Some Pretty Tasty Recipes! November 20, 2011

I just keep movin’ along in the Whole Foods Cookbook. Enjoying every minute of the cooking adventure these recipes lead me in to. And looking back at my first posts, I can see such a change in what my family is eating now and that is exciting! Last night I was preparing Eggplant Soup, which I will post about next time, and Jonathan walked by and remarked that it looked like it was going to be pretty good! He was looking at a pan full of eggplant and green peppers! We’ll find out if he actually thought it was good when he went to eat it later! 🙂

The first recipe for this round is called Hand to Mouth Drumsticks. They are in the children’s section of the cookbook. This was an interesting recipe as the chicken drumsticks are coated with yogurt, peanut butter and apricot juice! Then they are dipped in a crunchy crust of corn flakes, parsley and some seasonings. The boys really liked these. There really wasn’t anything to dislike.  The coating was SO crisp and tasty!

Crunchy Goodness!

The next recipe was, of course, another 10+. But, how can you go wrong with Labor of Love Cheesecake? I made this cheesecake for Jonathan’s 13th birthday and the boys both loved it. I used gluten free graham crackers so Garry could enjoy some as well. Needless to say, it wasn’t around long.

Labor of Love Cheesecake

The last recipe for this time took a LONG time to prepare. This recipe reminded me why I don’t make homemade noodles, though they are one of my favorite foods. My grandmother always made homemade noodles and they were the best! The recipe that was so much work was Samosas. This is a Himalayan recipe that has a thin dough (had to roll and roll and roll!) that is full of mashed potatoes with all kinds of ingredients like garlic, ginger, jalapeno, garam masala (love to smell this spice, wonderful!), curry, cumin, tumeric and cilantro. The dough bakes to a nice, golden crust. The boys really liked these. They dipped them into either salsa or marinara sauce. They gave these a 9 out of 10.

The finished product after hours of work!

So, I would say that this round has been very successful. I am always excited about the next few recipes and anxious to see how the end result will be. Hmmm, let me see, the next time you will hear about Eggplant Soup (did Jonathan like it as much as he said he would?), Mushroom Strudel (which my son-in-law called ‘crazy’ good), and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers!

Until next time…

Boulder says, "Eat healthy and so long from Colorado!"

 

Yeah! We’re liking the food! November 16, 2011

I have been cooking a lot more than I have been blogging! I have made at least 7 new recipes since the last blog and have had some wonderful food that all of us have really enjoyed. I am so happy to be back to cooking the Whole Foods way! With so many fresh ingredients and so much variety.

Eating with enthusiasm!

The first recipe I will talk about: Quinoa Vegetable Cakes. These cakes were full of veggies and different herbs and spices. Some of them being: carrots, zucchini, spinach, tahini (remember when I had no clue what that was!), dill, lemon juice and Italian Herbs. Don’t you just love the idea of your family eating all these wonderful foods! And they liked them! Both boys rated them about 9! Not bad!

Doesn't this make your mouth water?

The next recipe was SO amazing! I will definitely be making this again! All the family gave it a hearty 10! I am going to share the recipe by request! Thanks, Abby!

Chicken Breast Piccata Florentine

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach leaves, thawed

2 tsp. dried Italian Herbs

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

3 TBLS. olive oil

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the flour in a bowl large enough to dredge the chicken breasts in.

Combine the eggs, Parmesan, spinach, It. herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, blending well. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter.

Place the olive oil in a large nonstick saute’ pan over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken breasts first in the flour, dusting off any excess, and then in the batter, and carefully place in the hot oil. Saute’, turning once, until just golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Place the breasts on a baking dish, and transfer to the oven to finish cooking, for 10 to 15 minutes.

The crust to this chicken is wonderful! Worth giving a try!

Was really perfect with the linguine!

My next recipe is one that I was excited to make for myself. The boys didn’t like it as much as I thought they would, giving it only around a 7. Chiles Rellenos Casserole. Now I loved it! This casserole is actually poblano chilies stuffed full of Monterey Jack cheese, chipotle chilies and a few other ingredients and then on top of the chilies you pour a cornbread mixture. I think it might have been a little hot for my family. BUT I love hot and enjoyed every bite!

There's a poblano chili in there somewhere!

Another big hit and another recipe we all oohed and awed over! Cajun Seafood Cakes covered in a delicious Creole Remoulade Sauce. Oh, the sauce was so fresh tasting and it made the cakes which were delicious in themselves just delectable! If you like seafood you would love this dish as the cakes contained potatoes, onion, garlic, celery, cajun spices, cod, shrimp and scallops. The sauce was made with mayo (I used plain yogurt instead), red onion, parsley, tarragon, capers, dill relish, lemon juice, hot sauce and mustard. Another recipe I will definitely make again!

