Food for the Week

Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles

2014-08-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe how fast this summer is flying by! I've tried two new recipes recently that I loved and I'm excited to share them with you. :) You'll get the first recipe today and the next one will be coming soon!

This first recipe is a yummy Asian noodle recipe-- Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles. I modified the original recipe in a couple ways. First, I added bean sprouts! From making Pad Thai I learned that you can add a ton of bean sprouts and when they cook in with everything else it is essentially impossible to distinguish them from the noodles. What this means is that you can get a large serving of what looks like just noodles, but it's actually half bean sprouts! More nutritious without you even noticing. Also, the original recipe called for udon noodles which I couldn't find so I used lo mein noodles and they worked great. So the lesson is that the exact noodle you use is flexible.

The black pepper sauce has lots of flavor but isn't overly spicy. If you are craving a big bowl of Asian noodle comfort, go for this. It comes together relatively quickly and it's quite tasty!

Black Pepper Stir Fried Noodles

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:
Black Pepper Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon black pepper (or freshly ground black peppercorns)-- [tablespoon is not a typo!]
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons honey
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3-5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 tablespoons water

Stir Fried Noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil
8 ounces udon noodles (or lo mein noodles or rice noodles... even linguine if necessary)
1 bag of mung bean sprouts (mine was 12 ounces but you could use a bit more or less depending on what you find)
about 1/2 cup water
2-3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into cubes (make sure to get out as much water as possible) [Note: You can substitute chicken if you prefer]
sesame seeds for topping

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for just a few minutes. They should be soft but not at all done. They will continue cooking later with the rest of the ingredients and you don't want them to end up over-cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large cast iron skillet (or nonstick skillet) over medium heat. Once hot and shining, add tofu. Cook tofu, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly brown. This will probably take about 10 minutes. At this point add about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan. Stir or shake the pan around to coat the tofu in the sauce. Because the pan is hot, the added sauce/water/oil should pretty much immediately sizzle and coat the tofu as you stir it around. Transfer the tofu to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in the skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add noodles, bean sprouts, and remaining black pepper sauce. Use tongs to help move the noodles and bean sprouts around so they are all getting coated in sauce. Cook, stirring frequently (you want to avoid the noodles/sprouts sticking to the bottom of the pan), for about 5-10 minutes until noodles and sprouts are cooked through and soft. Add small amounts of water as necessary to help everything cook and to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
Add the spinach leaves and cooked tofu and stir to combine. The spinach leaves should wilt pretty quickly from the heat of the noodles.
Serve topped with sesame seeds.

recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

Baked Oatmeal

2014-05-22T16:59:00.001-04:00

I've been making this baked oatmeal for breakfast for a couple of months now, so I apologize for not sharing it earlier! I got this amazing recipe from my mom who found it in this cookbook. I had seen baked oatmeal recipes before but didn't give them much thought because I'm perfectly happy with my regular oatmeal + coconut butter + frozen blueberries. I'm so happy I got a chance to try this when my mom made it because it let me see the beauty of baked oatmeal!

If you've never had baked oatmeal before it does have a slightly different texture compared to regular oatmeal. But it is also very delicious and this recipe is surprisingly healthy (take a look at the ingredients!). Mark has been loving this and right now definitely prefers it over regular oatmeal. A bonus is that you can throw this together on the weekend and then you've got quick breakfasts to reheat throughout the week.

This is the sort of recipe you could definitely modify by substituting different ingredients for those listed in the original recipe. I haven't messed with it much because we both love it as is!

Baked Oatmeal

serves: 8-10 (can also be halved and baked in an 8x8 square baking dish to serve 4-5)

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups rolled oats (for gluten-free make sure the oats are certified gluten-free)
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 apples, cored and grated (I grated them on a cheese grater and the peels came off in the process)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup honey
For Serving: Mark likes his topped with some maple syrup and honey yogurt. I like it plain or with frozen blueberries and almond milk. Get creative!

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, raisins, walnuts, grated apples, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure the apples are distributed evenly throughout.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, almond milk, eggs, and honey. Do your best to incorporate the honey.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and put in the refrigerator.*
Take the oatmeal out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once preheated, bake the oatmeal for 30 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top. Be careful not to over-bake or it will dry out.
Cut into slices and serve in bowls with toppings of choice.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.

*At this point you can leave the unbaked oatmeal in the refrigerator over night if desired. This makes for a delicious breakfast in the morning. If you don't want to wait until morning, I've always let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before baking. I'm sure you could bake it immediately and it would turn out great, though perhaps not exactly the same texture.

recipe slightly adapted from Sleep on It

Roasted Mushrooms and Zucchini on White Bean Puree

2014-05-06T03:00:00.000-04:00

This dinner was surprisingly delicious. I say surprisingly because as much as I like beans, a bean puree doesn't necessarily sound like the most appealing dinner! However, there were lots of great flavors in this dish that made it both tasty and comforting. Mark even went back for seconds! It was relatively quick to make with lots of good-for-you ingredients, so I definitely plan on making it again in the future.

