Thai Quinoa

I had planned on posting a different recipe today however I made this recipe for Thai Quinoa and it was so good that I needed to share. I never got a chance to take a picture because it was gobbled up so fast-I hardly got a spoonful of it myself as it was such a hit with my guests but the spoonful I got was delicious. The combination of the jalapeno, basil and cilantro were wonderful. I did make one change. I didn't have any mango so I threw in a handful of craisins instead. I served it at room temperature. Next time I am doubling this one.


1 Cup dry quinoa
3 cups water
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
6 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves gently torn (discard stems)
1⁄3 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 small red onion)
1 handful Craisins
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
fine sea salt
1 tablespoon lime juice

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly either in a strainer or in a pot and drain. (Do not skip this step or a bitter-tasting, natural soap-like coating will remain.) Once the quinoa is drained, place it into a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 10–15 minutes or until the grains turn translucent and the outer layer pops off. In the meantime combine the minced jalapeño, basil, cilantro, red onion, and craisins in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the oil, soy sauce, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and lime juice. Stir to combine.
Add the drained quinoa and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Crustless Quiche

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website many years ago. You can use any vegetables you'd like or have on hand. Most recently I made it with just onion and red pepper. I also doubled the recipe to make it in a 9X13 pan. If you do so you need to add about 15-20 minutes to the cooking time so the center finished cooking.

1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1/4 Onion, diced
6 Egg Whites or 3 Eggs
3/4 C. Cottage Cheese
Salt
Pepper

Saute the vegetables in pam. Beat eggs and add cottage cheese mixing well. Add a
little bit of salt and pepper for flavor. Spray a 8X8 pan with Pam. Combine the vegetables with the cottage cheese mixture and pour into prepared pan. Cook at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until lightly brown and set.

Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Soup

Remember a while back I told you about Cauliflower Carrot Soup? Well I have another cauliflower soup recipe for you. Today's recipe is similar to the Cauliflower Carrot Soup but kicked up a notch. I have actually been making this recipe for quite a while and it is good! I based it on this recipe from Closet Cooking but mine is a little simpler, healthier and a lot less fancy. That said it is really good.

1 head fresh Cauliflower, cut into florets OR 1 large bag frozen Cauliflower(which is what I use)
1 Tbls. Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Pam
1 Onion, Chopped
2 cloves garlic, Chopped
2 Roasted Red Peppers (I roast them using this technique from Closet Cooking)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
4 C. Water

Put cauliflower on cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Spray soup pot with Pam and saute onions until tender about 5 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower, roasted red peppers, cayenne and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes. Puree with a hand blender.

This one isn't such a kid friendly recipe as it is quite spicy however it is so good.

Stay tuned for a mash up(no pun intended) of the 2 cauliflower soups....

Baked Omelet

I came across this recipe for Egg Vegetable Casserole on a blog I recently started reading. I used to make something similar several years back but it also had cottage cheese in it (I can't find that recipe so if you know what I am talking about please pass it along). It sounded simple, good and kid friendly.

(Sorry the picture is so bad-my camera is sort of broken)

We renamed it Baked Omelet:

1 Tbls. Olive Oil
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 C Fresh Spinach, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
18 eggs
2 Tbls. Skim Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 C. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

In a large skillet, saute the peppers and onion in the olive oil. Add in the spinach for a minute or two. Allow to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and seasonings. Pour the eggs in a greased 9 by 13 pan. Add in the sauteed veggies and tomatoes. Stir everything in the pan. Stir in mozzarella cheese. Make sure everything is distributed evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the eggs are set and golden. Sprinkle the casserole with Parmesan cheese if desired.

The recipe says that the Parmesan is optional however I thought it added a lot of flavor. My husband toasted some whole wheat bread with the Parmesan cheese and added the eggs to make a sandwich which sounded like a good school lunch to me. Also-just like any omelet, you can change the vegetables and spices. I think the key is the cheese and making sure the egg is set when you cook it. A hit in our house. I may even attempt these in muffin form next time for a good portable breakfast.

Simple Split Pea Soup

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website years ago. It originated as a crock pot recipe- just toss all in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2 hours.

Simple Split Pea Soup:

12 Oz. Bag of dry Split Peas*
1 Clove Garlic(I use the frozen)
2 Carrots, cut into chunks
1 Onion, Diced
8 C. Chicken Broth*

Put all ingredients in large pot and simmer on low for 2-3 hours until smooth. You may need to add water when you reheat as the peas absorb the water.

This is always a hit and I often double or triple the recipe.

*I use either 500 grams of split peas with 10 C. broth OR I double and use 1 Kilo split peas and 20 C. broth and double everything else.

Part Whole Wheat Pizza

After last nights chili disaster I decided to move back into the kids comfort zone. I decided to make the same pizza I always make them but making the crust part whole wheat-repeat after me-baby steps. The recipe for pizza dough that I always use is from my 7th grade home economics cooking class. So thank you Mrs. Purtell. I just change the white flour to part whole wheat.

Part Whole Wheat Pizza

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
3/4 C. warm water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. oil
3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1-1 1/4 C. white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, oil, whole wheat flour and 1/4 C. white flour. Stir. Slowly add remainder of white flour until moderately stiff. Turn dough onto greased board and kneed until smooth and elastic-approximately 5-10 minutes. Place dough in a bowl sprayed with Pam. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
Roll out dough to cookie sheet or pizza stone. Add sauce, shredded cheese and toppings. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Everyone loved it and nobody had a clue that I changed anything. I guess that is the key-slow, small changes.

Light Lunch

I tried this Puerto Rican Cabbage Salad for lunch. I didn't use the celery leafs as I have never had them before and wasn't sure I was willing to eat them. I used 1/4 tsp. of Tabasco sauce and the salad had a slight kick but if you like things really spicy then add more. For the oil I used canola. Overall it was a really good, light salad and I look forward to making this again.

Carrot Soup

My sister passed along this Carrot Soup Recipe which is adapted from The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. We all really liked this one and it was so simple to make. Also, I loved that it was a really quick soup.

3 Tbls. olive oil
1 med onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 1/2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 cups water plus 4 tsp. chicken soup powder
pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and garlic, stir to coat. Reduce heat to med-low and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften about 5 mins. Add carrots, stir to coat, and cook 10 minutes. Add water and chicken soup powder and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until carrots are tender-approximately 25 minutes. Puree. Season with pepper to taste.

Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese

Yesterday I discussed baby steps and how adjusting to healthier versions of what my kids are used to eating was a little complicated. Thursday night dinners are very predictable in our house- it is either Wacky Mac or homemade Mac and Cheese using white pasta and American Cheese(read: processed). Again, like yesterday, I decided to take some baby steps and keep my kids in their comfort zone. So I present Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese:

4 C. Uncooked Pasta(I used 2 C. White Pasta and 2 C. Whole Wheat this time)
2. Tbls Butter
2 Tbls. Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 1/2 C. Cheddar Cheese

Cook the pasta (if using a mix of white and whole wheat cook it together making adjustments for the different cooking times between the 2 pastas). Drain. In the same pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour making a roux being careful not to burn. Add the milk and cheese and whisk until smooth. Add the pasta and serve.

Don't judge a recipe by it's photo. I planned on taking another photo of this once it was in a bowl but the kids were so hungry and then before I knew it the entire pot was empty!

I was surprised at how light in color and in weight the whole wheat pasta was. I haven't had whole wheat pasta in years and I remember it being dark in color and very heavy. I think nobody would have noticed if I used all whole wheat pasta in this one. That is my plan for next time. I am also going to use whole wheat flour in the roux next time. Baby Steps.