Oh, that sauce! YUM!

Have anyone in your home that doesn’t care for cooked carrots? Try these! My boys don’t especially care for cooked carrots, but really enjoyed them being coated with a sweet, maple glaze. Maple Glazed Carrots is what the recipe is simply called. Easy to make. The glaze consisting of ingredients like maple syrup, cinnamon, orange juice and mandarin oranges. Makes an attractive side dish, also! Would be a great dish for a Thanksgiving meal!

Isn't this a pretty side dish?

And finally, Soothing Fresh Ginger Tea. Want a nice, hot relaxing drink? Try this! Place 1/4 cup sliced fresh unpeeled ginger, 2 dried allspice berries, 1 1/2 inch long cinnamon stick into 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into a cup, add honey and lemon to taste. Sounds so good, think I will go make a cup!

Perfect on a cold, wintry day!

Next time, I will discuss chicken drumsticks made with… peanut butter? Cheesecake that was, oh, so good! Samosas, wore myself out making these! And seeing some really great recipes coming up!

Until next time…

The boys, Abby & Eric and kids and me say, "So long from Colorado!" (At the Denver Zoo)

A Couple of Good Recipes and One ‘You live and learn!’ October 15, 2011

I am really enjoying preparing new recipes again. I am also enjoying shopping at Whole Foods for the ingredients. I am gathering ingredients for only 3 recipes at a time and it is helping cut down the craziness of trying to find unusual foods. Unless I ask for help, I can spend a lot of time searching. Going through this cookbook is helping me learn about new foods, shopping for them and preparing them. And I really enjoy trying new things and watching my family try them as well. I am sure that I get a lot more excited with some meals than my guys do. I pretty much like everything out there and am willing to try about anything. But it is harder with the guys who think a Hamburger Helper meal is gourmet!

My first recipe is Jerk Chicken. Jerking is a process of marinating that adds an intense , fiery, hot and smoky taste to whatever meat you are preparing. Traditional Jamaican jerk meats are grilled slowly over wood in a covered metal drum, but I cooked mine in a covered metal grill as I don’t have a covered metal drum! Some of the ingredients that make the Jerk Sauce so interesting are:  jalapenos, ginger, thyme, allspice berries , limes. Very flavorful and the boys rated it high with a 9 and a 10.

The second recipe was a near disaster. It called for white wine and I used white wine vinegar. I am sure all of you wonderful cooks out there are thinking, what? And surprise, surprise, it was WAY too sour! The recipe was Warm Quinoa Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus. To tone down the sour taste, I added some sugar and honey and also some Cascal Crisp White (non-alcholic). I managed to make it palatable enough for the boys to both rate it a 7! Some of the ingredients are: onion, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest (more sour!), green peas, roasted cashews (I am going to have to get roasting nuts down, can you tell they are a little dark? Look like kidney beans!). I really liked it, but wished I would have bought some white wine and made it according to the recipe. But as I said in the title, you live and learn!

We all loved the last recipe which was Whole Wheat Linguine with Broccoli. This was a fairly simple recipe that I intend on making once in a awhile. After preparing a pound of the linguine, you saute’ the broccoli along with garlic, red chili flakes, tamari, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts (which are SO expensive, thankfully I needed a small amount), lemon and salt and pepper. We all rated it a 10! I toasted the pine nuts for this recipe and didn’t get them too brown! Yeah! Especially at $25 a pound. Yikes!

Well, I have already prepared a couple more recipes, but they will have to wait until the next post.

We already had a great snowstorm here in Colorado! And thankfully it fell on a Saturday when we were able to enjoy it! Love the snow and hope it is a snowy winter here in the mountains. And hope you all are having a good Fall so far! Until the next time…

so long from Colorado!

I am back and ready to cook! October 5, 2011

Well, after a long break I am ready to rev up my food processor! And ready to start cookin’ again! I am about half way through “The Whole Foods Market Cookbook”. If you read my first blogs you will find that I was inspired by the movie “Julia” based on Julia Childs. I decided after seeing that movie that I wanted to prepare a whole cookbook, but I wanted to used the Whole Foods cookbook as that is where I buy most of my groceries. And  I wanted to see if by using this cookbook, which is chock full of wonderful healthy recipes, I could get the boys use to eating a much wider variety of food. They are your typical boys, craving pizza, mac and cheese, cheeseburgers, fries, etc. You wouldn’t believe how it helped change their tastes. It’s been a fun journey and I am ready to try to finish the cookbook. And it is fun to blog about it, share pictures and recipes (by request). This cookbook has 350 recipes! Most of them contain a lot of fresh vegetables and good grains.

