Quinoa and Chicken Chili

I think this may be my favorite chili I've ever made. Not least because there is basically no prep; minimal chopping, just mix everything in the slow cooker and you come home to a hot, healthy, deliciously filling meal. Fantastic.

I hate it when chili is too watery. Watery chili is up there with slow drivers, one-upping moms, and workplace butt-kissers in my book of Things That Annoy Me. This chili came out the perfect consistency. Plus it makes lots for leftover lunches, which is even more of a bonus lately when I can't just throw together a sandwich (for lack of gluten-free bread, which I hope to rectify when I do grocery shopping tomorrow).

Speaking of gluten-free. I am so stoked for Easter brunch on Sunday. It's going to be a dairy and gluten fest. Then I'll go back to being good. I cannot pass on Easter brunch with dishes like egg and sausage pie, cheesy bread pudding, that I've been eating every Easter for my ENTIRE LIFE. Clearly.

You know what else would be good with this chili, assuming you are good with gluten and dairy? Biscuits. Always a good idea with chili. Oh, I happen to have posted a recipe for Best Drop Biscuits a while back. You're welcome.

QUINOA AND CHICKEN CHILI

Serves 8

Adapted from Everyday Reading

Use less salt if you are not using no-salt added canned goods.

• 1 540-mL can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 540-mL can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 796-mL can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• optional toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream

Mix all ingredients up before chicken together in the crock of the slow cooker. Nestle chicken in the middle, ensuring chicken is submerged in liquid. Cook on low 6 to 9 hours. Shred chicken into chili prior to serving. Serve with desired toppings.

A Gluten and Dairy Free Week for Food Lovers

I've mentioned before that I love spending Saturday mornings with a coffee doing my menu planning. You know what I enjoy on Friday nights? Writing with wine. So here we go.

I'm going to share with y'all what I've been eating this week since going cold turkey on dairy and gluten for now. I hope that this will be helpful to any other food lovers who eat this way, whether by choice or necessity. I will not share the minutiae of what I put in my belly every week, I swear! This first week I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't cry myself to sleep for want of bread. Perhaps because I ate enough bread dipped in gravy (omg that is the best right?!?) to last me for months during Sunday dinner at my parents this past week. Anyway. Moving on.

Monday was not completely gluten-free. I was still on the fence about eliminating gluten but I felt super guilty eating toast and crackers knowing I was advised not to. 

Not included below is my morning coffee with almond milk and sugar. This is a given and a must every day. Yes, the almond milk tastes a bit different, but I still love my coffee. I also drink at least 2 cups of green tea a day at work.

Monday
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with avocado.
Snack: Smoothie with mixed berries, banana, baby spinach, cold green tea
Lunch: Carrots and red peppers with hummus, Triscut crackers, a hard-boiled egg topped with a little Miracle Whip and chopped spicy picked green beans.
Snack: Green tea. Apples with Sun Butter.
Dinner: Roast chicken with weeknight risotto (recipe below)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Overnight Oatmeal with almond milk, flax, mixed berries. (Oats are kind of debated whether or not they acceptable on a gluten-free diet. I'm allowing it. I'm the boss of me.)
Snack:  Smoothie with mixed berries, banana, baby spinach, cold green tea
Lunch: Leftover chicken and risotto
Snack: Apples with Sun Butter
Dinner: Quiche made with a shredded-potato crust with sausage, tomato, onion, basil. Water instead of dairy used in the egg mixture.
Snack (after boot camp): Smoothie with coconut water, ground chia seeds, cocoa powder, almond butter

Wednesday
Breakfast: "Breakfast salad". I was out of oats and decided I wasn't going to eat bread, so I wandered around my kitchen peeking in the fridge and cupboards until I had 5 minutes left to wolf down some food. I mixed up a chopped hard-boiled egg and avocado with kale and mixed in some balsamic dressing. This was not my best work.
Snack: Smoothie with mixed berries, banana, baby spinach, water
Lunch: Quinoa salad made with sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, red peppers, cucumber, chicken, balsamic dressing
Snack: Apples with Sun Butter
Dinner: Stir-fry with tofu and brown rice
Snack: Flourless Nut Butter Cookie with almond milk

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs topped with chopped tomato and avocado. I didn't love this. The hot egg + cold avocado and tomato wasn't my favorite. Better than the "breakfast salad" though.
Snack:  Smoothie with mixed berries, banana, baby spinach, water
Lunch: Quinoa salad same as yesterday
Snack: Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas. Dark Chocolate.
Dinner: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes (recipe below)
Snack (after training run at the track):  Smoothie with coconut water, ground chia seeds, cocoa powder, Sun Butter. Nut butter cookie.

Friday
Breakfast: The tomato-avocado scramble improves a notch. Notably better mixing the tomato and avocado in the pan with the eggs while cooking. My next experiment will be making a salsa from the tomato and avocado and putting this on the eggs. Stay tuned.
Snack: same smoothie as every other day. And green tea. Of course.
Lunch: Salad with chicken, canellini beans, carrots, red pepper, Asian Sesame dressing
Snack: Apples with Sun Butter. Roasted chickpeas. Dark chocolate. A couple Starburst candies (it's Friday, ok!?!)
Dinner: ActiFry chicken wings with sweet-chili sauce, baked potato wedges, raw veggies (carrots, cucumber, snap peas). Have we talked about the T-Fal ActiFry before? I don't think so. Fantastic appliance. Read up on it. Then get one. For example, I cooked a pound of wings in it tonight, they crisped up beautifully, and I poured off almost a quarter cup of fat (potatoes cooked in schmaltz anyone?). Talk amongst yourselves.
Snack: Is red wine considered a snack? And a cookie.

WEEKNIGHT RISOTTO

Serves 4

An Amy Original 

Traditional risotto involves a lot of standing by the stove and stirring. This quick and easy version is a good alternative when you don't have the time or patience for babysitting food. Or perhaps you are actually physically babysitting a child (aka parenting). Measurements are approximate. Tweak as needed. If you are not avoiding dairy, mix in an knob of butter and some grated Parmesan cheese at the end if so inclined.

• olive oil  
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1/2 of a 750g bag Arborio rice
• small handful sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cups good chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 small to medium zucchini, chopped small
• fresh basil, julienned

Heat a glug of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add rice, stir for 2 minutes. Add stock and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to keep at a simmer until rice is cooked through with just a bite at the center (like al dente pasta). If the pot is dry before the rice is cooked add some more stock or water. If your rice is super watery with only 5-10 minutes left of cooking, remove the lid and increase the heat a bit.

