Melissa’s Best Deviled Eggs

In my opinion these are the simplest, best deviled eggs ever!

Melissa’s Best Deviled Eggs

7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
Salt and pepper, for taste
Paprika, for garnishing

Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl. Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise and pickle relish. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tip: Often, I will boil a couple of extra eggs and treat my dog to the whites and add the extra yolks to the mixture to make the stuffed eggs even fuller. Add extra mayonnaise and relish to taste.

Broccoli Salad

This is one my favorite recipes!

10 slices Morning Star Farms Vegetarian Bacon
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped pecans

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat in a bit of oil until evenly just golden brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, onion and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving, toss salad with crumbled “bacon” and chopped pecans.

Phyllo Vegetable Pot Pie

I recently made this recipe and loved it. The process is a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort. I made it for no special occasion, but this pot pie would make an elegant entree for any holiday or company dinner. I made a number of changes to the recipe, using ingredients I had on hand – it worked! I noted the changes in the recipe below.

Phyllo Vegetable Pot Pie

8 ounces leeks (I used one cup chopped onion)

1 stick, plus 3 tbsp. butter

8 ounces carrots, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used a half-pint jar or home canned mushrooms)

8 ounces Brussels sprouts, quartered (I used a 10 ounce pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block)

4 ounces Roquefort or Stilton cheese (I used 1/2 half cup shredded Parmesan and 1/2 cup swiss)

2/3 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)

2 eggs, beaten

8 ounces cooking apples, peeled and chopped (I used Granny Smith Apples)

8 ounces cashew nuts or pine nuts, toasted (I used chopped walnuts)

12 ounces frozen phyllo dough, thawed (I used a 10 ounce pkg.)

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut leeks in half through the root and wash them to remove any soil, separating the layers slightly to check that they are clean. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces, drain and dry on paper towels.
2. Heat 3 tbsp. of the butter in a large pan and cook leeks and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes. (I used onions.) Add the mushrooms, Brussels sprouts (I added the broccoli instead) and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Wisk the cream cheese, blue cheese (or other cheeses), cream, and eggs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables.
4. Peel and core the apples and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the vegetables with the nuts.
5. Melt the remaining butter in a pan. (I melted it in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.) Brush the inside of a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter. Brush two-thirds or the pastry sheets with butter, one at a time, and use them to line the bottom and sides of the pan, overlapping the layers so that there are no gaps.
6. Spoon in the vegetable mixture and fold the excess phyllo pastry over toward the center to cover the filling.
7. Brush the remaining phyllo sheets with butter and cut them into 1 inch strips, arranging them decoratively in a rough mound.
8. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp all over. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool, then carefully remove the pan and transfer the pie to a serving plate.
9. Enjoy!

Tip: Keep phyllo sheets covered with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Remove each sheet as you use them. Phyllo dough dries out quickly and becomes brittle!

You can see how pretty it looked! The filling held together nicely.

I served this with Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts and Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower and Strawberry Pretzel Salad for dessert. Yum!

We had enough leftover for lunch the following day. The potpie was delicious served at room temperature or heated.

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks – Vegetarian by Linda Fraser. I’ve had this cookbook for about ten years I think. Love it.

Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts

We love beets in our house. We usually eat them fresh, but every once in a while I will open a can and make Spiced Beets. This recipe or rather, method, is delicious and savory.

Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts

Trim tops from beets and wash. Place in a pot of water and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Cool.

I like to wear rubber gloves at this point and rub the outer skin off the beets, but you don’t really have to. Place beets in a casserole dish or roasting pan. Top with several pats to butter. Just eye-ball it. I like to give a good amount of butter over the top based on how many beets I am cooking. Sprinkle Gorgonzola and chopped walnuts over the top and roast for 20 or 30 minutes.

Delicious!

Menu Plan Monday

We’ve been sick with a nasty cold the last few days. Thankfully, I think we are on the tail end of it. Needless to say the last couple of days I haven’t done much cooking and menu planning made me really hungry. So, at 7:30 p.m. tonight I decided to get up and cook something yummy.

Also, is it just me, or have you found the most amazing recipes through Pintrest? You really must check out my “Recipes to Try” board on Pintrest.

Like this photo of Lemon Merigue Pie!!! Which has inspired me to make a Lemon Meringue Pie with a Double Meringue for our Sabbath Evening Meal on Friday. Gorgeous!