My first recipe is Wild Rice with Pecans and Dried Cranberries. I can’t say it was a hit, unfortunately. The boys are not real fond of ‘sour’ dishes and this one is definitely in that category. Some of the ingredients are wild rice, pecan halves, yellow pepper, cranberries, parsley and scallions mixed in a balsamic and raspberry vinegar mix. I only prepared half as I was suspicious that it wouldn’t go over real well. I was right. Caleb rated it a 4 and Jonathan 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being nasty and 10 being great! And Garry didn’t really care for it, though he TRIED to look like he was enjoying it. After being married over 34 years, I can tell! 🙂 And I prepared this while watching the grandkids and burnt the first round of toasted pecans! Thankfully, I had m0re to toast, while I stayed in until they were done! I don’t dare leave the kitchen while I am cooking! Out of state, out of mind! Anyway, I loved this salad and enjoyed it and gave the rest to my daughter, Abby, as I knew she would enjoy it as well.

My second recipe was Gazpacho. This was a surprise to my guys. They looked at this a couldn’t believe it was soup! I think this is the second chilled soup I have ever made. And it was SO good. So fresh and the combination of the herbs and vegetables was wonderful. This recipe consisted of onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, cilantro (which I love in anything!), balsamic vinegar and lemon. With the cilantro, it tasted somewhat like fresh salsa, so I served it to the boys with tortilla chips and they ate it right up, both of them giving this recipe a 9!

My last recipe was Fried Green Tomatoes which I will post the recipe (this is for you Susan!). I am preparing this again for company some time. This would most definitely be a crowd pleaser! I don’t fry many things, and this requires you to fry in canola oil. But it was definitely a treat! And all of us ate them right up and gave this recipe a 10!

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 green tomatoes (or firm red) sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 plus 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

Season the tomato slices with the salt. Combine the 1/4 cup flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Set up a breading station: In 3 separate bowls, place the remaining 1/2 cup flour, buttermilk, and cornmeal mixture. Coat each tomato slice in the flour, tap off the excess, submerge in the buttermilk, and then coat well in the cornmeal. Bread all of the tomato slices; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When the tomatoes are ready, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, until a single drop of water makes the oil sizzle. Cook the tomato slices until they are golden brown on each side, turning them once. Remove the tomatoes to a plate lined with paper towels for a few moments. Serve them immediately.

Well, it feels good to be back. I love cooking and I really enjoy the challenge of a new recipe. It’s a lot more work to prepare fresh food with so many veggies, but it is SO worth it!

Hope you are enjoying the fall weather. The aspens are amazing right now where we live!

So long from Colorado! Looking forward to the next recipes!

Desserts to Share! September 17, 2010

It seems as though I have been cooking up a storm, but for this time I have only 3 recipes to share. Two of them are desserts from the Whole Foods Cookbook.

A nice way to end the summer was to have a campfire and BBQ! We invited friends and Facebook friends as well to come to our home Labor Day weekend. We ended up with 32 total! Knowing I would be feeding a lot of people I decided I better fix two desserts. The first one I prepared was Lemon Lime Bars. These were delicious! They had a basic flour crust and the filling, of course, contained lime and lemon juice along with some lemon zest. I searched for lime zest, but was unable to find any. So, I just added some extra lemon! YUM!

Lemony-Lime Goodness!

The second dessert was the one I was excited to prepare, Nutcracker Sweet Cheesecake. This was a big hit! The crust was made of graham crackers, butter, almond extract and slivered almonds. The filling consisted of sour cream, more almond extract, cream cheese, shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Then to top it off, it was coated with melted chocolate chips mixed with cream. Whole toasted almonds dotted the cheesecake along with some sprinkled coconut.

7,520 calories of yumminess!

One of the reasons I made this cheesecake for our guests was that this is the recipe that was 940 calories per serving!! Good one to pass around and not have sitting around enticing me! This was a real crowd pleaser and it was gone by the end of the day! Of course, both desserts rated a 10+ with the boys!

