Sweet Potato Soup: Perfect for a rainy day

It's fall! Yay! The air is crisp and cool and it's the start of super comforting foods! Plus, I don't know about where you are, but here it is raining...and raining and frankly a perfect soup day.

I had lots of help with this soup, I had the pleasure to watch our friends four kids. I don't know about you but when I have a house of kids I put them to work! Okay, not really, they were excited to help. The older two even helped me paint the deck earlier this summer.

Anyway, I had five kids and was planning on making a soup so when I asked if anyone would be interested in helping all of them said yes. I separated the tasks, most of which involved chopping and put them to work. (And don't worry, I watched them all carefully.)

Coming up with soups can be fun, I had a ginormous sweet potato so it was an easy decision to make that the primary ingredient. Everything else just can through tasting.

Sweet Potato Soup

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 medium russet potatoes, cubed

3 medium carrots (about 1-1/2 cups), chopped

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large garlic clove (or 3 normal size), peeled and minced

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 jalapeño, minced

8 cups water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: sour cream and sriracha 

Melt butter in a large stock pot, add chopped carrots, onion and celery, sprinkle a little salt over the veggies and sauté for about five minutes, cover until veggies are soft. Add garlic, thyme and jalapeño. Stir.

Add water and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and add the remaining spices. Continue to simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Using a blender or using an emulsion blender, blend half the soup. (Blending adds a creamy texture to the soup.) Stir soup and adjust seasoning to your taste. Pour into a bowl and garnish with sour cream and sriracha.

Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I did, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Pickles!

This was the first year I didn't plant cucumbers in my garden, but I was lucky enough to have a friend with too many, so when I mentioned I'd be happy to take them off her hands she was more than willing and gave me a bag full! And what do you do with a bag full of cucumbers? Pickles of course!

There are a lot of pickling recipes out there, as well as a lot of different types of pickles, some use prepared pickling spice, some do not.  I made both dill and bread and butter, using my own pickling blend.

A lot of sites mention soaking the cucumbers in a salt solution, I did not do that. I am still not 100% sure why you would need to do that. If you know please feel free to share. I also learned if you add a little Alum to the dill brine it will keep the pickles crisp. I, however, didn't know this trick before I made my dill batch.

Dill Pickles

This will make enough for about 4 pint jars, I almost tripled the brine in order to use all the pickles. Ending in about 8 pints worth.

10-15 pickling cucumbers* (about 4-5" in length)

For the brine:

2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups vinegar
3 tbsp raw cane sugar
3 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
2 tbsp whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves
Fresh dill (I used a few sprigs per jar)

Slice the cucumbers in about 1/4" rounds (you can also cut into spears) Fill the sterilized jars with the cucumbers, and a few sprigs of dill. Set aside. Add all the brine ingredients in to a large pot, bring to a simmer. Once all the salt is dissolved, pour the hot liquid into the jars. (I try to make sure at least one garlic clove makes it into each jar.)

Add ins: I added a sliced jalapeño to a couple jars, you could also add crushed red pepper, or other peppers or more garlic.

Bread and Butter Pickles

(Recipe adapted from The American Woman's Cook Book, 1966)

8 medium cucumbers*

1 large onion**

1/2 cup salt

2 cup sugar

3 tsp mustard seed

3 tsp celery seed

1 tsp curry powder

2 cups vinegar, white

1 cup water

Slice the cucumbers and onions, lay the onions out on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. (This will drain some of the liquid from the onion.)

In a large sauce pan, add the remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. Once all the sugar and salt is dissolved, add the onions and cucumbers. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Pack into sterilized jars.

*The original recipe called for about 12 medium cucumbers, this will vary depending on the size of your cucumbers.
**The original recipe called for 5 medium onions, that just seemed like a lot so I reduced the amount.

