Quinoa & Sweet Potato salad

I totally just copied and pasted the recipe from Just Cook Already. This is seriously the best dinner I've made in awhile. I doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the spinach. Definitely don't forget that!

1/2 c. dry quinoa

1 c. water

1 whole garlic clove, peeled

1 sweet potato (I used a smallish one)

1/2 onion

2-3 c. spinach

Feta cheese

*Makes 2 large servings as a main dish, 4 servings as a side dish (or for small appetites)

1. Put the quinoa, water, and garlic clove in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is doing its thing, dice up the onion and cut the sweet potato into small cubes (I like mine pretty small).
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with a little olive oil (about 1 teaspoon). Put the diced sweet potatoes in, stirring every few minutes. Cover the sweet potatoes to trap a little steam and help tenderize them for a few minutes.
4. When the sweet potatoes are about halfway tender (which should be about when your quinoa is halfway done cooking, assuming you chop quickly ;), put the onions in with the sweet potatoes. Cook all those together until they are tender, then throw the spinach on top, continuing cooking until wilted. Remove from heat.
5. When your quinoa is finished cooking, fluff with a fork and smash up the garlic clove, spreading it throughout the quinoa. Combine the quinoa with the sweet potato/onion/spinach mix.
6. Season with salt and pepper. (I like sea salt best).
7. Sprinkle feta on top to your liking.
   

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

{And the leftovers for lunch were just as good!}

Got this off of Kalyn's Kitchen, so if you want the "real" recipe, go there. But, here's how I did it:

3 large sweet potatoes, cut into one inch cubes
1 large red onion, chopped
3 tbs EVOO
2 tsp. dried rosemary
ground pepper (to your liking)
kosher salt (to you liking)

Mix all of those things together in a ziplock bag, and mix it real good. Let it sit for a couple of hours to marinate. (<---thats where mines a tad different)

Heat over to 375. Pour the potatoes onto a foil lined jellyroll pan and bake for 45 min. When they come out sprinkle enough parmesan cheese to your liking. You could add more rosemary, but because I let it marinate it didn't really need it.

whatever curry soup

So, my friend Emma is a person who if she invites you over and the invite involves food, you drop whatever you are doing and you go. No exceptions.

Well the other day we had a curry lunch date, it was good, way good.

I got her recipe, and tweaked it cause I'm lazy.

I call it "whatever curry soup" cause you really can add or take away whatever.

what you need:

• 3 or 4 medium potatoes, peeled roughly and chopped into chunks
• 1 medium onion, chunked
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped into....wait for it.....chunks
• Had I had sweet potato, I would have added a couple too

Dump it all into a big pot

Stir in enough olive oil to lightly coat veggies (couple tablespoons is enough probably)

Saute the veggies until a little soft, and onions are a little translucent

then add:

• Enough water in to cover the veggies, or us veggie/chicken stock instead (then omit the bullion).
• 3 or 4 bullion cubes (preferably veggie, or chicken)
• 4 tsp curry, I used the whitey mcwhitey generic brand at the grocery store, if you are awesome like Emma, you use real curry from a legitimate specialty food store.
• Salt and pepper, although I might wait to add this until the end to start taste-testing it to get it right.

then you:

Let this boil until everything is soft, but not mushy k?

Dump TWO cans of coconut milk in there. You could do one, but why?

Let simmer for a bout ten minutes,

Taste test, and add more curry, salt and pepper to your liking.

If you wanted to add chicken, it would be good. Tofu would be rock'n too. Really just make it your own. And like all my recipes, everything is approximate.

Serve over rice, and enjoy.

And it does taste better in a jack-o-lantern mug. Just say'n.

And don't thank me, thank Emma.

Nasi Goreng (and no people were harmed in the finding of this recipe)

Rachel's Husband here.

I found this recipe on a website, and the recipe is a bit different than the one that I grew up on, but this one does look good too. Mine was

Cook 3 cups rice

Sautee 1 medium onion

brown 1lb pork

mix with as much ketjap manis as the rice with soak.

