In a Nutshell

     I think I quote movies too much. Or I think in quotes. Or something weird like that. My first thought as I was going to relay this past few weeks “in a nutshell” to you was the one Austin Powers gives all curled up on his bed yelling, “This is me in a nutshell, help help! How did I get into this nutshell?!” I know. Strange. But I really feel like I am quite literally IN a nutshell to. I will spare your interest as to What type of nutshell it actually is!
     So life is cruising along. I am all over the board constantly with eating healthy. I love it. My family doesn’t so much. Neither does my schedule, as in, I do not always have time to make vegetarian lasagna from scratch kids. Sometimes not even a super nutritious breakfast, we’re talking cheerios baby. (I am pretty sure it qualifies as healthy in this day and age right?) All depends I guess on who you talk to. I am very split between mostly veg, and this newer mindframe of “heck yeah animal fat! (so long as it’s grass fed!)” Which p.s. isn’t cheap either. Are these healthy doctors in bed with the supermarkets and quick food industry or what?! Ugh. On a lighter note, I still love food each and every day, so thats good. Kids are crazy as ever, but it is summer, no excuse for not blogging right? Plus I really need to hone in on my writing skills, as I have FINALLY decided on a major. PERMANENTLY! (Hold on to your seats! Anyone who knows me will realize this is an amazing feat. If not a miracle. It’s only changed 312 times in the last need I say how many years since I graduated?!)
     English. With a creative writing emphasis and art history minor. That way I can teach if necessary and write when desired. More on that later. AND, I begin Yoga teacher training in August! I am SO uber excited. Thanks hubs for going back to school so I can too! At this rate, I just may graduate with my kids! HA!
     So, my littlest is trying to walk (yeah he is only 8 mos old) and the boys are crazy as ever, and then here is me saying this is not quite all of them, I wonder when we should have another! Agh! In all seriousness, I love being busy, so why not?! On an even more important note, I am actually cooking one of my new favorite recipes AS I WRITE, so what a fitting time to blog all about it? I got this recipe from a fabulous gal out in St. George, UT at a Bosch cooking class of all places, and with her permission I am sharing it will all you lovely folks! It is sooo easy, refrigerates great, and is meatless, effortless, not tasteless, and.. um... money-less (cheap!), low fatless, and virtually potless! No wonder I love it!

     Penne With Broccoli and White Beans
       Courtesy of April Fazzini, from Creative Cooking with April

3 bunches broccoli (about 4 c)
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp
3/4 pound (350g) whole wheat penne pasta (I just use the 13.25 oz box)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (that pre minced garlic is GREAT too!)
2 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tbsp dried if needed)
2 15 oz cans cannellini or other white beans, drained
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to boil, adding a drop of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking. Once boiling, add pasta and set timer for 8-10 min. Rinse broccoli and cut florets off. When pasta has 3 min left, add broccoli to pot with the pasta and keep cooking. Drain pasta/broccoli and set aside. In the pot used for the pasta, heat the 1/3 oil, 1/2 tsp salt, red pepper flakes, pepper, oregano and garlic stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Add the beans, pasta and broccoli, stir. Reduce heat to low simmer for about 2 min. Mix in feta and serve!

Beanie Brownies

     Hey all! I have a confession. Too often my food choices (or lack there of) parallel my life. Thus the break for too many extra days. What can you do though?! I had much on the plate with the kiddos, and an almost complete fall out of our offer on the house. Long story really. Plus I am not one of those that have really been able to configure regular let alone daily entries into the racket of my life. Perhaps I will be able to work it when I have a back yard to throw kids in. Then again, I will have just had #4 for, so maybe not. Either way, this is one of my ultimate favorite uses of beans. This is basically like one of the recipes that Weight Watchers recommends. So easy, and  GREAT way to cut calories, increase fiber etc.


  
     Beanie Brownies
     
     1 box Brownie Mix (for the 9 x13 inch pans)
     1 14 - 15 oz can Black Beans


Open the can of beans, drain them (and rinse if you can) Return beans to can, cover to top with water and then place in a blender (like Gary!) and puree all the heck out of 'em. Mix puree with brownie mix and place in a lightly sprayed baking dish. The baking time and temp are pretty much the same. 
Viole! Brownies with only about 2.5 grams of fat, 130 calories, and even 1 gram of fiber!





