Stuffed Shells

This is an easy meal. It mixes up in no time. Just have your kids help you stuff the shells. It's fun!

Cheese Filling
4 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella, shredded (1 cup for filling, 1 cup for topping)
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and as much water as possible squeezed out
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 box of large pasta shells, cooked

Mix all filling ingredients. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the cheese filling into each shell. Pour about half the jar of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish that will fit all of the shells. Place the filled shells on top of the sauce. Cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted on top and the cheese filling is warmed through. 

Hush Puppy Patties

We all love hush puppies, but I don't like to deep fry. These pancake-like patties are pan fried, fun and easy. Serve
with spicy cocktail sauce.

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or coconut milk, maybe more
2 tablespoons green onion, minced
dash hot pepper sauce
Olive oil for pan frying

Combine the cornmeal and flour with the salt and sugar. Whisk in the egg, green onions, and hot sauce. Add enough buttermilk or coconut milk to make a batter similar to pancake batter.  Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Drop batter by spoonfuls and pan fry until golden. This just takes a few minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels or on a rack.  Keep warm in a low (170 degrees) oven until ready to serve.

Coffee Blondies

I love to undercook these and then cut a piece while it's still warm and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It is a gooey, warm dessert that hits the spot every time.

2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
3 Tbsp of good instant coffee dissolved in 1-2 Tbsp hot water
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat just until the butter melts. Mix well.  Remove from heat. Add the coffee. Let cool to room temperature (if it's too warm, the chocolate chips will melt when you add them). Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder, and sea salt together and then stir into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread batter in an 11 x 8-inch buttered baking pan. Bake approximately 25 minutes. 

Tempeh Pastitsio

I have an uncle from Greece. He taught my aunt how to make authentic Greek dishes. This is a classic dish made with ground lamb, which I have substituted with tempeh. A delicious dish, kind of like a Greek Lasagna.

The "Meat" Sauce

1-8oz. pkg. organic tempeh, crumbled
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 -28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or ¼ cup tomato paste diluted in 1-1/4cups of water)
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

The Pasta

1 lb. of Greek No.2 pasta (or Bucatini, or Ziti)
2 Tbsp  Greek extra virgin olive oil
3 egg whites, beaten (the yolks will be used in the béchamel sauce)
1/4 cup grated Kefalotyri (or Parmesan cheese if you try but cannot find the Greek cheese)

The Béchamel Sauce

4 cups  of scalded milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup grated Kefalotyri (or Parmesan cheese if you really cannot find the Greek cheese)
1/3 cup of salted butter
3 egg yolks, well beaten                       1-2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste

Assembly:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the diced onion(s) over a medium heat until soft. Add the tempeh, rosemary, garlic, wine, and tomatoes to the pan along with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. Bring to a boil, add the bay leaves and  then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with its lid leaving it only slightly uncovered to allow the excess water to evaporate as steam. Simmer for about 30 minutes or so. Stir the sauce occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and set aside when done.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the pasta to the water and parboil it until soft but not fully cooked (about 3/4 of the suggested cooking time on the package).
While the pasta is cooking, make the béchamel sauce. Start by melting the butter in a deep saucepan over a medium heat, then add flour to make a rue. Once the flour has been fully incorporated, slowly add the hot milk while continuing to constantly stir the butter and flour paste to ensure a smooth consistency. Once the milk has been added, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheese, nutmeg, pepper and egg yolks in that order while continuing to rapidly stir the mixture. Set aside when smooth and well-mixed. However, do not let it stand for too long without a good stirring as you do not want the top to start congealing.
Drain the water completely from the pasta pot and return pot with pasta to the heat, add the two tablespoons of olive oil to the pasta and mix well. Remove the pot from the heat, let stand for a few minutes to cool and then add the egg whites to the pasta, along with the ¼ cup of grated Kefalotyri cheese and mix well, then set aside momentarily.
Rub a little olive into the sides and bottom of your baking dish, and then add about two-thirds of the pasta to the dish to form a bottom layer.
Spread the meat sauce overtop of the bottom pasta layer.   Add the remaining pasta overtop of the meat layer.  Pour the béchamel sauce over of the final pasta layer.  Place the pastitsio uncovered in an oven pre-heated to 350°F and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the béchamel sauce is golden brown.
Remove the pastitsio from oven and set aside to cool before serving. This dish is best served on the following day after its baking. However, if you must eat it on the same day, make sure it has a chance to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting it into pieces.

Taya's Classic Chip Dip

I made this every weekend in college for football games. It is perfect with potato chips. Be careful; it's extremely addicting

2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 cup ketchup
Juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne
2 medium onions, chopped
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Whip the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and cayenne. Mix well, scraping down the sides until everything is smooth and incorporated. Mix in the chopped onion. Add sea salt and pepper, as desired. It's ready to eat right away, but the flavors will develop more if you cover it and put it in the fridge for a couple hours.

Cauliflower with Cheese Fondue

Sooooo, cauliflower is not always a favorite around everyone's dinner table, but it will be once you try this cheesy treat. Who doesn't like fondue anyway?  Your going to love this just as much as my kids do!

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup organic cream or milk
2-3 cups sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Steam the cauliflower until just fork tender.
In a saucepan, warm the cream. Whisk in the cheese. Add more for a thicker sauce. Add sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour over cauliflower.  

Blue Strawberry Smoothie

Here's another yummy smoothie to enjoy today. It tastes awesome and is a wonderful healthy meal. Lets face it, at this time of year you can use a little nutrition to offset all the tasty fun your having!  Bottoms up!

Serves 4-6

3 ripe bananas, peeled
1 bag frozen organic blueberries
1 bag frozen organic strawberries
2 tablespoons raw honey
3-4 cups organic apple juice

Blend well in a high speed blender, adding enough apple juice to keep the motor running.