I find the easiest things to make are the ones I can prep in stages (for example, during naps) and then assemble later.
I've had tabbouleh (cous-cous salad) a few times and its very refreshing and delicious but cous-cous is actually a pasta. Not that pasta is really UNHEALTHY, but quinoa (a grain, pronounced KEEN-WAH) is better for you. It's a complete protein and high in fiber. If you aren't going to put meat in your meal, you need to get the protein from somewhere! I didn't put cheese in this salad only because Stan was napping and I couldnt get to the store by the time I thought of it, but crumbled feta would have been delicious, as would be some chopped mint or parsley.
We get our organic quinoa from Costco. It's a huge bag for $9.99.
I used whatever was in my fridge in my salad:
I chopped the veggies fairly small so you could get a bite with a bit of everything. Also please note that quinoa stays hot for a long time, so cook it well in advance of assembling your salad to give it time to cool.
2 cup of quinoa
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional - these can be picked up from many asian grocery stores)
various veggies, chopped
*I used, red pepper, green onions, snap peas, tomatoes and cucumber
3 tbsp lemon or lime juice
olive oil
salt and pepper
crumbled feta cheese
mint and/or parsley leaves, finely chopped
Cook your quinoa in your veggie broth, fluff with a fork and let it cool.
Chop all your veggies.
In a large salad bowl combine your quinoa, veggies, herbs and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, the lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix and serve.
Seriously, who says? I want to have a chat with them. SANDWICHES CAN TOTALLY BE FOR DINNER!
Recently, I saw a "Real Simple" recipe for a chicken sandwich with olive tapenade and I had to make it. We don't eat a lot of sandwiches in our house with Kevin's tummy not loving wheat so much and gluten free baking has come a long way, don't get me wrong, but it just does not compare to a chewy, delicious baguette.
This is easy and yummy and can be modified however you like!
We used:
4 chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper, BBQ'd and sliced
6 slices of prosciutto ham
a baguette (I love Portofino's baguettes. $2.50 at the Root Cellar!)
a few thin slices of smoked cheddar
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
a few leaves of red leaf lettuce
1 medium tomato, sliced
a small package of spiced green olives
a jar of capers, drained
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay your prosciutto on a cookie sheet in a single layer and cook for about 8 minutes, just until crisp.
Cut your baguette in half and then slice each half down the centre. On one side, spread a light layer of mayo and dijon mustard.
In a food processor, blend the capers, olives, red wine vinegar, olive oil and pepper (to taste). Spread on the other side of your baguette.
Add your cheese, lettuce, tomato, prosciutto and chicken.
Easy-peasy, Lemon Squeasy.
Kevin fancies himself a champion frittata maker. Which he is. They are fluffy and delicious. But sometimes, I want one that is less fluffy and has potatoes like a Spanish omelette.
You will need:
4 - 5 large eggs (free range, please!)
3 strips of bacon (we used reduced sodium bacon)
1 leek, white and light green part only, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 red potato
1/4 cup of cheese, grated (we used goat cheddar)
In a small pot, start boiling your potato. This will take about 15 minutes.
In a frying pan, cook your bacon until slightly crispy. Remove and set aside to cool. Drain most of the fat from the pan and add your mushrooms and leeks, cook until tender. Remove from pan.
When your potato is cooked, cut it in quarters and then slice it fairly thinly, about a 1/8 inch. Add them to the pan and lightly fry them, just til they're starting to brown (you don't have to do this if you don't want to, as long as your potatoes are cooked!)
In a mixing bowl, separate one egg white from the yoke and beat it on high until stiff. In a separate bowl, whisk the other eggs and left over yoke. Slowly fold into the whipped egg white.
On medium heat, pour your eggs into your pan. Add the potato, leeks, mushroom and bacon. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Cook for a minute or two on the stove top and then move to the oven under the broiler for another minute or two until the cheese melts and the egg mixture appears cooked.
Yummmmm!
Breakfast: It's what's for dinner.
Tonight, anyway.
Before Kevin and I lived together, I don't think he really ate vegetables. Seriously. And, having such a meat loving husband requires creativity when making a meal that is "meat free". Yes, there are eggs in Huevos Rancheros but when it comes down to a meat based or non-meat based meal with Kevin, I don't split steaks. I mean hairs.
One thing a "meat free" meal cannot lack is protein and Huevos, my friends, does not. Legumes (in this case beans) are chockablock full of protein, fiber and vitamins and have very little fat.
This recipe will make 4 servings. Every recipe I make, I try to make enough to have left-overs for lunch for both Kevin and I the next day.