Tip 8 billion 27 thousand 3 hundred and 2;
Replace just 3 meals a week with beans or other high protein no meat dishes and save about $25 a week! (according to MSN's 20 Basic Ways to Save on a Shoestring) 


P.S. That's $1200 a year!!!

Black Beans, The Musical Fruit

     Need I say more? We already know how amazingly low fat, high fiber, and high protein beans are. Black beans just happen to be my favorite. I find them incredibly versatile and am fully prepared to amaze you with my black bean recipes. Ok so they may not all be mine personally, but I did pre-eat them for you, just to make sure they were good and tasty and perfect for this weeks listings. (I know, thoughtful right?!) SO, without further adieu, my first favorite, black bean burgers with mango chutney goodness. Even the kids went for this one! The flavors are distributed perfectly, with most of the spice being mixed in with the burger patty itself. The salsa contains the light mango and avocado mixture and tops these burgers off deliciously. Try pairing them with those fabulous new thin sandwich/burger buns.
And, I must mention that I got it from one of my favorite cooking magazines, and one of my new favorite websites, CookingLight.com

     Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Ingredients

• 2  (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4  cup  finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/2  teaspoon  sea salt
• 1/2  medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
• 2  large egg whites
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4  cups  chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)
• 3  tablespoons  chopped shallots
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 6  (2-ounce) whole-wheat hamburger buns, lightly toasted
• 6  green leaf lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.

3. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1/3 cup salsa, and top half of bun.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

320

Fat:

11.9g (sat 3.9g,mono 5g,poly 1.7g)

Protein:

13.4g

Carbohydrate:

46.2g

Fiber:

10.1g

Cholesterol:

13mg

Iron:

3.3mg

Sodium:

777mg

Calcium:

201mg

Marina Delio, Santa Barbara, Calif., Cooking Light, APRIL 2010

Comfort Food, Done Right

     I had the most amazing comfort food experience the other day. Luckily in some ways, since we are have been cooped up in an apartment in the winter here in Denver for the last week+, I have been able to experiment with some new recipes (making them my own) and the cold to inspire me for yummy comfort dishes. The only problem here is that I started a book that I couldn't put down for the weekend, and therefore could not do much else! I love that feeling of accomplishment after a great home cooked meal, 6 loads of laundry down, or even just temporarily neglecting my kids for the weekend to actually finish a book in under a month....*sigh* brings warmth to the soul.

     SO, this amazing dish. Once again inspired by a Dr. G recipe, but I personally changed it up enough so that I am pretty sure I can practically claim it myself! The beans in the dish are called Aduki Beans and here is a quick tidbit about them;
The name azuki is a transliteration of the native Japanese name. Japanese also has a Chinese loanword, Shōzu (小豆), which means "small bean" (its counterpart "large bean" (大豆; Daizu) being the soybean). It is common to write 小豆 in kanji but pronounce it as azuki (ah-zoo-kee). Dry adzuki beans are small dark red, oval beans approximately 5 mm in diameter. They have a distinctive white ridge along one side. Adzuki beans are popular across Asia, particularly in Japan, and are used to make red sweet bean paste. They are also easy to digest which makes them a great ingredient in cooking for those who have sensitivities to beans and legumes. (Ask my dad personally, not only did he do fine the night we ate the dish but he had the nerve to steal my leftovers the next day for work!) They have a low fat, high protein, high fiber (almost 9-13g per cup of cooked beans) and natural sugar content. Lets check out the recipe now...




       Aduki Bean Stew with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes


Stew
2 15oz can Aduki Beans (you can find them at places like Vitamin Cottage or Wholefoods)           drained and rinsed
1 cube chicken bouillon or heaping tsp. chicken bouillon
1 yellow onion finely diced
2 carrots thinly sliced
1 small to medium leek thinly sliced
half butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 bunch of curly kale thinly chopped
cornstarch and water for base


Put about 6 c. water in a large stock pot to boil with chicken stock and all the vegetables and spices EXCEPT beans, cornstarch, and kale. Boil lightly for about 10 min or so to start softening, then add the beans and cook for a further 10 min or so til all the veggies are soft. Add the chopped kale finally and about 2 TBSP cornstarch to about 1/2 c. cold water to mix it thoroughly, then slowly add to stew for more of a thick base. Taste and add more bouillon if needed or pepper for flavor.


Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes


Boil about 6-8 medium yukon gold (they are the most buttery delicious) potatoes, cleaned and some peeled, for about 15min or so. Then add almost a full head of cauliflower cleaned and chopped. It will naturally rise to the top. When all the vegg is soft, strain the cauliflower off the top and puree it. Mix your potatoes with a hand mixer, then add the cauli puree, about 2 TBSP butter and milk, then salt and pepper to taste. 


Serve this entire yummy meal with the potatoes acting as the base, and the stew as sort of a gravy or topping. Be sure to serve together as it is absolutely delish and even my picky 2 yr old ate it! 

Canned Dinners Makes Me Smile

     And for two main reasons...#1 being obviously the convenience. #2 however that I can stock and re-stock my cupboards, hit case lot sales, save money, save food storage, and make in turn easy meals later after loading my pantry with cheap and quick deliciousness. My recipes of choice? A super easy delish bean and leek soup that I stole from a friend's mom (thanks to your mom Kati!), and toasty french bread with bruschetta on half of the loaf and another quick bean spread for the other. I confess that although these meals are not entirely made from cans, last night was a perfect night for warm yummy food. Although I had little preparation to do, I was able to involve the kids and even (yes I am very proud of this one) get out of the negative funk I was in ALL day. It must be the weather out here in Denver. That or I am just not used to being indoors most days. Whatever the reason, nothing warms the soul like hot soup and an olive oiled toasty baguette. Plus I got a good read out of the whole days work. Yes, I do read cook books in my "spare" time like some people pour over a good novel, and while I like to read a great classic too, absolutely nothing beats a well written and inspiring piece of cookbook literature. My newest feast of choice (and only within a week of my last selection too!) is "The Healthy Kitchen, Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit" by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley which I have included another amazon.com link, AND which is where I got the bean spread idea (with a little doctoring of my own as usual) Enjoy!

The Healthy Kitchen on Amazon.com






     Quick and Easy Leek Soup


2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1/3 of one large leek thinly sliced from the white/light green side
1 can great northern beans (white cannellini beans) or 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
olive oil (optional) and pepper to taste, extra chicken bouillon to taste


Bring the chicken broth and beans/peas to boil. Add the leeks and boil for another 3-5 minutes til leeks are soft. Taste and add any pepper, olive oil and/or bouillon to your liking. I have had the soup with either the peas or the beans, loved both, but the beans provided a more mild flavor. Also used a half tsp or so of olive oil and good helping of pepper and even a half tsp or so of the bouillon (I liked the soup a little more rich) Either way it is yummy! Serve with more fresh ground pepper and even some parmesan cheese as a delicious topping. Thanks again to Kati's mom! Serves 4-6 Adults




     Toasty French Baguette w/Bruschetta and White Bean Spread


1 whole loaf french bread
olive oil


Cut the french bread into medium rounds vertically off of the loaf (I have to say this because I turned it into garlic bread slices first w/o thinking...oops!) brush or place one side of each piece in olive oil. Load up a large cookie sheet/pizza pan and broil for 2-3 minutes til lightly browned. Then follow other steps for either toppings below. Use half of the baguette for each topping or the whole loaf for which ever one you prefer. Can serve many for an appetizer, or 4-6 adults for a meal with the above soup.


     Bruschetta


2-3 tomatoes diced small, or 1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic minced
2 basil leaves finely chopped and more for topping
pepper and olive oil to taste
Thinly sliced mozzarella or Goat Jack cheese
For extra zip add some crushed red pepper, 1/4-1/2 c chopped bacon (like the pre-packaged already chopped refrigerator kind) 1/4 c finely diced red onion and/or 2 tsp finely chopped green onion.


Mix thoroughly and top each piece of bread with a heaping tsp or so of bruschetta. Add the thinly cheese and another thin slice of fresh basil to the top of each piece. Broil again for another 2-3 min or so til cheese is mostly melted and bread is browned nicely. Serve and enjoy!


