Spicy Potstickers

Today I am thankful for my husband. I saved the best for last. Al is the most amazing person to ever come into my life. We are so close, I never imagined loving someone and sharing so much with someone. In the   15 months of dating, 6 months of engagement, and almost 11 months of marriage...I have found out more about who I am suppose to be, because of him. He's also hilarious, intelligent, considerate, and genuine.

Perhaps I'm thankful for him today too, cause I made dinner for one tonight. And I made something that Al looooves! I have some ready to go for a snack when he gets home from school. This is a favorite of mine too, I think its because it reminds me of being back in China. This was street food. I love street food!! Ha! The key to these bad boys is the crispy bottom. It makes the dish. I'm not gonna fry them in tons of oil to get it though. The way I have this recipe it makes about 20, depends on how much you stuff in, I usually shoot for about a tablespoon. Anyway, enough jabbering-lets get to the potstickers!! Oh! First, I will say that I usually pair it with a little dippin' sauce. I mix a couple tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce with a dash of rice vinegar, a sprinkling of brown sugar and some crushed red pepper...it gets the job done. :)

INGREDIENTS:
potsticker wrappers
1/2 lb of ground pork
3 green onions, chopped
1 fresno pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
splash of rice vinegar
1 teas hoisin sauce
1/2 teas chinese five spice
cooking spray
water

*In a bowl mix pork, onions, pepper, garlic, vinegar, hoisin, and chinese five spice. Make sure everything is well incorporated.
*Take a wrapper, lay it flat in your hand. Pile in the middle, about a tablespoon of the pork mixture. Dab finger tip in water, wet the edge of half the wrapper. Fold in on itself and crimp the edges. Making sure it's all sealed. Place wrappers on a sheet with a damp towel and cover as you keep forming them.
*Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, spray cooking oil and then place in, edges up, your potstickers. Cook for about 4-5 mins cover on, making sure the bottom gets crispy brown, but not burnt. 30 seconds before removing from the skillet, pour a few tablespoons of water into the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Let the steam finish off the potstickers and then remove from skillet.
*Eat them right away, they don't hold heat too well, but trust me, they eat up fast anyways!

Lentil Loaf

Today I am thankful for my parents. I got to pick them up from the airport today, they were off escaping the winter by golfing in Arizona for the past week. I got to puppy sit for their dog-loved having another animal in the house. But back to what I'm thankful for, my parents...there really isn't much to say except that I was once an unruly teenager and now, finally, at the age of 25 I can say that I am friends with my parents.

I'm going to call this dish a work in progress. I loosely followed the recipe from this vegan blog. When I make this again in an (inevitable) week or two, I will most likely put 2/3 in a food processor and blend. This is because I had some consistency issues. I would also add a little more ketchup into the mix....I've accounted for that in this recipe. But taste wise...fantastic. Al asked if I put "meatloaf spice" on it. HA! Oh, he'll be a vegetarian yet! :]

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag lentils, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1/2 a sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 bag of frozen veggie mix(carrots, peas, and beans)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teas garlic powder

*Heat oven to 350.
*Put lentils, onions, veggies, apple sauce, and ketchup in a large bowl. Mix well adding the garlic powder and crackers.
*Process a portion in the food processor. Mix back together.
*Pack in a loaf pan, top with ketchup. Cook in the oven for 45-50 min.
*Enjoy!

Grate Pepper Pasta

Today I am thankful for water! So so thankful for water. Not even just water, but the best water in the world. (Seriously, it's liquid awesome.) And I can actually say that because I've been to a bunch of different countries. Most of which you can't drink the water. When I lived in China I had to have one of those water coolers, and make the call every time I needed a new one in ridiculously broken chinese. True story. On monday there was a water main break a block away and we didn't have water for half the day. So for running water I am also thankful!

Okay, so I did not miss type the title of this post. I know how to spell great and I know how to spell grate. I'm calling this one Grate Pepper Pasta cause of how its made. Half the stuff you put in the sauce, ya grate it. Badabing badaboom. This turned out so good. It was creamy. It was spicy. It was flavorfull. Umm, yeah, I'll take seconds. Which I didn't, actually, because I wanted to spread out this goodness over a couple days. I'm about to reheat the last of it as soon as I post this. ::sigh:: I guess I'll have to make more soon!

