Thursday, September 30, 2010
Teriyaki Lime Glazed Pork Tenderloin
1 pork tenderloin (about 500g)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp grated gingeroot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
Combine teriyaki sauce, honey, lime juice, ginger, garlic and oil. Pour into a large ziploc bag with the pork tenderloin, and marinate for at least a few hours and up to 24 hours. Reserve the marinade and brown the tenderloin on all sides in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Roast at 400F for 18-20 minutes, until juices run clear. Transfer to cutting board and let stand under tin foil for about 5 minutes before slicing.
While the meat is roasting, heat marinade in a saucepan on medium heat until boiling. Combine cornstarch and water, then add to marinade. Stir until sauce begins to thicken, then remove from heat. Pour over sliced pork tenderloin and serve.
I really enjoy pork tenderloin, so I’m always happy when I discover a new way to make it. When Tony saw dinner he asked ‘is this the tongue thing?’ He always calls pork tenderloin ‘tongue’, I guess because it kind of looks like one, even though I’ve told him many times that it’s not. Even if he does think it’s a tongue, it doesn’t seem to bother him one bit. He ate this up and had second helpings. The boys ate it too and seemed to like it, even Cole. This is one meal that I’m sure we’ll be making again!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Banana and Yogurt Muffins
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup low fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
In a medium bowl, mix together banana, yogurt, oil, egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nuts. Add to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes.
I'm not sure if it was the nuts or maybe the fact that they were completely whole wheat, but my kids weren't all that fond of these muffins. Us adults thought they were pretty good, but the boys just picked at them without really eating all that much of them. Since having kids I'm finding that making healthy food is only half the battle. It's getting the kids to actually eat healthy food that is the victory. This day I was not victorious. That doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight though, don't you worry. It's all about experimentation to find that winning combination of food that both appeals to kids and is nutritious at the same time. Next time I'll cut out the nuts, maybe try a mixture of white and whole-wheat flour, and bake them in mini-muffin tins. Maybe that will entice them, maybe not. If not, Tony and I sure won't mind polishing them off!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Cola Pot Roast
3/4 cup of cola
1/3 cup barbeque sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 sirloin top roast (3lb)
seasoning salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp cornstarch
Combine the first 9 ingredients in a saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to boil. Reduce and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Pat roast with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides.
Place roast in the slow cooker. Arrange onions around roast, then pour the sauce over it. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove roast and onions from crockpot. Pour sauce into a medium saucepan. Skim off any fat from the top. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Add it to the sauce and bring to a boil on high heat, whisking constantly, until sauce has thickened. Slice roast and pour sauce over top.
Well this was certainly different, but delicious! The sauce had so much flavour and the meat was incredibly tender. The sauce was also quite nice when poured on top of mashed potatoes. Tony mentioned several times how much he liked this meal. The boys enjoyed it too, I think because the meat was easy to chew and the sauce was sweet. This made a great Sunday meal for us, because it's a little bit fancy and it's easy to throw together earlier in the day. I can see us having this again on many Sundays to come.
Recipe adapted from 'Ponderoasta' in Eat, Shrink and Be Merry
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Carrot and Date Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped dates
In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, flax, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, beat together the egg, coconut oil, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture. Then stir in the carrots and dates. Drop by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto a cookie sheet. Bake in at 350F for 10-15 minutes until the bottoms are lighlty browned.
Makes 24 cookies.
When I tasted these I really thought they were going to be a big hit with my family. They were really delicious. Unfortunately, no one would even try them! Cole flat out refused to eat one, and Bennett just picked out one of the dates and left the rest. Tony walked right by them and left for work without taking any. So they really didn't give the cookies a fair chance. I guess they just looked too 'healthy' or something. I froze them and I'll try putting them in the kids lunches because sometimes they'll eat things at daycare that they won't eat at home. Don't let my family's reaction stop you from trying these though. They were quite tasty and I love that they're low in sugar and fat, and full of healthy ingredients. The dates are especially nice in these, and are what give them most of their sweetness, so don't leave them out!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Crab Manicotti
12 manicotti shells, uncooked
1-1/2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tbsp flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1 can (19oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10 oz crabmeat (or imitation crab), chopped
1-1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg white
Prepare manicotti according to package directions, undercooking slightly. Drain and rise with cold water, then set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix flour and milk together until smooth, then add to garlic. Continue to cook, stirring often, until sauce is thick and bubbly, about 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. When cheese has melted, remove from heat.