John Rice and Steve Start playing horseshoes

The third recipe was really fun and a big hit! It came out of the children’s section, but this is definitely a meal for all ages! Three Dips and a Shrimp Stick consisted of grilling shrimp on skewers and then making 3 different dips to dip them in! The first dip was a Spinach Dip that consisted of olive oil, onion, spinach and yogurt. This was great with crackers as well. The second dip was called Pink Dip, because it was pink! 🙂 It consisted of yogurt,  mayonnaise, ketchup, paprika, lemon juice and a dash of hot pepper sauce. The third dip was Honey-Dijon Dip which, of course, consisted of dijon mustard, honey, mayonnaise and lemon juice. The favorite dip of the guys was the Honey-Dijon, but all the dips were fabulous and tasted great with the grilled shrimp. Oh, and also, the shrimp was marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and parsley. The boys gave this meal a hearty 10! We will definitely have this again! They were wishing for more!

The shrimp and the 3 dips!

Well, I have made several more recipes that I will post soon! I am enjoying homeschooling with the boys and being home more.  I have actually prepared over 100 of the Whole Foods Cookbook recipes! Only about 250 to go!

Until the next recipe…

So long from Colorado!

Summer coming to an end! September 2, 2010

Well, today is the first day of September! Where did the summer go! So many events this summer, that made time fly by that much faster! A new grandson being born, a trip to Montana and Yellowstone with the family, and just enjoying the area where we live. There is so much to do in the Colorado mountains that we can’t fit a lot of it in. But we are blessed to be able to do what we can do here!

Garry and me enjoying an airshow in Denver! Fun day!

And I am still Whole Foods cookin’! But I haven’t made as many recipes these last few weeks as we have been busy! School starts next week and I will settle down and take on a lot more new recipes from the Whole Foods Cookbook.

I have prepared four new recipes that I want to share with you! And then I just have to show you the surprise burgers that my son-in-law prepared for Jonathan and Caleb!

The first recipe is Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne Pasta. This was a recipe I want to fix often. I love squash and this is very tasty! It was easy to make, the ingredients consisting of squash, onion, garlic, red chili flakes (which added a little heat which I like), parsley and Parmesan cheese. The boys really liked it as well,  giving it a 9!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne Pasta

The next recipe was one I enjoyed as well.  BUT the boys weren’t very happy with it. It was Mushroom Tofu Stroganoff. I love mushrooms (what don’t I love?) and this recipe had a pound of button mushrooms along with 2 large portobello mushrooms. Caleb informed me again, that he doesn’t like tofu very much and Jonathan informed me again that he doesn’t care for mushrooms. SO… I gave it a 10 and Garry liked it but I could tell he wasn’t just crazy about it and the boys only gave it about a 5. I suspect it might be just because of the appearance?? If you like stroganoff and like mushrooms and tofu you would love this dish. Very flavorful!

Looks yummy to me

My next recipe was Curry Coconut Peanut Sauce. The cookbook assures you that after one spoonful you are hooked! And they were right! The boys gave this sauce an enthusiastic 10! Yeah! This was a very flavorful sauce with a touch of heat from the serrano pepper that was minced and added. The base was coconut milk which made it a very creamy sauce. Some of the other ingredients were red onion, garlic, curry, cumin, peanut butter, cilantro, tamari, honey, lime juice and ketchup! How can you go wrong with ingredients like these? I made the sauce and then covered chicken breast with it and baked the chicken. Yum! Ready to have this again!

Curry Coconut Peanut Sauce

My last recipe was Risotto Cakes. This was another surprise for the boys. Watching me prepare these patties, Jonathan exclaimed that he probably wasn’t going to like these. But! One bite was all it took! A 9 from both boys! What a great recipe to prepare for the family. It had so many wonderful healthy ingredients. Makes a mom’s heart happy! Let me see: onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, arborio rice (a short grain variety grown in Italy), zucchini, peas, corn, various cheeses. Wonderful ingredients, wonderful flavor! I topped the patties with a slice of provolone and this made a great meal!

A meal the boys loved!

What will be my next recipe. Let’s see…I think for our Labor Day BBQ I will prepare the Nutcracker Sweet Cheesecake! As this cheesecake is more than 900 calories per serving, I think it should be a hit. I also need to share those calories with company! YIKES!

Hope your summer was a great one! And here was the Eric’s surprise! The boys say 10 to these! 🙂

Cheeseburgers with a glazed donut bun! Probably won't find this in the Whole Foods Cookbook! But they were good!

Until the next recipe…

So long from Colorado!

Back from vacation, time to get cookin’! August 17, 2010

After being gone for 10 days on a 3,o00 mile road trip,  I am ready to start my Whole Foods cooking again!

