Couscous and other quick foods.

I'm loving couscous lately because it takes 5 minutes, I just throw some mixed frozen or fresh vegetables in the same pot it cooks in. Top with parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum. Other quick foods that are whole foods:

- same as above, only with pasta.

- grilled cheese made with pineapple salsa. I made this up yesterday to make grilled cheese more exciting, and it was good!

- omelets with whatever leftovers thrown in.

- I often have leftover beans and rice b/c we eat that a lot. the quick food version is throwing in the leftover bean/rice mixture w/ cheese in the oven to make burritos.

So what do you make that fits this category?

Palak Paneer (Spinach in Cottage Cheese)

Slightly westernized Indian from Extending the Table. Like everything else I make regularly, it's easy - I like it b/c when I plan on making it, I just have to grab some frozen spinach and a carton of cottage cheese at the store. (You know those grocery trips where you didn't feel like planning meals, so you plan as you go when you are in the store?)

Heat in saucepan:
2 T. oil

Add:
1 large onion, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, grated, or 1/2 t ground ginger
Fry until golden brown.
Add:
1 lb spinach, chopped
1/8 t red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
Cook about 10 minutes.
Add:
1 tomato (chopped)(I use canned diced)
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 c. water

Cook about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. When serving, sprinkle w/:
1/2 t ground cumin. Serve over rice.

Sesame Noodles and Tofu

I found this on mothering. It has a nice Thai taste to it. I use it with chicken, any veggies, and rice, also. I do think it tastes best with yummy fried tofu, especially the packaged already fried tofu from Jay International. I ALWAYS use less peanut butter than this. I think peanut butter can be really variable in texture so it's hard to give exact amounts. I start with about 1/2 cup and add more if I think it needs it. Also, I use garlic/ginger paste instead of them separately. It just takes too long to mince those things, I think. The dressing is the important part and could probably be used in countless creative ways.

Serves 3-4
Dressing
Smooth Peanut Butter (organic, without sugar); 1 Cups
Soy Sauce; 1/2 Cups
Water; 2/3 Cups
Fresh Ginger; 4 Tablespoon, peeled and grated
Medium Cloves Garlic; 4, minced
Red Wine Vinegar; 4 Tablespoon
Asian Sesame Oil; 3 Tablespoon
Honey; 4 Teaspoon
Red Pepper Flakes; 2 Teaspoon
Noodles
Dried Thin Linguine; 1/2 Pounds
Scallion; 8, chopped
Red Bell Peppers; 1, thin sliced
Yellow Bell Peppers; 1, thin sliced
Sesame Seeds; 6 Tablespoon
Tofu
Block of tofu, cut into 3 slices horizontally and then cut into triangles
2 tbsp peanut oil

Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Make the noodles: Cook pasta in a 6 to 8 quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cool water.

Pan fry the tofu with the 2 tbsp peanut oil over medium high heat.

*Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing with tofu to combine. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower

OMG. This is so amazing, it never actually makes it to the plate, ever. Al and I look like vultures over a carcass fighting over pieces. I came across this online and thought "Really? Roast cauliflower?" But, I promise, this is the very best way I've ever eaten cauliflower. And is sooooo easy.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl combine:
1/4 C olive oil
juice 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, mashed
salt and pepper to taste

Chop 1 head of cauliflower into florets, toss into lemon oil mixture.
Dump all into a large baking dish to make one even layer, drizzle leftover lemon oil mix on top.
Roast 12-15 minutes or so. You want slightly burnt pieces, not too burnt though.

Remove from oven and devour!

I imagine you could roast nearly any veggie this way, but this is hands down our favorite.

A taste of Spring to come... Balsamic Strawberries

There were boxes and boxes of dark red strawberries at Costco today and I just couldn't resist. So we had Balsamic Strawberries for Dessert and I thought I'd share the recipe cause it's kinda interesting.

Balsamic Strawberries with Marscapone

1 lb fresh, hulled strawberries ( I quartered mine but if they'rre small you could serve them whole)
2 Tbs good Balsamic vinegar
black pepper
1 tsp of sugar (only if your strawberries aren't quite sweet enough)
1 c marscapone cheese (can be subbed with cream cheese beaten with a touch of honey & thinned with a 1-2 tsp water)

Wash & strain strawberries. Drizzle vinegar over them. Crack a little black pepper over them, stir and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes, but a couple hours is even better. Serve over a spoonful of cheese.

Lentil-Tomato Stew

I have this cooking now and it smells amazing! I put it together in 5 minutes or so when I first got up. Looks like it will make a lot of yummy, healthy food. (One serving has 16 g. of fiber!) It also happens to be vegan. I'm thinking I'll make cornbread to go with it.

3 c. water

28-oz can low-sodium peeled Italian tomatoes, undrained (I couldn't find these so used 2-14 1/2-oz cans of Italian diced tomatoes.)

6-oz. can low-sodium tomato paste

1/2 c. dry red wine

3/4 tsp. dried basil

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. dried lentils, rinsed and drained with any stones removed

1 large onion, chopped

4 carrots, cut in 1/2" rounds

4 celery ribs, cut into 1/2" slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt (I used less)

fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for garnish

1. Combine water, tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, red wine, basil, thyme, and crushed red pepper in slow cooker.

2. (If using whole canned tomatoes) Break-up tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir to blend them and the paste into the mixture.

3. Add lentils, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

4. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

5. Stir in the salt. (Oops! I put this in this morning!)

6. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with chopped basil or parsley.

German Pot Roast

We had this Sunday and it quickly became Ava's favorite food! I've never seen her eat like that before! The tender meat and small chunks of potatoes make it very baby-friendly. This is from "Fix-It and Forget It Lightly", which I've been relying on a lot lately. This makes a hearty, satisfying meal that's also pretty healthy. 

Makes 12 servings/Ideal slow-cooker size: 5 quart

2 lbs boneless, lean pork roast (I used a smaller one)

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium-sized onions, sliced

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

14 1/2-oz. can low-sodium tomatoes

1. Place pork roast in slow cooker. (I did not trim the fat off mine. It made the meat juicier and more flavorful. Some larger pieces of fat came off during cooking and I discarded them.)

2. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

3. Add remaining ingredients.

4. Cover. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 7-8 hours.