For the stuffing, combine crab, cottage cheese, spinach and remaining cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg white in a large bowl. Mix well.
Spray a 13 x 9' baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon filling into manicotti shells. Place stuffed shells into the baking dish in a single layer, then pour sauce evenly over top. Cover and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool uncovered for 5 minutes.
I asked Cole what he thought about this one and he said he liked it..a little bit. Well, that's better than not at all I suppose. The rest of us I liked it too; it was a very nice pasta dish. I do want to play around with this recipe a little more though. I think that it would be good with crushed tomatoes in the sauce instead of diced tomatoes, or even to leave the tomatoes out altogether. The tomato chunks just didn't quite work that well with the creamy sauce. Also, if I was short on time I might make it with different pasta, like penne. I like manicotti but it's a pain to stuff when you're in a rush. I'd like to try thowing everything in one dish and see what happens. Overall it was a successful meal and I feel it has a lot of potential to be even better.
-Recipe adapted from 'Manicotti Overboard' in Looneyspoons
Friday, September 24, 2010
Barbeque Chicken Pizza
Whole wheat pizza dough (I used this recipe)
BBQ sauce
Cooked chicken (can be roasted deli chicken, or just leftover chicken you might have in the fridge)
Green peppers
Green onions
Mozzarella and cheddar cheese
Roll out the pizza dough onto a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Spread with barbeque sauce, then top with the remaining toppings, finishing it off with a sprinkle of cheese. Bake according to pizza dough directions (mine was 425F for 15 minutes).
I'm usually pretty boring when it comes to pizza. I rarely venture away from my beloved ham and pineapple, or green pepper and mushroom pizzas. This time I was feeling a little adventurous. I had some leftover chicken, I had BBQ sauce, and I had some veggies that needed to be used up, so I figured I'd give this a whirl. It wasn't bad! Cole's not much of a pizza eater, but even he had some of this pizza. Tony and Bennett also ate it up. It's a nice change from your everyday pizza, an a great way to use up leftovers.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely grated (1 cup)
1 (6-ounces) package semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide among lined muffin cups and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.
I was trying to figure out what kind of cupcakes would be best to make for Cole to take to daycare to share with the other kids for his birthday. I didn't want the other parents to hate me for filling their kids up with cupcakes that were full of sugar and fat with no nutritional value at all. After experimenting with some low sugar/low fat recipes, I just wasn't really happy with them. They were ok for a snack, but not for a birthday treat. So I decided on zucchini cupcakes, because I know from the Zucchini Chocolate Cake recipe that I tried before that it can taste really great in baked goods. I kept most of the sugar and fat (I did reduce the amounts slightly though), but at least these weren't completed void of nutrition. I topped them with a cream-cheese frosting and sprinkles, with Cole's help. They were really scrumptious and best of all, Cole approved!
Recipe adapted from Epicurious
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Perogie Shepherd's Pie
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 package of perogies
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook ground beef, onions and garlic on medium heat in a large non-stick skillet until meat has browned. Add soup, spices and vegetables. Heat for another 5 minutes until vegetables have thawed. Pour into a 3-quart casserole dish and arrange frozen perogies on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes until perogies have cooked and cheese has browned. Faster version: microwave covered on high for 10 minutes, then place under a broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese.
I felt like making shepherd's pie but realized I didn't have any potatoes. The only thing that was remotely potato-like that I had was a bag of frozen perogies. So I thought why not? Let's just throw perogies on top. When Tony came into the kitchen for dinner he saw it and said 'hey, you dropped perogies on this shepherd's pie.' He then proceeded to eat two helpings, so I guess he approved. Cole really doesn't like perogies. I know he doesn't like most things at one time or another, but perogies are one thing he consistently will not touch. I don't really understand that because I happen to love perogies, but anyway, he did eat the meat and veggies. He even ate the cheese on top, but just left the perogies behind. Bennett, as usual, ate it all. I enjoyed this too, seeing as I like perogies. I'll probably play around with this recipe a bit more because although it was good it did seem to be lacking something. I'd like to try adding tomato paste and maybe beef broth to it. All in all I think it's a great short-cut version of shepherd's pie. When you use the microwave method it doesn't take long to make at all.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Chicken Stir-Fry with Noodles
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Baked Yam Medallions
4 medium yams or sweet potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
2 egg whites
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Preheat oven to 425. Slice yams into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Transfer into a bowl of cold water until you're ready for the next step, so they don't go brown.
