Impossibly Easy Mini Pies

I found this recipe at Betty Crocker and have had so much fun with it. I’ve made two different variations of the mini pie in the last day and it’s definitely a dish that will be added to my repertoire. This little Bisquick muffin can be filled with any variation of tasties that you want to eat. For the first pie, I followed the recipe exactly for the Chicken and Broccoli pie.

Chicken and Broccoli Mini Pies

Ingredients
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup broccoli pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a bowl combine the Bisquick, milk, and eggs.

3. In a skillet heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook through. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add broccoli and heat through.

4. Scoop 1 tbsp of the batter into each of the muffin cups. Divide the filling equally between the 12 cups and scoop into the cups. Scoop 1 tbsp of batter over the top of each muffin cup.

5. Bake for 30 minutes.

Latin American Inspired Mini Pies

Ingredients
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tomato, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp jalapeno, minced
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup potato chips, crushed
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 avocado, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a bowl combine the Bisquick, milk, and eggs.

3. In another bowl combine the tomato, garlic, onion, cumin, jalapeno, oregano, chips, and cheese.

4. Scoop 1 tbsp of the batter into each of the muffin cups. Divide the filling equally between the 12 cups and scoop into the cups. Scoop 1 tbsp of batter over the top of each muffin cup.

5. Bake for 30 minutes.

6. Garnish with avocado slices.

* Shared with Bake with Bizzy & Full Plate Thursday

Baked Crab Cakes

This month over at bakebakebake the theme is seafood. I’m used to making sweet dishes for BBB entries, so at first I was really thrown off on what I should do. When I got my head into the right frame of mind I decided I would make a baked crab cake. I like crab cakes when they’re fried and crispy, so I wasn’t completely sure I would find a recipe that would capture that in a baked version. Additionally, I have never used canned crab before (only canned tuna,) but I couldn’t justify buying fresh crab.

Needless to say, they turned out great. I think the canned crab actually made these work really well, due to the texture. Additionally, despite being baked they still were really crispy. Also you will see Emeril’s Essence used in these! Basically until I use all the Essence I will be replacing it anywhere salt or Cajun seasoning is called for.

Baked Crab Cakes

Ingredients
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp Essence
1 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 eggs
12 oz canned crab meat

Directions

1. Preheat oven the 375 and grease a baking sheet. Set aside.

2. Combine breadcrumbs, baking powder, parsley, mustard powder, pepper, and Essence. Set aside.

3. Stir together mayonnaise, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, and eggs until smooth. Fold in crab meat, then fold in bread crumbs until well blended.

4. Shape the mixture into about 12 crab cakes and placed on prepared baking sheet. They will seem kind of wet.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the crab cakes over and bake for 15 more minutes.

* makes about 12 cakes

Around the World in 52 Weeks: Fish Stew and Flat Bread

Despite my difficult making Congolese food last week, I was very happy with my kitchen’s trip to Algeria this week.

This week my kitchen teleported itself to Northern Africa. I made a fish stew, which while simple was packed with delicious, comforting flavors. I also made a flat bread. In the past, I have tried to make naan. Naan is my only experience with unleavened bread and while the naan was tasty, I just couldn’t get it right. Now, I don’t know if this Algerian flat bread is right. But it definitely was flatter than the flat bread I’ve made in the past. It also was full of flavor (thank you turmeric.)

For as much as I love turmeric, I think I need to be more careful using it because my fingernails are kind of stained yellow because of it.

The combination of the flavors of the soup and the bread was excellent, making a wonderful pair. It was a yummy trip this week. As I say every week, I am sure this is not even close to what authentic Algerian food is like. But it’s good nonetheless!

Fish Stew

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 0z canned whole, peeled tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1 large potato, cubed
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 tilapia fillets, cut into pieces

Directions

 1. In a pot heat the olive oil. Fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes, and simmer until the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Add the paprika, potato, celery, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add the fish and cook for 10 more minutes.

* serves 2
* 350 calories per serving
* This soup is being shared with Kahakai Kitchen‘s Souper Sundays and KB and Whitesnake‘s Simply Delish Saturdays.
* Recipe came from here, with few alterations.

Flat Bread

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric

Directions

 1. Stir together the flour, salt, and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. Slowly stir in the water until a soft dough is formed. Knead the dough on a slightly floured surface for approximately 15 minutes.

2. Form the dough into a ball and coat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for an hour.

3. Stir together cumin, paprika, turmeric, and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.

4. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, keeping the pieces you are not currently working with covered with plastic. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 9-inch circle, getting it as thin as you can. Spread 1 tsp of the spiced oil on the dough with a pastry brush. Roll the dough up like a straw and then create a spiral with the dough.

5. Place your dough spiral between two pieces of parchment paper and flatten with the rolling pin, so that the dough is 6-inches.

6. Place a dry skillet over heat. Once hot place the flat bread in the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the bread starts to puff up. Flip and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side.

