Spinach dip

Since we made bread today, it made sense to get the last frozen pack of spinach out of the freezer and whip up some crockpot spinach dip.

Today's version is a tad milder than usual. First in the crockpot on high for about two hours I placed the following:

• one package frozen chopped spinach, thawed in the microwave
• about one cup water reserved from the cooking of the spinach
• 1.5 teaspoons fresh ground four color peppercorns
• less than one clove sliced garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1.5 teaspoons Inglehoffer sweet hot mustard
• herbs and spices: parsley, basil, It's a dilly

About a half hour to an hour before serving, add cheese and reduce heat to low:

• 1 block cream cheese
• a few ounces monterey jack cheese
• about 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella

I might add romano and cheddar if the flavor doesn't come out 'enough' for me, but I was trying to use up some open cheese from the fridge.

More French Bread Pizzas

We made little French bread pizzas for lunch today. I cut one loaf of homemade bread into six pieces (or was it seven?) and covered half with the last of the commercial spinach dip and the others with Wegmans pizza sauce. Then we added parmesan cheese and shredded cheddar. And black olives. 

Crazy Quesadilla

My husband used my idea and made crazy quesadillas tonight. We made them with fresh broccoli, slightly cooked, cheddar, and tortilla shells--oh and more morningstar veg chik'n. I hate using lots of soy analogs... And we topped them with salsa, mango salsa, spinach dip, guacamole, sour cream, Frank's hot sauce... and for dessert: watermelon!

Veggie Bacon Sandwiches

My husband made us sandwiches for lunch. They are toasted sesame bagels with melted cheddar cheese, Morningstar veggie bacon and for condiments--commercial guacamole dip for me and for him commercial spinach dip. 

Curried fried veggies

I'm probably going to make Morningstar chk'n patties or nuggets to accompany this... but I have broccoli, carrots and cauliflower cooking now. I mixed some curry powder (amount based on the smell) with breadcrumbs and plan to roll the veggies in the mix and fry them. We'll see how it turns out...

Wow... another culinary coup. ;-)

To try this at home:

Angel's curried fried vegs

1. Cook your vegetables, but not too soft. I used about 2-3 cups of frozen cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli.

2. Mix about 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs, two tablespoons curry powder, and two tablespoons garlic powder.

3. Roll veggies in the crumbs, the moisture from cooking should help them stick.

4. Heat canola oil in skillet. I used about a 12 inch skillet and used a layer of oil about 1/2 inch thick. That's pretty generous for me.

5. Drop coated veggies in hot oil and fry until crispy and darker. I drained mine on paper towels before serving.

photo caption: Morningstar buffalo chicken wings, commercial spinach dip (for the nuggets) and Angel's curried-fried veggies.

Breakfast Salad Wrap

Yesterday my daughter asked for a wrap for breakfast. Knowing that she would spend the day with my in-laws, I thought I'd use the opportunity to front-load her with veggies. So my husband made her a salad wrap with spinach dip and some cheddar. She inhaled it. Not your typical breakfast... but nothing is typical in this house. Have you noticed that?

Staff meeting

Perhaps this is off topic. I host staff meetings several times a year and I am responsible for food. When I started, I was told we alternated between Subway and pizza with a budget of $30/meeting. We have about ten staff members. My staff range from college students to teachers to retirees so it's a challenge to find something palatable for everyone.

The meetings are at 6 p.m. so for some people, it's dinner. That includes me.

When I ordered pizza the first time, I discovered that the employee who'd be with the program the longest cannot eat wheat. So that also rules out Subway. Subway and pizza did not impress the adults either. Plus, getting accurate figures on who would attend made guessing how much food to get difficult. Too much food was going to waste. I asked for suggestions and got none.

So, I started focusing on ideas for food that my wheat-intolerant employee could eat. And on munchies that could stick to your ribs since some folks had dinner before had and some did not. And what I wanted for dinner.

Last time, I went to Giant (the grocery store of choice for our office) and got oranges, raisins, cheese and crackers. This time, I had a budget of 20 dollars. I got crudités (a small platter of celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and cucumber), organic baby carrots, mixed nuts, Spinach dip, hummus, cheddar cheese (I thought I got Muenster too but I bought two cheddars, oops), triscuits and gluten free spring onion rice crackers. The platter was demolished!!! Everything but some triscuits, a couple carrots and three cherry tomatoes disappeared. Even the executive director commented that it looked delicious.

Oh-- and the cost: $20.13