 INGREDIENTS:
whole wheat penne pasta
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 teas crushed red pepper flakes
1 carrot, grated
1/2 a small onion, grated
2 tbls olive oil
1 tbls basil
2 cups almond milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 handful spinach, chopped

*Prepare the pasta as direct while making the sauce.
*In a food processor or blender, put the peppers, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, carrot, onion, olive oil, and basil. Blend until smooth.
*Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the milk to a simmer adding in the pepper mix and the parmesan cheese. Once its heated through and mixed well throw in the spinach and the cooked pasta.
*Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

Today I am thankful for YOU! Cheesy? Perhaps. But seriously. I started this blog about 5 or 6 weeks ago because people seemed to be enjoying the things I was eating for dinner. I never thought that in such a short time I would already be at 589 views!! Mind blowing! So thank you to all of you who read this faithfully, or you catch a dish every now and then or hey, thanks to you if this is the first time you've been here!! This is becoming a fun little hobby. And really for me, its kind of like a digital recipe book to go back to things I've made. Its just that all of you get to come here too.

Bonus: today you will learn a little more about me and my husband. Ahem. For us, life is...at the core, all about Christ. Our relationship is based with Him at the center. Al and I go to this really amazing home church. We meet at our pastors house each Sunday. We've been going for the past few years and couldn't have found more amazing people to fellowship with. Each week I usually try to whip up something to snack on. A few of us do. Its funny how one week we all bring sugar-loaded-desserts, the next crunchy-salty-snacks, and then the next we all cut up fruit. Ha! Remember the Apple Donuts, those were a huge hit there. Anyways, this is something I brought this past Sunday.

I am all about hummus. I make it all the time and we use it on everything. But a girl can use a break sometimes. Hence, a white bean dip. (I can hear the ooo's and ahh's now) This was born out of a simple concept...substitute what type of bean you are using normally. But then I had to experiment with the herbs. Result, a rosemary and thyme spread. I toasted up some thin slices of french bread to smother in the stuff. Delicious. Also, I made it in a hurry Sunday morning...so, umm, I hope I'm remembering all that went into it!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 tbls lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls grated parmesan
1 teas rosemary
1 teas thyme
1/2 teas black pepper

*Place all ingredients in a food processor.
*Process. :)

Quinoa Tostadas

Today I am thankful for organization. Now, this thankful moment I'm having is two fold. I'm thankful for having an organized room, things put in their place, everything neat and tidy. When and if that happens-I love it! Its effort but such a weight off when all is said and done. Secondly, I'm thankful for event type things that are organized. When you have a group of people that are doing something, going somewhere, all pitching in on something...when things run smooth that my friends is a blessing. Because so often there are bumps along the way. So here's to being organized, getting organized or aspiring towards organization.

Okay, so for those who have come here a time or two, remember the Quinoa Stuffed Peppers? Well this is using the base of that! We fell head over heals for the filling to those peppers and this is the second go-'round that couldn't come any sooner. This time I went the route of a tostada. I bought some small corn tortillas which I baked in the oven till crispy, saving some calories from going the frying in oil route. The assembly line went as follows: crispy tostada, slathered with refried beans(from a can, I wasn't that ambitious tonight), sprinkled with lettuce, covered in the quinoa mix, and topped with a few slices of avocado. YUM! The crispy tortilla really did the trick. All in all, a great use for this. Four thumbs up from the Reich's.

Eggplant & Spaghetti

Today I am thankful for mornings. The funny part is that it took me sleeping through one this morning to realize this. I'm normally an early riser, sleeping in means that its approaching 9 on the clock before I get out of bed. Today though, pretty much broke a record. It felt like any other morning. Expecting to see something like, 8:27 on the clock. Nope. Try 10:36. Really self?! No idea why I was/am so tired today. Getting back on track. I'm thankful for mornings because they are like this fresh start every 24 hours. Ya get to step out of bed and have all your firsts for the day. First good stretch. First glass of water. First pet of the puppy. First bite of breakfast. First chance to start everything off right and spend time with the Lord. First thoughts of all the things you can do that day. And when you miss a morning...it all just gets thrown off.

Life around the Reich household has been out of whack lately. Al is gone all the time and it just throws me off my game. Which has a ripple affect that works its way to our dinner time. AKA it doesn't really happen like to used to. So this is a meal from a few weeks back. The spaghetti, just boiled pasta and sauce from a jar. I've recently fallen in love with this sauce...more specifically the Chunky Garden, Garden Combo sauce. Its jam packed with veggies and has stellar flavor. Not to mention they go on sale all the time at the grocery store and sometimes there are coupons and you can pick up a jar for only $.99 which makes my day. The eggplant I made to add a bit to the spaghetti was a fairly simple breaded deal. We loved it. Here's the specs on this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced about 1/3 inch thick
(the breading is all based on the size
of your eggplant, so these are the things
I used, play around with the portions)
cooking spray
salt
pepper
basil
thyme
parsley
garlic powder
breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
3 teas garbonzo bean flour
whole wheat spaghetti
marinara sauce

