Clean Eating mac & cheese

This is not a typical elbow-pasta-slathered-in-orangey-cheese-topped-with-buttery-crumbs kind of mac & cheese. But it still ranks mighty high on the decadence scale, without the side of guilt. The recipe comes from the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, which accompanied me to Chicago. With a few minor tweaks, I was able to make this gluten-free so The H could enjoy it, too. Because it'd be pretty rude of me to make dinner for the family and then stuff my face in front of him while he looked on forlornly (and hungrily), don't you think?

Clean Eating Mac & Cheese
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 5 Issue 2
serves 4

I had a really great [camera phone] picture to post, but it was deleted before I could have The H send it to me. Alas, you're stuck looking at this dimly-lit, slightly unfocused version.

The broccoli and red pepper, not usually one of my favorites, were vegetation perfection in this meal. After a few bites, The H and I agreed that we could've done without the beans, though--too smooshy. However, we both think adding some cooked chicken would be delightful. The little guy was in a bad mood and pretty much refused to try this, even though it's packed full of things he usually loves. I'm sticking the kid-friendly tag on this anyway, because I truly believe if he was having a better day, he'd have asked for seconds of this one.

Juice!

Grapefruit, pear, blueberries, tomato, carrots, celery, and one great little sous chef. This was a fun and tasty way to refuel after a 4ish mile run.

Summer has begun!

At least, the little guy's summer vacation has begun. I feel a lot more work coming my way. Ha! I absolutely cannot believe he's a first-grader now. Just...wow. I might have to come up with a new nickname for him. We kicked off the season with a grocery-getting jogging-stroller run--man, that's hard now that he's so big! He turns six in a few weeks. Because it is summer, and I didn't have a school dropoff to make, I just didn't feel like getting up early to run. :p

We picked up some locally-made multigrain bread, a few fruits and veggies for dinners and juicing, and a bag of local tortilla chips to shuttle guacamole to our faces. Most importantly, we beat the rain that was headed our way, and I didn't have to wait for The H to come home before I could exercise. :)

Tomorrow's juice will be a concoction that includes melon (from the reduced rack--nice and sweet), carrot, tomato, grapefruit or lemon, celery, an old spotty pear, and maybe some cranberries.

Lunch is ready!

A delicious way to refuel following a 5 mile run and 75 minute hot yoga class (after my "extreme peach" smoothie at the local deli next to the studio):

Strawberry caprese salad with garden basil, a touch of salami, heirloom tomatoes, chipotle olive oil, and blueberry balsamic vinegar. A little sweet, a little tart, with just a touch of salty zing. Fresh foods are so much fun in the summer!

Behold, my raw materials

This is what I'm working with this week, in terms of fruits and veggies. Of course I'm filling in the blanks with quality proteins and carbs where applicable.

If I write down what I have to work with, it helps me remember what's lying around and prevents me from finding limp brown celery at the bottom of the crisper in a month. So far, we've only completely crossed off "kale" because I made a batch of my one true love for lunches. The little guy and I made great progress on the green beans, onion, mushrooms, and cucumber tonight, but haven't completely wiped them out yet. Our oven stopped working--it doesn't come up to temperature and smells like gas when it's on--so I'm trying my best to work with stovetop, slow cooker, Foreman grill, and microwave (last resort_ as much as possible. Lucky for me, little man prefers his veggies raw.

Tomorrow I plan to use the celery, remaining bit of onion, carrot, brussels, and last few mushrooms to make chicken noodle soup with some leftover frozen rotisserie chicken. The forecast shows more rain and the potential for my least-favorite weather EVER (hint: it rhymes with NO!) for the next few days, so it'll be a nice addition to the menu.

Got any brilliant ideas for sweet potatoes? My preferred prep is thinly sliced and baked/broiled, but that's obviously out.

Meal plan

This afternoon I spent a few hours making some lunch/dinner options for myself. The H has a short business trip this week, so I made this curried cauliflower soup (spicy!) and a double batch of my beloved kale-quinoa to get me through most of the week without having to think too much about food prep. We had "House Chipotle"** for dinner, one of the little guy's favorites, which means 2) HE ATE SOMETHING and 2) I now have four more 2-cup portions of black beans in my basement freezer.

