Chicken and dumplings

Havent been feeling great so I've been a little slow on the blogging. Made chicken soup tonight and added dumplings for Gary, and WOW it was good. Its such a simple recipe! Basically you just throw everything in the pot and cook it. Measurements are not exact, since I just throw stuff in.... so, adjust the seasonings to your taste. I usually add potatoes but forgot to this time and it was just as good!

Soup ingredients:

1 whole organic free range chicken

5 carrots (chopped)

5 stalks of celery (chopped)

2 onions (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 red bell peppers (chopped)

1 tomato (chopped)

poultry seasoning (about 1 tsp)

Thyme (about 2 tsp)

Parsley (about 2 tsp)

Rosemary (about 1 tsp)

Pepper (about 2 tsp)

Chicken broth (powder or liquid, which ever you prefer)- I use powder and added about 4 T to a huge pot, but follow the directions on your container. If you use a broth that is low in sodium or has none, you might need to add some salt to taste.

Dumpling ingredients:

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

3 T fresh butter

3/4 milk (I use almond milk and they turn out great)

Wash the chicken and place in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water until the chicken is covered. Add all seasonings and bring to a boil on high. Add veggies, turn heat down to med-low and simmer about 4 hours. At this point, your chicken should fall right off the bone. If it doesn't, cook it a little longer. When it's done, remove the bones (or you can leave them in if you'd like).

For dumplings, mix all ingredients in a bowl and roll into 2 inch balls. Drop into the soup, cover and cook (on med-low) 15 min. Remove the lid and cook another 15 min.

**This soup is ideal if you can let it simmer in a crockpot for 24 hours, but I wanted my soup fast so I did it on the stove.

"Veggie" patties with mushroom soup

This stuff is SO yummy. Gary was upset because I had promised to cook him some meat, but got lazy and didn't feel like being a short-order cook, so I made one dinner for all of us. He was surprised at how good they turned out.

I took a (bad) short cut and used some lipton's onion soup mix, but hey... I've been cooking so much lately I figured I deserve a short cut every now and then! These are a 9 out of 10 for me! (and Gary, too)

Veggie patties:

3 eggs

1 1/2 C cottage cheese

1 tsp thyme

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 1/2 C oats

1 shredded carrot

1/2 shredded zucchini

3/4 C cheese (any kind will do)

1/2 C+1/2 C breadcrumbs

Oil (for "frying")

Mushroom soup, about 1 C ( I made my own and will post the recipe below. It is SO yummy. I used the leftovers to make beef stroganoff for Gary)

Heat about 2 T oil in saucepan on med heat (I used canola oil). Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Mix in 1/2 C breadcrumbs. Form into patties (if you have a hard time with them sticking together, add more breadcrumbs). Place the remaining 1/2 C breadcrumbs on a plate and coat the patties. Cook until (dark) browned on each side (about 3-4 min on each side). Serve topped with mushroom soup

Mushroom soup:

2 T butter

12 oz mushrooms

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 T all purpose flour

1 C chicken broth

1 C half and half

salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and cook (stirring occasionally) until the mushrooms start to release some of their juices (about 5-7 min). Add garlic and nutmeg and cook for another 2 min. Sprinkle the flour over and stir to combine, cook for 1 more minute. Add broth and simmer for 2 minutes. Decrease heat to medium-low and add half and half. Simmer until mixture thickens (stirring occasionally), about 8 minutes.

Baked oatmeal bars

I used a combo of a couple different recipes to come up with my own and they turned out delicious!! I am always in a rush on the way to work in the morning, so this is the perfect solution. One minor problem: apparently I didnt grease the bottom of the pan well enough and we had some major stickage. Still yummy all the same though. These are SUPER easy (you pretty much just dump everything in and mix) and they only took me about 10 min to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 C oats

1 C spelt flour

dash of salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

3/4 C unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

4 T raw honey

1 1/2 C almond milk

1 C dried fruit (I used dried cranberries)

3/4 C nuts (I used roasted almonds)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease the bottom of a 7x11" dish (I use coconut oil. Whatever you use, just make sure you grease the pan really well!)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Combine the two and mix well. Fold in the dried fruit and nuts.

Bake at 375 for 25 min. Reduce oven to 350 and bake for another 15 min.

*I apologize for the horrible pictures lately. Been using the camera phone since its so much faster

5 minute "Healthy" peanut butter fudge!

