Easy Butter Chicken with coconut milk

 So, I have come to terms that I will never master the art of traditional Indian cooking.  I just don't have the patience, or the room for 100 different spices. ;-).
  I do however make pretty good and easy 'knock offs' of Indian food.  Let me tell you about my new love, coconut milk.  Dude!  this stuff is awesome!  I'm talking the stuff in the can, not the carton.  It smells like coconut candy, I wish I could have it everyday, but alas tis' impossible, I will however enjoy it whenever I can.  I have even poured it into my protein smoothies.  That was a touch of heaven, try it.

   The big decision today was what to do with that can of coconut milk in the pantry...Indian food, Butter chicken,  That's it.
  But I don't know how to make it.  I spent an hour or so looking for recipes to get ideas.  After reading a bunch of them I came up with this, borrowing the best ideas from the 1/2 dozen or so recipes I looked at.

  I picked the flower photo for my blog today because I love the colors.  I thought it went well with today's recipe.  Is that weird, a photo going with a recipe?  oh well it's my blog.  I took this photo November in Arizona.  I was amazed at all the flowers that were in bloom, I got a lot of photos that day.  It was a good day.

Now on to the food.  I was glad that I went ahead and took photos of some of the steps, I'm getting pretty lazy about doing that anymore.  Either I forget, or I don't think about blogging until the food is done and all gone.  So yay!  photos.

Here's what I did

2 -3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red onion diced
about 3T of coconut oil
6oz can of tomato paste
1 can of coconut milk---I used full fat, but you could just as easy use lite and I think it would still be good.
2 cloves crushed garlic--I used my garlic press
1t -cardamom -- use a tad less of the cardamom and coriander and adjust to your taste later
1t coriander
11/2t chili powder
a bunch of baby spinach chopped up into small pieces
1t sea salt
3-4T of ghee

First I cut up the chicken and put it aside.  Cut it while it's very very cold, semi frozen and it cuts easier without the icky goo factor I hate about raw chicken.
 In a large skillet heat coconut oil over medium heat, add onions and cook until the proverbial translucent.
  turn the heat down to low, add garlic, cardamom, coriander and chili powder stir well.

Now add the tomato paste, stir.  It will be thick and that's OK.  Turn the heat back up and add the coconut milk and salt.  Use a whisk to mix together.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the chicken.  Bring it back to a simmer, then turn the heat to med-low, cover and simmer about 14 minutes or until that chicken is cooked all the way through.  Stir it occasionally.
   Now is when I add the spinach,  stir it all together then add the ghee to make the sauce silky and yummy.

 

    
 
I dished it up just like it was, but I'm sure it would be delicious over basmati rice.  I garnished with cilantro and it added a nice flavor.  The three of us polished it all off.

 try it! you'll like it!

Happy Eating

  

garlic and rosemary Steelhead trout. A new Primal diet start.

  I am going to call this post "turning over  a new leaf"  So yes, like the nerd that I am, the photo of the day is leaves.    Because it would just be fitting.
   Until now, my diet has been primarily grains, veg, fruit a moderate amount of fish and very little meat.  I liked it that way.  
 Well just recently I found out that I had Glaucoma.  Sucks right!  Anyway, after asking a lot of questions, and doing some research I found that grains and high carb foods (even like beans) are probably the worst thing I can eat to aggravate my insulin levels and increase the pressure in my eye.  I don't understand all the science of it, but basically my diet will be changing.
    Seems like a Primal type diet is what I need to put off losing my eyesight as long as possible.  So here I am, a former pescetarian that evolved to a minor meat eater to this. 
    Now don't get me wrong, bread, pasta, rice and grains will still be part of my diet, but a very very small part.  boo hoo.
    So come with me on this adventure of a new style of cooking.  It will be tasty, healthy, and still minus frankenfoods.  I am keeping away from low fat and no fat products as I will be eating as close to clean natural foods as possible.

    I do love fish, so this dish is no sacrifice. ;-)   Steel head trout is a favorite, and it was on sale at Whole Foods last week.  I couldn't resist.  
  
  Here's what I did (it's really easy)

See, minimal ingredients.  This fed all three of us with a bit left over for my breakfast the next morning.  So adjust as necessary.