Processing the Jars

This will be the same for both types of pickles. To sterilize the jars and lids, boil in a large pot of water. I will usually have the jars boiling while I slice and prepare all the ingredients. That way when I pack the jars they are still hot. Once you fill the jars, you want about a 1/2 inch of head space. (The amount of space between the very top of the jar to the liquid.) Place the lids on the jars, don't screw them on real tight, just enough so no extra liquid will be able to get in. Place the jars into boiling water, the water should just cover the jars. Process or boil for about 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the jars and set aside to cool, as the jars cool you will start hearing popping which is what happens when the jars seal. Gentle press the center of the lids, if you are still able to press it down, it didn't seal. You can try processing them again, as long as they didn't cool down too much, or just place in the refrigerator. Processed pickles should last about a year in a cool dark place. Refrigerate after you open them.

For the dill pickles, if you didn't want to process the jars you could store in the refrigerator for about 6 months, just wait at least 24 hours before enjoying them.

Camping Season means Camping Food!

Sorry!

This camping post has been moved to HERE. Please visit my new site MintGrapefruit.com to read more! 

Fruit & Nut Bars

Sorry!

This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site MintGrapefruit.com for more!

Cranberry Mango Millet Salad {via Healthful Pursuit}

It's spring, well at least it's technically spring...we are currently in a winter weather advisory, so yay! {enter sarcasm} I am ready for warmer weather! I'm ready to be outside, take a hike, go camping, and just BBQ'ing with friends. I'm ready for the brown to change to green and the flowers, I'm ready to start my garden and eat fresh foods...yeah, I definitely ready for the warmer days.

Yesterday I attended my first Goddess Gathering, I met new women, ate good food and came home with a few "new" clothes. A couple baby girls were blessed and it was just a very positive and fun day in the Hollow. It was a potluck so I wanted to make something that I new I could eat as well as something good. I figured there would be a few vegetarians and others with food restrictions...plus when ever I go to anything like this I make some thing new that other people may like and I may like but knowing that my household probably won't eat it. (That way I know it won't be wasted.)  I wish I took some pictures...not only was it a potluck we also did a clothing swap...there were SO many clothes!

I have had millet in my pantry for a while and have been trying to find different ways of using it. I came across a salad recipe from Leanne Vogel, from Healthful Pursuit, it is a Cranberry Mango Millet Salad. It was really good...the salad was a combination of millet and quinoa mixed with mango, dried cranberries, almonds, onions and spinach all tossed in a lemon poppy seed honey Dijon dressing. Delish!

To see the recipe click here.

Potato Gnocchi {First Attempt}

Our front yard

We had a snow day, I stayed home with my son and we built a fort, had a snowball fight with some friends and just had a relaxing day.

Snowball!

However, I had the bug to bake.  I was thinking along the line of cookies or muffins or just something that could curb my sweet tooth. So, I starting looking around the kitchen to see what we had on hand, what I could work with.

Then I noticed a bag of potatoes in desperate need of being used, so the first thing that came to mind was gnocchi. I have been wanting to try a gluten-free version, so what the heck right?  Well, this was my first attempt.  The flavor was good, but I would like to make them slightly firmer. So I will eventually be making another batch, and playing around with it a bit.  But in the mean time, here is my rendition of Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi.

Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi

2 pounds russet potatoes (you want a starchy potato)
1 1/2 cups rice flour blend (I used Trader Joes All-purpose GF Blend)
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 eggs
1/2-1 cup potato starch
salt and pepper

Roast potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until fork tender.  Peel and rice the cooked potato.  

In a large bowl add the flour and gum to the potatoes knead gently until it starts to come together, season with salt and pepper.  Whisk together the eggs and add to the potato mixture. Continue to mix until it forms a dough, it will be slightly sticky. 

In a large work surface, sprinkle the starch and dump the potato mixture on the surface.  Sprinkle with some additional starch.  Knead the dough slightly and quarter it.  Using one quarter, roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick.  Slice into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces, you can roll on a fork to make ridges.  Place on a floured sheet pan until ready to use.  Use immediately or freeze.

To cook: Place the fresh (or frozen) gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water, they are ready once they start to float. 

I served mine with sauteed onions and brown butter with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese...they were really yummy.

Keep your eyes open for my next attempt at this...

