Romeo’s Quinoa Salad

Romeo is my friend Kathleen's beautiful little Ekkie & he LOVES his mama's cookin'!!  Here is a recipe they'd like to share with everyone:

Ingredients:

3/4 C quinoa

3 lg limes

1/2 C red bell pepper, minced

1 tomato, cut small
2 Persian cucumbers (or other cucumber - 1/3-1/2 English cuc), cut small
1/4 C cilantro, minced
1/4 C flat leaf parsley, minced
1/4 C olive oil, or drizzle in amount desired
1/3 - 1/2 C frozen corn
1/4 C canned black beans, rinsed (Westbrae has the best tasting beans)
1/4 C minced red onion (omit in parrot's portion)

1. Cook quinoa (2:1 ratio, water to grain) for 15 minutes. When done, add in frozen corn.
2. To a medium sized bowl, add all ingredients (except for onion) then add cooled quinoa & corn & toss.
3. Carve out a portion for your parrot. To the remaining people portion, add minced red onion.

Season people portion with sea salt to taste.  Enjoy!

Kasha, Yam & Carrot Soup

Fall is finally approaching Houston.  It's not over 100 degrees everyday - yay!!  When I think Fall, I think squash, soups, comfort foods and Thanksgiving.  So here's a very low fat, high fiber soup made with one of nature's superfoods... the sweet potato.  Hope you and the fiddies enjoy!  Recipe courtesy of Bob's Red Mill.

Ingredients:
1 C cooked buckwheat kernels (Kasha)
4 lg carrots, cleaned and trimmed
2 lg yams, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
6 C vegetable stock (homemade is best!)***
1/4 tsp sea salt (for the people)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 C plain yogurt

1. Dice 1 of the carrots & place in a small saucepan with 1/2 C vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer 10 minutes, until carrot is tender.  Drain, reserving liquid in a large saucepan, and set carrots aside.

2. Dice remaining carrot. Add carrot, yams, kasha & remaining stock to the large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat & partially cover. Simmer until all veggies are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Strain soup into a large bowl & set aside.  Then puree the veggies in a blender or food processor, returning puree to the large saucepan.  Add reserved soup to the puree and heat through, adding the nutmeg, cayenne & black pepper.

4. Serve, garnishing with a dollop of yogurt & reserved diced carrots (from step 1).  **Be sure to let the fiddie portions cool well before serving to them!

Kitchen Note: ***Storebought vegetable stock is often high in sodium.  To make your own, simply add a variety of vegetables - carrots, celery with the leaves, potato peels, brocoli & cauliflower stems, green bean ends, quartered onion, smashed garlic, fresh parsley, bay leaf - to a large stock pot.  (This is a great way to utilize veggie scraps!  Freeze scraps as you have them and throw into stock when you're ready to make it!)  Cover with water and let simmer for 1-2 hours.  Strain out the solids and discard.  Freeze what you don't need right away!

Refreshing Summer Treats!

The hottest days of summer are upon us and I, for one, take every opportunity to cool off and enjoy the best part of summer... fruit!  Here are a few delicious and fid-friendly fruit goodies you won't break a sweat over: (recipes courtesy of theveggietable.com)

Banana-nut Smoothie
1. Peel and chop 2 ripe bananas, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for several hours.  Chop 1/2 C walnuts and set aside.
2. Unwrap bananas and process in a blender until smooth.  Stir in walnuts and serve!
**For a thinner consistency, blend in a little orange juice or fresh pineapple.

Fresh Berry Shake
1. In a blender, combine: 2 C of your favorite fresh berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry), 1 C fresh orange juice and about 4 oz Greek yogurt.
2. Blend until smooth and serve!
**Yogurt-based smoothies are delicious frozen for popsicles!

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
1. In a blender, combine: 3-4 T agave nectar, the juice of 2-3 lemons, 1 1/2 C water and 1 C frozen strawberries.
2. Blend until smooth and serve!

When it comes down to it, you can blend up any combination of fresh and frozen fruits that sounds good to you.  Stock up on what's in season.  You can easily peel, chop and freeze many fruits to use later in smoothies.  My favorites are banana, any berries, melons, kiwi, mango, peach and pineapple.  Use your imagination and keep your family and fiddies happy with a chilly treat!

