Rösti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Rösti is a Swiss potato dish that is similar to American hash brown. The literal translation of Rösti is “crisp and golden”. Kathy Kitchens Downie of Cooking Light topped her rösti with baked eggs. You could include just about any toppings to your rösti: sour cream, cheese, poached eggs, or sauteed mushrooms. 

    Ingredients

    1 1/4 cups fat-free Greek-style yogurt

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups grated peeled turnip (about 8 ounces, 2 small)
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed (such as Ore-Ida)
• Cooking spray
• 8 large eggs
• Chopped fresh chives (optional) 
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• Directions 
• 1) Preheat oven 400°.
• 2) Combine yogurt and flour in a large bowl, stirring well. Add turnip, Gruyère cheese, butter, chives, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and potatoes to yogurt mixture. Spread potato mixture evenly into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, make 8 indentations in top of potato mixture. Crack 1 egg into each of 8 indentations. Return dish to oven. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until egg whites are firm and yolks barely move when pan is touched. Cut into 8 pieces. Garnish with additional chives and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

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  Recipe by Cooking Light

Grilled Eggplant Naan Wraps with Tahini-Yogurt Dressing

You don't have to pull out the grill just to cook the eggplant and tomatoes for this wonderful wrap recipe from Sunset. I use my oven broiler as an alternative to grilling the veggies. I like to soak my eggplant with salt for 30 minutes to reduce the bitter taste and to reduce the amount of oil it absorbs. After slicing the eggplant into rounds, I place them in a colander and sprinkle with salt and soak for 30 minutes or even 1 hour. Afterward, I rinse the eggplant rounds and then press with a paper or kitchen towel to remove the liquid. Salting eggplant is a great way to draw out the bitterness of especially older eggplants. Older eggplants have bigger seeds and those seeds contain the bitter liquid. If you are using young eggplants, then you do not need to salt the eggplant. Salting eggplant also draws out the moisture so it wouldn't absorbs too much oil.

To cook eggplant and tomatoes using oven broiler, line eggplant slices and tomato wedges on grill tray and brush with olive oil. Cook eggplant about 5 minutes per side. 

To roast eggplant and tomatoes, heat oven to 400°F. Brush veggies with olive oil and and line tray with parchment paper. Roast eggplant for the first 30 minutes and then add the tomatoes for the remaining 30 minutes. Roasting eggplant caramelizes the bottom of the eggplant and gives it a more flavorful taste. 

Tip: Since the heat varies from oven to oven, it's best to check your eggplant during the last 10-15 minutes of roasting time to make sure the bottom side of the eggplant slices aren't burned. 


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 large eggplant (1 lb.), sliced into 1/2-in. rounds
• 2 ripe tomatoes, quartered 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 4 pieces naan bread
• 6 cups baby spinach 

Preparation

1. 1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). In a small bowl, mix garlic, lemon juice, tahini, yogurt, and salt. Set aside.
2. 2. Brush eggplant and tomatoes with oil. Grill, turning often, until softened and grill marks appear, about 6 minutes. Cut tomato wedges in half. Warm naan on grill.
3. 3. Lay each naan on a plate and top with 1 1/2 cups spinach, a few slices eggplant, 4 tomato pieces, and a large spoonful of reserved yogurt mixture.

Recipe by Sunset

BRUSSELS SPROUT & AVOCADO SALAD

If you are not a brussels sprout person, this salad may change your mind. You'll get the amazing benefits of eating this healthy veggie loaded with essential vitamins A, B, C, folate, and antioxidants that can reduce your risk of cancer. The recipe calls for broccolini which looks just like broccoli but with longer stems and shorter florets. The cooking time for broccolini is shorter than broccoli because it is more tender. If you can not find broccolini for this recipe, you can substitute it with regular broccoli. 

The original salad dressing calls for 1/4 cup fish sauce. I replaced it with soy sauce and followed the author's instructions to use 2 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced in half
• 1 cup sliced broccolini
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• a bit of coconut oil, for the pan
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup (cooked) black rice
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• handful of fresh mint
• handful of sliced almonds
• handful of micro sprouts
• sprinkle of sesame seeds
• extra sriracha, for serving
• extra lime slices, for serving
dressing:
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablesooons rice wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. (You can take a taste but remember that it might seem a little strong - it'll become more tame once it's on the brussels sprouts and everything else).
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add a few teaspoons of oil. When it starts to sizzle add the brussels sprouts, cut side down (or as many as you can get cut side down quickly), with a few pinches of salt. Don't touch them for a few minutes until the cut-side starts to turn golden brown (turn one over to check). Once they have a good sear, flip them over, add the broccolini and continue cooking until tender, but not mushy. At the very end, toss in the scallions.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a large plate, let them cool slightly, then toss with a bit of the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Toss the brussels sprouts & broccolini with the black rice, sliced avocado, mint, almonds, sprouts and sesame seeds. Taste & toss with more dressing. Serve warm, and with extra lime slices and more sriracha if you like.

