What's for Lunch: Tabouleh!

Think back to when you were just a wee little tyke in elementary school. 

Did you

a) eat hot lunch

b) eat a "cool" cold lunch (packed with lunchables, twinkies, fruit by the foot, and gushers)

or c) eat a "not cool" cold lunch with a sandwich, normal uncool fruit, and juice in a Rainbow Bright thermos? 

(I'm raising my hand on option c)

I am fully aware each morning, that I am making my kid very uncool lunches for school 

(seriously what IS in a Gusher? He will never, ever know)

We had this for dinner the other night, and I half heartedly asked him if he would want some of the left over salad in his lunch box the next day. 

YES!!

Was his simple answer. 

Tabouleh

(which it really isn't anything close to what traditional Tabouleh is, but that is easier then calling it 

Bulgur Wheat Salad with Tomatoes and Peppers and Other Stuff.....)

The beauty of this is that you can add whatever veggies you have on hand--cucumbers, spinach, squash.....anything goes.

1/2 cup dry bulgur 

(to prepare bulgur, add to 1 1/2 cup boiling water and let sit for about an hour, until all the water has been absorbed)

then mix in:

1 bell pepper, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1-2 large tomatoes, diced

1 zucchini, shredded

large handful of fresh parsley, chopped

few TBS of chopped fresh mint

juice of one lemon

a few drizzles of olive oil

salt to taste

We ate ours in warm whole wheat naan with hummus.

And the boy took his to school the next day in a little jar, with a fork.

I think that's pretty cool.....

enjoy!

***Some of you asked last week about posting about school lunch ideas. This is in the works and I can't WAIT to hear what you all are packing!

whole wheat naan with chicken and veggies

I've posted this whole wheat naan recipe before--but it's one of our favorites and simple make, so I thought it would be worth the re-post.....right? It's also easy to fill with all your favorite summer vegetables for a quick lunch or dinner.

Before I made the naan, I quickly threw together some chicken breasts, chickpeas, minced garlic, lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, s&p, into the slow cooker for a few hours so I didn't have to worry about it at dinner time.

Whole Wheat Naan
makes 6-8 naan
(I usually double the recipe and freeze half for dinner in a hurry--just take the dough out in the morning and let it thaw and rise)

1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (+ more for dusting)
1 tsp vital wheat gluten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
coconut oil, for cooking

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar and let stand for 5-10minutes, or until foamy.

Stir in the oil, yogurt, and egg until mixed, and then stir in the flour, gluten, and salt. Knead until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size.....about an hour.

Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin circle(ish)

Cook each naan in a nice hot skillet drizzled with oil (just a teeny tiny bit--you're not frying it like a scone) until blistered and cooked, flipping as necessary. (When the surface has big blisters and is golden on the bottom, flip it over and cook until golden on the other side.

We filled ours with

 -slow cooked chicken and chickpeas
-cucumbers
-cherry tomatoes
-salad greens
-herbed goat cheese
-lemon and olive oil

enjoy!

hootenannies!

This weekend was a favorite. 

On Friday we enjoyed 70° with bike riding and sun kissed noses.....but it quickly turned. 

The winds blew and blew and blew until they blew us back to winter, and heavy wet snow. 

It snowed. And snowed. 

And snowed. 

All day--it was humorous, really--didn't it know it's spring? 

But we spent our time by the fire coloring, playing with legos, and listening to our church leaders speak for our General Conference.

It was perfect. 

We had our favorite breakfast....which I think most people call German Pancakes (are these german pancakes?) but they are called Hootenannies around here, because that is waaay more fun to say!

They are easy and quick to make, and disappear just as fast.

Hootenannies 

(I can't help but feel that word needs an exclamation point)

this recipe feeds my family of 4

9 eggs

1 1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Add ingredients to blender and let-er-rip, until well blended.

In an oven pre-heated to 425°, melt 2TBS butter in a 9x13 pan

When butter covers pan, add mixture and bake for 20 minutes. 