This year for vacation we met with all our family at a rental home in Montana near Yellowstone! We had a wonderful time and I wish we could do it all over again! Then Garry, the boys and I took our time coming home and visited many wonderful places in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.  I thank the Lord for a wonderful and safe trip for all our family.

Hudson and Solomon, our two little cowboys in Montana!

But it is time to get back into the kitchen. I have my ingredients all bought (and there was a basketful)! Some of the recipes coming up are:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne Pasta (which I am preparing tonight)

Risotto Cakes

Chicken Toscana with White Beans

Mushroom Tofu Stroganoff

Pan Roasted Fennel (should be interesting)

Curry Coconut Peanut Sauce (which I am sure I will love!)

Our oldest son Daniel and his family along with his brother-in-law, Tristan, came to our home a few days before we all left for Montana. I was able to prepare them a few dishes to try while they were here. It is so much more fun for me when I get to use my guests as guinea pigs! I think overall the dishes were a success. At least no one complained!

Love it when the kids are all together!

The first recipe I tried on everyone was Eat with Your Fingers Chinese Vegetable Garden. This recipe comes out of the kid’s section of the cookbook. There are many varieties of vegetables for the children to try. And eating with their fingers is always more fun. I made these with chinese noodles and had several different Asian sauces that the family could pour on their veggies and rice if they chose. I loved it! And the boys liked it as well. The veggies in this recipe are broccoli flowers, celery, snow peas, red pepper, corn on the cob cut into sections and water chestnuts. You could add any vegetables you would like. It’s an easy recipe and a great way to serve your family a healthy meal!

Brittany with her Chinese Veggies

The next recipe I prepared for the guests was one of my very favorites of all the dishes I have prepared so far. Of course, that isn’t saying too much coming from me. I love all varieties of food, am not picky what-so-ever, so fixing these wonderful recipes with so much variation is right up my alley! The boys liked this dish as well, giving it a 9! The recipe was Green Chili Pistachio Mole Enchiladas. And along with the enchiladas I prepared Cilantro Lime Rice, YUM! It would have gotten a poor grade for color as the whole meal was GREEN! But in flavor an A+! The enchiladas consisted of pistachios, tomatillos, serrano chilies, red onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin, a lot of cilantro! That is just the sauce. The enchiladas themselves consisted of the sauce, corn tortillas, shredded chicken and Monterey Jack cheese. I used basmati rice for the Cilantro Lime Rice along with garlic, lime juice, A LOT of cilantro, spinach and scallions. Yep, I will definitely make this meal again!

This is 'green' food your kids will love!

Eric being brave for his momma-in-law!

I meant to make Crispy Garlic Tofu Bites when I prepared the Chinese Vegetable dish, but forgot. So, I decided to make them as a snack. They were OK, but a little too different and not something that I would crave. Most of them got eaten though, so I guess the family didn’t think they were too bad. These tofu bites were small pieces of tofu marinated in a heavy sauce that consisted of garlic, tamari, lemon juice, tamarind paste, ketchup, ginger, curry, garam masala (want to guess what that is? I actually made my own!) and molasses. After marinating the tofu you roll the pieces in toasted sunflowers and bake. I am sure I won’t be making these again.

Be honest, does this really look very appetizing?

The last recipe is for all of you that really have a sweet tooth. Chilled Strawberry and Rhubarb Soup! My first time to prepare a cold soup. This soup consisted of apple juice, a pound of fresh strawberries, rhubarb (not that easy to find!), brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and currants. It was really good, but VERY sweet. After Daniel ate his bowl he said he didn’t want to eat anything sweet for awhile. That lasted about 30 minutes maybe, until another nibble of the donuts! Just kidding, Daniel! (Not really! He inherited my sweet tooth!) We discussed how this soup would be pretty good on ice cream. I think a few tried it, but I didn’t find out what they thought!

Jonathan gives the soup a thumbs up!

Phew! I was thinking I had only prepared a few dishes for our family, but here is one more! Borracho Beans with Carne Asada with Jalapeno Cilantro. This was an unusual dish but very good! The Borracho Beans were pinto beans along with onion, celery, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder and tomato. The ingredients made for very tasty beans. The Carne Asada with Jalapeno Cilantro Pesto was delicious!! Carne asada (in case you are wondering) is a barbecued or grilled beef. In this recipe it was flank steak. The steak was marinated in Spicy Mexican Marinade that was just fantastic! The marinade consisted of chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, red chili flakes, onion Anaheim peppers, cilantro, lime juice and tomato juice. A lot of flavor! The pesto was great and was well liked by the family. The pesto consisted of 4 cups of cilantro and 4 cups of spinach, garlic, pecan pieces, lime juice, tomatillos, jalapeno and sour cream! Look at all that nutrition in a sauce the family loves! Put all these recipes together and this was a very successful meal! This will definitely be made again! When I have time! That is a lot of recipes at once. Boy, was my kitchen a disaster when I was done cooking. But it was worth it!