Eat with one, two or three eggs on top.

for the vegi-bites out there (me now being one) just switch out the pork from tofu or other veggies. and check out this one too. My great aunt went to my parents place a while back, and from what I heard, hers, being a bit more authentic as she still lives in Harlem, Netherlands, is more like this.

Happy eatings.

NASI GORENG (Indonesian fried rice)
The first bite might take your head off, but after that the warm glow of Sriracha, tempered by the sweetness of kecap manis, will be positively addicting. Just ask my friends Bob and Bev, who aren't super-spicy-food lovers; they taste-tested this recipe and couldn't stop eating it. Note: this recipe calls for cold cooked rice, which can be made up to a week ahead of time; or, buy steamed rice from a Chinese restaurant, and chill it. Serves 4-5 as a side dish; can be doubled.

2 Tbsp canola oil
10 large shrimp (21-25 size), peeled, deveined, sliced in half length-wise
1 garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 cups storebought cole slaw mix (or 1-1/4 cups shredded green cabbage plus 1/4 cup shredded carrot)
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from the supermarket)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cups cooked long-grain or basmati rice, cold
2 Tbsp kecap manis
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp Sriracha (or less, to taste)

In a wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cole slaw mix, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and curled. Push the mixture to one side, and pour in the beaten egg. Let cook 1 minute or until just set. Add the rice, and stir all together, chopping up the rice clumps and the egg with a wooden spoon. Stir in the kecap, sesame oil and Sriracha, and stir to combine all ingredients. Serve hot.

whole wheat pizza & pita dough

{PIZZA}

.

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1 cup warm water

2 cup wheat flour (I have used half wheat, half white as well)

1/4 cup wheat germ (I used flax and bran)

1 tsp salt

1 large tbsp honey

.

-oven 350ish

-dissolve yeast in warm water, let it get foamy for about 10 minutes

-combine dry ingredients and make a well, pour yeasty mixture and honey in the well

-stir it up,and kneed it up. mine came out a little sticky, so just slowly add more flour as you go to get the right consistency

-roll dough on a floured surface, let it rest for a bit and there ya go!

.

.

{PITAS}

same exact thing as the pizza, only roll it out, pick a bowl out that is about the same size as a pita and use it as a cookie cutter.

Place the pitas on a cookie sheet (I sprayed mine before) and poke holes with a fork.

Brush with an olive oil, salt and garlic mixture to keep them yummy and moist.

then bake them, probably 5ish minutes, just watch them, you want them barely barely barely golden brown on the edges.

beyond easy pasta salad

Basically you through whatever veggies you have with some whole pasta and Italian dressing. But here's exactly what I did:

2 zucchinis

1/2 onion

1 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 bell pepper

minced garlic to taste-I did about a Tbsp

{This is just what we had in the fridge, adjust to whatever, add whatever...fool proof really.}

put these veggies in frying pan and saute in olive oil until desired doneness, when onions are transparent is probably good.

.

In large bowl combine sauteed veggies with:

2 sm tomatoes, chopped

1 sm jar of artichoke hearts

whatever else you have (I bet cucumber would be yummy...)

1/2 bag of whole wheat egg noodles (cooked)

squirt a bunch of Italian salad dressing (mine was roasted red pepper Italian) and shake a few solid shakes of Parmesan cheese in there and stir. We demolished it, including the littlest member of the the fam. Eat it warm or cold.

Bean Party

1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed diced tomatoes
1 can vegetable broth
1 cup quick cooking brown rice
1/2 of a 10oz package frozen lima beans
1 can cut green beans
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 cup spaghetti sauce (meatless, duh)
1/2 cup shredded motzerealla

In a big skillet, combine kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, broth, uncooked rice, lima beans, green beans and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes-ish until rice is tender.

Stir in spaghetti sauce. Top with cheese. Delicious!

Cals 259 fat 4g 50 carbs 14 protein

Lentil & Veggie tostadas

(also shown with Veggie Quesas)

2 cup water

3/4 cup dry lentils

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tbs cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

4 tostada shells

2 cups chopped veggies (I did zucchini, squash, broccoli and red pepper)

3/4 cup cheese

In a saucepan, stil water, lentils, onion, cilantro, salt, cumin and garlic. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until lentils are tender. Use a fork to mash lentils (I had to use more water eventually because my lentils were too dry).

