Ranch Hummus

Here's a super simple hummus recipe that I did this week for the family.  Since we are veggies-dipped-in-ranch fans, I added a packet of dry ranch dressing to the hummus.  I told the kids jokingly when I served it that the dip was "just like a thick ranch."  They didn't buy it, but they did eat it (well, at least a little.)  Lately, I have served raw veggies as "appetizers."  I find that if I put the veggies on the table before the meal when the kids are hungriest, they are more apt to eat them!

Ranch Hummus

In a blender or food processor, mix well the following:

2 cans chickpeas, one drained and one along with the liquid

1 packet dry ranch dressing

2-3 heaping spoonfuls of tahini (ground sesame seeds).  Tahini is pricey, but a little goes a long way.  It is high in fat and calories (bummer), but is super good for you (yippy).  If you don't have it, just skip it.

A few splashes of olive oil

Salt and Pepper (sea salt and freshly ground pepper is best)

Garlic (powder or fresh and minced, if you want)

Serve with raw veggies or pita chips.

A Warm Salad

Tired of eating regular salads and needing to work off the seven pounds you gained over the holidays?  (Oh, wait, that's me,  not you.)  Anyway, check out this super-different salad we fixed this weekend at our house.  It takes a bit more effort than your average toss-it-all-together salad, but it's worth the extra ten minutes.  I had a version of it in a cafe in Asheville, NC, while visiting over the holidays.

Warm Salad

1.  Sautee mushrooms and onions in a bit of olive oil.  (We used half-package of sliced mushrooms and two sweet onions.)  We added a little sugar to the onions while they browned to make them a bit sweeter.  (You could also add diced chicken or cubed tofu if you wanted some protein.) 

2.  Heat up a good balsamic vinegarette in the microwave.  You can make your own, of course, but we just used Newman's Own.  The dressing needs to be warm, not boiling.

3.  When the mushrooms/onions are finished, you need to wilt the salad greens lightly.  We used spring mix, but spinach would work, too.  Take out the mushrooms from the frying pan, and put the spring mix into the same pan.  Put the lid on the pan to heat up the greens just slightly.  Really, if you do it too much they get really limp and start tasting bitter.  You just want the greens warmed (maybe 1-2 minutes on med-low heat).  You can add a bit of olive oil to the pan while you heat up the greens.  OR, you could probably microwave the greens to warm them, too, with a little water and a lid. 

3.  Portion the warmed greens on the salad plates, top with mushrooms/onions, warmed dressing, goat cheese crumbles (love this stuff), and croutons. 

Totally delish. 

From Soup to Pie

(I started this the week before Matt left and brought it out to finish this afternoon.)

The Soup.  All I wanted was to make soup.  Harvest soup.  A unique, healthy recipe I attempt only once a year.  And in the brief snatches of time between meetings, Matt took the kids outside to play so I could make it.  I enjoyed the quiet while I chopped potatoes and watched onions simmer in the pan.  The smells of garlic filled the house, and I was beginning to feel hopeful about yet another evening at home, alone, with the kids--despite the mound of dishes I knew would be waiting for me after dinner.  And so I called the troops in from the chilly October outside and ladled the warm, actually-made-from-scratch dinner into my white china bowls (no paper plates for a meal such as this). 

And my expectations were high.  My domestic-self pleased.  My motherhood content with this culinary offering to my family. 

The Response. 
And Kelty emphatically said, "No, thankyou," and
Ava promptly threw her potatoes, and
Cade literally had the gag reflex at the mere smell of my
once-a-year Harvest soup.

Dinnertime did not go well.  At all.
 
The adults ate the soup, and the kids were told to make themselves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Which they obediently did.  Resulting in grape jelly smeared all over the kitchen table.  And a lot of leftover soup getting cold in the pot on the stove.

Five minutes later found me in a tearful tirade to Matt after he innocently asked, "What was so disappointing about the soup?"  To which I chokingly responded with an ever-rational, "I'm just never going to cook again! (and I've accused Kelty of being dramatic) We're eating cereal until the kids get grown and leave." He made the mistake of snorting at my outburst, thus calling down on him the fullness of my emotional wrath.  "And you didn't even say 'thankyou' or that you liked it," I hissed.  "And look at this house!(The martyr syndrome was beginning to kick in.)  How can I work hard all day and it still look like this disaster? And you're leaving and I'm going to be stuck with this sinkful of dishes for a dinner everyone hated!"