7. Continue until all the dough is used.

* makes about 12 pieces of flat bread
* 183 calories per piece of bread
* I followed the recipe here for how to make the bread.

I’d like to see people travel the globe with me.
Every Saturday I will be posting my recipe, as well as pictures to ethnic cuisines you have made and want to share.

- You must mention The Law Student’s Cookbook‘s Around The World In 52 Weeks in the entry you link. You can either use a link or use the banner.
- In your post you must  at least mention what cuisine the dish is.
- Email me your recipe at elizabeth@crabtech.net. Make sure to include:

* Your name or blog name
* The direct link to your post
* A picture of the dish or permission to pull a picture from the post

- Make sure to email me by Saturday at 12noon Pacific Standard Time

Butternut Squash Pizza

One of my resolutions for the new year is to lose 30 pounds. To lose that weight I have to make healthy decisions in terms of the food I put in my mouth. The meal I had tonight was definitely a healthy choice. It only took about a half hour to make too, so not only was it healthy, but it was also easy! The best of both worlds, yeah?

I really enjoyed the taste of these little squash pizzas. They were also really easy to eat and could be made for lunch or even a snack.

Butternut Squash Pizza

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 chicken sausage
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup kale, chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Slice the neck off of the squash. Set the body aside. Slice the neck of the squash into 1/4-inch pieces (mine made 11 slices.)

3. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Brush a small amount of olive oil on both sides of each squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the squash from the oven and flip each piece over. Cover each squash with some sausage, cheese, kale, and tomatoes, splitting the ingredients evenly above your squash pieces. Bake for 15 more minutes.

* serves 2
* about 333 calories per serving
* this post is being shared with Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy Bakes

Nutella Whoopie Pies

On LiveJournal there’s a community called BakeBakeBake. Every month BBB has a new theme, which people can participate in if they want. This month’s theme was the color white. I was trying to decide what I was going to make that was white and all I could think of was something that involved coconut or something that involved marshmallow. I wasn’t feeling either of those ingredients though, so I sat on it for a bit and considered what I could make. 

One thing I thought of that was white was the cream in the middle of a whoopie pie. After much deliberation, I decided that to make the white the dominant part of the baked good, I would reverse my whoopie pie, with a vanilla cookie and chocolate (or rather NUTELLA!!! cream in the middle.) Of course this isn’t going to create the whitest of white cookies, but it definitely was me trying to be at least a little creative. So these inside-out whoopie pies were my entry into BBB’s white theme and were utterly delicious!

I have this dangerous love for Nutella, so I kind of ate these faster than I should have.

Nutella Whoopie Pies

For The Outsides
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tbsp shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in the eggs and the buttermilk.

4. In a small dish combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar.

5. Mix half of the dry mix into the butter mixture. Mix in until there are no dry spots. Add the milk mixture and beat in well. Mix in the rest of the dry mixture, beating until there are no clumps or dry areas.

6. Make 1 tbsp drops of the dough on the cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. They spread a lot, so make sure to leave room!

7. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown and when pushed gently in the middle, they bounce back. Set aside and let cool.

For the Nutella Cream
12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Nutella
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and Nutella. Beat well.

2. Add the vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar. Mix until the sugar is just incorporated. Increase the speed and beat until the cream is creamy and smooth.

To Make the Whoopie Pies

1. Pair cookie tops that are of similar size.

2. Spread the bottom of one cookie with the Nutella cream. Place the bottom of the other cookie onto the Nutella spread, sandwiching together.

* This recipe is being shared with Sweets for a Saturday.

Spinach Ricotta Quiche

I should be studying. 

Spinach Ricotta Quiche

Ingredients
1 refrigerated pie crust
2 cups spinach, cut up and cooked in a skillet
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

 1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Gently pat down the pie crust in the plate and poke holes across the bottom of the crust.

2. In a bowl mix together the spinach, cream, eggs, ricotta, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Pour into the crust.

3. Bake for 40-45 minutes and let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.

* 452 calories per serving
* serves 6

Vegetable Lasagna Roll-Up

I’m studying for finals and I need a break. 

Vegetable Lasagna Roll-Ups

Ingredients
1 cup assorted frozen or fresh vegetables
1/4 cup white beans
2 tbsp sour cream
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 garlic clove, peeled
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
2 lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Cook the lasagna noodles per the directions on the package. Set aside.

2. In a food processor combine the vegetables, beans, sour cream, half of the cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Pulse until a paste is formed.

3. Lay the lasagna noodles flat and spread the paste onto each noodle. Roll the noodle up as if you were rolling a sleeping bag.

4. Place in a baking dish and cover with any remaining vegetable-bean paste and the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

* makes 1 serving
* 451 calories per serving
* This recipe is being shared with Bizzy Bakes’s Bake with Bizzy!

Pizza Margherita

I meal plan for 6 out of the 7 days a week. This means that on Sunday rather than buying ingredients to make a meal, I use whatever is leftover in the house to make my meals. This reduces how much I end up throwing away due to things going bad.

