Cookie Dough Dip

Cookie Dough Dip (from Add a Pinch, Total Time: 10 minutes, Servings: 24)

Ingredients

·         1 8 oz. package cream cheese

·         ½ cup butter (I used margarine with no issues)

·         1 cup powdered sugar

·         2 Tbsp. brown sugar

·         1 ½ tsp. vanilla

·         2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

1.      Cream together cream cheese and butter.

2.      Add all remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined.

3.      Serve with graham crackers.

Another easy recipe that I made for the neighborhood Progressive Dinner.  Since this uses cream cheese, I didn’t think that I would like it all that much, but it was so much better than I expected.  The dip does not have an overwhelming cream cheese taste – in fact, when I eat it, I taste more of the chocolate chips than anything.  It is very sweet!  I used 2 cups of chocolate chips instead of the 1/1 chocolate/toffee combo recommended in the recipe.   I think that I could have downsized that to about 1.5 cups – 2 is a bit too much and overwhelms the dip.  I don’t think that it  tastes like cookie dough, but that’s OK.   I received a lot of compliments on this one and somebody asked for the recipe!  My husband is a cream cheese fan, but he did not like it.  He didn’t tell me if it was taste or texture, but I expect it is the texture of the chips paired with the creaminess of the cream cheese dip.  I was surprised that he didn’t like it, but oh well.  I plan to make it again for my mother and step-father – I know that they’ll love it!

Vegetable Meatloaf with Roasted Root Vegetables

Vegetable Meatloaf with Roasted Root Vegetables (adapted from LaaLoosh and KraftFoods, Servings: 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes)

Vegetable Loaf

Ingredients

·         1 ¼ lb. Morningstar Farms burger crumbles, thawed

·         1 medium yellow onion, diced

·         1 large zucchini, shredded

·         1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

·         3 medium carrots, shredded

·         1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

·         ½ lb. mushrooms, chopped

·         4 garlic cloves, minced

·         ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats

·         ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

·         2 Tbsp. tomato paste

·         ¼  cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

·         ¼ cup liquid egg substitute

·         ½ tsp. paprika

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1.)    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf-sized baking pan with foil.

2.)    Spray a nonstick skillet with nonfat cooking spray. Saute the onion until softened – about 3-5 minutes. Add in the carrots, celery, and bell pepper, and cook for another 3-5 minutes to soften the veggies. Add in the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and sauté about 3 more minutes.

3.)    In a large bowl, combine the burger crumbles, oats, parsley, egg substitute, applesauce, tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper. Fold in the veggies.

4.)    Empty the mixture into your baking pan, and shape mixture into a loaf form with your hands.

5.)    Bake about 1 hour.

6.)    Remove from oven and let stand about 10-15 minutes. Cut into 6 equally sized slices.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate because I had a lot of items from a CSA box to use)

·         1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut in half

·         1 lb. turnips, peeled, cut into small pieces

·         ½ lb. new potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ lb. red potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ lb. purple potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ cup  KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

·         ¼ cup Romano cheese

Directions

1.)    Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.)    Toss vegetables with dressing; spread onto bottom of 15x10x1-inch pan.

3.)    Bake 30 min.

4.)    Mix vegetables.  Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 5 min. or until potatoes are tender.

I really wanted to make the Meatloaf recipe and had a ton of veggies from a CSA delivery, so decided to make the Root Vegetables to go with it.  I think it all ended up pretty darn delicious, although my husband would disagree.  He was not a fan of the meatloaf (probably too many veggies for him) and he was OK with the root veggies. 

I’ll start with the Meatloaf – the texture is not right for a meatloaf, it actually falls apart on your plate.  I recommend increasing the rolled oats to 1 cup or more and maybe taking out the egg substitute.  Other than that, I liked it!  There is a slight crunch from the onions and celery, but overall a very chewy texture.  The taste is slightly peppery/garlicky.  I definitely plan to make it again.

The Root Vegetables also ended up pretty good.  I’ve had Brussels Sprouts once and hated them, but I didn’t hate them in this dish.  They aren’t my new favorite vegetable, but they’re not bad.  I actually started cooking this at 350 for the first 30 minutes because the meatloaf was in the oven, then added about 10-15 minutes at 400.  The new potatoes were slightly undercooked, but everything else tasted good.  This was also my first time having a purple potato!  The taste wasn’t different from the other potatoes in the dish.  The Italian dressing and Romano cheese worked well with the vegetables.  I think that I’ll be making something similar when my next CSA delivery comes next week!