1 1/2 lbs of steel head trout
1 large garlic clove pressed or finely chopped
1-2 T of fresh chopped rosemary ( I got mine from the garden)
the zest of one large lemon
juice from 1/2 that lemon
1/4 t salt
1/4-1/2 t pepper
1T or so of olive oil, plus some for greasing pan

Directions
prepare a baking pan, lined with foil, by brushing on olive oil

pre heat broiler

mix together all the ingredients (except the fish) in a bowl and smear all over the top of the fish

Broil fish on 2nd rack from broiler for about 5 minutes or until it has a nice sear

move the pan to the center of the oven and bake at 325 for another 10 or 15 minutes.  The time will depend on how well done you like your fish and how thick it is.

 I served it with broiled asparagus and I made a Bearnaise sauce to make it look fancy.  It tasted fabulous too.  I used Martha Stewart's Bearnaise recipe.  It seems like rigmarole but it was fine.

For dessert we had a bunch of berries with some real whipped cream on them.   I might just get used to the no grain thing pretty quickly.

Happy Eating


 

Lets break bread. Three different bread recipes

  I took this photo a few months back.  It was just before dawn but my room was filled with light. So I went out to see what was up.  Well it was the Moon, and as you can see it was a beautiful sight.
  Well, me being me I went inside and grabbed my camera, extended my zoom as far as it could go and began to shoot.  I was thrilled when I saw this beautiful shot.  All my years trying to capture a great moon picture and here it finally is.  I'm a happy girl.
   Lets get on subject now,  Bread.  I love bread and I have become quite fond of making it too.  All kinds of bread, big, small, sweet savory, it's all good to me.  Today I am going to share a recipes for 3 very different breads.
   They are all super easy to make, I am not one to make things that are complicated.  I will start with the easiest bread you will ever make,  Seriously, I'm not kidding.  
  Flat bread.  My flat bread is multi purpose, I roll it real thin so it is similar to a tortilla, I roll it a little thicker and it is similar to middle eastern flat bread.  You could even roll it out like an oblong and use it for a flat bread pizza.
   
   Flat bread, here's what I did

1 cup white flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
A little flour for rolling surfaces
1/4 cup oil (I use olive) most of the oil is used on skillet
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup luke warm water
1 teaspoon sugar ( I use terbinado sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and a just a teaspoon of the oil in bowl.
2. Slowly add the water and mix with a fork, or you hand, I like to use my hands. Mix until the mixture starts to form a moist, but not too sticky dough.
3. Lightly flour a flat, clean surface and put the dough out onto it.
4. Kneed the dough for a couple of minutes until it is a nice firm ball.

That's pretty easy huh.  You can go ahead and start making flat bread now, or you can refrigerate the dough for a few days and use it later.
  This dough will make about 5 middle eastern style pieces of bread.

1. Lightly brush a flat pan, preferably cast iron with oil and put on high heat. I love to use a silicone brush, no random brush hairs in my bread.
2. Get a golf ball size lump of dough and warm it up in your hands.
3. Press the ball into a floured surface and then start to roll from the center-out.
4. Roll pretty thin, a bit thicker than you would if it were a tortilla.
5. Place the dough onto the hot pan and very lightly brush the top side of the bread with oil
6. Cook for a minute or two and then flip, cook for a further minute or so. done.

Bread number 2.  It's my take on a focaccia.  I don't know how to make focaccia, but this was easy enough and it sure tasted like it.
   This recipe is, like others I post, an outline.  I think you could add anything you want to top this bread.   Sun dried tomatoes, any herbs you have on hand, olives, roasted garlic, hazelnuts, fresh tomatoes many different kinds of cheese.  Let your creativity flow.

 Here's what I did

2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
4 cups flour, feel free to use white or wheat of a mix of both
2 tsp salt
melted butter
(see, easy)

So, you got to get the yeast going so put the yeast and sugar in the water.  Let it sit 5 minutes or so until it's kind of bubbly.  There was one time I made this bread and I left the yeast mixture sit for 15 minutes.  The finished bread had a definite yeasty flavor that it did not have the previous time I made it.  We all really liked it.  
So with my limited experience I would say the longer you let the yeast sit, the more yeasty the bread will taste.  Brilliant aren't I. :-)

Now add the salt and the flour, mix until you have a sticky dough.  Place the dough in a big, glass, greased bowl.  Cover it with saran wrap or a kitchen towel and let it double in size.
  I put the bowl in the microwave and let it rise there for about a hour.
 DO NOT turn the microwave on!  This just gives the dough a nice warm quiet place to rise.

