Tasty 'Tatoes

This is definitely a recipe for lazy Sundays: a super simple vegetarian twist on classic potato skins.

Ingredients:

1 potato

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 head broccoli

salt & pepper

1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:

Pierce outside of potato with a fork, then wrap with paper towels. Place in the microwave and cook for 15 minutes. Take the potato out and let it cool before cutting it in half. Then, scoop the insides out with a spoon (SAVE THE INSIDES), leaving 1/8 inch of the flesh around the outside. Brush the inside with canola oil, then flip upside down on the plate, brush the skin with canola oil and dash with salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the scooped flesh, chopped broccoli, and cheese, seasoning with salt and pepper. When the potato halves are cooked, stuff the inside with the mixture and top with another layer of shredded cheese and cook for 5 more minutes to melt it.

Squashed Squash

After a smattering of sweets over the weekend, I feel it's time to get back to healthier eating. When I was growing up, and obviously before going vegetarian, my mom used to bake acorn squash in the oven, stuffed with cheese and ground beef. Since it was a staple in our household, it's something that I adapted first to my eating habits, then to dorm life over the years.

Recipe:

1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup shredded cheese

4 tablespoons dry roasted sunflower seeds

Instructions:

Place the squash halves in a microwave safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for about 6 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the flesh from the inside of the skin. Add the sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper, and microwave for another 30 seconds or until cheese is melted. Top with sunflower seeds.

mmmmm fudge!

For some reason, Valentine's day always makes me think of chocolate and cinnamon. Maybe something about the traditional association the holiday and the spice have with red, I guess. But anyway, I tested out Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge, microwave style of course, as a gift for the valentine.

Recipe:

Butter - for the pan

1 14oz can sweetened, condensed milk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bag chocolate chips (I used Milk chocolate... the recipe says semi sweet)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions:

Butter the inside of an 8X8 pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, allowing the excess to hang over the edges. Combine the milk, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave for 2-3 minutes until the chips melt. The butter won't be melted all the way, but keep stirring - the chocolate is hot enough that it'll work its way in. Pour into the pan and refrigerate for 3 hours. Finally, pull the parchment out of the pan and cut your fudge. Easy AND delicious :)

Edge Brownies

I know this isn't exactly something microwaveable, BUT, if you like edge brownies, you'll be as excited as I currently am. While hunting for more microwave baking ideas, I stumbled across this pan. Granted, it's vastly overpriced (a result of it being a FoodNetwork product), but it definitely brings joy to edge brownie lovers everywhere!

Nuclear Betty

Tonight I decided to step a little out of my comfort zone - microwave baking. I agree, it sounds absolutely horrifying, and, being pretty heavy into baking, I questioned my judgement in attempting this recipe. It actually turned out alright, though, in all honesty, good ol' oven brownies are better any day of the week. But if you've got a craving and are strapped for time, these nuked brownies will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) UNSALTED butter (not margarine)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In an 8-inch square GLASS baking dish (NOT the disposable aluminum kind! that makes fire. and the gladware plastic thingys don't cook them so well...slightly gooey.) place the butter and chocolate and microwave on high until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and whisk to combine. The chocolate may hold its shape after being microwaved, but it's really melted; just whisk to combine the butter. Add the sugar and stir well to combine. Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture and add the eggs and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and microwave on high about 5 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I decided to spice my brownies up, just because I have a fetish with adding superfluous ingredients - like candy - to any batch of brownies I make. With these, I added Heath bits into the batter and frosted with marshmallow fluff sprinkled with more Heath and chocolate chips. You could also try M & M's or Reese's bits... both are quite tasty.

One Pan + One Microwave = One Tasty Dish

As a college student living on campus for the past two years, I've developed a very rocky relationship with the cafeteria. Here at Doane, the food service tries to be accommodating - they have the "fast food option". They have the "international fare". They have "vegetarian dishes". They have soups, salads, desserts. But the majority of the time, I either walk away still hungry or wondering what exactly was in that lasagna. They don't leave a lot of wiggle room, especially for a picky eater and vegetarian like myself. At my parents' place I can cook for myself and get along just fine, but dorm life has posed a problem from the first day of freshman year: how to survive with just a microwave and a stove in a communal kitchen? Easy Mac can only get a person so far before the cardboard-like taste gets old. My solution? I got creative. I learned how to adapt my usual favorites to a microwave oven, with the occasional one-pan dish on the stove. So here's my small attempt to feed the hungry of the world... or at least the caf-avoiders. First up: Easy Mac Italian Style.

This dish is one I found awhile ago, and it's really as easy as boiling a pot of water.

1 package pasta (Use whatever kind you like - I lean towards piccolini. Those are the little mini bowties)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

5 sundried tomatoes

1 sprig fresh basil

1 cup feta cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add a dash of salt and a small portion of the extra virgin olive oil before adding the pasta. Depending on your pasta type, cook the pasta for 7 to 12 minutes. Piccolini and short pastas take 7, spaghetti and other long pasta take a little longer - just follow the directions on the box. DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR PASTA.

While that's cooking, chop up the garlic and tomatoes and put it in a microwaveable container with the rest of the oil. Cook on high for about 2 minutes or until the oil is hot.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it in a large bowl. Pour the oil mixture over top, along with the basil (chopped) and the cheese. Toss together and enjoy :). It's that easy.