Mexican Black Bean Pizza

Mexican Black Bean Pizza (slight adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 8, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 10 oz. package refrigerated pizza dough (the grocery store only had larger sizes, so I bought what they had)

·         1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley

·         2 Tbsp. salsa

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         ¼ tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce

·         2 cloves garlic, quartered

·         1 cups shredded taco cheese

·         ½ cup chopped red sweet pepper

·         ¼ cup sliced green onion (green and white parts)

·         ½ cup dairy fat-free sour cream

·         2 Tbsp. salsa

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.      Lightly grease an 11- to 13-inch pizza pan. Unroll pizza dough and transfer to greased pan, pressing dough out with your hands. Build up edges slightly. Prick generously with a fork. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
3.      Meanwhile, in a food processor bowl combine black beans, parsley, 2 tablespoons salsa, cumin, hot pepper sauce, and garlic. Cover and blend or process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides if necessary.
4.       Spread bean mixture over hot crust. Sprinkle with cheese, chopped red sweet pepper, and green onion. Bake about 10 minutes more or until cheese melts and pizza is heated through.
5.       In a small bowl combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons salsa. Serve pizza with sour cream mixture.

The original recipe says that this makes 4 servings, but I found that one slice (out of eight cut) was filling enough. Overall, I liked the recipe, but it was slightly dry, I would have liked some more veggies, and I did not care for the sour cream/salsa mixture.  It is husband-approved, he even ate the leftovers!  On the health side, it does OK, with a good mix of carbs and protein.  If you have eight servings instead of four, it is also OK for calories.

The bean mixture taste is interesting – almost like canned refried black beans that I bought at Trader Joe’s before.  If I make this again, I will add more hot sauce and salsa.  I would like it slightly creamier and hotter.  I used only 1 cup of shredded cheese instead of the recommended 1.5 cups.  The red pepper stays crisp and the green onions add a little pop to the flavor.  Again, if I make it again, I’ll add some more veggies, maybe some more peppers or tomatoes. The sour cream/salsa mixture was actually really bland, neither my husband or I enjoyed it.  It added some moisture to the dish, but I think I’ll just use straight salsa on my leftovers.

Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza

Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza (from Kraft Foods, Servings: 8, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. (8-1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix

·         1 red pepper, finely chopped

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         1 can (15-1/2 oz.) reduced sodium black beans or kidney beans, drained, rinsed

·         1 pkg.  (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

·         ¾ cup water

·         1 cup shredded taco Cheese, divided

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.      Prepare corn muffin batter as directed on package; spread into greased 12-inch pizza pan.

3.      Bake 8 to 10 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine peppers, corn and beans in medium saucepan. Add seasoning mix and water; cook 10 min., stirring occasionally.

4.      Sprinkle ½ cup cheese onto crust; top with bean mixture and remaining cheese.

5.      Bake 4 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

I did not have any eggs in the refrigerator, so I used applesauce as a replacement in the corn muffin mix – you couldn’t taste the difference.  I also made this dish in a 9x13 dish because I didn’t want the toppings to spill out over the sides of a pizza pan.  I used the black beans instead of kidney and the Hot & Spicy taco mix from the grocery store.  That and the taco cheese gave it an extra spicy kick.  Overall, I find this dish tasty, but it can be a little dry with the cornbread – I recommend topping with a dollop of salsa.  The peppers give it a little crunch, which plays nicely with the softer textures of all the other ingredients.  Although it could be better on the health side, halving the cheese (as I did in the instructions above) and using replacements in the corn muffin mix can help on calories and fat.  It says that it serves 8, but I think it’s more like 5 or 6.  I guess it depends on how hungry you are!

It is a keeper in my book, though not one that I will make too often – I want to just keep eating it. 

Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Tomato Zucchini Casserole (from AllRecipes, Servings: 4, Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese

·         1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         ½ tsp. dried oregano

·         ½ tsp. dried basil

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced

·         5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

·         ¼ cup margarine

·         2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

·         ¾ cup fine bread crumbs

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x9-inch pan.

