Monday, August 30, 2010
Bear Paws
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar together, then mix in applesauce. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and stir into butter mixture. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, oats and flax and add to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Regular size: Drop tablespoons into greased baking sheets. Pat them down and make 3 indents on one side of the cookie with a butter knife to form the claws of the paw. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Mini size: Drop teaspoons onto greased baking sheets. Press the end of a fork down on one side of the cookie for the claws. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.
Cole always asks for Bear Paws when we’re at the grocery store, and sometimes I cave and buy them for him as a treat, but I wondered if I could make something similar for him at home that would be a little healthier than the processed ones. So I gave it a try and this recipe was the result. I pack these in the kids’ lunches and they love them! They’re basically oatmeal cookies but the paw shape makes them much more fun. I really like the mini ones because sometimes I just want a little bite, not a whole cookie. Bennett likes the little ones too because they’re more his size, while Cole prefers the big ones. Tony loves them too and was kind of miffed that I froze all of them to pack for lunches. I told him he could just defrost them in the microwave but apparently that’s too much work for him. Next time I’ll have to remember to leave some out for him!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 14 oz can sliced mushrooms
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup converted rice
1 19 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 19 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onion
In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and red pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. Add water, rice, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer covered until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Trasnfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes until cheese melts. If you're low on time you can just pop it in the microwave or under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
This is one of my go-to recipes when I can't think of what to make and I don't have a lot of time. t's similar to my chili recipe, where there are several different cans that you throw into one big pot, except this meal is meatless. The ingredients are all staples in my kitchen, and the meal comes together pretty quickly, especially if you skip the baking part. I Sometimes I don't even microwave or broil the cheese; I just sprinkle it on and cover it until it's melted. My mom used to make this dish when was I was growing up, so it brings back lots of memories for me when I make it. I find myself drawn to many of my childhood meals when I'm cooking, I guess because they remind me of home and there's something comforting in that. I want to recreate that for my own kids. I'm not too sure if it's working, but they're still young. Right now dinners are often a struggle, especially with Cole. This meal was no exception. I don't force him to eat it, but I also don't offer him anything else for dinner. So he left the table without eating anything, and eventually came back to it and had a few bites but said he didn't like it. The rest of the family enjoyed it though.
-Recipe adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Pineapple Carrot Squares
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp flax seed meal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup finely grated carrots
2/3 cup drained crushed unsweetened pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup milk
In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, vanilla and egg. Stir well and set aside.
In separate bowl, combine flour, flax, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda; add to sugar mixutre, stirring well. Stir in carrots, pineapple, raisins and milk.
Pat mixture into 13-9" baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake in 350F oven for 25 minutes or until top is golden. Let cool before cutting into squares. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
I baked these squares and froze them so I could use them in the kids' lunches. I make their lunches the night before, so by the time they eat them the squares are nicely thawed. They make a great lunch-box snack and the kids ate them up. I also took some of them with us on our road-trip to the States. We all enjoyed them in the car and in between stores while shopping at the outlet malls. Cole liked them best topped with peanut butter. He seems to like everything topped with peanut butter these days, but hey, I'm not going to complain! I think these would be good with cream-cheese icing too if you wanted to make them more of a dessert than a snack. Either way they're yummy!
-Recipe adapted from Lighthearted Everyday Cooking
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bow-Tie Pasta with Tuna
3 cups bow-tie pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, minced
2 green onions, sliced
1 can flaked light tuna in water, drained
Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add red pepper and garlic; saute for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and tuna.
I couldn't get enough of this stuff; I thought it was so good! Tony and Bennett really loved it too. Cole was another story. He refused to eat it, so after the boys' bath-time when he said he was hungry I offered it to him again. He managed to swallow a few bites, then said 'Mommy, can you please not make this again?' Well, unfortunately for him I think I will be making this one again (sorry Cole).
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Lentil and Spinach Curry
2 cups red lentils
3 cups water
2 tsp vegetable base
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp curry powder (or more, to your taste)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger root, grated
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 10z pkg frozen spinach, cooked and drained
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
Rinse lentils in cold water. In a saucepan, combine lentils and water. Bring to boil and add vegetable base. Simmer covered for about 20-25 minutes until lentils are soft and liquid has been absorbed. While lentils are cooking, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet. Saute onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes until soft. Add spices and cook for another minute. Add spinach, crushed tomatoes and cooked lentils. Add salt and pepper if desired. Serve over basmati rice.
The lentils in my pantry were calling out to me to cook them in some interesting way. I decided to answer their call by trying them with curry, almost like dal but somewhat less soupy. I also added spinach to make it more interesting. It was a great way to try out this new organic vegetable base I discovered:
You just add a little of this paste to boiling water and you have instant vegetable broth. I usually get the dry cubes, but I think this has a nicer and fresher flavour to it. Tony and I enjoyed this meal. The kids didn't mind it, but I don't think they were totally thrilled with it.