If you have any tricks for a firmer GF gnocchi I would love to hear them!  Thanks and Enjoy!

Homemade Crispy Chicken Tenders

My little helper

It feels like I haven't posted anything in a while, I guess I have just been preoccupied with other things. But, I'm back!

Because I have been busy, like a lot of other times I have been looking for quick meals. We usually have a chicken nuggets or tenders a couple times a month and finding ones that are gluten free (and reasonable priced) isn't always the easiest. So, I decided to make our own. These are so easy to make, you can make ahead and freeze, make the night before or like me prepare them in the morning before work. (All the picture were taken via my phone and the ones of the tenders themselves were taken by my husband...so if they aren't the best quality, I'm sorry.)

So here it is:

Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Tenders

1 pound chicken tenders
3 cups corn Chex cereal
2 cups regular potato chips (any flavor would work to, and probably be quite good)
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper

uncooked

4 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Combine Chex cereal, potato chips, paprika and pepper in a food processor, pulse until a desired consistency. (My son did about 4 good pulses.) If you don't have a food processor, combine in a large plastic bag and smash. Set aside, can be made well in advance if kept in a sealed container. (Save any left over crumb for later use.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise and mustard. Place all the tenders in the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat, if you have time let sit for about an hour in the refrigerator.

Place about half of the crumb mixture on to a large plate, a pie pan would work great. And take one tender out and cover in the crumb mixture then placing it on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all the tenders are coated.

Cooked (not much changed, a little more golden)

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, turning half way through.  (I drizzled a little honey on mine...Yum!)

To make ahead and freeze; prepare all the way through but line your cookie sheet with foil. Once all the tenders are laid out, place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Remove from the freezer and place the tenders in a large zip top bag, return to the freezer. When ready to bake place frozen tenders on a greased cookie sheet, bake at 425 degrees for 30 mins or so depending on your oven.

SO Easy! Enjoy!

Another take on chicken...

I wanted to do something a little different with chicken, we always tend to just roast our chicken with some rub or glaze, which by all means is fine.  But, I was wanting something different.  I rummaged in our fridge and decided to make a mushroom stuffed chicken breast and wrap it in prosciutto...sounded good to me!

Chicken Prosciutto Roll with Mushroom Stuffing

served 3

2 large chicken breasts
1 pint mushrooms, chopped, use your favorite!
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 slices of prosciutto
2 tbsp dry sherry
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Chop one slice of the prosciutto and combine with the mushrooms and garlic in a large saute pan, add the sherry and cook on medium heat until the mushrooms are tender, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to cool.

Mean while, butterfly the chicken breasts and lightly pound them out until you have a uniform thickness.  Lay out two pieces of the ham, lay one of the chicken breasts on top of the ham. Spoon half the mushroom mixture over the chicken breast and sprinkle with half the cheese.  Carefully roll the chicken and prosciutto, place in a baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the other breast.  You can use tooth picks if needed.  (A good amount of cheese will ooze out of the rolls while cooking, add more cheese if you would like.)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes (may vary depending on your oven)

Slice and serve with rice and a salad.  Enjoy!

**This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated or you could even make ahead and freeze. To freeze, after they are rolled you could either wrap individually with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or lay on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about an hour, remove and place in a freezer bag.  Thaw in the fridge before cooking.

Chicken Vegetable and Rice Soup

Right now is seems that everyone is feeling a little under the weather. One is finally getting over it, one in the heart of it and one starting to feel it. Luckily whatever we seem to have in the house is more on the lines of a cold then the flu (knock on wood). I was originally going to make chicken and dumplings but instead decided on chicken, vegetable and rice soup.

Chicken, Vegetable and Rice Soup

2 chicken breasts
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
3 celery stalks
2-3 carrots
1 small to medium zucchini
5 mushrooms (about 1/2 cup chopped)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
2 bay leafs
1 cup brown rice
Salt and pepper

In a Dutch oven, cook the chicken in a little olive oil. While the chicken is cooking, chop all the veggies. When the chicken is almost finished cooking, add the onions. Cook until translucent. Add in the garlic and celery, cook until the celery is just starting to get soft. Remove the chicken, set aside, and add the carrots. Cook carrot until they start to get tender. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Stir to coat. Add broth and herbs, bring to a boil then add rice.  Continue to simmer until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.

