Sunflower Pesto

I love pesto! So does Joe! So do the kids! It is so versatile. You can use it in place of marinara on a pizza. You can toss pasta in it. You can stuff chicken breasts with pesto and cheese. You can make little fancy appetizers with a baguette, cheese and cherry tomatoes. Catch my drift? It's just good to have around. The recipe itself is also versatile. The traditional recipe calls for pine nuts, but walnuts and even sunflower seeds (like this recipe) work well.  The original recipe also calls for Parmesan. You could certainly substitute Romano, or for you health conscious folks, skip the cheese altogether.  For you dorky, yet health conscious people, you can use nutritional yeast in place of the cheese. This not only makes your pesto vegan, but adds protein, vitamins and a delightfully cheesy taste.
I love to make the pesto and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Which, really brought back some memories from my baby food making days! This way, you have the pesto frozen into small quantities that are ready to use. I usually add a little fresh lemon juice to my pesto once it has defrosted to freshen it up.

Pesto

2/3 c. sunflower seeds (pine nuts or walnuts)
5 c. loosely packed basil leaves
1 1/4 c. Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. nutritional yeast (parmesan or romano)
8 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
Pulse nuts or seeds in blender or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and pulse. Store in fridge or freezer...or use right away! Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before using.

Curried Carrot Soup

This soup doesn't make sense. I don't know why it is so good! It's basically just carrots and broth pureed together, but something about this particular combination is magic. This soup is delicious and very healthy! Tip: Don't go crazy trying to chop your onions and carrots uniformly as they will just get pureed in the end.

Curried Carrot Soup
Source: Every Day Food's Great Food Fast
2 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 t. curry powder
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 cans (or 29 oz total) chicken broth (or vegetable)
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
1-2 T. fresh lemon juice
optional garnish- chopped cilantro (I used a little basmati rice)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, carrots and 3 c. water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat , cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
Puree soup in batches in blender. *Only fill blender about half full since you are working with hot liquid.  Allow heat to escape by opening the hole in the lid and covering it with a towel. This will prevent hot liquid from splattering. Stir in lemon juice and garnish.


Greta and Miles rating; Miles wasn't a huge fan, but when Greta tasted it she said she was going to eat the whole pot full of soup!

Barley-Mushroom Risotto

We are true risotto lovers. What if I told you that you could make risotto with barley in the place of the starch-laden arborio and it would taste just as good even better than the original? My entire family adores this recipe. I'm not sure that you would be able to sub barley for arborio in every recipe, but the earthiness of the barley really works with the natural flavor of the mushrooms. If you are a risotto fan, I challenge you to try this!

Barley-Mushroom Risotto
Source: Brown Eyed Baker
2 T. olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 t. dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. barley
6 c. broth (veggie, chicken or beef)
1 T. butter
1/2 c. Parmesan, shredded

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until beginning to brown. Add mushrooms and cook until juices are released (about 5 minutes). If mushrooms are sticking to pot, you may add 1-3 T. of water. Add thyme, garlic and barley. Stir well and cook for about an minute. Add 4 c. of broth and turn bring to boiling over high heat. Boil until liquid is almost completely gone. Turn heat down to medium and add 1/2 c. of broth at a time stirring until liquid is mostly absorbed each time. When barley is tender (you will probably use all of the liquid), remove from heat and add butter and Parmesan. Serve!

Greta and Miles rating: Like I said, this is a family favorite. They have no idea that it is barley!

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

I love eatingwell.com. Every recipe I've made from this website has been not only healthy, but fantastic! When I received some Swiss chard in our CSA box this week, I knew I would be trying a new recipe. At first, I wasn't sure that I would like the taste of gnocchi and beans together. Somehow, in this dish the beans take on a more buttery, almost cheesy taste and it just works! This was a snap to throw together and was my first time using pre-made gnocchi.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans
Source: Eatingwell

1 T. plus 1 t. Olive oil
1 (16 oz.) pkg. shelf stable gnocchi
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. water
6 c. chopped chard leaves
1 (15 oz. can) white beans, rinsed
1 (15 oz. can) diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan
1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella

Heat 1 T. oil over medium heat in non-stick skillet. Cook gnocchi, stirring until plumped and beginning to brown. About 5-7 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 1 t. oil and onion. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add water and garlic. Cover and cook until onion is soft, 4-6 minutes. Add chard and cook, stirring until greens begin to wilt. Add rinsed beans, pepper and tomatoes. Stir. Bring to simmer and stir in gnocchi. Top with cheeses and cover. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce begins to bubble. About 3 minutes.