The dinner parts of our week will look like this:

Sunday - House Chipotle (**seasoned black beans, cilantro-lime rice, and shredded cheese...with diced tomatoes, salsa verde, and soft corn shells for The H and me)

Monday - tortellini in red sauce for the little guy, one of my soup portions for me with a hunk of naan

Tuesday - eggs on toast, fresh fruit, decaf coffee (after running group)

Wednesday - split pea soup with diced lean ham in the slow cooker

Thursday - GF pancakes for my men, one of my kale-quinoa bowls and an ahi tuna steak for me after running and yoga

Friday - GF pizza (excellent pre-long-run fuel!)

I've been enjoying real oatmeal with nuts, a fruit, chia seeds, and pure maple syrup for breakfast, but also bought a bag of spinach and some bananas so I can make a green shake to mix things up once in awhile. Happy eating!

Did you know...

that I grew my own acorn squash this year? We've gotten 10 or so from two decent vines (I stashed several throughout the yard), and have given a half-dozen more to the animals that started helping themselves anyway. Actually, this year we had our biggest garden ever. Since May, here's what we've planted:

Acorn squash - good
Zucchini - good without being overwhelming
Butternut squash - small, haven't eaten any yet
Pattypan squash - fail; never produced
Basil - good
Cilantro - good
Parsley - good; I'll do much more next year
Rutabaga - greens look great; haven't tried digging any yet--likely too crowded to grow large
Kale, two kinds - good
Broccoli - surprisingly good; it was put in as an experiment for the little guy
Brussels sprouts - HUGE leaves, but nothing edible-sized yet
Green and wax beans - decent, after I replanted when the bunnies ate our first planting
Green onion - super cute! but we haven't eaten any
Beets - nice looking greens, but super-tiny roots; only three plants sprouted anyway
Tomatoes (three kinds) - the tiny grape-sized ones produced best, with a few Roma and even fewer Purple Cherokee
Raspberries - truly pathetic this year; I think we got three fruits total

WOW that's a ton of produce for someone who really isn't a gardener. I think I "weeded" twice this summer. We have a great spot in the backyard for a more organized garden next year, but we'll need a rototiller and about eight friends who want the crazy prolific lilies and irises back there first. 

Veggies galore

Seems like that's been the theme in my kitchen for the last two months. Yay, right? A friend of mine got me hooked on bruised kale salads, which has only increased my adoration of the leafy green. Preparation of this salad is literally more hands on than other salads we make, but it's so worth it.

After the kale has been torn, washed, and spun dry, I drizzle some olive oil on it and start mooshing and smooshing it around in a large bowl (wedding ring off for this step!). Once the leaves are softer and starting to wilt down, I add some salt and pepper, then shake on some vinegar or lemon juice and a drizzle of agave. These are all to taste, so of course I don't have any measurements. When I get the flavor I want, I start adding the goodies: cheese, fruit, nut, seed. One day it might be grapes, gorgonzola, pinenuts, and chia; the next time might be goat cheese, dried cherries, sliced almonds, and hemp. Whatever the combination, it's always delicious as long as the oil/vinegar/agave was right to begin with.

It's no surprise, then, that this is on my meal plan this week. Since The H will be on a business trip, I'm trying to cook as little as possible but still feed the little guy and myself without resorting to fast food. Here's what we'll have:

Chorizo-apple stuffed acorn squash (my lunches--I made four halves last night and froze them)
Homemade (and frozen) tomato soup and grilled cheese
Leftover pasta with meat and hidden veggie sauce/roasted brussels sprouts with walnuts and bacon
Leftover GF pizza/seared ahi and kale salad
Homemade (and frozen) chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, roasted broccoli
Butternut squash ravioli (thank you, Costco), fresh green beans/spinach salad
...and if we need one more meal before The H gets home, black beans with cilantro rice

Make-ahead quiche

Since I've made this recipe four times in the past few weeks, and countless times before that, I figured it was time to share the love. This quiche is quick, simple, and versatile. You can make it with a premade crust (not so clean) or without. It can even be made ahead of time and frozen** for later use. The cheeses and add-ins are completely up to you. Quiche is a great way to use up less-than-full-portions of meats and vegetables that might be getting lonesome in your fridge!

Today the ones I made were cheddar/broccoli/Canadian bacon, and cheddar/mozzarella/homegrown zucchini/Canadian bacon. It's great to have them ready for a fuss-free midweek dinner. We usually serve ours with fresh fruit and toast. In the fall I might swap the toast for some skillet potatoes and onion.

