Little Quinoa Patties

I've had this recipe in my binder for a while and finally got around to making it. We're big fans of quinoa in our house and I like to make it on days that I don't feel like having meat for dinner. I cook my quinoa(in chicken broth) in my pressure cooker which takes 2 minutes to cook! I've never made it on the stove but I think it only takes 15 minutes. I didn't have fresh parsley, but I think next time I make these I would prefer the fresh over the dry. 1 cup dry quinoa makes about 3 to 3 1/2 cups cooked quinoa. I am freezing one patty that I had left over to see if it freezes well. I'll report back! Also, I didn't have time for the quinoa to cool down to room temp. so I put it in the freezer for a few minutes and it worked like a charm. 

Little Quinoa Patties

Yield: Makes 11-12 patties

Note: I like to cook my quinoa in low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. It adds more flavor. If you choose to cook the quinoa in water, you might need to add a bit more salt to compensate. Also, don't forget to rinse the quinoa before cooking - it makes a huge difference! Also, you can probably tell that this recipe is extremely adaptable. Quinoa works well with nearly any flavor, so feel free to change things around, up the spices, add onions, peppers, different kind(s) of cheese. Really, the sky's the limit here.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers or bread crumbs, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley, cheese and garlic. Add the cracker or bread crumbs. Stir the mixture until combined. If the mixture seems overly wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cracker or bread crumbs. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Let it stand for about five minutes so the liquid can be somewhat absorbed. Take small handfuls of the mixture and form into little patties, about 1-inch thick, yielding about 11 or 12 patties.
2. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add a single layer of patties (about half of them if you are using a 12-inch skillet) and cook until the bottoms are well-browned, about 5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning (or increase heat if the patties aren't browning well). Flip the patties and cook about 5 minutes more until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining patties (adding a bit more olive oil, if needed). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sour Cream Potato Salad

Dressing

4 hard cooked eggs, separated

2/3 c. mayonaise

¾ c. sour cream

1 ½ t. mustard

1/3 c. Italian salad dressing

1 t. salt

Salad

½ lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/3 c. chopped green onion

7 c. potatoes, cooked, cooled and cubed (about 7 medium potatoes)

1 c. celery, diced or abt. 1 t. celery seeds

-Mash egg yolks and blend with mayonaise, sour cream, mustard and salad dressing in a small  bowl.

-Chop egg whites and combine with bacon, onion, celery and potatoes in a large bowl.

-Gently combine dressing and salad ingredients.  Refrigerate.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Bake

I don't know about you, but do you ever have those nights when you have no clue whats for dinner and there's not much in the fridge?  I have them far too often, especially in the summer.  I found this recipe in a magazine about 5 years ago and I love it because it is easy and really good.  

The recipe calls for regular monterey jack cheese but I have substituted that with monterey jack cheese with red peppers and dang its so good! (found it at Target)

6 slices white bread, crust trimmed and cut into 1" pieces

8 oz ham, diced (I buy the pre-diced pkg)

2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

3 Tbls finely chopped green onions

6 lg eggs

1/2 c milk

salt and pepper

2 roma tomatoes, thinkly sliced

**note you can substitute whatever cheese or meat you may have on hand like bacon or sausage and cheddar or swiss

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 2qt baking dish.  Layer the bread, ham, 2 cups cheese and 2 Tbsp green onion in the dish.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Pour in to the dish and top with the tomato slices in an even layer.

2.  Bake the eggs until nearly set, about 30 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c cheese and 1 Tbls green onions on top and bake until golden  (I skip the extra green onions, but add to your liking)

Peaches and Cream Sensation

YIELD: SERVES 8

Note: To moderate the sweetness of this dessert, it's best to taste your peaches before making the dessert. If they are overly sweet, decrease the powdered sugar in the cream mixture. If they aren't very sweet, you might consider increasing the amount of powdered sugar by a bit to help the peaches out a little. Also, in case anyone wonders, I haven't made this or tried it with canned or frozen peaches.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
• 2 sleeves graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
Creamy Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 5-6 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thinly

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Stir in the melted butter until combined. Take out 1/3 cup of the crumbs and set aside for later. Press the remaining mixture on the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the rest of the dessert.
2. In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat together the powdered sugar and cream cheese until light and smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Pour in the cold heavy cream and mix on low (to avoid spatters) until the mixture starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
3. Spread a thin layer of the cream filling over the chilled crust, about 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Layer the sliced peaches over the top of the cream. Dollop the remaining cream over the top of the peaches in large blobs and spread carefully to cover the peaches completely. Spread the cream filling all the way to the edges of the pan so that the peaches are well sealed inside the cream (otherwise if prepared in advance, the air can make the peaches turn an off-brown color). Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker mixture over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours before serving. Cut into pieces, scoop onto a plate and serve.

Why I love this dessert:  it' yummy (hello it has the word "Cream" in it!)  easy to make, quick, if you are a fast peach slicer:) makes a lot and doesn't require use of the oven.  Say no more, you should make this!

The Best Blueberry Muffins

Made this recipe I got off of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and they were quite yummy! I used fresh blueberrries. Note: I  have started using parchment paper cupcake liners and I love them!

Yield: Makes 12-16 muffins

Note: I’ve made these with fresh or frozen blueberries…both work great but use fresh, if you can. I’ve also made them eliminating the blueberry syrup step and tossing both cups of blueberries in with the flour mixture. You don’t get the delicious blueberry syrup effect on top of the muffin, but they do come together more quickly and are packed with blueberries (still top them with the lemon-sugar mixture).

Ingredients

Lemon-Sugar Topping:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest from one lemon
Muffins:
• 2 cups frozen blueberries (or 2 cups fresh)
• 1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
2. For the muffins, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse one cup frozen berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour – don’t overmix. This is the key to moist and tender muffins.
4. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer (or a chopstick), gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.
5. Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.