Maybe it was a little too healthy for their liking.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Asiago Bread
Recipe from Betty Crocker
I didn't have Asiago cheese so I used a combination of cheddar and herbed havarti for this recipe. It turned out really well. I couldn't believe I had actually made it myself! It was pretty time-consuming, so it's not something I would make all that often, but it was nice to make when we had guests for dinner. It makes a big loaf, so I had lots left for making paninis for dinner the following night. They were so good!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Black Bean and Corn Salad
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 19 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 avocado, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup diced cucumber
6 green onions, thinly sliced
To prepare dressing, combine lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. To make salad, mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and stir until fully coated.
I made this one evening when we had friends over for a barbeque. Tony grilled some Jamaican Jerk chicken, and I made this salad, coconut rice and cheese bread to go with it. I'm a sucker for anything with avocado so I adored this recipe and I think next time I'll had even more avocado because I like it so much. The original recipe called for cilantro, but I don't care much for cilantro so I left it out. The kids both found something they liked in it- Bennett gobbled up the black beans, and Cole seemed to enjoy the cucumber and avocado. I ate it the next day for lunch and topped it with the left-over grilled chicken. It was seriously one of the best lunches ever!
-Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Asian Rice and Tofu
2 tsp vegetable oil
Half a package of extra firm tofu, diced
1 tsp chinese five-spice
1 onion, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp grated ginger
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 bsp lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat. Cook tofu, five-spice, onions, pepper, celery, garlic and ginger for 3-5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and turn heat on high until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20-25 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
I found Chinese five-spice in the bulk spices at my local grocery store. I've seen a few recipes that use this spice blend and I was curious to give it a try. I liked it and will be looking for more ways to use it. The spices worked really well in this rice dish and the whole family ate it. Cole surprised me by eating all his tofu, which was the one thing I didn't think he'd like. I'll have to try cooking with tofu more often!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Banana-Maple Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
I was all out of eggs one Saturday afternoon but I really felt like making cookies! After doing a google search, I came across this cookie recipe that uses chia seeds (or flax seeds or egg replacer) instead of eggs. I used whole chia seeds not ground seeds as the recipe calls for, but they still worked great. Instead of raisins I used chocolate chips (I know, I have a problem). These cookies didn't last long in my house. Everyone ate them up. Just look at Cole eyeing them as they cooled:
There's nothing like warm cookies and a good cuppa joe. Mmmm..
I've been posting a lot about other people's recipes instead of my own lately. There are just a lot of great recipes on the web that I've been trying out recently and I want to share them with all of you. Don't worry though, I have more of my own recipes up my sleeve that I'll get to eventually. Until then, please enjoy these cookies.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Weelicious Pizza Pinwheels
We were meeting some friends at the beach one evening for a picnic. I had been wanting to make these pinwheels as soon as I saw them on the Weelicious website, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity. I used my favourite whole wheat pizza dough recipe, featured in my post for egg pizza. It worked really well for these pinwheels. I only used half the dough and froze the other half for another time. I didn't have any ham, so I cut up a cheese smokey instead. It was pretty tasty actually. I like the idea of mustard as the sauce instead of a tomato sauce. It's like having a ham and cheese sandwich but way more fun! Unfortunately Cole didn't like them. He's developed an aversion to anything that is remotely like pizza, much to my dismay because pizza is one of my favourite foods. Luckily I'm the cook and he is not, so I get to enjoy my pizza even if he doesn't. Anyway, the other kids and moms at the picnic seemed to like them and thought it was a really clever idea. Too bad it wasn't mine!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
In a small bowl, combine apple sauce, maple syrup and egg. In a larger bowl, combine dry ingredients, then add in the wet ingredients and stir until fully combined. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
I adapted this recipe from a clean eating blog that I really enjoy, called Emily Eats Clean. Every day she writes posts with photos of what she's eating. I love getting little glimpses into her life, even if it makes me feel like a huge couch potato to hear about all her vigorous exercising. Anyway, here is her post on these Baked Bars if you're interested.
Most often I make them with Rogers Porridge Oats instead of old-fashioned oats, and when I do I don't put in the ground flax seed because the porridge oats already have flax in them. This recipe is really fast to throw together. I can have them ready to go in the oven before the oven is even finished heating up. The first time I made these we ate them in the car on the way to the pool, and the car was filled with 'yum-yum-yum' sounds from the boys all the way there. I like that they're a bit chewy because that's how I prefer my granola bars to be. I really love them smeared with almond-butter, and Cole likes peanut butter on his. The next time I made them I used mini-chocolate chips instead of raisins, just to change things up, and the kids went nuts for them.
In non-granola-related news, I was in a rush tonight and threw together a lazy meal of Kraft Dinner shells with broccoli and hot dogs. When Tony was eating dinner he said how much he loves the dinners I make and that I have such great ideas and I seem to always seem to make exactly what he's craving that night. Wow, I don't know how such an uninspired meal brought that on, but I like it! There really have been big changes in my cooking since starting this blog. I used to see making meals as an inconvenient and time-consuming process and I hated trying to come up with things to make, but now I love searching for new and creative meal ideas. There are so many amazing food blogs out there that I had no idea about before I started food blogging myself. Thank you everyone for all your wonderful comments (Tony too!). You motivate me to continue to try new things and to actually enjoy cooking.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Black Bean Brownies
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bananas
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approx 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Wait until they have completely cooled before slicing.