Quick Quiche -- inspired by an old recipe from allrecipes.com
serves 4

1 cup shredded cheese   (shred your own--better taste and texture)
3 teaspoons all-purpose flour   (King Arthur GF is great)
1/2 cup cooked meat, diced   (ham, bacon, chicken, sausage...)
1/2 cup chopped veggies   (broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, potato...)
3 whole eggs
1 cup lowfat milk
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp dried parsley (optional)
1 unbaked 9" pie crust (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.

2. In a medium bowl, toss flour with grated cheese. Sprinkle into lightly greased 9" pie plate or premade crust.

3. Put diced meat and veggies on top of cheese.

4. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, mustard powder, and parsley. Whisk until smooth and pour over meat in pie plate.

5. Put dish on baking sheet in case of overflow. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until filling is set and top is golden brown. If using a pie crust, cover edges with aluminum foil halfway through cooking to prevent burning. 

**TO FREEZE: After all ingredients have been mixed and put into pie plate, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap. Place a piece of foil over that and crimp edges tightly. Freeze FLAT! When ready to use, put pie plate onto a baking sheet and put into a cold oven. Allow oven and dish to pre/re-heat together. Cooking time will be closer to 60 minutes when using a frozen quiche.

Food prep day

I didn't really plan it, but this afternoon I did a giant amount of food prep while the little guy napped. It started with a trip to the farmer's market this morning, where I got some beautiful rainbow-colored Swiss chard. I was inspired by the cold salad a friend made for our post-run meal last night. When I got home to put away my colorful produce (also including peaches, corn, cucumbers, and salsa), I remembered the beets I'd bought last week. They were quickly prepped for roasting, though sadly I waited too long and the greens weren't good to use like I have before:

On to the chard...

Ten stalks of chard got washed, trimmed, and sauteed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then mixed with sauteed mushrooms, a chopped carrot, a green onion, freshly minced garlic, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. All of this was mixed with precooked quinoa, and stashed back in the fridge. Dinner side dish/lunch-to-go done.

As the chard-quinoa was mingling flavors and warming through, I started a batch of adzuki beans. They don't require presoaking like many dried beans, and they cook in just about an hour. Great to have available for any number of midweek meals! I'm looking forward to making these burgers, since I also have a few partially-used bell peppers in the crisper.

While the adzukis simmered away, the beets finished roasting. They were gorgeous! Each one just bigger than a golfball, and such a beautiful shade of magenta. I've been craving one of my summer favorites, this beet salad, for a few weeks. For the first time since I started making it, today I toasted the walnuts in a dry skillet before I added them. What a great difference! I used crumbled bleu cheese instead of feta, tossed in some organic celery, dressed it all with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, pink sea salt, and fresh black pepper, and returned it to the refrigerator. Lunches/snack for me done.

While I was poking around in the fridge, I realized we were out of rice. Thanks to the rice cooker, another batch (plain, white--to feed the gastrointestinally-challenged dog) was ready in a half an hour. Right around this time, two hours after he'd gone down, the little guy woke up. While the rice cooked, I prepped some steaks for The H to grill and stirred up another summer favorite, cucumber-sweet-onion salad. Those two things just get thinly sliced and simply dressed with a mixture of plain yogurt, white balsamic (or red wine) vinegar, evaporated cane juice, sea salt, and pepper. The H and I enjoyed this with dinner, and I was a little bummed I didn't think to make leftovers. Tangy, cool, and refreshing-- the candy onion I used isn't halitosis-inducing at all. Definitely buying more of those at the market! Another dinner side dish done, dog supplement done.

Once the rice was ready, I piled some into the dog's bowl with a scoop of pumpkin and some plain yogurt so he could go to town. The H brought in the steaks, and we sat down to eat. Just then I realized it was the first time I'd sat down since the little guy and I got home from our morning/afternon errands, and my feet were pretty darn tired. But I felt so accomplished! It's a great feeling to have these goodies and makings of meals, along with a stash of my beloved kale-quinoa-chickpeas, in the fridge heading into the weekend. Happy Friday!

Baked Wild Rice with Almonds

This is one of the most flavorful rice dishes I've had in a long time, homemade or otherwise. Besides the amazing taste, here's what else I love about it: there is no added salt, it hides some veggies the little guy doesn't usually care for, and the hands-on part comes together quickly. I started this before we left for running group, then turned off the oven and let it sit until we got home. Even though it only had half of the active baking time, it was still perfectly prepared thanks to the remaining heat in the oven.

