Friday, October 26, 2012
Lentil and Kale Soup
Lentil and Kale Soup
Adapted from Today’s Parent Oct/12- “Delicious Lentil and Kale Soup”
1 tbsp olive oil
4 strips turkey bacon or turkey kielbasa, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups green lentils
8 cups vegetable stock (homemade or sodium-free)
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups kale, chopped with stems and mid-ribs removed
salt, to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Saute bacon in oil until browned. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and paprika, cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, lentils, vegetable stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for 15 min. Add kale and simmer for another 15 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are cooked through. Add parsley and salt to taste.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Pumpkin Carrot Loaf
Now that fall has arrived, it seems like everywhere I turn I see pumpkins. It's one of the things I love about fall. I've been enjoying things like pumpkin lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, and this delicious homemade pumpkin carrot loaf. This recipe makes 2 loaves so I can enjoy one right away and freeze the other one for later. It freezes really well. I pack small slices of this loaf in the boys' lunches and it almost never comes back in their lunch bags at the end of the day, which is a good sign that they really like something. They've also asked for it as a bed-time snack quite often. I love having a slice with my coffee in the mornings. My favourite way to eat it is slightly warmed and slathered with peanut butter. Tony has taken some with him to work because it's the perfect thing to eat when you're on the go. This is a great recipe to add to your fall pumpkin baking.
Pumpkin Carrot Loaf
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Grease 2 8" loaf pans. Position the oven racks so the tops of loaf pans will be in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, carrot, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir in flours, flax, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in raisins. Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans. With a butter knife, loosen the loaves from sides of pan and remove them from the pans. Place the loaves onto wire racks (top side up) to finish cooling.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Bennett's Birthday Party: Keeping it Simple
There's my handsome son Bennett at his 4th birthday party. Ever since Cole's party a month earlier, he's been waiting for this day. His real birthday was Sept 13th, but with school starting and with Tony working almost every weekend that month, we put off the party until the last weekend in September. It was such a busy month and I'm low on energy with being pregnant, so I kept this party very simple. And you know what? I think the simple parties are the best kind.
We had spinach dip in a hollowed sour dough loaf, hummus, veggies, goat cheese, sausage, crackers, and a fruit platter.
It was such a beautiful sunny day and it actually felt hot out, much to our surprise, so we took advantage of the nice weather and let the kids play in the backyard. Between our play set, tire swing, bouncy castle, hula hoops, and ball pit, there was lots to keep them busy while the grown-ups watched and chatted on the balcony.
I had also made a pinata, which came to be known as the lazy pregnant girl's pinata. Instead of paper mache, I made it out of a paper grocery bag and stuffed it with candy and packets of crayons, then decorated it with tissue paper.
I wasn't sure how well it would work, but it turned out pretty well. It held up better than I thought it would to repeated beatings from the children. Everyone got several chances at the pinata before it was finally broken open.
For the head, I baked some cake mix (yes, the food blogger used a mix!) in a small corningware dish and my mom decorated it with white icing (also store-bought!). I had some chocolate icing left over from previous cupcakes for school, so we used that to make the feet. We made the mouth and antennae out of licorice and the eyes out of gummies. We decorated all the cupcakes with fruit and leaf-shaped gummies- the kids loved that.
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.” 