Pat yams dry using paper towl. Combine egg whites and garlic in a large bowl. Add yams and toss to coat.
In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, basil and oregano. Transfer crumbs on a plate and spread evenly.
Coat yams on both sides with crumb mixture. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet spreayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and flip yams over, then bake for another 15 minutes until tender.
If you like yams, you'll really love this recipe. They were delicious! I love how they're crispy on the outside, unlike yam fries that tend to go soft. Bennett ate some and liked dipping them, but Cole wasn't interested. Tony seemed to like them too, but I think I liked them the most. I ate the majority of them and enjoyed every bite. Apparently family just doesn't share my enthusiasm for yams.
Adapted from 'I Yam What I Yam' recipe in Looneyspoons: Low-fat Food Made Fun!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Black Bean Tortilla Soup
2 tsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle seasoning
5 cups vegetable broth (or water and vegetable base)
1 can (19oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder and chipotle seasoning and cook for another minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. If using water, bring to a boil and then add the vegetable base (around a tablespoon, depending on your taste and the strength of your base). Reduce heat to medium-low and add black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until fairly smooth. Add salt and pepper if desired. Pour into bowls and serve with avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa for everyone to add to their soup as desired.
This is my new favourite soup! It was amazing, and we all ate it. The kids found it fun to add all the toppings to their soup, especially the chips. Tony was very impressed with this soup and said he really liked the avocado it it. So did I. I love avocadoes and I thought they complimented this soup particularly well. We'll definitely be making this again soon.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monte Cristo Sandwich
I love that it's natural, without the preservatives and chemicals that are often in regular deli meat. So then I dip it in beaten eggs, and grill it. I like to use my double-sided indoor grill to make it almost like a panini. So there you go; it's a ham and cheese french toast panini. Whatever you want to call it, it's yummy!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Birthday Cakes
My sweet little monkey is growing up! I meant to post yesterday but just got too busy. It's been a bit crazy around here with the boys' birthdays being so close together. We had a dual birthday party for them on Sunday, and I made them each their own cake. Cole had a snake cake and Bennett had a monkey cake. Now let me start by telling you that cakes are not my forte. I'm more of a cook than a baker, but I was pretty happy with how these turned out considering I have very little experience with cakes. So without further ado, here are the birthday cakes!
This is Bennett's monkey cake. It' a banana cake with chocolate buttercream icing. Here's where the idea came from: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/monkey-cake
And here's Bennett having a taste of the ear, because of course that's the best part.
I had to make this cake twice. The first time, I cut into it too soon when it was still warm inside, so it crumbled. The next time I decided to substitute chocolate chips for the pecans and forgo the layer of chocolate icing in the centre, so no cutting would be required. I couldn't find licorice string or drops anywhere for the face, so I just used the chocolate icing to draw the nose and mouth. For the eyes, I grabbed a couple of pieces from Tony's bag of Bridge Mixture that worked pretty well! For the hair I decided to use shaved chocolate instead of icing.
Bennett wasn't too interested in the cake at the party because I think he was just too overwhelmed by all the people. It was raining that day so there were 30+ guests stuffed in our house. I had a piece and I enjoyed it. I'm glad I went with the chocolate chips instead of more chocolate icing because it was just the right amount of sweetness, not too overly sweet as cakes can sometimes be. The next day on his actual birthday I sent the remaining cake to daycare with Bennett for him to share with the kids there. There was none left when I picked him up, so I guess that's a good sign!
