Cooking With a Muffin Pan

Up until recently I thought the only thing you could to with cupcake/muffin pans is make cupcakes and muffins. What a discovery it was when I read The Daily Dish (my best friend, Shari’s blog) recently and suddenly felt inspired to think “outside the pan,” if you will.

Cooking traditional recipes in a muffin pan is a great way to portion control and also put a new spin on things. It’s also an efficient way to cook things in “grab-n-go” style so that you always have something to munch on. Below are some of the initial muffin pan ideas I have tried along with a few ideas I have for testing in the future. If you have any more I’d love to hear them!

Tried and True:

Going off of Shari’s blog post, I made my own version of grab-n-go breakfast quiches.

• First I minced some mushrooms and broccoli and cooked up about ½ lb of white meat ground turkey
• I then combined a mixture of these ingredients in each muffin circle with one egg white and a very small amount of cheddar cheese.
• I didn't use the muffin cups as Shari did, but I did spray the pan with fat-free Pam first, and then I baked the quiches for about 20 minutes at 350°.
• I love this idea because you can do SO many different combinations of veggies, cheeses and meats, and they stay good for up to about 5 days – just microwave for about 30 seconds! Perfect breakfast for the work week!

Also inspired by Shari, I recently made my own spin on her famous mac-and-cheese recipe portioned out within the muffin circles.

• First I cooked about ½ a box of whole wheat shell pasta, baked about 1 lb of thin-sliced chicken cutlets seasoned with salt, pepper and chili powder (for about 20 minutes at 350°), and minced some broccoli
• Once the pasta and chicken cooled, I cut the chicken into small cubes and combined with the pasta along with salt, pepper, the broccoli and enough egg whites to coat the mixture
• Once all combined I mixed in about 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• I then portioned the mixture throughout the muffin circles and topped each one with a little more cheese.
• Finally, I baked the mac-and-cheese for about 25 minutes at 350° and then enjoyed – delicious!
• This recipe is a great option for portion-controlled lunches that touch on almost all the food groups – protein, carbs, dairy and vegetables!

Some Other Ideas:

• Playing off the mac-and-cheese recipe above, I want to try an Italian version with ingredients you might find in a chicken parm dish (pasta, chicken, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce)
• I would like to play with a beef stew/french onion soup version of the recipe cooked with small noodles, beef, onions and gruyere cheese.
• I plan to play with a Mexican version of this recipe, which would combine ingredients such as ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and beans

Follow me on Twitter @THFoodieNYC for updates on how these new ideas “pan” out!

Recipe: BLT Spaghetti

Boy am I glad I made that lasagna on Sunday - I barely had time to cook and exercise this whole week! On weeks like these I sure am glad my best friend is also a blogger so I can have her write a guest post. See below for the first Chicago Cuisine Critique contribution to Thrifty Healthy Foodie. I'm so excited to make this recipe!

Keep an eye out tomorrow and this week for several new blog posts from me, including the THF February Gym Mix!

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Good morning Thrifty Healthy Foodie readers! My name is Shari and I blog over at the Chicago Cuisine Critique, where I write about my own foodie adventures in and around The Windy City. While my blog mainly focuses on dining out and cooking from the comfort of my own home, I have expanded it to include much more. Definitely stop by and check it out, I’d love to hear from you!

Briel is one of my dearest friends, and I am so happy to be guest blogging over here today. Briel and I met in college, where we were first neighbors, and later on became roommates. We quickly became the best of friends, and I don’t know what I would do without her. Unfortunately, I am in Chicago and she is in NY, which does not allow for as many visits as we would like, but we do try and fit in a few every year.

Today I am here to share one of my recent recipe attempts with you.  I discovered this recipe on the Rachael Ray Show (who I am a big fan of) during her Top 10 downloaded recipes in 2010 episode. Anything with spaghetti and bacon together (Yum)..I just HAD to give it a try!

BLT Spaghetti (Adapted from Rachael Ray) Ingredients:

2 leeks

2 tbsp of EVOO

6 slices of bacon, cut into cubes (I used to turkey bacon)

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Ground black pepper

1 (28 oz) can of Italian tomatoes with puree

¼ cup of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

½ box of whole wheat spaghetti

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to top)

Dried basil (or fresh if you choose, to taste)

BLT Spaghetti Preparation:

1. Begin by taking your leeks and trimming off the tops and root ends of each leek. Cut them in half lengthwise, and slice thinly.

2. Fill a large bowl with water and wash the leeks. Separate each of the layers, and swish them around in the water.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for the pasta).

4. Place the EVOO in the bottom of a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and crisp.

5. Once the bacon becomes a bit crispy, add the leeks and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes (or until softened). Season everything with ground black pepper to taste.

6. Add the tomatoes (and puree) into the skillet and mash up the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the parsley, and let it thicken over low heat (while the pasta continues to cook).

7. Once the pasta is finished cooking (or al-dente), strain the pasta, and toss into the sauce for a minute or to.

Serve and top with the Parmesan and dried basil, to taste.

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There is nothing better than a recipe that is quick, easy, fairly healthy (if you make a few small tweaks, as I did), and quite tasty. Enjoy! And..if you have not done so already, go on over to my blog and check it out.  I leave you with this adorable photo of me and bestie from our college days. Oh how I miss them, and her – Chicago and NY are just too far apart.

Until Next Dine!