Your hootenannies! will rise up and reach for the top of the oven....so put them on the bottom rack.

You can serve them with anything you like really--they are fantastic with just maple syrup. 

We love them with berries and homemade whipped cream

(whipping cream + a bit of powdered sugar + a few drops of orange extract  + beaters = whip cream)

enjoy!

winter wednesday....bonus round

This bread is awesome. 

I just had to share the recipe (adapted by Orangette found via Summer) 

the only thing I changed was the molasses to honey.

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
w/peach jam from summertime

1 package (2 ¼ tsp.) active dry yeast

3 Tbsp. honey

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 cup rolled oats

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 ¼ tsp. table salt, or to taste

Grease a large bowl and a loaf pan (see above) with butter or cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups warm water, the yeast, and honey. Stir briefly, and then allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Add the flours, oats, and butter, and stir to mix. The dough will look rough and shaggy. Cover with a towel, and let stand for 30 minutes. [This rest allows the dry ingredients to absorb the liquids, making for a dough that’s easy to work with and even-crumbed.]

Attach the bowl and the bread hook to the mixer. Add the salt, and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes. The dough should come together around the hook and slap around the sides of the bowl without sticking. If the dough is sticking, add a tablespoon or two of bread flour, sprinkling it down between the dough and the sides of the bowl. [Alternatively, you can knead by hand for about 15 minutes, adding flour as needed.] The dough should be soft and supple and slightly sticky.

For the first rise, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times. Put the dough into the greased bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise for about 1 hour, or until it is doubled in size. To see if it’s ready, gently push a floured finger into it. If the dough springs back, it needs more time; if the dimple remains, it’s ready for the next step.

To shape the dough, scrape it onto a floured work surface. Press down on it, working it into a square shape, taking care to depress any bubbles. Fold the dough down from the top to the middle, then up from the bottom to the middle. Next, bring the newly formed top and bottom edges together, pinching the seam to seal. Pinch the sides together, and roll the shaped dough back and forth, plumping it so that it’s evenly formed and about the size of your pan. Place the dough in the pan with the seam side down, and press it gently into the corners of the pan.

For the second rise, cover the dough with a towel, and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough rises to half again its size. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.

When the dough has finished its second rise, bake for about 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The loaf is ready when the top crust and bottom crusts are nicely browned. To see if the bread is ready, give the top of the loaf a thump with your hand. If it sounds hollow, it’s ready; if not, give it another few minutes in the oven. Remove the finished loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Resist the urge to cut in until it’s fully cooled, so that the crumb has time to set and the flavor can develop. (haha yeah right, I didn't resist at all)

yum. homemade bread makes winter 1000x better.

happy wintering.

Bean and Bacon Soup

Soup soup soup.
It's all I think about these days.
I am not a bacon lover by any means.....but this--THIS is one of our all time favorite soups!
I can never seem to get enough. 

Bean and Bacon Soup

recipe adapted from Real Simple

3 strips (nitrate free!) bacon*

2 large carrots, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 15 1/2oz cans great northern beans, cannellini beans, or black eyed peas (we like to switch it up depending on what we have)

3 cups chicken broth

-In large saucepan over medium hight heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and let cool on paper towels. After it's cooled, break into small pieces.

-Strain most of the bacon drippings out of the pan, leaving just enough to saute' your veggies.*

Add the carrot and onion to the pan drippings, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the garlic, and cook for about 3 more minutes (making sure to stir it)

Add the beans and broth.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. 

You can let it simmer for about 15 minutes and you'll have great soup if you are in a hurry.....I like to simmer mine for an hour or two and really let the flavors come together. 

Uncover and, with a potato masher or large slotted spoon, partially mash the bean mixture until it thickens slightly.

Salt (with the broth and the bacon you shouldn't need much) and pepper to taste. 

Top with crumbled bacon and fresh chopped parsley.

