Green Quinoa
Ingredients
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 medium squash, grated
3 tbsp pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Mix in squash, pesto, and cheese.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Green Quinoa
What did I do before Pinterest? It is my recipe go-to! This recipe was something I repinned from a friend. It will be lunch for the week. I just threw it together while putting groceries away. So easy and delicious!
Green Quinoa
Ingredients
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 medium squash, grated
3 tbsp pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Mix in squash, pesto, and cheese.
Green Quinoa
Ingredients
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 medium squash, grated
3 tbsp pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Mix in squash, pesto, and cheese.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Chicken and Cabbage Dinner...and Baby Food!
Being on vacation has allowed Arnauld and I to make dinner together for the first time in what seems like forever. We have enjoyed just being together at home. We made a delicious steak dinner one night, complete with a homemade marinade,mashed potatoes and veggies. The next night I found recipes for chicken and cabbage-both will be added to our weeknight rotation.
And for some other exciting news, Wren now eats solid foods. She has been acting ravenous this week. I had been planning to introduce solids when she was closer to six months but she just seemed ready. So I took a trip to whole foods and bought some sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, carrots, and avocados. I figured out how to use the Baby Beaba that we were gifted and our kitchen was transformed into a baby food making factory. So far she has only tasted bananas, which she loves. She has quite the variety of food waiting for her in the freezer now. Our baby is growing up fast!
Chicken with Caramelized Garlic and Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb chicken
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic.
2. Place the chicken in a baking dish.
3. Add the brown sugar to the butter and increase the temperature to medium. Stir often. Once the butter and sugar begin to combine, about five minutes, pour over the chicken.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Roasted Cabbage with Lemon
Ingredients
1 head of cabbage
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Chop cabbage into 6-8 wedges.
2. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Brush all sides of the cabbage with this mixture.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Use tongs to flip the cabbage and bake for additional 10-15 minutes.
And for some other exciting news, Wren now eats solid foods. She has been acting ravenous this week. I had been planning to introduce solids when she was closer to six months but she just seemed ready. So I took a trip to whole foods and bought some sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, carrots, and avocados. I figured out how to use the Baby Beaba that we were gifted and our kitchen was transformed into a baby food making factory. So far she has only tasted bananas, which she loves. She has quite the variety of food waiting for her in the freezer now. Our baby is growing up fast!
Chicken with Caramelized Garlic and Brown Sugar Glaze
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb chicken
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic.
2. Place the chicken in a baking dish.
3. Add the brown sugar to the butter and increase the temperature to medium. Stir often. Once the butter and sugar begin to combine, about five minutes, pour over the chicken.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Roasted Cabbage with Lemon
Ingredients
1 head of cabbage
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Chop cabbage into 6-8 wedges.
2. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Brush all sides of the cabbage with this mixture.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Use tongs to flip the cabbage and bake for additional 10-15 minutes.
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| Baby food! |
Book Club Scones
This week, my book club had our 3rd Annual Post-Christmas brunch/ scarf swap. This year seems to have been a hectic one for a lot of people and we haven't actually chosen or discussed a book in months! I'm glad we still carried on this tradition and spent some time outside of school together. It's always nice to catch up with the girls. This year, there were two new additions to the group-Wren and her new pal Quinn.
Chocolate Chip Coconut Scones
Recipe from breadbaking.about.com
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar, plus 1 tsp for topping
1/4 cup chilled butter, choopped
1 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut
egg white
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and work into the mixture using a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Add milk, chocolate, and coconut. Mix to form a sticky dough.
4. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds on a floured surface. Form the dough into a ball and pat into a circle about 3/4 of an inch thick.
5. Place the dough on the baking sheet and use a pizza cutter to cut it into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges.
6. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of the scones with the egg white. Sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes or until the scones are cooked through.
8. Cool and serve.
Chocolate Chip Coconut Scones
Recipe from breadbaking.about.com
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar, plus 1 tsp for topping
1/4 cup chilled butter, choopped
1 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut
egg white
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and work into the mixture using a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Add milk, chocolate, and coconut. Mix to form a sticky dough.
4. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds on a floured surface. Form the dough into a ball and pat into a circle about 3/4 of an inch thick.
5. Place the dough on the baking sheet and use a pizza cutter to cut it into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges.
6. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of the scones with the egg white. Sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes or until the scones are cooked through.