Baked Wild Rice with Almonds
from The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start (Rodale/NBC Universal, 2009)
serves 6

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I doubled this)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (I used two large green onions)
2 Tbsp chopped or sliced almonds
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add rice, mushrooms, onion, almonds, garlic, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes, or until mixture is fragrant and onions are getting soft.
3. Transfer mixture to 2-qt baking dish. Bring broth and water to boil in the skillet and pour over rice mixture in dish.
4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour.

The little guy happily ate his--I don't think he knows there were mushrooms and onions in it--and The H and I both had more than one serving. I'm looking forward to mixing the leftovers with some of the chopped marinated chicken we served this with. Seriously, so tasty. Try it!

Lentil and spinach soup

I might need to make a new tag for "hotel cuisine." We've made some pretty decent meals when we travel, thanks to our usually-amazing accommodations at the extended stay hotels we use. I was intrigued to find some recipes in this, my first-ever, issue of Consumer Reports Food & Fitness magazine. This one in particular comes from a section that focuses on how to reduce the salt, sugar, and fat in our daily diets. Sounds good!

This soup was a sort of experiment. First, I never make anything in this great a quantity when we travel, so finding storage containers for leftovers was a minor challenge. Bonus: I got to test its freezability at the same time. :) Also, the recipe doesn't call for any salt. For a family that's been eating at restaurants for 2 out of 3 meals for more than the past week, that could've come as a giant tastebud shock. Rather than possibly waste the whole recipe on my men for dinner one night, I made this for lunch. The little guy said he loves lentils ("they're so cuuute and tiny, right Mom?!"), but he needed to eat before it was done, so he had leftovers from dinner last night.

Lentil and Spinach Soup
from Consumer Reports Food & Fitness, March 2012
Serves 10

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (this is very hard to do with incredibly dull hotel knives)
2 cups uncooked lentils (Whole Foods had these on sale!)
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 sprig (2-3 inches) fresh rosemary
1 (7-oz) package baby spinach
2 large tomatoes, chopped (heirloom ones were so pretty I couldn't resist!)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring often.

2. Add lentils, broth, water, and rosemary. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

3. Stir in spinach and tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove rosemary sprig and stir in pepper.

I love the natural light from our 19th-floor hotel room; much better than in my east-facing kitchen. :)

Since I prefer a thicker stew-like lentil soup, I only used 3 cups of the water called for. And since there isn't any other seasoning beyond the small quantity of pepper and rosemary, I more than doubled both and left the rosemary needles in. Without increasing those two ingredients, the soup would've been mighty bland. I was almost instantly regretting my choice of low-sodium broth as I taste-tested at the end of the cooking time.

Making this for my lunch(es) was the right choice. The H and little guy would've griped about it for sure. I added a hefty squirt of lemon and some Parmesan/Romano/Asiago curls from Trader Joe's to my portion. Those greatly improved the flavor and brightened up what could've been a giant waste of ingredients. If I were to make this at home, I'd probably add some chopped carrots when sauteeing the onion, and some kosher or sea salt at the very end.

Vegetarian coconut black bean soup

This is another recipe from my favorite meatless book, "OK, So Now You're a Vegetarian." It's a recipe that didn't catch my eye until this month, despite owning the book for over ten years. Funny how tastes can change; I literally never gave it a second glance until now.

The little guy and I took this soup to share with friends when they invited us to dinner a few weeks ago. Meals with this particular family are usually a cooperative effort--a little of what we have available combined with whatever they have on the menu--and although a bit chaotic considering their three kids and our mini monster, always leave me with a sense of peace and satisfaction. Good friends and real, wholesome, hearty food has that effect on me. We agreed this soup was a great base for future inspiration. The picture below shows it as my leftovers for lunch, with shelled edamame and cooked cilantro-lime shrimp added.

Coconut Black Bean Soup
by Lauren Butts
serves 4-6

2 1/2 cups water
1 (14oz) can lite coconut milk
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, with the juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 (14.5oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I used beans I'd cooked myself, about 3 cups)
1 cup cooked corn kernels (I used frozen white corn)
1 cup cooked white rice (brown rice or quinoa would work fine, too)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a large heavy pot, combine water, coconut milk, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often.

2. Add black beans, corn, rice, and salt. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. Stir well and serve. This soup is best if served the next day, so flavors can thoroughly mingle, but it's still fine to make and eat at once.

