Easy Quick Cabbage Salad

Original recipe here by Coclarkincooks

This is quick, easy, but she doesn't give any exact measurements, so I'm guessing here, but massaging cabbage, like kale, makes it so much more palatable! You could add more ingredients. I did add one thinly sliced red bell pepper because I think I used too much boullion when I made this and needed to decrease the saltiness.

1/2 head of cabbage (red or green) thinly sliced
1/2 t vegetable boullion (I used "better than bullion)
pinch of salt
1 bunch thinly sliced green onions

Dressing
1 clove garlic microplaned
1 t roasted sesame oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 t fish sauce

Massage cabbage with boullion and salt for five minutes. Set aside.

Microplane garlic into a glass jar. Add sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and fish sauce. Shake. Let the dressing stand for approximately 10 minutes to take out the rawness of the garlic.

Add green onions to massaged cabbage. Dress salad and serve.

Vegetarian Burrito Filling

Instead of stuffing zucchini, I just diced the zucchini, largely borrowed from this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and I found this to be a really tasty burrito filling. My additions and notes are in italics.

Ingredients

2-3 T canola oil
1 medium onion diced
1 lb plant based crumbles
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
chicken stock as needed ok, so not totally vegetarian, but I found that the veggies needed some stuff
1 c frozen corn thawed
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, or a combination
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions 

In a large cast-iron skillet, soften the onion first with 2-3 T canola oil. Then, add plant based crumbles for about 5 minutes. Then, add spices, jalapeno, garlic, and zucchini. Keep adding chicken stock or water as needed to keep stuff from sticking. Add corn; it will cook quickly. 

Stir in the tomato sauce, and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. I added a handful of chopped cilantro and cooked a bit longer.

Add to burritos with avocado, pickled onions, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.

NYT Take out Noodles

I changed this recipe enough and don't remember where I wrote the notes, so I wanted to save this here.

We have peanut and soy allergies in our house so I only used tahini and coconut aminos. I added chicken and topped with cilantro, mint and lime juice. I doubled the recipe for 2 lbs of fresh noodles. I think next time I will triple it for better coverage of the chicken. Such a keeper!

Without the chicken, it's one of those great recipes that you don't realize is vegan. I ate mine with kimchi on top. 

1 pound noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh 

2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash 

3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce I used coconut aminos

2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar 

2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste I did 3 T tahini in place of the sesame paste and peanut butter

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar I didn't mean to half the sugar, but I did and thought it was plenty sweet (and I LOVE sugar)

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger 

2 teaspoons minced garlic 

2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chile oil, or to taste 

Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch by 2-inch sticks 

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. They should retain a hint of chewiness. 

Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. 

Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.

Leslie's Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans

Every time I eat bean and rice at Leslie's house, I can't believe how good they are. I soak mine overnight, but I don't know that it makes a difference. https://www.apinchofhealthy.com/instant-pot-pinto-beans/

• 1 pound dry pinto beans
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 1 2/3 Tablespoon Better Than Bullion vegetable base
• salt and pepper to taste (Honestly, mine didn't need any. The BTB flavored them perfectly. Taste them first.)

Instructions

1. Rinse off your pinto beans, and drain them using a wire mesh strainer.

2. Add them to the Instant Pot, along with the water and Better Than Bullion vegetable base.

3. Close and lock the lid, and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Note: It will take several minutes to come to pressure.

4. Allow the pressure to naturally release (Do not use the valve, but let it sit until the pressure indicator pin drops on its own. Mine took about 26 minutes, FYI.)

Recipe Notes

45 minutes is the pressure cook time, but this will take longer than that to cook. The pot takes a little while to come up to pressure, plus about 25 minute to naturally release.

Thai-Style Shrimp/Chicken and Rice Soup

Adapted from Gourmet 2005 Cookbook (also found here: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/thai-style-chicken-and-rice-soup-109019)

I was worried the curry paste might make it too spicy; it really wasn't spicy at all, and I think by using chicken in place of shrimp and skipping the fish sauce, this would make a tasty top-8 allergen free dinner.