Meanwhile, heat another glug of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, saute until golden-brown on all sides, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Mix most of zucchini (plus butter and Parm, if using) into risotto once rice is cooked. Serve with a garnish of the remaining zucchini and the fresh basil.

TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOES
Serves 3
An Amy Original
It's easiest to cook the potatoes and garlic the night before and refrigerate until ready to use.

• 1 head garlic
• olive oil
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1/2 of a 540mL can of chickpeas, rinsed
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 slices bacon, sliced into lardons
• fresh basil, julienned

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut top of garlic off to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork. Place alongside garlic on baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft all the way though when tested with a sharp knife and garlic cloves are soft and caramelized. Cool to the touch.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully peel off skin, taking care to keep in one piece. If it doesn't peel off easily, scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place skins on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place flesh in a food processor with a glug of olive oil, chickpeas, water, salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze half of the garlic cloves out of their skins and add to sweet potato mixture. Puree until smooth. Scoop onto potato skins. Bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a pan, transferring to paper towel lined plate once crisp. Serve sweet potatoes with bacon and basil sprinkled on top.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

Dang, it got cold out quick, didn't it? I've used the slow cooker 3 times in the last week. Two of which were fails. One night last week I was going to try a whole chicken with root vegetables in the slow cooker. The darn thing didn't turn on and raw chicken sat on the counter. All. Day. That went in the garbage (after a Facebook poll. I wanted to be sure before I threw it away. The poor chicken gave it's life for nothing!).

The next day I threw some marinated chicken thighs I'd stashed in the freezer into the Crockpot as I rushed out the door. The key to the slow cooker is it traps all the moisture to braise and stew all day. This does not happen if you leave the lid off a crack. What happens then is all the moisture evaporates and you have to chip marinade-turned-charcoal off the bottom of the pot. Super fun. 

Of course, being me, I didn't order pizza for dinner. I made spinach gnocchi. From scratch. Because I am a crazy person.

Finally, last night, Crockpot success! I'll admit, this is not a typical Four Seasons Kitchen meal with jarred sauce and frozen meatballs. Hey, I'm not above a little help from Mr Ragu once in a while. I figured this would be super quick and easy for Tyler to make while I was at work. Turned out amazing, healthy, and dead easy.

SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH MEATBALLS 

Serves 4

Adapted from Paleo Pot via Pinterest

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 jar tomato sauce, thinned with a bit of water if your brand is really thick
• 1/2 box frozen meatballs (I used PC Blue Menu Chicken Meatballs. Yum)
• handful fresh basil, finely chopped
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Cut your squash in half across the diameter (i.e. not lengthwise). Scoop out seeds and pulp. Save the seeds to roast as you would pumpkin seeds if you wish.

Pour sauce into slow cooker. Place squash in slow cooker cut side down. Spread meatballs around squash in the sauce. Cook on low about 6 hours.

To serve, remove squash from slow cooker using tongs. Hold with tongs and scrape squash out of skin with a fork. Mix basil into sauce, ladle sauce and meatballs over squash. Serve with Parmesan.

Broiled Teriyaki Salmon with Kale Fried Rice

I've been on a kale binge this week. Maybe my body is trying to counter-act the Halloween chocolate. I gave up on kale in my smoothies- do you have to sharpen blender blades or something? Mine isn't pureeing the kale any more. Chugging a drink rife with hearty leaves that have done battle with the blender and won is not pleasant first thing in the morning, believe me. So what to do with this giant bunch of kale? Kale salad. Kale fried rice. And maybe some kale chips if you please.

Raw kale + roasted sunflower seeds + dried cranberries + chopped apples + balsamic vinaigrette = addictive kale salad.

Parker enjoys all these things, aside from the kale, separately. But mix them together and call it a salad and it's a no go. I don't get kids. This must be how men feel their whole lives about women. Just can't figure them out.

The recipe for the fried rice is from Gwyneth Paltrow's first cookbook. Still one of my favorite cookbooks. The rice is dead simple. You don't need a recipe, really, but I'll provide you my modified recipe anyway of course. Paltrow calls for the kale to be cut small, "the smaller you cut the kale the more it becomes about the rice." I decided to chop it to oblivion in the food processor. Parker likes to help press the button. And then, being three, he asked me to wash the food processor so he could chop up his cars. Whaaa?

One Year Ago: Meatball Stuffed Peppers

Two Years Ago: Chinese Five Spice Powder Recipes, Chicken Stock

Three Years Ago: Korean-Style Pork Tenderloin, Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Four Years Ago: Fresh Pea and Feta and Classic Bruschetta, Pulled Pork Broccoli Goat Cheese Pizza

TERIYAKI SALMON WITH KALE FRIED RICE

Serves 4

Adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter 

Cook your rice the day before you plan to make this. Just let it bubble way on the back of the stove while you make whatever else you are having for dinner that day. Drain and stash it in the fridge until ready to use. Cooked rice can also be frozen flat in freezer bags for quick thawing.

• Teriyaki Salmon recipe
• 1/2 lb kale, stems discarded
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups cold cooked brown rice (I used a brown and wild rice blend)
• 1 cup peas, thawed if from frozen
• 2 green onions, chopped small
• 1 tbsp Ponzu-soy sauce or soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Chop kale finely in a food processor (or go nuts with a knife). Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add kale and saute until crisp and bright green with a few browned pieces, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to combine everything. Spread rice into a flat layer and fry a few minutes, stir and spread it out again. Repeat, stirring every few minutes, until rice is crisped and smells nutty. Add green onion and peas, stir to combine. Turn off heat, add Ponzu or soy and sesame oil, stir to combine.

Roasted Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Pretty much the only thing I like about the weather getting colder is that means it's soup time! Well, ok I also enjoy cozy sweaters, tea, and boots (sexy boots, not mukluks). I think I've mentioned before that Tyler doesn't like soup. Fortunately, I now have a soup ally. Parker asked to have this soup instead of macaroni and cheese last week. Score one for the good guys.

The first time I made this soup I loosely followed a recipe from Closet Cooking. I meant to follow it exactly, but I kept getting distracted. Among other mistakes I made, I forgot to add milk to the soup and thinned it out with water instead. It wasn't until we had finished dinner that I realized I had forgotten a pretty major ingredient. As it turns out, the cauliflower is creamy enough without having to add dairy. I have posted a cauliflower soup previously, but this one is better, if I do say so myself.