And here's Cole's snake cake:
This is a part chocolate, part yellow cake with green buttercream frosting. I just used cake mixes for this one (hey I'm not super-woman!) and baked them in bundt cake pans. Half of my yellow cake was ruined when I tried to take it out of the pan. I think it was because I didn't grease the pan well enough. It worked out fine though because 1 1/2 bundt cakes was really all I needed. I cut the chocolate cake in half and connected the pieces in an 's' shape, then cut the remaining yellow cake pieces to form the tail and head. Here's the link where I got the idea for this cake: http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/birthday-cake-decorating-idea.html#Index
To decorate the cake I used a tube of blue icing and mini m&ms. The tongue was a a piece of roller sour candy that I happened to have lying around for some reason. It worked great!
So we cut the cake:
This cake was a hit with the kids. They all wanted a piece of snake, but Cole got dibs on the head:
This wasn't my first snake cake. The weekend before, which was Cole's actual birthday, he asked me if I was going to make him a snake cake. I said yes, for the birthday party, but that wouldn't be for another week. He was so incredibly sad! I didn't want him being disappointed on his birthday, so I made him a snake cake that day. I know, I know, he has me wrapped around his little finger, but it did give me a chance to practice my snake cake-making abilities. Here was the first attempt. He wanted it to be a blue snake.
It also gave me a chance to try out a low-fat chocolate cake recipe that I had been wanting to try from Looneyspoons:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup low-fat sour cream 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, sinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, blend together brown sugar, egg, egg whites, and oil with ana electric mixer on medium speed. Add vanilla, almond extract, and sour cream. Beat on low speed until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture to sour cream mixture, beating on medium speed. Fold in chocolate chips. Spray an 8x8" pan with non-stick spray. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Be sure to check cake after 40 minutes, as you don't want to overbake it. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Cut into 12 squares. For maximum moistness, store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Tony raved about this cake. He said it was really good, and he was impressed that I had whipped up a cake from scratch. This recipe is pretty easy though, so even I could handle it. It was nice to see Cole enjoying it so much too. I hope it made his birthday a little more special. And I am now a snake cake master.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sushi Bowl
1 1/2 cups sushi rice
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp cup rice vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 an english cucumber, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 small pkg of imitation crab, chopped
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 dried seaweed sheets, cut into small squares
Wash rice in a large bowl with cold water and drain. Combine rice and water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until water is absorbed (check your sushi rice package for cooking times as they seem to vary). Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Place rice into a large non-metallic bowl and mix in vinegar mixture with a wooden spoon.
Let rice cool to room temperature, then stir in remaining ingredients. Serve topped with soy sauce, wasabi paste and pickled ginger.
I had 3 sheets of seaweed in my pantry left over from when I made sushi last. It's not really enough to make sushi for everyone, so I thought I would try layering it with rice and other sushi ingredients and then cutting it into squares. Well, it didn't quite work out as planned. It didn't cut into squares as nicely as I had hoped, so I ended up just mixing the whole thing up and serving it in bowls. It worked out pretty well that way, well Bennett and I thought so at least. Cole wasn't that impressed. Tony was working that night so he didn't get to try it. We'll have to try it again sometime (maybe with yams?) and see what he thinks.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Chickpea Vegetable Sauce on Polenta
Chickpea Vegetable Sauce
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Heat oil on medium heat, then saute onion and garlic until soft for 3-5 minutes. Add bell pepper and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat until sauce is bubbly, then reduce to low heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Polenta
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Heat broth to boiling, then gradually add cornmeal while whisking continously. Transfer to an oven-safe greased baking dish and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes until creamy, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Remove from oven and stir in butter, garlic powder and parmesan. Place in the refrigerator until cooled and set, then cut with a cookie-cutter into fun shapes, or just cut into squares. You can serve them like this, or saute them on medium heat in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray until lightly browned. Top with chickpea sauce.