*if you are a bacon lover: the original recipe calls for 4 strips of bacon, and you use ALL Of the pan drippings in the soup. 

serve with a simple salad and some good crusty bread. 

enjoy!

friday love

We loved this week!

we:

-played in the snow

-drank lots of cocoa

-watched rudolph

-put up the Christmas village

-realized that Christmas is SOON and wondered why I always put off my shopping

-realize that I have no idea what to get anyone this year
-panic

-had the best yoga class ever.....I think I sweat out all of last weeks turkey dinner in one class

-got out the glue gun, glitter, felt, paper, scissors, rock, buttons, more glitter, and just started to make things! I love that the kids love to create.

Tonight we'll get the tree, sing some fa la la's, and I'm sure someone, ahem, will make some treats along the way!

We love breakfast for dinner. 

We kind of have it alot.  

Orange and Pumpkin Pancakes

combine:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 TBS melted butter

1-2 tablespoons agave nectar 

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup orange juice 

1 tsp orange zest

1 teaspoon mexican vanilla

add:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/8 cup wheat germ

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

 pinch of salt

stir until just combined--careful not to over mix.

Pour onto preheated (350°ish) and buttered griddle. 

Turn over pancake when bubbles start to appear on top. 

Top with warm maple syrup. 

yum.

bonus points. I'm guessing if you added a sprinkle of chocolate chips to these as they were cooking your head might explode. I think they would be that good. Someone try it and let me know!

We love snowmen. No matter how scary they 

I love hats! I especially love large hats, to cover my large head.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 

I loooooove this song. love love love.
and how cute is this little video?

Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week?

butternut squash orzo

Fall is the absolute best time for cooking and baking. Fresh, delicious ingredients are ripe for the picking all around us, in every color, shape and size, and it's FINALLY cool enough to use the oven! I feel as though my life isn't long enough to try all the recipes I want to! I'm panicking!! And I have been making so many things I want to share....I don't know how to keep up on posting! help! Is posting twice a day annoying? I may have to throw a few extras in, to show you all these wonderful things we have been eating lately. I also promise to work on a recipe index so these things are easier to find!

This recipe smells so good cooking, and if you could bottle up the season, it would taste like this dish. It's very simple (I only do simple) but it is a bit time consuming, so just plan a little extra time. It is surprisingly filling, and my kids LOVED it...they thought it was macaroni and cheese:)  It would also make the perfect side dish....just take out the chicken and VWALLA!

Butternut Squash Orzo
Serves 4

1 roasted chicken (I put a (hormone/antibiotic free of course) chicken* in the crock pot in the morning with a lemon, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, and some s&p and let it cook until it falls apart.) 

1/2 butternut squash

1/2 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper and thyme
1/2c-3/4c chicken broth

1 cup orzo, fully cooked according to package directions

3 strips of bacon (I am not a bacon lover so this was just the right amount for me....if you love bacon, add a few more:)

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

-Halve and clean squash

-Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme and s&p

place squash (cut side up), onion, and garlic cloves on a lined baking sheet and roast at 425 until veggies are fork tender, about 30 minutes (onion and garlic will need to be removed before squash) Squash will easily scoop right out of peel when it is done roasting.
-Add all veggies to a food processor, along with 1/2c chicken broth and puree.
-Add a bit more broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.
-Combine cooked orzo, chicken, crumbled bacon, and butternut sauce.
Top with parmesan.

Serve with crusty bread and a simple salad.

enjoy!

bonus points: I roasted the entire squash and made a double batch of sauce to freeze. Next time I crave this (tomorrow) I can pull it out of the freezer and have dinner ready in jiffy. Who says in a jiffy?


*double bonus points: after you take the meat off the chicken, put all the leftover "parts" into a big pot, cover it with water, and let it simmer overnight. Strain it (really well....I won't lie, those "parts" are nasty) and you have home made chicken broth. After it cools, skim the fat off the top and you are good to go!

friday love

Is it just me, or are the weeks going by much too quickly???