I love parchment paper, so I use it when baking.  You can opt for greasing your pans instead.  
   A jelly roll pan, cookie sheet, or a stone bar pan would work great.  Place on your parchment (or grease) and spread the dough out flat, using your hands.
  Pour on melted butter and other toppings.  I used Parmesan/Romano cheese, fresh oregano and some garlic salt.
  Let it rise again, any where from 20 minutes to an hour.  It will depend on how warm it is in the kitchen.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let it cool, rip and eat.   OR..you can be a bit more civilized and after sliding it off the parchment paper cut it into squares or strips.

 

Last but not least how about a quick bread.  I had a hard time deciding between Banana bread and zucchini bread to post.  Banana bread won because I had a photo of it.

 No zucchini bread photo.(tip on the zucchini bread, add shredded granny smith apples in place of some of your zucchini, mmm mmm good)  

 

 

Here's what I did

 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

 

3T of butter, softened

1T plain yogurt

2 eggs

2-3 very ripe bananas

2/3 cup sugar...I used a bit less actually,  but I didn't really measure.  I used 1/2 white and 1/2 brown

 

Mix it all together and put aside

 

in another bowl

1 1/3 cup of flour

3/4 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

1/2 t Cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 heaping Tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes toasted. ( I just tossed them around in a hot frying pan for a minute or two to toast)

zest of one medium size lemon

 Mix all up and add to your dry ingredients. 

 

My helpful hint.  It's the parchment paper again.  notice in the photo I have paper lined the long way in the pan. Then I spray the parchment and pan with a baking cooking spray.

 When the bread is done and cooled.  I just lift out the parchment paper and the bread comes clean out.

 This will make 1 regular size loaf, or 2 mini loaves.

  Bake 40-50 minutes or until brown and a toothpick will come out clean.

 

 

You now have no excuse not to make some bread.  Heck if I can do it you certainly can.

 

 

Happy Eating, and Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 



 

 

Autumn comfort food, mac & cheese

Autumn is in bloom, I love the fall colors.  I even love that it is now getting to be below 80 degrees here in San Antonio. 
  My part of Texas is lacking in the fall leaf changing beauty, but not in Sedona!   I took this photo last week while visiting Arizona.  It was a crisp and cool day, and it put me in the mood for rich, decedent and calorie loaded comfort food. 
  WHAT??  why this is not the healthy fair I try to keep on this blog.  Well, we all can splurge a little bit can't we.  Besides, my plan is to make this blog full of easy to cook, yummy food for a family.  What family does not like mac & cheese.
  My version is an amalgamation of my friends and families answers when I asked how they made their mac & cheese.   So when "from the box" was not the answer I got plenty of good ideas and made this ooey gooey version a classic dish. 
   Problem is my husband and son ask for it almost weekly, not gunna happen!  This is definitely a once in a while dish, for this house anyway.
    Try it, I know you will like it.  When you do make this please comment and let me know how it turned out, or any changes you made to make it your own.  I love hearing from y'all

       I lay out my ingredients first.  Basic, I'm sure it all looks familiar.

Here is what I did

4 cups of macaroni, or shells.  My son likes shells, so sometimes I mix it up 50/50
1/4 cup butter...mmm butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon of dry mustard ( or to taste)
a few dashes of paprika
1/2 t salt and a generous shake of garlic salt or any type of seasoning salt YOU like.  Don't skimp though.  Flavor.
1/8 t pepper
2-2.5 cups of 2% milk.   It depends on how thick you like your cheese sauce.
1 egg beaten
8oz shredded Gouda
8oz shredded sharp cheddar

seasoned bread crumbs tossed with Parmesan cheese for topping.  You can use panko if you like too.


cook the macaroni to about 90% done. then rinse and set aside.
1)  in a small bowl beat the egg and set aside

2) in a large pot melt butter
3) sprinkle with flour and whisk on medium-low heat to make a roue

4)pour in milk and add mustard.  Cook, stirring often until smooth.  about 5 minutes.

5) reduce heat to low and remove 1/4 cup sauce and temper in the egg and pour slowly back into milk mixture.

6) add cheese, stir until melted.  ( leave a little bit out to sprinkle over top right before cooking)

7) add the rest of the seasoning and taste, adjust as needed.

8) stir in macaroni until fully incorporated then pour into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray to keep sticking to a minimum.

9) sprinkle with breadcrumb topping and the cheese you set aside.