I added a little sriracha on mine for a bit of spice, I recommend it, but it is up to you. You could also omit the chicken and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian/vegan option.  I hope you enjoy and stay well!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew {Gluten-free}

No cookies in this post! But don't you worry, there will be just one more cookie post before the Christmas holiday.

Now I'm going to be honest when I usually make beef stew, I have always used the McCormick Slow Cookers Hearty Beef Stew seasoning packet. Yeah I know, but it was quick and the flavor was good. Surprise, it is not free of gluten so I needed to come up with something else. So here is my version of gluten-free slow cooker (SC) beef stew. (Make and freeze instructions below.)

Slow cooker Beef Stew

(6-8 quart Slow Cooker, may need to be adjusted if you are using a smaller one)

2 lbs. stew beef
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 bag baby carrots
4-5 russet potatoes, small/medium
1 lg. onion
1 lb. button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef broth (I use GF bouillon, since my grocery store doesn't have GF liquid broth)
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup dry red wine (plus some for the cook)
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. GF flour (you can use regular if your not GF, or omit altogether)
1 cup peas
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large zip top plastic bag, add the beef, cornstarch and a little salt and pepper. Shake to coat the beef. Working in batches, brown the beef on medium high heat. (It doesn't need to be cooked through, since it will be cooked in the cooker.) Once browned, set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, dump the carrots in your SC. Peel and cube potatoes, dump in the SC. Cut the onion into wedges (I leave the pieces fairly large so a certain someone can easily pick them out). Add the beef.

Add the mushrooms and garlic to the hot pan that was used to cook the beef. Add 1 cup of broth and sherry, cook making sure to get all the little bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the rosemary and paprika. Slowly whisk in the flour. Add the remaining broth and red wine. Pour all of the broth and mushroom mixture into the SC. Season with salt and pepper.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the peas.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with crusty bread or a couple slices of GF toast (I like Udi's White).

*You could do this all in a large Dutch oven, start on the stove and finish in the oven, cook until everything is good and tender.

Make ahead: Brown beef and let cool completely, put ALL ingredients into a large zip top bag (double the bag) and freeze.  When ready just dump the whole thing in the SC and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

 Recipe linked on Easy Green Mama!

Before 8 hours of cooking

After 8 hours of cooking

One Week Down: Gluten-free

I am one week into my Gluten-Free (GF) diet; and just as a reminder, I am not doing this for fun, this is out of a need to heal my body. It hasn't been as hard as I originally thought it would be. I find that I am just eating more naturally GF products (with a few corn chips and GF pretzels thrown in.) I have stopped looking at this change as a bad and disappointing thing but more of a change for the better. I am already noticing that I am making better food choices and my body can tell the difference. I figure it will take a few more weeks to really notice a change but I know my mornings haven’t been as painful. I will still get an upset stomach after eating some things that I thought were GF or anything with too much dairy, but still it hasn’t been as bad. I know I have a lot more research to do to fully understand the GF lifestyle and I am prepared for the challenge adventure.  I am starting to see this as a life change, and not just a hump in the road, I have to admit it is a little scary but like I just said, I am prepared for this and having my family's support really helps.

I have been looking at different blogs, through different books, trying to get inspired for different food ideas. This past week, I ate a lot of salad with all my favorite add-ins, well except the croutons but nuts and seeds make up for the crunch. Some of the other foods I ate/made were: egg muffins with sautéed kale and mushrooms, that were great as a grab and go morning breakfast along with a banana; pumpkin and sweet potato soup, I froze some and the rest brought to work for lunch; tacos! {I love tacos} in corn shells of course and had left overs for lunch. I also snacked on grapes, multigrain corn chips, GF pretzels, hummus and vegetables like cauliflower and celery. I got to try Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix, for one evening we did breakfast for dinner. I personally really enjoyed them. It was a combination of different flours which included almond. There was a chocolate chip cookie recipe on the side of the bag that I would like to try at some point.