INGREDIENTS

8 cups homemade chicken stock 

1 heaping tablespoon Thai green curry paste*

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed I only had ground coriander, since it is run through a paper towel, I just used that instead

2 cups loosely packed whole fresh cilantro leaves plus 1/2 cup chopped (from 2 large bunches)

1 cup jasmine rice

3 stalks celery, medium chop

1 cup carrots, medium chop

3/4 lb medium shrimp in shell (31 to 35 per lb), peeled and deveined

1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well I used light since that's what I had

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Accompaniment: lime wedges

PREPARATION

Combine stock, water, curry paste, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, and whole cilantro leaves in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, then simmer, uncovered, until ginger is softened, about 15 minutes. Pour through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot and discard solids. Stir rice into soup and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. The celery and carrots are my additions; I added them with the rice, and I thought the texture was perfect.

Add shrimp and poach at a bare simmer, uncovered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer, uncovered, until peas are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro. I added a dash of fish sauce and lime juice to my bowl right before I ate my lunch.

*Available at Asian markets, some specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets.

Apple Pie Granola

I used Jesseca's Pumpkin Pie Granola as a template for making this apple pie granola. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but it shows promise.

Apple Pie Granola

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 t cinnamon I'm going to try this with 1 teaspoon next time
1 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts I used sliced almonds
1/2 cup Bare Baked apple chips smashed into smaller pieces again, I might do more here
1/4 cup coconut oil I used canola oil
1/3 cup honey I did 1/4 c and that was sweet enough for me (mostly because I didn't want to dirty another measuring cup)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce I'm thinking of trying this with apple butter next time or perhaps 3/4 c of applesauce instead of 1/2 c

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment and set aside.

Whisk together the oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, almonds, and pecans in a large mixing bowl.
Microwave the coconut oil and honey for just a few seconds in a small separate bowl until liquid. Whisk in your vanilla and applesauce. Ok, I didn't read this closely. Honestly, I put everything in the same bowl at once. I did do a lot of stirring because I worried that I wouldn't spread the flavors evenly, but I haven't had a problem doing it this way.

Gently stir your wet ingredients into the dry until fully incorporated. Spread onto your prepared baking tray in an even layer.

Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown making sure to stir once halfway through baking. Allow to cool completely on the baking tray before enjoying. I added the baked apple chips after baking and cooling. I really wanted to keep the crunch of the apple chips, and I worried about burning them if I baked them with everything else.

Recipe Notes
For a more clump filled granola make sure you keep the granola in a thicker layer. You may need to increase baking time by 10-15 minutes

Vegan Taco Casserole

I haven't made a vegan casserole before, and I admit that despite the promises on this blog, I was apprehensive about serving this. In fact, I was so worried about it that I told my kids that they didn't need to try it if they wanted to stick to the leftover clean-up dinner we were doing.

But, this was REALLY good! Like I didn't think a casserole without dairy could be this good. I realized that I did do a few things to clear out the fridge that ended up working in my favor so I wanted to record them here.

This recipe is from Joy Shull at Build Your Bite. My notes are in italics.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, chopped
I added a yellow bell pepper because I needed to use it
7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder I did more like a tablespoon
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne I didn't have cayenne so I sauteed a seeded and diced jalapeno pepper instead with the onions
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika I did more like a teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can of great northern beans, drained
I had about 2 pounds of pinto beans I had cooked in the pressure cooker that needed to be used and I was too lazy to make into refried beans, so I used these in place of the beans listed above.
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 1/2 cups chunky salsa I used my homemade salsa because I had it on-hand.
14 oz organic yellow tortilla corn chips, plus more for serving
Lime juice for topping
Green onions for topping

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine onion, peppers, garlic, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, basil, cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt, and pepper in a skillet and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and starts to brown. I cooked the onions on low heat for a little bit to help them caramelize a bit. I also added a lot more of all the spices.

Add black and great northern beans to onion mixture and stir well. After adding the beans to the first saute, I was excited. Those beans were great on their own!

Using a 13 by 9 glass baking dish, first put down a layer of tortilla chips to cover the bottom of the pan. I did this all in the cast iron skillet that I sauteed everything in.

Layer half of the bean mixture onto the chips, followed by 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, and 1 1/4 cups of salsa.

Add another layer of chips and cover with remaining beans, nutritional yeast and salsa.

Cover top of dish with a layer of crushed corn chips. Lazy: I did half the beans, then, the chips, salsa, and yeast; other half of beans with the rest of the salsa, chips, and yeast.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until chips on top start to brown.

Top with fresh lime juice and green onions. I didn't have lime juice, but I did have cilantro and green onions. I thought this was really good as is, but I did need to use up some sour cream, so Nate and I had that on top.