10)  bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until all hot and bubbly.

Cool for 5-10 minutes and serve....if you can wait that long.  :-)

I like to serve this with a nice cold salad or a side of sliced tomato, cucumber and sweet bell peppers.  This dish is so rich that the cold veggies clean the palate nicely.
    Broccoli or string beans simply steamed is a good second side dish. 

Tip; some of you may not know what tempering an egg is.  Well it's really very easy.  Think about it, it you just pour the egg into the hot liquid it may cook up.  yuk.   Slowly pouring the 1/4 cup reserved liquid into beaten egg bowl while whisking will incorporate hot with cold.  No egg cookage. 

     I just love cool nights, a fire, a good football game on TV and good old fashioned comfort food.
 Ahhh Fall time happiness.

Happy eating!
      

Honey-Sesame Tempeh with asian flavored carrot slaw over quinoa

Hello Fall!   Can a blog go on hiatus?  well apparently so because that's what I did with my blog.

   The truth is that I really only planned on taking a couple months off over the summer, time is hard to come by for me in the summertime.   And truthfully taking pictures step by step of each and every recipe is a bit too much sometimes.

  But I miss blogging, and some of my followers have been asking me to re-start up. That makes me happy.  So here you go my handful of followers, and Thank you for your support.

   If you are new to my blog, and like what you see, please join in, I would love to have you.

 

   I took this picture on a trip up north about a hour away from home, at a little camp site by the river.  I loved it because it seemed worlds away.  Trees, river, fishing I almost forgot I was in south Texas. I was lying on the ground looking into the trees, the kids playing in the pond and laughing, and this giant web was fascinating me.

 



    During the summer I still kept up in the kitchen, I love summer fruits and veg.  There are plenty of delicious dishes I will be doing over so I can share.  A few I took photos of, though just the final outcome, and that will do for this blog.  When I am feeling all creative, or when I think it's necessary, I will shoot more pictures of the steps. 
    Your feedback, as always is much appreciated.

So here is what I did.

First of all, in case some of you are wondering what the heck Tempeh is, here's the photo of what I used.

 

 

   I read this recipe in Eating Well magazine, I really love this magazine and pillage a lot of recipes from it.  Most of the time I make changes to suit my taste and ingredients that I have handy.  But in this case I followed it exactly.   It was so worth it.  What I nice protein rich, but lite feeling dish.  It was such a hit at home I have made it a few times since I made it the first time early summertime.

 

 

   Honey-Sesame Tempeh

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 8-ounce packages tempeh (see Note), crumbled into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 scallions, sliced

Quinoa and Carrot slaw

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar-OK maybe I used a bit more vinegar.  I love vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1. To prepare quinoa: Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes. Uncover and let stand.
2. To prepare carrot slaw: Meanwhile, combine carrots, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. To prepare tempeh: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
4. Combine honey, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and coats the tempeh, about 1 minute.
5. Divide the quinoa among 4 bowls and top each with 1/2 cup carrot slaw and 3/4 cup tempeh mixture. Sprinkle with scallions.

Ta Da!  a wonderful bowel of yumminess.  Yumminess, is that a word?  I like to serve this with some tropical fruit.  Mango, papaya, and pineapple.  The sweetness and coolness of the fruit really compliments the Asian flavors of the quinoa bowl.

 

Happy eating!



Tuna and Pasta for Dinner

Somewhere over the rainbow I can have a delicious and healthy tuna and pasta dinner.
 You see when I was a kid, my mom made tuna casserole.  You know the kind I'm talking about.  Cream sauce, noodles, peas, baked up in the oven.  Or if she was in a hurry it was a one pan stove top meal.  Possibly with a little "helper" mixed in.
   My memories may be warped, but I think I liked the stuff.  The thought of making it now though turns my stomach just a teeny tiny bit.  I was looking up recipes and almost every time I asked somebody how they made tuna casserole, or found a recipe somewhere 'cream of something or another' soup was used.
  I don't cook with soup.

So in an effort to make an inexpensive, quick dinner, using the forever handy and in the pantry tuna and pasta, I came up with this gem.
  
  Like a lot of things I make, I see what I have handy in my fridge and my herb garden.  I will tell you what I did, but really I think pretty much any spring or summer vegetable that you have in the garden or handy in your refrigerator will be fine.
  unfortunately, even though I was taking pictures, hoping this dish would turn out I failed to write anything down.  But it was pretty easy, and I can see all my ingredients in my pictures for the most part.  SO......