I have two parties to attend this weekend, the one I know that I will be bringing at least one dish (maybe two) but the other is a kids party and will probably not have too much for me to nibble on.  Both parties I will probably eat at least something before I go, just in case. [Side note: this wasn't posted until after the parties, I gave in and tried a piece of an awesome Mushroom Marsala Tart and I am not sure how much it did to me because I also drank too much wine and that usually bothers me, but either way my belly was NOT happy with me in the morning.]

Okay, so enough about that and now on to the recipes.  I mentioned this soup on an earlier post, it was originally from The Gluten-Free Goddess, I made a few changes due to what I had on hand.  The flavor was really good, not too sweet, not too spicy. I also try not to over puree soups because I like a little texture.  The egg muffins on the other hand were inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I like having things I can just grab and go in the mornings.  And these freeze really well.

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup

(adapted from the Gluten-Free Goddess, see the original recipe here)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
2 small sweet potatoes, roasted, peeled, cubed
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry

In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add in the chopped carrots and celery, and stir in the spices. Lower heat and gently cook for about 10 minutes.

Add in the pumpkin, sweet potato, broth and sherry; stir together. Cover and bring to a slow simmer, cooking the soup for about 25-35 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Remove from heat, and puree the soup. (I used a my blender, and pureed it batches filling only about half way full. Put the pureed soup back into the pot and continue to cook on low. Taste and adjust the seasonings.  This made about 6 servings or so and seems to freeze well.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/11/pumpkin-sweet-potato-soup.html#ixzz2AKacxJ3O

Egg Muffins with Kale and Mushrooms

(makes 12 muffins)

2 cups Kale, chopped (spinach would work also)

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (use your favorite)

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs

3 tbsp plain yogurt

pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent  Add the chopped kale and mushrooms toss to coat in the oil onion mixture, sprinkle with the salt and cover. Let cook until the kale had wilted and the mushrooms are tender.

Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray, fill each cup about half way with the kale and mushroom mixture.  Let cool slightly.

Mean while, whisk the eggs and yogurt together. Fill the muffin cups with the egg mixture. Bake  at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or so until the egg is firm to the touch.

*I didn't add cheese but you could easily add different ingredients. However, I do add a little bit of cheese on top when I heat them in the microwave. They only take about 30-45 seconds to heat through in the microwave from a frozen state.  You could also use a mini muffin pan to make little appetizers. The options are endless!

A Much Needed Post (includes recipes for Stroganoff and Enchilada Chicken)

I have officially been slacking on the blog front; I have made a few recipes, accomplished the Iron Girl (yay!) and other than that just have been enjoying my family's company (who are currently wrestling on the living room floor on top of all the couch cushions).  Since I am no longer training for anything, and won't be for a long while; I have decided to start working on my art again.  It has been pushed to the side for a long time, only occasionally do I actually make it into my studio or take out my sketchbook.  I do, however take much joy in painting with my son and making and trying different things with him. 

www.genaw.com

Anyway, some of the food I have made this month are; salsa, of course such a summer staple; beef/mushroom stroganoff; and slow cooker enchilada chicken.  I have been sucked in to Pinterest just like most of the world and I love it!  So the chicken and the stroganoff were make, freeze then just throw in the slow cooker meals, so many people have posting about making many meals in one day then freezing so you can either just throw in your slow cooker or in the oven.  I personally LOVE make ahead meals. 

So the chicken dish was actually taken based on inspired from Pinterest, my friend actually reposted it and it looked really good, the recipe originally said to bake in the oven.  I put it all in the slow cooker, but I think it would have been much better baked in the oven or maybe for less time in the slow cooker. My chicken dried out a little bit, but it was still delicious! (The recipe reflects the lower cook time in the slow cooker.)

Enchilada Chicken

1 pound chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

1 15-oz can enchilada sauce

3 tbsp taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheese, more or less depending on how much you like cheese

6-8 flour or corn tortillas OR 1 cup rice 

your favorite taco toppings; onions, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, etc.

