Garlic and Basil Martinated Tofu Parmesan

High Protein, completely vegetarian. One of Mel's faves!

Ingredients
12 oz. Firm Tofu - drained for at least 15 minutes
1 16 oz can or jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I like it with mushroooms)
3 Tbs Garlic-Infused Olive Oil (directions below)
3 oz. Parmesan Cheese - finely grated
3 oz. Mozzarella Cheese - grated
1/4 cup Fresh Basil - minced

Creating Garlic-Infused Olive Oil
Heat 3-4 oz of Olive Oil over VERY LOW heat
Smash 4-5 cloves of garlic and place in oil
Heat for 10-15 minutes
Remove from heat and let cool

Cooking
Slice Tofu into two "patties"
Mix 1 oz. of Parmesan Cheese into Spaghetti Sauce
Pour Olive Oil into flat dish
Add Fresh Basil to Olive Oil
Place Tofu Pattie in olive Oil and coat thoroughly
Let Tofu Patties sit in oil for at least 60 minutes and as long as overnight (covered)

Grill Tofu in a pan at medium high heat - 4 minutes on each side

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place Patties in ceramic/pyrex casserole dish
Cover completely with Spaghetti Sauce
Cover in Mozzarella CHeese
Bake for 40 min at 375 degrees
Remove and top with remaining Parmesan Cheese
Return to oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese melts

Remove and allow to cool 5 minutes before eating

(these also are great for leftovers)

Ground Beef (or Turkey) Enchiladas with Peppers and Onions

These are crazy good! (about a million ingredients, but don't skip any!)

Ingredients
1 lb Ground Beef (lean) or Turkey
1 Red Bell Pepper - finely chopped
1 Large Shallot - finely chopped (food processor helps)
8 oz. Fresh Mushrooms - finely chopped (food processor helps)
1 Medium Sweet Onion - finely chopped (food processor helps)
2 15 oz cans of Tomato Sauce
8-12 oz Grated Mexican Cheese Blend
1/2 tsp Chipotle Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Homemade Adobo Seasoning (see Chicken Fajita Jecipe for instructions and making this)
1 tsp Tabasco Chipotle Hot Sauce
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbs Olive Oil
8-10 Whole Wheat or Low-Carb Tortillas - (Soft Taco size)

Cooking Filling
Brown Ground Beef with Chipotle Powder.  Drain and let cool on a plate

In the same pan, Heat 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil until it shimmers
Heat at Medium Low: Red Bell Pepper, Shallot, Mushroom and 1/2 of Onion, Salt.  Just until soft.
Do not overheat, remove and set aside to cool

Cooking Enchilada Sauce
In a small pot:
Heat other 1/2 of finely chopped Onion in 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil on low heat until soft and translucent
Add Chipotle Sauce, 1 1/2 cans of Tomato Sauce and all remaining spices (save other 1/2 a can of sauce for the next day)
Raise heat to medium high until sauce boils, immediately remove from heat

Making the Enchiladas
Combine Ground Beef, Pepper/Onion mixture and 1/2 of cheese in a big bowl

Put thin layer of Sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish
Roll Meat Mixture into tortilla and place in pan, until full (squeeze them in there!)
Cover in remaining sauce and cheese
Heat in oven at 375 degrees for 45 min

Serves at least 4 people

Mediterranean Artichoke Olive Chicken

Ingredients
3 cloves of Garlic - smashed
2 Chicken Breasts - pound flat (about 1/4 inch think
1 small Yellow or White Onion - sliced length-wise
1 Tbs Mediterranean seasoning
1 tsp ground Cayenne Pepper
5-6 Artichoke hearts - quartered
4 Garlic-staffed Olives - sliced
12 pitted Kalamata Olives - halved
2 Tbs Pesto Sauce (store bought is fine)
2 Tbs Sundried Tomatoes - chopped
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 cup Chicken Broth/Stock

Cooking
Pound Chicken flat, coats one side of chicken with Mediterranean Seasoning, the other side lightly dust with Cayenne powerd
Heat oil in stainless steel or cast iron pan
Add Onions and Garlic, heat until medium soft (just translucent)
Add Chicken to pan and heat at medium heat for 5-6 minutes
Flip Chicken and add everything except Chicken Broth
Cover and heat for 5-6 minutes
Add Chicken Broth and let simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes to reduce

Super flavorful, less than 30 minutes.