Here's what I did

Tuna with Pasta
1 bag of pasta, I used rotini
1-2 cloves of garlic chopped small
2 cans of tuna packed in olive oil
1 red bell pepper cut bite sized
1 medium sized bunch of asparagus tender tops cut bite sized
1 cup, more or less to your liking, grape tomatoes cut in half
1-2 T olive oil
1/2 cup each Italian parsley and basil chopped
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat.  Add olive oil, when heated add garlic.  Stir and heat for about 30 seconds then add tuna with the oil.   Break up the tuna into small pieces and stir to incorporate the garlic, oil and tuna together.   Heat through about 2 minutes
  Add the bell pepper, stir and heat for 1 minute.  Add asparagus, stir and heat for 1 minute.
Drain pasta and add directly to the pan, reserving some pasta water to thin out pasta tuna mix if necessary.
  Now add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, lemon juice and herbs.  Stir to make sure everything is mixed together well.  If it's thick add a bit of the pasta water. Taste, season if necessary.

The whole family enjoyed this dish.  It tasted fresh and clean.  Perfect for lunch or dinner on a warm day.
  I could taste every ingredient, no heavy cream sauce hiding the wonderful flavor of this great spring meal.
  One of the best things about this dinner, the ingredients are pretty much always handy and inexpensive.
  This one is a keeper.

Happy eating.

 

Indian style rice and potatoes with steamed beets. By the way it's gluten free

I took this picture just outside of Seattle last summer.  I love looking at it because it makes me feel happy and calm. 
  This month has been crazy busy.  As you might be able to tell because of my posting delay.  Busy in a good way though.  I have seen friends that were here from out of town, and my parents came this last week for a visit.  Lots of good food and fun.
    Even though this month has been fun, it has left me feeling a tad bit full.  You know, like when you eat too much on vacation, and when you get home you swear you will only eat lettuce for a month!  
  My tummy needed calming.  I made these two dishes yesterday for a light lunch.  The combination of food is very calming for a sensitive belly.  Yet very tasty and nicely filling.   These dishes can be side dishes to a dinner with a lean protein, or as part of a full vegetarian dinner.
  Once again I am experimenting with flavors from India, mild and a bit sweet.  And like the photo after eating lunch I felt happy and calm.

Both dishes are easy, I'll start with the beets.  I know there are a lot of people that don't think they like beets, please give them another try.  In this dish they are steamed and lightly seasoned, but beets are wonderful roasted too.  So sweet and tasty and healthy too.

Here's what I did.

Sweet steamed beets
2 cups beets, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1T ghee
1T lemon juice
1/2T coriander

place the beets in a steamer like the one pictured, put water in a heavy medium sized pot, bring to a boil, cover and steam about 20-25 minutes.
  when done, put beets in a serving bowl pour melted ghee and lemon juice over the top, sprinkle with coriander, toss and serve. 


Rice and Potatoes
1 cup dry rice, I like Basmati
3 medium sized white or yellow potatoes
3 T sunflower oil
1t mustard seed
1t turmeric
1/2 cup water
1t salt
1 bunch fresh dark leafy green, chopped.  use one that you enjoy.  you can't go wrong that way.
11/2 t lemon juice
1T honey
garnish, fresh cilantro, chopped

cook the rice according to package directions.  While rice is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch pieces.  Wash twice with water, draining each time.

  In a large saucepan, heat oil and mustard seeds.  When seeds pop, add turmeric, potatoes, greens and 1/2 cup water, and about 1/2 t salt. Mix well. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
  Combine the rice with the cooked potato mixture.  Add lemon juice, and some the rest of the salt. (if you like a bit of spice this would be the time to add a small amount of finely chopped hot green pepper, I don't do hot very well, no pepper for me) mix well.  Cook another 3 minutes or so, drizzle the honey all over, then stir it in well.
 Garnish with cilantro if you wish.

ahhh! Delicious
I love to know you are here and read your comments, so feel free!

 Happy eating, and happy tummy

Hominy Salad and Orzo salad, two family favorite lunch salads for warm days

Well it looks like summer has arrived early here in south Texas.   Well I wish summer was this way, it's been in the 80's all week and 80's are in the forecast as far as we can see.   Summer here is just too hot, but that's a whole different blog post.  lol.
    When the weather is warm, and lunch time is near, it's nice to have a cool refreshing lite meal.  We really like both of these salads, as either a lunch or even as a dinner side dish.  However you decide to serve them I am sure that everyone will enjoy.
   Heck, if my 8 yr old likes something, it's kind of my barometer for others to like it too.

