I can see me making it again and again! I loved the kick of cilantro when you bit in. My roommate on the other hand didn't like it because of the cilantro. I think that if I make it again I might add a little bit of taco seasoning and no cilantro so she could eat it, but I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to try variations! Oh we didn't slice the avocado we mashed it. It just didn't want to come out of the skin but it was still good. Oh and sorry about the pictures this time. My camera just wouldn't work so i had to use my phone. Sorry guys! I hope you try this and please post pictures and leave comments! 

Lil' Char

Oct. 2nd/ Broccoli Mac and Cheese!

Alright, today is October 2nd and I have had successful day of being a vegetarian. After much thought I have decided to be a Lacto- Ovo Vegetarian, which means that I can eat dairy and eggs. When i was thinking about it what vegetarian form I should be a lot of questions popped in my head and then i thought about what would be easiest and how would I be able to succeed. Although I don't drink milk I still consume a lot of cheese so I didn't think i could give that up and the same goes for eggs. Plus eggs have protein and we all know that us humans need protein! Anyway, today's recipe is broccoli mac and cheese! Although I found this recipe on my favorite website... Pinterest. It was posted by a wonderful lady. Her blog is called Budget Bytes and has a lot of cool things on it! Tomorrow I have another recipe picked out from her blog!

Broccoli Mac and Cheese!

Ingredients-
8 oz pasta
1 large crown broccoli
1/2 med. onion
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
2 1/2 cups milk
8 oz (2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parm. Cheese
Dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions-
 

1. Get a large pot of salted water on to boil. Rinse the broccoli well and cut it into small florets.
2. The pasta and broccoli will be cooked in the same pot to save on dishes and time. When the water comes to a full boil, add the pasta. Set a timer for 8 minutes then add the broccoli. Cook the pasta and broccoli for two minutes more and then pour everything into a colander to drain. Set them aside until ready to add to the cheese sauce.
3. While the pasta and broccoli are doing their thing, you can begin the cheese sauce. Finely dice the onion and cook with butter over medium heat until softened (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Add the flour to the butter and onion. The flour and butter will form a paste like mixture (roux). Using a whisk, stir and cook the roux for 1-2 minutes more taking care not to let it scorch. This slightly cooks the flour preventing the cheese sauce from having an overly flour or paste like flavor.
5. Add the milk and whisk well to dissolve all of the flour clumps. Add freshly cracked black pepper at this point. Bring the mixture up to a simmer (you may need to raise the heat just slightly). When the sauce reaches a simmer, it will begin to thicken. When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it’s time to add the cheese.
6. Turn the burner off and whisk in the shredded cheese (and parmesan if using) until it is fully melted in. Give the cheese sauce a taste and add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
7. Once you have the cheese sauce seasoned to your liking, stir in the cooked and drained pasta and broccoli. 

Sorry about the pictures guys... I kind of forgot until last minute to take pictures! After I made this I ate about 2 bowls of it! Then I needed a nap I was so full! haha! I didn't think I would like it as much as I did and I'm glad my roommate was home to eat some of it as well! I do have left overs but I'm a little worried about reheating it. I'm afraid that the cheese sauce might curdle.  I guess that is something I have to try!

Today I also bought some vegetarian products. I've had Boca before and really liked it! I highly recommend getting Boca burgers if you are trying this. They are easy to make and taste good! As for Morning Sat I really have only had their "Chicken" nuggets which are very good. I'll tell you guys how these burgers are! As always feel free to try everything and please if you do take pictures and post!

Well thats all for now,
Lil' Char