Minestrone Monday

Monday marked Day 6 of our roofing job, and unfortunately not the last. Our house isn't all that big, folks, and the weather wasn't bad until Sunday. Big sigh. And is it a requirement that all construction workers must smoke? Yuck.

On a brighter note, since I was home anyway, I decided to make my planned dinner, minestrone soup, for lunch--much more time to putter when the little guy is at daycare! It made a giant batch, so I stuck one in the fridge and three more in the freezer. One of those is a "family size" portion that we'll have for lunch one day when The H is working from home. Even though I've been eating lots of fruits and vegetables for a number of years now, it still tickles me to know that I've eaten a giant portion like this in one sitting. Nerdy, right?

This recipe is from a book I bought in college, during my stint as a vegetarian. It's a very down-to-earth book; the author was a teenager when she wrote it as a result of the research she did to convince her parents to let her adopt a vegetarian diet. When I was flipping through it last weekend I was reminded how many great-sounding recipes there are in it! I've made this soup many times, but today was the first time I made it gluten-free by using corn pasta.

Minestrone Soup
from OK, So Now You're a Vegetarian by Lauren Butts
serves 6-8

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery (including the leaves, if you have them), chopped
2 carrots, chopped (I used about 12 baby carrots)
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic (I used two fresh cloves, minced)
1 potato, diced
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (a little more is ok)
1 can (14-16oz) diced tomatoes, plus the juice
1 cup water
4 cups vegetable broth
1 (20oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup orzo, alphabet noodles, or other small pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, optional

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and potato, stirring often until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary and cook for a few seconds.

2. Add water and tomatoes and their juice; bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add broth and beans. Return to boil and sprinkle pasta over the surface.

3. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with grated cheese before serving (optional).

I also added zucchini, yellow squash, and fresh mushrooms when adding the beans, plus a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper after I tasted it. The pasta I used was Sam Mills lasagna corte, and it held up remarkably well for a GF pasta. The picture above is a reheated portion, served with gluten-free dinner rolls--recipe forthcoming!

Serendipotatoes

ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/

Noun:

The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: "a fortunate stroke of serendipity.

(source)

Today after church when the little guy asked what was for lunch, I found myself reluctantly saying, "How about pancakes?" You see, pancakes (+ eggs or chicken sausage) are one of my go-to, last-resort, cupboards-are-bare meals. I can mix them up on a moment's notice, probably even in my sleep. Goodness knows I stopped using a recipe for them ages ago. While I try to mix up the mix-ins and toppings so we never really eat the same 'cakes twice, today I was really, really not looking forward to another stack.

I started rummaging through the freezer to see if there was something, ANYthing, I could put into those pancakes that would make them remotely more interesting. That's when I unearthed a bag of frozen cubed potatoes. I had utterly forgotten about it! My wheels started turning... I had potatoes, onion, bell pepper... I hate the word, but could I come up with a decent hash?

Oh yeah, baby. I ran the potatoes under water for a few seconds to start thawing, then added them to a hot skillet with grapeseed oil and diced onion. A little of this (kosher salt, black pepper, dried dill) and a little of that (diced ham, red bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, salsa, garlic-and-chili-infused macadamia oil) made its way into the skillet. When I was happy with how that looked and tasted, I quickly cooked a few eggs in another non-stick skillet and slid them on top of each serving.

With a little dash of Frank's, my one true love, this meal was complete. And gooooood. So good, in fact, that I didn't even miss the white cheddar I had forgotten to grate on top. It didn't even cross my mind until I was cleaning up the kitchen and saw the cheese on the counter.

With a scrambled egg instead of a runny one, this would make a great breakfast burrito. This meal can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the ham, and could be vegan-ized by omitting the ham and topping with scrambled tofu instead of eggs.

Kid-friendly beef vegetable soup

This recipe is another Squeaky Gourmet gem. While I can't post the recipe, I can tell you this: watching the little guy eat several bowls of this (twice--it makes a lot!) without complaining about the veggies is more than worth the cover price, had I actually paid for this book. He claims to not like zucchini, onions, or mushrooms, all of which are in this soup, but once I had him close his eyes and eat it, the complaints ceased and all I heard was "YUM! I LOVE it!"

