Crock Pot Lentils and Spinach for Dinner with Dessert Wontons

It's a beautiful thing when you can throw a few key ingredients in a pot, leave it for several hours, and then when it is time for dinner and your stomach is grumbling, you have the meal completely prepared. Minimal effort=extraordinary dinner. Maybe it's because the slow cooker does all the work for you. Maybe it's because you start dinner hours in advance and then when it is time to actually eat and you are wondering what in the world to make and in how short of time you can make it because you are starving NOW, you remember that something has already been cooking and is ready right when you want it to be! In short, the crock pot is the college kid's best friend...at least in my opinion. I found this recipe when pondering what in the world to fix for dinner on a Saturday night when my laundry list of things to do was out the roof. I just gathered the ingredients, choppped up a few veggies, tossed it in the pot, and let it do the rest.

Crock Pot Lentils and Spinach

• 1 onion, diced



• 3 garlic cloves, minced



• 2 cups water



• 1/2 cup lentils, brown or green (or whatever you prefer)



• 1 package frozen spinach (10 ounces)



• 2 small potatoes, diced into cubes



• 1 Tablespoon curry powder



• 1 teaspoon cumin



• salt and black pepper to taste

1. Chop onions and potatoes. Mince the garlic.



2. Pour the water into the Crock pot.



3. Add the minced garlic, onion, potatoes, spinach, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.



4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.



5. Enjoy!!!

Since I did minimal work on the actual meal for supper I decided to experiment with a dessert. I love the combination of cherries and chocolate and have been wanting to make something with the wonton wrappers I bought at Kroger earlier in the week. Gotta love the manager's special. I contemplated what recipe to use for my first time working with the wrappers. Should I make ravioli? Vegetable dumplings? Homemade pizza rolls? (I actually did that with egg roll wrappers and they are delicious!) Since I was craving my two favorite sweet ingredients I decided to try my first wonton wrapper dish as a dessert. A perfect beginning to many more wonton recipes. Of course I always want to feel good about what I put in my body even if it is something to satisfy my sweet tooth, therefore I am always trying to think of ways to create scrumptious treats nutritiously. I started out with the wrappers, grabbed a can of tart cherries packed in water, not syrup, a package of dark chocolate chips (yes, chocolate is good for you depending on the amount you use), and a tiny bit of almond extract. It all came together wonderfully. I enjoyed these immensely and, better yet, so did William.

Dessert Wontons

• Nasoya wonton wrappers (I only used half of the package, which made about 15 wrappers)



• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (60% or higher)



• 1 can tart pitted cherries in water (I used about half of the can)



• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Melt the chocolate over simmering water in a double boiler. You may also simmer the water in a pot and place a glass bowl over the pot.



2. In another pot add the cherries, with juice, and almond extract to warm on medium heat.



3. Prepare a baking sheet by praying with nonstick cooking spray.



4. Place one wonton wrapper on the baking sheet.



5. Once chocolate is melted and the cherries are warm, dollop about half a spoonful of the chocolate into the middle of the wonton wrapper.



6. Add about three cherries on top of the chocolate in the middle of the wonton wrapper.



7. Moisten the edge of the wonton wrapper with a bit of the cherry juice from the pot with your finger, spoon, or baster brush.



8. Place another wonton wrapper on top of the prepared wonton with cherry and chocolate.



9. Press down the edges to seal.



10. Spray the tops of the wonton wrappers with oil.



11. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.



12. Garnish with left over melted chocolate by drizzling it over the top or with a bit of cinnamon sugar.

Will really liked the cinnamon sugar ones the best. Either way, they're delicious!

Moroccan Couscous With Broccoli

This Christmas I got an amazing cookbook called Vegetarian Cooking from my step mom, Jennifer and my dad, Dan. It's an awesome book and I've tried several recipes so far, but the one Will and I both have loved and have cooked several times, each time raving over the deliciousness of the dish, is Moroccan Couscous. The cookbook calls for it to be made with eggplant, but every time I want to make this for a meal I never have eggplant on hand so instead I use broccoli. The spices create an amazing flavor to this couscous and since it is so filling, we always just have one serving and are stuffed! I can't wait to get back to Houston to pick up some whole wheat couscous to make this dish even more nutritious. The original recipe calls for instant couscous, but pretty much all couscous is instant so just cook it as the directions say and enjoy!