Tristan liking my pesto!

Well, better get upstairs and start on my next recipe! I really like butternut squash, so I think this will be pretty tasty. We will see what the boys think!

Caleb enjoying?? a Whole Food's meal

Until the next recipe, so long from Colorado!

This is me at Winter Park, Colorado, one of our stops on the way home from vacation.!

Summer So Swiftly Flying By…BUSY! July 9, 2010

I cannot believe that it is nearing the middle of July! Where is the summer going? I know one major reason it seems to be going so fast is the fact that we have been super busy! But I am not complaining. We have had wonderful weather so far here in Colorado and have been able to really enjoy where we live. AND I have been busy cooking as well! I have several new recipes to mention in this post and what was really fun was getting a chance to share them with my parents when they visited from Missouri.

My mom savoring my broth! 🙂

My first recipe was Miso Broth. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. I didn’t have an Asian dish planned so I decided to go ahead and prepare it along with salmon hot dogs. Did you know that hot dogs also come in salmon? Whole Foods gave out samples and I was sold! I made a mistake of buying the jalapeno kind and they were a little too hot for some of the family. I have to quit doing that! I love spicy food and I knew better! Anyway, the meal still turned out great and surprisingly everyone really liked the Miso Broth. Especially Hudson!

Hudson couldn't get enough!

My next recipe was Easy Mole Sauce (not pronounced like the animal!). I prepared enchiladas to have with the Mole Sauce. Mole means concoction. And this certainly was a concoction! A great variety of ingredients such as: pasilla chili, red pepper chili, onion, tomatoes, tahini, almonds, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, coriander and cocoa powder. This is a very dark, rich sauce. Caleb gave it a 9, but Jonathan didn’t like the spices in it and only gave it a 5. Overall it was a hit with the family. This was another recipe I was able to share with my parents and Abby’s family.

Very spicy and tasty!

The next recipe was White Bean & Kale Gratin with English Farmhouse Cheddar. Phew! Long name! This was VERY good. Cheesy beans, not a complicated recipe, one that most children would like except for my youngest. He just doesn’t like beans and so he rated this low and Caleb gave it a 10!

Great meal for the family!

The next recipe was a hit with Grandpa Griffin from Missouri! Raspberry-Stuffed Brie Wrapped in Phyllo. This recipe consists of brie covered with your favorite fruit spread, wrapped in phyllo dough and then baked. Everyone seemed to really like this. Kind of an unusual appetizer.

Party Pleaser!

Grandpa loved these BUT he was willing to share! 🙂

The next recipe had a Moroccan flair! Many, many ingredients. This took some time to prepare. And it was kind of funny. The cookbook said not to let the number of ingredients scare you as you can just toss them in the slow cooker while you go about your business. You better not have too much of any other business, because it takes a LONG time to chop and prepare all the ingredients! Some of the 22 ingredients are: onions, carrots, celery, a variety of mushrooms, lentils, fennel seeds, tomatoes, bell peppers, a pound of fresh spinach and a whole lot of spices! But it was worth the trouble. The chopped mushrooms (which were many) made a wonderful rich base to this dish and it was very good! The boys both gave it a 9 – 10! Oh yeah, lovin’ to watch them eat all these wonderful fresh veggies!

Great with pita bread!

Another recipe that is a given 10+ is Cappuccino Snap. We had this the night of Calla’s 4th birthday party. Abby made a darling pink horse cake with ‘sparklies’ for Calla and we had the snap instead of ice cream with the cake. It was SO good! It is fun to hear everyone ooh and ahh over your recipe. This is a simple recipe that has espresso, ice, cinnamon, frozen yogurt and a dash of nutmeg all blended together!

Calla's 4th Birthday!

10+ Hands Down!

One more! (You can tell I have a lot more time for cookin’ than bloggin’!) This last recipe I was able to prepare and share with the neighbor children that were here for awhile. This recipe was Adobo Sauce with 8 Layer Tortilla Pie. This was excellent! The spice mixture used in the recipe contained chili powder, cumin, oregano and cocoa.  In the tortilla pie there were black beans, white beans and kidney beans along with salsa and several types of cheese layered with the tortillas. Everyone gave it a 10! Including me!

