Happy Insides

For Passover this year Cassie decided to make a big batch of mini frittatas for our breakfasts.  She got the idea from an old Clean Eating magazine recipe, but when the time came to make them she couldn't find to old issue with the recipe so we decided to wing it and make our own recipe.  These turned out great and froze very well to last us the entire span of Passover. 

These were made for Passover, but the recipe makes a great breakfast year round and would be great on your next brunch menu.

Mini Frittatas
A Jason and Cassie Original
Makes 9 servings (2 frittatas per serving)

2 c. grated potatoes
1 large egg
1/4 c. unsalted matzo meal (or breadcrumbs)
1 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 c. chopped broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic minced
12 large eggs
6 oz. jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste or Pepperman to taste

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 18 muffin pan wells with non-stick cooking spray making sure to fully coat them. 

2)  In a clean tea towel place grated potatoes and wring out any excess moisture from the potatoes.  In a medium bowl mix potatoes with 1 egg and the matzo meal.  Place a small amount of potato mixture in the bottom of each muffin well.  Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften and brown at the edges.

3) Meanwhile heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Add the onion, bell pepper and broccoli to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool somewhat.

4)  When the vegetables have cooled beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Mix in the cooled vegetables, cheese and salt and pepper or Pepperman.  Fill muffin wells mostly full (but not all the way to the top) with the egg mixture.  Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the eggs are set and the tops of the mini fritattas begin to brown.  Let cool and either serve warm or freeze the frittatas in freezer bags for individual breakfast portions.  To reheat let the fritattas defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then place them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes until heated through.   

Read More......

We cannot tell you how excited we are to share this meal and this series of books.  The meal was delicious and the books are some of the best we have ever read.  We are talking about the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.  These books are Stephen King's Magnum Opus, and if you like any of his works you will love these.  In fact, you will find some very familiar scenes and characters from King's other books within the pages of this series.

The story chronicles the journey of Roland of Gilead.  He is the last gunslinger and is on a quest to travel to and climb to the top of the Dark Tower.  The world has moved on since he was young and things such as time, distance or direction no longer are quite so measurable or trustworthy anymore.  Roland, along with his new found Ka-tet (group of friends brought together by fate aka Ka), must fight against the forces of the Crimson King that wish to destroy the Dark Tower and with it all existence.  This journey traverses different worlds, times, and many miles (or wheels).  It also spurs many emotions within the reader and leaves you with a sense of longing after you have finished.  The main characters Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, Oy, and Pere Callahan will all strike a nerve because they are all so human and so real.   

The meal we planned for this story is actually drawn from the third book "The Wastelands."  After traveling a great distance across a fairly desolate beach Roland and his Ka-tet come to a wooded area.  There they are able to hunt deer and find vegetation to eat.  One of the things they make is deer meat wrapped in leaves.  These concoctions are dubbed Gunslinger burritos by Eddie at one point and we felt that they would be an excellent addition to our literary lunch.  We didn't have deer meat available to us so we used beef, but feel free to use any meat or game that you want.  Also we embellished on the contents of the burritos a bit and made them more into a lettuce wrap style meal.  We hope you enjoy both the books and the meal. 

Gunslinger Burritos
A Jason and Cassie Original
Makes 4 servings
For Steaks: 
1 lb. sirloin steak (preferably grass-fed)
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

For Beans and Rice:
1 t. olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeno diced (with or without seeds)
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. water
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 small lime
1 handful cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped

For Vegetables
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced

1 Head lettuce

1)  To prepare the steaks:  Season sirloin steak with the chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper.  Grill steaks about 3-4 minutes per side over medium heat until medium.  Set aside and let rest a few minutes before slicing.

2) To prepare the beans and rice:  heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and jalapeno and stir fry for about 30 seconds.  Add the rice, beans, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Simmer and let heat through for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the lime juice and cilantro.

3) To prepare the vegetables:  Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and peppers and let saute about 10 minutes until they soften and begin to brown.

4) Separate all the leaves on the head of lettuce.  Wash each leaf well and then dry.  To serve place a small amount of each of the steak, beans and rice and vegetables on top of each lettuce leaf.  Wrap up and enjoy.

Read More......

One of the things we are trying to do in 2011 is to shop our pantry before we plan meals and make a grocery list so we can use items we already have and avoid buying items that we didn't really need to begin with.  When searching through our pantry this particular week we came across 1/2 a package of whole wheat macaroni and some frozen peas.  We set to work thinking about what we could make with these and in our brains blossomed this idea for a pasta salad with chicken and peas.  What resulted from this little idea was a great weeknight meal that was quick to throw together and very delicious.

Chicken, Pea and Pasta Salad
A Jason and Cassie Original
Makes 4 servings


8 oz. dried whole wheat pasta, preferably a small pasta like macaroni
5 oz. frozen peas
2 slices whole grain bread (we used sprouted multigrain bread
5 T. olive oil, divided
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1/2-1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, baked and cubed. 
Salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta and cook till al dente.  When the pasta is just done, throw the peas into the pot with the pasta.  Let sit for about 30 seconds and then drain.  Place in a large serving bowl.

2)  Take slices of bread and cut into small cubes.  Toss with 1 T. olive oil and salt and pepper.  Line bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes until golden and crunchy.

3) Meanwhile make the dressing by combining 4 T. of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Let this sit together for at least 10 minutes so the flavors can combine.

4) In the bowl with the pasta and peas add the chicken, dressing and Parmesan cheese.  Refrigerate until cool.  This can be made ahead of time up to this point.  The salad is actually better when it has sat together for a few hours.  Just before serving toss the croutons in with the rest of the salad.  Enjoy. 



