BIZZY BAKES

This week,  for Eating with Ellie , I got to choose the recipe and I couldn't resist these Japanese Style Savory Vegetable Pancakes with Chicken.  I am not sure why she calls them vegetable pancakes with chicken.  Once there is chicken, we no longer consider them vegetable or at least, I don't. I loved these.  The taste and the texture were pleasing.  they were good with or without the sauce which was easy to make. I did sub in chicken for the shrimp which is not kosher, therefore not allowed for us.  I cut two cutlets into small pieces (one half inch) and browned them in a little olive oil.  I added them to the rest of the ingredients at the end. Japanese Style Savory Vegetable Pancakes with Chicken - adapted ingredients. This has 2 chicken cutlets 1 bag of shredded cabbage 4 large scallions, chopped 2 medium carrots, shredded eggs gluten-free flour low sodium soy sauce toasted sesame oil oil for cooking the pancakes For the sauce:...

I made something similar to this, in the past, but the meatballs had rice in them and the seasoning was different.   I am sure, I am not the only one who does not want to repeat recipes but after a certain amount of time, without even knowing it, finds it has to happen.  I found out about this one, when I went to get my photo and saw a picture and grabbed it.  My mistake  of course, was that it was a different soup.  Below is the photo and you probably can see, why I confused them.  If you look closely, you can see the rice in the meatballs and even the way, I broke the egg down is different. Italian Egg Drop Soup - adapted from Rachel Ray Ingredients: 4 cups vegetable  broth 1 pound ground turkey Salt and pepper 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 3 tablespoons grated onion 1/2 cup corn flake crumbs 4 eggs, divided ( 1 & 3) 2 tablespoons  parsley, finely chopped 1 bunch scallions, very thinly sliced 1 tables...

The above would make a lunch worth, sitting down, with a glass of wine, to enjoy.  OK, if you are not a fan of eggplant, maybe this wouldn't work but for the rest of us, this is to enjoy.  It is kind of cute with the yellow patty pan, near the top, of the stack. I have come across, recently, a few people who were cooking with patty pan squash and I decided, just for the cute factor, I had to do something with them.  I had planned to make eggplant Parmesan for dinner and wanted to figure a way to include my little patty pan friends. My great decision was to use a tomato as a buffer between the eggplant and patty pan and top it with cheese.   I was going to use goat cheese but I didn't have enough for all the stacks, so I changed my plan and used mozzarella.   I didn't know what to expect and I am happy to say, I was pleased with the results.  Not only, is this a luncheon dish, it is a good as a side dish.    Patty P...

Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Vinaigrette (adapted from Food.com ) Ingredients: 1/2 pound cooked al dente and cooled thin pasta 2-4 scallions, chopped 1/3 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped roasted peanuts, chopped,save all for garnish 1 tablespoon sesame seed, with additional for garnish (optional) Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic 1/8 teaspoon chili powder 3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil salt and pepper to taste Method: To make dressing: In a food processor, process everything. Scrape into a bowl and wait for half an hour for the flavors to develop. To make salad: Toss all together, dress with just enough dressing to moisten and flavor, and garnish with scalli...

Stuffed Potatoes, both white and sweet potatoes are a treat for us.  I have made them for years but usually, I cop out and simply mash down a little on the potato while in the skin and the plop a vegetable and some cheese on top.  I microwave it and voila, there is a good stuffed potato. I decided to put more effort into these and see if it made a difference.  I scooped out most of the potato from the skin and mashed it with sour cream and some chopped broccoli and scallions plus a little red pepper and it became creamier and the whole potato when stuffed was different.  The creamier potatoes made it much  better and I am betting that this is the way, I will make these, from now on. Broccoli Stuffed Creamy Potatoes Ingredients: 5 medium potatoes 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups of chopped broccoli 3 scallions, sliced 1 cup Cheddar cheese salt and pepper to taste Method: Wash potato skins well so they can be eaten too. In a 400 degree 0ven, bake pot...

Pasta is like a chameleon.  You can disguise it easily with the extras, you include in a recipe.  You can add meat and make it a main course.  Vegetables go for a main or side.  It can be used as a salad and even as a dessert.  In this case, I used it as a side but I would use it as a main with a salad made up of greens and tomatoes. I had some mushrooms and scallions, I wanted to use and this became the disguise this pasta was going to wear.  When, I searched for cheese, I came up with an unlikely choice, gouda.  I love gouda and in my most humble opinion, I think you can add it to anything. This is an easy meal to make and to eat so throw it together and sit down with the family and friends and enjoy it. Pasta and Mushrooms Ingredients: 1/2 pound pasta of choice 1 tablespoon oil 3 baby belles mushrooms, rough chopped 2 button mushrooms, rough chopped 1 cup scallions, chopped 1 cup Gouda, shredded or chopped salt an...

Friday is a total cooking day for me.  Well, there is some cleaning in there, too, but it is the cooking, I love to do.  Each Friday, I have the fun of selecting different dishes to make and to scan the cookbooks, magazines of the blogs, looking for something a bit different.  This is a part of the week, I especially enjoy and of course, it is all for our Sabbath (Shabbos). My husband kept asking for rice, potatoes or pasta for dinner but I didn't feel like any of them. So simple when that happens - one of us get his/her way. This time, it is me. I don't think hubby is going to be disappointed with what I ended up making.  Since he was looking for starch, I decided bread would be the right way to go.  I haven't had extra gluten-free bread in the house for months.  Usually, we make a loaf a week and that is fine for hubby.  When I was shopping, I decided to pick up some gluten-free rolls and I had a few packages in the freezer.  Poof, ...

