Spinach and Shells

I love bake ziti, so when I found this recipe in Kosher by Design: Teens and 20-Somethings which made it healthy I was so excited to try it.  It's a bit dry, so you may need to add more tomato sauce then it originally says, I did.

Spinach and Shells

1 box medium or large pasta shells, not jumbo

salt

1 (10-ounce) box frozen spinach, defrosted for 2 minutes in the microwave

2 cups (or a 15-ounce container) part-skim ricotta cheese

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups favorite jarred marinara sauce, divided

4 ounces shredded muenster or mozzarella cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Spray a 10-inch round or square oven-to-table casserole dish (or aluminum pan) with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted, rapidly boiling water according to the package instructions, until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Squeeze the water out of the spinach.  Place the spinach into a large mixing bowl.  Add the ricotta cheese, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

5. Add the cooked shells and stir.

6. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in an even layer in the baking dish.

7. Pour the spinach and shells into the dish.  Top with remaining sauce.

8. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.

9. Bake, uncovered, for 25-35 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to brown.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

Mushroom-Egg Salad & Guacamole on Wonton Crisps

I saw this recipe in the new Chic cookbook.  It is so easy but looks so fancy.  If you are serving it on Shabbos day, put the wonton crisps in a paper bag not plastic so they stay crispy.  Plate right before serving, otherwise the crisps will become soggy from the egg salad and guacamole.  I made the guacamole on Shabbos day so that it would not turn brown.

Mushroom Egg Salad and Guacamole on Wonton Crisps

Egg Salad

6 large eggs (hard boiled)

1 large (15-ounce) can mushrooms

1 large onion

about 4 tbps. mayonnaise

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1. Chop the onion and sauté it until lightly brown in olive oil.

2. Cut the mushrooms into finer pieces (they are very large in the can).  Then add the mushrooms to the onions and sauté for a few more minutes.

3. Mush the eggs and add mayonnaise like with regular egg salad.  Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to season to taste.

4. Add the onions and mushrooms.

Guacamole

4 Hass avocados

1 lime, juiced (or about 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 ground cumin

1 garlic clove (fresh or frozen) minced

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)

Scallions (for decoration)

1. Halve the avocados and remove the pits.  In a large bowl, mash the avocados with the lime (or lemon) juice.

2. Combine with the salt, cumin, garlic and mayonnaise.  Top with the tomatoes if desired.

3. If making the guacamole in advance, place the avocado pits in the center of the guacamole to prevent it from oxidizing.

Wonton Crisps

12 wonton wrappers (3-4 inches thick)

Oil, for frying

Paper towels for soaking up the oil

1. In a skillet or small pot, heat the oil over medium heat until very hot.

2. Fry the wonton wrapper in the oil for 10-12 seconds total, flipping it half-way through (the wonton should be light brown because they continue to cook outside of the oil).  Frying one wrapper at a time, helps keep them from burning.

3. Remove the wrapper from the oil and place them on a paper towel until they are cooled.

4. Keep the wrappers in a brown paper bag until you are ready to use them.

Assembly

1. Place a wonton crisp on a small plate.

2. Place a scoop of egg salad on top of the crisp.

3. Place another crisp on top of the egg salad.

4. Place a scoop of guacamole on top of the second crisp.

5. Place two pieces of scallion on top of the guacamole for decoration.

Enjoy!!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs and spaghetti is one of my favorite foods, so when my mom made this recipe for me I fell in love with it.  I actually like it over traditional meatballs.  I decided to make mini-meatballs over a bed of rice to serve as an appetizer for Friday night Shabbos dinner and it was a huge hit.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 large egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1 (16-ounce) can of whole berry cranberry sauce

1 (26 ounce) jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1. Place the ground beef into the mixing bowl.  Add the egg, breadcrumbs, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to the beef.

2. Mush the mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated.

3. Form the mixture into balls between the size of a dime or nickel (for smaller meatballs) and quarter or half-dollar size (for larger meatballs).

4. Pour the cranberry sauce and the marinara sauce into a medium pot.  Place the pot over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon every few minutes until the sauce is smooth/the marinara and the cranberry sauce are incorporated).

5. Add the meatballs to the pot slowly, being careful not to have the sauce spray up and burn you.

6. Set the heat as low as possible.

7. Cover the pot and cook for about 40 minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Mousse

I love peanut butter and I love mousse, so when I found this recipe in the new Chic cookbook I was soo excited to try it.  I've made it twice and each time people can't get enough of it.  The second time I made it, I made a double batch and put them into chocolate mold cups with cut-up strawberries on top and a chocolate syrup (I used nestle - it's pareve) drizzle underneath and once those were finished, my guests asked if there was more mousse - I ended up bringing out the 2nd batch and people ate it plain.  It's SOO good and soo easy.  For the pareve cream cheese you can use Tofutti brand or Trader Joe's makes a pareve cream cheese which is very good and cheaper.

Peanut Butter Mousse

1 cup peanut butter

4 oz (1/2 cup) non-dairy whip topping

1/2 cup coconut (or soy or almond) milk

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 container (8 oz) non-dairy cream cheese

1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract (not necessary if you don't have it, I didn't use it the 2nd time I made this recipe)

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the peanut butter, whip topping, coconut (or soy or almond) milk, confectioners' sugar, pareve cream cheese, and vanilla.

2.  Whip the mixture for about 5 minutes until it begins to stiffen.

3.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sticks

This recipe was soo easy to make and took no time at all.  They were really good.  I mixed white chocolate chips and regular chocolate chips but you can use whichever you like.  You can also use nuts.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sticks

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup regular chocolate chips


1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
4) In a large mixing bowl (or Kitchen-Aid), combine the oil, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.  Mix in the egg.
5) Stir in half the cocoa mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms (about 1 minute on a low speed).  Stir in the rest of the cocoa mixture.  Using your hands, knead the chips (or nuts) into the dough - they won't fully incorporate only mixing with a Kitchen-Aid or hand mixer.
6) Transfer half the dough to the prepared sheet.  Form the dough into a long log, about 3-4 inches wide.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Leave 2-3 inches of space between the logs to allow for spreading.
7) Bake fore 25 minutes (no longer - you want the biscotti's to remain soft inside).
8) Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet.  This will give you room to cut the logs into sticks when they have cooled.  Using a knife, cut cooled logs into 3/4-inch slices.

Enjoy!!