Greta and Miles rating: They really liked the gnocchi. Greta liked the chard and Miles liked the tomatoes. Overall, a success!

Sauteed Radishes

CSA season is officially here, and this means it is a season of healthier eating in our home. Last CSA season in the spring we received a lot of radishes. Last year, I'm sad to say that I either gave them away or wasted them. This year, I found a great recipe for sauteed radishes. Cooking them really tames the bitterness. This is a great side dish if you have an abundance of radishes!

Sauteed Radishes
source: Epicurious

2lbs. radishes, coarsely chopped
2 T. butter
1 t. salt
1 T. minced garlic
3 T. chopped chives

Heat 1 1/2 T. butter in skillet over medium-high heat. When melted, saute radishes in salt, stirring until crisp tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plate and keep warm. Saute garlic in remaining 1 T. of butter for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add cooked radishes and chives.

Asian Coleslaw

This is a recipe that my sister made for us in Switzerland. As soon as I took a bite, I knew that my husband would LOVE it! Joe is a huge peanut butter sauce fan. I really do not care for traditional coleslaw, but this is fantastic. My hubby said that sunflower seeds would have been a great addition, and you know what- he is right! I will add them next time for sure. My sister served this side dish with some delicious spicy chicken burgers. I served it over a maple-soy marinated steak.

Asian Coleslaw
dressing:
3 T. rice wine vinegar
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. creamy peanut butter
1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. soy sauce
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. minced garlic
splash of fish sauce


slaw:
3 c. coleslaw mix
1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. shredded purple cabbage
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
*1/4 c. chopped cilantro (optional, I didn't use- my husband is allergic)


Combine dressing ingredients and whisk. Combine slaw ingredients. Toss in dressing right before serving.

Easy Meringues

I have not been baking as much as I usually do. In an effort to lighten things up a bit- I made this recipe for meringues. I made a few vanilla and a few chocolate. They are light, delicious and everyone loves them. At around 35 calories a piece, they are hard to beat! With only a few ingredients, they are a snap to throw together. They do however require a little extra time to just sit and dry out.

Easy Meringues
Adapted from: All Recipes
2 egg whites
1/2 c.sugar
AND one of the following:
 1 t. vanilla-to make vanilla meringues
1 1/2 T. cocoa powder- to make chocolate meringues
OR
2 t. instant coffee granules- to make espresso meringues

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually add in sugar and beat until mixture is no longer gritty when tested between fingers. Fold in desired flavoring.  Spoon into pastry bag or ziplock (with small hole cut in one of the corners). Squeeze mixture in mounds onto cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven off, but leave meringues in oven for about 2 hours to dry out.

Banana Muffins

I've been in sort of a rut with snacks for the kids. It is so easy (and healthy) to just give them a piece of fruit and call it good. But, lately, I've been wanting to spice things up a bit. I found this simple, healthy recipe and the kids loved it. I loved that it doesn't have any butter or oil and only 1/4 c. of sugar. The original recipe was for mini-muffins. Since I don't have a mini-muffin pan, I made full size- which was a good thing because my kids each ate 3 full sized muffins!

Banana Muffins

2-3 bananas, smashed
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 egg

1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1 c. flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients, just until combined and spoon into muffin tins. Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Brothy Chinese Noodles

I was recently fortunate enough to get to visit my sister in Switzerland! She is a fabulous cook! I promise to share some of the wonderful meals she made for us. This is a recipe she prepared for us that came from the EatingWell website. If you have not visited this site, it is a must! It is one of the few websites with healthy food that are actually tastes good! My sister substituted ground chicken for the ground turkey. I've made it both ways and the chicken is the best! Thanks, Jill for this recipe :)

Brothy Chinese Noodles
2 T. sesame oil
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 C. chopped onion (or scallions)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. ginger, minced
8 oz. dried Chinese noodles
4 C. chicken broth
3/4 C. water
4 C. thinly sliced bok choy
3 T. soy sauce (I used Bragg's Aminos)
1 T. rice vinegar

Heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. Add chicken, onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until no longer pink and transfer to plate. Add noodles, broth, water, bok choy, soy sauce, vinegar and 1 T. of oil to pot. Cook, stirring until noodles are tender. Approximately 5 minutes. Return chicken mixture to pot and serve.

