Bending

First, I was inspired. Sometimes all of the food rules are put on hold for a special day.

That being said. I have already dreamed up a better version of this. Stay tuned.

All photos are taken by Val Curtis and can be used with permission only.

 

Weekly Menu - Week of March 12

This week had some highs and lows. Two recipes didn't make it to the final menu, but we are still working on them so you can taste a refined version soon.
All recipes are linked below to their original source.

Monday - Steak and Bang Bang Cauliflower from That's So Michelle.

I cannot say enough about this cauliflower recipe, Michelle hit a major home run with this one. It is SO delicious. The Good Apple actually said that it is probably one of the best things I ever made. Seriously. THAT good.

Tuesday - Curry Butternut Squash Soup from Mental Chew served with a green salad

Wednesday - Roasted Veggie Burritos from Mental Chew

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Red Onion
• Cauliflower
• Sweet Potato
• Garlic
• Burrito fixins: tortillas, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, cheese, rice, beans

Directions:

1. Cut veggies into bites size pieces. Place into a large bowl and tumble with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour veggies onto sheet in a single layer. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Add any fresh herbs you desire.
3. Assemble burritos.

NOTE: Make a second sheet of veggies and BOOM...you have tomorrow's dinner half way done!

Thursday - Roasted Veggie Galette based on Flour Arrangement's recipe
Take your favorite roasted veggies or serve it just as Suzanne writes it. I like to use roasted carrots, parsnips, cauliflower and turnips. This is a family favorite with a green salad. (No photos...this is a fill in recipe for the experimentation that went awry this week, but I promise, you will love this recipe.)

Friday - Salsa Chicken Tacos from Mental Chew
Get your crockpot ready.


Ingredients:

• 4 boneless organic chicken breasts
• 2 containers of your favorite fresh salsa
• 2 cans of black beans (Eden Hills is my favorite)
• Tortillas and your favorite taco toppings

Directions:

1. Pour half a container of salsa into crockpot.
2. Add 2 chicken breasts, 1 can of beans and top with remaining salsa in first container.
3. Add 2 chicken breasts, 2 can of beans and top with second container of fresh salsa.
4. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
5. Pull chicken apart and serve!

It really is that easy and it tastes like you worked on it all day. When serving this to guests, don't admit how easy it was. This is a great dinner for a crowd or to have two nights in a row, which is what we did.

Saturday - Salsa Chicken Deja Vu (leftovers)

Sunday - Five Fist Chili from Mental Chew served with a green salad and cornbread
This is a great one to make extra for hot lunches during the week.


A lunch favorite this week were the Sesame Noodles with broccoli added and the Quinoa Bites. Both can be spruced up with green veggies this week to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!!


Next week's recipes are going to be quick and mostly veggie...stay tuned.

Click here to see other Weekly Menus.

All photos are taken by Val Curtis and can be used with permission only.

 

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal for Non-Oatmeal Lovers

We are an oatmeal house, but this wasn't always the case. Growing up, I would see my dad cringe and grimace whenever oatmeal was mentioned. You see, he came to the US via a ship during WWII (after being in internment camps). The kids were served lukewarm, lumpy oatmeal day and night. So, I understand his disdain for this grain and you can be sure oatmeal didn't find it's way into our house, not even in the form of cookies.

During my grad school years, finances were slim and we were living on our sailboat (which was heavenly). Our cooking space was lovingly known as "the one butt kitchen" and storage was at a minimum. Several friends suggested starting the day with a large bowl of piping hot oatmeal. I knew they were right, I just couldn't stomach the concept (and I felt like I was betraying my dad a bit). Finally, I gave in and tried it all. Oats, quick oats, malt-o-meal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, nuts, berries, dried fruit. Nothing worked. I could not force myself past the first spoonful. My hot cereal collection was passed on to my classmates.

