Sunday, May 30, 2010
Cran-apple Granola Muffins
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups grated peeled apple
1 1/2 cups granola (I used Rogers Cranberry Almond Supreme 5 Grain Granola)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir well. Set aside. Beat together egg, buttermilk, oil and brown sugar. Stir in apple. Add dry ingredients to liquids all at once and stir just until blended. Gently stir in granola and cranberries. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes until tops lightly browned. (*To substitute for 3/4 cup buttermilk, use 2 tsp lemon juice plus enough milk to make 3/4 cup).
I’ve never baked anything with granola before. I thought maybe it would make the muffins crunchy and I wasn’t sure about that, but it softens up very nicely when baked and adds a delicious flavour. I served these at a playdate and they were enjoyed by all. One of the girls grabbed one to go on her way home!
-Recipe from package of Rogers Cranberry Almond Supreme 5 Grain Granola.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Fruit-filled Mini Cereal Bars
Filling:
3/4 cup dates
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup strawberries
1/3 cup water or juice
Dough:
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 cup quick oats
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat or mixture)
1 tsp baking powder
In a saucepan on medium-high heat, simmer the filling ingredients until the fruit is soft. Blend until smooth and thick with an immersion blender.
While the filling cools, make your dough. Combine butter, applesauce and honey. In another bowl, combine oats, flour and baking powder, then add to wet ingredients until mixture forms a ball of dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes, adding more flour as necessary if it's too sticky. If you're still finding it hard to work with, chill it in the fridge for an hour or so. On a well-floured surface, take half the dough at a time and roll it out into a rectangular shape with about 1/8" thickness. Cut the dough into long strips with about a 3" width. Spread a thin layer of filling down the centre of the strips. Fold the strips over and seal the edges shut. Cut the strips into 3" bars. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet at bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
This was an experiment and I didn't know if it was going to work but I was really happy with the results. I can't wait to try these with some different fillings. I'm thinking maybe apples and cinnamon,or cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar, or even chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless! This particular filling was very nice and it made way more than I needed (so I've adjusted the amounts accordingly above). I've been using the extra filling as a jam on toast and the kids love it. I love that it has no sugar and lots of fibre so it's a lot better for you than regular jam. I just used all-purpose flour for the dough this time because it's all I had at that moment, but I might try it with whole-wheat flour next time to make it more healthy, and maybe add it some flaxseed meal or wheatgerm. It's still a work in progress but a good start. Give them a try and let me know if you have any suggestions. Also, you can try a bigger sized bar, I made them mini so they would be more kid-sized but I think they would work as a larger bar too. Or even take cookie cutters and make some fun shapes with them. Oh boy, I'm just brimming with ideas today!
***UPDATE: Check out my post Fruit-Filled Cereal Bars, Revisted for a revised dough recipe.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Greek Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 english cucumber, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1 cup feta cheese
4 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
1 tbsp lemon juice
In a saucepan, combine quinoa and broth. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer covered until liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients along with cooled quinoa. Chill in fridge for at least an hour.
We had my brother and his girlfriend over for a barbeque last weekend, so I made this nice healthy salad to balance out the fatty but delicious burgers and hot dogs. My bro's girlfriend liked it, she said she had been craving quinoa so this hit the spot. Tony thought it was couscous, and he hates couscous, so he didn't like it. I tried to tell him it wasn't couscous, it was quinoa, but he thought that was some strange Japanese ingredient so he was very suspicious. He kept saying 'aah, keen-wa!' in a really bad Japanese accent. I told him it was South American actually but I don't think he was listening. I gave up after that. Bennett really loved it, he and I enjoyed that salad for several days for lunch. Cole didn't care for it- big shocker there!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Peanut Butter Playdough
1 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp honey
powdered milk
Combine peanut butter and honey. Slowly add powdered milk until it reaches a dough-like consistency.