 

Read More......

Back in September we told you the story of Our Soup.  A dish that came about one night while scrounging in the cabinets to see what we had.  Well this pasta dish's beginnings were created in much the same way.  Since we have added on and perfected the mix, but we like to think of this (and frequently call it) Our Pasta.  It is an easy, but delicious meal and adds a bit of a kick to regular spaghetti.  We have used various forms of protein in this spaghetti and can be made with just about anything.  In this recipe we use Chicken Italian Sausages, but you can also use beans, tofu, ground meat, chicken breasts, etc. or you can just omit them totally.

Read More......

Our Soup came about one evening when both of us came home from grad school classes.  We were hungry and had no clue what to have for dinner.  We didn't want to order out but our cupboards were also nearly bare.  We noticed a few key ingredients and decided to make a tomato soup to at least fill our bellies.  What resulted was a very tasty and satisfying soup that we have made countless times since and for some reason we always just called it "our soup".  It is broth based tomato soup with a hint of lime and plenty of kick.  It is really simple too and perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Spicy Tomato Soup
A Jason and Cassie Original
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/4-1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
5 c. low sodium vegetable broth
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1-2 bay leaves
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
5-8 oz. whole wheat pasta (preferably small noodles like macaroni)
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste

1) heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and let them cook for a minute.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer until pasta is fully cooked.

3) Remove the bay leaves and serve warm with a crust bread.

Read More......

Both of us are huge fans of burritos. Especially breakfast burritos. We love experimenting and playing around. We also love to eat breakfast for dinner. We came up with these burritos on the fly one day while trying to create our meal plan for the week. Jason came up with the overarching idea and then we fleshed it out together. These are really hearty and filling and would make an excellent breakfast, lunch or dinner. Best part is that they come together pretty quickly. We added some vegetable to our home fries to make the dish a little more complete. Our tortillas were a little small for all the filling so we ended up eating these more taco style than like a burrito. That seems to happen to us a lot.



Egg and Potato Burritos
1-2 T. canola oil
1 potato baked to 3/4 of the way done and finely diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
2 jalapenos minced (with or without seeds depending on your preference)
1 small zucchini or summer squash diced
8 kale large leaves washed and torn into small pieces
1 t. season-all salt
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
6 eggs
2 oz. colby jack cheese grated
your favorite prepared salsa
4 whole wheat tortillas

1) Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the potatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeno. Sautee for about 5 minutes.

2) In a 300 degree preheated oven place tortillas, wrapped in foil, in to the oven to warm for about 5 minutes.

3) Add the zucchini and kale. Add the season-all salt, cumin and chili powder. Toss to coat. Cook another 5-10 minutes until the kale is wilted and the rest of the vegetables start to get a bit of some charring on them.

5) While the potato mixture is cooking scramble the eggs in a non-stick skillet

5) To assemble place some potato mixture on a tortilla, add a layer of eggs and then top with cheese and a few spoonfuls of your favorite salsa. Wrap up the tortilla and enjoy.

Read More......

We have been seeing a ton of recipes for various types of lettuce wraps lately. We decided to give it a go and see if we could come up with a good recipe of our own. What resulted was a spicy and sweet meal that was definitely a crowd pleaser...or at least a Jason and Cassie pleaser. Both of us were very happy with how the meal turned out and certainly plan to make it again. You cook the chicken ahead of time in the crock pot making this meal not only really tasty, but also very simple.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Makes 4 servings
1-1.5 lbs. skinless chicken thighs (bone-in)
2 c. low sodium stock
3 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
1 t. dried ginger
1 t. cumin
1/8 t. cayenne
1 t. sucanat
1 T. canola oil
1 c. mushrooms diced
1 c. green bell peppers diced
1/2 c. carrots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 T. all natural peanut butter
2 T. Siracha
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
8-12 large romaine lettuce leaves cleaned and dried

1) in the morning ahead of time put the first 8 ingredients into the crock pot and let cook on low for 8 hours. Chicken should be moist and will shred easily. Remove the bones and shred the chicken.

2) heat canola oil in a medium pan and saute the mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots and garlic until tender.

3) Meanwhile whisk together the peanut butter, Siracha, rice vinegar and soy sauce.

4) Add the rice and chicken to the pan with the vegetables and mix well. Add the sauce and heat for a minute.

5) Serve the chicken and rice mixture on a plate with 2-3 lettuce leaves per person.

Read More......

Tuna salad is one of our favorite quick and easy lunches. It's very tasty and so simple to whip up a batch. The problem with tuna salad is that it can pack a pretty high calorie punch from all the mayo used to make it. We substitute 0% fat Fage plain Greek Yogurt for mayo for a great fresh flavor and a fraction of the calories of mayo. The addition of strawberries to the salad adds a great tart, but sweet flavor and some beautiful color. Finally we use Frontier brand's Pepperman to add some salt and a great mix of peppers. We highly recommend this seasoning mix...it's so flavorful and quite addictive. We use it in almost all our cooking.

Strawberry Tuna Salad
1 can solid white albacore tuna packed in water (preferably the no salt added variety)
4 T. Greek yogurt
2 T. relish
1/4 t. Pepperman
5-7 strawberries chopped

Drain tuna well and place in a small bowl. Flake the tuna with a fork until it is in small chunks Add the Greek yogurt, relish and Pepperman and mix well. Fold in the chopped strawberries. Serve on your favorite whole grain bread.

Serves 2
Calories: 175

Read More......