Seven years later, I heard some buzz about a local coffee shop and their incredible oatmeal. Facebook statuses were posted by locals about "needing a fix". Ya, whatever. It's just oatmeal, right? Yuck (like a mature adult). I met a friend for coffee and everyone was getting this oatmeal and "oohing" and "ahhhing" about the warm, tasty goodness. People, get ahold of yourselves, it's just oatmeal. My friend said I should try a cup and that she would pay if I didn't like it. I gave in, thinking I would prove her wrong. "One oatmeal with brown sugar, pecans and berries." Worse case scenario, I could eat the toppings. The first bite was all toppings. "I love this!" Nice try. Here we go...damn, it IS good! Creamy, warm, sweet deliciousness. I was hooked...and then the owners of the coffee shop left, but I have figured out their secret and now we are an oatmeal house. Join us.

Makes approximately 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats
• 1 c water
• 1/2 milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

*more brown sugar for sprinkling

Directions
1) In a small saucepan, bring water, milk and vanilla to a soft boil. Reduce heat to Lo and add oats. Simmer while covered for 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
2) In a small frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add apples, cinnamon and brown sugar. Sauté until soft.
3) Spoon oatmeal into bowls while hot and cover with apple mixture. Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on the top and enjoy!

Variations:
Fresh berries (the juice from blackberries is awesome!)
Nuts
Dried fruit

(I have heard about making this on warm in a slow cooker overnight. I will investigate and keep you posted.)

What do you like to put on your oatmeal?

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Sugar Cookies (without tears)

I have a dear friend who has twin boys the same age as my eldest. We went through our first year hand in hand. I was determined to make everything as healthy as possible for my new tyke and she was determined to do the same AND take on the world. She would redo her garden beds, paint her downstairs, reorganize spaces in her home. I would look up recipes online. Ya. Yin and Yang.

Christmas time came and she busted out DOZENS of gorgeous sugar cookies. I had to do something. The heat was on (and bless those of you who are old enough to know the Glenn Fry reference).

I loathe enriched, bleached flours, High Fructose Syrup, canned goods, BPA and yes, my green flag is flying high at this point, but I was going to make pretty cookies for my son. With my toddler in hand (and under foot), I went to every store on the island that could potentially carry cookie cutters.  I came home with a traditional variety as well as some marine animals for flare. 

I found a great recipe and then I substituted in whole wheat flour and some apple sauce. Hmph. Are you groaning? You ought to be. I ended up with cookie carnage. Flippers, arms, heads, star points, legs and carapace pieces. Nightmare on Elm Street vs. Christmas on my kitchen counter.

Believe it or not, I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. Refusing to be deterred, I rolled out the second ball of dough (there were four total- everyone was going to get some!) an created my lovely little cutouts again. Needless to say, the carnage pile grew.

Frustrated and with tears in my eyes, I called Super Friend. She was trying to help me troubleshoot and she knew me well enough to ask, "You followed the recipe, right?" Ya, well...No. "What did you do?" When told her, I could feel her grimace and heavy sigh through the phone. "Val, you don't FREESTYLE with Christmas cookies. They are CHRISTMAS COOKIES!" She was so right. The two remaining balls of dough were tossed in the trash. So sad. For this season, I was done with Christmas cookies. I picked up a flipper, gnawed on it, confirmed it tasted like it looked and chucked the mountain of carnage away. Bah humbug.

It has been 3 years, but I am ready to give it a go. For the years that spanned in between I have made every non-sugar cookie that I could find. Now it is time to revisit my dark past.

Yes, I will use organic sugar and butter and flour. I can't give that up, but the ingredient list will stay unchanged. I am going with Martha Stewart's Ideal Sugar Cookies. This recipe is adapted from "The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook" (Oxmoor House, 2003.) It just feels right. Martha. Christmas. Sugar cookies. Deep breath. 


I will not be busting out the crazy cookie cutters (they have been misplaced). Instead, I will use a mason jar to make easy peasy circles that the Little Man can cut out with me. 


Great advice that I received from a friend: make the dough a day ahead. Bring it out when you are going to roll and decorate and make that the cookie making process. Little minds might not want to wait 1-2 hours in between.

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Simple Christmas Sugar Cookies

Martha Stewart's Ideal Sugar Cookies. This recipe is adapted from "The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook" (Oxmoor House, 2003).