I LOVE Whitney of Rookie Cookie, and love her even more for doing a little guest post for me today! I LOVE curry, but have no idea where to start when it comes to making it....so she did all the dirty work for me! I cannot WAIT to try it out!

Make sure to check out her blog....this girl knows her food (and she is a crack-up!)

Much too long ago, Sheena asked if I would be willing to search for a good Thai curry recipe for her. And it took me way to long to get back to her. Blame it on having a new baby. Once I got serious about finding a good recipe, I remembered I had the most perfect resource. My husband Ethan has a cousin named Julia. Julia is all sorts of wonderful. She is beautiful, kind and smart and is also the talented wardrobe and makeup artist for “Yo Gabba Gabba”. I know, here I am, name dropping. Above all, Julia spent a year and a half living in Thailand. Once I remembered that, I e-mailed her and asked for some of her favorite Thai recipes. And the girl didn’t disappoint.

This dish is just like what you would get in a Thai restaurant. Tender potatoes, carrots and chicken simmered in a rich coconut curry broth. Admittedly, I had a difficult time finding the ingredients. Nothing is less fun than hauling your three children around to three different stores looking for things like palm sugar and tamarind paste. So I ended up doing what I should have done in the beginning, buying them online. Amazon had exactly what I needed and it wasn’t expensive. I have provided links below of the ingredients I used in case you don’t feel like hunting them down.

Massaman Curry Paste

Tamarind Paste

Palm Sugar

1/3 cup peanuts

2 cups coconut milk

2 Tbsp massaman curry paste

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 heaping Tbsp tamarind paste

1 tsp grated palm sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp granulated chicken bullion

1/2 cup water

In a small skillet over medium heat, add peanuts and saute until lightly toasted and fragrant. Pour peanut into a small bowl and set aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat, add coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the coconut milk is slightly reduced. Add curry paste and stir until paste is dissolved. Add peanuts, chicken, carrots, potatoes, fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, salt, chicken bullion and water. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Serve with or without jasmine rice and garnish with additional peanuts and cilantro.

Yields 4 servings.

Rookie’s Notes: I don’t think that cilantro is traditional in this dish, but I did it anyways. I really like the way cilantro balances out the flavors of a curry, whether it’s India or Thai.

I am drooling. Thank you Whitney for sharing your recipe!

We LOVE fresh tomatoes.....every single day!

I love that our neighbors let us pick apricots off their tree! (I think they are trying to repay us for being so creepy and peeking in our windows) recipes coming soon!

I have been LOVING (and craving) POM Wonderful's Pomegranate and Blueberry juice (86% Pomegranate juice and 14% blueberry--that's it, nothing else!) I'm still running alot and it's been soooooo hot. I love coming home to an icy cold POM (and the bottles are ridiculously adorable). Try it!! You will fall in love!

I am in love with this shop. Her earrings are so tiny and cute, and won't get tangled in my mop of a hairdo.....they're perfect!

I love ALL of her music--this song is off her old album but it was floating through my head as we picked apricots the other night.

Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week?

yes, we eat a lot of pizza.

I love it. I can't get enough these days.

When I'm not eating it, I'm probably thinking about it.....strange? no.

I'm still using the same old crust recipe--I can quickly throw it together from memory (although this time I added a teensy bit of wheat flour). I still used the grill, but also used a pizza pan this time (one with little holes in it), which made for a much easier grilling process. I have been loving playing with pizza, and think it should be a new little segment around here.

Segment. Like we're on a talk show, you know?

I will post new things as I try them (still really wanting to explore crusts more, this one is crispy, but still missing that wow factor.)

This is my favorite topping combo to date!

Margherita Pizza with Olives and Toasted Pine Nuts

Crust (recipe from Living)

*this will make 4 pizzas--I freeze the dough so I can pull it out in a hurry*

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce envelope)

2 cups warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)

4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for bowl

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour and the salt, stirring until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups flour; continue adding flour (up to 1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until dough comes away from bowl but is still sticky.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from surface). Repeat until it's easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading normally until dough is smooth, elastic, and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes.

