Pina Colada with a Side of Green Smoothie

I have been experimenting with green smoothies for breakfast lately, and have learned a lot of things.

1. They can be really tasty - most of the time adding a serving of veggies doesn't affect the flavor or texture of the smoothie (at least not in a bad way).  It's also the only way I can get vegetables into a certain picky 2-year-old I know.
2. No matter what the recipes say, and no matter what ugly color your smoothie ends up without it, under no circumstances should you put a beet in your smoothie.  They taste like dirt, and they make your whole smoothie taste like dirt.
3. When in doubt, keep blending. It's hard to get into the "smoothie" mode if you are chewing up little bits of spinach with every... sip?
4. I'm not into the protein powder thing - it's weird and I'm not a fan of the texture.  We really like chia seeds around here, though - a natural complete protein that also serves as a thickener.  So I usually throw in a half tablespoon of those.
5. Other than that, they tend to be pretty forgiving.  Put enough fruits and juice/yogurt in and they end up alright - I usually use carrots, broccoli, or spinach.

This is the best recipe for a green smoothie I have found so far -- I really do enjoy it.  Serves two.

½ cup coconut milk
1 cup coconut water, filtered water, or fruit juice
2 handfuls spinach
2 kale leaves
1 cup mango
1 cup pineapple (I use frozen mango and pineapple chunks)
½ orange , peeled
1 banana

I don't always have all those ingredients on hand, so I have tried a bunch of substitutions.  The original version is still best, but the others have all been good, too.  In spite of my vocal distaste for kale, it actually doesn't affect the flavor of this much.  However, if you don't have a high-powered blender, the kale can leave little stringy things in your smoothie, so I usually substitute in some broccoli.  I have also put in an apple instead of a banana, or strawberries (tops on, as long as they aren't starting to wilt) if I don't have an orange.   

No Sugar Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Cups

Makes 24 - You can make these ahead of time and freeze them or keep them in the fridge for a few days and warm up a few each morning for breakfast. I usually halve the recipe.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups applesauce, unsweetened

1/2 cup honey

5 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk

Optional mixins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, honey.
3. Add in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well.
4. Pour in milk and combine.
5. Pour mixture evenly into greased or lined muffin tin cups
6. Add mix ins.
7. Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean.

Mixins I have tried: Banana - I didn't love the banana. Chocolate chips - good but don't go overboard because it makes it too sweet. Apple and walnuts - my favorite.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

Makes 6–8 main-dish servings or 10–12 side dish servings

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 3 cups, see tip)

1 medium yellow onion, diced into 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 11⁄2 cups)

4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 strips bacon

1 pound shell pasta

Pumpkin Sauce

1 cup low-fat milk

3⁄4 cup chicken broth

2 ounces (1⁄4 cup) cream cheese

2 tablespoons flour

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese, additional for topping, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Place squash, onion, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper on one of the sheets. Drizzle with oil and toss gently with your hands until everything is well coated. Spread into a single layer.

2. Lay bacon in a single layer on another baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in oven and cook 15–20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon pan from oven and use tongs to lay bacon strips on paper towels to drain. Crumble when cool enough to handle. Continue cooking squash an additional 13–15 minutes until it is soft and tender. (It only took about 20 min. to cook the squash when I did it.)

3. While the bacon and squash are in the oven, bring a large stockpot of water to boil and cook shell pasta according to package directions.

4. For the sauce: Combine milk, broth, cream cheese, flour, salt, and pumpkin puree in a blender and process until smooth. Pour mixture into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer 4–5 minutes, until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese, stir until melted, cover saucepan, and remove from heat.

5. Drain pasta and return to stockpot. Add sauce, squash mixture, and crumbled bacon and toss to combine. Serve immediately or transfer to a casserole dish, top with additional Parmesan cheese, and bake 15–20 minutes.

From LDSLiving Magazine 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4-6
This could easily become a vegitarian dish by substiuting the chicken for something like peas, garbonzo beans and coliflower.
Ingredients:

For the chicken marinade:

• 2 lbs chicken - cubed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

For the masala sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken: Mix together cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and place in ziplock or bowl. Mix in spices and refrigerate so that spice mixture is absorbed into the chicken for 1 hour. Whisk the garlic, ginger and yogurt in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
2. Make the masala sauce: Heat butter in a large, tall-rimmed Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Stir and allow the mixture to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. (I will also throw in the remaining 2 oz. of yogurt leftfrom the merinade.)Take the Dutch oven off of the burner, cover to keep warm, and set aside while you make the chicken.
3. Start you rice. I like to use Jasmine rice and use about 2 1/2 cups uncooked.
4. Make the chicken: Preheat your broiler. Place your top oven rack about 10 inches from the heating coils. Line a baking sheet with foil, grease well with canola oil. Mix chicken into yogurt mixture, leaving a thick layer of yogurt clinging to it, and lay the chicken onto the sheet. Broil chicken until it is lightly charred in spots, about 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit on the baking sheet for five minutes to cool slightly and retain its juices. Stir into warm sauce. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Raspberry Bread Pudding Recipe

1 1/2 loaves aged or day old, white bread (a heavy type of bread, usually 1 lb. loaves

works best.)

