Tag Archives: cheese

Spinach and Parmesan Soufflés

As I mentioned the other day, I’m a big breakfast fan and will eat it for any meal. Eggs are one of my favorite foods to make but I’m usually either a simple fried egg or scrambled egg girl (I’ve only recently started eating runny yolks). So when I come across a recipe like this one for Spinach and Parmesan Soufflés, I get a little excited to make something new, something that might become another breakfast favorite in my book. Soufflés seem intimidating but I was up to the challenge. And I was prepared to eat these whether they were puffy or floppy.

Spinach is mixed with thickened milk, cheese, and egg yolks before being gently combined with whipped egg whites. Once baked until golden brown, they become puffy and are a true picture (although I didn’t take the picture right away and they had deflated by the time I was ready to snap…boo). The result is a light, healthy, nutritious breakfast sure to impress everyone. Don’t like spinach? Swap it out for broccoli or green peppers. Serve this with some toast, a little fruit or as a complement to any meat. And don’t be afraid of or intimidated by soufflés. They really aren’t hard and even if they lose their puff, they’re still good.

The ingredients:

Place a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, tilting and turning dishes to coat sides completely. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add spinach; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Coarsely chop spinach.

Combine 2/3 cup milk and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a large bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, cheese, and egg yolks.

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Beat with a mixer at high speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently stir one-fourth of egg whites into spinach mixture, and gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Gently spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times on counter to level. Place dishes on preheated baking sheet; return baking sheet to 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°; bake soufflés at 350° for 21 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Turkey Panini with Citrus Aioli

January 31, 2013
Shannon
0 comments
cheese, food, sandwiches, spinach, turkey

I have to admit, I’m not the biggest sandwich person. Aside from the occasional Wawa junior hoagie, I don’t desire a sandwich very often. At lunchtime, I usually get so cold in my office that I need something warm and cold sandwiches don’t usually cut it. Sometimes, however, a warm panini with gooey cheese can be the perfect solution. Since sandwiches are paired so perfectly with soup I thought this Turkey Panini with Citrus Aioli would be a great complement to the Winter Tomato Soup I posted on Monday.

Smoked turkey slices and provolone cheese are the base to this sandwich which I topped with baby spinach instead of watercress (because I had a huge tub of spinach on hand). Adding a fresh and citrusy touch, an aioli made simply with mayonnaise, lemon and lime zests, garlic and lemon juice is lightly layered on the bread before topping it with the turkey and cheese. This panini, which can be grilled on either a grill pan or a panini maker, is a great twist on the standard turkey sandwich. If you have turkey and cheese in your fridge and you just don’t want another plain old sandwich, consider this. It doesn’t matter what kind of turkey or cheese you use or even if you don’t have any leafy greens. If you love mayonnaise like me, grab a lemon and a lime and whip up some of this citrus aioli for a yummy condiment to any sandwich.

The ingredients:

Combine mayonnaise, lemon, lime, pepper and garlic and spread evenly over half the bread slices.

Top evenly with turkey, watercress (or spinach), cheese, and remaining bread slices.

Coat a grill pan or panini maker heated to medium-high heat with cooking spray. Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan. If using a grill pan, place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches and press gently to flatten. Cook 2 minutes on each side (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).

Repeat procedure with remaining sandwiches.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Baby spinach
Light mayonnaise
Reduced-fat provolone cheese
Whole-wheat bread

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Rice-Nut Loaf

Yes, this a vegetarian loaf – don’t freak out. It’s an oldie and a goodie. As I’ve mentioned, I was a vegetarian for 13 years and grew accustomed to making a plate at holiday meals of nothing but a bunch of sides which sounds good but ultimately isn’t satisfying. Then, one year for Thanksgiving, my aunt pulled out one of her favorite vegetarian cookbooks and made this Rice-Nut Loaf. At first glance, there really isn’t anything appetizing, interesting or appealing about the name of this dish or the list of ingredients. But once combined, these ingredients have come to make not just my favorite vegetarian dish ever but my favorite Thanksgiving dish ever. Hands down.

Brown rice is mixed with wheat germ, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cheese and onion and then binded with eggs and baked to golden brown perfection. Served alone, with gravy or a scoop of mashed potatoes, this meatless meatloaf-like dish is a perfect high protein addition to any dinner table, especially for the picky vegetarian in your family. Even better, true to Thanksgiving form, slices of this loaf sandwich perfectly between two slices of bread, spread with cranberry sauce and stuffing for the days after. Give this a try and maybe you might start to think of vegetarian loaves as a little less weird. It’s tasty enough for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. This year, I ate this instead of turkey for Thanksgiving. And I’m not even vegetarian anymore.

Rice-Nut Loaf (makes 6 servings)

From Nikki & David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped sunflower seeds
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine all ingredients and pack into a 9-inch loaf pan coated in oil or non-stick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes until firm. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; unmold and slice.