Monday, November 12, 2012
Sauteed Mushrooms over Crusty Bread
2 packages buttom mushrooms or baby bellas, sliced
2-3 T butter
1/2 C Beef broth
1/2 (or more) of dry red wine
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
A good crusty bread (sourdough is my fave)
Heat butter in skillet over medium high heat. After butter has melted add sliced mushrooms and sautee until well browned( I like mine sort of crispy). When mushrooms are browned add beef broth and wine and allow liquid to reduce-salt and pepper to taste
Serve over warm crusty bread and a enjoy a glass of red wine
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza
Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza
Whole wheat pizza gough (I use Trader Joe's)
Chevre -- look for a good local cheese
Homemade Pesto
Mushrooms, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Fresh Dill
Fresh Basil
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare pizza dough. Cover prepared pizza dough in pesto. Top with chevre, mushrooms, scallions, dill, and basil. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Green Farro
Cheesy Farro
1 cup farro
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil or butter
- Combine farro, wine, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until most water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add freshly grated cheese (I like lots of it), lemon juice, and butter or olive oil. Mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
Green Veggie Mix-In
One bunch Fresh asparagus (locally gorwn)
2-3 cups Fresh spinach leaves (from my own garden)
Fresh Dill, I used A LOT (from my own garden)
2-4 Fresh scallions, chopped (from my own garden)
Olive oil
Salt
- Add oil to pan and heat. Add scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add dill and spinach leaves and cook until spinach leaves wilt. Season with salt. Serve over cheesy farro.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Crockpot Mu Shu Chicken
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 T Soy Sauce
2 T Honey
1/4 t ground ginger
1 12 oz. bag of broccoli slaw mix (Trader Joe's has a great mix)
3 eggs
Flour tortillas
Combine all ingredients except the eggs in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Shred meat mixture. Scramble three eggs and add to meat mixture. Serve mixture in warm flour tortillas.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Yesterday's Lunch
I thought I would practice for the detox by making a lunch that didn't contain any of the banned foods. I ended up with this: a bed of mixed greens topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes, pinto beans, cilantro, onions, and dressed with lime juice and Mrs. Dash's Extra Spicy seasoning (sodium free). It was so good and provided me with plenty of energy for my afternoon workout.
Look for posts on our 7 day detox starting next week!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Raspberry Granola Bars
Neena loves packaged cereal bars, but they contain a lot of sugar, and many times the fruit isn't real. Plus, I was getting tired of paying so much for six scrawny bars, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and whip up some homemade cereal bars that are healthy, have real fruit, and taste delicious. Oh, and these are great for nursing mamas since they have old-fashioned rolled oats!
Bars freeze well. So double the recipe. :-)
Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars (recipe source:www.kitchendaily.com)
Ingredients:
1 C pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour -- I used 1/2 cup wheat, and 1 cup all purpose
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar--I cut this to 1/4 cup
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raspberry preserves -- I made my own by using a bag of frozen raspberries, a bit of sugar, a bit of water, and a bit of cornstarch
2 tablespoons wheat germ
Dash of cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. .Butter and 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine pecans, flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking soad, salt, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until the mixture is througly combined.
Press 2/3 of the oat mixture in an evne layer into the prepared pan and top with raspberry preserves. Sprinkle the preserves with remaining oat mixture.
Bake the bars for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let granola bars cool. Cut into squares and serve or package.
Greek Frittata
Ingredients:
1/2 C water plus 1 T water
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
5 eggs
2 t canola oil
1/3 C slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 C chopped kalamata olives
1/4 C diced onion
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in couscous, remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff and separate with fork.
Combine 1 tablespoon water, salt, pepper, and eggs in medium bowl and whisk together. Heat oil in large ovenproof skiller over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, olives, and onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from eat and stir in couscous and egg mixture. Level mixture with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle cheeses over top. Bake frittata for 10 minutes, or until set and cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges with a knife or pizza cutter.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Celebration Cupcakes
The recipe comes from a great little recipe book, The Petit Appetit Cookbook:Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, by Lisa Barnes.
Ingredients:
1 cup organic whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 large egg
Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with baking liners or grease cups to prevent sticking. In a medium bowl, combine flours, what germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Combine buttermilk and applesauce in a small bowl. In a large bowl with an eletric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg to butter mixture and continue to beat. Alternatley add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture and beat to combine.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Venison
When I tell most people we eat deer, they shoot me a disgusted look and proceed to talk about how gross deer is, and sometimes tell me about how inhumae it is to kill an innocent animal. I ask these people if they eat meat. Most say yes. I then ask them if they know where their meat comes from. Most do not know.
