Quinoa with Roasted Veggies

Quinoa with Roasted Veggies, with a side of cucumber/tomato salad

1 cup quinoa (how to cook quinoa)
2 cups broth or stock (or water)
1-2 zucchini and 1 onion, cut into medium-large chunks
2-3 Tbs salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs Dijon or stone-ground mustard

toppings:
dried cranberries
chopped almonds


Preheat the oven to 500.

Cook the quinoa in the broth. Coat the zucchini and onion with oil, salt to taste, and roast at 500 for 10 minutes.

In a small pot, sauté the garlic in butter until browned, then remove from heat and stir in mustard.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, stir the mustard sauce into the quinoa. Serve topped with roasted veggies, almonds and cranberries.

Optional: a dollop of plain yogurt on top

Roasted Garlic (and dinner idea)

Whenever we have roasted garlic with dinner, I always forget how long and at what temperature to roast it. So I thought I'd just post it here so I always know where to look.

How to Roast Garlic

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.

2. Peel off thin outer layers, but keep the cloves together.

3. Cut off the tips.

4. Drizzle top with olive oil and wrap in foil.

5. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes.

6. When it's cooled enough to touch, squeeze the garlic out of each clove.

Peel thin outer layers.

Cut tops off.

Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil.

***

Here's an idea of how to put the roasted garlic to use:

Noodles with Roasted Veggies

Pasta of your choice
Roasted Garlic
Roasted Zucchini (500 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes)
Roasted Tomatoes
Fresh basil

Cook noodles. Coat with olive oil. Add veggies and basil.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Our kids love noodles. And when we need a break from the red sauce or our butternut squash pasta sauce, we go for the Alfredo.

Until now, we've always relied on the jar. But we finally decided to make our own and it was delicious. Sean worked from a recipe on allrecipes.com:

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

I'll let you get the recipe from there. We had only two minor changes, listed below.

Homemade Alfredo sauce with sauteed onion and zucchini

The recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of butter. To make it healthier, we substituted olive oil (about 2 tablespoons).

Also, from our local farm stand, we are able to sometimes get white sweet potatoes. We baked one, pureed it and added it to the sauce. It gets hidden in there pretty well, and it gives the kids a little extra nutrition. 

Beer Can Chicken

This past weekend, we had beer can chicken as our main meat dish for our Easter dinner. I took pictures so that I could write about it, in case any of my readers didn't know how to make the most tender chicken you've ever had.

It's not complicated at all. It does help to have a stand (pictured to the right), but it's not necessary. The first one or two times we made it, we didn't have our stand yet.

Aside from that, you just need a whole chicken, a can of beer and some spice rub.

Beer Can Chicken

The can of beer. You can use any beer you want. Better beer doesn't make better tasting chicken, so use the cheap stuff (we used Miller Highlife this time).

You only need the can half full, so either dump out half or drink it. Poke a few holes in the top half of the can. Put some of the spice rub (whatever you're using) into the can.

The chicken. Take the whole chicken and get it onto the stand. Rub it down with olive oil and then the spice rub.

Bake it. Preheat oven to 350. Bake it for an hour and fifteen to an hour and forty-five (depending on how big and how cold...). 

Ready for the spice rub (or a puppet show)

Bake em'

All done!

Tender, juicy, delicious chicken!

Sean's Corn Soup

My husband is great at making soups. He just makes stuff up right out of his head and it turns out spectacular. And with tonight's dinner, our two picky eaters ate this up and asked for more!

Corn soup garnished with paprika and green salsa from Moes.

Sean's Corn Soup

1/2 cup dry white beans
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
4-6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 16oz bag of frozen corn
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ginger

Cook 1/2 cup dry white beans in water for about an hour and a half, or until soft. Set aside.

In a saute pan, saute onion and celery in some oil on high heat, letting them sit to char a little. After several minutes, add the chopped white sweet potato. Turn the heat down and deglaze the pan by adding a little bit of water or broth (it will sizzle loudly) and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon (this gets up the char which adds flavor).

In a large pot, combine the onion mixture, white beans, broth, and bag of corn. Boil until cooked. Puree (we use our stick blender). Add spices.

Mud Pie Wraps

In trying to come up with a dinner for tonight (something fun for the kids to eat that would be full of nutrition), here's what we put together:

Mud Pie Wraps

Layer 1: Whole wheat flour tortilla

Layer 2: Re-fried beans

Cook a half cup of dried pinto beans in water on the stove for about an hour and a half (until soft). Puree with some of the water remaining.

Saute half of a small onion, some chopped bell pepper (we used yellow), and some garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you have it).

Add pureed beans to the onion/pepper/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt.

Layer 3: Mashed avocado

Layer 4: Veggie Mix

Cut carrots and cucumber into thin sticks. In a bowl, mix together the veggies, some vinegar and a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar.

Layer 5: Salsa

Layer 6: Mexican style cheese

We crumbled some Queso Fresco

Smack N' Cheese

One of our kids' favorite meals is our simplified version of Rachael Ray's Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or as we call it: Smack N' Cheese.

It's an easy way to add a healthy vegetable to a classic, and it tastes amazing.

Smack N' Cheese with side dishes of roasted broccoli and potatoes

 

Smack N' Cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked butternut squash
1 1/2 cups milk (preferably whole milk, or half and half)
1/4 cup onions
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles

Bake a medium butternut squash at 400 for about an hour (until soft). Scoop out 2 cups and set aside.

Saute onions and set aside.

In a pot on medium-high heat, combine shredded cheese and milk. Stir until cheese is melted. Add butternut squash, onions, salt, and garlic powder. Puree with a hand blender (or put all ingredients into a blender).

Cook noodles and combine with sauce.

