A Yummy Summer Treat
Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
* 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
* 8 ounces raspberries
* 1 pound strawberries
* (You can substitute whatever fruit you like, I have used diced bananas and blueberries as well)
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
*
* 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
* butter flavored cooking spray
* 2 cups cinnamon sugar
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture
Love,
Mel
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Call For Recieps: Crockpot?
Hi everyone,
Don't know if anyone ever looks at this. But in case you do AND you have a crockpot recipe you just love, please send it my way. I am really into the crockpot right now because I usually feel pretty good in the morning but horrible in the afternoon, so if I don't take advantage of the morning to cook there is no dinner for Jack and Hannah. Thanks in advance! I'll be posting some of my favorite crockpot recipes here soon.
Don't know if anyone ever looks at this. But in case you do AND you have a crockpot recipe you just love, please send it my way. I am really into the crockpot right now because I usually feel pretty good in the morning but horrible in the afternoon, so if I don't take advantage of the morning to cook there is no dinner for Jack and Hannah. Thanks in advance! I'll be posting some of my favorite crockpot recipes here soon.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Minestrone Soup
I know it is summer and most people don't want to eat soup, but I seriously crave this everyday and it is about the only thing I can eat during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. I like to double it and freeze some for later.
Minestrone Soup
Serves 8
1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
3. 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
4. 1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans
5. 1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
6. 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
7. 4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note: Do not use chicken broth!*)
8. 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
9. 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
10. 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
11. 1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
12. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
13. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
14. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
17. 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
18. 3 cups hot water
19. 4 cups fresh baby spinach
20. 1/2 cup small shell pasta
Directions
1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.
Minestrone Soup
Serves 8
1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
3. 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
4. 1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans
5. 1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
6. 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
7. 4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note: Do not use chicken broth!*)
8. 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
9. 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
10. 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
11. 1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
12. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
13. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
14. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
17. 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
18. 3 cups hot water
19. 4 cups fresh baby spinach
20. 1/2 cup small shell pasta
Directions
1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Beans and Rice!!
Ok - I know this sounds funny, but I love beans and rice, but I have never been able to come up with a recipe that I like - I've made it different every time and frankly, it's not been very tasty. Cole likes it, but that's about it. We had dinner with some friends the other night and made fake Cafe Rio food and I think they've found the true rice and beans recipes! SO GOOD!!!
Credit for the rice goes to Brytton and Madeline Long! Great recipe inventors and great friends! Brytton goes to Western with Tyler and is a year ahead in school. We met them and their cute little girl at our Institute class at the school. (I stole this recipe from Madeline's cooking blog - I hope that it's ok to share Madeline... :))
Preparations:
In a blender, blend:
One 4 oz can of Green Chilies
A Handful of Cilantro
Mix with:
2 cups of rice
4 cups of water
1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 teaspoon of California Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base
Cook as you would normally cook rice in a rice cooker or in a covered pot until water is gone.
SOOOOOO TASTY!
Drum roll for beans! This recipe is from Loni Platt, another good friend here in CA. Her husband is also a student at Western - they're a year ahead of us and are moving to Oregon in June with the Longs. We're really sad to see everybody go. Loni served as a missionary in Brazil and is a fantastic cook! (I stole this one off Madeline's cooking blog too, so I hope it's ok.)
Beans in a pressure cooker - so fast!!!
For 1-2 cups of Black Beans:
Sort Beans. Looks for unattractive beans and even rocks. :)
Clean beans in a strainer and cool water.Put in Pressure Cooker.
Cover with 2 knuckles above of water. Yes, your knuckles. When in doubt, it is better to have more water than less (they will burn).
Put the lid on, lock, turn heat on high until weighted top starts to "spin and dance", then turn down to med-high. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat.
Don't forget to let the pressure realize by itself. When the pressure lock drops, take off the lid and check the beans. If they are still hard, put them in for an additional 10-15 min. You also may need to add more water.
Loni's Brazilian Beans Recipe:
1/2 beef bouillon cube (Loni uses the Knorr Brand)
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic (optional but, very good)
1 bunch of chopped green onions
1 bunch of chopped cilantro
Directions:
Pour a little vegetable oil (Not Olive) in a skillet over med-high heat. Saute ingredients until they smell good (1-2 min). Ladle 2 or so cups of broth from the beans into the skillet. Let them simmer together for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add salt.
Return broth to the beans that are on med heat. Taste and add salt as needed. For thicker beans, crush beans against side of pan and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes.
These are SOOOO good too! - probably the best beans I've ever had!