I put this soup on double duty the second time I made it. To half of the soup I added some goat cheese and shredded cheddar cheese after blending it and used that as a healthy base for macaroni and cheese. I know. I am a frickin' genius.

One Year Ago: Nada

Two Years Ago: Fried Udon Noodles 

 Thanksgiving Menu 

 Cheater Turducken 

 Lentils with Chorizo, Brussels Sprouts, Balsamic Vinegar 

 Apple Cheddar Soup

Three Years Ago: Fresh Pea Pesto Pasta (ie Labour Pasta)

 Squash, Roasted Garlic, Canellini Bean Spread 

Breaded Shrimp 

 Kale Chips 

 Death Boats to Hades aka Jalapeno Poppers

Four Years Ago (yes! My blog-iversary passed on Oct 17. Four years!): Caldo Verde Soup 

 Deep Dish Pizza

  Amazing Granola 

 Chaussons Aux Pommes

Flu-Be-Gone Soup

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND CARAMELIZED ONION SOUP WITH PARMESAN CRISPS

Serves 4-6

I always try to have some homemade chicken stock in the freezer, especially during soup season. If you don't have homemade, I have found Campbell's Stock First is a good store-bought alternative.

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss cauliflower with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet along with garlic (no need to peel it). Roast on middle rack of oven until browned on one side, 10-15 minutes. Stir cauliflower to put browned side up and return pan to oven for another 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven but keep oven on. Peel garlic.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add butter and onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook onions, stirring often, and adding a splash of water when onions start to get too brown to deglaze the pan and stop them from burning (this is a quick caramelizing method. You can use a slow method of your choice if you'd like. I'm just not that patient). Once onions are very soft and deeply browned, add stock, thyme, and roasted cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, until cauliflower is very tender.

Carefully ladle half of the pot into a blender and blend until smooth, adding water to thin to desired consistency. Repeat with other half of cauliflower mixture. Alternatively use an immersion blender to blend right in the pot. Return soup to pot and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring until melted (if your soup isn't piping hot reheat before adding the cheese).

For cheese crisps, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make small piles of Parmesan cheese and pat down flat. Bake until melted and golden brown. Watch closely- they will burn quickly. Remove pan from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Hoisin Glazed Salmon with Indian-Spiced Lentil Mango Salad

I cannot even tell out how proud I am of this dish. This is great stuff folks. On a Monday after work even. A crappy Monday at work. A delicious meal is one way to cheer me up. Wine is another. I don't generally drink on Monday nights. However, if I had a nice Gwurztraminer on hand I would have totally popped it open (I know nothing about wine pairing- I have no idea if that would be good with this dish. If you try it let me know!).

Have you noticed the lack of seafood recipes on Four Seasons Kitchen? We eat shrimp occasionally, but Tyler really only eats shellfish. Or battered and deep fried fish. I usually end up ordering salmon at a restaurant. Consequently I've never really cooked salmon before, so when somebody asked today how I would prepare it (yeah, I talk about food a lot), I actually didn't know.

The inspiration for this recipe a grilled salmon. I'm sure we all remember my grilling track record. That's a no go. I was going to broil it but realized the broiler on my oven isn't working. Fantastic. Well, when I doubt I roast. And cook salmon perfectly! Boo-ya. Tyler even conceded it was good mixed in the salad (but lamented the lack of tartar sauce. I told him if he put ranch dressing on it I would kick him). Parker ate all of his. I call that a win.

One Year Ago: Cream Puff Baby Duckies, Empanada Gallega

Two Years Ago: Tomato recipe round-up, Jerk Honey Garlic Hot Wings, Breaded Pork Chops and Creamy Orzo

Three Years Ago: Beef and Vegetable Empenadas, Mexican Pizza, Moroccan Chicken and Eggplant

HOISIN GLAZED SALMON WITH INDIAN-SPICED LENTIL MANGO SALAD

Adapted from Chatelaine

• 1 piece fresh salmon per person
• salt and pepper
• hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 1 mango, peeled, seeded, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a large cucumber, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place salmon on a greased baking sheet, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread with hoisin sauce to cover each piece of fish with a thin coating of sauce. Once oven is heated place baking sheet in middle of oven. Roast salmon until the tip of a knife inserted in the middle of a piece of fish for 8 seconds comes out warm to the touch (don't test with your tongue- if overcooked you'll burn your tongue. I know from experience), about 15 minutes per inch of thickness.

Meanwhile, boil a small pot of water. Salt the water as you would for pasta (a good large pinch). Add lentils and reduce to a simmer. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes. Don't overcook or they'll turn to mush.

Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Serve lentil salad over fish.

Fresh Corn Soup

Guys. It's corn season! Oh my gosh I love fresh corn from the farm market. And I mean fresh. Sometimes, if you're there at the right time, at the market we go to close by home they open up the bay doors and dump in some corn fresh from the field. Literally just picked. It doesn't get any fresher than that unless you grow it yourself, does it?

But then I get tired of grilled corn. Enter Gwenyth Paltrow's Corn Vichyssoise. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I actually like this soup better than just the corn itself. It doesn't get stuck in your teeth and spray the person sitting across from you when you bite into it. Unless you are sitting across from a 3-year old who thinks it's funny to blow raspberries with his mouth full sometimes. Yep, we're working on it.

The last step in this recipe is to strain the soup through a sieve. Don't be tempted to skip this part. This is what makes the soup velvety and creamy. There is no dairy in this soup (unless you sub butter for olive oil, cause corn and butter are BFFs. Oh, and omit the creme fraiche topping) but you'd think it was made with cream. Like the Parsnip, Apple and Brie soup I made before, the creaminess comes from a potato. Amazing.

This past week when I decided on a whim to make this I didn't have any regular potatoes or leeks, but I did have sweet potatos and onions. Turned out great too. Also, vichyssoise refers to a cold soup, but I just can't get into that. I eat it warm. Either way, go make this now before corn season is over. It's like summer in a bowl.

No, seriously, you're still here? Get to it!

Get the recipe:

GWYNETH PALTROW'S CORN VICHYSSOISE

via Bon Appetit

One Year Ago: Lentil Brownies (aka Special Brownies)

Two Years Ago: Cacio e Pepe

Three Years Ago: Vanilla Iced Coffee + Ham, Swiss and Asparagus Crepes

Super Simple Scrumptious Supper

This is, hands down, once of the simplest and most delicious meals I have ever made. They always say that keeping food simple is best, and this is a fantastic example of that. The pork is 3 ingredients plus good old salt and pepper. The roasted vegetable side is thrown in the oven with the pork at the back end of the cooking time. Easy peasy.