We called this "taco soup" because the seasoning is slightly reminiscent of Mexican food--and because tacos are fairly familiar to the little guy. Once he chowed his servings, I told him what was in there and said now he couldn't tell me he didn't like those things anymore. In addition to the zukes, 'shrooms, and onion, this hearty bowl contains ground beef, wild rice, grape tomatoes, and celery. That'll bring your veggie intake up for the day!

Since it does make so much, we had leftovers another day. I'm pleased to report that this freezes and reheats very nicely. I dumped a semi-thawed brick of soup into a slow cooker one afternoon before running group, and we came home to savory simmering goodness that was perfect for warming up on a chilly fall evening.

Sweet potato samosas

Indian food, or even Indian-inspired food, is probably the number-one thing I cannot get The H on board with. He'll put up with my recurrent attempts to sneak curry powder into things, but that's about it. The fact that I cannot find gluten-free phyllo dough (or fillo, depending on the packaging) releases him from the obligation of even a single bite. You're welcome, honey.

This recipe also gave me an excuse to use my new garam masala, courtesy of a trip to Penzey's when we were in Connecticut. 

Sweet Potato Samosas
from Clean Eating Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 7
makes 12 samosas (serving size: 2 samosas)

1.5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups cauliflower stems and pieces (one small head)
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/8 tsp sea salt, divided
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
12 sheets frozen whole-wheat phyllo dough, thawed (my store did not have whole wheat)
Olive oil cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Bring a 3-qt pot of water to boil over high heat. Add sweet potatoes and cook for five minutes. Add cauliflower and cook for an additional ten minutes, until vegetables are fork-tender. Drain and set aside.

2. In a small saute pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Set aside.

3. With a potato masher, mash potato-cauliflower mixture until smooth. Mix in onion, peas, cilantro, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne.

4. Assemble samosas... this part took me a while to figure out, but once I got it down (two lumpy victims later) it was effortless to reproduce.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a cutting board and mist with cooking spray. Fold in half lengthwise and mist with spray again.

Place 1/3 cup potato mixture at top left corner. Fold corner over filling to opposite side, making a triangle.

Fold triangle over to meet straight side, then up to the top again.

Continue folding over until you reach the end of the phyllo sheet.

Repeat steps with remaining filling and phyllo.

5. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray--or use a sheet of parchment paper--and place samosas on sheet. Brush tops with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

My two folding failures made their way to my plate for lunch, along with some cilantro-lime quinoa and kale chips. While I was convinced that two wouldn't be enough, they were plenty filling.

 

When I have these for leftovers, I will look for a dipping sauce recipe. The flavors are great together, but I felt they were missing *something* like a tangy yogurt dressing that would really push them to the "fantastic!" category. This recipe is pretty labor-intensive, not one I would consider for a quick weeknight meal unless I was planning to use leftovers.

Who invited winter?

Two weeks ago (April 10th) it was 84* here in my corner of the mitten state. Last week (8 days later), we got 3 inches of snow. How is that fair?! The H took this picture out our upstairs bathroom window in the morning:

My poor blooming daffodils and hyacinths.

It melted by mid-afternoon, but this non-winter-lover wasn't very excited to see everything covered in white again.

Last Tuesday, the day after the snow picture above, was gray, blustery, and drizzly--even a little sleety--so the planned quinoa and black bean salad, which is quite summery tasting, got shuffled to later in the week in favor of a hearty, warm bowl of bean-and-potato soup. That's one of the (many) nice things about having a meal plan--you have everything you need to make your chosen recipes, so your plan can be adjusted as the day dictates.

This is one of those "no real recipe" meals. I started (around 1:30pm) by putting three pieces of bacon in a skillet to brown while I set to chopping whatever else struck my fancy: two medium red potatoes, two fat carrots, a handful of organic celery, three green onions, a medium sweet onion, a handful of baby portobello mushrooms, and two cloves of garlic. Once the bacon was crisp, I drained it, trimmed the fatty edges for the dog, and finely chopped the rest. I tossed it into a 4-quart slow cooker crock with the veggies, added four cups of organic chicken stock and a small jar of bean-cooking liquid from last week, and set it on high.

Before we left for running group (5:00pm) I tasted it, seasoned a bit using sea salt, pepper, and an herb blend from Penzey's, added the home-cooked equivalent of one can drained, rinsed navy beans, and switched it to low. When we got home (7:45pm), I tossed in a handful of German Tilsit cubes I had left from a party last week. It provided a nice extra bit of full flavor and creaminess. Of course, it would have been just fine--and a bit more clean-friendly--without. Either way, coming home to this in the CrockPot after a *super* windy, rainy run made me happy!