Baked Tuna Risotto (healthy tuna casserole with fresh vegetables)

Ingredients
1 medium Heirloom Tomato (or at least a fresh tomato) - quartered
2 small Zucchini - very thinly sliced into "chips"
1/2 medium Sweet Onion
1 Green Onion - roughly chopped
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Red Quinoa
1 cup Israeli Couscous
6 stalks of thin Asparagus - roughly chopped
1.5 oz. Parmesano-Reggiano cheese - grated
1 can Tuna - drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 Tbs Olive Oil

Cooking
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

On stove-top
Heat tomato in hot pan until soupy (break it up as it cooks)
Heat Olive Oil at high heat in heavy pan than can go straight into the oven
Add Onion and Green Onion, heat for about 1 minute
Add Quinoa and Couscous (uncooked) and heat, while stirring for 2-3 minutes
Stir in Chicken Broth - slowly
Stir in Tomato
Stir in Zucchini and Asparagus
Add Salt and Pepper
Fold in Parmesan
Fold in Tuna
Cover and place in oven for 30 minutes
Remove and serve

Chicken Fajitas with Mushrooms and Pasilla Peppers

Ingredients
2-3 Chicken Breasts
2 large, or 4 medium Sweet Onions, thinly sliced length-wise
1 large Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced length-wise
1 Pasilla Pepper, thinly sliced length-wise
1 Portabello mushroom, or 4-6 oz of other fresh mushroom, sliced thinly
2 Tbs Olive oil
1/2 tsp Salt
2-3 tsp homemade Adobo seasoning (2-3 tsp Garlic Powder, 2 tsp Onion Powder, 3/4 tsp Black Pepper, 3/4 tsp Ground Cumin, 1/2-3/4 tsp Salt, 1/2-1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper)
Whole-wheat flour tortilla shells (soft taco size)
1 lemon

Utensils
Sharp knife
Cast Iron Pan
Spring-loaded Tongs

Cooking
Heat Cast Iron pan for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat
Wash and dry chicken, sprinkle both sides with Adobo and set aside
Slice Onions
Add 1-1/2 Tsb Olive oil, heat until it shimmers (like heat waves)
Add Onions and 1tsp Adobo seasoning, toss to coats with oil
Slice Bell Pepper and Pasilla Pepper and add to plan with Salt
Toss with Onions and make sure all have been heated
Slice Mushrooms and add to pan
Onions should be translucent and soft by now. You can remove about half of them if you need to make room for the mushrooms
Heat mixture for at least 5-10 more minutes, until Onions begin to caramelize (turn brown), pepper become soft and mushrooms begin to sweat out their water.  Keep turning until all of this happens
Remove mixture from pan, add 1/2 Tsp Olive Oil and place Chicken in the pan.
Heat chicken on medium-high heat on each side for 6-7 minutes.  Only touch them to turn them at the 6-7 minutes mark.
At about 3- minutes into heating the second side, put all of your onion/pepper/mushroom mix on top of the chicken (adds moisture to the chicken and reheats everything)
Squeeze the juice of one lemon before you remove from heat
Check to make sure chicken is 165-170 degrees on the inside.

Remove everything from heat.  Let chicken sit on cutting board for 3-4 minutes then slice thinly and eat!

Cheesy Sundried Tomato Couscous (a super easy, healthier and tastier macaroni & cheese)

Ingredients
2 cups water
5 sundried tomatoes - roughly chopped
1 cup Israeli/Mediterranean Couscous (the bigger pearl shaped stuff)
1 Tbs butter
1 oz finely grated Parmesan, or similar, cheese

Cooking
Simmer tomatoes in the 2 cups of water for 15-20 minutes
Bring water to a rolling boil
Add couscous and heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally
Almost all the water will be absorbed
Add butter and cheese
Stir until creamy and serve warm

Lemon Tomato Roasted Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
2-3 Chicken breasts - washed and dried
1 large lemon - sliced thinly
1 medium sweet onion - sliced thinly cross-wise
1 15oz can of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
1 small jar (6-8 hearts) of marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dry oregano (1 tsp if fresh)
1/4 tsp dry thyme (1tsp if fresh)
1/4 tsp dry rosemary or (2 sprigs of fresh)
1 Tbs Olive oil
_____________
Cooking
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix Olive oil, Oregano, and Thyme into tomatoes

Build in layers in medium round casserole dish or dutch oven
from the bottom to the top:

• Sliced lemons
• Sliced onions
• Rosemary
• Chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tomato mixture
• Artichoke hearts

Cover and heat for 45-55 minutes. Check chicken to make sure it is at least 165 degrees.

*Serve with Cheesy Sundried Tomato Couscous, or Garlic Red Quinoa

A word about Jecipes

My niece Jessica is at college. Like most college students she has picky roommates and a limited budget. She also has a small kitchen and limited kitchen utensils and appliances.  These recipes seldom require an appliance other than a stove-top or oven.  Utensils are usually limited to a knife, cutting board, mixing bowl, and pot, pan or casserole dish.  Most can be made in less than 30 minutes of actual work and many require only one pan or pot.

I hope she enjoys them. And if you are not her, I hope you enjoy them too.