Serve with additional tortilla chips to build the perfect bite.
Enjoy!
The recipe said it makes 4-5 servings; I think it's closer to 6-7.

Massaged Kale Salad: 3 Ways

I've been obsessed with massaged kale salads this season and bring you the best of the best recipes I've found. Kale is full of calcium and I find it to be one of the more palatable winter greens. Get lacinato kale (with the broad flat leaves as opposed to the more common curly kale). My kids and I like that texture best.

Salt or lemon juice massaged into the kale takes the raw taste of kale from these salads while still leaving the leaves crisp and fresh tasting.

And, I can't seem to do a massaged kale salad without a bit of sweetness.

Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese

If you have a lemon flavored olive oil, use it. You won't be sorry.

Raw Kale Salad with Lentils and Sweet Apricot Vinaigrette

I used quinoa instead of lentils. Quicker to cook and I thought it absorbed more dressing.

Hearty Kale Salad with Squash, Pomegranate Seeds, and Toasted Hazelnuts
I used butternut squash, but other than that, I think this recipe is my favorite. Perfect for a Thanksgiving side.

Lemongrass Soup

This recipe comes from my Aunt Katie, which means it's pretty much guaranteed to be awesome. Lately, I've been thinking about adding a can of coconut milk to it but I already know it's so good without the coconut milk. When I lived in Boston, I was determined to find a recipe to make that slightly sweet coconut lemongrass soup that one could get at pretty much any Thai food restruant. I tried 5 different recipes before giving up. This is a great substitute; it's spicy instead of sweet.

It's also delicious as a side dish with pad thai.

Lemongrass Soup

3-4 stalks of lemongrass
8 cups chicken broth
1 tomato, diced
1 can straw mushrooms
1 small can bamboo shoots (I added this)
1/2 pound shelled shrimp or tofu diced
2 T instant sour shrimp paste (Tom Yum)
1/2 lime
fish sauce Aunt Katie suggests a few shakes; I think I did about 1/2 t
green onions, sliced thinly
fresh cilantro
basil (I happened to have some Thai basil)

Trim ends of lemongrass, using meaty portion only. Pound lemongrass with mallet. Add lemongrass to chicken broth in sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove lemongrass from broth using a strainer.

To broth, stir in shrimp and cook until pink (only takes a few minutes). Drain liquid from mushrooms and bamboo and add to broth and shrimp. In a serving bowl, combine Tom Yum paste, juice from 1/2 lime and a few shakes of fish sauce. Stir until blended. Stir hot broth into mixture.

Garnish with diced tomato, green onion, cilantro, and basil.
Serves 8

Southwest Pasta Salad

Um... I'm in love with a salad. This one comes from Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/01/southwest-pasta-salad/ If your trying to lose some extra weight and need calorie count here it is: I halved the dressing because it was more than enough. 8 servings. 1 serving=246. And that is why I had 2 servings at dinner tonight:)

Joyous Almond Cups

Whenever I make these peanut butter cups I always end up making these Almond Joy-esque cups as well.  I use the same mini cupcake pan, the same spot in the freezer to freeze the two layers, and we end up with two flavors of cups to choose from for a sweet, but nourishing treat.  This recipe is my version after being inspired, as usual, by a recipe from Kimi over at The Nourishing Gourmet.

Even more so than the peanut butter cups, these joyous almond cups have a lot of coconut oil incorporated into the recipe.  Coconut oil has many benefits.  Coconut oil has a lot saturated fat.  But don't fear.  This saturated fat is good for you.  Yes you read that right.  The saturated fat in coconut oil is comprised of medium chain fatty acids, 50% of which are the fatty acid lauric acid.  Medium chain fatty acids are more easily digested, reducing strain on the liver, pancreas, and digestive system.  Coconut oil benefits a sluggish thyroid by this same logic: it takes less energy to digest coconut oil, freeing up your thyroid to heal and function better.  Coconut oil helps with energy levels and weight loss.  Coconut oil heals you from the inside out.

So when you wonder why I go through all the trouble of researching coconut oil, finding different kinds of coconut oil, and then incorporating it into my diet despite my lack of love for it's flavor, this is why.  I feel better when I have it in my daily diet.  I know the science behind it and am more than happy to have it's help healing my body.