Place the chicken in the slow cooker, or baking dish, sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning then cover with the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or on low for 4-6 hours.  Serve with tortillas or over rice and top with your favorite toppings.  

Tenders ended up being the perfect size for wrapping in a tortilla, I would highly recommend using them.  You could also omit the cheese when cooking or as a topping, but we like cheese in our house so we used on both. Next time I make this I plan on putting everything in a baking dish, you can place chicken, seasoning and sauce in a freezer bag; freeze, just thaw overnight when ready to bake.

Beef/Mushroom Stroganoff

(This can easily become a vegetarian dish, just add more mushrooms and omit the beef)

1 pound round steak, cut into strips (or a pound of stew meat)

1 pound mushrooms, sliced, use the ones you like or a variety (I used crimini)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 beef bouillon cube, or a mushroom base such as Better than Bouillon 

1 cup warm water

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

Place the beef, mushrooms, onions and garlic in a large freezer bag. In a small bowl mix the warm water, bouillon and soy sauce; stir just until the bouillon breaks down. Pour into the bag. Add the salt and pepper.  Seal the bag and carefully massage the ingredients together. At this point you can freeze until you are ready to use, or you can dump the mix into a slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, in the last 30 minutes add the sour cream, stir to combine.  You may need to turn the slow cooker to high for a few minutes to heat the sour cream.  Serve over egg noodles, GF noodles or even rice.

The flavor in this was really good, the only comment I received was that my husband would have liked it a little thicker.  I was looking around to see what I could use to thicken it up a bit and a lot of recipes call for cream of mushroom soup, I would rather find something different so more will come on this. (And yes, I know I can just add cornstarch or flour)

Now, for the last little bit...

The Salsa

 I don't really have a recipe. I did have some help!  I cut up tomatoes (I used Mr Stripey's because that is what I have in my garden), two jalapenos, an onion, a clove or two of garlic into large chunks and put into a large container.  I took some of the chunks and cut into smaller pieces and set aside (this was just in case my helper went over board with the food processor.)  I let my helper process the large chunks, we then added cilantro and salt.  As a side note, he did process just a little too much.  But it was yummy!

Mushroom & Kale Noodle Kugel

Trying to find meatless meals that my whole family will enjoy is not easy, the younger of the two is slightly easier since most of what i make are still new tastes/flavors to him, plus he really likes to help in the kitchen.  The older one, well you know...he has a few dislikes. I came across this recipe while looking through my Whole Foods Recipes app, I have a tendency to browse food apps during various down times. But I looked at the ingredients and there are a couple that my husband doesn't care for, but oh well. I know he likes (or at least doesn't mind) the main ingredients so I thought I would give it a go. (Needless to say, he isn't overly excited to try it.)  I mean come on, it a kugel, a baked pasta what is not to like. So for those who don't know, a kugel is a Jewish casserole that is traditionally made with egg noodles, it can also be made with potatoes or other vegetables, served as a side dish or like in my case the main dish with a salad or other vegetable.

This weekend my son and I went to our first farmers market of the season, and he made sure to sample everyone's strawberries and snap peas.  There were a lot of people selling greens, so I picked up a really nice bunch of kale from one of the local farmers.  (I also made some kale chips, but that is a whole other story.) I must admit that even though I added this recipe to my "favorites" is wasn't until I saw the kale that I decided that I would actually make this, that and the mushrooms looked good at the store. (We also bought the strawberries that were used in the Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream that I posted earlier.)

I didn't stray from the original recipe much other than halving it, since I didn't want to get stuck eating kugel for the next week because the boys didn't like it.  I did add parmesan cheese and a little pit of panko breading on the top.  I put this together the night before so my husband could just put it in the oven when he got home, I would think you could probably even make it ahead and freeze (if you aren't weird about freezing dairy, I know some people are.) Anyway here it is...