Notes

Vegan/vegetarians: sub soy sauce or tamari for the fish sauce, but add only 2 tablespoons, not 1/4 cup. (you can always add more, to taste).

Feel free to roast your brussels sprouts & broccolini in the oven if you prefer.

Mushroom and Tofu Pot Pie

I love mushrooms so naturally when I saw the recipe for mushroom and tofu pot pie, I was excited to try it out. This is another of Ian Knauer's fantastic recipe. I have to admit, this recipe is a bit labor intensive but the result is definitely worth it. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour      
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks cold unslated butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup whole milk plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
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• Filling:
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• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 heads garlic
• 4 large onions, chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms such as crimini, white button or maitake
• 2 pounds tofu, drained and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons dried sage
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable or mushroom stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Roast garlic: Cut off the top 1/4 inch of the garlic heads, then drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Wrap the heads tightly in aluminum foil, then place in the oven for 45 minutes. Squeeze cloves from their skins and reserve cloves.

MAKE BISCUIT DOUGH:

1) Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. 
2) Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a food processor,pastry cutter, or your hands. 
3) Add the milk and gently kneed until dough just comes together. 
4) Wrap dough in plastic wrap until ready to use.

MAKE FILLING:

1) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. 
2) Add onions, 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and saute until golden, about 15 minutes. 
3) Slice mushrooms and add to onions along with tofu, soy sauce, sage, thyme, and roasted garlic cloves, then cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid put off by mushrooms has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
4) Whisk 3 tablespoons flour into vegetable stock, then whisk into skillet with mushroom mixture. Bring liquid to a boil and boil until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. 
5) Transfer filling to 3-quart baking dish.

BAKE POT PIE:

1) Line work surface with plastic wrap, then place dough on top and cover with another layer of plastic wrap. 
2) Roll dough into a rectangle 1 inch larger on all sides than baking dish. (Dough will be about 1 inch thick.) 3) Using plastic wrap as a guide, transfer dough to top of filling. 
4) Cut 6 steam vents in dough, then brush with additional 2 tablespoons milk. 
5) Bake until dough is golden brown and filling is boiling, about 30 minutes. 
6) Let pot pie cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe by: Kitchen Daily

Vegan Wheat Berry, Kale, and Grape Salad

Super healthy and the curry-orange vinaigrette dressing is excellent. The wheat berry takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes from cooking to cooling time. You can make it ahead of time. 

Ingredients
2 c. wheat berries
5 oz. baby kale (or thinly sliced full-sized kale such as lacinato aka dinosaur kale)
1 c. seedless red grapes, halved
1 c. seedless green grapes, halved
2 oranges, segmented
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. raw, unsalted walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Rinse the wheat berries and put them in a medium pot with 6 c. water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring them to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 1 hour, until the wheat berries are just tender. Add a few cups of cold water to the pot, stir, and then strain. Place the wheat berries in a very large bowl to cool, stirring occasionally to help them along.

2. Combine the cooled wheat berries with the kale in a large bowl. Toss with ½ cup dressing (recipe below).

3. Add grapes and orange segments and another ¼ cup of the dressing and toss again. Add more dressing if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the walnuts right before serving.

Curry-Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients
⅔ c. extra virgin olive oil
¼ c. golden balsamic vinegar
Zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
2 tsp. agave nectar
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. curry powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Seal the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Set aside at room temperature.

Recipe by: Daily Candy

Tofu Fruit Smoothie

A great non-dairy smoothie using silken tofu in place of yogurt or milk. Tofu Fruit smoothie is rich in potassium and protein making it an awesome morning smoothie.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries $
• 1/2 cup white grape juice (or any juice of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 firm ripe banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 (12.3-ounce) package light silken tofu (such as Mori-Nu)
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• Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

Recipe by: My Recipes

Coffee and Banana Morning Smoothie

Give yourself a happy boost and start your day with a stress-relieving coffee and banana morning smoothie. Here are just a couple of the many health benefits of bananas and why adding them to your daily diet is important:

:) regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation
:) contains high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin - the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter
:) protect against heart attack and stroke
:) high in potassium and low in salt
:) rich in pectin to regulate digestion
:) a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn and GERD

Instructions

1 sliced peeled banana
1 cup 1% low-fat milk 
1/2 cup cold black coffee 
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1/2 cup ice in a blender
Blend until smooth—and enjoy!

Recipe by: Health.com