Chia Pudding

I know it seems a little weird, but it is surprisingly tasty and a really healthy way to satisfy a sweet tooth.  We love this for an evening sweet snack (not even just "it's pretty good for how healthy it is" - it's seriously really really good).

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup coconut milk
2 T agave nectar
vanilla to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
{fresh raspberries}

Mix all ingredients together very well.  Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight.  It should end up with a thick texture, a lot like tapioca pudding.  This will make 2-3 servings.

We think it is absolutely best served with a big handful of fresh raspberries.

Variations:
You can change pretty much any part of this you want (except the chia) - almond milk instead of coconut milk, honey or stevia instead of agave nectar, cocoa powder or pureed fruit instead of vanilla.

Roasted Beets

2 bunches of yellow beets
1 bunch red beets
½ lb of carrots, cleaned and sliced diagonal
1 small red onion (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, stemmed and chopped (but I never have fresh, so dried to taste works, too)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper

1. Clean the beets by washing and cutting off each end. The peels have lots of beneficial fiber so only discard any bad spots (at least that's what the recipe said. You can just peel them if you want, that is easier to do after they have been steamed).

2. Steam the cleaned beets whole for about 10- 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, dice the beets (about 1 inch).

3. Place the beets, carrots and red onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary in a roasting dish. Mix gently and roast in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until tender.

4. For extra flavor drizzle 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar on top right after they come out of the oven.

*This recipe is a good side dish for 6-8 people. It also cuts down really well if you only have 1 bunch of beets. Use 1 cup sliced carrots, 1/3 c onion, 2 T olive oil, ¼ t dried rosemary, and salt & pepper to taste.

*I also seem to remember forgetting Step 2 and just throwing it all in to roast together. It takes a little longer, and the beets come out a little crunchier, but it's fine that way, too.

Vegetable Tian

This is hands down one of my favorite cooked vegetable recipes. I had small potatoes and small roma tomatoes, so I ended up using two of those to make everything else come out even.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp. (2 cloves) minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
1 tsp. dried thyme
to taste salt & pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Directions:

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 180 (400 degrees f) Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Thinly slice remaining vegetables.  This step is really easy if you have a mandolin slicer, and it made me fall in love with mine all over again.  I'm not sure I'd like the recipe as much without it, because that's a LOT of thin slicing...

STEP 2: Sauté onion and garlic in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).

STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.

STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown

Spinach Molasses Sweet Potato Muffins

Because sometimes you'll do just about anything to get some vegetables into your toddler. But the adults at our house think they taste pretty good, too.

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato (microwaved not boiled)
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1 cup chopped, fresh spinach (frozen is fine, too, but makes it taste a little more spinach-y)
2 eggs (but I prefer to use 1/2 cup applesauce instead)
1/2 cup buttermilk (but regular milk is totally fine, too)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line or spray muffin tins. Mix the raisins, sweet potatoes, spinach and wet ingredients in a bowl until smooth, and mix the dry ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two and mix until just blended. Spoon the batter into muffin tins and bake on the middle shelf until lightly browned (about 10 minutes for mini muffins, 12-15 for regular muffins.  Don't overbake.). 

Chickpea Cutlets

These are some of my favorites!  They are delicious with squash, sweat potatoes, and rice.  The recipe makes four cutlets.  I generally quadruple the recipe and freeze the leftovers.

1 cup cook chickpeas (chickpeas can be cooked in a crock pot and frozen)
2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin is best)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (Italian also work just fine)
1/4 cup vegetable broth (you can also use faux beef or chicken broth)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I like reduced sodium)
2 cloves of garlic pressed or grated (heirloom garlic from the farmer's market is best)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage (normal sage works too)
Olive oil or grape seed oil for pan frying

In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left.  A potato mashers works really well for this.  Add the remaining ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes until strings of gluten have formed.

Preheat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile, divide the cutlet dough into four equal pieces.  To form the cutlets, kneed each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly six by four inch rectangular shape in yours hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them. 

Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan.  Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for six to seven minutes.  They will brown up nicely.  Add more oil if needed when you flip the cutlets.  They're ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

You can also bake the cutlets, though I prefer them fried.  Preheat the one to 375 and lightly oil baking skeet.  Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil.  Cook for 20 minutes, turning once.

Chicken Enchiladas

From:  America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed & pounded if necessary
Salt & pepper
2½ cups of enchilada sauce (I used 2 cans of green enchilada sauce)
1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray (or you can use vegetable oil in a little bowl with a brush)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Mozzarella)
Lime wedges (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

1.      Preheat oven to 350. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.

2.      Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan & simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat. Then flip the chicken over, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken is done.

3.      Remove chicken from pan and shred well. Combine shredded chicken, ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, queso fresco, chiles and cilantro in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired. Cover to keep warm.

4.      Lightly coat both sides of 6 tortillas with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tortillas are soft & pliable, about 2 to 4 minutes. This helps make them soft and not tear.

5.      Quickly place tortillas on a flat surface and place ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture into each one. Tightly roll each tortilla around the chicken and place in a 9×13 baking dish. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining 6 tortillas.

6.      Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour 1 more cup of enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

7.      Serve with remaining enchilada sauce, optional lime wedges and optional sour cream.

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Compliments of the Betty Crocker Cookbook:

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken/vegetable broth
3 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced fat, or I puree 3 oz of low fat cottage cheese, which works out great)
1 T chopped fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite-size pieces assorted uncooked vegetables (such as asparagus, broccoli, carrot, zucchini - I also did red pepper and green beans, but they needed a little extra cooking time)
2 T grated romano cheese

1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain.  In 2 qt saucepan, heat quinoa and broth to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 - 20 minutes or until all broth is absorbed.  Stir in cream cheese and basil.

2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until golden.  Stir in vegetables.  Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender (the recipe said 2-4 minutes, I like my vegetables a little softer than that, so I probably cooked them about 8 min.)

3. In skillet, toss vegetables and quinoa mixture.  Sprinkle with romano cheese before serving.

We had this as an entree, and thought it was delicious and filling.  It would also make an awesome side dish.