Mushroom Kale Noodle Kugel
(adapted from Whole Foods)

Serves 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound white or cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used some of both)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 bunch kale, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1-1/4 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch dish; set aside. Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse and drain again; transfer to a large bowl. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add mushrooms, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; cook until mushrooms are very tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes; add thyme. Add to noodles, toss and set aside.  Whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, remaining salt and parmesan cheese. Fold into noodles. Transfer to prepared dish, press down gently, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until lightly browned, about 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*This would be really good with spinach also, next time I would make sure to use small curd cottage cheese and I think I would even add one more egg.  I could have eaten the whole dish, my son ate most of the noodles, he wasn't too sure of the kale. My husband, well if he was my son he wouldn't get any ice cream.

Homemade Granola Bars (My first attempt)

With some of the ingredients that I bought over the weekend I decided that I was going to make my own granola bars.  I didn't do much in the way of research before hand, I mean how hard can it really be?  Well I felt as my first attempt they turned out pretty good.  I think that I baked them just a little too long, but when you aren't focused on the oven and instead on your boys outside that tends to happen. 

The options are really endless when it comes to what you can add, you could just use oats or use a combination of oats and cereal or pretzels.  Dried fruits, nuts, nut butters, sweeteners (I recommend natural), candy, really anything!

I used:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup pretzels, crushed (helpers are great for this step!)

1 cup mixed nuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup craisins

2/3 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

(I was going to also use carob chips and coconut, but forgot the chips and the coconut was bad.)

Lightly toast the oats, pretzels and nuts. While that is toasting, heat the honey and peanut butter until the peanut butter is really runny (about 1 minute in the microwave).

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, press into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 until just golden and set.  Probably only 20 minutes. I didn't wait until they were cooled to cut because I didn't want them just to crumble. (And even if they did you now have granola!) The flavor was there, I just would have liked the texture to be more chewy and less crunchy.  If I baked them for less time then I may have achieved that, but I have next time, and I will make another batch.

Store in a plastic or glass container with a tight lid, they should last for about a week or so.

Make ahead Lunches: Vegetarian Salads

This post follows my Day of Preparation post. I made three salads this weekend, all can be eaten cold but at least one I would recommend eating warm. I made these looking for a protein packed vegetarian lunches that will keep me feeling full longer after a workout.  Each salad was made to have two servings. I don't plan on eating these salads all on their own, I have various other items to go along with the them.  All of the salads can be tweaked to you tastes, and can even just be used as a side dish.

First, I made a Garbanzo and Rice Salad. 

1/2 cup of cooked rice
1/2 cup of garbanzo beans, cooked or canned
3 cucumber slices, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
2 green onions, white and light green only
1/8 cup chopped tomatoes, more if you would like
2 tablespoons basic vinaigrette (recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, store in a container with a tight fitted lid in the refrigerator.

Basic Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, mashed
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

The second, Warm Mushroom and Pearl Couscous Salad

2/3 cup pearl couscous, cooked
1/2 cup sherry mushrooms
1/8 cup marinaded baked tofu, cut into small cubes, I used Trader Joe's
2 tablespoons soybeans, steamed and shelled
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, store in a container with a tight fitted lid in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave or on the stove top, if you use the stove top you may want to add a little vegetable broth.

The third, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

1/2 cup black beans, cooked or canned
1 cup roasted sweet potato, cut into bite size cubes
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 tsp chopped jalapeno
1/8 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
a dash of Cheyenne (optional)
1/2 tsp Chipotle Seasoning
1 tablespoon basic vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, store in a container with a tight fitted lid in the refrigerator. (This can be eaten warm or cold)

A day of Preparation

I have been trying to figure out lunches that I can make ahead or at least partially make ahead that are also pretty high in protein.  After my lunch hour workouts the lunches I have been making just aren't cutting it, I find I am hungry about an hour or two after I eat and starving by dinner time.  So, this weekend just ended up being the weekend I decided to figure out my lunches.  I had to go to the grocery store for one of those big shopping trips anyway so I made a separate list with just things I needed or wanted, in addition to our normal list. 