I made this playdough when we had friends over for a playdate. I pulled out cookie cutters and plastic cutlery and let the kids go to town. They smashed it, cut it up, molded it into fun shapes, and yes they ate it too. Bennett mostly just ate it, he didn't do much actual playing with it. It wasn't just fun for the kids, Tony had a blast with it too. He molded it into cookie shapes and tried to feed them to our guests. They didn't buy it though.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Salmon Patties
1 can (213g) sockeye salmon
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup diced red peppers
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
Combine ingredients in a bowl and form into small patties. Heat frying pan on medium heat, spray with cooking oil. Cook patties until lightly browned on both sides.
My family and I do not care much for fish, but these salmon cakes were very nice. I served them with spaghetti and we used them as 'meatballs' but you could also serve them on their own, with a side of salad and/or rice, or make your patties a little bigger and use them as burgers. Get creative!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Butternut Squash Lasagna
1 large butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10 oz package chopped frozen spinach, cooked and drained
2 cups cottage cheese
12 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place in a baking dish skin-side up and put 1/2" of water into the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350F for 45 min- 1 hour, until soft. Scoop out the squash and place in a large bowl. Add garlic, honey, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If it's too thick, add in the water from the baking dish to thin it out.
In another bowl, combine spinach and cottage cheese. Place 1/3 of the squash mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Layer with 3 more noodles. Repeat, finishing with the squash layer. Top with mozarella cheese. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F.
This is my kind of lasagna! I really loved this meal, but I think I was the only one. My boys were not interest in 'orange lasagna' as Cole named it. Tony said it was good but he was really tired and not that hungry so he didn't finish it. The boys were tired too, and Cole was sick, so that didn't help things. I froze half of it, so I look forward to having it again soon and seeing what my family thinks when they're in better spirits.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Chicken Stew with Dumplings
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 yam
1 onion, diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1 cup chicken broth
1 can condensed mushroom soup
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
Dumplings:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cold butter, cubed
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp parsley
Chop chicken, celery, carrots and yams into bite-sized chunks. Place in a crockpot and combine with onion, garlic, spices, broth and soup. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Discard bay leaves, skim off any fat. Move chicken and veggies to one side. In a bowl whisk together flour and water, then add to crockpot and stir gently.
Dumplings: In a bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until in coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and parsley. Stir until sticky dough forms. Drop 8 spoonfuls of batter onto stew. Cover and cook on high until dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Tony was impressed with this meal, he thought it was pretty tasty. I think he especially liked the dumplings. Cole ate some of it but it took some coaxing. This time it was Bennett who was really opposed to it. I thought maybe he just wasn't in the mood, so I gave it to him for lunch the next day, but he still wouldn't eat it then. I guess he really didn't like it. I liked how easy it was to make. Just throw everything in the crockpot and cook. The dumplings don't take long to prepare either, and it makes a complete meal in one pot.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Chapati
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
Cooking spray
In a bowl combine flours and salt. Stir in water in small amounts until dough comes together to form a ball. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Let rest under a damp tea-towel for about 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 pieces. Knead each piece briefly and roll them out into 5" circles on a floured surface. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add chapati and cook until bread starts to puff up. Flip and cook other side until slighty browned, then transfer to a plate. Apply a little cooking spray to the skillet before each chapati.
I didn't realize how easy these were to make or I would have made them a long time ago! There are hardly any ingredients, and although it's a little time-consuming, they are really fun to cook. Or maybe I'm just strange that way. They went very nicely with the Country Captain chicken. We broke off pieces of bread and scooped up the food with it. Cole really enjoyed this bread, maybe a little too much, as you can tell if you read my Country Captain post. I froze the left over chapati, putting a layer of plastic wrap between each of them, and now I've been popping them in the toaster and rolling them up with jam. It's so yummy!