Last weekend I went through the fridge and noticed among other stuff:

1. An excess of cherry tomatoes
2. A Boboli pizza crust
3. Mozzarella cheese
4. Fresh basil leaves

I used the website supercook to show me recipes I had the ingredients for and I found this pizza margherita recipe.

I decided to use my premade crust and my cherry tomatoes to make this recipe. It came out so delicious. I’ve never made a pizza without putting sauce on it before and I have to say, it didn’t need it a bit!

You could of course make your own crust. It doesn’t take a whole lot more effort.

Pizza Margherita

Ingredients
1 Boboli pizza crust
20-30 cherry tomatoes, cut into small slices
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

Directions

1. Heat oven to 475.

2. Arrange the tomatoes on the top of your pizza crust, overlapping them slightly. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes. Remove and top with cheese and basil. Return to oven for 5-10 more minutes, until as crisp as desired.

 * one pizza serves 4
* roughly 387 calories per serving

Lentil Chicken Soup and Spinach Pinwheels

I’ve written about this before, but I’ll mention it again since it’s relevant right now because of the dish I’m posting. I’ve lost about 50 pounds since August of 2010. This has all been thanks to the website myfitnesspal. Besides the wonderful calorie database, it also has a great community of other individuals also losing weight. I’m part of a group over there called RECIPE SWAP. Each week two members of the group share a recipe for everyone else to cook.

Last week nattiec21 shared this recipe with the group. It definitely pushed me outside of my “normal” ingredients. I have never cooked with kale before and really, I’m not even sure if I’d ever eaten it before. Also, I had an unopened package of lentils in my cabinet, but I had never used them before. The nice thing about the group is I get stuck on the same flavors sometimes, the same ingredients, and the same dishes. This allows me try things I just wouldn’t otherwise.

I made this dish with those cute spinach pinwheels in the picture. They worked similar to croutons and were very delicious. Overall, I’d rank this dish high on the recipe chain and I would make it again.

Lentil Chicken Soup

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tbsp fresh basil
2 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 skinless boneless chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup dry brown lentils

Directions

1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Preheat the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic to the heated saucepan. Cook and cover for 5-7 minutes, allowing the vegetables to begin to tenderize, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and the dried lentils. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the chicken, tomato, and basil. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.

* serves 3
* 228 calories per serving
* shared to be by nattiec21

Spinach Pinwheels

Ingredients
1 8-oz package refrigerated reduced fat crescent rolls
2 wedges Laughing Cow creamy Swiss cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
several handfuls of spinach, coarsely chopped (I didn’t measure this)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Split the crescent dough in half along the center to form a rectangle. Press the perforated edges of the dough together with your fingers.

3. Spread each rectangle with one block of the creamy Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with garlic powder and spinach.

4. Starting on the long side of the dough, roll together as if you were rolling a cinnamon rolls. Cut into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Continue until you have used up all of the crescent roll dough.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

* makes 10 servings
* 3 pinwheels per serving
* 165 calories per serving

Bierocks

I love German food. But I know that every time I make some sort of food that is “ethnic” in the least, my food does not compare to whatever cuisine it is that I’m cooking. But that doesn’t stop me, because even though I’m sure these dishes are inherently “wrong,” they still force me to use flavor combinations I otherwise never would have known about or thought to try.

With that being said, there isn’t anything that intriguing about ground turkey and cabbage together, except that it tastes good. But I mean, there isn’t any exciting new flavor combination that I have never heard of before or anything.

BUT in this meal you stuff the yummies inside of bread and bake it!

Baking bread is actually one of my favorite things ever. I find the process to be so stress relieving. The kneading, the punching, seeing the dough slowly rise.. The whole process is so good to me and can make a bad day feel better. On top of that, the smell of freshly cooked bread is to die for and can make my stressed out self feel content with life.

Law school should definitely be leading to a ton of baked bread. I need to get on it.
I will be making this dish again, that’s for sure. I could stuff it with just about anything.

-edit- It turns out Cooking Light misled me! These aren’t exactly German, but rather, are German-inspired.

Bierocks

Ingredients

FILLING:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt

DOUGH:
1/4 cup sugar
1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups flour, divided

1. To prepare the filling cook the onion and turkey over medium-high heat until the turkey is browned. Add the cabbage and cook until it wilts. Stir in pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and set aside.

2. To prepare the dough let the sugar and yeast dissolve in the warm water in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Stir in milk, oil, the rest of the salt, and eggs. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Add 3 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture and stir to form a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If necessary, add the remaining flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for an hour. The dough should have doubled in size. Punch the dough down. Cover and let rise for 5 more minutes.

4. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 10 1/2 x 7 inch square. Cut each rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into the center of each smaller rectangle. Bring 2 opposite corners to the center, pinching the points to seal.  Pinch all four edges together to seal. Place the bierocks seam-side down on a large baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375.

6. Uncover bierocks. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, until browned on the bottom.

* serves 12
* 3 bierocks per serving
* 276 calories per serving