My family was all abuzz about pork this weekend. Yesterday my step mom called asking if we wanted some pork from Costco. She had already bought a couple of pork loins and was going back for more. Because they were $11 bucks for just over 7 pounds!!! What!?! Of course I wanted some. So my step mom called my brother, my brother called me, and a few hours later I had 15 pounds of pork. Oh yeah.

Obviously a pork roast was in order for dinner tonight. A quick Google search turned up this recipe for Pork Loin Roast with Garlic and Rosemary. This one's a keeper folks. The pork came out perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and incredibly juicy. I'm sure this is a testament to both the recipe and the meat itself (Costco's meat is so good, right?).

Okay, pork is in the oven. What will we eat with it? I had a few vegetable contenders- sweet potatoes, parsnips, or carrots. I went to my new go-to vegetable book Ripe by Cheryl Sternman Rule. This book is my new favourite. Beautiful photography, simple recipes, and witty commentary. I also love the fact that the author has organized the recipes by colour i.e. Yellow- there is a page for corn, one for pineapple, one for yellow onions. Each fruit or veg has a funny overview on the vegetable, a few suggestions on how to use it (not recipes but simple uses like Nectarines: Relish = diced nectarines + cherries + red onion + ginger), and then a recipe highlighting the produce.

The parsnip recipe won me over. The recipe in the book is for Roasted Parsnips with Pears and Thyme. I didn't have any pears, but apples with pork are classic, so I swapped apples for the pears. Now, I actually am just warming up to the sweet with savory deal. I have never had a pork chop with applesauce. It just weirded me out. BUT the apples were the best part of this meal and went perfectly with the pork, other vegetables, and thyme. I will make this again and again.

By the way, how do you like the alliteration in my post title? I enjoy it myself.

One Year Ago: Sriracha Devilled Eggs, Tomato Soup Cake

Two Years Ago: Creamy Mushroom Fettucine with Spinach

Three Years Ago: Ricotta Gnocchi

ROAST PORK LOIN WITH THYME PARSNIPS, CARROTS, AND APPLES

Vegetable recipe adapted from Ripe by Cheryl Sternman Rule

Serves 4

I used dried rosemary on the pork and it was great, but I bet it would be even better with fresh rosemary. Ditto for the thyme with the vegetables.

• Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary via Epicurious
• 4 parsnips, peeled
• 2 apples
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 1 tsp dried thyme, or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Get the pork loin in the oven following the recipe linked above. Keep in mind that you will putting another pan in the oven beside the pork or on the rack underneath, so plan accordingly.

Cut parsnips in half across the width. Cut the thinner ends in half again lengthwise. Cut the wider ends into quarters lengthwise. Cut the apples into wedges, discarding the core.

Place apples, parsnips, and carrots on a baking tray lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss and arrange everything in a single layer, ensuring the apples are not sitting with the skin side down (you want the flesh to touch the tray so that it gets caramelized for optimal deliciousness).

After turning the pork halfway through cooking, put the tray of vegetables in the oven with the pork, either side by side on the middle rack if you can, or on the rack below. Roast for 15 minutes then flip the apples and veg with a spatula. When the pork is done let it rest as per the recipe, keep the apples and veg in the oven cooking until the pork has finished it's rest. Serve with ketchup if you are 2 years old, otherwise nothing else is needed.

Breakfast Smoothie

I forget which movie it is from, but there is a dialogue in said movie where the dad says to his daughter, "What are you drinking?"
"A smoothie," she replies.
"What's a smoothie, like a milk shake?"
"I guess so, only smoother," his daughter says.

Smoother, indeed. Smoothie is a strange word, isn't it? Think about it. Smoooooooth-ie. Anyway, I have one almost every morning. I pack as much good stuff as I can into my smoothies to set me up for the day. If lunch ends up being a pemeal bacon sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs (read: no vegetable to be found), oh well, I had my nutrition-packed smoothie for breakfast.

I don't have a recipe for my smoothies, but I do have a basic formula. A least one fruit, something green, something high in fiber, some protein, and some dairy. Sometimes on ingredient fills a couple quotas: black beans provide protein and fiber. Or berries give fiber and fruit.

Here is a list of stuff I've used for each category of my formula. Items with a * are the ones that usually make the morning cut, if you're interested.

Fruit and Veg:

• Apple (skin on, cut into chunks)*
• Banana*
• Mixed frozen berries*
• Pumpkin puree*
• Carrots
• Nectarine
• Fresh or canned peaches
• Fresh, frozen, or canned pineapple
• Mango
• Kiwi
• Cranberries

Protein:

• Protein powder (duh)
• Tofu
• Beans or other legumes- kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils
• Nut butter
• Nuts
• Chia seeds
• Egg (I've never actually thrown in a raw egg, but I've thought about it. My Grannie used to make us "egg nog" with milk, raw egg, and vanilla for breakfast all the time before school and we were fine. But definitely follow guidelines for consuming raw eggs)
• Cooked quinoa*
• Whey leftover from making ricotta cheese (yep, I'm that "thrifty")

Fiber:

• Oats* (throw in raw, or cook in the microwave with some water for a smoother smoothie)
• Ground flax*
• Chia seeds
• Cooked quinoa
• Beans or other legumes- kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils

Dairy or Dairy Alternative:

• Yogurt* - plain, vanilla, Greek, etc. Whatever was on sale that week, basically
• Milk
• Rice milk
• Almond milk

Something Green:

• Spinach*- fresh baby spinach or thawed frozen spinach
• Kale
• Arugula (in a pinch, but it's a very strong flavour)

Other Miscellaneous Add-Ins:

• Turmeric (doesn't really add any flavour but it's a super food that is good for inflammation among other things)
• Honey or maple syrup when using plain yogurt to sweeten it up a bit
• Fresh ginger
• Cinnamon*
• Pumpkin pie spice

There you go. Mix and match to a healthy breakfast and a hall pass to eat a greasy lunch. Also really good for tricking your kids and/or husband into eating spinach.