Moroccan Couscous With Broccoli

• 1 cup whole wheat or regular couscous


• 1/2 cup olive oil


• 1 onion, halved and diced


• 6 broccoli spears, chopped and defrosted (if frozen)


• 3 teaspoons ground cumin


• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon paprika


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves


• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt


• 2 tablespoons butter ( We use Smart Balance)


• a handful of roughly chopped parsley

1. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water for couscous.


2. Put the couscous in a large bowl.


3. Pour the 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the couscous and cover bowl with a plate. Leave for 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff up the grains with a fork.


4. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Saute the onion for 8-10 minutes, or until browned.


5. In a small bowl mix spices together and add the broccoli. Toss the broccoli in the spices until well coated.


6. Add remaining olive oil to the pan and add the broccoli. Cook broccoli with the onion until tender.


7. Add couscous, and butter to the sauteed onion and broccoli. Cook about 2-3 minutes until heated through. Stir in the parsley. And serve.

Oriental Garden Pilaf

I was browsing my neighborhood Kroger one night for some groceries and found a box of barley for .84 cents. I thought "I can probably make something good with this" and I've always wanted to try barley. Next thing you know I'm in the kitchen whipping up a recipe from the back of the box and let me tell you, it's good. Will and I added our own flare and put a twist to it. This is what we came up with:

Oriental Garden Pilaf (2 servings)

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable broth




• 2/3 cup Quick Cooking Barley




• 1 Tablespoon olive oil




• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots




• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery




• 1 clove garlic (1/2 teaspoon)




• 1/2 cup of peas




• 2 Tablespoons of light (low sodium) soy sauce
  
  

1. In medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil.




2. Stir in barley; reduce heat.




3. Cover; simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender.




4. In large skillet, heat oil.




5. Cook carrots, celery, and garlic over medium high heat 2-3 minutes.




6. Add peas (we defrosted frozen peas in the microwave); continue cooking 1 minute.




7. Add cooked barley and soy sauce; mix well.




8. Continue cooking over medium heat until heated through.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are fantastic. My roommate Moreen wanted to bake cookies one night and asked me if Will and I could show her how. I knew just the recipe! Chocolate chip cookies are usually not my favorite (i'm super partial to oatmeal raisin), but these are amazing! And I must say it is due to the whole wheat flour. It adds a richer texture and taste to the cookie and brings out the chocolate taste more, in our opinion. Since they are whole wheat, they are also healthier for you and don't make me feel as quilty about eating a delicious cookie! Will doesn't feel guilty at all. Anywho...here is the recipe!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (about 3 dozen)

• 3/4 cup sugar



• 3/4 cup brown sugar



• 1 cup butter, melted



• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract



• 1 egg



• 2 cups whole wheat flour



• 1 teaspoon baking soda



• 1/2 teaspoon salt



• chocolate chips - as many as you like :)
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in a medium bowl.



3. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.



4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until all the dry ingredients have been moistened.



5. Stir in the chocolate chips.



6. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.



7. Bake 8-10 minutes. Centers will be soft.



8. Let cool and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Vegetable Pizza

After church one Sunday William and I went to Whole Foods market with his parents Lisa and James Crouch. We picked up a lot of yummy stuff there and I (Samantha) was absolutely mesmerized the entire time. I felt like a kid in a candy store, except this one was healthy and would not amount to cavities. William's dad got a slice of spinach pizza, which we sampled, and really liked. I had not had pizza in such a long time and and it reminded me of the times when I would go to CiCi's and eat all the spinach pizza I could. I guess that sample of the pizza from Whole Foods sparked a craving for pizza in us and we decided to make our own. However, I wanted to make a whole wheat crust and since it was during Christmas break, we had plenty of time to make the dough for the crust from scratch. The first time we made it at my house, we were so surprised at how amazing it tasted! I mean, we knew it was going to be good, but we never expected it to be that good. So we made it the very next day at Will's house for his family and they raved over it as well! It truly is one of our favorite things to do, not only because it tastes so amazing, but because the process of making it is a lot of fun.


Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tablespoon yeast
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose (unbleached) flour

1. Dissolve sugar in warm water. (only takes a few seconds)
2. Once sugar is dissolved, sprinkle yeast over the warm water and wait ten minutes. (The yeast will look foamy at the end of the ten minutes)
3. Stir in the olive oil and salt.
4. Mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all purpose flour (saving the 1/2 cup of all purpose for later) until it comes together.
   