This meal is a bean puree (cooked beans, milk, and spices that are blended) that is topped with a portobello mushroom, zucchini, and tomatoes tossed in some olive oil and spices. I made some that were also topped with mozzarella cheese (as shown above). Both versions turned out great!

FYI- This meal is gluten free and vegetarian. If you leave off the mozzarella cheese, it is also vegan.

Roasted Mushrooms and Zucchini on White Bean Puree

serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

4 large portobello mushrooms caps, stemmed
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or skim milk but then it won't be vegan)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (if you don't have white pepper, you can omit or use more black pepper)
2 14.5 ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (I used "tomato on the vine" tomatoes and I did not seed the tomatoes)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced [omit or leave off of some of the mushrooms to make vegan]

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425F.
Place mushroom caps, gill sides down, in a single layer on a baking sheet (it's best if the baking sheet has sides as the vegetables will release liquid). Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and rub the oil into the mushrooms. Once the oven has preheated, bake the mushrooms for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and sliced zucchini.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven and turn them over. Sprinkle mushrooms with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and half of the minced garlic. Layer zucchini slices over the mushrooms (you will need to make more than one layer). It's okay if the zucchini falls off a bit.
Bake for another 6-10 minutes until zucchini is cooked.
While the zucchini and mushrooms cook, combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining garlic, almond milk, black pepper, white pepper, beans, parsley, and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes on low heat. Finally, transfer bean mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile, combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, oregano, and tomatoes in a small bowl and set aside.
Once the mushrooms and zucchini are cooked, top with sliced mozzarella cheese as desired. Return to oven for 2 minutes until cheese is melted.
Divide puree among plates. Place mushrooms on the puree. Top with the tomato mixture. Serve immediately.

recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light, discovered on Oh My Veggies

Chicken [or Tempeh] and Broccoli Curry with Coconut Rice

2014-04-29T03:00:00.000-04:00

I recently celebrated my 29th birthday! Mark jokingly said "I guess this will be the first of many 29th birthdays". Ha! I think I'll be okay with proceeding into my 30s, but let's not rush anything!

For my birthday dinner I decided I wanted this yummy broccoli tempeh curry that I had made before but for some reason never posted to the blog. I KNOW I bought the tempeh at the store, but when it came time for us to cook this meal we couldn't find it anywhere! And I mean anywhere. We both searched the refrigerator, then the freezer, then all the cupboards, then the shopping bags, then even my car... nowhere to be found. So we decided it never made it home from the grocery store. Luckily I had some chicken in the freezer so I decided to just substitute the tempeh with chicken. Still tasted great! So moral of the story is this recipe works well with chicken or with tempeh!

This meal consists of coconut rice topped with chicken and broccoli tossed in a delicious (and pretty healthy) homemade tomato/coconut curry sauce. The sauce is relatively quick to make and I found that overall there was less chopping of ingredients than in some recipes. Had we not spent 15 minutes looking for the tempeh, it would have been ready quickly! Just start cooking your rice first and everything else will be done when the rice is done.

I have a rice cooker and just threw the broccoli in the top of the rice cooker to steam while I cooked the chicken. I forgot to set a timer so I overcooked the broccoli a bit. It still tasted great, but it's better when the broccoli holds its shape better.

I really like the flavors of this dish. If you make it, I definitely encourage you to make the rice as well! I used black rice (I found it in bulk at Costco and we are loving it), but brown rice works too.

Chicken [or Tempeh] and Broccoli Curry with Coconut Rice

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

Coconut Rice

1 cup black rice (or long grain brown rice)
1 cup canned lite coconut milk
1 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Chicken [or Tempeh] and Broccoli Curry

2-3 bunches broccoli, cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces tempeh, cubed OR 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on if your tomatoes are unsalted)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup (or more as desired) lite coconut milk (use the same can that you used for the rice)

DIRECTIONS:

Start by cooking the rice. Combine all the rice ingredients in a small saucepan (or rice cooker). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25-35 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rice sit, covered, at least 10 minutes until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, steam or saute broccoli until tender (don't overcook!). Run under cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tempeh or chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove from pan to a plate and set aside.
Add remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet and turn heat to low. Once butter is melted, add onions and cook until soft and slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Add cumin, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
Add in salt, tomatoes, and water. Stir to combine and cook for about 2 minutes.
Transfer onion/tomato mixer to blender. Add 1/4 cup lite coconut milk to blender as well. Blend until thoroughly pureed. Add more coconut milk until desired taste/consistency is reached.
Return pureed curry sauce to skillet. Add chicken/tempeh and stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until chicken/tempeh is hot.
Add broccoli and stir to combine. Cook until broccoli is warmed through.
Remove from heat and serve over coconut rice.

recipe slightly adapted from edible perspective

Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

2014-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Have you been enjoying spring? After lots of snowy months is always exciting to feel the warmth of the sun again. With some warmer days last week I started craving salads again. This Thai noodle bowl with lots of vegetables and a delicious peanut sauce was a great way to satisfying that craving.

