Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

I found this recipe in Betty Crocker's easy everyday Vegetarian cookbook and it came highly recommended by my friend and neighbor, Sarah.

Into the crockpot, put:
Two sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups baby cut carrots
1/4 c onion, chopped
3/4 dried lentils (after rinsing and sorting)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can veggie broth

Set on low heat for 6-8 hours

Add one bag frozen green beans.  Turn the heat up to high and cook another 15 minutes or so.

The recipe calls for serving with yogurt on top, but we skipped that part and dug in.  It was suprisingly very good!

If you really want to get fancy, the recipe actually calls for cooking the spices with 2 tsp olive oil on the stove for one minute before putting in the crockpot.  This probably tastes even better; but hey...if I am using a crockpot recipe it is because I want to throw it all in, go to work, and come home to a cooked meal!  :)

Chicken Quesadillas

I recommend you use home made tortillas because they are simple to make, delicious, and you can pronounce all the ingredients!

Heat your oven to 350 F.

Grill or cook your organic chicken on the skillet.

Chop up some green onion and cilantro.
Add some canned diced tomato-look for organic, unsalted (if tomatoes aren't in season).

Lay your tortillas onto a cookie sheet.
Add a layer of shredded cheese (I chose a Mexican mix)
Add your green, onion, cilantro, and tomato.
Add your cooked chicken.

Add another tortilla on top.

Bake for five minutes.

Cut into halves or fourths.

Serve hot.

Morning Zinger

Here is a tasty juicing recipe courtesy my sister in law, Sonya.

To feed two people:
2 handfuls of fresh parley (or about 2 cups)
2 apples
About 1 inch piece of ginger root
4 large carrots

Before

After

Stir with a spoon and enjoy the zing!

Tilapia with Jasmine Lemon Rice and Peas

My first venture with cooking fish.  I will definitely make this again!

Rinse 1 cup brown Jasmine rice, then put in a pan with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes.


Grate the peel of a fresh lemon to make about 1 tablespoon lemon zest.

Chop up some fresh parsley-say 3-4 tablespoons.

When you have about fifteen minutes left on your rice:
Cook your peas-according to package directions.

Heat a skillet on high with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Add your tilapia fillets when the oil begins to smoke a little.
Turn after about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cook another 4-5 minutes.

Mix the jasmine rice, parsley, and lemon zest.  Squeeze half a lemon into the mix.  Don't get too crazy here unless you really love lemon!
 
Strain the peas and add them the rice mix or serve on the side.  I think it tastes better all mixed together.

Another delicious, healthy meal!

Whole wheat pancakes (chocolate chips optional)

So maybe this isn't the healthiest recipe, but it is healthier than pancakes out of a box!  It is also a fun recipe to make with my two year old.  I measure the dry ingredients, then she loves tipping the measuring cups into the bowl and mixing it all up. 


First, put 1.5 tablespoons vinegar in a measuring cup.  Then add enough milk to reach the 1.5 cup line.  Set this aside for later.  This is an easy substitution for buttermilk.  If you have buttermilk, just use 1.5 cups (later on in the recipe).

Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I prefer white hard wheat, freshly ground)
2 tablespoons Sucanat (evaporated cane juice) or sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a smaller bowl:
Beat one egg, slightly
Add in your milk/vinegar or buttermilk
Add 3 teaspoons vegetable oil

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until  moistened.  You DON'T want to get rid of all the lumps.  Lumps=Fluffy pancakes.

Heat your griddle to 350 F.  You'll know it is ready when you sprinkle water and it sizzles away immediately.  (That is a tip passed down from my mom and Grandma).  :)

You can put a little butter on the griddle, then pour your batter. 

Make your pancakes as big or small as you like. 

This is where you put some semisweet chocolate chips onto the cooking pancakes if you like.

 

As they cook, small bubbles come to the surface of the batter and pop.  This process starts on the edges, then progresses to the center.  Once the center is all bubbly, they are ready to flip.


Mmmmm, golden brown. 

They are finished when the edges are dry.

Once they are finished you can either eat as is (which is what we do when we add chocolate) or spread some butter and maple syrup (the real stuff) on top.

Fluffy!

Compare to pancakes from a boxed mix:
ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, DEXTROSE, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), BUTTERMILK, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, EGGS, CORN STARCH, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, COLORED WITH YELLOW 5 AND RED 40, IRON, NIACIN, VITAMIN B6, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12.

Orange Ginger Tofu (or use chicken!)

I had never eaten tofu in all my life-it just sounds weird, doesn't it?  I tried this recipe and it actually was pretty good.  You could easily substitute chicken for tofu if you aren't ready to take the tofu plunge yet!

Adapted from Clean Food

Wrap 16ounces firm tofu in towels and press to remove excess liquid.
Cut into bite size cubes.

Tofu-firm.

Ginger root

To make the marinade:
Juice 2 oranges to make 1 cup orange juice (or just buy orange juice)
Grate about 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
Mince 1 garlic glove
Mince 2 tablespooons red onion
Add 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
Add 1/4 cup tamari (I learned this is fancy talk for soy sauce that is wheat free)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Brown rice vinegar-oriental aisle

Mix all that together in a 9x13 baking dish.  Add the tofu in, then flip the tofu so it is all coated.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

15 minutes before wanting to make your dinner, start cooking your brown rice and heat the oven to 350 F.  I don't use instant so it takes about 45 minutes start to finish to cook the rice.

When the oven is ready, put your tofu marinade dish into the oven.  Bake 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 15-20 minutes.

About half way through the rice cooking, throw in some chopped kale on top and put the lid back on.  This time we tried red kale. 

Finished product.

Peanut butter and banana panini

First, choose a peanut butter that has a simple ingredient list: peanuts!

This type of peanut butter should be refrigerated once opened, so I recommend having it sit on the counter 5-10 minutes before using to make the task of spreading it easier.

Take whole grain bread and cover with peanut butter.  Place a layer of sliced bananas.  Put another piec of whole grain bread on top. 

You can either brush olive oil or butter onto the outer sides of the bread, then put in your panini press for 3-4 minutes OR you can grill in a skillet just like you would when you make grilled cheese. 

We paired ours with leftover Winter salad.