-Recipe from Better Baby Food
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Country Captain Chicken
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 slices turkey bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
In a large non-stick skillet, fry chicken over medium heat until browned. Place in a baking dish and keep them warmed in the oven. Fry the bacon pieces until browned, then place in the baking dish with the chicken. In the same skillet, saute the onion, carrots, celery, pepper and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper and curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, sugar, and chicken broth. Turn heat to high and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add chicken, bacon, and raisins; simmer for another 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over rice if desired, and garnish with almonds and green onions.
I was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay and he was challenging the Lee Bros and their Country Captain chicken recipe. I had never heard of Country Captain, but I thought I'd give it a shot, so I made my own version. I didn't make it very spicy because my family doesn't like it really hot, but if you do you can always adjust the amount of curry.
Tony and I thought this was yummy! Tony said it was a really good dinner. I served it with chapati bread (which I will share in another post) and all Cole wanted to eat was the bread. When I told him he had to eat some of his dinner first he had a big temper tantrum and spent dinner-time in his room. I honestly can't remember if Bennett ate it or not, since Cole's tantrum kind of overshadowed everything else. I miss the days when we had dinner without any screaming or whining. Aahh, those were good times.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sesame Flaxseed Crackers
Recipe from Apple Pie, Patis & Pate (also see fLAVORATOr)
Crackers
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
6 tbsp sunflower seeds, ground
6 tbsp sesame seeds, whole
3 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces water
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp canola oil
Glaze
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp warm water
salt
Mix all ingredient ingredients in a bowl until the dough forms a ball. Kead for 3 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 2 pieaces. Prepare 2 baking sheets, greased or lined with parchment paper. On a lightly oiled surface, roll each piece of dough into a thin rectangular shape to fit the pan. Trasfer dough carefully onto baking sheets. Using a pizza wheel, cut dough into small squares. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F, rotating them half-way through baking time.
Brush with honey-water glaze and sprinkle with salt immediately after removing from the oven. The crackers will get crisp as they cool.
I've been on the hunt for a good cracker recipe for a while. I've tried several, but none of them turned out all that well. I wasn't sure if the kids would go for these either, but to my surprise it was Cole who loved them the most! Tony and Cole had a picnic in our backyard together and Cole grabbed these crackers for them to eat. They ate them all! I only made half a batch, but still that's a lot of crackers to eat in one sitting. I managed to sneak a few before Cole took them and I really liked them too. They sort of reminded me of sesame snaps, but not as sweet. I think it's the honey glaze that makes these crackers special. It adds just the right touch of sweetness that pairs very nicely with the sesame seeds.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Oatmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Banana Sauce
Pancakes
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tbsp canola oil
Combine oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, flours, and sugar. Add milk, eggs, applesauce and oil. Mix well. Pour onto a hot griddle and flip when bubbles start to form on the top of the batter. Cook until golden.
Sauce
1 banana, sliced
1 cup blueberries
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp water or juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until thickened. Serve over pancakes.
My boys loved this breakfast! I usually put bananas and blueberries inside the pancakes and then pour syrup over them, but I made this sauce so we don't have to use as much syrup and they liked it even better. This recipe makes a lot of pancakes, about a dozen of them. We obviously didn't eat all of them since there were only three of us (Tony was working), so I froze them to enjoy as snacks later by popping them in the toaster. We did eat all the sauce though, so if you are serving this to more than three people you might want to make more sauce! Well enough from me, I'll let these photos speak for themselves.
Cornmeal Tortillas
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
Cooking spray
Whisk together the ingredients until combined. The batter should be fairly thin so it spreads better. Spray a bit of oil on a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, quickly re-whisk your batter for a couple of seconds to distribute the cornmeal, then pour about 1/4 cup into your pan. Swirl the batter to make a thin tortilla. Cook until golden then flip, about 2-3 minutes depending on your heat.
These were a lot of fun to make and they worked great with my Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada recipe. I had froze some enchilada filling and sauce from the last time I made them, so I used that along with these tortillas and they were very yummy. Again, the kids were not overly enthused with the enchiladas, same as last time. I don't think it had anything to do with the tortillas, they just apparently don't like enchiladas. I'm sure I'll try these again to make other mexican dishes like soft tacos or burritos. I adapted this recipe from the Cookery, so check out that blog for more ideas on how to use these.