Source: flickr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

 

Sunday:

B – Cereal and Soy Milk

S – Veggie Hot Dogs and Homemade French Fries

 

Monday:

B – Cereal with Soy Milk

L -Fettuccine Alfredo

S -Indian Chickpeas, Rice, Asparagus with Rosemary Citrus Butter

 

Tuesday:

B – Bagels and Gluten Free Brazilian Cheese Bread with Cream Cheese

L – Crockpot Enchiladas, Black Bean Salad, and Guacamole

S – Cabbage and Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Pimento Cheese Fritters with Homemade Apple Pepper Jelly
Wednesday:

B – Sourdough Blueberry Muffins and Scrambled Eggs

L – French Lentils, Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Steamed Cauliflower

S – Cornbread Pancakes with Honey Butter Syrup, Fried Eggs

 

Thursday:

B -English Muffin Sandwiches, Grapefruit

L – Crockpot Taco Soup, Salad

S – Stewed Tomatoes and Rice, Salad

 

Friday:

B – Cheese Grits or Cream of Wheat

L – Homemade Gouda Cheese Crackers, Salad, Boiled Eggs

S – Tacos, Lemon Meringue Pie with a Double Meringue

 

Sabbath:

B -Cereal, Yogurt

L – Potluck: Oatmeal “Meatloaf”, Sweet Pickled Apples, Scalloped Potatoes

S – Leftovers

Snacks:

This week we’ll be eating lots of citrus – a few bushels oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit that need to be eaten before they go bad now that spring has sprung.

Baking:

I’ll be busy every afternoon baking Brazilian Cheese Bread, Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, Amish Sourdough Sandwich Bread, Gouda Cheese Crackers, and Double Lemon Meringue Pie.

 

Be sure to check out Organizing Junkie for hundreds of ideas for your meal planning!

What are you eating this week?

Brazilian Cheese Bread – Gluten Free

As I have mentioned before, we are cooking gluten free for my daughter Sarah. It has been a real challenge! However, I have been so blessed to find recipes she loves. I typically make a recipe for her and freeze the leftovers so she can pull them out whenever she needs something quick or whenever I am not making a meal that is strictly gluten free for the rest of us. Honestly, gluten free products and flours cost so much, we can’t afford to all eat this way.

My husband (who does the grocery shopping) had brought home some packs of bagels and English muffins for the rest of us and I needed to find a bread that Sarah would enjoy that would have a comparable “chewiness.”

For a first attempt, this recipe was incredibly easy and super delicious! In fact, I split a couple of rolls between the rest of our family for the “taste test,” and the bread was a hit with everyone. Even my husband suggested I regularly make them for everyone to eat.

This recipe is a traditional recipe made in Brazil and is naturally gluten free. The Tapioca Flour used was difficult for me to find. We live in a small town, however even in the health food stores we visit a couple of hours away didn’t carry it. However, I finally found an inexpensive source – an Asian market in Knoxville. Tapioca Flour will be a staple in our house from now on! I am anxious to experiment with this recipe, possibly making similar breads out of it. I am thinking gluten free Italian Bread, and possibly trying to shape the rolls into a bagel shape with wet hands. I’ll let you know if it works. Also, I believe that you could substitute the cheese with your favorite and even leave out the garlic. So here’s the recipe:

Brazilian Cheese Bread

1/2 cup olive oil or butter
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour olive oil, water, milk, and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Drop rounded, 1/4 cup-sized spoonfuls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe yielded 8 (4 inch flattened) rolls for me.

You can see in the photo above how similar in appearance the inside is to an English muffin, and the bread is chewy like a bagel. Yum!

Note: I flattened my “scoops” out somewhat on the baking sheet (before baking) to resemble English Muffins when sliced open. I had a bunch of English muffins in the pantry and was in the mood to make some vegetarian Eggs Benedict.

Here is a photo of this incredible bread with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce:

(This photo would have looked nicer if I had planned for it and picked a different colored plate! But it tasted delicious!)

Holiday Wreath Appetizer

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

Remove crescent dough from packaging (do not unroll). Cut each tube into eight slices. Arrange in an 11-in. circle on an ungreased 14-in. pizza pan.

Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a serving platter; cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over wreath; top with broccoli, celery and red pepper. Form a bow garnish with celery leaves. Yield: 16 servings.

