Thursday, March 31, 2011
Guest Post by Jay: Bok Choy and Bacon Chow Mein
This recipe is super easy, and one of my ‘crazy night’ meals that pleases everyone around the table. Everyone always wants seconds, including my 19 month old son Xander who holds out his bowl demanding more. In fact its hard to have leftovers with this dish, so be warned, haha.
4-5 slices of bacon (chopped into bite size pieces)
5 cups of chopped bok choy
chow mein noodles
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs
In a wok, cook the chopped up bacon until it softens. While doing this, cook the noodles in a separate pot and drain. Save them until later in the recipe. Add the chopped bok choy to the bacon in the wok and continue cooking until the stalks are translucent. Add the cooked noodles, oyster sauce and garlic. Cook and keep stirring until heated thoroughly and coated with oyster sauce. Add the eggs and stir in until cooked. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Written by my incredibly talented friend Jay, who is a photographer, cake decorator, graphic designer, and mother of two. You can find more from Jay at http://www.jaybirdcreations.com/, and her blog at http://thisisthegreatadventure.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Baked Beans
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
6 cups cooked navy beans
4 oz salt pork, diced
2 cups chopped onions
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fancy molasses
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
In a crockpot, combine all ingredients together. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, until beans are thick and bubbly.
I love homemade baked beans; they're so much more flavourful and less mushy than the canned kind. My family thought these beans were alright, but I think they would have liked them more had I not used cooking molasses instead of fancy molasses (I bought the wrong kind). They tasted very strongly of molasses as Tony pointed out right away. I highly recommend using the fancy kind so the flavour won't overpower the beans. Maybe even use less than 1/2 cup if you want to be on the safe side. Other than that I thought this was a pretty good recipe. I love any recipe where you can just throw everything in a pot and leave it be all day. It makes an awful lot of beans but they freeze very well.
Now I'd like to teach you about cooking dried beans. I still use canned beans in a pinch, but they often have a lot of sodium and preservatives in them, and even BPA in some of the can linings, so I prefer to use dried beans whenever possible. It's also very cheap to cook your own beans, and let's face it, I'm cheap.
First of all you need to soak the beans. This involves placing the beans in a large pot with 3 times their volume of water and letting them soak overnight. A quicker way is to bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for a couple minutes, then remove from heat and let the beans soak for an hour. After the beans have soaked, drain and rinse them. Now they're ready to be cooked.
To cook the beans, place them back in a large pot and cover them with 3 times their volume of water again. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered until the beans are tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the type of bean:
Black beans: 30 minutes
Black-eyed peas: 35 minutes
Chickpeas: 45 minutes
Kidney beans: 50 minutes
Large lima beans: 55 minutes
Navy beans: 40 minutes
Romano beans: 45 minutes
Once they are cooked, drain off the water and let them cool. After they've cooled I usually freeze them in 19oz containers (same size as a can of beans). Then I always have beans handy in my freezer when I need them for a recipe.
If you've used the quicker soaking method, expect to reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. Always check on the beans well before the end of the suggested cooking time to make sure they're not overdone. They should be tender and easy to squash, but not mushy. You can also cook them in the crockpot instead of on the stovetop. Generally it takes about 10 hours for chickpeas and 12 hours for beans.
Reference: Canadian Living: The Slow Cooker Collection
Linked to Potuck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Guest Post by Teresa: Branana Loaf
In this particular version, I use a 3 to 1 ratio of flour to wheat bran, but I have gone as high as 2 to 1, resulting in the pet name "Colon Blow 2000" for this loaf. So beware, it's good, but the bran definitely lives up to it's reputation!
Preheat the oven to 350
In one bowl combine the wet ingredients (plus sugar):
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
In another, combine the dry:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt (optional)
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, being careful not to overstir. If I'm feeling decadant, I'll add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips at this point. Some people like to add nuts, but because of allergy restrictions we don't do that. Feel free to add 1/2 cup of whatever nut floats your boat, if you so desire.
Fold into a pre-sprayed non-stick square pan (8 x 8") or a pre-sprayed loaf pan. The advantage of using the square pan is that it takes a lot less time to bake (about 40 minutes, but be sure to check pretty frequently after about 35), whereas the loaf pan will take up to or even an hour to bake thorougly. I am also really in love with the silicone pans you can find these days. You don't need to spray them and you can turn out the loaf as soon as it's done.
Beware, this loaf usually lasts less than 24 hours in our home. Hope you enjoy it as well!
Written by my friend Teresa. We met when our boys were babies, and now they go to school together. I made this loaf for my family and Teresa was right about it lasting less than 24 hours. It was gone in about 6 hours at my home. Even picky Cole devoured several pieces, and I think Tony ate about half of the loaf by himself! It's so moist and tender you won't believe it's low in fat and high in fibre.