Shape dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume. Press it with your finger to see if it's done; an indent should remain.

Meanwhile, scrape dough out of the bowl onto floured surface, and cut it into 4 pieces. Shape into balls. Dust with flour, and cover with plastic. Let rest, 20 to 30 minutes, allowing dough to relax and almost double.

Holding top edge of 1 dough ball in both hands, let bottom edge touch work surface (refrigerate remaining balls as you work). Carefully move hands around edge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold dough on back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a lightly floured pizza peel (or an inverted baking sheet). Press out edges using your fingers. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift, and dust more flour underneath.

Place dough onto oiled pizza pan. Place on grill preheated to medium high heat. Grill until crust is almost done.

Put your favorite toppings on. Place back on grill (lid down) until cheese is melted, edges are golden, and we like the bottom a bit blackened.

Toppings

-a super duper thin layer of good quality crushed tomatoes, or a good tomato sauce

-tomato slices

-fresh mozzarella slices

-toasted pine nuts

-kalmata olives

-fresh basil

-cracked pepper

mmmm.......pizza.

looks aren't everything....

...unless you like your pizza to look just a little bit like the "United States" or a "butterfly" said the boy and girl...

Remember when I asked for help on pizza?

And boy did you answer!! I am so happy you all take pizza so seriously!!

I loved every single comment and am so excited to try all (yes, all) your recipes!!

I'll let you know as I do....

A few of you mentioned that you grill your pizza.

This sounded fantastic!!

Maybe it fell off a bit, and that's why it looks the way it does....but let me tell you....it was SO good!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Crust (recipe from Living)

(this is the same crust recipe I used last time, because I had made extra and had it in the freezer. While I didn't love it in the oven....on the grill it was crispy and perfect!)

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce envelope)

2 cups warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)

5 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I like to make sure I like a recipe before I adapt it to whole wheat--so this is 100% white)

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for bowl

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour and the salt, stirring until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups flour; continue adding flour (up to 1/2 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until dough comes away from bowl but is still sticky.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from surface). Repeat until it's easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading normally until dough is smooth, elastic, and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume. Press it with your finger to see if it's done; an indent should remain.

Meanwhile, scrape dough out of the bowl onto floured surface, and cut it into 4 pieces. Shape into balls. Dust with flour, and cover with plastic. Let rest, 20 to 30 minutes, allowing dough to relax and almost double.
Holding top edge of 1 dough ball in both hands, let bottom edge touch work surface (refrigerate remaining balls as you work). Carefully move hands around edge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold dough on back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a lightly floured pizza peel (or an inverted baking sheet). Press out edges using your fingers. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift, and dust more flour underneath.

Place dough onto preheated (medium-high) and greased grill. (this is where it gets tricky and it kind of fell off.....send any grilling tips this way!) Cook until bottom side of crust is done. Remove crust from grill and place toppings on cooked side.

Toppings.

Thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce.

grilled chicken

fresh tomatoes

red onion

sliced avocado

cilantro

smoked gouda cheese (I loooove gouda....but it's not the best melty cheese. I think next time I will use smoked mozzarella)

Place pizza back on grill and cook until bottom is done (we like it a bit blackened) and cheese is melty.

Enjoy!!

naan

What is naan? Some people call it flatbread. I call it one of the best inventions....ever.

I cannot even begin to describe how good this was.....and how easy!! It makes me nervous that I could whip it up any time....it could become hazardous.

I don't make very many 100% white flour recipes, but I needed my first attempt at naan to be in it's true form.

Next time (yes, there will be a next time) I will for sure experiment a bit with adding wheat flour. (note: whole wheat naan here!)

Naan

(I used this recipe, and followed it exactly except I used olive oil instead of canola)

1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
melted butter or oil, for frying

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

Stir in the flour, salt, oil, yogurt and egg and stir, then knead until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size; about an hour.

Divide the dough into 6-8 pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin circle or oval.