And I rolled my eyes in annoyance at the baby waiting to have jelly washed out of her hair and stomped like a rebellious teenager to get a paper towel, when I heard scrapes behind me on the hardwood floors.  And so I stopped and turned around.  And my six-year-old and four-year-old had pulled their little blue art chairs in front of the sink and happily proclaimed, "We're gonna wash the dishes for you, Mom."  Smiles on their faces, a secret mission between the two of them set in motion.

And my tirade stopped.  Abruptly.

As the soap suds started to slosh, my perspective was given an about-face, a 180.  Suddenly, my perception of being unappreciated just wasn't that important anymore, nor was the disaster that was our house, nor was the large amount of leftovers I was going to force down for the next five days at lunch.  I was reminded that life isn't all about me and that true love doesn't come with expectations of recognition attached.  Two little kids with wet hands showed me the power joyful service has to change a mood, to lift a spirit, and to communicate hope. 


And so, I did exactly what you would do after such a train-wreck-soup-event, I began to nibble down a bit of humble pie for my dessert.

"Whether your feelings are mean or kind

Your attitude to life is the key.

Don't wait to be happy until things are just right.

Don't let life's little annoyances get in the way...

You can be as happy as you decide to be."

-http://www.aholyexperience.com/, from a grandmother's note

"For God so LOVED, that He GAVE . . . "

-from John 3:16, the Bible

Kickin' It with Kale

(I know, lame title.  But how else can you make a green vegetable sound exciting?)

I so admire healthy people.  Really.  But if you are like me, you would only eat a green like kale if your grandmother who lives in the south makes you on New Year's Day along with Black Eyed Peas (yes, in the deep south, eatin' some collards and black-eyes is supposed to bring you money and luck in the New Year).  So for many of you, these few meager kale recipes may be old news, but for the rest of you (like me) maybe they will be inspiration to add a little green to your grocery list this week.

Three Ways for Kale

1.  As a Side-Dish.

Roughly chop the kale after washing, not including the thick stem part.  Sautee in a pan with some olive oil, garlic (fresh gloves or pre-minced out of a jar), salt and pepper, and lemon juice.  You can add sliced almonds or pine nuts if you want to add some crunch.

2.  Tomato-Kale Pasta

Finely chop the kale, discarding thick stems.  Sautee garlic and 1-2 diced onions in a pan with olive oil.  After a few minutes, toss in kale and diced tomatoes (2-3 vine ripe).  Add salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until tomatoes are tender.  Also, it's really good if you add some red pepper flakes.  It adds some spice, and we really like it that way. 

Toss with whole-wheat pasta.

Top with parmesan cheese, optional.

3.  Kale Quesadilla
Finely chop kale.  Make a cheese quesadilla, but along with the cheese, add the kale to the inside of the two tortillas.  Cook lightly in butter on pan until cheese is melted and kale is wilted.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.


Kale has become a staple buy in the veggie section at the store for us lately.  It's super good for you--lots of vitamins and calcium.  My humble suggestion is to buy 2-3 big bunches and chop it all up at once.  That way, you can pull it out to add to recipes later in the week with little effort.   It's also a good add-in for pizzas, quiches, soups, and lasagnas.  Happy Easy Cooking.  :)

Three Things Every Woman Should Have . . .

. . . in her pantry, in my very-humble, don't-like-to-cook-much opinion:

1. Rice Krispies
2. Big bag of marshmallows
3. Butter (low-fat, diary-free, whatever)

Why?  Rice Krispie Treats, of course.  They are easy, cheap, only require the dirty-ing of two dishes, and compared to donuts, are a much healthier dessert option for the kids . . . or for yourself.

Directions:  Simply dump the large bag of marshmallows (mini or regular) in a bowl with a few scoops of butter.  Microwave till melted.  Add about 5-6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal to the melted mallow-mix.  Stir.  Spread into a 9 x 9 pan, sprayed with Pam.  Let them cool and serve 'em up. 

No oven baking required, and thus, no burning-them-because-you-were-trying-to-do-fourteen-other-things-at-the-same-time risk.  Even sweeter. 

Cobbler a Kid Can Make and a Diabetic (and Vegan!) Can Eat

 Here's a super simple cobbler I threw together last week when the couple coming over for dessert and coffee was diabetic.   We came up with an apple and peach cobbler that was so good I fixed it (actually Kelty fixed it) the following night for the family.  I will be honest and say that it does not compare to the buttery goodness of a true cobbler with real sugar, but, hey, there's a price to be paid for healthy and low-cal.

