Veggie Frittata (Spinach, Tomato, Mushroom, Potato)

(Sorry if it doesn't look too appetizing in this photo :\ it's really good!)

I found the basis of this recipe on good ol' allrecipes.com but made some adjustments and made my own rendition of it. I simply used the recipe to understand the steps but then added some additional ingredients (just bc I liked the additional ingredients and who can say no to more veggies?!). In all honesty, whatever veggies you have on hand, add them in if you think they'll add to the flavor or if you just like them and would like to throw them in, Try it out! That's what cooking is all about! So here is my rendition below, feel free to check out the allrecipes.com version for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-5 small red potatoes, sliced
• about 3 cups fresh spinach
• about 2 cups cremini mushrooms, chopped
  
• 1 medium-sized tomato, diced (feel free to use more or different types)
  
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 cubes of frozen basil from Trader Joe's (freezer section); feel free to use dry/fresh basil
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 3 eggs, and liquid egg whites to makeup 3 additional eggs
  
• about 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand. I had a Mexican blend on hand, so just used that and just enough to sprinkle on top of the frittata)
• Recommended: spices for potato (garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
  

Recipe:

1. Take sliced potatoes and toss them around in a bowl with some oil, salt/pepper, and whatever spices you have on hand (I used garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. (Note: may take longer)
   
3. Add in chopped mushroom and cook until they have browned a bit, about 3-4 minutes (and if you're adding other veggies, add them to the mix in the order of longest time to cook to shortest time to cook).
4. Mix in spinach, tomatoes, garlic, basil. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.
   
5. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese on top. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm. (it took a while for my eggs to completely cook throughout the frittata. I ended up cutting it open to see if the insides were done, took longer than 5-7 minutes)

Chana Masala

Sorry for my delay in posting something new. I've been wanting to contribute but haven't had a chance to really cook anything really substantial since I've moved into SF in March! Major fail on my end.

Well, I was really determined to post something so I decided to make chana masala, partly to use a pile of dried chick peas that I've had for awhile and also to use some spices I had bought in Berkeley at Vik's Chaathouse awhile back. I found a recipe off smittenkitchen.com that looked really doable and quite yummy.

Substitutions: I substituted a half lemon for the amchoor powder as she had suggested in the recipe. I also used a can of diced tomatoes that I cut up further. Instead of ground coriander, I had whole coriander that I tried to ground up, but that wasn't too successful. Next time, I'd definitely buy ground coriander. Also, I used 4 teaspoons of ground cumin instead of 2 tsp ground cumin and 2 tsp toasted cumin seeds.

The recipe is here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/. (picture is from my iPhone, so sorry for the quality)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta

I found this recipe on Eatingwell.com when I was looking for a pasta that was light and not too heavy/creamy/unhealthy.

Just made it last night, and it came out very light, so if you're looking for a creamy dense pasta, this is not the winner!

Note: I didn't really follow the recipe word for word, but I don't think it makes that big of a difference since you just need to make sure the sausage and pasta are cooked. The rest is up to you. I may add in cremini mushrooms next time I make this to add some more veggies. My own commentary is in indigo.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces whole-wheat short pasta, such as shells or twists (I used rotini, whatever you have on hand)
  
• 8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings (I used spicy chicken italian)
  
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 cups arugula, or baby spinach (only had 6 cups. ohwell)
  
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (used 1 medium-sized chopped tomato)
  
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Recipe:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 9 to 11 minutes, or according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon (I was lazy and chopped up the sausages before cooking) , until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, arugula (or spinach) and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the greens wilt and the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and keep warm.
3. Combine 1/2 cup cheese, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid; drain the pasta. Whisk the cooking liquid and oil into the cheese mixture; add the pasta and toss to combine. Serve the pasta topped with the sausage mixture and an extra sprinkle of cheese, if desired.

Per serving (this makes 6 servings): 352 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 2 g mono ); 26 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 18 g protein; 6 g fiber; 382 mg sodium; 379 mg potassium.

"Like Crack" Mexican Corn Dip - By Diana's Mama

This dip is actually credited to one of my really good friends from home's mother. From good ol' Statesville, NC (smalll smalll town on the outskirts of Charlotte, NC where I'm from)

Although semi-unhealthy, a definite winner for party dips and usually always one of the first things to disappear! ALSO VERY EASY TO MAKE, mix and bake.

Ingredients:

• 1 (11oz) can of Mexican corn ("mexicorn"), drained
• 1 (4oz) jar chopped pimento, drained
• 2 oz jalapeno peppers or green chilies, finely chopped (i use more and definitely use jalapenos if you like a 'lil kick, unless you can find the HOT green chilies)
• 1 cup shredded monterey chesse (i use colby jack or a mix)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup mayonnaise (i use light)

Recipe:

1. Mix and place in shallow baking dish. (I usually cover the top of with cheese as well so that there's a melted cheese shell on top)
   
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (or until cheese is melted).
   
3. Serve with tortilla chips.