One Year Ago: Overnight Oatmeal,

Two Years Ago: Cranberry Coffee Cake

Three Years Ago: n/a

Dip Night

Did you ever have "treat dinners" as a kid? Maybe you called them something else, but hopefully everybody gets to experience this growing up. Maybe it was "breakfast for dinner" or ham and cheese waffles like I read about in Bon Appetit. For us, we had two treat dinners- different at my mom's and my dad's. That, and tons o' presents and holiday meals at Christmas time, is the only plus in the broken home column.

So, at my mom's "treat dinner" (yes, we called it that) was cottage cheese and fruit. See, I come by healthy eating honestly. At my dad's, almost every Friday night we would have homemade pizza. I am declaring Dip Night the new treat dinner in my house.

How did this come about? I was looking through my hundreds of recipes saved on my computer thinking that I should make an effort to start cooking the older ones (i.e. the recipes that have now been transferred to three computers). I have a whole lot of dips saved- great for parties and potlucks, but how many dips can you really eat at once? Three, as it turns out. This post could have been called "An Orgy of Dairy", but lets keep it clean folks. With the dips we had pita chips and tortilla chips.

One Year Ago: nada

Two Years Ago: Gogeres, Pizza, and Best Ever Chocolate Cake

+ 

Stuffed Shells

Buffalo Chicken Dip is as amazing as it sounds. The author on Ezra Pound Cake calls it "pure man-bait" (are you reading this single ladies?). Get the recipe by clicking HERE.

Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip: I threw this one in to be at least a little healthy, and it turned out to be the sleeper hit of the night. Recipe below.

Goat Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Dip: I think I over-cooked this one so it was dry and we didn't eat a lot of it, but I mixed it into filling for chicken manicotti the next day and that was amazing. Get the recipe by clicking HERE

MEDITERRANEAN 7-LAYER DIP

Adapted from Cooking With My Kid

• 1 cup hummus, store bought or homemade (recipe below)
• 3/4 cup arugula pesto (recipe below), or store bought basil pesto (reduce to 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup tzatziki
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 green onions, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 2 large pitas, cut into wedges

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes or until golden on one side. Flip them over and bake until golden a crisp on the other side, about 2 more minutes.

Make hummus if using homemade and transfer to a bowl. Then make pesto- no need to wash food processor if you've scraped the hummus out pretty well. 

Spread hummus in bottom of your serving dish (mine was 11x7). Spread pesto over top, then tzatziki. Sprinkle over olives, if using, then tomatoes, green onions, and feta. Refrigerate if not eating immediately.

PANTRY HUMMUS

Traditional hummus has tahini, a sesame seed paste like peanut butter, but I don't keep that around just to make hummus. It's just as good without. 

• 1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste if using no-sodium chickpeas)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• water

Place all ingredients but water in a food processor. Process until mostly smooth. Scrape down bowl, add 2 tbsp water, process again until a totally smooth, adding a little more water if necessary.

ARUGULA PESTO

This can also be made with baby spinach, or a combination of both. Great as a pasta sauce, on fish or chicken. 

2 cups arugula or baby spinach, washed and dried
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil (stems and leaves together are ok- they'll be pureed)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
water, if needed

Place all ingredients but water in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down bowl periodically, adding water a tbsp at a time if needed.

South Indian Lentil Burgers

What would you do if you had an extra hundred bucks this month? For me this is hypothetical, as I never have an extra $100 or even $20 by the time I get paid again. I am, how you say... a spender? Yeah. Terrible at saving. Tyler, on the other hand, always has extra money in his bank account (we keep our money outside of household stuff separate).  In this fantasy where I have an extra 100 bills here's what I would do.

I'd like to say I'd hire a cleaning lady, but that seems unfair that I have to spend my $100 windfall on something boring like cleaning. Plus, Tyler thinks it's crazy to pay somebody to clean when he has a free cleaning lady. Me.

I should probably also buy a new hairdryer as the nozzle on mine is currently being held on with hockey tape (all I could find) due to Parker chucking it across the bathroom. More than once. But I think what I'd really do is spend half on cheese and other gourmet food at a specialty food store and spend the other half on a new top or make up for spring. I'm so practical that way.

Luckily, these South Asian Lentil Burgers are cheap, cheap, cheap to make. You probably have most of the stuff already. These can also be eaten on their own with a salad or roasted veg on the side rather than having them as a burger. Either way, these are super healthy with high fiber but huge on flavour too. Just don't do what I did and respond to your husband's request of burgers with these. Delicious, yes, but "man burgers" they are not.

SOUTH INDIAN LENTIL BURGERS

Serves 4

Adapted from Bon Appetit September 2011

The lentils and rice have to soak for 3-5 hours, so plan accordingly.

• 1/2 cup dried green or brown lentils
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 1 garlic clove

• 1/2 inch piece peeled fresh ginger  
• 1/2 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed (optional)
• 1 cup packed kale, stems removed, or spinach or arugula
• 1/2 cup peas, thawed if from frozen
• 1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
• 1 scallion, cut into 1/2 lengths
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt  
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 Naan bread, cut into quarters
• topping for burgers: Thai sweet chili sauce is good, or the raita in the original Bon Appetit recipe which I didn't feel like making

Place lentils and rice in a bowl and add water to cover by 3 inches. Set aside for 3-5 hours, then drain and proceed with recipe.

Place lentils, rice, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno if using in a food processor. Process until a grainy paste forms (add a little water if necessary). Add peas, parley (or cilantro), scallion, salt and pepper. Process until all is chopped and well combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Form 1/4 cup lentil mixture into a ball, then flatten into a patty and place in pan. Repeat with 3 or 4 more- as many as will fit in pan without crowding. Cook 4 minutes, then drizzle 1tbsp olive oil over tops of patties. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining lentil mixture.

To serve, place 1 lentil patty on Naan bread "bun" (two quarters of Naan bread) with desired toppings. Serving size is two burgers per person.

Parker's Chocolate Cake, Redux

Remember the cake I made for Parker's birthday? I have made it twice since- for a friend's birthday and again for my Dad's birthday. And remember how I couldn't share the recipe because it wasn't published anywhere online? Finally Mairlyn Smith, the author of Healthy Starts Here where the recipe is from, demoed it on Cityline so now it is published on their website for all to see.

Yes, this is a diary-free, low fat cake make with soy and prunes. If you don't tell anybody, they will never know, I swear. I had originally made this cake for Parker's 1st birthday as he was having a problem with dairy. He has now been given a go on dairy from the allergist, but now my little bro is lactose intolerant after a bad stomach flu. So lactose intolerant that a smear of butter on bread at Easter made him sick. That is rough. Since he hosted Dad's birthday dinner and all, I figured should be nice and make a cake that he can actually eat. It was a no-brainer really, because this cake is amazing.