We've been in in the midst of renovations on our basement for almost a year now, and there have been many times over that year when I've had to make meals without power or without water. This particular night there was no water because the plumber was working on some pipes and had to shut it off. Now the smart thing to do would have been to set aside some water before the plumber turned off the water, but in my defense he said it would only be an hour so I figured it would be back on before dinner. That didn't happen, so I was stuck using bottled water to clean my veggies. I was planning to serve the sauce over pasta, but then I realize you need water to boil the pasta, and I didn't have enough water bottles for that. Luckily I had been making polenta earlier, so I used that instead. Low and behold the polenta and sauce paired perfectly together. Everyone really liked it, except Cole wasn't too fond of the polenta, which I thought he'd like because I had cut it into hearts, but that didn't seem to help. I find polenta a lot of work, although this method of baking the polenta is a little less work because you don't have to constantly stir it like you do on the stovetop. Still, it is time-consuming so I'd probably just use the store-bought stuff next time. The sauce was delicious, and I even ate it by itself as a sort of chickpea stew the next day. I think it would go nicely wth pasta as well, seeing as that was my original plan for it. We'll give that a try one of these days when we actually have running water.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wheat Bread with Flax
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut up
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast or bread machine yeast
Add the ingredients to a 1-1/2- or 2-pound bread machine according to the manufacturer's directions, adding the flax with the flour.
If available, select the whole grain cycle, or select the basic white bread cycle. Select desired color setting.
My parents gave me this recipe and I absolutely love it! They often prepare the dough in the bread machine and bake it in bread pans in the oven. I just bake it right in the machine and I'm always amazed how nicely the loaf turns out. A lot of other bread I've made in the bread machine have lumpy tops or are oddly shaped but this one is always a nice smooth and perfect loaf. It has a wonderful texture too. I'm curious to try it with more whole wheat flour, but I'm worried about ruining it. I'll be brave and give it a try next time and let you all know how it works out.
The whole family loves this bread, especially when it's still warm. There's really nothing like fresh homemade bread, it's so delicious!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sticky Chicken, Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and Corn on the Cob
Sticky Chicken
1/2 kg boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
Place chicken in a baking dish. Combined plum sauce and teriyaki sauce then pour over the chicken. Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink inside. Combine cornstarch and water while the chicken is still in the oven. Immediately after the chicken is out of the oven, remove it from the baking dish and pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Mix until the sauce begins to thicken, then return the chicken to the dish.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 large red bell peppers
Combine quinoa and broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 25 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and broth absorbed.
Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds and stem. Scoop cooked quinoa into the peppers. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake on a baking sheet at 375F for 35-40 minutes (along with the chicken). Then please them under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Corn on the cob
Fill a dutch oven 2/3 full with cold water. Heat on the stovetop on high. While you're waiting for the water to boil, shuck the corn by peeling off the leaves and silk, then cut off the stalk. Rinse off the corn to remove any lingering pieces of silk. Place in boiling water for 12 minutes. Serve with butter and salt if desired.
Sticky chicken is one of Tony's favourites, and mine too because it's so darn easy to make. I usually use chicken thighs because they're more moist, but this time all I had was chicken breast so I used that. They were ok but I still prefer the thighs for this recipe. The stuffed peppers weren't that popular with my family, because they're not fond of quinoa like I am. Tony hates couscous and since quinoa has a similar texture to couscous he doesn't like it either. The real hit with this meal was the corn on the cob. This was the first time my kids have ever eaten corn on the cob. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I guess I just never thought of feeding it to them before. Cole had been asking for 'corn sticks' earlier that week and I figured he must have meant corn on the cob so I bought some. I'm glad I did, because our family had so much fun eating it. We snapped some funny photos.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
French Toast for Dinner
Friday, September 3, 2010
MIni Meatball Sandwiches
Recipe found here.
My sister-in-law told me she had tried this recipe and her kids flipped over it, so I just had to try it to see if mine would have the same reaction. Cole was very excited at the idea of mini burgers, but he didn't actually like eating them as much. He thought they were too messy and was upset that his hands were getting dirty when he was trying to eat them. This is the problem we have with sloppy-joes too. The rest of us didn't mind that they were a little messy, because they tasted delicious! They were super easy to make too. I didn't have any provolone so I just used mozzarella and that worked fine. I wish I could find whole wheat slider buns to make them a little more healthy, but I've had no luck. I even looked for little whole wheat dinner rolls to pass as slider buns, but no luck with that either. So I had to use white buns (gasp!). Oh well, maybe I'll make my own whole wheat slider buns one of these days.
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.” 