Cook each naan in a nice hot skillet drizzled with oil (just a teeny tiny bit--you're not frying it like a scone) until blistered and cooked, flipping as necessary. (When the surface has big blisters and is golden on the bottom, flip it over and cook until golden on the other side.

Makes about 8 naan.

I really, truly apologize if you eat all of it by yourself. With curry. Or hummus. Or honey butter.

sorry.

chile and lime veggie bowls

These are so so good!

We've had them a few times since I first found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Chile and Lime Veggie Bowls

adapted from BHG

1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh oregano, snipped, or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. olive oil
2 medium sweet potatos, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup shelled edamame
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
large cabbage leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
lime wedges (optional)

directions
1. Make Dressing; set aside (if you can make this the day before....DO!! It has so much more flavor!)

Yogurt-Lime Dressing

In small bowl combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS chili powder, and 1 clove minced garlic, 2 TBS chopped cilantro, 1TBS chopped chives. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined.

2. In small bowl stir together soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and olive oil; add diced sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Roast at 425° for 30-40 minutes until done.

3. Divide potatoes, beans, tomatoes, edamame, and avocado among cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with green onions.

Drizzle veggies with dressing, and enjoy!

(we found it easiest to fold them up and eat them like tacos:)

for dinner tonight: fish tacos!

so so so easy.

grilled* salmon fillets, seasoned with olive oil, lime, and s&p (*ahem, we would have grilled ours, had our dog not eaten our BBQ, so we broiled them instead....STILL good though!)

corn tortillas

black beans

guacamole

-avacado

-fresh lime

-cilantro

-coarse salt

cabbage pico de gallo

-chopped cabbage

-tomato

-red onion

-cilantro

-a little splash of vinegar

-S&P

add all ingredients to your tortillas, top with a little sour cream and a squeeze of lime...mmmm

enjoy!

hummus (our way)

We love hummus.

It is really so versatile....flat bread, veggies, crackers, sandwiches, a spoon....it's just good.

We call basically any garbanzo bean blend "hummus", so while this isn't traditional (no tahini) it's still pretty tastey (at least we think so)

You can really throw ANYthing in to the mix!

roasted red peppers

kalmata olives

your favorite herbs

roasted garlic

anything goes.

today, we did it this way:

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1/3 c chopped parsley

1/4 tsp coarse salt

1-4 TBS good olive oil (depending on how smooth you like it!

add your ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth

(I add the olive slowly as it's going)

enjoy!

friday love

We love to try new things. I've been trying out new vegetarian meals lately, so we can spend our money on better (hormone & antibiotic free) meat. So here's the deal with this one.....we liked it....aLOT actually. The kids ate it up so fast, and meat loving Robby asked for more. The only problem....we were hungry an hour later.

So....all my vegetarian friends.....would would you add to go with this?

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Patties with avocado salad

2 large sweet potatoes, roasted and peeled

1 cup black beans

1 garlic clove, minced

2TBS red onion, chopped

1/4c cilantro, chopped

1TBS lime juice

1tsp lime zest

s&p

Add all ingredients EXCEPT BLACK BEANS into a food processor.

Process until well mixed.

STIR in black beans.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form into small patties, and cook in nonstick pan with a little olive oil.

4 minutes each side.

Salad

mixed greens + avacad0+olive oil+lime juice+ cliantro +s&p....mmmm

I really love to browse etsy. always. Loving some new found shops, like this one. this one. this artist, amanda blake (link sent to me by my grandma!)

Reason #864 why I love old houses. Old fireplaces. And built in book shelves. I think I should convince Robby that we really really need some built in bookshelves....don't you think?

{image via my little inspiration binder via better homes and gardens}

and speaking of bookshelves......be sure to check out THIS tumblr!!

Ok. This has been floating around the www for the last little while but if you haven't seen it PLEASE, I beg you, watch it. Silly song, cute shoes, blah blah blah. Wait until all the crazy bendy stuff starts happening......CRAZY!

