EASY Vegetarian "Hamburger Helper"

I had Mushrooms and Spinach to use up, I wanted a quick and healthy lunch, I ended up with a bowl of comfort food and enough to freeze for future lunches or quick dinners!  I am calling it "Hamburger Helper" only because of the type of noodle and the cooking process, cooking the pasta in the sauce makes for a wonderful starchy broth, perfect for this kind of meal.  

Ingredients:


1 Red Onion, diced
1 Tbsp. EVOO
1 Pkg or 2 cups sliced Mushrooms
1 can Tomato Soup (I used Cambells)
3/4 C. Uncooked elbow macaroni
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 tsp dried chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Salt (or to taste)




OK so here it goes...Its easy!  Heat pan, add olive oil and diced onion, cook till onion is shiny and translucent. 
Add Mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes, add tomato soup, refill can with water twice and add to pan, stir.  Add salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes, bring to a boil, add elbo macaroni, cover with lid or foil and cook at medium heat for aprox. 1/2 hr... I recommend stirring it a couple times and keep an eye on the liquid, you might need to add another can of water for pasta to cook properly.
Once pasta is done, add the spinach, replace lid, turn off heat and let the spinach release its liquid.  
You do not have to limit yourself to the mushrooms, onions and spinach, this recipe lends itself to all combinations of veggies!  The tomato soup can also be replaced with sauce or diced tomatoes and their liquid, I feel the tomato soup adds a bit more of a "comfort food" experience to it.

Hamburger buns

Cold Smoked Salmon From Creekside Smokehouse in El Granada CA

Orange cookies

Broccoli Chicken

I made this for my family for the first time last night, it was delicious!!  If you do not want to velvet the chicken and fry it in oil, it would be fine stir fried at a high heat with minimal fat.  I might also add some freshly grated ginger as well, the recipe is easily adapted to other veggies ect.  

• Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• To Cook Broccoli:
• 1 pound broccoli
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, or to taste
• Other:
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• 3/4 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• To Velvet Chicken:
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes. In a bowl, mix together the egg white, cornstarch and salt. Add the egg white mixture to the chicken cubes, tossing or using your fingers to coat the chicken in the mixture. Marinate the velveted chicken in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce and vegetables: for the sauce, mix together the oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, and water in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water thickener and set aside. Wash and drain the broccoli. Cut the stalk diagonally into thin slices. Cut the flowerets into 3 or 4 pieces. Crush the garlic.
3. Preheat a wok. Heat 2 cups oil in the wok until it reaches 275 degrees Fahrenheit. (Test the heat by placing a piece of chicken in the wok - it should float). Add the chicken cubes, and let cook until they just turn white (about 30 seconds), using a wooden spoon or chopsticks to gently separate them. Quickly remove the chicken cubes from the wok as soon as they turn white, and drain in a colander or on paper towels.
4. Drain the oil out of the wok or preheat a second wok on medium high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the crushed garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds.
5. Add the broccoli, sprinkle the salt and sugar over, and stir fry briefly, turning down the heat if necessary to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the 1/2 cup water, and cook the broccoli, covered, for 4 - 5 minutes, until it turns a bright green and is tender but still crisp. Remove from the wok and drain.
6. Clean out the wok and heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the broccoli and the velveted chicken, stirring and tossing to cook the chicken through. Add the sauce and cornstarch mixture in the middle of the wok and stir quickly to thicken. Mix everything together and serve hot over steamed rice.

Waffles

This is my very favorite Waffle recipe!  I always double the recipe and freeze for busy school day breakfasts!

Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Soft Pretzel Bites WARNING ADDICTIVE

Words cannot describe the yumminess of these amazing nuggets of .....YUMM

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 F)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
coarse sea salt

On low speed, mix the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and 4 1/2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium knead until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.  Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray (or oil with with vegetable oil), add the dough and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Spray two baking sheets liberally with cooking spray.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each.  Roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches.  Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make pretzel bites.  Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches of about 10-15 for 30 seconds.  Remove with a large slotted spoon and place the pretzel bites on the prepared baking sheets, making sure they aren't touching.  Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt.  Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.