Crustless Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

 10oz pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
4 slices of bacon
1tbsp olive oil
2 c. coarsely chopped button mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped red sweet pepper
1 1/2c. shredded swiss
8 eggs
2 c. half and half
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c. of packaged biscuit mix such as jiffy buttermilk biscuit mix

Line a 3 1/2 - 4 qt slow cooker with a liner or generously spray it with non stick spray. Using clean paper towels press spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, set aside.

In a medium skillet cook bacon until crispy ( or put in oven at 350 until crispy) drain, crumble and set aside. Discard drippings from pan. In same skillet heat oil over medium heat and add mushrooms and sweet pepper. Cook and stir until tender. Stir in spinach and cheese.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, half and half, chives, salt and pepper. Stir egg mixture into spinach mixture in skillet. Gently fold in biscuit mix. Pour egg mixture into prepared slow cooker. Sprinkle with bacon or you can mix the bacon in with the egg mixture which I have done.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high 2-2 1/2 hours or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15-30 min before serving. 

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp cornstarch
coarse salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced ( or 1tbsp jarred minced garlic is what I used)
8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1/4 c. raw cashews, toasted ( spread the cashews on a baking sheet, and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden and fragrant, about ten minutes, do this before cooking the chicken, or you can forget to do this like i did and just toss them in at the end of cooking)

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch until the chicken is coated; season with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. In a large non stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Add the remaining oil and chicken to the skillet along with the garlic and the white parts of the scallions. Cook, tossing often, until the chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Add the vinegar, cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add the hoisin sauce and 1/4 c. water, cook, tossing, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the green parts of the scallions and the cashews. Serve immediately over white rice. Recipe from Everyday Food Fast.

Pork Quesadilla's

Pork Quesadilla's

1 large garlic clove, unpeeled
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for grates
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 to 1lb)
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices
4 tbsp spicy brown mustard, plus more for serving
4 flour tortilla's ( I used low carb)
6 oz thinly slice deli ham
3-4 dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise or use the sandwich stacker pickles
8 oz provolone or swiss, coarsely shredded ( I used a mozzarella provolone shredded cheese)

Place the unpeeled garlic clove on a cutting board and smash with the flat side of a knife blade. Peel off the papery skin and discard, trim away the root end. Holding the tip of the blade steady on the cutting board with your free hand and rocking the base of the blade back and forth, chop the garlic into coarse even pieces. Gather the chopped garlic in a pile, sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Place the flat side of the knife blade on top; press firmly, pulling the knife toward you. Repeat until a paste forms. In a small bowl, combine with a 1/4 tsp pepper and the oil. Rub all over pork. ( if you do not want to use fresh garlic, you can substitute 1/8 tsp of garlic powder) The originial recipe has this done on a grill, well i don't have a grill, so I improvised. Heat a large pan, add 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil or olive oil. Make sure not to burn the oil. Brown both sides of the pork, transfer to a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees until a thermometer reads a 160 degrees when inserted in the center. Meanwhile cook the onions until soft and caramelized, set aside. When the pork is done, cut the pork along the grain into thin slices. Take each tortilla and spread 1 tbsp of the Spicy Brown Mustard, layer the ingredients on one side of the tortilla, pork, ham, pickle, onion, and cheese. Fold the tortilla over and press firmly and place into a heated non stick skillet, on med-low heat, if not a non stick make sure to spray the pan with pam and then the top of the tortilla so when you flip it its already greased.

Beef and Orange Stir-Fry

Beef and Orange Stir-Fry

3 oranges
2 garlic cloves,minced.
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 lbs trimmed boneless sirloin or rib-eye steak, cut into 1/2 in thick strips
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 to 2 tbsp canola oil
6 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1 inch lengths
white rice for serving

Into a small bowl, finely grate some of the orange into zest making sure not to get any of the white part, you should have a 1 tbsp and squeeze the juice from 1 orange. Add the garlic and soy sauce.
With a sharp paring knife, peel the remaining 2 oranges. Slice the oranges crosswise 1/2 inch thick, then halve the slices; push out and discard any seeds. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, toss meat with the cornstarch until coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Working in batches (adding more oil if needed) brown the beef on all sides, 3-5 minutes; transfer to plate.
Pour the juice mixture into the skillet and boil until syrupy, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the skillet; add the orange slices and scallions. Toss until coated and heated through. Serve ho, with white rice ( or brown if you prefer)

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana

3/4 c. plain bread crumbs
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
8 chicken cutlets or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves, halved horizontally
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 c. jarred tomato sauce
1/4 c. olive oil
6 oz fresh mozzerella cheese cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Heat the broiler. Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in the beaten egg then dredge in the bread crumb mixture, turning to coat both sides. Spread the tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10x15 inch baking dish. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in the skillet; cook until golden, 1-3 min ea side. Using a spatula, transfer the browned chicken cutlets to the baking dish, placing them on top of the sauce. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken cutlets. Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella. Broil about 4 inches from the heat source until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

The other way is to heat the oven to 350 and bake until temp reads 160 then put it under the broiler to brown up the cheese.

Note- you can thin the boneless skinless chicken breast halves out between two pieces of plastic wrap using a mallet.

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Oven Baked Polenta

Braised Chicken w/mushrooms and oven baked polenta

4 boneless, skinless chicken brreast halves about 6 oz ea
coarse salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 dry white cooking wine
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt each side and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil ( don't be afraid to add more if needed) in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken; cook until lightly browned, 2-3 min per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining olive oil to the hot skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover; cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices, 2-3 minutes. Remove lid. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced, 8-10 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover; simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve the cutlets and polenta topped with mushrooms and a drizzle of the cooking liquid. Garnish with additional parsley.

Oven Baked Polenta

3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
coarse salt and pepper.
1/4 c. milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground marjoram

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a lidded baking dish or dutch oven, whisk together 3 c. water, the cornmeal, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from the oven and add the milk, butter, and marjoram, and whisk briskly until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4. recipe is from Everyday food fast.

Holly's Beef Roast

Beef Roast

4-5lbs beef chuck roast
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Red Cooking Wine
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Mix the Red wine, onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup mix in crock pot. Season the roast with salt and pepper. In a medium pan sear both sides of the roast. Place in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours. Best served with mashed potato's or brown rice. This is super Yummy!!