Easy Kinda-Healthy Cobbler

1.  Spray a pie plate with nonstick spray. 

2.  Cut up (into medium chunks) apples or peaches or whatever fruit you want in the cobbler.  (We used three apples and one peach.)  Don't worry about peeling the fruit--that takes too long and makes your hands hurt.  

3.  Sprinkle the cut fruit with a few packages of Splenda (or any sweetner--honey, etc.) and cinnamon.  

4.  For the topping, mix about three globs (yes,  I know, such professional cooking terms) of softened butter substitute (Light Smart Balance, Earth Balance, etc.) with about one cup of oats/oatmeal. 

5.  Throw in a little flour and a few more packages of Splenda (or honey) into the topping mixture. Add more oats or more butter until you have a healthy portion, and it is all moist. You can also throw in a little granola cereal to add a little more crunch.

6.  Spread the mixture over the apples/fruit.

7.  Bake until fruit is soft--350 for about 30 minutes.

Lemon Dill Salmon

Enjoy this easy recipe, again gleaned from memory from some health magazine I was trying to read at the gym on the ol' treadmill.  Like all recipes I try to share, it requires very little ingredients (good for a tight budget) and is fairly quick and simple to put together (good for a busy mom who only cooks because her family has to eat something).

Lemon Dill Salmon

Salmon:  Squeeze a healthy amount of lemon juice on both sides of the salmon.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh or dried dill.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  (We get the $4/bag wild alaskan salmon at Wal-mart.  We use the "good stuff"/ gourmet dried dill--longer pieces of it, instead of powdery.)

Sauce:  Mix equal parts light sour cream and light mayo.  Squeeze healthy amount of lemon juice (fresh or in the bottle) and a good amount of the dill.  Add some salt and pepper.  Whisk all together.

Serve the sauce over the salmon.  The sauce can be served room temp. or heated slightly in the microwave.

Tomato Melts

As a final reminder of summer, try these easy, low-cal, super heart-healthy, vegetarian sandwiches for lunch one day. 

Tomato Melts

1 english muffin

1 avocado

1 vine-ripe tomato

salt, fresh ground pepper

sprinkles of goat cheese

Split an english muffin and spread with ripe avocado.  Top with slices of tomato, salt, pepper, and a few crumbles of fresh goat cheese.

Toast in an oven 350 ish for about 15 min. Broil last two minutes or so.

Enjoy these glorious final days of summertime produce.  :)

Easy Veggie Lasagna

This is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes. I remember back in college when Jennifer K. wrote it down on a little piece of note paper for me. After 10 years, I still have that little slip of paper tucked away in my cookbook. This is a fantastic way to make one dish for dinner, and then have lunches all set for the next several days, and I bet if you didn't tell your husband, he wouldn't guess it was made with tofu . . .

Veggie Lasagna

For the filling, in a bowl mix:
1 small package frozen spinach, dethawed and squeezed dry
1 pkg. tofu, drained and mashed
minced garlic or garlic salt
1 small container ricotta cheese OR another pkg tofu
1 small bag mozzarella cheese (actually could even skip this, if you wanted)
Some Parmesan cheese
Some Italian spices, if you want and have them
Optional: sauteed veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, onions, zucchini, etc.
Drizzle olive oil
Salt, Pepper

You also need:
1 large jar tomato sauce
1 box lasagna noodles


In an 8 x 8 pan, layer sauce, noodles, filling. Then repeat. I love to use the "no-boil" noodles so that I don't even have to cook them--one less pot to clean! Be sure to have sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 350 for about an hour. You can take off the foil the last 10 minutes of baking.

Two Summer Recipes

So I was reminded recently of a recipe I learned at a Vegan Cooking Class I took once from my amazing friend Pippi. I don't know about you, but I had never even heard of quinoa before the class, much less tasted it, much lesser [I know Mom, that's not proper English :) ]cooked it. However, I have learned that quinoa is gluten-free, super high in fiber, and super high in protein. Its a fun grain that is easy to make, and though a bit pricey (I paid $5 for a 3 cup bag, which made a huge bowl), seems to be worth it. Enjoy this super healthy--and obviously simple because even I can make it--recipe.