For this recipe you'll need corn or flour torillas (we used organic corn tortillas made in New Mexico from Root Cellar - two bags for $4 but if you'd prefer local over organic, corn tortillas from the Comox Valley are also at the Root Cellar 2 bags for $7).
We also used:
4 eggs
1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 can of refried beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans
1 small jar of salsa
1 jalapeno, very finely chopped
4 small tomatoes, chopped
half a bunch of cilantro
half a bunch of green onions, chopped
sour cream
In a frying pan, mix the salsa, refried beans, black beans. Stir and bring to a simmer. At this point I removed a small portion for Stan, little man doesn't need the jalapenos! Now add the jalapeno and half the green onions and stir.
Make a well in the bean mixture and a crack an egg into it, evenly spacing them around the pan. Season each egg with salt and pepper. Cover and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and uncover, let sit for 1-2 minutes. You should be able to see the eggs to gauge their doneness. Everyone has their preference. During this time, place your tortillas between two moist paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds to soften and warm them.
Place your bean mixture and an egg on top of each tortilla along with your green onions, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream and cilantro. EAT!
If you haven't been yet, the Root Cellar at Blenkinsop and McKenzie (formerly Big Barn Market) is so wonderful. Check their website for their "dirt cheap this week" list. Though they still import some items, they carry things lots of other grocery stores don't: heritage veggies, local meat, local eggs. etc. and often are cheaper or comparably priced to other grocery stores, as well as local staples like Portofino bakery bread. Yum!
For this recipe we used one pound of Fraser Valley Two Rivers ground pork (very similarly prices to lean ground beef), one medium red onion or half of one large red onion, red field peppers, cilantro (I love cilantro. If you hate it, sub red or green leaf lettuce), cucumber, rice, ginger, chinese five spice (get it in the asian food section) hoisin sauce (make sure you read the ingredients and get one that is MSG free, please), rice vinegar, salt, sugar, siracha and some flat bread/wraps.
Start by stripping your cilantro leaves from the stalks, washing them and setting them aside. Chop your red onion and set aside.
Thinly slice your cucumber and red pepper and place them in a bowl with 1/4 cup of rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp of salt and a 1/4 tsp of sugar. Mix them well and let them sit while you prep the rest.
I used basmati rice, but you can use whatever kind you like, brown basmati would be equally delicious and more nutritious.
Start cooking your rice, but add 1 tbsp of Five Spice to the water. My rice took 20 minutes.
Never used five spice before? It's delicious and really adds something to the meal. It's a combination of cassia (chinese cinnamon), star anise, fennel, clove and ginger. So good.
Start browning your pork. Add 1 tsp of Five Spice and a teaspoon of ginger (powdered...if you have fresh, rock it). Break up the pork with your spoon and stir occasionally until almost cooked. Add your red onion and cook until onion is tender and your pork is cooked through.
At this point, I removed some of the pork from the pan and some of the rice and mixed it together for Stanley. Babies don't need the sugar of hoisin sauce and he was pumped on the chinese five spice.
Add 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce and 1 tsp of siracha sauce. Stir.
GOOD JOB!
Now, assemble your ingredients on your wrap and fold it up like a burrito.
Ta da! If you try it, let me know what you think.
What up, blog world? Not sure if you heard, but I had a baby!!!!!
Stanley was a surprise and as such, I took a hiatus from the blog to get life sorted and myself appropriately prepared for a baby. Mega long story not so long: we prepped, he came, and motherhood is so, so wonderful.
Nine months have passed and I find myself preparing to return to work and as determined as ever to cook delicious, easy, nutritious food; now not only for Kevin and I but for our little Stanman as well. I hope you, your friends and family will join us on our journey to keep ourselves organized, on budget and eating well together. I really love to cook, love to eat (really, who doesn't?) and am looking forward to sharing ideas and recipes with you.
So friends, lets get started...
Sometimes Kevin and I will thaw out ground beef knowing that at some point in the next two days, we're going to find ourselves hungry with no leftovers in the fridge. Ground beef is an easy place to start to make something quick and tasty. Yesterday I made little meatballs. Some we ate for lunch, some I put in the fridge and used on a pizza today.
They're easy, fairly quick and delicious.
1lb extra lean ground beef
2 bunches fresh oregano, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix up all ingrediants in a bowl. Roll into small balls, about an inch and half to two inches in diametre. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 25-28 minutes.
Cool slightly and serve or cool completely and store in the fridge for a couple of days.
