Honey Coconut Quinoa with Pomegranate

Wow!

Amazing recipe from edenkitchen.com

http://edenkitchen.com/honey-coconut-quinoa-with-pomegranate/

Recipe: Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms

VEGGIE-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

20 large (1 ½ to 2-inch diameter) mushrooms (about 1 pound)
½ cup broccoli, finely chopped
¼ cup carrot, finely chopped
1 TBL onion, finely chopped
1 cup seasoned croutons, crushed (about ½ cup) *see note
½ cup (2 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp salt
2 TBL butter or margarine, melted

Carefully cut out stem end of each mushroom. Reserve enough stems for ¼ cup chopped mushrooms. Place hollowed out mushroom caps onto glass pie dish or (small) casserole dish.

*Croutons is where you need to be careful. I toasted some homemade wheat bread and crumpled it up with garlic salt and a little olive oil, then broiled briefly in the oven.

With reserved chopped mushrooms, add the remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture into caps and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden. Serve warm.

Foodie Night-4/16/2010

We had a small group, but some awesome recipes!!! I am loving those stuffed mushrooms made by Amber! Hint hint, I hope she posts the recipe soon:)

Curried Barley

2 c. all natural veggie broth, chicken broth (fond at Sam's)

2/3 c. barley

1/2 c. chopped carrot

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. parsley

1. In a saucepan stir together broth, barley, carrot, onion, and curry powder.

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes. Add parsley.

Au Gratin Potatoes

So, this probably isn't the healthiest recipe of all time, but it is all natural. It took some work to find a potato recipe without sour cream, cream of chicken soup and a whole lot of butter. And the best part, they are delicious with out all of that stuff!

4-5 Medium potatoes

1 onion or a bunch of green onions

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

2 c. milk

1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese

1. Slice potatoes and layer in a 9X13 dish (spray with cooking spray)

2. Layer sliced onions on top.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour. Add milk and lastly cheese.

4. Pour mixture over potatoes

5. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes to 1 hour (till potatoes are soft)

Ingredients used: We use organic milk from Smith's marketplace, and I even used wheat flour for the recipe. We grated the cheese from a block, we found out that pre shredded cheese has additives to help it not to clump.

Carrot Salad with Green Onions

A great recipe from my amiga, Piper Hackett:


Carrot Salad with Green Onions
2 pounds carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 7 cups)
6 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix carrots, green onions, and parsley in large bowl to blend.  Whisk vinegar, lemon peel, and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over carrot mixture.  Toss to coat evenly.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead.)  Keep refrigerated. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

Quinoa Pudding With Strawberries

makes about 4 8 oz servings

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tbs sugar

chopped pistachios

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. If skin starts to form on top of the milk, just stir it back in. The milk will reduce and thicken. Ladle into bowls or jars.

Place cut strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Toss them and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until juices start to come out.

Braised Leeks

Last Saturday part of our Food for Families food pickup were two giant leeks. What in the work do you do with leeks!? So, tonight I found a recipe and we tried them out. They were delicious! One of my new favorite vegetables and the best part of tonights dinner! Here is the recipe. . .

1. Cut the white and light green parts of the leek apart.
2. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a saucpan, add 1/2 c. water
3. Add leeks and cover. Simmer for 14 minutes
4. Flavor with salt and pepper.

Taco Seasoning

It is crazy how EVERYTHING really is processed and full of mono this and ribo that. So, when making tacos I had to find a recipe for taco seasoning to put on the ground turkey taco meat. This one was on allrecipes.com and had 1487 five star ratings. Once it is all mixed it can keep for future taco making.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

P.S. I also found these great tortillas that are all natural and you cook yourself. Clay and I love them! They are at Smith's Marketplace under the cheese on the back wall and are about $3.00 for 12- not too crazy.

Spaghettini with Checca Sauce

This is one of the few Italian dishes I didn't learn in Italy, but from the good old Food Network. But man is this one amazing and tasty dish. And the sauce is all raw foods tossed on a blender for a few seconds!

Ingredients

•                8 ounces spaghettini or angel hair pasta

•               4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped

•                3 garlic cloves, crushed

•                1 (12-ounce container) cherry tomatoes, halved

•                1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped

•                8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•                3 tablespoons olive oil

•                4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

•                Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (do not puree).

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.