     White Bean Spread


2 c great northern beans (cannellini beans, about 1 can)
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 tsp cumin
dash salt
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil


Add all ingredients to food processor and puree. Then either leave the spread as a dip for the toasted bread like my book suggested, or spread a tsp or so on each little round and add a little of the thinly sliced cheese from above and broil for an additional 2-3 min. Turns out quite nice warmed like the bruschetta!

Pumpkin is the Word of the Day

     So dinner last night was no less than amazing considering the lack of time or ingredients, thanks to Gary of course. I whipped up some kind of tortilla soup (one that comes with the recipe book, but because I didn't have all the ingredients I improvised) and it took like 2 minutes to make. We included some leftover beans and rice and the kids went wild over getting to eat tortilla chips for dinner; dippy style. Who knew?

     Back to the real exciting crux of this post however...pumpkin. It is on my top 10 list of top 10 favorite foods (Hey at least I condensed my favorites down to 10 top 10 lists ok?!) It is amazingly versatile, creating  everything from soup to pie and back again with muffins and cookies. This mornings triumph was a fantastically filling batch of Honey-Grain Pumpkin Muffins that did not last past breakfast. Of course I wasn't surprised though, as I may or may not have added mini chocolate chips to the top of a few of those decadent breakfast treats, in hope of a pre-pick-me-up for the day (at least for me!) Below I have included some recipes for you to try your hand at. Notice the pumpkin bean cookies. It may sound weird but when you are trying to skip on fat and need a quick treat, nothing beats a gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven. My friend gave me the idea years ago when she told me you can substitute pureed beans for butter in most recipes. Well, I went on some crazy bean cooking kick, and while my white bean pie crusts were not much of a success, the pumpkin cookies have been off the charts and provided many a surprising smile for a couple of years now. Not that it would be a problem, but be sure to eat them all within the first day or two, as they are the most fresh and yummy right away!

     Honey-Grain Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 c.  buttermilk (other milk would probably work fine here, but buttermilk was best)

1 c. whole grain hot cereal (like Hodson's Mill Flax N Oat, just plain oats would probably work great here too only make sure the oats are blended a little more fine to create more of a flour)

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1/3 c. canola oil

1 c. canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

optional mini chocolate chips for the top

Preheat oven to 375^. Mix the first two ingredients and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then add remaining dry ingredients, mix well and add remaining wet ingredients mixing thoroughly. Fill muffin cups completely and sprinkle with optional choc. chips before baking for 20 min. Makes 12 very dense and filling yummy muffins.

     Pumpkin "Bean" Cookies

2 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour (or half white half whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c. white beans (about 1 15 oz. can)

3/4 c. to 1 c. honey

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375^. Puree beans until NO chunks, add honey and cream well. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs, mix well. Add flour, baking soda & powder and spice. Mix again, stir in choc. chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon on lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for about 10-15 min (check after 10, can be soft then let set out of oven if lightly browned)

     Crustless Pumpkin Pie 

(although this is typically a holiday treat, this recipe is such an easy favorite in our house, we do it all the time, including for snacks!)

1 1/2 c sugar

4 eggs

4 tbsp butter soft

2 13 oz cans evaporated milk

1 tsp salt

1 c. Bisquick baking mix 

2 15. oz can pumpkin (about 4 cups fresh, 1 29oz can works too)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350^. Spray 2 large pie plates. Beat all the ingredients well, add to pans and bake til golden or knife comes out clean. Can even serve with just a glass of milk and it is pretty much amazing. 

     Mom's Jumbo Batch Pumpkin Cookies 

(another old time family favorite, the dough refrigerates easy for making some whenever you want. makes a HUGE batch, you can cut it in half for easier use too)

10 c. whole wheat flour

4 c. oats

3 c. butter

4 c. sugar and brown sugar (yes that is 4 c each!)

4 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp salt

1 29 oz can pumpkin 

2 bag chocolate chips

Hey, this may be big, but we lived in a house of 5 kids, and 2 growing boys. Make these ahead and freeze them, they even seemed to taste better! Mix all the ingredients, and bake at 350^ for about 15 min.