My list included: dried Garbanzo Beans, peppers, garlic, dried Black beans, celery, cucumbers, oats, onions, dried fruit, flax seed, mushrooms, potatoes, nuts, tomatoes, fresh fruits, pretzels, tofu just to name a few.  If you notice I am trying to keep with a vegetarian theme.  I can control what I eat for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is our family time and I am grateful to have a husband who makes dinner every night during the week.

I was inspired by a blog I came across called Oh She Glows, the author did a two part post on make ahead lunches. So I decided that I could do the same but with my own recipes.  When coming up with lunch ideas I also was thinking about how I could do as much prep as I could to make my mornings easier.  I bought dry beans, rice and couscous, all of which I made a larger batch so I was able to freeze some for later use.

My goal was to make granola bars, various salads, and wrap stuffers.  I spent the day cooking the beans, rice, and couscous, roasting vegetables, sauteing the mushrooms, and cutting raw vegetables.

I roasted the tomatoes with garlic, onion, olive oil and salt and pepper for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. While the tomatoes were in the oven I sauteed the mushrooms with garlic, onion, salt and pepper and sherry until the sherry was absorbed, then added just a few of the roasted tomatoes.

On top of the preparation I did today, I also bought items that I can just throw in my bag. Oranges, carrots, hummus, yogurts, bananas and premade trail mix. This week will be a test, I should have enough snacks and protein to make it through the day.

Homemade Granola Bars

Make ahead Lunches: Vegetarian Salads

Chicken Enchilada Soup

It is a snow weekend in my neck of the woods and for a while my neighbors and I have been talking about having a soup themed get together.  Well it has come and what a perfect, cold weekend it has been for some hot comforting soups.

 

I made Chicken Enchilada Soup, there was also a Ham and Bean and Potato Cheese.  My soup is very similar to my Chicken Tortilla Soup, there are just a few subtle differences.  You can make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth and omitting the chicken and adding more beans.

 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 small onion
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth, I used homemade
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 10 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2 chicken breasts
1 10 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz bag frozen corn
1 can chopped green chilies
1 pablano pepper, roasted and chopped
2 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili powder
Lime Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Jalapenos
Cilantro
Lime
Tortilla Chips
Avocado
Cheese

Chop onion and saute with olive oil in dutch oven until just translucent. Add garlic, chicken broth, enchilada sauce, and tomatoes.  Let stir and simmer until just mixed.  Add uncooked chicken breasts, cook in soup base for about 10 minutes or until cooked through and juices run clear.  Set chicken aside to cool slightly.

Add the beans, chilies, peppers, cumin and chili powder.  Stir to combine.  Shred or chop the chicken and add back to the pot.  Let simmer.  Add lime, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with the (highly recommended) optional toppings.

 

Notes:  This could be made in a slow cooker, I cooked it on the stove and let it warm in the slow cooker, but there is no reason you couldn't make the whole thing in the cooker.  Also, this freezes really well so you can make a big batch and freeze it for later.

 

Broccoli Bacon Salad

For the past couple years our company has held a holiday pot-luck; this year while I was looking over the carb loaded, cheese smothered sign-up sheet, I decided that I would do a vegetable. My first thought was a corn dish (probably one of the least nutritious vegetables). I was looking to see what I could do different with corn, last year I made a Corn Pudding and I wanted something different. The recipe that I found was a Corn Gratin, with lots of cheese, cream, bacon and to top it off fried onions; it sounded wonderful! Talk about making a veggie unhealthy. (Side note: I will make this at some point.) As I thought about it, I decided I would go green. The only other item on the sheet that was green was a spinach salad, and I am a stickler about my plate not being all one monochromatic mess.

I was first looking for an Asian Broccoli Slaw that I could tweak a bit, but instead I came across this Broccoli Salad. And guess what? It is only about 89 calories a serving, which is about a cup. (I couldn’t eat a full cup if I tried; this is full delicious roughage here.)

Broccoli Bacon Salad

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns

1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
3 tablespoons dried cranberries

Freshly ground pepper , to taste

Whisk the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Chill overnight or at least 3 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Simple and Delicious!