Birthdays!

Here are some recent photos of the girls! This was Hannah and Brad on Easter.

Here's what normally happens when I'm trying to get dinner ready--trying and not getting much done.

Hannah's smile is so cute! She has these two cute top teeth that show when she smiles like this. This picture was taken yesterday morning on her 1st birthday! I can't believe she's 1 year old!

Livvy went to a birthday party last weekend with 22 kids! There were inflatable toys, face painting, and the works. I think she had a good time. (We did--we got to go out to dinner after dropping her off at the party!)

Livvy got a bike for her 4th birthday a month ago on May 8. She was able to ride it the first day (with training wheels, of course).

The Best Hummus!

I have been looking for a long time for a hummus recipe that I love, that tastes as good as the ones at the store. (Trader Joe's has the best I've ever eaten.) This one comes pretty close. I added a couple of jarred roasted piquillo peppers, which made it even more tasty than the original recipe. Unfortunately, this one isn't the lowest fat recipe I've found, but it is the best! (From Mark Bittman, The Best Recipes in the World.)

• 2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Put everything except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the chickpea liquid or water as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree.

2. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often find I like to add much more lemon juice). Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit more cumin or paprika and some parsley.

Funny Girls!

My two little princesses!

She's up on her knee, and is just days away from crawling! Ahhhh!

Hannah has learned to sit up by herself, but she doesn't know how to lie back down! I found her twice this week asleep hunched over in her crib.

Hannah discovered her reflection in the dishwasher and decided to give herself a kiss.

Lacquered Tofu Triangles with Green Beans and Cashews

A recipe that was so good I almost cried. Well, I don't want to get your expectations up too high, but I loved this dish. You can serve it over rice (which Brad prefers), but I ate mine over a baked sweet potato. It was awesome, and all the colors on the plate were so pretty together. (Taken from Deborah Madison's book, "This Can't Be Tofu!")

1 carton firm tofu

1 red bell pepper

1/2 lb. green beans or thin asparagus

1/2 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns (I used regular peppercorns)

1 T. mushroom soy sauce

3 T. regular soy sauce

2 T. light brown sugar

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup water or stock

5 T. roasted peanut oil

5 scallions, including the firm greens, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup roasted cashews

1. Drain the tofu. Cut it crosswise into slabs about 1/2 inch wide. Cut each slab in half lengthwise, then cut into triangles. Blot well with paper towels. Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise, remove the veins and seeds, then cut each half in to three long strips. Cut each strip into triangles. Tip and tail the beans and cut them into 2-inch lengths. Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until aromatic, then grind to a powder and set aside.

2. Combine the next five ingredients in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar.

3. Heat 1 T. of the oil in a wide nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, without disturbing, until firm, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook the second side. The tofu should be golden, but still tender to the touch. Remove and set aside.

4. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and, when hot, add the green beans. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add the scallions to the pan, and return the tofu to the pan and season with a few pinches of salt and the Szechuan peppercorns.

5. Pour in the soy-sauce mixture and cook, moving the pan back and forth rapidly to coat the tofu and peppers. Turn off the heat before it reduces too much. Top with cashews and serve over rice or baked sweet potato.

Healthy Cookies

So, one of our favorite cookies has no butter, sugar, flour, or eggs in them. They are sooooo good! I'm just posting the link here so you can go to the website and see the picture and read about them. We make them with vegan chocolate chip cookies, so there is no dairy, if you're sensitive to it. Go ahead and try them--they're so good! http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html

Chickpea, Tomato and Spelt Soup

Very yummy soup! I added a small zucchini to it and it was wonderful. Very flavorful, warm and hearty.

Serves 4 (makes 6 cups)

• 1 cup spelt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch lengths
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron (optional)
• 4 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Place spelt in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 1 hour; drain.
2. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, paprika, cumin, saffron (if using), spelt, broth, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until spelt is tender.
3. Add tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for 20 minutes or until flavors have blended. Discard bay leaves. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

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?