-Recipe adapted from The Cookery
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Vegetable Almond Pilaf
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove crushed garlic
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 or 2 carrots, diced
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Heat oil in a deep skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots and rice. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook for another minute. Add broth and turn heat to high until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until liquid absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in almonds before serving.
Tony's friend was coming over for dinner one night, so Tony was going to help me make the meal. Apparently his friend gave him some suggestions of what he could make, and this pilaf was one of his ideas. Well sort of. Tony provided me with a bag of almonds and said his friend suggested we could make pilaf with some celery and these almonds. Tony was busy putting the pork tenderloin on the barbeque, so I took care of the pilaf. I must say, the almonds were a great idea! It ended up being a very nice side dish that everyone really enjoyed. I used basmati rice that time and it worked really well. This time all I had was converted rice, which was okay too but I think I like basmati better for this recipe. I used it for the kids' lunches the next day, and they ate it all up. You could also make wraps with it, just fill up a tortilla with pilaf and lettuce, then roll it up. You've got lunch!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Buttermilk Apple Cake
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (leave skin on for more fibre)
Brown sugar centre:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until combined. Beat in buttermilk. In another bowl, combine flours, flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Add to buttermilk mixture and stir well. Add apples and mix until combined. Spread half the batter into a greased bundt pan. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle onto batter. Top with remaining batter. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan.
*Instead of buttermilk, you can use regular milk and add about 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice. Let stand for 10 minutes.
I've made this cake several times, usually when I have guests over for coffee. This time I brought it to a playdate and everyone liked it a lot. Bennett kept stuffing way too much in his mouth at once. After we got home and it was all gone, Cole kept asking me to make more. I love how it's so full of apples, they make the cake really moist. I'm sure this won't be the last time I make it.
-Recipe adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Banana Chocolate 'Ice Cream'
4 frozen sliced bananas
1 cup milk
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Toss all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
That's it!
I made this after dinner the other night for a quick dessert. I halved the recipe so we wouldn't have any go to waste. This is not an ice cream you can save for later, it goes all wonky in the freezer apparently. All the guys in my house loved it and so did I. It's great that it's low in fat too! Sorry it looks rather liquidy in the picture, that's because it was sitting out for a little while before I remembered to get the camera out for the blog. It was more ice-cream-like to begin with. Check out The Gracious Pantry link below for a better photo.
-Recipe from The Gracious Pantry
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Oat Bran, Yogurt and Berry Muffins
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla or lemon yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh strawberries (chopped) or blueberries
In a bowl, combine oat bran, flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, combine yogurt, egg, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in berries. Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin tins. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes.
The kids usually prefer mini-muffins but I made these as regular-sized muffins this time, and they still loved them! This is a good recipe to experiment with. Try different yogurt and fruit flavour combinations. I had a lot of strawberries to use up, so I chose strawberries with vanilla yogurt. I think lemon yogurt with blueberries would also be very nice, and maybe add a little grated lemon rind in there. Yum!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Kumara Soup and Cheesy Soda Bread
2 tsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups kumara (sweet potatoes or yams), chopped into 2-inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
1 cube vegetable stock or 1 tsp seasoning salt
4 cups water
1 to 2 tsp cumin
sour cream (optional)
Heat oil, add onion. Stir over medium heat until onion is soft. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until yams and lentils are soft. Blend mixture with an immersion blender, or in small batches in a blender.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
Cheesy Soda Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheese
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
In large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flax seeds, sugar, baking soda, salt and cheese. In small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and oil. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir with fork until soft dough forms. On lightly floured surface and with floured hands, press dough into ball; knead lightly 10 times. Place on greased baking sheet; gently pat out dough into 6-inch (15 cm) circle. Sprinkle a little flour over loaf. With sharp knife, score large X on top of loaf.