FOODIE NIGHT-2/27/2010

Our Foodie night was FABULOUS! Thanks Amelia and Paul for hosting! Your home is DARLING! We had amazing recipes last night: Here is the recipe for my whole wheat pasta:

Pasta with spinach, tomatoes, and asiago

1 lb whole wheat pasta (I prefer the shells, fusillis, or penne, but whatever you have will work)
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 (9 oz) bag spinach, roughly chopped
8 oz (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes (or more to taste)
1 cup grated asiago cheese (or more to taste)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (or more to taste)
Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. (follow directions on the package) Drain but SAVE 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Warm up the olive oil in a saucepan on med heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add spinach and tomatoes and cook til wilted. (about 2-4 min) Add pasta and toss. Add cheeses, salt, pepper, and pasta liquid and stir. Serve immediately.
This pasta is great leftover! We make it all of the time! Enjoy!
Ash and Jake

SPINACH COUSCOUS

1 1/4 c. water

2/3 uncooked wheat couscous

1 c. chicken breast (optional)

1/4 c. fresh basil

2 tbsp. green onions

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 c. small salad greens

1/4 c. cheese

Bran Flake Cereal

I was going through some serious cereal withdrawals so I tried this homemade Bran Flake recipe. It turned out some pretty tasty cereal. However, one pointer. . . grease the pan really well and don't use wax paper on the bottom - either use the greased pan or parchment paper. I lost half the pan of flakes that got cooked to wax paper. Sad.

• 1/2 cup bran
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup walnuts or pecans - finely ground
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add milk and water and mix well.

Cut parchement paper into two 12 x 16 pieces.

Lay one piece of parchement on a flat surface and scoop half of the dough onto the center. Flatten dough by hand and cover entire parchement with clear plactic wrap. Roll out the dough over the plastic wrap.

The goal is to make the dough extremely thin with areas of near transparency. You may notice that you are in effect making one huge bran flake at this point.

Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough (on the parchement) onto a 14 x 16 flat sheet pan. Cook for 10 minutes checking often after 5 minutes. A dough this thin will burn easily if left in too long.

The resulting product after cooking will be a leathery thin cracker (crunchy at the edges).

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the other half of your dough.

Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.

After both huge bran flakes have completely cooled... rip and crack them into the sized flakes you are most familiar with (about 3/4 of an inch).

Place all flakes on a large cookie sheet and cook at the reduced temperature for 20 minutes... stirring the and flipping the flakes every five minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow flakes to cool completely.

Serve with milk and fresh fruit. Stores well in a sealed container for up to two weeks.

Lentil Veggie Soup

This soup makes a ton! Clay and I ate it for three or four meals. It was a great healthy veggie and lentil soup! (I think Lentils are good for you. . . ) My only suggestion would be to cook the lentils, drain them and then add to the chicken broth instead of boiling your lentils in the broth. P.S. I found this recipe on a sweet GREEN living website . . . www.sarasnow.com.

• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart water
• 2 cups red lentils - rinsed
• 1-2T olive oil
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• ½ pound potatoes
• 2 zucchini
• 3 diced tomatoes
• 3 teaspoons salt
• Pinch of each of the following: Cumin, Bay leaf, Dried or fresh parsley, Oregano, Thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

• Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil and allow to cook for 45-60 minutes.
• Chop together onions garlic cloves, carrots, celery, potatoes and zucchini.
• Add vegetables into the pot.
• Add 1 can diced tomatoes
• Add salt, cumin, bay leaf, parsley, oregano and thyme to taste.
• Allow to simmer 10 minutes more.
• Serve piping hot with warm whole grain bread.
• 
  

Oat Berry Pancakes

Clay and I spent the weekend in St. George and ate at a little breakfast spot called "The Egg and I." My friend got one giant delicious OAT BERRY PANCAKE and I was jealous. I looked up a recipe online tonight and made some for dinner. It was tasty! I used Agave syrup in place of Maple or Butter syrup.

1 c. OATS

1 C. Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

2 c. milk

2 c. berries

( I used frozen berries from Sam's club)

Recipe: Spinach Smoothies

So I still have a long way to go, but have lost 19 pounds since last fall! Nothing like Amazing Adam Sensai Master, but at least it's a medium-sized bag of flour that I'm not lugging around anymore....right?

If you're chubby like me, maybe the devil on your shoulder whispers: Fatties can't be healthy foodies!, but I am trying to prove that notion false. Helping me win this war is a regular breakfast dose of spinach smoothies. Here's the recipe:

Love from,

The Fat Foodie

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato and Basil

So I have recently discovered something about myself. I grew up never liking pasta or spaghetti. I avoided spaghetti and red sauce like the plague. Since we started doing this whole food thing, I found that I love pasta. . . I just hate ragu, prego and red spaghetti sauce. I have found so many great pasta recipes, here is one we had tonight that we loved and it only took twenty minutes to cook!

