Frittata al Forno

Hello everyone. I created this dish recently. It is a twist on a frittata and a egg souffle. It is full of veggies and pretty healthy. A great lunch or brunch idea that is fast and easy.

Ingredients:

2 whole eggs

1 cup egg substitute

A teaspoon of cream or milk (add to beaten eggs. This makes it fluffy)

Frozen Spinach and/or any veggies you like to eat

mozzarella cheese

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 slice bread toasted

In a large skillet saute the veggies in a little bit of oil, or Pam if you are really watching calories. Once the veggies or soft add the bread(cut in cubes) to the mixture and mix a bit. After that, in a greased casserole dish add the veggie bread mix, the eggs(which have been beaten with the cream), salt, pepper, and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at  350*  or until browned on top.

Enjoy!

Z

Joujou’s Mafrum

Mafrum is a North African Jewish Dish eaten on Shabbat and high holidays. In this case it is an artichoke heart stuffed with meat lightly fried and cooked for hours on a low simmer in a tomato sauce. Delish!

No ordinary Chicken

I was experimenting in the kitchen today. My mom asked me to make something special for dinner. Something special… what does that mean!? So I decided I would do something completely new, something I had never done before.. Thankfully it was delish!!!

Not sure yet what I am going to call it. So if anyone has any ideas send them in.

Ok no more talk, now lets get to business. The recipe!

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs and legs(about 5 pieces of each= 10 pieces total)

5 bundles of green scallions

5 cloves of garlic

one full ginger(grated)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Chop the scallions, grate the ginger, finely mince the garlic and add it in a bowl with the salt, pepper and oil. Mix it all together and cover every piece of chicken with the scallion mixture. Put on a baking pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until done at 375*. Half way through turn the chicken and coat each piece with the oil and scallion  sauce  that has been cooking in the baking pan.

The onions cook down and the mixture becomes a fabulous sauce for the chicken, which may I add is very flavorful and moist. But it is the combination of ginger, garlic, and scallion that make this dish.

Serve with rice or a alone with a salad. Hope you enjoy!!!

-Z

Sesame Beef!!

Who doesn’t  love  chinese food! Its so much fun and   good anytime. Its delish.. noodles, sesame chicken with rice, egg rolls, YUM! The problem is, although it’s full of flavor, and very tasty, most chinese takeout is also full of msg, fat, and who knows what else. Just because  take out chinese is not good for you, it  does not mean you cannot still enjoy the delicious flavors of  chinese cuisine.

I made a version of sesame beef (sesame beef  is usually fried in a batter and bathed in msg filled sauce) that is healthy and still full of flavor.

Ingredients:

brocolli

beef cut into strips

oil

sesame seeds

sauce:

1/2  cup soy sauce

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

grated ginger

2 cloves grated garlic

chili flakes( optional)

grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

rice flour( for thickening)

Fist make the sauce.-Add all the ingredients and let simmer for a bit(except the rice flour). Then after a minute or so add the rice flour and stir in making sure nothing globs together. Set aside

Add a bit of oil in your saute pan and let heat up for a bit. Then add the broccoli and let it cook. After about five minutes of cooking, add the beef and let cook as well.  I cook the broccoli first and then add the beef because my mom likes softer broccoli. The beef is cut in thin strips, so it takes less time to cook. When you feel your beef is almost done, pour the sauce on top and  cover all the beef and broccoli. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy over rice!!!

Hope you try this recipe. Who needs fried beef when you can have the same flavors minus the crazy amount of  calories!

-Z

Low Fat Quiche

Hey everyone! I know it has been a while since I have posted and I apologize.  But I am back with a great recipe that I wanted to share with you guys.

Tonight I wanted something warm and comforting.  This winter has been chilly and nothing warms the body and soul then a slice of quiche. The problem is that quiche is quite fattening and not always good for the hips. So I came up with this recipe that allows one to enjoy the taste and flavor, but not suffer from all the calories.

Ingredients:

1 cup egg whites

1 whole egg

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup olives(any veggies you want)

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 whole wheat tortillas(cut all in half)

margarine to grease dish

To make the crust first grease the casserole dish and  place the tortilla halves in the  dish (make sure the whole dish is covered). Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Then mix all the other ingredients and place in the crust. How easy is that!!!

Bake for 45 minutes or until completely set.

Enjoy the Quiche!

***Tip****

If you want to make it healthier, and full of veggies: mushrooms, onions, bellpeppers etc.. I recommend you saute the veggies first and let them caramelize.  Then add them to the egg and cheese mix and bake. This gives an extra dimension of flavor.

New Years means teriyaki and thai cucumbers

Happy New Years everyone!!!  I made a fabulous dinner tonight. It was so good that my brother took the whole plate and left the rest of us about a leg each…He needs to learn to share. P.s. my brother is 20 not 2.  I wanted to share this dish with everyone because it was easy, finger likin good and a real success with my family so I figured it would be with yours too.

The menu for the New Year: teriyaki glazed chicken, thai pickled cucumbers, and white rice. The sweetness of the glaze and the tanginess of the cucumbers compliment eachother very well. Enjoy and I hope you have a great New Year!!!

-Z

Teriyaki Chicken:

about 2 lbs of chicken

sesame seeds

grated fresh ginger

grated fresh garlic(2 cloves)

1/4 cup water

2/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp rice flour or corn starch to thicken the glaze

Make the sauce first: add the soy sauce, water, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small pot and let simmer. I also add chili sauce to give it a kick but that is optional. After five minutes  add the thickening agent(rice flour or corn starch). Remember to quickly stir over low heat so it does not glob. You want it thick but not too thick.

After washing the chicken pat it dry and place on baking sheet. (When you pat the chicken dry  the chicken will crisp better  in the oven.) Sprinkle with a bit of oil and cook at 350* for  25 degrees. After 25 minutes pour the glaze on the chicken and coat, then add sesame seeds.  Allow to cook another 25 minutes or until fully cooked. Turn chicken at least once to coat everything.

Thai pickled cucumber salad:

Persian cucumbers peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick

finely sliced red onions

Marinade:

3 tbsp water

2 tbsp white sugar

salt

1 tsp rice vineger

Bring marinade to boil. let cool and then add to the cucumber and onions. Let marinade for one hour and then enjoy. The longer it sits the better it tastes.

Cappuccino Muffins

Hello blogger buddies!! I have had dozens or e-mails come in about these muffins. You all want the recipe so here it is.

I got the recipe from  ”homecooking” but tweaked it a bit and added a few twists to make it better

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons instant  or instant coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup low fat  milk
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted and cooled
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, instant coffee, salt and cinnamon…. then  set aside.

In another bowl mix: milk, margarine , egg, and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture.  It is very important that you sift the dry ingredients so that it evenly combined together. Sifting just makes it better and fluffier..not sure why.

I then add semi sweet coco on top to make it look more fun. If you want mocha cappuccino muffins add chocolate chips.

cook until toothpick comes out clean.. around 25 minutes

The ones I made at the brunch had less coffee and instead of coco powder i topped it with a sweet cappuccino coffee mix. The less coffee you add the lighter color the batter is. But I like it with the three teaspoons of coffee better, which comes to a darker batter than the ones  in the pictures

They taste kinda pancakey and not so sweet that is why cherry jelly goes yummy with it. But its really what you like. They are great with coffee or tea.

Enjoy

-Z