Bake in centre of 375ºF (190ºC) oven for about 45 minutes or until golden and tester inserted in centre comes out clean.
-Recipe adapted from Canadian Living
I love this soup! Of course I do, it has yams in it. Is it mean to keep cooking with yams so much when my kids don't like them? Probably, but I'm the cook. I keep hoping if I serve them yams enough they might come around. I tried to fool Cole with the kumara name but he didn't go for it. He kept saying 'what's that awful smell?' I think he was smelling the cumin, which I happen to like, but it was pretty funny. He did really like the bread though, and dipped it in the soup at least. I've never made soda bread before, so I'm not sure how it's supposed to be, but I found the dough really hard to work with because it was so moist and gooey. I had to keep flouring the surface and my hands a lot while I was trying to knead it. I thought I messed it up because it was so sticky, but once it baked it was really very nice! I'll have to try another soda bread recipe and see if they're all like that or if it was just this recipe. Anyone who is familiar with soda bread please enlighten me! I liked how much faster it was to make than regular bread. It was good the next day too when I toasted it. The cheese biscuits from my Minestrone soup post would also be good with this.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Easy Paella
3 fresh chorizo or Italian sausages
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp marjoram
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can baby clams, drained
450g bag of raw shrimp/prawns, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup frozen peas
Remove sausage from casing and crumble into a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook until sausage has browned. Add turmeric and marjoram, cook for a minute. Add broth, rice, diced tomatoes, and clams. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20-25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add shrimp and peas, and cook covered for another 5 minutes, until shrimp is pink and peas have cooked through.
This was really delicous. The whole family ate it, even Cole. Well, Cole didn't finish it but he did eat some of it, which is pretty good for him. Tony mentioned several times how good it was. I liked that it wasn't hard to put together and it didn't take long to cook. I like one-dish meals and this is a great one.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
No-Bake Chocolate Macaroons
6 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup shredded coconut
Place cocoa, butter, milk and sugar in a saucepan. Heat at medium-high until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Combine oatmeal, wheat germ, flax and shredded coconut in a metal bowl and pour chocolate mixture over it. Stir until combined. Lay out wax paper on baking sheets. Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and place in fridge until firm. Transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge (they keep their shape better that way).
I thought these were pretty tasty and so did Bennett (we both love chocolate!). Cole tried them but he declared they were 'not his favourite' and refused to eat any more. I actually made these for Tony to eat while we were away visiting my parents, just to cheer him up while we were gone because I know he likes chocolate macaroons. When we got back I asked him how he liked them and he said he didn't even know they were there. I guess he wasn't listening when I told him. It was weird though, they've been sitting in our fridge after over a week and he still hasn't tried one! I'm probably going to throw the rest away because Bennett and I can only eat so many and we're kind of bored of them now. Oh well.
Update: Tony finally tried them and ate the rest of them up, so no need to throw them away. He said they were very good!
-Recipe adapted from Recipezaar
Friday, May 7, 2010
Yam Fries with Chipotle Dip
Seasoning salt to taste
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins
Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add flour and baking soda; mix. Add oats and choclate chips; mix. Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls and flatten with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F.
I am a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, so of course I chose chocolate chips over raisins. You'll notice most of my cookie recipes have chocolate chips in them and it's because I'm a chocoholic. I can't help it! My mom used to make these cookies when we were little so I know them well. I hadn't made them in ages, and when I had a playdate to go to I decided it was a good time to bake them again. I brought them along and they were quickly devoured. The two cookies in the photo above were the only ones that made it back! Thank goodness, because you know I would have eaten the entire batch by myself.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Loin King
Recipe from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry: Great-tasting Food That Won't Go from Your Lips to Your Hips!
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp oilive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 boneless pork loin roast
Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Place pork in a large ziploc bag and add marinade. Seal bag and turn it several times to coat. Marinade overnight.