Hungry for Mexican??

It is hard to believe that soon I will be on Round # 12! This round has some really wonderful recipes! One of them being The Nutcracker Sweet Cheesecake. The only problem I can see with this recipe is that one 1/12 serving is over 900 calories! EEEKKK! I am going to just have to ‘taste’ this one!

Hope you all are having a great summer! Enjoy! For those of us in the mountains it will be snowing before we know it! Until the next recipe…

My family and I say, "So long from Colorado!"

4 New Recipes, Great for Summer! June 22, 2010

Summer continues to keep me busy! I always think there is no way that I could get busier, and then it happens! But, I am still managing to try some new recipes in the Whole Foods Cookbook! And these recipes are great for summer meals! Remember, if you want any recipes, let me know, and I will be happy to post them for you! At the present time I am working on Round #10! Which means I have made around 70-80 recipes!! That’s a lot of healthy eating!

Hiking season! Just getting back from a 5 hour hike!

The first recipe is Chilled Lingiune with Gorgonzola and Basil. I had Abby and her family come over to help eat this dish. Eric was kind of overcome with the Gorgonzola. It is a very pungent ripe Italian blue cheese. It is sweetened in this recipe by balsamic vinegar and cooked linguine. Along with these ingredients spinach and toasted walnuts and various spices. Abby and I both gave it a 10. I think the Gorgonzola probably dropped the rating for Eric quite a bit. The boys thought it was ok and gave it about an 8. I think that is pretty considering the strong cheese in this recipe.

Salad with a 'bite'!

My next recipe was the yummiest in this round! Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake with Dried Blueberries. Abby fixed this recipe for me while I cooked the linguine recipe. Thanks, Sis! Love cooking with ya’!  And it turned out yummy! Of course, again, it is dessert, so it gets a 10+!

Didn't last long!!

I really, really liked the next recipe! And so did the boys!! Yeah! Santa Fe Vegetable Wraps! Getting more great veggies down the boys and they are happy! On top of a tortilla (flavor of your choice) you spread cream cheese. Then on top of the cheese you lay a lettuce leaf and then proceed to layer: Monterey Jack cheese, tomato, avocado, red onion (left that off Garry’s, of course), jicama (new veggie for us), fresh corn kernel, black beans. This was SO good that we had it again for lunch the following day! Jicama, not pronounced like it looks! Getting the pronunciation down with these new foods is one of the most challenging parts of the recipes! I have to go to the folks at Whole Foods and try to pronounce them, so that they can help me find them. And I never get it right. They always have to correct me. But jicama is pronounced (hi’-ca-ma). It is a Mexican potato that tastes like a combination of apple, potato and water chestnuts! It is very good and really made the wraps taste great. All of us gave this wrap a 10!

Can you believe the boys gave this a 10!

The last recipe was one of my favorites as well. It has another LONG name: Orzo & Feta with Lemon-Caper Dressing & Kalamata Olives. Kalamata olives just keep showing up in these recipes, much to the dismay of all the guys. I really like them, so I am not complaining, but the guys do take them out! This is a Mediterranean dish that makes a great side dish. Some of the ingredients are orzo, parsley, lemon juice, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese. I gave it a 10 and the boys gave it around a 9! There was so much left over, I gave the rest of it to Abby and her family and she said they really liked it and ate it all in one sitting!

Another great side dish!

Even though I am so busy right now, I am still enjoying taking the time to cook well for my family! I am realizing that it is something as a mom I should have been doing all along instead of letting them eat food regularly that I know is not all that good for them. It has made me think through priorities and realize that this is one of those duties as a mom I need to continue to take the time for! It really gives me satisfaction watching them eat healthy!!

Until the next recipe…

Didn't mom say flowers were healthy, also?? So long from Colorado!

So Much Cooking, So Little Blogging! June 12, 2010

It has been awhile since my last blog. Summer has meant being much more busy with activities. Caleb is in the Civil Air Patrol, there are numerous church activities, and I just flat love to get out and about in the summer! Colorado summers are great and there is so much to do and so little time to do it!

Campfires in the backyard! One of my favorite things!

But, we are finally getting rain! I know you all in the Midwest can’t imagine it being dry right now, but we haven’t had any moisture for quite some time! So, today is overcast, cool and rainy. I  finally have an excuse to settle down and post my many recipes I have prepared in the last few weeks.