Credit for the rice goes to Brytton and Madeline Long! Great recipe inventors and great friends! Brytton goes to Western with Tyler and is a year ahead in school. We met them and their cute little girl at our Institute class at the school. (I stole this recipe from Madeline's cooking blog - I hope that it's ok to share Madeline... :))
Preparations:
In a blender, blend:
One 4 oz can of Green Chilies
A Handful of Cilantro
Mix with:
2 cups of rice
4 cups of water
1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 teaspoon of California Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base
Cook as you would normally cook rice in a rice cooker or in a covered pot until water is gone.
SOOOOOO TASTY!
Drum roll for beans! This recipe is from Loni Platt, another good friend here in CA. Her husband is also a student at Western - they're a year ahead of us and are moving to Oregon in June with the Longs. We're really sad to see everybody go. Loni served as a missionary in Brazil and is a fantastic cook! (I stole this one off Madeline's cooking blog too, so I hope it's ok.)
Beans in a pressure cooker - so fast!!!
For 1-2 cups of Black Beans:
Sort Beans. Looks for unattractive beans and even rocks. :)
Clean beans in a strainer and cool water.Put in Pressure Cooker.
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Cover with 2 knuckles above of water. Yes, your knuckles. When in doubt, it is better to have more water than less (they will burn).
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Put the lid on, lock, turn heat on high until weighted top starts to "spin and dance", then turn down to med-high. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat.
Don't forget to let the pressure realize by itself. When the pressure lock drops, take off the lid and check the beans. If they are still hard, put them in for an additional 10-15 min. You also may need to add more water.
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Loni's Brazilian Beans Recipe:
1/2 beef bouillon cube (Loni uses the Knorr Brand)
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic (optional but, very good)
1 bunch of chopped green onions
1 bunch of chopped cilantro
Directions:
Pour a little vegetable oil (Not Olive) in a skillet over med-high heat. Saute ingredients until they smell good (1-2 min). Ladle 2 or so cups of broth from the beans into the skillet. Let them simmer together for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add salt.
Return broth to the beans that are on med heat. Taste and add salt as needed. For thicker beans, crush beans against side of pan and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes.
These are SOOOO good too! - probably the best beans I've ever had!
Ode to Costco Vegetable Chicken Salad
Most people probably dont' need a recipe for chicken salad, but this was an idea born out of what we had in our fridge that we really have enjoyed since it's been getting warmer here in CA. (Plus it's easy to make and not super expensive :) )
Serves about 6
Ingredients:
1 can cooked chicken (sometimes I cook my own, but Costco's canned chicken makes it easy and doesn't heat up your kitchen...)
1 red pepper
5 stalks of celery
1 cup of artichoke hearts (once again, Costco!!!)
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonaise
black pepper
Directions:
Chop everything to a small size, mix and serve with Costco's cook it yourself tortillas, multi grain bread, whole wheat crackers, pita bread, English muffins, croissants, or whatever else sounds good. Sometimes we add tomato, cucumber or avacado slices or lettuce to our sandwiches.
I save some of the chopped veggies out for Cole (he loves to eat raw veggies - especailly onions) and he likes chunks of chicken, but is not a big fan of mayo.
If you like a more meaty chicken salad, it's really easy to add more meat. We're really trying to eat more vegetables, so this works out great for us right now.
You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or even make entire wraps ahead of time for lunches. (Just a note: if you plan on keeping whole wraps in the fridge for very long use less mayo and lemon juice or keep tortillas and salad separateley. Pre-made wraps get soggy after a day or so.)
Serves about 6
Ingredients:
1 can cooked chicken (sometimes I cook my own, but Costco's canned chicken makes it easy and doesn't heat up your kitchen...)
1 red pepper
5 stalks of celery
1 cup of artichoke hearts (once again, Costco!!!)
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonaise
black pepper
Directions:
Chop everything to a small size, mix and serve with Costco's cook it yourself tortillas, multi grain bread, whole wheat crackers, pita bread, English muffins, croissants, or whatever else sounds good. Sometimes we add tomato, cucumber or avacado slices or lettuce to our sandwiches.
I save some of the chopped veggies out for Cole (he loves to eat raw veggies - especailly onions) and he likes chunks of chicken, but is not a big fan of mayo.
If you like a more meaty chicken salad, it's really easy to add more meat. We're really trying to eat more vegetables, so this works out great for us right now.