1 qt. heavy cream

3 C. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

5 C. raspberries, fresh or frozen

1 C. sugar

1/2 C. apple juice

In a large bowl mix the cream, sugar, egg and vanilla.

Cut bread into 1 1/2 inch cubes and add to cream mixture,

coating the bread well. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring every

5 minutes to allow cream to absorb.

Mix the raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring

until sugar is dissolved.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan 3/4 full with the bread mix

and pour fruit filling over the bread mix, spreading evenly.

Top with the remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375.

Serve warm topped with vanilla iceream, whipped cream or eat just plain.

(If you want it to cut into nice squares you can chill

it and then cut it into squares, then microwave it

for 20-25 seconds per piece.)

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

Quinoa Plants in Peru.

Since you are already buying a bag of Quinoa to make Lisa's BBQ Quinoa salad (I plan on trying it this week), here is another Quinoa recipe you can try. I thought they were pretty good dipped in ranch dressing. I also added some cheddar cheese since the Parm was not quite cheesy enough for me.

Cheesy Quinoa BitesMakes ~28 bites

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 stalks green onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe found here: http://www.soveryblessed.com/2012/01/cheesy-quinoa-bites.html

Crockpot Refried Beans

1/2 onion peeled and halved
 1 lbs of dry pinto beans (no need to rinse or sort or soak)
1/2 jalapeno (remove the seeds for more heat.)
 1 TBSP pressed garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 TBSP chili powder
  4.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1.5 cups water

Directions:
Basically, dump everything into a crockpot and cook on high for about 6-8 hours.  Pour half of the beans and all of the onion chunks into a blender and puree.  Pour the puree back into the crockpot and stir. You can add more water if needed.

Tofu Marinade for Grilling

This is a delicious marinade for grilling tofu.  Seriously.  I very rarely enjoy tofu, but this is a clear exception.

• 5 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pressed fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound extra-firm tofu

1. Gently squeeze the water out of the tofu block.
2.  Slice the tofu into quarter inch slices.
3.  Place tofu slices in a ziplock bag
4. Mix all remaining ingredients together.
5. Pour marinade into ziplock bag.
6. Squeeze air out of bag and seal.
7. Let tofu marinade in the refrigerator for at least four hours.  I prefer to leave it over night.
8.  Spray cooking spray on grill.
9. Remove tofu from marinade and grill like you would a hamburger on 3/4 heat.
10.  Tofu is very forgiving and will not burn easily.  Flip when browned.

Enjoy!

Recent Favorites

Because I feel too guilty for posting other bloggers' recipes with no credit, here are links to some recent favorite recipes we've been enjoying around here.  They're all easy, healthy recipes with great flavors that have quickly made it into our staple meals. (Except the pie.  It's not healthy, but is really tasty.)

(Vegetarian) Rice and Beans:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/06/classic-and-simple-black-beans-and-rice.html

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad:
http://bezzants.blogspot.com/2012/04/bbq-chicken-quinoa-salad.html

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Salmon:
http://bezzants.blogspot.com/2012/03/honey-balsamic-glazed-salmon.html

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html#comments

Key Lime Pie:
http://procrastinationthroughcooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/key-lime-pie.html

Vegetarian Enchiladas

So...I think if I post any more America's Test Kitchen recipes, they are going to sue me for copyright infringement.  But maybe they will forgive me if I also add a shameless plug for their recipes.  I Love America's Test Kitchen Cookbooks.  I have three - the Family Cookbook, the Healthy Family Cookbook, and the SlowCooker Revolution.  Every single one of them is exactly what I think a cookbook should be - not just a compilation of recipes selected because "yeah, I guess it's edible," but a group of people who actually try out a million different versions of things and then tell you what the best ways to cook things are, what the best ingredients are, what is worth the extra effort and what isn't.  Basically, they are amazing.

This recipe is from the Healthy Family Cookbook.  It takes a little bit of work, but I think it is totally worth it.  It's a fantastic tasting sauce with lots of flavor and not too much heat.  And the enchiladas are filling and have an excellent texture so you don't even notice there's no meat.

I'll post the original recipe - the only adjustment I made was to use 1/2 an onion where it called for a whole onion.  Two onions in one pan of enchiladas seemed like a lot to me...