2.      In a large bowl, combine Cheddar, Parmesan, oregano, basil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

3.      Arrange half of the zucchini slices in the pan. Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese and herb mixture on top. Arrange half of the tomatoes, and top with another ¼ of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers.

4.      Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in breadcrumbs; cook until they have absorbed the butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

5.      Cover loosely with foil, and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake until the top is crusty and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

This is not something that I would normally make because of the amount of cheese in it; however, I am glad that I tried it.  I made it for Easter lunch at my mother’s – I chose it because my stepfather is picky about the vegetables that he will eat.  Tomato and zucchini are both on the list.  Although it is not healthy, I made it according to the directions (for the most part, I did use margarine instead of butter) instead of trying to “health” it up.  I found that I needed 6-7 plum tomatoes, but I was using medium-sized ones.  If I was making it for myself, I would probably add another layer of veggies to the dish.   I also used triple cheddar instead of regular cheddar cheese.

Health aside, this dish was mmm-mmm, good.  It was very cheesy in the middle and the top had a nice crunchy, breading texture.  It was a tad runny because of the water from the tomatoes, so I recommend drying them or sprinkling with a little garlic salt before layering in the casserole.  My family loved it and wanted the recipe – they ate almost the whole dish, which has never happened before!  The zucchini also stayed a little crispy, which was a nice component with the tomatoes.  A winner in the taste department!  Just watch the portion control… 

Boston Caramel-Banana Cream Pie

Boston Caramel-Banana Cream Pie (from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 Graham Cracker Crust Pie Shell

·         ¼ cup margarine

·         ¾ cup  packed brown sugar

·         3 Tbsp. bourbon

·         1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

·         1 cup milk

·         ¾ cup Sour Cream

·         2 small bananas

·         1 cup thawed Whipped Topping

Directions

1.      Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add sugar; cook and stir 3 min. or until sugar is melted. Remove from heat; stir in bourbon. Cool.

2.       Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in sour cream. Let stand 5 min.

3.       Meanwhile, slice bananas; place in single layer on bottom of crust. Pour bourbon caramel sauce over bananas (reserve 1 Tbsp. for serving). Spoon pudding mixture over sauce; top with whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.

4.       Just before serving, pour 1 Tbsp. bourbon caramel sauce over pie.  Top with some banana slices if desired.

This was not a pie that would normally catch my eye, but I thought that my husband would enjoy it.  Again, not a healthy recipe, but one that can be made slightly more so by using fat-free sour cream and whipped topping as well as sugar-free, fat-free pudding mix and skim milk.

I made it for Easter lunch for my family, thinking they would enjoy it as well – and they did! I thought the taste of bourbon/caramel was overwhelming, but the rest of my family seemed to really enjoy it and even went back for seconds!  The pie did not set properly, most likely because I used fat-free sour cream and skim milk.  Just be careful if you make it – it needs to be on a flat surface.  If you use the adjustments I did, you may want to try freezing it for 1 hour prior to serving.  I also used fat-free whipped topping, and my family didn’t seem to mind at all!

Kid Shelleen’s – Trolley Square, Wilmington, DE

http://www.harrys-savoy.com/kidshelleens.asp

Kid Shelleen’s is a local watering hole with a Western theme.  There is a deck on the side of the building, which is nice in the summer.  As you walk into the restaurant, you are immediately presented with the bar – large and taking up at least ¼ of the front room.  To the left, there are tables and booths for restaurant patrons.  Large screen TVs abound, showcasing various sporting events (of course).  There is also a back room that is a little better for dining – away from the TVs and rowdier patrons.

I went to Kid’s with my husband and some members of his family.  We ordered the Colby Cheddar-Jack Queso and Chips to start.  Unfortunately, the Queso was barely lukewarm when it arrived, but the taste was good.  It was topped with some sliced green onions and tomatoes, not spicy at all.  Very appropriate for people who do not like hot food or children.  The chips were standard tortilla chips – lightly salted.

Even though I am usually against ordering burgers at restaurants, I decided to go for the Black Bean Burger.  I ordered it without a roll, but with lettuce, tomato, and red onion.  It comes with roasted red peppers and Colby cheddar-jack cheese, but, unfortunately, they did not top mine with the roasted red peppers.  I ordered sweet potato fries as my side dish.  The burger was dry and tasted like a Boca burger.  I am not a fan of Boca’s products, so this was highly disappointing.  The cheese helped give it a little moisture, but I think that it would need a healthy dose of salsa (or roasted red peppers) to taste good. The sweet potato fries were OK, salted, sweet.  Pretty standard.