I love Pad Thai and I particularly love it with chicken but when I came across a vegetable version on Brownies for Dinner (sounds like my kind of place), I had to try it. It was really good and I would make it again. I used brown rice linguine which can be fussy and stick together if you don't baby sit it and I was doing three things at one time which means, I was not babysitting. I did my best to rescue it and did save more than half but I had my share of glopped together pasta, we could not eat. Easy Pad Thai (adapted from Everyday Food) 8 ounces linguine (brown rice-gluten-free) 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon lime juice 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha (I can't spell Sriracha ....I should write it ten times to remember the spelling) 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced 2 large eggs, light beaten 1/4 cup fresh cilantro 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts Soak noodles accordin...

I have made a decision which I am going to work with, this summer. Can you sense my hesitancy? My decision is to make myself a decent lunch, each day, Monday through Thursday. Usually, those are days, I will plan as I go along.  Since the teaching year is over, I will, in some way, divide my days between pleasure activities, prep work for next year and appointments that I want to fit in.  Eating is part of each of these days and my normal way of handling this, in the summer, is to eat anything, on hand, at the particular moment, I have time to eat. My plans are to change this.  I am just not sure, my actions will keep up with these standards.  I will share some of my good meals with you.  Cheer me on, please.   For lunch today, I had something delicious, feta stuffed tomato.  Feta hold its own in flavor and the flavor shone through but it was tempered with the onions and parsley.  It came together with the most delicious taste and I am...

I had a few cauliflower florets left.  Either, I was going to happily chomp on them or I was going to make a salad.  I would have liked to eat them.  Try cauliflower dipped in a dill dip.  That is what life is about.  I made the generous decision and decided to share so I made this mustard dressing from Food.com.  You can find it here . Cauliflower Salad with Mustard Dressing   Adapted Ingredients: 1 cup cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets 3/4 cup chopped scallions  Dressing 2 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Method: Boil the cauliflower florets for just 3-5 minutes until partially cooked. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the Tofutti sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cooled florets and scallions Pour the dressing over veggie mixture and gently t...

We have vegetables coming out of our ears, Passover time, and I don't object, in the least. I had a lot of odd and end vegetables and put them together to make these latkes. This is from last year and was posted on Chaya's Comfy Cook. I plan to bring over the recipes there appropriate for the holiday, coming up, so soon. Vegetable Pancakes Ingredients: 1 zucchini, cut into chunks 4 scallions. cut into pieces 1 sweet potato, peeled and  cut into chunks 1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks 4 baby carrots 2 slices of bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces fresh parsley 2 eggs 1/4 cup potato starch, more or less 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Olive oil spray for greasing the pan olive oil to cook in Method: Shred vegetables in food processor. Mix together the vegetables, onion, egg, and 1/4 cup of the potato starch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I added this in the food processor.) Add a little more potato starch if the mixture isn’t holding together. Put a litt...

Each week, I look through books and Internet sites to decide which muffin, I am going to make, this week.  I had quite a few choices but this cheese won out.  The actual recipe came from About.com Southern Food and was called Ham and Cheddar Muffins - not for me.  Ham is forbidden when one is kosher but I had no problem eliminating it and making a highly flavored cheese muffin.  Actually, I did not use cheddar, called for,  but I used the four cheese Mexican mix, which is now being sold locally and is scrumptious. Mexican Cheese Muffins Ingredients : 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour mixture 1/4 cup cornmeal 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 scallion, sliced thin 1/2 cup 4 cheese Mexican mix or any cheese of your liking 1 egg 1/4 cup oil Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin cups with olive oil. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix only until dry ingredients are moistened.   Put batter into...

A stir-fry is wonderful, making a meal in a pan and cooking it, in a liquid.  I am presently cooking another one with leftover chicken from the Sabbath and carrots and bell peppers, sweet and sour style. Green Chicken Stir-Fry Ingredients: Marinade and Chicken: 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken , sliced into 1/2-inch thick strips ( I used  a pound  for two of us.) Stir-Fry: 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 medium onions , diced 1 cup frozen broccoli 1/2 cup frozen peas Soy sauce , if needed 1 Tbsp. chopped scallions Method: In a Pyrex dish or bowl, combine the soy sauce and seasoning.  Grate ginger into the bowl. Place the chicken into the dish, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to marinate. Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. Add the chicken, marinade and onion, and sauté quickly until chicken is cook...

I tend to be a cook that throws extras into dishes.  When, I saw this delightful dish, Mad Hatter Salad, I could not resist.  It is fun to have a bit of the mad hatter in each of  us.  I gather the idea is to be creative and add what you want to the salad and I did. Mad Hatter Salad  (adapted from All Recipes Ingredients 1 (16 ounce) package cabbage, shredded 1 cup carrots, shredded 8 green onions, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 package frozen broccoli florets 1 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon soy sauce Directions In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, green onions and broccoli.  Set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the green onions, carrots and broccoli  for 5   minutes.  Add r...