What's even more amazing is the icing I used in this third incarnation of this cake. I shared a link to Just Chocolate Mousse in my last "Bookmarked" post. That is what I iced the cake with. This stuff is like magic. You know that normally water + chocolate is like kryptonite + Superman, right? Well, this mousse turns that truism upside down. It is made of only water and chocolate. I still can't believe that the photo above came out of these two ingredients (one of which is free. Score!).

If you are using this mousse as frosting, keep in mind that it thickens up to a nearly un-spreadable consistency quickly after whipping it to what you think is the perfect point. Make sure you have everything ready to go to frost the cake as soon as the mousse is ready. I made the mousse, it got too hard, so I melted and re-whipped it again and the same thing happened again. I could have probably melted it again with some added water to keep it softer, but it was late so I just ended up working with what I had. Let's just say there was a hair-dryer involved.

One Year Ago: Easiest Ever Chicken

Two Years Ago: Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta (one of my favourite meals ever!)

PARKER'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

from Healthy Starts Here by Mairlyn Smith via Cityline

The frosting in the original recipe linked above is amazing as well if you don't want to use the chocolate mousse to frost the cake. The mousse frosting actually turns out more like a really fudgy, decedent chocolate coating rather than a fluffy mousse.

Cake:

• 1 cup (250 mL) whole-wheat flour   
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) all purpose flour
• 1½ cups (375 mL) granulated white sugar   
• 2/3 cups (150 mL) natural cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp (7 mL) baking soda   
• ¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil       
• 1 cup (250 mL) fortified organic chocolate soy beverage   
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lemon juice       
• 1 - omega-3 egg       
• 1 - 4.5 oz. (128 mL) jar baby food strained prunes   
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

• Just Chocolate Mousse on Food52

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) metal cake pan, or line with parchment paper or two – 8-inch round pans.

In a large bowl mix together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add the chocolate soy beverage, lemon juice, oil, egg, prunes and vanilla. Beat the ingredients together for 1 minute, scraping the bowl often.

Turn the speed up to medium or whisk like your life depended on it for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan or pans, even out the top, and bake in the centre of the oven. For the 9x13-inch pan bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. For the two 8-inch round cake pans bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from the pans and continue cooling.

Once cakes are completely cooled, make the frosting. To frost the cake without mess, place the bottom layer of the cake on whatever you are using to serve the cake. Place parchment or waxed paper just under the outside edge of the cake all the way around. Once the cake is frosted and decorated, remove the paper. Leave frosted cake uncovered at room temperature up to 1 day. If keeping for longer, cover and refrigerate.

Cleanse Day 4

I have decided that this cleanse is going to last a total of 4 days. That's the better part of a week. I can't avoid dairy all weekend. I just can't. Plus, as you will see in my upcoming Bookmarked This Week post, there are just too many good things I want to make and eat this weekend (where to begin!?! Perhaps with one of these epic grilled cheeses).

So. With Day 4 behind me, hello coffee this morning! I think if I was giving up coffee and dairy and such for good would actually be easier, but knowing that there is an end in made it really tough. I knew this already, but this week confirmed it- I have an all or nothing mentality. Tyler can attest to that. My mantra is "If you going to do something, do it right or not at all". Type A much?

Thursday Day 4

Breakfast: Smoothie with strawberries, kale, avocado, protein powder, almond milk. Herbal tea.

Lunch: Crispy Potato, Onion and Mushroom Rosti. This, as you can see from the terrible photo, turned out more like a hash than a rosti (which should be like a giant, crispy potato pancake the photo in the link to the recipe is way more appetizing). Next time I will use a non-stick skillet rather than the cast iron pan. Still delicious either way though.

Snack: Carrot Cake (see Day 3) and tea.

Snack (yes, again): dark chocolate

Dinner: Left over Black Bean Taquito (Day 3) and left over fried rice (Day 2). More carrot cake. And more dark chocolate. Doh.

Cleanse Day 3

Yesterday was pretty easy. I think maybe already by body has stopped crying out for coffee and milk. I went to Zumba last night and I had tons of energy. I think I may make it the week.

I thought that I would feel like something was missing in our dinner of Black Bean Taquitos, but I made a quick salsa and avacado spread to dip them in and they were just fine. However, next time I make this recipe there will be cheese involved, and probably sour cream too.

Wednesday Day 3

Breakfast: Smoothie with protien powder (it was whey which is dairy, but I attribute this to my sanity yesterday), 1/4 avacado, 1/2 cup berries, kale, almond milk. Tea to drink.

Lunch: Egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread. Egg salad made with 3 eggs, 1 finely chopped celery stalk, 1 finely chopped dill pickle, 1 tbsp pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Dinner: Black Bean Taquitos (recipe below) with salsa avacado dip. For dip mash 1/2 an avacado, add 1 tbsp salsa, a squeeze of lime juice, salt and pepper.

Dessert: Healthy Carrot Cake from Cook Yourself Thin on The Food Network, 1/2 kiwi, piece of dark chocolate. I know there is sugar in this cake, but there is no dairy (I didn't make the icing) and it has heart healthy nuts. Plus, I really needed to bake something... again, a sanity issue. I halved the recipe and baked it in 4 mini loaf pans for 25-30 minutes.

BLACK BEAN TAQUITOS

Sprinkle in some cheese before rolling the taquitos if desired.

• 1 onion, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• taco seasoning or make your own- i.e. chili powder, cumin, corriander seed, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne
• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 4-5 canned plum tomatoes, crushed (I just squeeze them in my hand into the pan)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper
• 6 small whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute 2 minutes. Add red pepper, saute until vegetables are soft. Add taco seasoning, stir to combine. Add black beans, pumpkin, and tomatoes, heat through. With a potato masher, roughly mash the black beans. Remove from heat and add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Add about 1/4 cup of bean filling to the bottom third of a tortilla. Roll, ensuring the filling all stays in the tortilla. Place on a baking sheet. Once all tortillas are filled, bake in the middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until taquitos are golden brown.

Cleanse Day 2

I'm now onto day 3 and I think this must be the longest in my life I have gone without dairy. All I can think about is cheese. Is this what quitting smoking feels like? Dang, quitting cheese... I mean smoking... is tough work.