I know where our meat comes from. I know the hunter who shot the deer. I know that the deer was not raised in a tiny stall and force fed a corn based diet and most likely shot up with antibiotics and growth hormones. The deer we eat have a healthy diet and are free to roam wherever they please. Deer meat is leaner and better for you. Take for instance this quote from livestrong.com,
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
White Bean and Chicken Chili with Cheddar and Scallion Bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt (more if you would like)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds -- I didn't use fennel seeds because I didn't have any
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces -- I used Kale because that's what we had in the refrigerator
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
6 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally -- I used french bread
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine the cheese and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the scallions and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and serve.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Zucchini Pie
Zucchini Pie (adapted from squidoo.com)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Cups grated Zucchini
½ cup chopped Onions
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoon freshbasil
Fresh Thyme
Saltand Pepper to taste
2 Eggs beaten
2 cups Mozzarella cheese grated
1 can refrigerated Crescent rolls
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive in skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onions, and garlic cook until tender.Add parsley, salt, pepper, basil and thyme to zucchini mixture, stir.In a large bowl combine beaten eggs and grated Mozzarella cheese, mix well. Add the Zucchini mixture to bowl and stir gently.Separate Crescent roll dough and place into an ungreased pie pan, to form a crust. Press the perforations together to prevent the zucchini mixture from escaping.Pour Zucchini mixture evenly into the crust-lined pan.Bake for about 20 minutes (or until knife inserted in center comes out clean)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Eggplant and Potato Curry
Eggplant and Potato Curry (adapted from Indianfood.about.com)Add the onions and spices and sautee until soft and transluscent.
Add the eggplant and potato and mix well. Sauteefor 2 minutes.
Sprinkle water on the vegetables and mix all well.
Cover the dish and cook untilthe vegetables are almost done. Check occasionally.
Remove the cover from the dish and stir. Cook until done. You may need to add more water.
Garnish with chopped, fresh cilantro leaves and serve with hot Naan -- we buy pre-made frozen Naan at an Indian store. It's really good and it saves a lot of time.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day Dinner
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Fried Zuchini From the Garden
The finished product.
Want to see more pics of my garden? Click here!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Spanakopitas and Orzo

SPICY Bean Tacos
These were good, not great, just good. If I make them again I plan on cutting back the amount of chipotle peppers in adobo (the flavor was good but they were too spicy for Jake's taste) and replacing that flavor with taco seasoning spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic, and a little cayenne pepper) 8 whole-wheat tortillas, 7 inches each
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic , minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped, plus more for serving (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 cup store-bought green salsa, plus more for serving (optional) - I omitted this
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed - omitted this
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic; cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in beans, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, simmer 5 to 7 minutes until slightly thickened and hot. Add salsa (if desired), corn, and lime juice; cook until heated through.
-Unwrap tortillas; spread yogurt over one side. Top with the warm bean mixture, cilantro leaves, lettuce, and cheese. Fold tortillas over and serve 2 per person with additional salsa and chipotle, if desired.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Gado Gado (gah-doh gah-doh)
Start with a bed of spinach and yellow rice (just add tumeric to your boiling rice to make it yellow)
Then top with veggies, tofu, and eggs.
Makes 2 cups
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 heaping tablespoon grated ginger
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
4 tablespoons cider vinegar (I used rice vinegar and it tasted just fine)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Crushed red pepper to taste
- Put everything is a blender (I used a hand blender) and puree until smooth. If it's too thick, add a little extra water.
- Drizzle over your Gado Gado. ENJOY!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Kitty Cat, Tofu, and Cous Cous
We were a little worried about Grace and Arlo, but so far things are great with them. Grace loves to sleep in the basement so when she's hanging out down there we get Arlo out of her cage. During the day we keep the door to Arlo's room shut; I don't even think they know that the other one exist.
( I didn't measure my marinade ingredient, so amounts are an estimate)
Tofu, drained and cut into card deck sized pieces
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Garlic, chopped
- Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic and pour over tofu strips. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for even better flavor.
- Bake tofu in oven for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
This Evening Rocked
1 medium carrot (2 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh peeled ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Coarse salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds, preferably mixed black and white
4 tuna steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)
-In a blender, combine carrot, ginger, scallion whites, vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, 3 tablespoons canola oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender jar as necessary (add up to 1 tablespoon more water, if necessary, to adjust consistency). Season with salt.
-Place sesame seeds on a rimmed plate. Season tuna steaks with salt, then press both sides of the steaks into seeds to coat.
-Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish in skillet 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (if steaks are particularly large, cook them in two batches).
-Serve fish topped with sauce and sprinkled with reserved scallion greens.