Red Enchilada Sauce: (Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3.  Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Vegetable Enchiladas:


1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1 zucchini (8 oz) halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped small
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce
1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup drained, canned chopped green chiles
salt and pepper
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
vegetable oil spray
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Lime wedges (for serving)

1. Adjust the oven rack to middle and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl with a fork until mostly smooth.
3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Stir in the zucchini and cook until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
6. Stir in the mashed beans and remaining whole beans and cook until warm, about 2 minutes.
7. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, feta cheese, cilantro, and green chiles.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover to keep warm.
8. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable spray.  Place 6 tortillas on a baking sheet and bake until soft and pliable (2-4 minutes).
9. Working quickly, spread the tortillas out over a clean counter.  Place 1/3 cup of the vegetable mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla.   Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay seam-side down in a 9x13 baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas, stacking the second layer on top of the first if necessary.
10. Increase oven temp to 450.
11. Pour 1 cup sauce over the enchiladas, spreading it evenly.  Sprinkle the cheddar down the center of each enchilada.
12.  Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is melted, about 3-5 more minutes.
13.  Serve with remaining sauce and lime wedges.

Breakfast Couscous

Couscous has replaced cereal as the breakfast staple at our house.  It's much healthier and sticks with you longer than cereal.  (Except Lydia - she will eat couscous occasionally, but definitely still prefers her Cheerios.)

You need:

Whole wheat (not Israeli) couscous (we buy it at Trader Joe's, but I'm sure you can find it other places)
One individual serving-size cup of diced fruit (4 oz).  We like peaches best, but pears are good, too.  Mixed fruit isn't as good because pineapple or other hard fruits don't work as well.
Water

1. You will use equal parts couscous and liquid.  I use 1/4 of a cup, Daniel eats 1/3 of a cup.  Measure your couscous and put it in a microwave-safe cereal bowl.
2. Drain the syrup from the fruit into the measuring cup.  Fill the measuring cup the rest of the way with water, and stir the liquid into the couscous.
3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the fruit, and enjoy!  Daniel and Lydia prefer it with a splash of milk as well.

When I'm feeling more ambitious, I also like to make apple cinnamon couscous:

You need:

Equal parts water and couscous
1/2 an apple, grated
Brown sugar to taste
Cinnamon to taste

1. Stir all ingredients together.
2. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
3. Enjoy!

Mango Salad Dressing

So much delicious! I highly recommend this one with baby lettuce, red pepper, and mango.

Ingredients

150 g Flesh of about one mango
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp. Red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Rice vinegar
2 tsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Onion powder
1/2 tsp. Basil, dried
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional)


Instructions
1. Puree everything, except half the basil, in a blender until super smooth.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Add the rest of the basil and mix.

Cholent

Cholent is a Jewish beef stew that's typically served on Sabbath. It is great because it is loaded with fresh vegetables and it has a really different flavor than you would taste elsewhere. It is also a good way to use some strips of TVP is you happen to have a large bag of them. I will own that the ingredients are a little harder to come by, but it is worth it. From the Veganomicon.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into medium-size dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
½ cup red cooking wine, water, or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
½ cup French lentils, rinsed (Whole Foods has them in the bulk section)
1 cup peeled, sliced carrorts (about ½ inch thick)
4 medium-sized potatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds), peeled and cut into ¾ inch chunks)
1 (15 ounce can) tomato sauce
3 cups water
1 cup TVP chunks ( not granules or crumbles, if you use Mom’s TVP chunks, you may want to cut them a little)
1 cup frozen or canned and drained lima beans or green peas
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute more.
Deglaze the pot with the red wine. Add the bay leaves, lentil, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, water, and TVP chunks. Mix together. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes and carrot are tender.
Add the lima and kidney beans and cook until heated through.

Quinoa Radish Salad

Until they showed up in our produce box for the first time, I really thought radishes were one of those gross things that Mom and Dad grew in the garden (because they will grow in Idaho clay) but no one actually ever intended to eat.

Then I found this salad recipe. This is seriously one of my favorite salads that I have eaten ever. It has an incredible mix of flavors and is healthy and filling. I don't really know where the recipe came from anymore, but trust me - it's worth eating!

½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter (but that's a lot of butter, so I usually only add 2 tablespoons)
1 ½ cups spinach chiffonade (I usually do this in about 1/2 inch strips)
½ cup thinly sliced French breakfast radishes
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp flaky sea salt, (Not table salt)

Rinse quinoa thoroughly with cold water and drain.

Place quinoa in small saucepan with water and butter. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and let cool completely.

Toss all ingredients together. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Serve by itself or on a bed of lettuce. (At least that's what the recipe says - if you want more greens, I recommend just adding more spinach and upping the lemon juice and salt a little bit.)

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Pillsbury.com

These are the delicious potatoes we ate at our Christmas Barbecue!

5 lb baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup butter or margarine, cut into chunks
1 cup onion dip
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup or more milk, warmed, added until you reach desired consistency - I have never needed it.

1. In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, place potatoes, chicken broth and butter.
2. Cover; cook on High heat setting 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add remaining ingredients except milk. Mash potatoes with a potato smasher in crock pot (although they usually mash with just stirring). Stir in enough milk for desired creamy consistency. Cover and keep warm on Low or Warm heat setting until serving time, up to 2 hours. Stir before serving.

*You can make more traditional mashed potatoes (to go with gravy) by using sour cream instead of onion dip (and maybe leaving out the garlic powder and onion powder, depending on the flavor you want.)