Miniature Crustless Spinach Quiches

Yield: 3 1/2 dozen quiches
8 eggs
1/4 cup cream
1 10-oz package spinach (thawed, drained and squeezed dry)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Mix together eggs, cream, garlic, nutmeg and salt. Add spinach. Grease mini muffin tins. Add about a teaspoon of feta cheese to each cup, and fill with egg/spinach mixture about 2/3 of the way to the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. You may want to finish under the broiler for a bit to brown the tops a little.

from the quinces and the pea

Tin Roof Cheesecake

Makes 1 small 5″ cheesecake.
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 3/4 oz. chocolate wafers (~7 cookies)
2 tablespoons halved roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
For the chocolate covered peanuts:
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey (or corn syrup)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup halved roasted unsalted peanuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a small 5” spring form pan.
In a food processor, make the crust by grinding together the chocolate wafers, peanuts, sugar, salt and melted butter. Pour the mixture into the spring form pan, and pack it down and up the sides of the pan. Pack very well using a shot glass or small glass.
Bake the crust on a baking sheet for 8 or 9 minutes. When done, remove from oven and turn the oven down to 300°.
Meanwhile, beat together all cheesecake ingredients. Beat until very well combined, but don’t over do it—you’ll put too much air in the batter and cause cracks in your final product.
Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 36-38 minutes, until the center is slightly jiggly but not wet when you touch it.
Leave the cheesecake in the oven, but turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Let sit for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, move the cheesecake to a wire rack to cool another 30 minutes.
Finally, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and then cover with plastic wrap before moving it to the refrigerator. All of these steps ensure that your cheesecake will not crack or deflate.
Let the cheesecake chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate covered peanuts: have ready a sheet pan lined with wax paper or a silicone mat.
Combine all ingredients except peanuts in a double boiler and melt over low heat (you can also use your microwave on 20-second pulses). Once chocolate is melted and shiny, stir in the peanuts. Immediately pour this mixture onto the awaiting sheet pan and let cool until set in the fridge (~10 minutes).
When ready to serve the cheesecake, unmold it carefully from the spring form pan, move it to a plate and decorate with large chunks of the chocolate covered peanuts.

From (lost source, sorry!)

Asian Baked Tofu

Asian Tofu Marinade Ingredients:
1 Tbsp rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp sugar or agave syrup
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger OR 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic OR 1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
pinch cayenne
fresh ground black pepper

How to marinate the tofu:
Open a package of extra-firm tofu, pour out the liquid, and gently squeeze the tofu between the palm of your hands to get rid of the excess water.
Cut the tofu into one-inch chunks. Place the tofu in a medium sized bowl.
In a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients and whisk them together, or screw on a lid and shake until well combined.
Drizzle the marinade over the tofu and toss to coat evenly. Cover the tofu with a lid.
Let the tofu marinate in the fridge, anywhere from 30 minutes to a full day. I let mine marinate overnight.

How to roast tofu:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the marinated tofu onto the baking sheet and spread the tofu in an even layer.
Bake for 15 minutes, flip the tofu so it bakes evenly, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Enjoy!
This method is more labor intensive than some, but the end result is totally worth the effort. It’s full of flavor, and so good for you. Save any leftover tofu for a salad or a snack!

The most interesting tip I picked up is that if you freeze the package of tofu, the tofu develops a more meat-like texture. The longer the tofu stays frozen, the more dense it becomes. All you have to do is defrost it in the microwave or in the refrigerator. Who knew?

From CookieandKate

Milk Chocolate Brownies

She used 18 snack size Reese’s cups for this, slightly offset to get a piece of peanut butter cup in as many bites as possible.

Any brownie recipe should do, although I don’t recommend really dark brownie recipes or very cake-like brownies. But let’s face it. These are brownies with peanut butter cups inside them. You can’t really mess up.

from Gourmet via Epicurious

DOUBLE IF MAKING PEANUT BUTTER CUP BROWNIES

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
8 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cover 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray or parchment paper.

3. Melt butter and half of the chocolate over low heat until both are completely melted. (Personally, I would actually recommend melting all 8 ounces in one go to give a sweeter taste throughout, especially if you’re making the peanut butter brownies).

4. Remove from heat and cool for approximately five minutes. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla, then beat in eggs one by one until smooth.

5. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl, whisk, then stir into chocolate mixture. If only half of chocolate was added in Step 3, stir in remaining chocolate.

6. For Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, pour half of batter into pan and top with eighteen Reese’s cups as discussed above.

7. Pour second half into pan, completely covering Reese’s cups, and bake for approximately an hour for peanut butter cup brownies, or 25-30 minutes for regular brownies. This will vary greatly based on how thick your brownies are. Once the top of the brownies no longer jiggles when the rack is moved, remove brownies. Brownies will be lightly fudgy in middle when finished.

from snarkysweets

Made this lentil dish and really liked it.  I like lentils and find they are filling for the calorie count -- high bang for the buck!