Quinoa Salad

2-3 cups Quinoa

1-2 Sweet potatoes

cliantro

1-2 onions

garlic cloves, minced

2 cans black beans

corn --2 ears fresh off the cob or small package of frozen

cilantro

lime juice

salt, pepper

Cook quinoa according to package (be sure to rinse it off before cooking or else it will taste bitter). Dice sweet potatoes and onions. While quinoa is cooking, saute potatoes and onions and minced garlic in a little oil. When potatoes are soft, but into a big bowl. Add the black beans, drained. Chop some fresh cilantro. Add the corn. When quinoa is finished, add to the bowl. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of olive oil, too.

Obviously, you can cut out the ingredients you don't have on hand and play with this recipe. It's excellent warm, room temperature, or even cold out of the fridge.

As a mother to young children, nap times are golden. When all three little people are either in their rooms "resting" or actually sleeping, I leave the messes messy and the chores undone, and I treat myself to one of three drinks--a diet Mt. Dew (yes, I'm a fan), southern sweet tea, or iced coffee. I try to write, read or just sit down during that time--and I love doing that on one of the decks during the summer months. Here's the iced coffee recipe I have been using of late:

Iced Coffee:

Coffee Ice Cubes

Cold Coffee

Milk

Sweetener (I use Sugar-free Caramel Syrup)

Instead of dumping your coffee pot from the morning, use one ice cube tray in your freezer for coffee cubes. I also just stick the leftover coffee carafe in the fridge after we are finished in the morning (I always make extra in the a.m., of course). I put several of the cubes in a glass, fill with 3/4 coffee and about 1/4 milk of your choice. Sweeten to taste. And it tastes even better with a straw, fyi. :)

Happy Summer Cooking!

White Chili

Here's a super simplified, pretty cheap recipe for White Chicken Chili that we just finished having for lunch. I saw the recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine at the gym and did my best to remember it. If you don't want the chicken or don't have any on hand, just throw in an extra can or two of beans.

You'll Need:

3 cans chicken stock (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian)

2 breasts of chicken

half bag of frozen chopped onions (could do real, too, of course)

jar of verde (green) salsa

2 cans white kidney (cannella) beans

1 can garbanzo beans

salt, pepper, and/or garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin

cut-up fresh cilantro

sour cream and cheese and fresh cilantro sprigs, to garnish

Cook the chicken with a little salt. We just threw some in the oven the night before when we were cooking something else. Shred the chicken with a fork. Put the chicken stock, onions, shredded chicken, green salsa, and 3 cans of beans into a pot and warm through. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes or garlic or cumin to taste. Throw in the chopped fresh cilantro right before serving. Garnish with a little cheese and sour cream and cilantro sprigs. This amount made enough for Matt, Cassie, and I to get two full meals from. I think the vegetarian version would be super yum, too. The verde salsa really gives it a lot of flavor and a little kick. Such a good easy winter meal!

Banana Breakfast Wraps

I get so bored with breakfast options. I don't want to spend a lot of time on anything, but cereal and waffles get old fast. Lately, I have copied an item I order sometimes at Cafe Gouda in Hickory, NC, when I am there. Happy breakfasting . . .

Banana Breakfast Wraps

1 tortilla (we use whole wheat, low-carb)

peanut butter

granola

ground flax seed (if you have it)

honey

Spread peanut butter on tortilla. Put banana in the middle. Sprinkle with granola and flax seed and then drizzle with honey. Wrap up. Cut in the middle and enjoy!

Don't Forget the Smoothies

As I have been racking my brain lately on how to get some good nutrition into my kids beyond what cheese pizza and chicken nuggets offers, I have remembered the 'ol smoothie trick. Stick lots of good stuff into a smoothie like bananas, blueberries, ground flax seed, protein powder, wheat germ, yogurt, and milk, and then (here's the trick) make a big deal out of adding a scoop (little!) of vanilla icecream. Then you can pull out the real persuasive speech and call it not a smoothie, but a milkshake for breakfast. Golden. Thanks Heather for the reminder.

I even stuck it in a wine glass with a little dollop of cool whip. I mean, "dessert" for breakfast--exciting stuff.

Freeze the leftovers in some of those popsicle makers (Steven, Amy, Cassie, Mom, Dad--recognize these? It's the actual set Mom used to make us cheap popsicles out of watered down apple juice when we were "poor, but we had love"!)


Yum.

Red Pepper Vinegarette Salad "Recipe"

Another of our favorite salad recipes of late. Again, this one was inspired by Rachael Ray while enduring some time on the treadmill at the gym (at least while exercising I was able to watch a salad being made instead of cheesecake or something). Again, forgive the general measurements. I am more of an estimator cook.