Yesterday I realized when I got to work that I forgot to pack some dark chocolate. The only treat I get all day. That I was looking forward to all day. AHHHH! Sorry, but apples just don't cut it. On the plus side, I wasn't as starving day 2 as I was the first day.

I was, however, worried that I would be unable to refuse a leftover Easter cupcake at my parents when I dropped Parker off before work. I actually mulled over this scenario the whole drive there and decided that I literally have no will power and would eat the cupcake. Which lead to a fantasy of biting into the strawberry cupcake, what it would taste like, the smooth buttercream, dense cake.

So that just got awkward... Anyway, this whole scene that I worked up in my head did not occur so the cleanse is saved!

Tuesday Day 2

Breakfast: Egg over easy cooked in olive oil on whole grain toast. Carmel Rooibos tea with lemon

Snack: I planned on having a smoothie but didn't have time

Lunch: Brussels Spouts Fried Rice with Crispy Cauliflower from Serious Eats. This was quite good, but did require some hot sauce in my opinion. The good thing about Asian food is you don't feel like you are missing out on something (i.e. CHEESE).

Snack (2pm): Roasted Madras Chickpeas and chai tea with honey

Snack(4:30pm): Half a peanut butter and jam sandwich on whole grain bread

Dinner: Leftover whole wheat pasta with Braised Broccoli and Tomato Sauce and an apple. I think the sauce is better the second day.

Snack: Egyptian Licorice Tea. This tea is delicious and naturally sweet. It's my fave.

Cleanse Day 1

I feel like I have been on steady diet of bread, eggs, and cheese for the last while, even before Easter. So I have decided this week to do a "cleanse". I've made up my own rules, hence the quotation marks. No dairy, no sugar other than a little dark chocolate, eat whole grains, little meat, and no coffee. Today is day 2. Somebody shoot me.

Why am I doing this if I am miserable? Because I feel unhealthy, but mostly because now that I have started I want to see if I can really go a whole week following these rules. I am guilty of being hypocritical- on hand I can't understand why people say, can't stop eating chips when they are on a diet or quit smoking, but on the other hand I have never actually finished a diet of my own. Yikes. So caffeine headache be damned, I'm going to finish out the week. I'm hoping I'll see a payoff- better skin, shiny hair, more energy. Or at the very least have better poops (sorry, had to go there). Something at least.

In preparation, I read through The Food Lover's Cleanse from Bon Appetit and The Vegan Experience on Serious Eats. I figure if these people who work in the food industry can do it, so can I for a week. I will post if not every day, every couple of days at least.

Monday Day 1

Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cranberries, cinnamon and almond milk
Rooibos tea with lemon

Snack: Smoothie with 1/2 banana, 1/2 kiwi, 1/4 avocado, kale, almond milk, handful bran cereal (next time I will add berries- it wasn't sweet enough)

Lunch: Rice paper rolls filled with carrot, cucumber, red pepper dipped in Thai sweet chili sauce

Snack: Chai tea with honey, Roasted Madras Chickpeas, 2 crackers (not whole grain, sadly) with tuna salad (tuna, pumpkin puree, mayo)

Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with Braised Broccoli and Tomato Sauce, 1 slice (white!) bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Snack: dark chocolate and 1/4 whole wheat bagel with jam

So I was basically starving all day yesterday despite eating all that food above. I think I have a problem with deprivation and my brain is trying to trick me into eating some cheese. Also I had a headache all day probably due to lack of caffeine. This gets easier, right? The pasta for dinner was okay, but next time (haha there will be no next time) I would use my Roasted Vegetable Sauce.

Mystery Box Dinner Revealed!

Well Hallelujah, finally a comment on the previous post (thank you cous!). Y'all weren't getting the reveal until I got at least one response so let's all thank Katie and Chris. And next time, a little more love please? I can tell from the stats that you read the post and I know where you live (just kidding).

So, what did I make? Katie, we were on the same page here with the kale salad with crispy prosciutto. Nice one. There was also roast chicken with garlic and herb butter and thyme roasted carrots and parsnips. And for dessert, which didn't photograph well and there was some wine involved by this point in the evening, Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. Whoa. Epic meal time. Without the burgers... and the bacon weave... anyway, here are the recipes.

One Year Ago: Baked Rigatoni, Bulgar Salad

Two Years Ago: Almond Cake for Spring

KALE SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO, HONEY GOAT CHEESE, AND WARM BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4

• 1 bunch kale, leaves stripped from thick stem (discard stem) and sliced into ribbons
• 6 slices prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• aged goat cheese or similar hard cheese (Parmesan would be good too)

Divide kale between serving plates for each person. Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat. Add prosciutto, cook until crisped. Turn off heat and divide prosciutto between plates. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to pan to warm. Pour over kale. With a vegetable peeler, shave cheese over each plate.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND HERB BUTTER

I have included ingredient measurements, but really I eyeballed it. A little more, a little less, it'll work out. Plus, my chicken was huge- scale the ingredients down if yours is smaller of course.

• 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs
• salt and pepper
• 1 five pound chicken

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F with rack set to lower middle position. Puree butter, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper to season in a food processor. Alternatively, chop herbs and garlic and mix into butter with salt and pepper. Loosen chicken skin on breast and legs from the meat. Spread butter mixture under the skin. Season chicken with more salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a roasting pan with a rack* breast side up. Roast until chicken is cooked though- 180 degrees F- turning chicken over partway through cooking if skin is getting too dark. Rest covered with foil 10 minutes before carving.

*If you don't have a roasting pan with a rack I've seen Michael Smith make a "rack" out of vegetables but I can't attest to the effectiveness of this method.

ROASTED CARROTS AND PARSNIPS

This will work for any root vegetables. Peel parsnips and scrub carrots. Cut into pieces- the trick here is to cut large enough so they won't burn in the oven but not too big that they'll take forever to cook. Toss vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried thyme. Roast on a baking sheet 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn, roast10 more minutes.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Get the recipe at LCBO.com. I made some modifications, of course. I used part half and half and part skim milk. And I used my banana bread recipe- I had one frozen so I thawed it in the fridge overnight and it worked perfectly.

Baby Food Part 3: Toddler Food

Toast with jam: delicious but messy

I know every toddler is different, and mine seems to to really different as you will see in the list of foods he loves below, but I figured I'd give a quick run down of the foods that Parker loves (and hates). Although he is a pretty good eater, he has his moments, and in those moments I need a list like this. Hopefully I can help just a bit with feeding your "opinionated" toddler.