*Heat oven to 400.
*Place eggplant on a cooling rack on a baking sheet in a single layer. Spray with the cooking spray and season with s&p and basil. Turn over and repeat.
*Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, eggplant needs to be done.
*Dissolve the bean flour in water in a bowl big enough to dredge the eggplant.
*In another bowl big enough to dredge, combine the thyme, parsley, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs. Set bowls next to each other.
*Dredge the eggplant in the flour water mix on both sides and then the breadcrumbs making sure it is well covered in crumbs. Put back on the rack in a single layer.
*Put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
*Serve with spaghetti and sauce.

Sausage & Pepper Frittata

Today, I am thankful for Bueller! My beagle puppy! Okay, so he's not a puppy anymore, he's 5. He's my spunky, wild, playful, adorable, talented, & sweet little best friend. The dog can show off with tricks, hoover his dinner in 30 seconds flat, and he follows me around the house from room to room like my shadow. I mean, come on. Love him. And being that most of my days are spent at home with this little guy...I think he's come to put up with me as much as I put up with him!

Over the weekend my husband and I got to enjoy a lazy Saturday. A full day (well almost) of just the two of us. What better way to start that day, than a brunch to please the masses. Frittata! This one had some diced up breakfast sausage and bell peppers. Its decently healthy, affordable, and more than edible. Check, check, check, aaand eaten. It makes about 5 servings and is great the next day or two when you want a hot breakfast without the effort.

 INGREDIENTS:
6 breakfast sausages
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas crushed red pepper flakes
2 bell peppers, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 teas dried basil
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella

*Cook the breakfast sausage until well browned, remove from pan.
*Preheat oven to 425.
*Heat the olive oil in the same pan, adding the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for about a minute. Toss in bell peppers and tomato. While this cooks for a couple minutes, dice up your cooked sausage and then throw that in with everything else. Top with the basil and get everything working together for a few minutes.
*Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the 6 eggs with the milk. Once the veggies are ready, pour into the pan. Add cheese, reserving just a bit. Make sure everything is well distributed in the pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
*Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until browned on top. Wait for 5-10 minutes to serve.

Mac & Peas

Today I am thankful for something that I don't exactly have...all the time. Patience. I am choosing to be thankful for the patience that the Lord does give me. In the current season of life we are, well really Al is on the job hunt. He graduates in this May. I am currently trying to plan for an unknown future...and that's hard. Thankfully, yes, thankfully God has given me some kind of patience otherwise I could be going nuts right now. Are we staying home? Will we be moving across the country? How??!? Where!!? When?!?! Okay so...I have my moments.

Now that you have a peek into my current/constant thoughts...I would also like to introduce you to one of my new favorite blogs!! Drum roll please.....the vegan stoner. The layout...neat. The food...inspiring. The recipes...simple. And its where I have gotten a few of my latest from. Including mac & peas!! So rather than including the recipe on my site today I'll let you venture around on theirs. They don't give specifics for all the ingredients, which I like/don't like all at the same time. It gives room for your own twist but if you're clueless...it makes it that much harder. Anyways, my first crack at mac & peas was awesome. I did add some almond milk, and I think it made it creamier. Life is good when you have a creamy pasta dish. Al's comment was that it was more like a simple alfredo than a cheese sauce. My response was well, it isn't exactly a cheese sauce cause there is no cheese in it honey dear. Anyways, check out the blog and check out my other dishes as well!!

PB&Chocolate Bites

Today I am thankful for,

my God.

Fun fact...I'm very thankful for Him everyday! Its true. Today though I am thankful for a specific facet of His character, His acceptance. There are so many rules, regulations, pressures, expectations...(I could go on) put on us by the world. Yet the Lord of heaven and earth says simply...come. Come to me as you are. Come to me with your burdens, your scars, your insecurities, your pride, your talents, your heart...come. He accepts all, and not only that, but turns around and causes it for good and for His glory.

Another blessing from God, to be ever-so-thankful for...the mouthwatering combination of peanut butter and chocolate! This is like one of the only ways I eat chocolate. Those darn peanut butter cups!! This is a recipe that is out there in several different places. Seems like everyone and their mother is making peanut butter cups. Reason: they are fantastic! Hello!! So after perusing a handful of homemade versions of this treat, I came up with my own take. Lets just call this a homerun.