This stuff is GOOD... and I dont really like peanut butter. I made it on a whim and was amazed. It's something I actually don't mind giving Owen (in moderation of course) because it's a good way for him to get some healthy stuff. And on top of that, he LOVES it. The whole time he was eating it, he was saying "nom nom nom." This recipe came from Grain Free Foodies

Ingredients:

1 C coconut oil

1/2 C peanut butter (plus an additional heaping tablespoon)- I buy the unsweetened version that you "make" yourself at WF's

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

raw honey (to taste)- I ended up using about 2 T

If your coconut oil isnt already at room temp (and melted), heat it slightly on the stove until it turns to liquid.

Whisk everything together in a bowl until smooth. Pour into 8x8 dish and freeze for about 20 min. You're done!!

It can be stored either in the fridge or in the freezer. And it's VERY very rich, so a little goes a very long way!

Yummy yummy veggie lasagna

I've never made lasagna before (until tonight) because I don't really like Italian food (namely lasagna or anything with ricotta cheese). I had a bunch of mozarella and cottage cheese given to me at work and lasagna was the first thing that came to mind. I decided to give it a whirl since Gary likes it and I had all the other ingredients on hand already. It was a huge hit. Owen had a piece of his own and even came back for seconds.

Ingredients:

16 oz fresh spinach (or you can use frozen)-- cooked and drained well

1 yellow bell pepper/1 green/1 red (all diced)

1 onion (diced)

4 large carrots (shredded)

3 cloves garlic (diced)

1 16 oz container cottage cheese

dried basil

2 eggs

mozzarella/parmesan cheese (I used 16 oz combined)

1 box lasagna noodles (I bought the "oven-ready" kind)

salt/pepper to taste

marinara sauce (I had homemade sauce frozen so I just used that but you can use the sauce in a jar if you want something quick. I will post my sauce recipe following this one)

Preheat oven to 350. Sautee veggies (carrots, bell peppers, onion, garlic) until soft. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, spinach, 2 tsp basil, salt/pepper to taste and blend well. Add cooked veggies to cheese mixture and stir until incorporated.

To assemble lasagna: Pour a little sauce on the bottom of a 12.5x9.5 casserole dish. Place 1 layer of lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the veggie mix over the noodles. Sprinkle cheese (mozzarella and parmesan) over the veggie mix, pour a little more sauce and then repeat until you have 2 layers of veggie mix

(from bottom, order should go like this: sauce, noodles, veggie mixture, cheese, sauce, noodles, veggie mixture, cheese). After the last layer of cheese, place 1 more layer of noodles over the top. Then pour the remaining sauce over the noodles and one more sprinkle of cheese.

Bake (covered with foil) for 60 min. After 60 min, remove foil and bake for 20 min uncovered. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Marinara sauce:

1/4 C olive oil

3 garlic cloves (kept whole)

1 T tomato paste

1 35oz can whole peeled Italian tomatoes w/their juice (crushed by hand)

pinch of sugar

2 sprigs of basil

salt/pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices. Stir in the sugar and basil, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and is reduced to 3 cups, about 30 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper. Discard the basil sprigs and garlic.

I have pictures but I'm too tired to upload them right now. Will try to get them on here by tomorrow

Make your own butter!

I know you're thinking of Lucy and her home baked bread and home churned butter.... gettin the big stick out and churning the butter. Buuuuut it's sooooo much easier than that! All you need is some cream and a food processor (or blender). And it's so yummy! A million times better than store-bought.

Ingredients:

organic whipping cream

salt (optional)

Pour your cream into the food processor. (I use a 4 C food processor and use about 3/4 pint of cream. If you put too much and don't have a workhorse of a machine, your blade might burn up)

Turn it on high. The cream will first turn to whipped cream (it'll get really thick and hard to blend). And then it'll go back to a more liquid state (while at the same time turning yellow).

After this, it'll blend for another minute or so and then you'll see the pure liquid (the buttermilk)separate from the solid butter. (see below)

At this point, you'll want to take the butter out with a spatula and press it down until all the buttermilk is removed. You can consider your butter done at this point, but if you want it to last more than a few days, you have to "wash it."

To wash your butter, put the butter back into the food processor and pour in a small glass of ice cold water. Turn it on and blend for about 20 seconds. Remove the butter and press with spatula until the liquid is removed.