Now let's get back to the treat part.  I make these either with or without chopped almonds.  Sort in the vein of sometimes feeling like a nut...But when I do add the nuts I make sure they are from my soaked and dehydrated stash.  Soaking nuts overnight in salt water helps neutralize the naturally-occuring enzyme inhibitors present in most nuts.  Then dehydrating them returns them back to their crispy state.  The almonds I used in this recipe were soaked, dehydrated, and then toasted for 20 minutes at 300 degrees just to bring out their flavor a little before I chopped them and added them in.

Joyous Almond Cups

coconut base:

1/2 cup gently melted coconut oil

1/4 cup gently melted raw honey

1 1/4 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 cup chopped almonds, preferably soaked and dehydrated, then toasted for 20 min. at 300 degrees

chocolate topping:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons raw honey

3/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

1. Make coconut base: Combine melted coconut oil and raw honey.  Whisk well to combine.  Add shredded coconut and almond extract.  

2. Using a small ice cream scoop, divide among 24 mini cupcake molds.  Sprinkle each one with a little of the chopped almonds, dividing evenly.  Place in the freezer on a level surface for 30 minutes to harden.  

3. In the meantime, make chocolate topping: combine cocoa powder, honey, and coconut oil in a glass bowl set over simmering water.  Whisk until coconut oil is almost completely smooth.  Remove from heat and continue whisking, adding vanilla and coffee liqueur.

4. Remove frozen coconut bases, and spoon a little of the chocolate topping on each cup.  Place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes until frozen and set.  

5. To remove, pop out with a spoon or butter knife immediately after removing from the freezer.  Store in the freezer, or else they will melt.  To eat, I like to remove from the freezer and let sit for a few minutes to soften.  Enjoy with cold, whole raw milk, yum!

(cross-posted at k-land)

Peanut Butter Cups

I love these peanut butter cups.  I made them last February for R for Valentine's Day.  I wrote the other day about looking for candy for Christmas at the store, but coming up empty.  Even in my compromising mindset I couldn't find anything that would work.  So I am making a few different candies and confections to help satisfy M's and E's sweet teeth on that magical morning.

But back to the peanut butter cups.  I have tweaked the recipe just a bit.  I watch Ina Garten on the Food Network quite a bit, and on her show Barefoot Contessa she occasionally shows how she tests recipes.  Ever since she explained how chocolate is enhanced by a little bit of coffee I have been paying attention to how she pairs them in different recipes.  She says that you do not end up tasting the coffee, but the chocolate tastes better.

Sometimes she uses leftover brewed coffee, sometimes it's instant coffee or espresso granules, and sometimes it's coffee liqueur.  I have Kahlua, so I have used that recently in any chocolate recipe I make.  I just eyeball between a teaspoon and a tablespoon.  I don't know enough about how they make instant coffee crystals to use them confidently, and I don't brew coffee at home.  (The caffeine affects my adrenals and such.)

Oh, and one last thing: after I use up the natural peanut butter in the jars in my fridge I want to make my own peanut butter.  It's very handy to have peanut butter around, so I think it's worth the trouble to soak peanuts in salt water, dehydrate them and then put them through the food processor.  The point of doing all of that is to avoid the enzyme inhibitors present in peanuts and nuts in general.  The soaking process neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors, helping you to not only digest them better but absorb more nutrients from the nuts.

Peanut Butter Cups

peanut butter base:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter, preferably from soaked and dehydrated peanuts

1/4 cup gently melted coconut oil*

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup chopped nuts, preferably soaked/dehydrated/roasted at a low temperature (300), optional**

chocolate topping:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

1. Mix peanut butter and coconut oil together until smooth, using a rubber spatula.  Add honey and vanilla and stir until smooth.  Using a small ice cream scoop, divide among the 24 mini cupcake molds in a mini cupcake pan.  Put into the freezer for 20 minutes or so while you make the chocolate topping.

2. In a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stir chocolate, honey, vanilla and coffee liqueur with a wooden spoon until almost smooth.  Remove from the pot and set onto a hot pot holder while you continue to stir until completely smooth.

3. Remove mini cupcake pan from freezer and spoon chocolate mixture onto each peanut butter cup, smoothing a little with the back of a spoon.  Place back into the freezer until solid, about 20 minutes or more.

4. Remove with a spoon or butter knife.  They should pop out with a little elbow grease, as long as they are completely solid.  If they mush together at all, put them back into the freezer for a few minutes and try again.  Store in the freezer until you want to eat them.

5. To eat, I like to take a few out and let them rest on a plate for a few minutes to soften.  And, of course, my favorite way to eat them is with a cold glass of whole, raw milk.  Enjoy.