Greta and Miles rating: The whole family loved this comfort dish!

Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats

One day I posted that I had made steel cut oats as my facebook status. I got all sorts of comments like "how the heck do you cook those, anyway?". Well, I like to make a big 'ol batch in the crock pot and then portion it out into containers for reheating during the week. That way I can just reheat a single serving when I'm ready. These are great topped with fresh fruit, with a swirl of yogurt, with dried fruit or nuts. Here is a page with some of the health benefits of eating steel cut oats.

Steel Cut Oats

7 c. water

1 c. steel cut oats

1 T. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 T. coconut oil (or butter)

1 T. honey

Combine all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low or high until desired consistency. Since I cook mine to reheat, I turn the crock pot off when they are still a little runny. I usually end up cooking them on high for about 4 hours. Yields about 8 servings.

All portioned out and ready to go!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I love tilapia. It is cheap. It is good for you. And it is delicious! We make this recipe often. This is definitely a "melt in your mouth" good recipe. The amazing thing is that one serving is only 203 calories! I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com. I usually serve this with rice or couscous and last time I served it with roasted sugar snap peas. Yum!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 T. mayo
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. dried basil
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/8 t. onion powder
1/8 t. sea salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat broiler. In small bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping. Broil fish 2-3 min. on one side, flip. Broil another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and brush topping on the filets. Broil another 2-3 minutes or until topping is bubbly and golden.

Greta and Miles rating: Both my 2 year old and 4 year old LOVE this dish.

Rosemary & Garlic Crackers

Who knew that home made crackers could be so easy and so good? The whole family loved these simple crackers. I found the recipe here, and below is my version. These could so easily be changed up! You can use any type or combination of flours as well as herbs or spices.

Rosemary & Garlic Crackers

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or combination of grains –I used whole wheat and oat flours)
1/4-1/2 c. butter, melted
1 cup water and 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed

1 t. garlic powder

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

The flours can be soaked for 12-24 hours, but the crackers will be great even if you skip this step.

Combine flour(s) with water and vinegar. Soak (or not) for 12-24 hours.

After soaking (or not) add the melted butter, salt and baking powder. Knead ingredients together until well combined. Divide dough into two portions. Roll each portion into a large rectangle (about 1/16 inch thick). Cut into desired squares and place on a cookie sheet. Pierce each cookie with a fork 2-3 times. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly brown. Enjoy!

Kale Chips

We got our 2nd CSA box for the summer today. In our box was some beautiful kale and I was sooooo excited. I’ve seen recipes online for kale chips and have been dying to try them. Well- the verdict is in——–DE-LIC-IOUS! Everyone in the family loved the chips. They just melt in your mouth. What a cool way to get your leafy greens! I combined a few recipes and came up with my own. Give it a try!

Kale Chips

2 bunches (or 1 large bunch) kale, washed and cut into small pieces (think smaller than tortilla chips)

1 1/2 T. rice wine vinegar (balsamic or even apple cider vinegar would work)

3 T. Olive oil

1 t. sea salt

1/3 c. grated Parmesan *optional

Whisk together oil, vinegar and salt. Using hands, toss kale with oil mixture. Spread onto 2 cookie sheets. Sprinkle with cheese (or not). Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Use a spatula about half way through to loosen the chips. Enjoy!

Tom Kha Kai Soup

The photo, not so interesting...the flavor of this soup, WOW! You must try this! The original recipe calls for 1 c. cooked chicken and mushrooms- I substituted these for a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. There are so many amazing flavors going on in this soup. I've used both lemon and lime juice successfully. Try this--you will not regret it!

Thai Coconut Soup

3 c. chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 pkg. frozen stir fry vegetables
1 1/2 T. lime (or lemon) juice
1 T. fish sauce
2 T. Thai chili paste
3 T. brown sugar

Combine chicken broth, coconut milk and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Add veggies, lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce and chile paste and stir until veggies are cooked through. Serve.
Greta and Miles rating: This was too spicy for the kiddos. Next time I will try halving the chili paste and let them try it.

