Bikes and Balloons

It's starting to get pretty cold here, but we're trying to get out to get what tiny bit of sunshine and fresh air we can before we can't go outside anymore.

I was thinking of emailing Trader Joe's to see if they needed a mascot--Hannah would make a pretty cute one, don't you think?

Christmas Dresses

I love having two little girls to dress alike and who love each other so much! I'm sure little boys are nice, too, but I love my little girls! =0)

Brown Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms & Apricots

We just ate this last night and loved it! Would make a great stuffing for a baked acorn squash. (Taken from a Whole Foods Market flier.)

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 lb. sliced button mushrooms

2 portobello mushrooms, chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 cup long-grain brown rice

2 cups water or broth

Salt & ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped non-sulfite dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1/3 cup total chopped fresh parsley and thyme

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

In a medium saucepot, saute mushrooms and onion in warmed oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, 6-8 minutes. Stir in rice, water or broth, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed, about 45 minutes. Remove covered pot from heat and let sit 10 minutes; uncover and fluff with fork. Transfer to large bowl, add apricots, walnuts, herbs and vinegar and toss to combine.

Serve with a big green salad for a complete meal.

Veggie Quesadillas

One of our favorite recipes from the Lake City Farmer's Market in Seattle. We love to eat them smothered with the Blender Tomato Hot Sauce below.

1 Squash , zucchini or summer 1/2 Onion sliced and cut into short lengths 1 Bell pepper 5 Mushrooms 1 bunch Swiss chard Cumin Oregano Chili powder Oil for cooking Large tortillas (sundried tomato are my favorite) Pepper Jack cheese
Instructions Heat a skillet or wok on high heat. Add the oil and add the onion when hot. After about a minute, add the peppers, mushrooms, and squash. Cook until almost done, but still tender. Add the spices to taste, stir once or twice, then add the chopped chard. Cook until chard it wilted and remove from heat. Make quesadillas using large tortillas (wraps work well), making a layer of cheese, then a layer of vegetables, then another layer of cheese. For flipping simplicity, use one tortilla folded in half rather than two tortillas stacked. Serve with sour cream and salsa. These are very filling, so be careful!
Blender Tomato Hot Sauce (from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers) 1 T. vegetable oil or olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 small or 1/2 large bell pepper, chopped 1 t. ground cumin 1 t. ground coriander 1/4 t. cayenne or 1/2 t. red pepper flakes 1 15-oz. can of tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) In a heavy saucepan or skillet, heat the oil until it is almost smoking. Stir in the onion and bell peppers and sprinkle with salt. Cook on high heat, stirring often, until the peppers are blistered and beginning to brown., about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and cayenne or red pepper flakes and remove from the heat. In a blender, puree the cooked onions and peppers with the tomatoes. Return the sauce to the pan, add the cilantro, and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If the simmering sauce splatters, partially cover the pan.) This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. This is great over burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, casseroles, and stuffed vegetables.

Can I Have That? Salad

I saw this recipe and can't wait to try it out for the holidays when I'm cooking for a crowd. It seems too big to make for just ourselves, but I had to post it because I love the title. I got it from a website of a local farmer, Tantre Farms, tantrerecipes.blogspot.com

4 medium carrots
1 large apple
1 large pear
1 small jicama
1 medium cucumber
1 pineapple
1 bunch baby spinach
1 1/2 c golden raisins
1 c nuts and/or seeds, toasted
1/2 small red onion, finely minced
10-12 leaves fresh basil, shredded
2 limes
4 tbsp. walnut, peanut, or sesame oil
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. cracked white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
A little minced basil
A little fresh grated ginger

Use a mandoline to slice the carrots, apples and pears into thin slabs. Be sure to dunk the apple slices in a little lemon juice as you go. Cut the pineapple to match. Peel and seed the cucumber, if desired, and cut to match. Throw all this together with spinach, rasins, nuts/seeds, onion, and shredded basil. In small saucepan, toast your oil. Add lime juice, zest, and honey; heat until honey melts (but don't boil). Add the pepper, cardamom, basil and ginger. Heat for a little longer, then remove. Cool for just a few minutes, then pour over salad and toss. Possibilities: experiment with vinegar, oils, flavored honeys, veggies (celery, kale, peppers), fruits (melon, berries), fresh herbs (cilantro, mint), spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace), or preparation (grill the pineapple). Serves one army.

Mango Smoothies

A couple of years ago, we decided to try to cut out a lot of sugar from our diet by eating desserts only on holidays, birthdays, or if someone else had us over for dinner. In order to get over our sugar cravings, we ate these smoothies almost every night for a month. It is still our favorite smoothie recipe. If you're lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, their frozen mango chunks are inexpensive and perfect for this smoothie. To make it extra thick, use frozen bananas, but you'll need a powerful blender. I've burnt out two blenders making these with all frozen ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 banana, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Place the mangoes in a plastic bag and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, in a blender, combine the frozen mangoes, yogurt, milk, banana, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend until very smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

I Love Kale! Kale Recipes

Kale is one of my favorite foods, probably because I feel like it's one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. Watching my three-year-old eat kale makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a mom. So, those are good enough reasons for me to eat it. But I also like the taste, and these three recipes are so yummy!! I like to use lacinato kale (aka dino kale, or black kale) because it's the sweetest of all the kinds of kale.

Pasta with Lentils and Kale

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pasta-with-Lentils-and-Kale-238092

Wilted Kale and Roasted Potato Winter Salad

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wilted-Kale-and-Roasted-Potato-Winter-Salad-350884

Sauteed Kale

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Kale-108742