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag Hershey's milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 graham crackers, crushed

*Combine peanut butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl. Make sure the consistency is good enough for you to roll them into balls. Add more crackers or sugar(you pick)to get it there. Kind of depends on the peanut butter you are using.
*Using a small pot, heat a cup of water over medium heat, you want it to slightly bubble, but not boil.
*In a metal or glass bowl, place the chips. Then put the bowl over the pot to use, double boiler like. Stir until the chips are melted and looking silky smooth.
*Roll a ball of pb dough smaller than a golf ball. Toss into the chocolate and using a spoon roll to cover. Place on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper. Repeat until all the bites are done.
*Place sheet in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Notes:
*We are keeping ours in the freezer, they seem to hold up better that way.
*When I reached the end I had more pb dough then I thought would get covered by the chocolate I had left. So I tossed the pb dough into the remaining chocolate and just mixed and melted it all together. Made a "log" on the waxed paper, and after it was frozen cut into chunks. Same taste as the bites...I'm eating it like its my job, FYI.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Today I am thankful for....

the cozy side of fall.

Ya know...blankets, hot beverages, snuggling, candles, and the aroma of freshly baked pie. It makes you do that thing where you closer your eyes, tighten up your shoulders, and smile! Love it.

Speaking of an aroma wafting through the house. I for sure had that going on last night. I made these awesome cookies...or should I say banana-bread-bites-from-heaven. They were excellent. AND!! Come out to only about 140 calories per cookie, which isn't half bad. I had a couple for breakfast this morning...yum!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 medium bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 teas vanilla

2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
3/4 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas nutmeg

*Cream together the softened butter and sugars. Once fully incorporated add bananas, egg, vanilla, and oats. Then combine with the rest of the dry ingredients.
*Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
*Spoon out onto baking sheet, make sure to spread the batter out just a bit, not quite flat but not a heap of a mound either.
*Bake for 13-14 minutes. Cool on baking rack and then watch these things fly.

Spinach Eggplant Lasagna

Today is the first day of November. You know that time of year that men stop shaving? I mean, that time where we are more than ever reminded to be thankful for the blessings in our life. And I'm all for this! We go through life to fast and really need to stop and be thankful. I'm joining in on this because of an old friend and the blog she has with her sister. So, I'll be starting off every post this month with something I am thankful for!

Today...today I am oh so thankful for being able to run! Its a new love of mine and I really am thankful that I can do it. For a good handful of years I wasn't able to and had to stick to biking or using an elliptical to get a good cardio going. But this spring, after trying out a new technique I was able to start running with my knee brace. Working up to my first race! Which was actually a 12 person relay where we ran 196 miles(my portion was 13.5 miles)...Ragnar Relay its pretty epic. Long story short, we are doing another race and I'm now running without my brace!! I am thankful that I can run because its a blast!


This my friends is a wonderfully easy lasagna!! Yes this is straying far away from being vegan, with four kinds of cheese and a couple eggs...I mean come on. But alas a vegetarian delight! As winter is upon us, sometime soon at least, I am constantly looking for affordable meals that will go the distance. Heating bills are going up and my grocery bill needs to go down. This week, combining some of my coupons with a sale or two, and I made this hearty dinner for about $12. All things considered and the fact that it was dinner for myself and a friend last night(2), a late night snack for all last night(2+1=3)left over lunch for Al today(3+1=4), I will dine on it for lunch or dinner today(4+1=5), and that well over half of it is left....that makes this lady pretty happy. Whenever I make lasagna, I never precook the noodles. I have never had issues with doing it this way. Love saving an extra step too, don't we all.

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach
1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups cottage cheese
1 cup & 1/2 cup(for topping) mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup & 1/4 cup(for topping) parmesan cheese
1 teas nutmeg
1 teas black pepper
2 eggs

*Heat oil in large sauce pan. Add eggplant, and cook for about 8 mins, cooking all sides. Add in the spinach and cook until heated and no longer frozen.
*Combine, in a large bowl, ricotta, cottage, mozzarella, parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, and eggs. Reserve some of the mozza and parm for topping the lasagna.
*Pour half the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place first layer of noodles and then top with half of the spinach mix. Spread half of the cheese mix over it all. Layer noodles and repeat with second half of the spinach and then cheese. Layer your final noodles and then top with the second half of the sauce.
*Cook in a preheated oven, at 375 for 25 mins. Pull out, sprinkle with the remaining mozza and parm. Place back in the oven for 30-35 mins. Remove, let set for at least 10 mins until serving.

Note: the reason I did the cooking the way I did...I didn't have any tin foil. If you wanted, you could fully assemble the lasagna, top with foil and after the 25 remove and cook for the remaining time without removing from oven. I did it the way I did and it worked just fine.