Spread lentil mixture on tostada shells and top with veggies and cheese. Place on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for about 2 minutes.

Top with salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream.

Veggie Quesas

3/4 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 green onions
2 tbs water
6 tortillas
2 cups shredded ceese (cheddar or monterey jack)
sour cream
salsa

Steam broccoli, carrots, onion and water in a dish, covered. Microwave 2-4 minutes until veggies are tender.

Arrange steamed veggies and cheese on tortillas.

Bake at 450 for 6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve with sour cream and salsa

To. Die. For. Lasagna.

9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dante
8 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 cups motzerella cheese, shredded
1 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
tofu, medium firm, cubed
16 oz cottage cheese

sauce:
1 cup fat free milk
2 tbs flour
1/2 veg bouillon cube
3/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

To make sauce, stir milk, flour, bouillon cube, seasonings and pepper until bubbly and thick. Add yogurt and cheese, stir until cheese is melted. Set to the side.

Layer the goods (including sauce) however you like. This might be kind of weird, but I took the tofu and squeezed it between my fingers so it would be smaller bits so Cory couldn't taste it. But for you braver folks, cubed tofu would work very well.

Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 4o minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until top is golden and bubbly. Yum!

Black Bean Cakes with Guacamole

Seriously so good, and SO easy! I served with homemade sweet potato fries.

2 slices whole wheat bread, torn
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
I canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (found in mexican aisle in WINCO)
1-2 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 beaten egg
guacamole
1 small tomato, chopped

Put torn bread in food processor and blend until it makes coarse crumbs. Transfer crumbs to large bowl.
In the food processor again, mix garlic, cilantro, beans, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and cumin. Pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped and well blended. Add to bread crumbs and add egg. Mix well. Shape into 4-5 patties.
Grill in pan or on grill until heated through, turning halfway through grilling.
Serve with guac and tomatoes.

178 cals, 7g fat, 25g carb, 9g fiber, 11 g protein

swipe-your-high-chair-clean split pea soup

3 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth (vegetable broth)

1 package (16 oz) dry split peas

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced (2 cupsish)

1 tsp pepper

1/2 dried thyme

1 bay leaf (about 1/2 tsp)

few shakes of garlic powder and Johnny's seasoning

stick it all in the crock pot

low: 6-8 hrs

high: 4-5 hrs

*I added a few kidney beans to Lily's so thats what you see in the picture*

It looks like its not going to turn out, but trust me, it totally works and its totally awesome.

Speaking of cheesecake...

Thanks Gena!

Ingredients:
2 8-oz blocks softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1 dash vanilla
2 graham cracker crusts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place cream cheese in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until no lumps remain. Add eggs, sugar, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla, mixing well after each ingredient is added. Divide into two graham cracker crusts and bake in oven for 50 minutes. Let cool completely, then chill in the fridge for 3 hours.

(*recipe makes two)

Fruit pancakes with Blueberry sauce

Pancakes:

1 egg

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbs. brown sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup milk (I used soy)

3 tbs. applesauce

1 cup frozen berries (thawed)

In bowl whip egg. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix just until blended. Cook on a skillet at 300ish degrees until they are done. (you know what pancakes should look like!)

Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water and lemon juice. Add blueberries; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

*sauce would be good over ice cream or cheesecake too! (Maybe I should go make one!)

easy fancy grilled cheese (healthy too!)

ingredients:

1 zucchini (cut in half, and then cut thin slices length wise)

1/2 summer squash(cut the same as zuc)

{saute the above in light olive oil and garlic until desired done...ness}

1-2 tomato(es), sliced

1/2 avocado, mashed

1 cup (loose) grated cheese

(we were out of peppers but I bet thinly sliced red peppers would be divine!)

mayo:

1/8-1/4c artichoke hearts diced( the jar kind)

1/4 bunch of cilantro

1/4 cup mayo

mix it all up, when I make this again, I will add garlic and some greek seasoning to it as well.

{on a cookie sheet}

Smear your mayo, then avocado on your bread.

Layer your tomato slices, then your zucchini and squash and top with cheese.

broil for a few minutes until the cheese is all melty