Carrot- Oat Cakes

We got this recipe at my son's physical therapist's office. They were handing these little cakes out for Easter treats. The kids loved them! What a great snack. Especially for on the go!

Carrot-Oat Cakes

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. chopped walnuts (we used cashews)

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. salt

2 c. grated carrots

1 c. maple syrup (buy 100% pure, it is a million times better)

1 c. raisins or dried currants (we used craisins and dates)

1/2 c. unsweetened finely shredded coconut

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 9″ square pan with cooking spray.

Pulse oats and nuts in food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix well. In a second large bowl, combine carrots, syrup, dried fruit, coconut and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir until completely combined. Transfer to prepared pan and bake until cooked through and deep golden brown, about 55 minutes (mine took 40). Cool, cut into squares and serve.

Oh, did I mention how much my husband loves these??

Vegan Peanutbutter Vanilla Balls

Oh, my dear Lord!!! These are delicious! Especially once you find out what is in them! I found them here. You really, really need to make these :) You don't have to bake them and they are so quick!

Vegan Peanutbutter Vanilla Balls
1/2 c. medjool dates
1/4 c. peanuts
1 t. vanilla
2 T. peanut butter
2 T. brown sugar (or other sweetener)

In food processor, grind peanuts. Add dates, grind. Add vanilla, peanutbutter, and sugar and grind. Shape into balls and store in refrigerator or freezer. Keeps for weeks.

Taco Hummus

We love hummus. Taco hummus is hummus on an entirely different level. This recipe is GREAT! And I didn't even have all of the ingredients on hand. As I was eating some of this, I was thinking that it would even be a great replacement for meat in tacos! The kids really liked this too. The original recipe is from Savory, Spicy, Sweet, I have altered it a bit because I was out of tahini, paprika and onion powder---but I didn't miss those things. I did have to add a little more olive oil and some water to get to the right consistency.

Taco Hummus

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
water (as needed to get the right consistency)

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy. Serve with pita chips, veggies, corn chips or even on toasted bread.

Potato Leek Soup

I went to see Julie & Julia with my Mom, sister and very best foodie friend. We all thoroughly enjoyed the movie and my dear Mother recently made Julia Child's Potato Leek soup(Potage Parmentier) and insisted that I do so as well. This was delicious and very inexpensive! I served this soup with the Blackberry Glazed Salmon below, but it would have also been awesome served with some crusty bread.

Potato Leek Soup

1 lb potatoes, peeled & diced

1 lb leeks , chopped and rinsed

4 TBS unsalted butter

Salt & Pepper

4-6 TBS Heavy Cream

2-4 TBS minced chives

1. Simmer the potatoes and leeks in salted water (water should be about 2 inches above potatoes and leeks) for 40-50 minutes, until soft.

2. Puree the veggies (in water) with an immersion blender - I had to used a regular blender, but now an immersion blender is on my list. Add the butter in bits; then add salt & pepper to taste. Stir in cream.

3. Pour into soup bowls and sprinkle on chives
138 calories, 3 g protein.

Blackberry Glazed Salmon

fast. easy. healthy.
Here is a recipe for an elegant dinner that is ready from start to finish in literally 15 minutes.

Blackberry Glazed Salmon
4- Salmon steaks
2 T. blackberry jam (I like habenero blackberry jam!)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Preheat broiler. Mix jam, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic in bowl. Spoon glaze over salmon and broil for approximately 10 minutes (depending on thickness of steaks) until the meat flakes and is no longer translucent. Voila!

Pear-Pecan Blue cheese Salad

Attention. This is the best salad ever. What’s that you say? You don’t like blue cheese? You do now. Eat it.

Pear-Pecan-Blue cheese Salad

Mixed greens

toppings:

blue cheese (gorgonzola is my favorite)

candied pecans (store bought or homemade)

2 pears, chopped

1/2 c. maple syrup

Sweet, light salad dressing: A maple vinaigrette would be ideal–I just make my own!

Warm 1/2 c. maple syrup in small pot. When syrup is hot, dump pears in and stir occasionally, until pears begin to soften. Remove from heat and drain. Serve salad topped with pecans, drained pears, blue cheese and vinaigrette. Pass out from deliciousness.