(This served two adults and 3 kids with no leftovers)

Our delicious pizza dinner

(I won't have a photo with this post, since the pizza was devoured before I thought to blog about it)

Since finding this awesome (and quick and easy) pizza crust recipe, we have been making our own pizza for dinner just about weekly. We know it's something that the older two kids will eat, so that's good veggies straight to their tummies.

Tonight's was especially delicious, so I thought I would share what we did.

Sean and I just estimated the cost and we figure it was no more than $3 for the whole thing.

***

The Paris Mountain

We're naming it that because we took the kids to Paris Mountain today (near Greenville, SC). 

The crust

This recipe with all whole wheat flour

The sauce (this will make a lot, we just freeze the rest in small containers for future pizzas...could also be used as pasta sauce)

1. Saute 1/2 an onion in a medium pot
2. Add half a cup to a cup of frozen veggies (we use a stir fry mix)
3. Add some basil, garlic powder, salt and sugar
4. Add a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
5. When veggies are soft, puree with a hand blender (or however you puree)

The toppings

1. Cooked bacon
2. Defrosted frozen spinach (fresh would also be great)
3. Chopped mushrooms
4. Canned crushed pinapple

The cheese

Mozzarella

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Butternut Squash Sauce

A while ago, Sean bought some butternut squash pasta sauce at Aldi and I loved it...probably because it's so sweet.

I wanted to give making our own version a try. It seemed like an easy way to sneak in an extra vegetable for our kids.

I looked over some recipes to get the basic idea of what to include, and then pretty much made up the amounts myself. Below is what I came up with....and it's spectacular!

The butternut squash is subtle, not overpowering at all. Everything blends well together and it has a nice, sweet, tangy flavor. And the kids loved it!

Homemade butternut squash pasta sauce on whole
wheat spaghetti, topped with Parmesan cheese

Cheryl's Delicious and Nutritious Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked butternut squash
1/4 cup water
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp white sugar

Saute onions in olive oil. Combine onions, cooked butternut squash and water in food processor (or blender). Blend until smooth.

In a large sauce pan on medium heat, combine butternut squash mixture, crushed tomatoes, spices and sugar. Heat through.

S.P.A.C.L.E. Soup

We got this soup recipe from allrecipes.com, but we have altered it a little. Originally, Sean named it "spackle" soup:

Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, LEntil

but I don't know that we've ever used the lentils. The first time I made it, I didn't know what lentils looked like, and I grabbed our barley by mistake. It tasted great.

(the original name of the soup is Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup...so despite our nickname, it really is a delicious fall/winter soup)

S.P.A.C.L.E. Soup

1/2 stick of butter
4 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 apples, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup lentils, barley or cooked white beans
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Place chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Add vegetable broth, spices and lentils/barley/beans. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes (until vegetables are soft).

Puree with a hand blender.*

Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, yogurt, croutons, crackers

* if you don't have a hand blender, use a regular blender which will have to be done in batches, or something else that can puree.

Make your own Pizza Crust

We've done our own homemade pizza for a long time now, but only recently started making our own crust. Sean found a recipe that truly is fast and easy. No kneading, no waiting.

The original recipe comes from allrecipes.com, but I'll repost it here in my own words.

Kale, white beans and caramelized onions

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

1 (.25oz) package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup hot water (110 degrees)
2 1/2 cups bread flour*
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
optional spices: garlic, basil, onion powder

* we use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 450.

In a medium bowl, combine yeast, sugar and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add flour, salt, olive oil and spices. Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes.

Ball up the dough and put it on a lightly floured surface to roll it out. Transfer to a greased baking sheet (if using a pizza stone, spread out some cornmeal and roll out dough directly on stone).

Add your sauce, toppings and cheese, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

"Pimento Cheese" Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Well, pimento cheese minus the pimento. 

I have always thought myself to be skilled at making grilled cheese sandwiches. If we're having them for dinner, it's my job to make them. 95% of the time I can get them perfectly toasted and gooey.

I know the art of making grilled cheese sandwiches can get quite elaborate (like at this site, which I might steel some ideas from). But for the sake of keeping it simple, here is one extra step that will make the cheese-melting step go a little smoother. Nobody wants to bite into their g-c sandwich with half-way melted cheese.

(but don't be afraid to add some other ingredients besides cheese, like leafy greens, tomato, ham, bacon, whatever you want...)

Whole wheat bread, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce

"Pimento Cheese" Grilled Cheese Sandwich

These quantities are for making about 4 sandwiches, so adjust the amounts accordingly.

8oz block of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Bread (one piece buttered on both sides, one piece buttered on one side)

Shred the cheese and place in a food processor with the mayonnaise. Blend briefly until mixed, but still chunky (if you don't have a food processor, just mix it up in a bowl).

Spray pan or griddle and set to medium heat. Put down the double-buttered piece of bread and wait until golden brown. Flip over, pile up the cheese mixture and any other ingredients (greens, tomato, meat, etc.) and put on top piece of bread.

Flip when golden brown and do the other side (the obvious steps...).

(Keep the heat low enough so that the bread doesn't get too dark, but that the cheese melts. Shredding the cheese helps it to melt faster)

Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Enchiladas

We had some left over tortillas, so Sean brainstormed a delicious dinner for us. I’m not sure if this concoction exists anywhere out there in recipe world, but here is our version:

Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Layer these ingredients into 8 rolled-up flour tortillas:

A generous spread of cream cheese
A few spoonfuls of pureed sweet potato
A bit of cooked leafy greens (spinach, kale or collard greens)
A sprinkle of sautéed, roasted or caramelized onions

Line them up in a glass 9x13 baking dish and top them with a salsa of your choice and a shredded cheese of your choice (we used extra sharp cheddar).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (until it’s heated through).

Other additions:
1. sour cream on top
2. chicken or pulled pork on the inside