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.

Brown Sugar-Sunflower Seed Cookies

Once upon a Monday, I was at the local grocery store and purchased a little green bag of sunflower seed cookies. This was unusual as I usually make my own, but these were on sale and had all natural ingredients…even the packaging was delightful! I brought the cookies home and everyone in the family was in love. They were adorable little petite cookies. They were crunchy, buttery and had a divine brown sugar flavor. We went through the green bag quickly. Since I love to bake, I couldn’t justify buying them again…but I really wanted them! I didn’t have any recipes that were even close to similar, so I went back to the store a few weeks later and purchased one more bag with the intent of making my own copy-cat recipe. We “sampled” them and I formulated a recipe. They weren’t quite right. They needed to be a little smaller, a little more crunchy, and have a few less sunflower seeds. A few months later (last night) I tried again. So, here it is! If you have had those cookies in that cute little green bag…these are pretty close!

Enjoy!

Brown Sugar-Sunflower Seed Cookies

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. oat flour (grind your own from oats in the blender or food processor)

1/2 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

1/3 c. sunflower seeds (I use raw, unsalted)

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

Cream butter and 1 c. brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Stir in flours, soda and salt. Fold in sunflower seeds.In a small bowl, mix 1/4 c. sugar with 1/4 c. brown sugar. Roll dough into small balls (remember these are petite cookies). Roll each ball in sugar mixture and press down slightly after placed on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for approximately 8 minutes or until golden brown.

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.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

I have yet to try a recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis that I do not like. This recipe is delicious even my hubby, who doesn't like lasagna, enjoyed it. I found this recipe on the foodnetwork website while looking for ways to use up my butternut squash. I would definitely make this again!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 T. olive oil

1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. water

3 amaretti cookies, crumbled (I omitted)

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

3 1/2 c. whole milk

Pinch nutmeg

3/4 c. (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 1/2 c. shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

1/3 c. grated Parmesan (I used more)

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water into skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt butter in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender. Make sure to vent the top of the blender to prevent and explosion! Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 c. of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 c. of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Greta and Miles rating: eh...so, so. Miles liked it better than Greta did, but then again, Greta and squash don't have the best track record.

Chicken Divan

Mmmmmm! I love this recipe! The hubby is not too fond of cooked broccoli, so I make this whenever he has to work overtime :) I usually try not to cook with "cream of" soups because they aren't the greatest for you, but some recipes are just too good! This recipe is based off of a recipe from my foodie friend Lisa, not to be confused with my foodie friend Leisa :)

Chicken Divan

4 slices whole wheat bread (any bread will work)

2 T. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/2 t. garlic salt

Black pepper

1 can Cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)

1 t. curry powder

1/2 c. mayo (I use olive oil mayo)

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the bread into cubes the size of croutons. Toss bread in oil, vinegar, garlic salt and pepper. Toast at 425 stirring every 5 minutes until toasted on the outside, but still tender on the inside. Set aside.

Mix soup, mayo and curry powder. In 9x13 pan, add broccoli, chicken and 1 c. of cheese. Stir. Spoon soup mixture over chicken and broccoli mixture. Stir well to coat evenly. Sprinkle with croutons and then with remaining 1 c. cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Greta and Miles Rating: The kids Loooooove this! Best way I've found to get them to eat broccoli :)

Iced Eggnog Cookies

I looooove eggnog! My husband is not a fan and I don't usually let the little ones have a lot of sugar, so to buy an entire quart of eggnog means that I would probably end up drinking the WHOLE thing. So, I decided to buy a quart and use some in recipes. I found this great cookie recipe on Picky Palate. This recipe is fantastic and the cookies actually do taste just like a glass of eggnog (plus some butter!). Tomorrow I will be making our weekly Sunday morning sweet potato pancakes with eggnog instead of milk! 'Tis the season...ok, maybe it's a little early.

Frosted Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp
1/2 cup eggnog (I used reduced fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or skip this step and sprinkle on the nutmeg after you ice the cookies. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula.

Eggnog Icing
3 C. confectioners sugar
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
1/3 C. eggnog (use as much as you need)

In small mixer bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Gradually beat in eggnog until icing is smooth. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Garnish with a sprinkle of eggnog after icing.