You are done! If you want salted butter, add salt to taste and just fold it in.

** pictures borrowed from Food Renegade since I didn't take step-by-step pictures and wanted to make sure it was understandable**

Yogurt bars-- VERY kid-friendly snack!!

I've been really trying to avoid ALL processed foods, so I'm on a mission to find new snack ideas for Owen. He usually just eats fruit, cheese, pb&apple butter, stuff like that for snacks. But sometimes it's nice to be able to grab a handful of crackers or a cereal bar to take with us since I don't always have time to make something.

I tried these tonight and they are really good! Although I will be tweaking and trying different things to make them even more healthy, they are a great alternative for right now. Probably not something I'd make on a regular basis for myself (just because I'd want to eat the whole tray), but definitely a huge hit with Owen. He ate them up, and they are totally a "take and go" snack!

Yogurt Bars

Crust:

2 C corn flakes (I buy TJ's organic and they taste much lighter/better than Kellogs)

3/4 C Whole wheat flour

1/8 C packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 C coconut oil

1/4 C butter

Filling:

1 C flavored yogurt (I don't buy flavored so I just added some mashed banana and a little raw honey to our plain)

1 egg

2 T whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cereal, 3/4 C flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Cut in butter/coconut oil until coarse crumbs form. (I just use my hands to mix it)

To make crust, press 1/2 the cereal mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 8"x8" square pan and set the other 1/2 aside.

Mix yogurt, egg and 2 T flour in small bowl. Spread evenly over the crust and then sprinkle the remaining cereal mixture on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown; cut into bars when cooled. I think they might taste even better refrigerated but I won't have a definite answer on that until tomorrow.

**I promise I will start taking more/better pictures and hopefully I'll also stop forgetting to take the step-by-step shots, too!!**

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Well we ended up going out to dinner last night for the first time in a long while, so I was off duty! My goal is to try to post at least once a day, so when I don't cook or we go out, I will post a recipe that i've made in the past.

This one's for sweet potato enchiladas-- SO SO yummy. Gary is quite the meat-lover, but doesn't really miss the meat with these. Especially when he piles on the sour cream. I originally got it from the Whole Foods website but I've kinda adapted it to my taste/preferences and it's one awesome recipe now!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Green sauce:

1 C veggie broth
1 T arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 C (a very generous cup) of chopped roasted green chiles, hot or mild
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin or chili powder, to taste (or you can add both)

Note: If you don't want to make the sauce, just use 1 large can of the green enchilada sauce-- I like the brand in the yellow can from Whole Foods. This works just as well as making your own!

Enchiladas:

1 (15 oz) can black beans (rinsed, drained)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big lime
2 heaping cups cooked diced sweet potatoes (I cook about 3 medium sweet potatoes and this is sufficient)
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild green chiles (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Cheese (I usually use monterey jack or cheddar but any kind will do)

Corn tortillas

avocado (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 350. I "cheat" and take the easy way out by not making "real" enchiladas. I just layer everything in a casserole dish.... SUPER easy and just as good!

Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl (sweet potatoes, beans, seasonings, chiles, lime juice, cilantro) Pour a couple tablespoons of the green sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish (I use a 2 qt. glass dish).

Layer corn tortillas on the bottom. Spread the filling out evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle a little cheese over the filling. Layer another row of tortillas on top. Pour the rest of the green sauce over everything. Top with cheese.

Bake (covered with foil) for 25 min. Remove the foil and bake another 15-25 minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Serve with sour cream and avocado!

Carob chip cookies. They grow on you

Well, I wasn't anticipating posting this recipe as I made it last night because the cookies tasted pretty nasty straight out of the oven. However... after cooling completely and hardening a bit, they have now gone from a 5 to about an 8 on taste (10 being the best) and were a huge hit with the girls at work.

These cookies are most definitely healthy-tasting.. and seem to be almost an acquired taste (although Owen loved them from the start). They are an awesome healthy alternative to chocolate chip cookies, and I'm sure would go wonderfully with a glass of milk if that's your thing. It's taken (and adapted) from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

I anticipate making some slight changes and tweaking it just to see how it tastes when I use different ingredients..... but for now, here it is:

Carob chip cookies

1/2 C coconut oil (or you can use butter)

1/2 C Rapadura

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/8 C whole wheat flour (or bulgar flour)

1/2 tsp baking soda (dissolved in 1 T hot water)

1 C carob chips

Preheat the oven to 325. Cream the coconut oil and sucanat. Add the egg, vanilla, salt, flour and baking soda mixture. Beat until everything is incorporated. Fold in carob chips.