5. Spread the 1/2 cup of all purpose flour on a hard, clean surface and knead it into the whole wheat dough (about ten minutes).
6. Once all of the all purpose flour has been incorporated into the whole wheat and yeast dough mixture, place the dough in an oiled bowl and rotate the dough to oil on all sides.
7. Cover bowl loosely with a towel for 1 hour in a warm place.
8. Once the dough has doubled in size, form dough into a tight ball and let it rise for another 45 minutes without being covered.
9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
10. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it cannot be rolled out anymore.
    
11. Place rolled out dough onto an oiled pizza pan.
12. Fold excess dough that hangs over the side of the pan to create a desired crust.

Once you have done this the dough is ready to be cooked and you can assemble the pizza. We took some olive oil and a bread dipping blend made of garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper, rosemary, basil, oregano, and parsely and brushed the entire crust before adding the rest of the ingredients. This gave the crust a crunchy texture and flavorful taste.

Next we added a marinara sauce (not homemade, although we will probably do that one day too).
Then a layer of low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese and topped it with roma tomato slices, spinach, and sliced mushrooms (you can add any vegetables you like). Of course we had to top that with some more mozzarella cheese (and why not when it is part skim....it's practically no calories, right?) Sprinkle a little parmesan and herbs on top and pop that baby in the oven. You got yourself a delicious and nutritious pizza. I do not hope, but KNOW, you will enjoy :)

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

In our search to have a reason for eating Will's grandmas' sensationally sweet fig preserves, we found a recipe for buttermilk biscuits. However, these biscuits are on a higher level than regular biscuits since they are made with whole wheat flour which makes me (Samantha) feel a little less guilty about eating them. The benefits of eating whole grains are numerous, especially for someone on a vegetarian diet and who knew it would taste better than regular old flour? It's funny because my diet should pretty much consist mostly of grains such as wheat, rice, barley, oats, millet, etc, foods made of grains like pasta, bread, and cereals made from wholegrain, and of course vegetables and fruit. In the attempt to stay slim, I figured that eating too many carbs would be bad so I tried to exclude them completely from my diet. In the end I came to realize that choosing good carbs, rather than no carbs is what I should be doing for myself. When you eat whole grains you get more fiber and micronutrients than you would by eating refined flour, rices, pastas, etc. So, in short, I pretty much make and eat everything whole wheat and it started with these amazing biscuits!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
  
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
2. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and stir in the milk until all the dry ingredients are moist.
3. Plop spoonfuls of the mixture down in a baking sheet.
   
4. Bake 10-12 minutes in a 450 degree oven.
5. Enjoy your warm biscuits with some yummy preserve or as a delicious side to any meal!

Will and I thoroughly enjoy eating these for breakfast, but they're also a great addition to soup. A lot of times we freeze the extra dough if we just want to make a few for one time and save the rest for later. When we make some after it has been frozen, I just take it out of the freezer and let the dough thaw ahead of time and bake them like normal. They're great!

Caution: "Buttermilk by itself tastes horrible," says Will.

The Adventure Begins

Two college kids, well not really kids...young adults, met and fell in love. And you wanna know something? It all started with Fettuccine Alfredo. Yep, that's right. An Italian classic began it all and we've been cooking together ever since. Something awesome happens when you get a vegetarian and a meat-eater, who both have a sweet tooth and want to eat delicious, healthy meals on a budget, in the kitchen. One without the other usually messes things up, but together they are a cooking machine! For instance, one day William was in class and I ran home to fix a lunch (as soon as I get this recipe down I will add it). In a frenzy I tried whipping up the stir-fry myself, however I definitely pulled a Mrs. Doubtfire and ruined everything in a matter of a few seconds. I let the pan get too hot, which resulted in burnt garlic and chili sauce, then I thought "it couldn't possibly be that bad" so I added a few more ingredients, turned my back for a second, and that got burnt as well. In the end, even mixing it in with some couscous could not salvage it. I have never tasted something more revolting...*thinks for a second*...yep, never. I realized my fault wasn't in the fact that I can't read a few simple directions and cook a basic stir-fry, but that without Will, it just doesn't turn out very good at all. We help each other when we cook, like one of those teams you see on Food Network Challenge. We're a dynamic duo and that's pretty awesome. We thought, after one successful meal after the next, we would make a blog to share all of our yummy findings with friends and family and anyone else who cares to know. My room mates always say that we should open up a restaurant, but since we have to graduate college first before that could ever even be a possibility, we decided a blog spot would suffice. So, here we go. Leave comments, let us know what you think, and join our adventure!