Lentil Stew (found online)

1lb bag of green lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 – 32 oz box chicken or turkey stock (or broth if unavailable)
1 medium to large brown onion, diced
4 carrots, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1 – 28 oz can diced tomatoes (used low-sodium)
1 large russet potato, diced (about 4 cups) ( I used a sweet potato)
6 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste) (I used WAY less, and frozen.)
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large Crockpot and set to low for 6 hours. Stir after 3 hours if possible. (I think I cooked it on high for 3 hours, until it seemed done.) Serve with extra veggies - greenbeans, broccoli, spinach, etc. Made 10 servings for me, each was about 1.25cups and 185 calories.  I also added some roasted chicken breast to some of the servings.  Freezes well.

My Quinoa Salad

Going to a friend's house and supposed to take a salad... ran through many options in my head, but running short on time. Decided to try to make do with items already in my house... here's the "recipe"...  I thought it turned out pretty well. It's mostly veggies, with some quinoa added.

-100 calories of cooked quinoa (about a half cup, I used two small prepackaged, frozen servings I had in freezer.)
-half a can of garbanzo beans (200cal)
-a smallish tomato, seeded and chopped
-1/5 of a red pepper, chopped
-a handful of spinach, ribboned
-artichoke hearts from a jar, packed in water, about 10 quarters, sliced.
-juice from one lemon
-cumin (just shook it, but not too much, barely to taste.)

This made 3 large servings for us - I calculate it to be about 145cal per serving.

I also added about 35 cal of chopped avocado to each plate when I served it. Really good with the flavors of the salad. Add at the end though or it will totally break down as you mix.

Thought later about taking a TBS of humus and thinning it out with the lemon juice to make a thicker dressing. I like straight lemon, but not everyone does... and it doesn't exactly hold the salad together at all.

Quinoa Recipe with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Leeks and Slivered Almonds

This elegant and easy grain dish is vegan and gluten-free. Plump golden raisins add a burst of sweetness. Slivered almonds add some crunch.

First- make your quinoa.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Sea salt, to taste

Add the quinoa and water to a pot (or do it my way- in a rice cooker- here's how) and season with sea salt, to taste. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook the quinoa until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.

Meanwhile- preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a roasting pan, combine:

1 leek, washed, trimmed, sliced
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, halved (or quartered, if large)
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
1/4 cup plump golden raisins, packed
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
Sea salt, to taste
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried dill

To serve:

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Toss the prepared Brussels sprouts, almonds, and golden raisins in the olive oil. Sprinkle with golden balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt, minced garlic and dill; and toss to coat. Roast for roughly 20 to 25 minutes, stirring at least once, until the Brussels sprouts are tender, and browned a bit.

Remove the pan from the oven. Add in the fluffed cooked quinoa and chopped parsley. Drizzle with fruity extra virgin olive oil, to taste. Add sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine the roasted Brussels sprouts and hot cooked quinoa.

Yield: Serves 4

from glutenfreegoddess

Zesty Mahi Mahi

serves 2

1 1/3 pound mahi mahi (I used 2 fillets)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 jalapeno, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
juice of 1 lemon
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
salt & pepper
For topping:

1/4 cup basil, chopped
2 tblsp minced garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tblsp buttermilk
3 tblsp minced shallot
In a medium size bowl, mix the 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup minced garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar. Stir to combine. Place the mahi mahi in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish & marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the chopped basil, 2 tblsp minced garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, buttermilk, and minced shallot in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the fridge. Liberally salt and pepper the fish. Bake in the dish with the marinade for 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Remove the fish from the oven and top with the basil mixture. Enjoy while hot!

Health Tip: Mahi mahi is a great source of selenium, which is essential for proper thyroid functioning. Just one 3-oz piece of cooked mahi mahi contains 40 mcg, that’s 57% of the daily recommended amount of 70 mcg.

from EatHealthyFeelGood

Baked Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

adapted slightly from Cookin' Canuck

Meatballs
1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced


Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and spray with cooking spray.

Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and use your hands to combine until evenly distributed - try not to overmix. Using about 2 tablespoons of the mixture (I just eyeballed it), form the meatballs by rolling the mixture into a ball in your hands. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

To make the sauce: Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a small pan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

When the meatballs have finished cooking, remove them from the oven and brush liberally with the sauce then return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.

from tracey'sAdventures

Turkey Meatloaf

Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 pepperoncini peppers, sliced
• 1/4 cup salad green olives, chopped
• 1 cup bread crumbs, plain
• 1 zucchini, coarsely grated (~1 cup)
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 TBSP garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp black pepper, fresh cracked
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup milk, whole
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce, parmesan tomato herb
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated

Directions
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix quickly just to combine. Don't overwork the mixture or you'll get a compact loaf.
Loosely form the mixture into a loaf and lightly press into a 9x5 loaf pan. Top with parmesan tomato herb sauce and spread evenly over surface. Bake for 40 mins at 325° F.
Remove from oven. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, then return to oven and bake another 10 mins.
Remove from oven. Serve turkey meatloaf hot. Goes great with garlic mashed potatoes, portobello mushrooms, and peas-and-carrots. Enjoy!
from Basil-Kitchen