I saw these on my favourite messageboard and was really curious to try them. The recipe didn't specify what size can of beans, so I used a 19oz can, which I'm thinking was too much because I could really taste the beans in them. I would use a smaller can next time. Even though I was a little put off by the beany flavor and texture, no one else seemed to notice it. Maybe it was just more noticeable to me because I knew there were beans in them. The kids totally loved them, especially Cole. He really liked them with peanut butter spread on top. It's great finding a healthy recipe that my kids actually enjoy eating, so I would say these brownies were a success!
Recipe from Weddingbells Forum
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Lazy Chicken Pot Pie
1 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
1/2 tsp thyme
1 can condensed mushroom soup
Crust
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/3 cup milk
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Cook chicken cubes until lightly browned, then set aside. Saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots for about 5 mintues until tender. Add frozen veggies, thyme and soup. Heat for another 5 minutes until veggies have thawed. Stir in chicken, then pour into a medium casserole dish.
To prepare crust, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Stir in milk until dough forms a ball. Add more flour if dough is sticky. Roll it out on a floured surface to fit the top of the casserole dish. Place dough over the chicken mixture in the casserole dish. Poke holes in the dough with a fork. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes until crust is golden brown.
This was easy to make and tasted great. It's not really a pie, I guess it's more of an upside-down pie because the crust is on the top. I love chicken pot pie but the pastry can be pretty fattening, so this was a good healthy alternative. Tony liked it and so did Bennett, and Cole liked the carrots so he ate those but left most of the rest of it. At least he tried it, which is more than I can say for a lot of the dinners I make him!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thai Noodle Salad
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chinese 5-spice
1/2 tbsp sesame seed oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 grated carrot
3 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti
In a small dish or measuring cup, combine peanut butter, water, garlic, ginger, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, spice and oil to make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine pepper, onions, carrot and noodles. Pour dressing into the bowl and toss until fully coated. Chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.
I used whole wheat spaghetti to make it more healthy, but you could use any kind of long and thin noodle depending on what your preference might be. I sometimes buy Thai noodle salad because I really like it, but for some reason I never thought of making it myself until now. I don't think I'll be buying it anymore, because I liked this homemade version so much. Tony loved it too, he was very impressed with it. Bennett ate it but Cole didn't; that's the story of my life! Anyway, it's a nice salad with dinner and also makes an excellent lunch to take with you because there's no heating required. It looks like a lot of ingredients but it really doesn't take long to make so give it a try!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Homemade Popsicles
Tropical Yogurt Pops
1 tub of vanilla yogurt
1 frozen can of mango juice concentrate
1 banana
Mix ingredient in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer. Serve once they are completely frozen through.
These were a great frozen tropical treat. The boys loved them, Tony included. The only problem we had with them was a few of them came off of the sticks when we tried to pull them out. We just scooped them out and ate it in a bowl, and they were yummy that way too. This makes a lot of popsicles, so I only made a half-batch at a time, which made about 16 smallish popsicles.
Watermelon Pops
1/4 of a large watermelon
Remove watermelon from rind and cut into large chunks. Place in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer. Serve once they are completely frozen through.
There's not much to this recipe, it's just frozen watermelon puree, but these popsicles are so deliciously refreshing. It's a perfect way to use up extra watermelon. Cole has been asking for these ones a lot lately. Bennett likes them too but it takes him forever to eat one because these are a bit hard for him. He can get through the yogurt ones faster because they're softer, so I think he likes them better for that reason.
I've tried a lot of popsicle 'experiments' this summer, and these two recipes were our favourites. I hope you enjoy them too!
The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 325F. Combine ingredients and roll into small balls. Place on a cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes.
I found this recipe on the back of the kraft peanut butter container, and when I first read it I was a little skeptical. I mean, no flour? No baking powder? Could it really be that easy? Well I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My recipe has some slight modifications, with less sugar and the addition of chocolate chips. Bennett liked the chocolate chips a lot, actually much more than he liked the cookie, as you can see by this photo I snapped of his cookie:
Sunday, August 1, 2010
French Toast Pancakes
3 slices bread
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp milk
Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Cook the batter as you would for pancakes.
Makes about 6 pancakes.
Cole had a lot of fun making these with me, and he liked eating them too! I of course had to spell out his name with the batter, which I found easier to do with this recipe because I just poured it right out of the blender and into the grill. He ate his entire name, and that's pretty good for him. These pancakes are pretty thin because there's no baking powder or soda in them to make them puff up, but they're still very nice. Just don't expect them to be thick and fluffy. Cole is a big french toast fan and I am partial to pancakes, so this breakfast was a perfect compromise.
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.” 