8. Cool and serve.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Peppermint Cookies
The holidays are so much sweeter when you have a baby of your own to share them with. Wren has been a real trooper as we have dressed her up and brought her from one family gathering to another. She loves people so she has been fighting sleep so she can keep up with everything going on around her. She is such a sweet girl. I couldn't love her more!
I've been so busy enjoying being with Wren now that I am on vacation from work, that it has been hard to think of anything else...especially baking! I did sneak in a couple of batches of cookies to bring along to some family gatherings this week. These peppermint cookies were a huge hit and really easy to make.
Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup Andes Pepper Crunch pieces
1/2 cup white chocolate peppermint M&Ms
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Then mix in the pudding mix.
2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla then stir in the baking soda and flour.
3. Stir in the peppermint pieces and the M&Ms.
4. Roll the dough into rounded teaspoons and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
I've been so busy enjoying being with Wren now that I am on vacation from work, that it has been hard to think of anything else...especially baking! I did sneak in a couple of batches of cookies to bring along to some family gatherings this week. These peppermint cookies were a huge hit and really easy to make.
Peppermint Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup Andes Pepper Crunch pieces
1/2 cup white chocolate peppermint M&Ms
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Then mix in the pudding mix.
2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla then stir in the baking soda and flour.
3. Stir in the peppermint pieces and the M&Ms.
4. Roll the dough into rounded teaspoons and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Sweet Potato, Kale, and White Bean Soup
I can't stop thinking about the devastation of Friday. I keep thinking about how much can change in just a days time. Arnauld and I spent our last few minutes before leaving for work Friday morning in the driveway discussing our plans for dinner-already looking forward to some quiet family time and the weekend. Yet by the time we were both home from work, the world was a very different place. All day at work, I felt like I was just watching the seconds inch by, eager to be home and surrounded by my own family. As I finally walked out of the school building I couldn't help but notice the quiet-a quiet that seemed to whisper the magnitude of the day, a whisper that won't stop running through my being. I have lived through some horrific days, this my first as a parent. It is always so hard to imagine tragedy-happening to someone else far far away. Yet Friday happened so close to home in a setting so close to my every day reality and impacted people that I know personally. My heart is broken like so many others and I'm left wondering how to keep moving forward with that sad sad whisper echoing everywhere I go.
Sweet Potato, Kale, and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 tbsp Grapeseed oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 head of kale, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the sweet potatoes. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the onion and saute for about 8 minutes.
3. Add a splash of vegetable broth and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the broth, wine, beans, oregano, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add kale and cook for 5 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
Sweet Potato, Kale, and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 tbsp Grapeseed oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 head of kale, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the sweet potatoes. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the onion and saute for about 8 minutes.
3. Add a splash of vegetable broth and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the broth, wine, beans, oregano, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add kale and cook for 5 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
Another week of work beginning means I am that much closer to vacation and spending time with my girl! We spent the weekend decorating for Christmas. Wren slept through finding a Christmas tree but now that it is up she is enjoying the lights. Hopefully all the weekend activity will make her super sleepy tonight. She hasn't been the best sleeper lately.
My mom made this soup a while back and sent me the recipe. I pulled it out since it was very simple to throw together. Hopefully this soup gives me the energy I'll need to make it through the day!
Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 15oz can of tomato puree
2 15 oz cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 cups baby spinach, regular spinach, or kale
Parmesan Cheese
Method
1. Combine vegetable broth, tomato purée, beans, rice, onion, basil, salt and pepper in the crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 2.5-3.5 hours.
3. Before serving, stir in spinach and sprinkle with cheese.
My mom made this soup a while back and sent me the recipe. I pulled it out since it was very simple to throw together. Hopefully this soup gives me the energy I'll need to make it through the day!
Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 15oz can of tomato puree
2 15 oz cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 cups baby spinach, regular spinach, or kale
Parmesan Cheese
Method
1. Combine vegetable broth, tomato purée, beans, rice, onion, basil, salt and pepper in the crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 2.5-3.5 hours.
3. Before serving, stir in spinach and sprinkle with cheese.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Method
1. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork before microwaving on high until cooked through- about 7 to 10 minutes. Set them aside to cool.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir until it begins to brown-about 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Stir in juice, green chiles (I only use about a teaspoon), ginger and allspice. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Add half to the pot and place the other half in a food processor along with broth and peanut butter. Puree until completely smooth. Add the puree to the pot and stir well to combine.
4. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. You can garnish the soup with cilantro.
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