Salad:

Romaine lettuce, torn or chopped

Olives (kalmata, preferably, or whatever you have)

Croutons (optional)

Dressing:

About 4 red pepper halves (from the glass jar)

2 gloves of garlic, whole or roughly minced

about a 3 second squirt of honey

about a five second pour of balsamic vinegar

a bit less olive oil than the vinegar

salt and pepper

Throw all of the above in a blender (or food processor) and mix till well blended.

Pour dressing over salad and serve.

Matt's Favorite Chicken

I heard recently that every family cycles through about 11 different recipes at any given time. If you're stuck at 10, here's an easy one to add to your cycle. It's definitely one of my 11 . . .

Ranch Chicken

Mix a packet of ranch dressing (get it on the salad dressing aisle) with crushed Sunchips (about 1/4 a bag--regular or ranch flavored). Dip chicken into egg or butter (or even mayonaise--for extra moisture), then into the Ranch Dressing/Sunchip mixture. Bake 375 for about 30 minutes, until the "crunchies" are crispy. Enjoy. :)

Easy Salad "Recipe"

As many of you know, I am not really into cooking OR recipes. BUT, since I am into really good salads, I thought I would post this one. I love reading magazines at the gym while I try to endure 20 minutes of that stupid stair-climber-thing. I look at the pictures and try my best to imitate the recipe, in a ballpark kind-of way. The fun part about cooking this way is that you never know just exactly what you're gonna get. Regardless, here's the "recipe":

For Salad:
Baby Spinach
Gorgonzola cheese
Walnuts (or pistachios)

For Dressing:
Jelly --about two globs with a spoon (It called for pepper jelly, but Walmart is not high-class enough to carry that, so I used peach. Strawberry might be good, too.)
Olive oil (a bit)
Cider Vinegar (a bit more)
Salt and Pepper

Microwave the jelly until it is liquidy. Mix in the oil, vinegar (don't do too much or you will be making those sour faces after each bite!), salt and pepper. Let it get to roomish temperature.

Mix dressing with salad.

(I also added pomegranates to mine tonight, since I had them and have literally NO IDEA what to really do with them other than stick them on a salad and only bought them since they were on sale, and I could read the little chart at the store as to how to get those crazy little seeds out.)

It's so simple, and I usually have all the ingredients already (minus those on-sale pomegranates, of course.) Happy Salading!

Now, the kids . . . well, while we were eating the salad, they were having the ever-nutritious meal of macaroni-and-cheese with hotdogs, but I figured you didn't need a recipe for that.

A Classic Recipe

Enjoy this recipe that we tried this morning. It's a classic that's been handed down in our family for generations.

Classic Cinnamon Toast

1. Butter bread.

2. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

3. Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over the bread.

4. Broil (because its much faster then just setting the oven to 350) for about 2 minutes too long.

5. . . . and voila! a breakfast classic.

My New Resolution:Get my Daughter Not to Think Healthy Foods are Only Eaten if You Have Some Sort of Disease

As we are heading out of the "survival" mode that Ava's first year has had us operating in, one of the areas I want to improve in is the food we eat. I am so inspired by others that are dedicated to making healthy meals, and Kelty's recent comment was my kick in the pants that I need to do better . . .

I fixed her a healthy snack for school of soy nuts and banana chips, which she actually liked. She was excited about her snack, until she thought about what the others kids at school might think about it. She asked, "Mom, do you think the other kids will think I have a disease or something?" What? "Well, Mom, you only have to eat this kind of food when you're like really sick or something." Ouch. So, in my feeble attempt to try at least one or two new healthy meals each week, we had "Chickpea Tacos" (Thanks, Michelle!) tonight for dinner. For you meat people, I know it sounds weird, but even Matt actually liked them. I'm not a big cook and not really into recipes, so I don't have specifics but wanted to share the idea of the meal, in case you want to give it a try. It's super easy and fairly cheap--and everyone ate (at least parts) of it!

Chickpea Tacos

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

cilantro

2 avocadoes, mashed up

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

salt, pepper, some lime juice

(Mix all of the above for the filling of the tacos)

Then, add your regular toppings--cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, brown rice, sour cream, etc.--to make your tacos.

Since we did so well at dinner, we're off to gorge ourselves on brownies and icecream while we watch The Office! :)