Enchilada Sauce for Canning

Okay, so I started getting all the produce put up. We bought 6 more bushels of tomatoes. That’s a lot of tomatoes! Plus the bushel of Pablano Peppers!

All in all our trip to the Farmer’s Market in Asheville, NC gave me… 

7 bushels of tomatoes

14 bushels of apples

1 bushel sweet potatoes

1 peck squash

1 peck eggplant

2 bushels red and green bell peppers

1 bushel pablano peppers

2 bushels cucumbers

That should keep me BUSY for quite a while!

Enchilada Sauce. So far I have made 23 quarts and 12 pints of this incredible Enchilada Sauce. (Plus what we used to make a small pan of enchiladas – probably another quart.) To make that much sauce I have used up about half of the Pablanos (maybe a little more than half) and about 3 bushels of tomatoes. We love enchiladas! They are so easy to make, so many options for fillings and just taste so good. I thought about dishing some up into a mug and sipping it like tomato soup!

Enchilada Sauce for Canning

12 lbs. quartered tomatoes

10 pablano peppers

3 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. salt

6 cloves minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Quarter tomatoes and place on three baking sheets, lined with foil if preferred, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place pablano peppers on top. Roast for about an hour, turning peppers as they blacken and blister. Remove peppers when all sides are blistered. This may happen before the hour is up. I had to take peppers out one at a time as they were ready. Allow peppers to cool and then peel.

Add roasted tomatoes and peeled peppers to large stock pot. Add remaining ingredients and use an emulsion blender to puree (or use a regular blender in batches).

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Then fill sterilized jars leaving a 1 inch headspace.

Pressure can at 10 lbs. for 50 minutes for pints and 60 minutes for quarts. This recipe is not for the boiling water bath method. I have to can at 15 lbs. pressure because of our altitude.

Note: You could add more peppers for a spicier flavor. Also, I suggest always boiling pressure canned vegetables/ sauces for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently before feeding them to your family – just to be on the safe side.

Another Note: You could use this “method” for making smaller batches of the sauce for one time use and not can it. Easy and definitely worth it! I’ve been getting about 8 – 9 quarts from each batch of this recipe.

Melissa’s Cornbread (gluten free)

Recently, we decided that Sarah (she turns 17 years old today!!), who has Chron’s Disease should go gluten free. Our family has been vegetarian since 1998, so cooking vegan foods for Sarah was an easy transition, but going gluten free has been more of a thought provoking challenge. However, I am very excited about the possibilities and now that I have stocked up on some basic essentials for gluten free cooking, it doesn’t seem nearly as daunting.

Cornbread is something I cook quite often. It is a recipe that we love, love, love. My recipe called for flour. Last night, I decided to try the recipe without the flour, replacing it with cornmeal. The kids said they liked it even better. Who knew?

Melissa’s Gluten Free Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I like to put my cast iron skillet in there to heat up and melt 2 tbsp. butter/ margarine in the skillet. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Remove cast iron skillet from oven, carefully! Tip from side to side to evenly coat with melted butter. Pour cornbread batter into skillet and bake for 20 minutes.

This recipe is soooo good. You can use this recipe to top pot pies, baked chili, Mexican Pie, and more. Add finely chopped jalapenos or corn, chopped onions and more for different flavors.

The Creation Diet

From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-Nine

The Creation Diet

Scripture Memory: “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Genesis 1:29

Download the .pdf version of this article.

In the beginning when God created man, He intended for His people to eat a diet of fruits and vegetables. Since nutrition plays such an important role in our health and our overall health often determines how we feel during the day which in turn can either make or break the daily tasks. When we feel good and have lots of energy we work diligently and accomplish more than when we feel sluggish and sickly.

A diet full of healthy fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts will help you to prevent disease and illness. Living foods are always better than dead foods.

A vegetarian diet has been proven over and over again to promote long life. Concerns that a vegetarian does not meet nutritional requirements are raised by some, however, by eating a balanced diet and a wide variety of foods, a vegetarian meets the nutritional requirements suggested by ADA and provides numerous health benefits:

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.” (1)

Not only is a vegetarian diet a healthy way to eat, it is also God-honoring. An animal does not have to die. God cares about his creatures! It prepares for the Kingdom to Come – we will not eat meat in heaven! And God will bless you with better health.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

“And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

“Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel,

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