-Megan
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Lemon and Clam Vermicelli
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon
2 cups fresh chopped spinach or baby spinach
1 can baby clams, drained
pinch salt and pepper
150g brown rice vermicelli
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and zest from the lemon, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Add clams, then salt and pepper. Heat through.
Place vermicelli noodles into a large bowl or baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to completely cover the noodles. Let stand for a few minutes until noodles are tender, then drain water and add noodles to the lemon mixture. Add parmesan and toss together, then return to stovetop until heated through.
Brown rice vermicelli
I'm so in love with this recipe. It's ridiculously simple so it makes a great weeknight meal, but also tastes sophisticated enough that you could serve it at a dinner party. Everyone enjoyed it, although Cole only liked the first bite and then changed his mind. I happily polished off the rest of his. We wouldn't want it to go to waste, right?
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Guest Post by basilmomma: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Last December there was quite a shortage of canned pumpkin around here. It seemed like every lady I worked with was talking about it. Who had small cans, where did they get them. It's crazy what gets people worked up. It was like the world was coming to an end because they couldn't find Libby's 14.75 ounce cans of pumpkin puree.
So I , being the planner that I am, bought 20 cans one day. I came across a new shipment at our local grocery store and I thought I should grab a few cans for my Mom. Little did I know that she had the same idea. Long story short We have been eating a lot of pumpkin in the last few months.
I open a can, use a little and freeze what is leftover. I don't want to waste any, right? Cookies, pancakes, french toast and soups are a few of the lucky items to be made using this prized squash in a can.
One of my families favorite cookies is this one that I made last night. It is easy to adjust to your own tastes. You could add chopped walnuts if you like. I opt out of using nuts as my oldest son is allergic.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 C pumpkin puree
1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 C white chocolate chips
1 C dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 and line pans with parchment paper.
Combine all of the dry ingredients (except the oats) in a medium bowl. In another bowl cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, 3 minutes.
Beat in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients as well as the oats.
With a spatula, fold in the white chocolate and the cranberries.
Drop by small spoon fulls onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
For more delicious recipes from basilmomma, check out her blog at http://basilmomma.blogspot.com/ and her facebook page.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Very Hungry Caterpillar Pizza Buns
1 batch of whole wheat pizza dough
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, diced
4 white mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup ham or sausage, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3/4 cup pizza sauce
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp cornmeal
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, ham, basil, oregano, salt and pepper until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and drain off any excess liquid. Stir in pizza sauce and ricotta cheese.
Preheat oven to 450F and grease a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Grab a handful of pizza dough and flatten it in your palm. Place a spoonful of vegetable filling into the centre of the dough and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Gather the ends of the dough together and pinch them closed, then mold it into a round shaped bun. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remainder of the ingredients, forming a caterpillar shape with the buns. Place a piece of pepper for the eye and spinach for the mouth on the head of the caterpillar. Bake for 12 minutes.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics are featuring the best-selling children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle in their new campaign to promote healthy eating habits called Eating Healthy. Growing Strong.
My kids love this book, and it's a great way to start a dialogue with your children about healthy eating. Encourage your children to name the different fruits the caterpillar eats to help them become familiar with nutritious foods. It's also important not to overeat, as we learn from the caterpillar when he gets a stomach ache from eating too much. My poor pizza bun caterpillar had a similar problem; he was so full that he couldn't keep it all in. The filling burst out in some places, which was not a pretty sight. I think maybe I need to work on my dough-sealing skills. It may not have looked perfect but it still tasted good. Bennett couldn't stuff it in his mouth fast enough. Oh Bennett, have you learned nothing from the caterpillar? At least it was a healthy meal with a good variety of vegetables and a whole wheat crust. Cole didn't like it but he did try a few bites, then ran away crying into the bathroom. That's not quite the reaction I had hoped for. When he came back I asked him what was wrong and he said it was spicy, but there's nothing really spicy in this. The only thing I could think of was that he bit down on a piece of ground pepper. In any case he wouldn't eat any more of it after that. I found the cat eating up what Cole had left on his plate so at least it didn`t go to waste. That cat is terrible for sneaking food off the table. On the plus side he never complains about my cooking.
For more information about the Eating Healthy Growing Strong campaign, visit the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (www.healthiergeneration.org/veryhungrycaterpillar) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (www.healthychildren.org/veryhungrycaterpillar). These sites have resources including a printable growth chart, a reading guide, and tips for healthy eating.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Zucchini and Yam Fritters
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups shredded yams (peeled first)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash original blend
Squeeze zucchini in paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop 1/4 cup mounds of mixture onto a pancake griddle or frying pan and flatten into patties. Flip when they begin to brown and cook the other side until browned. You can also bake on a well greased baking sheet at 425F for about 12-15 minutes on each side, or until browned.