Your song/video for the week can be found HERE. I love me a good stop motion film.....but this is insane....

I really really am just so happy that's it's Friday today!! Can't wait to snuggle up and get cozy--any movies worth watching??

Happy Weekend!! What did you love about this week?

breakfast (for dinner!)

Whole Wheat Waffles

with mixed berries and warm maple syrup

1/4 c oil

1/2 c applesauce

2 eggs

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 c ground flax seed

1/3 c old fashioned oats

2 TBS sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix oil, applesauce, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, and stir until everything is incorporated. Batter will be thick.

Ladle into preheated (and sprayed!) waffle iron, cook until golden brown. Serve with mixed berries and warm maple syrup.

a little something...

recipe from Food Network's Ellie Krieger

It happens at about 4:00.....

I'm starting to think what/why/when/how to make dinner.

And I'm hungry.

And the kids are LOUD.

The house has been destroyed, cleaned up, and re-destroyed.

I need SOMETHING. And if I don't have something on hand, I usually go through about half a bag of chocolate chips.....

And then I found this little recipe and I am in LOVE. They are so so so easy, and just what you need when 4:00 hits.

1 cup almonds, toasted and chopped (toast in a pan on medium heat for 10-15 minutes)

1/2 cup dried cherries (I used dried cranberries, because that's what I had on hand)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (the darker the better I say!)

Melt your chocolate (you can get all fancy in a double boiler, but I melted it SLOWLY in the microwave--don't cook your chocolate, just melt it)

I also added a heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed, because I like to trick my family like that.

Mix in your chopped almonds and cherries. Drop by small spoonful onto parchment, ( I love a sprinkle of sea salt!) and let set up in the fridge.

Try to only eat them one at a time......they are so so so good (and not too bad for you either!)

a simple salad

note: many of my "recipes" are just quick little things I literally throw together.....I am not a measuring type of girl (unless I'm baking of course). So this salad, as well as alot of my other recipes, can be adjusted to YOUR liking, and you can make as big (or small) of a salad as you want. Perfect by itself for lunch, or with a piece of chicken or salmon for dinner.

a simple salad

your favorite mixed greens

pecans (walnuts are good too)

thinly sliced red onion

fresh pear slices

shaved parmesan cheese

drizzle with red wine vinaigrette and toss to coat.

red wine vinaigrette

(I mix this up and keep it in my fridge so I can put together quick salads throughout the week--this is enough for several)

1/4 c red wine vinegar

2/3 c olive oil

2 TBS dijon mustard

coarse salt and cracked pepper

add all ingredients to a small jar and shake it!

enjoy.

Friday Love

We love Black and White Chili!

(I posted this recipe before on my old daily blog, but we love it so much it's worth the re-post. )

1 small onion, diced.

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of black beans (rinsed & drained)

1 can of white beans (rinsed & drained)

3 cups chicken broth

2 cooked chicken breast, diced

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp-1 TBS ground chipotle pepper (depending on how spicy you like it...we like it HOT!)

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Saute' onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least one hour.

top with your favorites. we like cilantro, sour cream, avacado, and tortilla chips. (currently obsessing over Archer Farms Organic Blue Corn and Flax tortilla chips!)

We love when February spoils us with amazing no-jacket-required weather.

We looooove our new table. It's done!!! We still have aLOT of work to do on the room (oh, you know, like chairs) but we have a new table. I'll post a picture next week!

I love knowing exactly what I look like through the boys' eyes.

The hair is pretty accurate, the beard is unfortunate.

Love love love the photography (and recipes and blog!) of Sara over at Sprouted Kitchen.

Check her out for sure!

We love Stars Align! Our good friend John and his band Stars Align are playing Saturday night at The House of Blues on Sunset in Hollywood. And....it's FREE!!! So YOU need to go, because we can't make it this weekend, so please go for me. Email starsalign@att.net for your free tickets....do it!! (become of fan of SA on facebook HERE!)

Happy Weekend!!!

What did you love about this week?