Yield: Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

                              2 cups organic all-purpose flour

                              1/4 teaspoon salt

                              1/2 teaspoon baking powder

                              1/2 cup (1 stick) organic unsalted butter

                              1 cup organic sugar

                              1 large organic egg, lightly beaten

                              2 tablespoons organic milk

                              1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

   

Procedure:

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, milk, and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

 Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

OXO Be a Good Cookie Spatula....more about this soon.

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

Even my little helper could cut these out and place them on the tray!

 On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Hint: take the "leftover" dough, roll it in a ball
and then roll it in sugar and cinnamon...
Snickerdoodle!
Easy for little hands.

Icing (my recipe, not Martha's):

1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tsps milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Food coloring

Using a whisk, mix sugar and milk until no dry sugar remains. Add corn syrup, extract and food coloring and mix. Tah dah! You are ready to go.

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Savory Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Grey cloudy skies. Cool breezes. Raindrops against the windows. Friends gathering for dinner. Fall is here and that means it is pot roast time!

I have tried many versions of this dish and this one has been a friend and family favorite. This is kid-tested and approved, even my 11 month old brought her bowl up to her mouth looking for more. Serve this roast with a fresh, green salad and a warm, crusty loaf of sourdough and happy bellies will be leaving the table. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 4-5 lbs of beef roast, any cut will do (Go local!)
• 2 tsp of garlic salt
• 2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 12 small organic fingerling potatoes*
• 6 large organic carrots chopped into 2" pieces 
• 1 large organic onion cut into 1/2" slices
• 6 whole cloves garlic
• 1 cup of organic beef or vegetable broth
• 1 can organic tomato sauce**
• 1 quart of organic crushed tomatoes**

Procedure:

1. Rinse roast and pat dry. Rub it down with 1 tsp of garlic salt and 1 tsp of black pepper.
2. Place roast into a hot skillet and sear each side for approximately 2 minutes. It will get a little smokey in the house.
3. Place washed potatoes in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker and layer the following on top: roast, carrots, onions and garlic.
4. Pour broth over slow cooker contents.
5. In a medium bowl, mix crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and remaining salt and pepper. Pour mixture over contents of the slow cooker and set to low for 8 hours.
6. Remove roast and veggies from slow cooker and serve. If you are a gravy kind of person, see the following gravy recipe.

Gravy:
Ingredients:

• Pot roast juices and bits
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp beef bouillon granules

Procedure:

1. Pour one cup of roast juices and bits into a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in flour and granules until throughly mixed. 
2. Pour remaining juices in medium sauce pot and bring to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture.

Side note: 
* Potatoes are #9 on the Dirty Dozen list. Budget to buy organic, you and your family are worth it.
** Those of you who know me, know that I have issues with buying canned tomatoes; however Eden Foods and Muir Glen now have canned tomatoes that are BPA free. Incredibly good news.

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Spinach baby!

The following scenario is all too common these days.

The panic button is hit. What will I make for dinner tonight? Somehow (HA!) the day has escaped me and it is 4:30 and I am just thinking about our dinner. Easy comes to mind first. Pasta? Chicken? What is in the fridge? Do I dare dig into the freezer? Ugh. Microwave defrost. Hate it. Ok, fresh. Look out the window and there is the answer. Spinach. Lots of spinach, but not quite as much as I should have planted.

Last year this crop was VERY plentiful, however, due to my morning/afternoon/evening sickness, I couldn't enjoy it. My three little rows seem like an emerald gift under the cloche. I wish I planted more. It would lead to more quick meals.

This particular night we BBQed some chicken and I plucked several handfuls of spinach from the garden.

A quick rinse and it could be a delicious salad. Today we continue on to the stove top.

A spritz of olive oil and 3 crushed cloves of garlic are thrown into the fry pan. After the garlic started to sizzle, I added all of the spinach in and sautéd it. Done!

The end product shows why I need to plant more. It takes a lot for a side dish.

So when in doubt about what you are going to make for dinner, think fresh first and build the rest of your menu from there. Most of all remember that you can NEVER go wrong with olive oil and garlic.