The leftovers made a great lunch, along with some gorgeous green grapes and veggie crackers. That book on the left is one of the many I'm currently reading, Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations about Food and Money, and one that I so far highly recommend. I won it in a Goodreads giveaway and have really been enjoying the author's insights. A good book + a good lunch = rainy day perfection!

Beef & Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Ever since we bought a half-of-a-half of beef this past winter, I've been thrilled to find new clean-eating ways to use it. This stir-fry from Clean Eating Magazine (March 2011) appeared in front of me at just the right time!

Beef, Snow Pea, and Shiitake Stir-Fry
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 4, Issue 3
serves 4

1 cup brown rice
12 oz top sirloin beef, trimmed of fat and sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 cup low-sodium tamari sauce (if you are gluten-free, make sure your sauce is, too!)
1/4 cup water
2 tsp tapioca starch (I used arrowroot powder)
1 Tbsp raw honey, local if you can find it
1 Tbsp coconut oil, divided
2 cups sugar snap or snow peas
2 cups small fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (I used baby portobellos)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
8 sprigs fresh cilantro (optional--for garnish, or chop and add to dish before serving)

1. Cook rice according to package directions; while it is cooking, prepare the rest of the meal.

2. In a medium bowl, combine beef, salt, and five-spice powder until evenly coated; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk tamari, tapioca starch, honey, and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

4. Using a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat half of the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Transfer beef to a clean large bowl. Add remaining half-tablespoon of oil to wok, followed by peas, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Saute 2-3 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Add veggies to beef bowl.

5. Heat tamari mixutre in the wok over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened--about 30 seconds. Return beef and veggies to wok and stir to coat.

6. Divide cooked rice between serving bowls and top each portion with beef-veggie mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve hot.

I've mentioned before that soy sauce is not one of my favorite flavors, and it is fairly prominent in this dish, so next time I make it I will decrease that slightly; perhaps using some beef broth in its place would lend a rich, but not as salty, flavor.

Slump-busting soup

The other day I was slumping around the house after a few days of not-so-hot eating habits, bemoaning the fact that I "had nothing to eat" in the fridge. Yeah, right.

I may not have had any frozen meals, junky snack foods, or leftover portions from previous dinners staring me in the face, but I had more than enough ingredients at my fingertips. I can't remember what led me to my Google Reader, or whether I searched for a certain term or just happened upon this post from Cook, Pray, Love, but that is immaterial now. The point is, I was inspired by the ingredients in this soup and got off my duff to make my own version. You can see the original recipe at the site I linked; it gave me a great start that I otherwise would not have thought of. Lame, right? You'd think by now I'd be a pro at throwing this, that, and the kitchen sink together. Ha.

How I Made My Curried Lentil Soup
inspired by Cook, Pray, Love

First I sauteed half a chopped onion, garlic (2 cloves), celery (2 ribs), and a big carrot in some olive oil. When the onion looked softened, I added curry powder (1 1/2 teaspoons) and cumin (1 teaspoon), then stirred in green lentils (1/2 cup), chickpeas (1/2 cup), water (3 cups?) and chicken stock concentrate, and some quick-cooking brown rice. Once it came to a boil I turned the heat down and covered it while I went to clean up after my run. The rice took 35ish minutes to cook, which was just perfect for the lentils, too. I tasted a bit of everything and added a dash more curry and cumin, as well as salt and pepper to my liking.

At the last minute, I thought I'd really put my veggie intake over the top for the day, and crammed in several cups of fresh spinach.

One sliced lemon (2 wedges for me, thanks) and a sprinkling of grated provolone later, I sat down to my lovely, hearty, made-from-nothing lunch. Don't you love my Polish Pottery soup mug? I used to work at a gourmet cooking store and PP shipments were *big* news. And big bucks. I got mine at TJMaxx on clearance. :D

I ate leftovers for two more lunches in the days following, and even convinced The H to take a portion to work. But I didn't tell him it had curry powder in it (surprise, H!) because 1) he thinks he doesn't like it and 2) he had a cold that day and likely couldn't taste anything anyway. He said it was good, so he was either lying to spare my feelings (which he doesn't usually do regarding food, or he knows he'll be stuck with it again), couldn't taste it, or really did enjoy it. I'm telling myself it was a combination of the last two.