Kid’s has a friendly atmosphere and is good for a drink, but as for vegetarian fare, I’ll probably head elsewhere.

El Tapatio – Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE

http://eltapatiode.com/restaurant/

I had a coupon deal to El Tapatio, so my husband and I went with two neighbors to the Mexican restaurant.  The outside looks like a mini-mart, but the inside is bright and vibrant.  Each booth is painted yellow and had different murals on the outside of the booth seats.  There are chandeliers over each table with different figures painted on the glass (i.e. suns, flowers).  Very colorful, very welcoming.  It definitely wakes you up!

I wish I enjoyed the food as much as I enjoyed the décor, but it was just your standard local Mexican joint food.  Nothing special.  Except the sangria – that was strong!  They served it without ice or any fruit accompaniments.  Tasty, but it got me tipsy with just one glass.

El Tapatio has a “Vegetarian’s Delight” section on their menu.  I ordered the Vegetarian Fajitas (to be served with beans, salad and tortillas), but ended up with the Quesadilla.  The quesadilla was filled with cheese, peppers, and onions.  The taste was OK, but it did not wow me.  It came with a  side of refried beans topped with cheese (I avoid refried beans at restaurants because they usually have lard in them), lettuce, one tomato, guacamole, and sour cream. 

Our neighbors ordered the churros for dessert.  Four churros arrived on a plate, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side.  Even though I do not care for cinnamon, I tried a piece.  They were good!  Soft  with just a hint of crunch on the exterior, and not really cinnamon-y.  They had a taste ore reminiscent of a sugared donut.

Overall, El Tapatio is OK, but I do not plan to go again.  The food is not amazing enough for me to make the trek to North Wilmington.

Kenzo Japanese & Asian Fusion Restaurant - Chambersburg, PA

One of my friends in Chambersburg, PA told me that she had been to Kenzo once and did not enjoy their food.  I completely disagree with her assessment.  My husband and I ate there and I loved the food that I had!  The service was a little lacking – there were about five tables seated at one time and the two waitresses on staff proceeded to serve all of the food to the tables that had already been sitting.  They did not even ask us for a drink order!  We waited about 15 minutes until somebody finally came to get our order.  I was on the verge of walking out, but I am glad that I didn’t.  The food was worth the wait!

Kenzo is a small restaurant in shopping complex that also houses Montezuma (one of two locations in Chambersburg) and a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins combo.  It is a small restaurant, with only about 10-12 tables (which makes the slow service even more confusing).  There is a small sushi bar with four or five seats at the back of the restaurant before the kitchen.  The atmosphere is quiet and a tad romantic (maybe because of dimmer lighting and dark-colored walls).  I felt comfortable, like it was a place I belonged.  I will give the servers and cooks some credit, though, they did get our food out rather quickly and were attentive after our initial wait.

I ordered the Vegetable Gyoza and a House Salad to start, followed by the Thai Original Curry (I picked green curry with tofu).  My husband ordered Roti Canai (Indian Pancakes) as an appetizer and some sushi as his main.  The Salad came out first – it was mixed greens with ginger dressing, simple, but the ginger dressing had a good flavor to it.  It was quite thick and they went heavy-handed with it.  I recommend asking for it on the side.   The Gyoza and Roti Canai came out next.  I ordered the Gyoza because during my adventures in Tokyo, my boss kept telling me I should try Gyoza, but we could only find meat-filled ones.  The Vegetable Gyoza at Kenzo are pan-fried and full of cabbage and spring onions.  I really enjoyed their taste, but the dipping sauce that they provided added a nice spicy kick to it.  It was a little too spicy for my husband, but I loved it!  The Roti Canai, according to the menu is a flavored Malaysian version of pancakes with curry dipping sauce.  I find the bread similar to naan, but slightly thinner with a bit of a fried crust.  The curry dipping sauce was yellow curry and had a hint of spice.  It was  very good.  My husband could not stop eating it!  He mostly ate that entire dish himself – I think I got two small pieces of pancake.