The first one I will show you is one of my personal favorites.  It is a great way to use some basil that is in season now, either in your herb garden or the market.
  I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times, even if you are not a vegetarian they have wonderful recipes from time to time.

Hominy Salad with Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette

here's what I did

1 small shallot, minced
2-3 T white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup, and then a bit more finely chopped fresh basil
1 15oz can white hominy, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
1cup (or more to taste) halved grape tomatoes
1 small yellow bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Whisk together shallot and vinegar in a small bowl.  Whisk in oil until emulsified, then whisk in basil.  Add white pepper and salt if you want to.

toss together hominy, lima beans, tomatoes and bell pepper in serving bowl.  Pour on dressing, toss and serve with crumbled fresh goat cheese on top.

If you have bad childhood lima bean memories, this salad will erase all those.  So good.


My next salad is one that I have been throwing together forever, it's never exactly the same, because I throw it together.  But last time I did it I payed attention.
  I like to get the green and kalamata olive mix with feta chunks from the deli section of my grocery store for this.  The olives and feta that are in a marinade.  It's not necessary for this recipe to work, I have done it with just kalamata's in a jar and fresh feta.
   The deli mix is nice if you have it, and like it.  You can certainly leave out the olives if you don't care for them.  My son picks them out. 
  It was hot last weekend, and my son asked for this specifically.  After he helped me toss it up he proudly went outside and told his friends he made Greek food.  lol.


Greek style Lemon Orzo

1 cup orzo
1 zucchini chopped
1/4 cup green onions, or red onion if you have it handy.  I didn't this day
1/2 cup-ish fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup-ish fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup-ish fresh basil, finely chopped
Juice of 2 big lemons
1T olive oil
1 cup of halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped olive mix (mentioned above)
as much or as little feta as you want

cook orzo following package directions

whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, add salt and pepper if you wish

put everything else in a bowl, pour dressing over and toss. 

Either one of these salads can be served right away, but I like to let the flavors work together for at least a 1/2 hour in the fridge before serving.

Happy Eating!

 

Roasted pineapple with honey ginger chicken

I took this photo a couple of years ago.  Yesterday my husband, son and I went for a long walk in the park.  We saw so many butterflies and such lovely flowers I couldn't help but remember this shot.
   When it was time to decide what to make for dinner I was still in a bright mood, I had some pineapple in the fridge and always my ginger and soy. I had gone to Whole Foods over the weekend and splurged on some organic chicken. hmm, how do I put it all together in to a dinner that matches the sunshiny day.
  Ah ha! my memory banks went into overdrive as I tried to think of something yummy.  Then it came to me, and I was excited to give it a try.
I adapted this recipe from the book "Supermarket Vegan" I don't own the book, I checked it out from the library last year.   I don't own many cookbooks because I can never follow a recipe anyway, but I do love to read them to store up ideas, so I borrow them from the library.  I love the library.
   I had to do this by memory, and I used chicken, so no vegan dinner for us, but I have made something similar with tofu and it was good.
   
 The results were simply sweet and yummy.

Here's what I did

Roasted Pineapple
3 cups or so of cubed fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 a large red onion sliced thin
1T ish of toasted sesame oil
1T sunflower oil
palm full of light brown sugar..enough to sprinkle over all the fruit and onion when on tray
juice of a lime
salt and pepper to taste

arrange pineapple, red pepper and onion onto a large cookie sheet.  I lined with foil. 
drizzle with sesame and sunflower oil, salt, pepper and brown sugar. toss and spread out evenly

bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until it's nice and brown.  squeeze with lime juice and place in a serving bowl. 
  a sprinkle of sweetened coconut is what the original recipe called for, I had none.  Add it if you have it.

 about an hour before I started the pineapple I mixed up a quick marinade for my chicken breasts. I put the chicken in for the last 20 minutes of cooking time with the pineapple.

Honey soy marinated chicken breasts

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
juice of one big lime
1 tsp fine diced fresh ginger
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

mix the first 4 ingredients in a big baggie.  put the chicken in and place in the fridge for an hour.

Like I stated above, I put the chicken in the oven in a baking dish.  I think grilling them would be fantastic if the grill is ready to go.