Preheat oven to 325F. Remove pork form bag and place on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Put marinade back in fridge for later. Roast pork, uncovered, for about 25-30 minutes per pound, until meat thermometer reads 155F. While roast is cooking, pour reserved marinade into small saucepan. Bring to boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 1 minute. Brush roast generously with marinade during last 20 minutes of cooking. Take pork out of the oven and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.
I don't have much experience with pork loin roast, but it was on sale so I thought I'd give it a try. The marinade was delicious. The pork was ok but it was a little tough, probably because I didn't marinate it overnight. I didn't think of making it until about noon on the same day, so I only had about 5 hours for marinating. The boys had a bit of trouble chewing it, even when I cut it small, so I will have to make sure next time to marinate overnight like it says to do. I used the leftover meat to make a stir-fry the next day and it worked really nicely.
Pineapple Carrot Cake
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter
1 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Chop dates and raisins. Add juice and boil 3 minutes. Add butter, stir and cool. In bowl, mix dates and raisins with flour, flax, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add pineapple, coconut, carrots and nuts. Pour into greased and floured 9"x 13" pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
Cool, frost with crushed pineapple and cream cheese mixture if desired, or enjoy it plain.
I messed up the frosting because I forgot to set aside some crushed pineapple and tried using a little juice instead. I was a watery mess so I added icing sugar to thicken it up. It was actually really good but kind of negates the point of a cake with no sugar in it. I guess it was still reduced-sugar, so that's something. Anyway, it was so delicious and didn't last long in our house. Even Tony, who is not usually big on baked good, gobbled this up.
-Recipe adapted from Westerfield Family Farms
Monday, May 3, 2010
Veggie-Packed Meat Sauce, 3 Ways
Serve over whole-wheat pasta for an easy and healthy dinner.
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 kg extra lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 stalk of broccoli crowns, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 700ml jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup water or broth
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chili sauce (Heinz)
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium heat. Add onion, ground beef and garlic. Cook until meat has browned and onion is soft. Add carrot, celery, broccoli and green pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Serve over pasta and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if desired.
My boys love spaghetti, so I served this sauce over whole wheat spaghetti noodles and it was a big hit. It was very tasty and I liked that it had a lot of veggies in it. It's a really flexible recipe that you can adapt to whatever veggies you happen to have on hand. Shredded or diced zucchini would probably be good in this too but I didn't have any. So please experiment with different veggies and find what you like best.
Sloppy Joes
Serve veggie-packed meat sauce in toasted whole wheat hoagie or hamburger buns.
I thought the boys would like these because it seemed like a kid-friendly meal and they liked the sauce so much over pasta, but no such luck here. Tony and I loved them, especially with the side of yam fries and chipotle dip (which I will share in another post). The kids....not so much. I don't get it, they were yummy but maybe they just didn't like the sloppiness of them.
Pizza Puff Casserole
Bake the veggie-packed meatsauce with cheesy and puffy dough topping.
Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup flour
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
In a small mixer bowl, beat milk, melted butter, oil and eggs for 1 minute. Add the flour and beat 2 minutes more. Put enough of the veggie-packed meat sauce to fill up a 9x13" casserole dish about half-way. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with the batter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in 400F oven for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
This was amazingly good, but yet again the boys wanted nothing to do with it for some unknown reason. Tony liked it a lot though and asked where this recipe came from. The truth is I don't know the source. I found a recipe for pizza puff casserole written on a scrap of paper when I was organizing my recipe box, and I thought my veggie meat sauce would work nicely with it. Turns out it did, or so Tony and I thought anyway. Cole didn't even try it so his opinion doesn't count here. Bennett did try a few bites but wouldn't finish. That is strange for him but I guess it just wasn't his thing. The only thing I'd suggest is to heat up the meat sauce first. I find the topping was still a bit doughy in the centre even though the top was crispy. I think it was because I put the sauce in cold so the dough didn't cook as evenly. Still super yummy though.
My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” 