First of all is Orecchiette Pasta with Shiitake Mushrooms and Sugar Snap Peas. Orecchietta (little ears) pasta comes from Puglia, Italy. The shape of this pasta holds in the natural sauce created by the concentrated juices produced by the mushrooms as they cook down. I really enjoyed this dish and so did the boys! They both gave it an 8!

Good Picnic Dish!

The next recipe is Yellow Split Peas with Fresh Dill and Crispy Garlic which I prepared Cilantro Lime Rice. This was an unusual dish for my family and they weren’t really sure about it at first. But as they took several bites,  they decided it wasn’t all that bad! Yellow split peas are preferred by Scandinavia and Northern European residents. They have a nuttier, butterier flavor than green split peas. Personally, I really enjoyed the dill in this dish. The boys were so-so. They both gave the split pea dish a 7. The rice dish had mixed opinions. I loved it! Jonathan liked it as well, giving it a 9. Caleb wasn’t so fond of it and gave it a 7.

So much flavor!

The next meal consisted of 3 new recipes, all of them coming out of the children’s section of the cookbook. For this meal I prepared Potato Chip Crusted Fish Bites, Ginger Ale & Honey Braised Carrot Coins and Tomato Clouds. The boys loved the fish bites. They were yummy! So much more healthy than eating frozen fish sticks! Jonathan didn’t care for the carrot coins, so much for appealing to the children! He only gave them a 6. Caleb thought they weren’t too bad and gave them an 8. Garry and I really enjoyed the Tomato Clouds. These consisted of beaten egg whites, combined with cheese, cornmeal, garlic and oregano. Caleb didn’t care for the tomato but liked the center and Jonathan didn’t really care for it at all. Caleb gave them a 5 and Jonathan a 7.

A Meal Fit for a Kid!

I promised them if they went ahead and ate all their plate I would fix the next recipe I knew they would love. Having a reward helps a bunch in healthy eating for the boys! Mango Passion Montage! Only I used peaches instead of mangoes as Garry is very allergic to mangoes. This drink was a frozen treat consisting of peach slices, strawberries, passion fruit juice and crushed ice. Yum! Of course, this kind of recipe gets a strong 10 from the whole family!

So refreshing!

Some new ingredients for the family! Miso, bok choy and chard! This next meal consisted of 2 new recipes: Portobello Burgers and Asian Braised Greens. The burgers consisted of portobello mushrooms and button mushrooms along with cashews, sunflower seeds, miso, etc. I used goat cheese spread to top off these burgers and they were delicious. The boys liked them and gave them an 8! The Asian Greens were interesting to prepare as the recipe called for 2 whole bunches of chard and 1/2 large head of bok choy! I had this huge pile of greens to cook down along with sesame seeds, lime juice, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes, cilantro and scallions. I thought to myself that there was NO way we could eat all of this, especially since it was GREEN! But it amazingly cooked  down and was so tasty that all of it was eaten! YEAH! More greens in the bellies of my boys! They both gave the greens an 8! We are coming along in our healthy eating  journey!

Portobello Burgers and Asian Greens

Well, I made clouds, now it’s time to make pillows! My next recipe was Roast Eggplant with Orzo & Ricotta Pillows. This was so flavorful and yummy! It had quite a few ingredients, some of them being: onion, leeks, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, orzo, fresh basil, ricotta cheese, pine nuts, etc. How could it not be good with all of those wonderful ingredients? The boys agreed and Caleb gave it a 9 and Jonathan an 8.

This was great as leftovers for lunch the next day!

My last recipe! I told you I have been busy cooking! Griddled Sesame & Garlic Tofu with Wilted Bok Choy. I personally loved this dish as it had a very spicy Asian sauce that was used as a marinade for the tofu and sauce for the completed dish. I really enjoy bok choy and am pleased to be introduced to this wonderful veggie again! Caleb and Garry weren’t too crazy about this dish. Caleb liked the greens but didn’t like the slab of tofu on top. He prefers tofu in smaller pieces. Garry just didn’t say much as he was eating it, only made the comment after he was done that it was pretty spicy hot. Jonathan and I both really enjoy hot, spicy Asian food. Jonathan gave it a 9, I gave it a 10. Caleb, only a 7 or less. Garry never really said. He is sweet and doesn’t really like to criticize my cooking! What a husband! 🙂

Hot and Spicy, Green and Yummy!

Phew! Many hours in the kitchen, much cutting up of veggies, washing dishes, but it is so worth watching my family eat healthy!

Until the next recipe!

Cadet Airman Ware says, "So long from Colorado"