I served the combo over white basmati rice.

Making an easy dinner, that is tasty enough for your child to love, yet not a child like food is a good thing to find.  I think this is one of those dinners. 
  Please give it a try, put on the tiki lights, blast some hula music, heck maybe even have a rum drink.  It could turn in to a fun evening.  :-)

Aloha

apple egg roll pies, pumpkin spice muffins and other stuff kids like

I picked this photo today not only because it's pretty, but because my son Dallas took it last week and asked if I would use it in my blog.
 He turned 8 this month, if your a parent you know how darn fast time flies.  8!! he's 8!! 
  Dallas is a lot like me, he grabs the camera and shoots, he loves crazy weather and he likes being in the kitchen with me, giving me ideas when he thinks I need them.
Today is the first of what I hope to be many posts geared towards stuff that kids like, well my kid likes anyway.
  After school the first thing Dallas wants is a snack.  I know, shocking right!   Most of the time it's something healthy and easy.  He loves Greek yogurt with some fruit and granola, a trail mix that he puts together from bulk items in the pantry, a smoothie or pretzels and carrots.
  But sometimes I like to throw together a little something special, but super easy, after all I don't have loads of time to spend on an after school snack.  Today I'm going to share some easy favorites, most can double for a dessert or even breakfast. 

so, here is what I did..

recipe #1

Apple "pie" in egg roll wrappers

apples, about 3 large peeled and cut
apple pie spice
sugar 2 T
3 T butter
won ton wrappers 4
Cinnamon or powdered sugar for dusting on top after cooking

You know, I never really measure the apple mixture, it's probably different every time, but today I tried to pay a little bit of attention.  Really though, it's like making a small amount of pie filling, any fruit you like would probably work just fine. 

I put the apples, apple pie spice and 1/2 the butter and sugar in a sauce pan with a splash of water and cook on med low for about 10 minutes.   I just want the fruit tender.

I'm not tied to this brand or anything, I just wanted to show you what I used for the "crust".  Nothing homemade here, I took the help.  :-)

So I take my apple mixture and put it on the egg roll wrapper.  It looks like it might be over stuffed, but the wrapper rises and the filling shrinks, so it works out good. 
  Fold the wrapper over sealing with water using your fingers, I like to roll the corners in a bit too.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and brush both sides of mini pie with melted butter and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar if you want.  sometimes I use sugar on top, other times I don't.

bake in a 425degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

dust with cinnamon or powdered sugar.

Oh, I know, sugar sugar everywhere, but it's going to my active son, not me .....well maybe one for me. lol


recipe #2

pumpkin spice muffins (this could not BE any easier)

this recipe has been around so long I don't even remember, I've been doing it for years.  It's always good.

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup or so of raisins

that's it.

mix the cake mix with the can of pumpkin.  It's hard to stir at first, but it will incorporate.  stir in raisins.

place cupcake liners in muffin tin if you want,  I use an ice cream scoop to place batter into each muffin liner.  you should get 12 muffins.
  OR you can use a mini muffin tin, you will yield 2-3 dozen smaller muffins

cook big muffins at 400degrees for 20 minutes, 10 minutes for mini muffins.

mmm mmm good!  We never get tired of these.  You will love how moist they are.

and recipe #3

mini crock pot warm apple compote.

4 golden delicious apples, peeled and diced
as much cinnamon as you like.
1/2 cup dried apricots cut into quarters
a splash of apple juice

put it all in one of those cute little crock pots, cook on low for about 4 hours.

We like it by itself or on top of a toasted whole grain waffle (the kind you get in the frozen isle), or on top of oatmeal for breakfast.

Please give these a try, none are labor intensive and all are very easy. 

Happy eating kids!

spring veggie pasta with herbed cream cheese sauce

It was a dark and stormy night....No really it was.   Our first big storm of the season.  It was really quite scary, and it kept me up most of the night.  Before the storm came in full force it was really a quite pleasant, if not windy evening.  I had fresh spring vegetables calling my name and the family was in the mood for pasta.  I love pasta.

   My husband and son are both very partial to cream sauce on their pasta, I like little or no sauce, but it was a make the men happy night so I made a herbed cream cheese sauce. Well I didn't so much MAKE it, I used pre-made herb cream cheese.  It really is a nice yummy short cut to a fast dinner.  Make your own if you like, but when a storm is blowing in, and you want dinner in a hurry before the electricity goes out, I'll take the short cut.

