Blissful Cow

I use Morningstar Farms Crumbles to make my version of those delicious Sloppy Joe’s that I had at almost every birthday party growing up.  I always scooped up a big helping out of the slow cooker.  This modern manwich uses veggie crumbles instead of beef, and adds a can of kidney beans for added nutrition.

To make your own, first coat your skillet with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and “brown” the veggie crumbles.  Then, add a can of drained, rinsed kidney beans (or dry ones you’ve soaked over night). The beans will add some good-for-you fiber, protein, and  iron. Finally top off with your favorite Sloppy Joe Sauce. I use about 8 ounces of sauce since most sauces have a lot of sugar in them.  Serve as a sandwich, on top of sweet potato fries, in a wrap, or with tortilla chips as a delicious dip.

This is an old world family recipe made by my Great Grandma Demyan and mostly likely many generations before hers.  It was reserved for when times were tough and resources were low.  In fact, my grandpa wouldn’t eat it anymore after having had  it so many times during the great depression.  He said it was poor people food.  What he meant was, it’s an economical way to feed a family on very little. All you need is salt, pepper, onion, cabbage, noodles, and butter (or butter substitute).  To add flavor and fat, my ancestors used bacon fat to make this dish. We’ll use a veggie bacon to make it healthier and animal friendly.

My recipe for cabbage and noodles is old world with a twist.  It’s quick, tasty, inexpensive, and nutritious.  This is a version that even my grandpa would enjoy.  It’s not just for tough times anymore!

First,  cook the pasta noodles.  Depending on how much I want to make, I use about 6- 12 ozs  of Ronzonio Healthy Harvest Yolk-Free Egg Noodles.  You get about 4 servings with half the package and about 8 if you make the whole 12 ozs. You can use eggless versions to make a vegan version. Cook pasta al dente according to the directions on the box/bag.

Next, cook up about 6 strips of veggie bacon – I use Morning Star Bacon Strips.  Cook them according to the directions on the package and set aside to cool.

Then, melt approximately 1/2 a stick of butter in a large sauté pan or wok.  I use the same pan that I cooked the bacon in.  I think it adds a little more of that smokey flavor. Instead of butter, you can also use a butter substitute or a nutty-flavored cooking oil, like grape seed oil if you want to make a vegan version.

Add 1/2 a medium onion, diced, to the butter. Be careful not to burn the butter.

Once the onion gets soft and transparent, add salt and pepper to taste.  I’m pretty generous with the pepper.

Add 1 head of cabbage, shredded. It will reduce in size by about half as it cooks.

Stir regularly until the cabbage is soft

Once the noodles are cooked and drained, add noodles to the cabbage mixture.

Chop up the bacon and fold into cabbage and noodle mixture and voila, you have a filling dinner that doesn’t break the bank!

What’s great for breakfast and for brunch, lunch or dinner? It’s quiche! – it’s filling, inexpensive, and you can make it different everytime -get creative! They’re also great for catering large groups because quiche can be prepared in advance, so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen while your guests mix & mingle. So, go ahead, give this funny named feast a try!

Ingredient Group A

1 deep dish pie crust

Paprika

Ingredient Group B

1 egg (or increase the egg substitute by ¼ cup if you’d like to avoid the cholesterol)

1 cup of egg whites or egg substitute (Egg Beaters)

¾ cup of milk (skim milk is what I use)

2 Tablespoons of flour or pancake mix (Fiber One Complete is recommended)

1 teaspoon of ground dry mustard

Ingredient Group C

Swiss cheese or soy cheese (or any other cheese you prefer)

¼ cup chopped onions

5-7 oz of Mushrooms (or any other veggies if you don’t like mushrooms)

Salt

Pepper

Butter or Olive Oil

Thyme (or other fresh or dried herbs to taste)

(1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

(2) Sauté up the veggies.

a. Melt butter or heat olive oil in pan – careful not to burn

b. Add onions (I buy onions already chopped in the freezer section to save time and it ensures that I always have onions to cook with so I add them first since they are frozen –if yours are fresh, add them after the mushrooms).

c. Add mushrooms, chopped

d. Add pinch of salt to veggies, cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat

e. Add pepper & thyme to taste and cook for 1-2 more minutes on low

f. Turn off and set aside until step 4

(3) Put the pie crust into the oven for a couple of minutes (you can do this while you’re sautéing)

(4) Then, take the empty pie crust out of the oven and layer the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Pop it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to let the cheese begin to melt.

(5) Prepare egg filling

a. Combine all the ingredients from Group B into a mixer or mix vigorously by hand until the mixture begins to foam up along the sides of the bowl

(6) Fill the pie crust up

a. First, put the mushroom/veggies mixture into the crust. Then, slowly add the egg mixture until it hits just under the top of the crust.

b. Put the quiche on a baking sheet (in case it over flows).

c. Sprinkle with paprika

(7) Let the Quiche bake for about 30 minutes or until middle of quiche is solid when jiggled

a. You might have to wrap the edges of the crust with aluminum foil as they often begin to get dark before the cooking is complete. (see picture).