Cole used to adore these patties when he was about a year old. I would make a batch and freeze them in between sheets of wax paper so I could easily defrost them as needed for a quick and healthy meal for my little guy. I hadn't made them for ages, so I thought I'd give them a try again. Well, Cole's tastes have clearly changed since he was a toddler, because now he hates these things! He decided he didn't want to eat them as soon as he looked at them, but I told him he had to at least try one bite to know if he liked it or not. He finally put some in his mouth and, well, let's just say it didn't stay in his mouth. I didn't make him eat any more of it. Bennett's reaction wasn't much better. He came to the table, took one very long and suspicious look at the fritters, then walked away. I just don't get it because I thought these were delicious, and I don't even like zucchini. I do love yams and cheese though, so that's what I enjoyed about these fritters. If you aren't as crazy about yams as I am, you can use carrots and/or potatoes instead. I often made them with a combination of carrots and potatoes when I didn't have any yams handy and they were just as good. I've also cooked these in a frying pan with a little oil, and they turn out great that way. It just requires watching them a little more closely than I have time for nowadays, so I often do the baked version now, even though I think the fried way yields better results.
And now here's my menu plan for this week.
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Lazy Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday: Squaghetti and Meat Sauce
Friday: Perogies and Turkey Kielbasa
Saturday: eating out
Sunday: Fusili with Veggies and Turkey Kielbasa
Monday: Southwest Crockpot Chicken
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Kiwi Coconut Smoothie Shooters
or hand mixer
. Place bowl in the freezer to firm it up while preparing the smoothies.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Amazing Edible Bakeable Playdough
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup cold butter or shortening, cut up
2/3 cup milk
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and flax in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and form a ball with the dough. Add more flour as necessary if it's too sticky. Knead on a floured surface for a few minutes, then let your kids play! Once they've finished their creations, place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 12-18 minutes, depending on the size.
I pulled out cookie-cutters, rolling pins, plastic knives, and a plate of goodies for decorating.
The plate had dried cranberries, raisins, diced apples, mini chocolate chips, and diced cheese. I also had a shaker of cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling, and peanut-butter and jelly for spreading.
I had to throw in this photo, because doesn't it look like my child has too many fingers??
And I just love Bennett's shirt. It suits him so well (maybe a little too well).
We had so much fun playing with dough together, and even more fun eating it afterwards. We made some pretty tasty creations. Some of my favourites were peanut-butter and jelly empanadas, and apple cinnamon raisin rolls. The kids liked the snake filled with apple and cheese, and the smiley faces.
Please share what creative dough masterpieces you and your kids come up with. I can't wait to hear about them.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pumpkin Cheese Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp flax
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 cup pureed light cottage cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup chocolate chips, or dried cranberries, or raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, sugar, baking powder and flax. In another bowl mix together pumpkin, cheese, maple syrup, egg and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Scoop batter into greased mini-muffin cups and bake for 12-15 minutes.
I was originally going to make Marla's Cranberry Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies from Family Fresh Cooking, but I made a little tweak here and a little substitution there and somehow they ended up as these muffins. Luckily they turned out to be a delicious creation. Tony took a bite and said 'wow, these muffins are really good!' and then grabbed a bunch of them to take to work. The boys didn't love them quite as much, but they don't seem to like muffins of any kind. I don't really understand it; I mean, who doesn't like muffins? Well apparently my boys don't. That's fine though because Tony and I didn't really want to share anyway. I really love the combination of cheese and pumpkin in these muffins. I didn't have ricotta cheese so I pureed cottage cheese with an immersion blender
Update: A friend has tried these muffins using applesauce instead of pumpkin, and ricotta instead of pureed cottage cheese. They were apparently a big hit with the kids!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Avocado Chocolate Pudding
1/4 c chopped dates
1/4 c water
1/4 c pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ripe avocado
1/4 c + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
In a small saucepan, heat water and dates over medium heat until water boils. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes until dates have softened. Remove from heat. Mash or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Scoop avocado into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork, or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder and cooled date mixture. Stir until fully combined. Chill and serve.
This actually did taste like chocolate pudding; I couldn't taste the avocado at all. The avocado adds a wonderful creamy texture, and of course a lot of nutrients that you won't get from just any chocolate pudding. I also liked that this was sweetened naturally with dates and maple syrup (you could use agave too) instead of a pile of refined sugar. It makes a great healthy snack. The kids enjoyed their chocolate 'treat' and ate it up. We dipped strawberries into it and it was delicious. It is best if you eat it the day you make it. I tried some the follow day and I could taste the avocado, and not in a good way. It may seem a little odd to have avocado and dates in your pudding, but I urge you to give it a try, you might just like it.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Chicken and Vegetable Penne
(Worth Every Penne)
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.” 