*You can use virgin coconut oil (which will taste like coconut), or expeller-pressed coconut oil (which will have neutral taste).  I prefer the expeller-pressed, but I have tried it both ways and the coconut flavor does work in this recipe.

**(I didn't add these, E can't chew them very well; he choked on a swiped cashew yesterday when I wasn't looking, scary!)

(cross-posted at k-land)

Apple Crepes

Jaxon found Professor Fizzy on PBS kids.org. He makes healthy food and explains nutrition to the kids in a fun way. (They have lots of cute recipe ideas that kids can help with. Don't try the chickpea cakes, they're terrible)

Our new favorite recipe is for Apple Crepes. Jaxon asks for it every morning.

Crepes (this is my SiL's recipe)

1 C Whole wheat flour (I like white wheat but red works, too)

1 egg

Raw Sugar (I use 1/4 cup but you can use less or none at all)

Milk (we've been off dairy so we used coconut milk or almond milk, but soy and rice would work too)

Orange Zest (if you have it, we haven't used it)

Add milk to mixture until it's a really thin pancake batter. You can make crepes in a frying pan or use a crepe maker like ours (you can borrow it! We got ours for $20 at Tuesday Morning).

Apple Filling (this is also good as a pancake topping)

2 peeled and chopped apples

1/4 C honey

1/2 C juice (we like cherry, but grape or orange work as well)

1 t cinnamon

Cook on med-high heat until apples are soft.

Put on one quarter of an open crepe, fold in half then half again and top with whipped cream!

Red, White and Blue (Coconut) Cupcakes

I have had some coconut flour ready to be used for a while now, so I made these cupcakes over the holiday weekend. The cupcakes were moist and full of berries. I am going grain-free for a little while, so the fact that they are grain- (and dairy-) free was nice so I could have some. I had to have them with a glass of (raw) milk, and they were delicious!

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes (from The Nourishing Gourmet)

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs, gently beaten with a fork
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In a medium size bowl, place the coconut flour, sea salt, and baking powder. Whisk to remove any lumps.

2. Melt honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan, just until melted. (If you have over-heated it, let cool before combining it with the eggs.) Combine wet ingredients (eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla), and combine thoroughly into dry ingredients.

3. Fold in fresh or frozen berries. In papered or lightly greased muffin tins, put about 1/4 cup of batter in each muffin tin. Make sure to have some of the blueberries and some of the raspberries in each muffin indentation.

4. Bake for 375 degrees until the muffins are lightly browned on the top and a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the middle of the muffin (20-28 minutes).

Hummus

Goodness Gracious! How have I not posted this recipe yet? We make this at least once a month. When Asher was on his very limited allergen-free diet, we made it once or twice a week.

This hummus looks lovely if you take the time to toast the pine nuts and cumin seeds and make the parsley oil, but I never do. This hummus is delightful on its own with pita bread or tortilla chips.

Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts, Cumin Seeds, and Parsley Oil
Gourmet Cookbook

1/4 c packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil
3 T pine nuts
1 t cumin seeds
2 (19 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 garlic cloves
2/3 C well-stirred tahini
2/3 C water
5 T fresh lemon juice or to taste
1 t salt

Put rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Puree 1/4 C parsley with 1/4 C oil in a blender or small food processor. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids; discard solids.

Toast pine nuts and cumin seeds in small baking pan in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 min. Let cool.

Combine 1/2 c chickpeas with garlic in a food processor and process until garlic is finely minced. Add tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, remaining chickpeas, and remaining 1/2 c olive oil and puree until smooth.

Strip leaves from remaining parsley sprigs. Divide hummus between two shallow dishes and smooth opts. Drizzle with parsley oil and scatter parsley, pine nuts, and cumin seeds. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Chicken Sausage, Broccoli, Parmesan, and Brown Rice dinner

A wonderfully easy dinner (especially if you already have the rice cooked) from Picky Palate. I added a red onion when I sauteed the bell pepper just because and added a little chicken stock I had left over (like 1/2 cup) with the water when I cooked the rice. With dairy-free chicken sausage and leaving off the cheese, this makes a handy Top-8 allergy free dinner.

Another New Category

I just added dairy-free as a new category to the side bar. I have a lovely friend who has just found out that her newborn is allergic to milk, so well, that means something very unfortunate for a breastfeeding mother.