You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or even make entire wraps ahead of time for lunches. (Just a note: if you plan on keeping whole wraps in the fridge for very long use less mayo and lemon juice or keep tortillas and salad separateley. Pre-made wraps get soggy after a day or so.)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp
Jack and I always order this dish at Cheesecake factory and we LOVE it, so I decided to try it at home. It seriously turned out so good! It tasted just like Cheesecake's but better because you could put on more curry or more coconut or whatever you like. Don't be intimidated if you haven't seen some of the ingredient's before, I found them all in Smith's asian and spice isles and they weren't expensive. Jack about died when he tasted it and Hannah ate tons of it too! I wish I had a picture of Hannah's face while she was scarfing it down. Here you go, this one is totally worth it:
SERVES 4
Ingredients
CURRY SAUCE
2 teaspoons chili oil
1/4 cup onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups coconut milk
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup frozen peas
PEANUT SAUCE
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili oil
2 chicken breast fillets
16 large raw shrimp, shelled
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 cups cooked white rice
GARNISH
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 green onions, julienned
Directions
1Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about about 30 seconds then add the chicken broth. Add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, and turmeric) and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the julienned carrots and zucchini, and the frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until carrots become tender.
2Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
3Toast the flaked coconut by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven. Stir the coconut around every 10 minutes or so that it browns evenly, but watch it closely in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. After 25 to 30 minutes the coconut should be light brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
4Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat the chicken and shrimp with corn starch. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and sauté it for a couple minutes, turning as it cooks. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook the shrimp and chicken for a couple minutes, until it's done, then remove everything to a rack or towel to drain.
5Build the two plates (or you can divide the meal into four portions) by filling a soup bowl with 2 cups of white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert the bowl onto the center of a plate, tap it a bit, then lift off the bowl leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of chicken and shrimp around the rice. Spoon the curry sauce and vegetables over the chicken and shrimp, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice.
6Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled, dried parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, then place a pile of julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp and serve it up.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
CURRY SAUCE
2 teaspoons chili oil
1/4 cup onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups coconut milk
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup frozen peas
PEANUT SAUCE
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili oil
2 chicken breast fillets
16 large raw shrimp, shelled
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 cups cooked white rice
GARNISH
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 green onions, julienned
Directions
1Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about about 30 seconds then add the chicken broth. Add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, and turmeric) and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the julienned carrots and zucchini, and the frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until carrots become tender.
2Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
3Toast the flaked coconut by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven. Stir the coconut around every 10 minutes or so that it browns evenly, but watch it closely in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. After 25 to 30 minutes the coconut should be light brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
4Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat the chicken and shrimp with corn starch. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and sauté it for a couple minutes, turning as it cooks. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook the shrimp and chicken for a couple minutes, until it's done, then remove everything to a rack or towel to drain.
5Build the two plates (or you can divide the meal into four portions) by filling a soup bowl with 2 cups of white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert the bowl onto the center of a plate, tap it a bit, then lift off the bowl leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of chicken and shrimp around the rice. Spoon the curry sauce and vegetables over the chicken and shrimp, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice.
6Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled, dried parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, then place a pile of julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp and serve it up.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kid Stuff Request
Hey guys! What do you or people you know make that is super kid friendly (helathy and gets eaten)? I feel like I feed Cole the same stuff a lot of the time. He eats any type of fruit under the sun, but we sometimes struggle to get protien, whole grains and veggies in. Any suggestions? Here's a list of stuff he LOVES (some healthy and some not so healthy) and that he will eat most of the time:
*low fat turkey hot dogs
*chunks of ground beef (with or without taco seasoning or Italian seasoning)
*chunks of chicken
*open face grilled cheese sandwiches on wheat bread
*peanut buter and honey on whole wheat toast
*cream of wheat with cran rasins
*oatmeal (especially the instant sugary kind... :) )
*toaseted bagels
* raw carrots (but I wonder if he gets much nutrition out of them - he still has only 6 front teeth.)
*cold cooked peas
*cold cooked corn
*steamed broccoli
*any fruit
*anything he can dip in ketchup, peanut butter or yogurt
*anything he can drink through a straw (especially fruit smoothies)
Any ideas? I especially need better veggie ideas and snack ideas. We're on a gold fish, animal cracker and pretzel kick...
*low fat turkey hot dogs
*chunks of ground beef (with or without taco seasoning or Italian seasoning)
*chunks of chicken
*open face grilled cheese sandwiches on wheat bread
*peanut buter and honey on whole wheat toast
*cream of wheat with cran rasins
*oatmeal (especially the instant sugary kind... :) )
*toaseted bagels
* raw carrots (but I wonder if he gets much nutrition out of them - he still has only 6 front teeth.)
*cold cooked peas
*cold cooked corn
*steamed broccoli
*any fruit
*anything he can dip in ketchup, peanut butter or yogurt
*anything he can drink through a straw (especially fruit smoothies)
Any ideas? I especially need better veggie ideas and snack ideas. We're on a gold fish, animal cracker and pretzel kick...
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