Here's what I did.
1/2 a bag whole wheat bow tie pasta and 1/2 a bag white bow tie pasta ( I just like the mix)
2 leeks white and light green parts sliced
1/2 a bag of "Quorn meatless and soy free chick'n tenders"  ( I love Quorn products)
as much asparagus, fresh green beans as you like a cup each was good for me
1 crookneck squash cut bite sized
salt and pepper to taste
1 6oz package of herb cream cheese (like Rondele)
a handful of fresh basil, rolled and then sliced
about 3/4 cups (more or less as you like) cherry tomatoes, I used orange ones because I had them

First I softened the leeks and browned the Quorn chick'n in some olive oil, took about 10 minutes
And in another pot cook the pasta in salted water.

I added the other vegetables.  Use what you have in the fridge at this step, peas, zucchini, broccoli, colored peppers, I don't think you could really go wrong as long as the veg is fresh and yummy.
  Saute for another 5-10 minutes on med heat, until the veggies were firm but tender and cooked through.
  I then removed pasta from water with a spider and place into veggie mix pan.  Or you can drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some pasta water to thin out sauce if needed.  Stir all together, check for seasoning add salt and pepper if needed.

  Now you want to stir in your cream cheese,  I scooted everything to the side of the pan, put the cream cheese in the middle so it could melt and then stirred everything together.  I  used a little bit of pasta water also.

  Plate your pasta in a nice big shallow bowl if desired, or just garnish in the pan you cooked it up in. 
Garnish with the basil and sliced tomatoes.

   A nice spring pasta on a stormy night. Just add wine and candles. :-)  

Happy Eating



 

Potato, rutabega, leek and cheese soup. SO much better than it sounds.

I am reminded that winter will be gone next week.  I love winter.  OK, not so much a San Antonio winter, because it only lasts about 10 minutes here.
   I love winter where it snows, where soup is the meal of choice, fires in the fireplace and a glass of red wine in hand.  Cuddled up on the couch with a cozy blanket and my husband is good with me. 
  Truthfully though, January and most of February here is nice and chilly for the most part. Heck it even froze a night or two.  We had fires, wine and soup.
 This last weekend I thought I would get one more winter soup day in.  I am glad I did because this soup was a winner.  Oh my, the taste was mild yet rich in flavor.  Perfect.

  I had a hodgepodge of root veggies in my pantry.  Feel free to use whatever you have in the potato department.  Remember, recipes are a template, add and take away things that YOU enjoy or have on hand.

Here is what I did.

3ish Tbsp ghee (because I really like ghee, use butter or olive oil if you want)
1 clove garlic
3 leeks sliced fine into light green
2 rutabagas
1 Yukon gold potato
1 russet potato
1 stalk of celery chopped fine
about a cup of aged white cheddar, I used 'Cougar gold'*
white pepper and salt to taste ( I like white because you can't see it)
enough chicken or veggie broth to cover veg mix

paprika to garnish, along with either parsley or baby spouts.  I used sprouts because I thought it looked pretty.  My son had no sprouts. :-)

 *Cougar Gold is a cheese that my parents give me every year around Christmas time.  It is made at Washington State University.  Oh my gosh it is such good cheese. Served best room temperature with crackers and such.   I love cooking with it.  This sharp white cheese melts wonderfully and pairs very well with eggs, and come to find out with this soup.

I like to slice my potatoes thin.  That way when it comes time to use the immersion blender it goes quickly.  If you have a mandolin slicer it will make this soup even more easy.  I need to get myself one of those.

  So slice the potatoes and rutabagas, mince the garlic, slice the leeks, cut the celery.

I then add the ghee into a hot soup pot, melt it then add garlic, leeks  and celery.  cook until softened.  add potatoes and rutabagas stir everything together and add enough broth to cover.  3  cups ish.

I let it simmer about an hour, then I went in with a hand held potato masher for a few mashes, then brought out my immersion blender.  Love this!  If you don't have one, get one.

After everything was blended, I tasted, added S&P to my liking, then I added my cheese.  I am guessing that it was about a cup. I really just broke off chunks from my block and threw it in.  You might want to grate and measure. lol I'm not good at that yet.

  stir the soup until nice and creamy and all the cheese is melted, tasted again, you should be smiling.

dish up and enjoy.  I want winter to stick around a bit more so I can make this soup over and over again.

Happy eating.