Roll into small/medium sized balls (depending on how big you want your cookie) and bake for 5 minutes. Open oven and press cookies down lightly with fork. Bake 15 more minutes (adjust cooking time if you make small cookies). Let cookies cool on baking sheet completely before removing (they are really gross while hot!!)

Makes approx 18 cookies.

And just for fun... the cookies in question

Weird blobs...... That need some help to taste better

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Family Dinner 1/11/11- Hazelnut/Pecan crusted salmon and Red quinoa

I was inspired by Trader Joe's Hazelnut/Pecan crusted salmon and figured I'd try my own recipe-- it was awesome! I'm really picky with my salmon and how it's prepared, and this recipe is definitely a keeper! The fish is awesome without the yogurt sauce but if you're feeling brave, need some (lots) of extra calories, and want to try something new, the sauce is really good!

My recipes aren't normally this complicated but I had all the ingredients on hand and it all sounded really good so I went for it. It's really not as complicated as it looks, but since I'm just learning to officially "type out" my instructions, my posts will probably be more detailed than necessary until I get the hang of it. This dish was a huge hit (with Gary AND with Owen)

Hazelnut and Pecan crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

4 salmon filets (approx 8 oz each)

4 T Canola oil

2 C toasted breadcrumbs

1/4 C (toasted) Hazelnuts

1/4 C (toasted) Pecans

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder (or a few cloves of fresh garlic)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

For Sauce:

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt
¼ Cup Fresh Italian Parsley
¼ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
2 Tbs. Chopped Chives
Pinch of Paprika
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Zest of 1 lime

For sauce: In food processor, combine yogurt, cream, paprika, salt, pepper, lime juice and zest. Pulse to combine. Add in fresh herbs, pulse 2 to 3 more times, or until herbs are incorporated into sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 min, checking frequently to make sure they're not burning.

Raise oven temp to 450. Heat a large (preferably oven-safe) skillet over medium heat for about 10 min (until its very hot!)

Stick the nuts in a food processor and grind until they're about the consistency of bread crumbs. Add the bread crumbs and seasonings and pulse to incorporate everything. Pour onto a plate or shallow dish. Coat salmon with the bread/nut mixture

Add canola oil to the hot skillet and "roll" it around until the bottom is coated. Place salmon in the pan and sear each side about 2 min. Make sure not to crowd the pan (you might need to do it in batches).

Place the seared salmon into the oven (just keep it in the skillet if it's oven safe, or place on a cookie sheet if its not) and 'roast' for 3-5 min. Salmon is done when it feels somewhat firm to the touch.

Black bean salad over red quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup red quinoa/2 C veggie or chicken broth (cook according to package directions)

1 15 oz. can black beans (drained/rinsed)

2 C roasted corn kernels (TJ's sells these in the frozen section!)

1 avocado (cut into 1/2" pieces)

1 pint grape tomatoes (halved)

1/2 C red onion (finely diced)

3/4 C Cilantro Salad dressing (not outgoing enough to make my own yet)

1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)

1/4 Olive oil

Zest of 1 lime

sea salt/pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (except for the quinoa). Toss gently until coated with dressing. Set aside. When quinoa is cool, add a little olive oil and salt/pepper to taste. Toss gently.

Serve the bean salad over a bed of quinoa

Sorry for the lack of pictures tonight. I didn't think I'd actually follow through with my plan and start a blog, so there are no pictures at the moment. Plus, I made some weird carob chip cookies. I was busy! Recipe for those to come later. I still need to tweak it until it tastes better.

Edited to add picture. We had leftovers so I tried to make it look as presentable as possible!

Welcome to my new blog!!

I'm using this blog as a new way to keep track of our family meals! I love to write, and I love food. What better way to combine the two.

I'm hoping this turns out better than my last two blogs... which really isn't that far out of reach, because the last two had maybe 4 or 5 posts. I'm also hoping to use it as a tool to practice my (very amateur) photo skills. Another project on my list of a million things I want to do.

Recipes and photos to come soon.. and if you try any of them, let me know how they turn out!