Now, on to my main dish – Thai Original Curry!  I am not sure which curry is the spiciest, but they had the options of yellow, green, and red.  I have had green curry before and found it to be just at the edge before I start to sweat.  The green curry at Kenzo was not quite to that level, but it had a delicious, beautiful curry taste with a kick of spicy heat.  The tofu was lightly fried and definitely not in short supply.  There was an abundance of green peppers and onions mixed with the curry and tofu and a little touch of potato.  They served the dish with a small side of rice;.  My mouth is watering just thinking about the food – the tofu was slightly chewy, the potatoes soft, and the onions and peppers slightly crunchy.  The curry soaked into the tofu and potatoes and clung to the peppers and onions.  I cannot wait to go back to Chambersburg to eat at Kenzo again!

Talula's Garden - Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA

http://talulasgarden.com/

My husband and I joined two friends at Talula’s Garden for Sunday brunch.  The restaurant is in the Washington Square area, just on the edge of the park.  You enter the restaurant by walking through a wrought-iron gate and their patio area.  Upon entering, you are invited in with tall ceilings and windows that let in a ton of light.  There are stone walls and three sections of seating – the main one you walk in to, one to the left in a slightly separate area, and one just ahead of you in the bar area.  We sat in a room with the bar.  Although the Brunch menu seems limited, there are a few vegetarian options, including a few egg dishes.  I did not choose one of these because we were there on the later side of brunch (almost 2 p.m.). 

I started my meal with the Tropical Influence Fresh Fruit, which consisted of Pineapple, Banana, Citrus, Pomegranate, Mint, and Elderflower Syrup. I was a little nervous at first because I have never had Elderflower Syrup, but I thought it was a very nice-tasting compilation of fruit.  The food was fresh (it looked like it had just been cut) and the syrup helped enhance the sweet flavor of the fruit.  I was slightly disappointed that the pomegranate was just a couple of strips, and not the seeds; also, the citrus was a couple segments of a mandarin orange, which I gave to my husband.  Overall, though, it was a good dish to start off with.

As my “main” I ordered the Orchard Pear Salad.  The salad included Red Watercress, Endive, Walnuts, Port Pears, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, and was coated in a Poppy Seed Dressing.  Unfortunately, I forgot to ask for the dish without the blue cheese (which I close to despise), but I was able to push it to the side (another unfortunate thing, most of the walnuts were stuck to the cheese, so they went uneaten as well).  However, the rest of the salad had a good taste - the pears were crisp and had been soaked in port wine (with just a slight tint of purple color around the edges) and their sweetness contrasted nicely with the more savory flavors of the endive and watercress.  The poppy seed dressing coated the salad, but was not too heavy – there were no puddles after I got through eating it.  As a side, I shared the Fried New Potatoes, Leeks, and Farmhouse Cheddar dish with my husband (although I ate most of it).  The potatoes did not have a standard cut, but that made the dish more interesting.  They were quite crispy and the cheese had a shredded-melted texture as opposed to a wetter-melted texture (i.e. what you get with Velveeta).  The only thing I think could have been better with this dish is that there were only a few leeks and I would have liked a lot more. Oh well.

My opinion – check out this restaurant.  It’s worth the slightly high cost of the dishes.

Vegetarian Bean Curry

Vegetarian Bean Curry (from All Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1.5 hours)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 large white onion, chopped

·         ½ cup dry lentils

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         3 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 pinch cayenne pepper

·         1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup raisins

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.)    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender.

2.)    Mix in the lentils and garlic, and season with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.

3.)    Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

My neighborhood is having a Progressive Dinner and I made this dish for a tasting that we decided to have (pre-Dinner).  This was one of three bean curries that I made for the tasting, but it was not picked as a winner for the round two tasting.  The main reason, I believe, it that the consistency of this dish is more like that of a chili than a curry.  It is very thick and with all the beans, well, you can imagine.  I did add a double dose of kidney beans (the original recipe calls for 8 oz., but I could not find a can that size), but I still don’t think that it would have made a difference.

I know that I’ve said before that I do not like raisins, but I couldn’t even taste them in this dish!  Health benefits without the taste?  Awesome!  The only other change I made was that I used red lentils and I washed them beforehand to make sure that any dirt was in the sink and not in the dish.  The taste was good - kind of sweet (even with 3 Tbsp. of curry), so maybe not what some people expect when they hear curry.  I like it and I think that I will make it again for myself.  Good mix of protein and carbs and tasty – winner in my book!