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 pints grape tomatos
• 5-6 large basil leaves
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. thyme
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pckg angel hair pasta
• parmesan cheese to top

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook for seven minutes. Add tomatoes to pasta and top with parmesan.

Natural No Sugar Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I had to try this recipe!

http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/2005/10/13/natural-no-sugar-whole-wheat-banana-bread/

1/6 cup no sugar added applesauce
1/6 cup walnut oil or reg oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cup mashed very ripe bananas (~ 3-4 bananas)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
(* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans if desired)

Preheat oven to 325�
In a large bowl, beat applesauce, oil and honey together.
Add eggs, and mix well.
Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt.
Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter.
(Blend in chopped nuts here if desired) .
Spread batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing.

Tips:
* Put browning bananas into the freezer until ready to use
for your recipe.
Makes the bread even more moist!
* May change up the recipe by adding raisins or pumpkin pie spice.
* Make it into 4 mini loaves and bake about 35 minutes.

Bran Flax Muffins

I tried these muffins this weekend and they are delich! They are moist and really tasty warm with a little butter. Not to mention they are packed with fiber!

BRAN FLAX MUFFINS

1 1/2 c. wheat flour
1 c. natural brown sugar
3/4 c. flaxseed meal
3/4 c. oat bran
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 apples peeled and shredded
1 cup carrots shredded
1 cup nuts
1/2 c raisins
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Spray with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Makes about 15 muffins.

P.S. The all natural fruit leather is on sale at smiths marketplace 3/$1.00 normally $.59. Also, I found all natural chicken broth at Sam's club for a great deal. I read that chicken broth can be a substitute for bullion. (To add to the bullion conversation on Friday)

Cilantro-Lime Sweet Potatoes

I LOVE these and they are a little different spin on the sweet potato fries!

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 TB olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh lime zest
1 TB fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425. Toss sweet potatoes with 2 TB oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a shallow baking pan in a single layer. Roast, stirring halfway through, roasting until tender, about 25 minutes total. Stir together cayenne, zest, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl. Whisk together lime juice and remaining TB oil in a medium bowl, then add potatoes. Sprinkle with cayenne mixture and cilantro, stirring gently to combine! They are DELISH!

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large peeled sweet potatoe
Kosher Salt
lime zest of 1 lime
1/2 lime juice
cayenne pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Peel and cut your potatoes into fries. Toss in a little olive oil. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake for 15 minutes on one side and flip. Bake again for 5 minutes. While baking, zest your lime. Add some Kosher salt to the lime zest and some cayenne pepper to taste. After the potatoes are roasted, sprinkle the zest mixture on top, squeeze half of your lime over the potatoes and serve.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ok, so these can be modified however you'd like! Put whatever fresh veggies and herbs in them that you have lying around! This is what I used:
Rice paper wrappers
Rice noodles
Red Leaf Lettuce
Seedless cucumber, cut into strips
Carrot, cut into strips
Bean sprouts
Fresh Thai Basil
Fresh mint
Cilantro

You can use any protein you'd like, I used Lemongrass beef (cut beef extremely thin, marinate with a little fresh lemongrass that you put in your food processor, olive oil, and salt) and shrimp. I also made vegan rolls with Tofu that I marinated and seared.

Just soak the rice paper wrappers in warm water until they are soft and pile in the rest of the ingredients. Roll like an eggroll. Start at one end, roll, fold in sides, continue to roll. This is the tricky part and takes practice. Obviously from the way mine looked, I haven't practiced enough! The sauce I prefer are these:

Peanut-Hoisin sauce

1/2 cup hoisin
2 TB vinegar
1 cup water
1-2 cloves garlic
2 TB all natural peanut butter
Premix 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 TB water

Add 1/2 tsp oil to a saucepan. When hot, saute garlic until fragrant. Add hoisin, vinegar, water, and peanut butter. Mix well, bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch-water mixture. Bring back to a boil . Serve with some red pepper flakes and coarsely chopped peanuts on top.

The other sauce I like to use is a traditional sweet fish sauce called Nuoc Cham

2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 TB sugar (I used raw cane, could use honey)
1 cup cold water
3 TB fish sauce
3-4 cloves garlic
red chili flakes to taste
extremely finely grated carrot for the top

Mix well and serve.