Green Harvest Couscous

Spring is upon us and my veggie garden is planted!  I look forward to having fresh produce for this yummy summer dish.

Ingredients:


• One 10-oz box couscous
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• Grated peel & juice of 1 lemon
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise & chopped
• One 5-oz package baby arugula or your choice of greens, chopped
• 1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise & chopped
• 1 C pecans (about 4 oz), toasted & chopped
• 8 oz goat cheese crumbles (for people portions)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (for people portions)
• Salt & pepper (optional, for people portions)
 
1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 C water to a boil. Remove from the heat & stir in the couscous & 1 T olive oil. Cover & let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon peel & lemon juice, then fluff with a fork.


2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini & cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, zucchini, arugula, cucumber & pecans.

4. Garnish people servings with scallions & cheese.

Get outside and enjoy the weather!  You can serve this dish as lettuce wraps for a picnic.  And we know our fiddies will love it.  :)

Mango-Agave Granola with Greek Yogurt

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay for Food Network Magazine, edited for fid-friendliness.

This lightly sweet granola was a HIT with the fiddies!  I made it without the salt & brown sugar but would probably prefer the extra sweetness if just making for me. ;-)

Ingredients

• 2 T canola oil
• 1/4 C agave syrup
• 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 T packed light brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 C old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 3/4 C slivered almonds
• 1/2 C raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 C raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 T flax seeds
• 2 T wheat germ
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 mango, peeled/diced
• 1 pint 2% Greek yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. **I actually used 2 baking dishes, instead, and the stoneware worked best.

2. Mix the canola oil, agave syrup, applesauce, cinnamon, brown sugar & vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth.

3. Combine the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, wheat germ & salt (optional) in a large bowl.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture & stir, making sure everything is evenly coated. Spread the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet; bake, stirring occasionally (every 8-10 min), until golden brown & crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove the granola from the oven & let cool slightly, then break into clumps while still warm.

6. Let cool completely. Serve with a dollop of yogurt & diced mango over the top. Store leftover granola in an airtight container in a cool place.

Kitchen note: When fresh mangoes are not available, use dried (unsulphured) mango. Dried mango can be stirred into the granola mixture and stored together.

Potato Pot Pie

There's nothing like comfort food in the Winter!  Try this healthier version of pot pie, vegetarian-style.

Ingredients:

1 T butter

6 C assorted vegetables of your choice, thinly sliced or diced. Some ideas:
- bell peppers
- carrots
- celery
- corn
- green beans
- peas
- spinach
- tomatoes
- zucchini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C flour
3 C warm veggie stock
1/2 tsp thyme
2 T fresh parsley, minced
Your choice of potatoes (Yukon gold, red, white), cooked and mashed

1. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic & saute 5 minutes.
2. Add veggies & saute another 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle flour over veggies & stir in, cooking another 2 minutes.
4. Gradually add stock, stirring, until sauce thickens.
5. Add thyme & parsley & cook until veggies are tender, then transfer to a baking dish.
6. Spoon mashed potatoes over the top & bake at 375 until hot & bubbly.

Set some aside to cool for the fiddies.  Salt & pepper the people portions if desired (and I like mine with a little cheese.)  ;-)

Two Peas in a Pod Omelet

Ingredients:

• 5 small Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 T EVOO
• 2/3 C frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
• 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites
• Salt & Pepper for the humans 

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil, then lower the heat & simmer until fork-tender. 15-20 min.
2.  Drain & chop into small cubes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp EVOO over med-high in the same pan & brown chopped potatoes, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in peas & yogurt. Cover & keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg and 1 egg white with 2 tsp water for 1 minute.
5. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp EVOO over med-high. Pour in eggs & cook, stirring, until partially scrambled, about 1 minute. Lower heat & spread egg evenly.
6. Spoon ¼ of the potato mixture over ½ the eggs & cook until the bottom is set, about 1 minute. Fold over the egg like a taco & cook another 30 seconds.
7. Slide the omelet onto a plate & cover to keep warm while you finish up 3 more. 

Kitchen note: You can easily make one of these as directed above for the fids, then add salt & pepper to the remaining eggs for the humans, if desired. OR, just let everyone garnish theirs as they like.