I have also found that if I can get him to eat a bite or two of whatever I am serving somewhere other than his high chair (sitting on the floor, while holding him, sitting on the counter), he will eat the rest sitting in his chair. Luckily, a pretty healthy meal can be made of bits and pieces of things he does like- today he had half an apple, some cheese, crackers, and tomatoes for lunch, for example.

I have just found in the last few days that he loves smoothies, so this is a God-send. You can hide anything in a smoothie. I was nervous to give him a cup with a straw, being that I hate messes (haha welcome to toddler years Amy) but if you take the non-spilly part out of a sippy cup and the smoothie is, well, smooth, it can be drunk that way just fine. With no mess. Score one for Mommy.

Likes:
Peas
Corn
Tomatoes
Pasta
All fruit
Avacado
Crackers
Cheese (we are going slow with dairy, but so far so good!)
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
Beans
Lentils
Rice
Ketchup
Plum Sauce
Sweet Potatoes
Ham, Spinach, Cheese Stata
Tuna on crackers
Toast
Stuffed potatoes
Tomato Sauce
Omellette
Smoothies
Potato Vegetable Cakes
Chicken Pot Pie
Pancakes
French toast

Will Tolerate (Sometimes):
Chicken Fingers
Poached Chicken
Zucchini
Hard boiled eggs

Hates:
Broccoli (we may have to try it in a smoothie soon- I'll report back)
Onions
Yogurt

One Year Ago: Creamy Vegetable Soup

Two Years Ago: Not much was happening in March... sorry?

Perfect Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight oatmeal + Tassimo coffee = out the door with a hot breakfast and caffeine in less than 5 minutes.

Alright, so I know oatmeal isn't all that time consuming to make, but do you have 10 minutes to boil and stir before heading out to work? I don't. And I only work part time.

I start work at 8am on Sundays. Which means I wake up at 7:00 in order to be out the door by 7:20. I refuse to get up any earlier than 7. It's just not right. So I need a breakfast that can be cooked and eaten in less than 5 minutes, or can be warmed up at work. There's always Timmies, but I don't want to endure their coffee just for a bagel that sometimes they forget to toast.

I used to bring dry oatmeal and add hot water from the water cooler (is that an oxymoron or something? Hot water from the water cooler?), but it was never quite right. Sure, it was hot and ready (my fave, lol) but that is more like oats in hot water than oatmeal. There is a difference.

I'm giving a recipe, but it's really more a guideline. Tonight as I'm writing this, I am eating oatmeal that I mixed this morning to bring to work for dinner (somehow we are out of bread and crackers, my usual go to's if I can't find something to bring for lunch), and I added dried cranberries, candied ginger, walnuts, and cinnamon. I'm hoping it will keep me full long enough to avoid a vending machine visit at 10pm. 'Cause that's never pretty.

One Year Ago: Creamy Mushroom Fettucine with Spinach

Two Years Ago: Nada. I was newly preggo. 'Nuff said.

PERFECT OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

An Amy Original

Serves 1

• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (don't use quick-cooking!)
• water
• spices i.e. cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, etc
• any combination of add ins: dried cranberries, nuts, seeds, raisins, chopped fruit, frozen berries (no need to thaw), pumpkin puree, chopped crystallized ginger, etc
• milk to serve, if desired
• sweetener to taste, if desired (maple syrup, honey, brown sugar)

Place oats in a bowl or to-go container. Add enough water to just cover oats. Stir in any spices and add ins. Cover and place in fridge overnight. In the morning microwave until hot. Add milk and sweetener if desired.

New Tag: Cook Once Eat Twice

I have added a new tag to some previous posts, and to this new one. Cook Once, Eat Twice. It could be called Cook Once, Eat a Bunch of Times but that was too long.

I love it when I can use up leftovers in a new way. It makes meals so quick and easy. So why not plan meals to have left overs to re-invent the next night? I'm not talking my step mom's classic "casserole". Growing up when we were having "casserole" it meant leftovers mixed into rice and warmed up in a casserole dish.

So today's recipe is a roasted vegetable puree that can be made in to many other meals. Or just mix a little into whatever you are making- I mixed some into Bolognese sauce last night and nobody was the wiser. Since Tyler doesn't read this blog (because he says "he lives it"), it's still our little secret.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE PUREE

Adapted from Sweet Potato Chronicles

The vegetables and their amounts are a rough guide- use which ever vegetables you like, but ensure they all have roughly the same cooking time. 

To peel celery root, use a knife to take off the outside 1/4-inch all around the vegetable- the skin is too tough to use a peeler. The squash and sweet potato aren't peeled as the skin adds more fiber and nutrients, and it get soft in the oven and pureed anyway.

• 2 carrots, scrubbed and chopped into large pieces
• 1 medium celery root (celeriac), scrubbed, peeled, and chopped into large pieces
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, scrubbed and chopped into large pieces
• 1 large sweet potato scrubbed and chopped into large pieces
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 large onion peeled and quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• olive oil
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large, or 2 small, baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. If using foil spray with cooking spray. Toss all vegetables with a good drizzle of olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Arrange on baking tray so that they are all in one layer. Roast until golden brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables on the tray and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes- until vegetables are golden and cooked through. Allow to cool on the tray 15 minutes.

Peel garlic cloves and discard the peels. In two or three batches, puree vegetables with enough stock to just cover them in a blender until smooth- use water if you run out of stock. Puree can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen in smaller portions for up to 4 months.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

Add enough water or chicken stock to vegetable puree above to get it to the consistency you want for soup. Heat and serve. With grilled cheese would be nice.

SAUSAGE AND KALE PASTA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLE SAUCE AND FETA

Serves 4

Some white kidney beans would be a good addition as well. Or to make this vegetarian, replace the sausage with beans.

• 500 g dried pasta
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
• salt and pepper
• 2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 small bunch kale, washed, ribs removed, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• roasted vegetable puree
• tomato sauce

In a large pot of salted boiling water cook pasta to al dente and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, butter, onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to break up onions into individual strands. Cover for 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until just slightly caramelized. Remove onions from pan and set them aside.

Heat same pan to medium high heat. Add sausage and break up into small pieces with a spatula while it is cooking. Once sausage is cooked through and browned, add kale. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 large ladles of roasted vegetable puree and the same amount of tomato sauce. Stir until heated through. Add pasta and feta. Stir to combine. Add enough pasta water until the sauce is the consistency you want. Serve with a little more feta crumbled on top if desired.