Laura has the added difficulty of being a vegetarian who can't eat dairy. Yikes!

One time, I had to go off dairy for 9 months because of a certain someone I was breastfeeding. (Actually, I should have gone off dairy for the other certain someone, but I didn't know better. Poor Baby Asher and his eczema, diarrhea, and vomitting!)

Then, I realized if we do have another baby, I'll probably be going off dairy again. (Seriously, I love Luke a little bit more for deciding he was done with that whole dairy problems at 9 months--just in time for buttery holiday goodness.)

Anyway, surely, Laura and I can't be the only ones in this camp. So, hopefully, this new category will be helpful to others.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

I should note first that I'm not a huge fan of vegetable soups or most lentil dishes, but when Ina writes up a recipe that uses these ingredients, well, I trust her, so I tried it. Then, there's Asher who is not as loyal to the Contessa as I am. I packed this soup in his lunch not even hoping he'd eat it because we were out of anything else to send him off with. He came home and said, "MOM, I ate all of my carrot and bean soup. Can I have some more now?"

With that in mind: Run, don't walk to make this soup! (And, if you have a bowl with these muffins for lunch, you'll be a happy camper.)

Lentil Vegetable Soup
Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Serves 8 to 10 I halved this recipe and felt like it made plenty!

1 pound French green lentils I used regular brown ones
4 c chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 c chopped leeks, white parts only (2 leeks)
1 T minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 c good olive oil
1 T kosher salt
1 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 T minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 t dried
1 t cumin
3 c medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 c medium-diced carrots (4 to 6)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 c tomato paste
2 T red wine or red wine vinegar I thought this was delicious already and left this out
freshly grated Parmesan cheese I never leave out cheese when a soup calls for it, but again, I just didn't feel like it was necessary

In a large bowl, cover lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender.

Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for one hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings.

Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. I skipped this last part.

Tangerine Tofu

For the past few weeks, I've been doing a real push to eat more like the books I read this past year (Omnivore's Dilemma and The End of Overeating). Less meat, more grass-feed dairy, local eggs, and less processed food overall. Fortunately, I've had k feeding me excellent recipes as I embark on this dietary change.

It's been an interesting learning experience. Some weeks, I totally rock it and have lots of good recipes to share (like this past week: Tangerine Tofu, Super Bean Burritos, Skillet Carbonara, and Vegetable Lentil Soup). Other weeks are painful, like the week before when we had bean dishes every. single. night. So, Friday, we went to McDonald's because I was going to throw up if I had to eat one more bean dish. I wish I could complain more about it, but um, I'm the person who does all the menu planning and the cooking.

After the disastrous Bean Week, I'm trying to do a pasta dish, an egg dish (with leftover pasta for Asher), a bean dish, and a meat dish each week. Nate has been a good sport about my experiments thus far. Wish I could say the same about the smaller boys.

Anyway...I made this dish last week, and the sauce tastes quite a bit like Panda Express' Orange Chicken. Unfortunately, Nate was working late most of the week, and he can't confirm that this is true. You'd want his opinion though because he is a connoisseur when it comes to Panda Express' Orange Chicken (note: the best is apparently at Fashion Square mall).

This is another Guy Fieri recipe. He makes it with flank steak, I used tofu. Drain the tofu first, but then, it's an easy substitute for the meat. Also, I've taken a picture of the chili sauce I used; it's sweet and not too spicy. I find there is a WIDE variation in chili sauces. This one added a bit of warmth to the dish but no heat.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/spicy-tangerine-beef-recipe/index.html

Incidentally, I serve my kids tofu every so often. The extra oil (3 T in the recipe) fried this tofu up beautifully, and my kids loved it. In fact, Luke picked the tofu out and left the rice.

My Favorite Italian Salad Dressing

It used to be the Newman's Own light Italian dressing, but as I got more wary of canola oil I started going through the trouble of making my own. I made the version that came printed on my Pampered Chef salad dressing shaker, and it was okay, but not great. Not a satisfying alternative. But then, as most of my food adventures go, I discovered The Nourishing Gourmet and her recipe was delicious!

Our Everyday Salad Dressing
by The Nourishing Gourmet

1 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of Apple cider vinegar (I used Bragg's Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar--which I buy by the gallon from Azure Standard and it's CHEAP!)
1 teaspoon of onion powder
2 tablespoon of whole grain mustard or djion type mustard (I used whole grain)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon salt

Mix together.