My love of peanut butter and Thai flavors is not new to this blog, and I've made similar recipes before (vegetables + some other ingredient + peanut sauce). What makes this different is the addition of cold noodles and lots of edamame, which really help to make this a full dinner that is quite satisfying. Bonus? This meal is very quick to make. Start boiling water for your noodles and prep everything else while the water comes to a boil and the noodles cook. Then it's time to eat!

I found this recipe on a blog I just recently discovered, Oh My Veggies. It is run by a few different people but features all vegetarian recipes. It also has meal plans like I used to do! I've been enjoying looking at everything on that site so expect to see more recipes from that source in the future. This particular Thai noodle bowl recipe was originally from the Oh She Glows Cookbook. Oh She Glows is another blog that's been one of my favorites for a few years.

I will definitely be making this again during the warmer months. It would make a great lunch as well! Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

serves: 4

Recipe: Thai Peanut Noodle and Veggie Bowl

Kaitlyn's Notes:

I couldn't find soba noodles, so I used whole wheat linguine instead.
I doubled the amount of pasta (I used 8 ounces) to make larger dinner servings.
I made 1.5 times the sauce, since I doubled the pasta. I recommend doing that if you also double the pasta and tend to like a lot of dressing on salads, otherwise it's probably not necessary.
Baked tofu or chicken would make a great addition or substitute for some of the edamame.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse [Fast and Healthy!]

2014-04-18T18:03:00.000-04:00

Since seeing this recipe a little over a month ago, I've already made it three times! This chocolate peanut butter mousse is rich and delicious with a wonderful smooth texture. It also takes literally 1 minute to put together, which makes it perfect for Friday night when you want dessert but are too tired for anything complicated.

So what makes this healthy? It's full of protein, healthy fats, and natural sweeteners. The fats and protein help to make it taste rich and satisfying. The natural sweetener gives it enough sweetness to make it dessert, but doesn't make it taste overly sweet. There are only 4 ingredients in this little gem of a dessert-- cocoa powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, and silken tofu. Yes, tofu! If you are not a tofu fan don't worry, you can't taste it in the end result.

If you are looking for a new healthier dessert to try, and you are a chocolate peanut butter fan, please try this! Let me know what you think. Also, if you want to try more tofu pudding, try my recipe from last summer for banana pudding!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse [Fast and Healthy!]

serves: 4-6

Head to A Couple Cooks for the recipe and beautiful photos: Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Recipe

Kaitlyn's Notes:

You can definitely taste this straight out of the blender, but I do think it's better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
I've kept this in the refrigerator for three days and it still tastes just as good to me on the third day. With the tofu, not sure I'd keep it longer than three days.
Mark liked this too! (though he won't choose this over ice cream ;) )

Skillet Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables

2014-03-26T16:40:00.000-04:00

This recipe is one that I first made probably 7 years ago. At that point I made it fairly regularly, but at some point I forgot about it and it got lost among my recipes. I happened to think of it a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did, because it's delicious! Really!

The idea is you cook the pasta in broth/water in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients. This means you only have one pan and the whole meal comes together quickly. It also means that the pasta soaks up a ton of flavor. The original recipe just called for spinach, but I added mushrooms and bell pepper. You can certainly add or substitute any other vegetables you have on hand.

We don't have pasta often, but in the future when we have pasta this is definitely the way I'll make it. So much better then pasta with jarred pasta sauce, and not that much more difficult.

Skillet Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables
serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pre-cooked chicken sausage (any variety), sliced
10 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
1-2 bell peppers, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
10 ounces pasta (such as small shells or penne)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I used ones that were not oil-packed but either is fine), chopped fine
6 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced sausage, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Cook until sausage is lightly browned and vegetables have released liquid, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add chicken broth, water, pasta, and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet with the sausage and vegetables. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until pasta is tender and liquid has thickened. This will take about 15-20 minutes depending on your pasta. Add more water or broth if you think it's getting too dry.
Stir in the spinach, in batches if necessary, and cook about 2 minutes until wilted.
Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Yogurt with Nut Butter

2014-03-12T15:03:00.004-04:00

I have a new lunch obsession. The title really says it all. Yogurt with nut butter. Sound weird? I thought it did at first too. But then I remembered how much I like peanut butter on everything else. I've put peanut on ice cream/frozen yogurt and in smoothies, so why not just directly on to plain yogurt? Silly me for never having thought of this before. This post on the kitchn was my inspiration. Though I haven't tried the graham crackers like they did, I do think the crunch would be nice.

I've been having this along with some cut up veggies for lunch for the past couple of weeks. The peanut butter makes it taste rich and amazing. The great thing is that it is VERY filling, but also very nutritious. It has lots of protein and healthy fats, but not too many carbs. It is quick to prepare and easy to take on the go in a little container.

Try it! Especially if you are in need of new lunch ideas.

I should mention that when I first told Mark about yogurt with peanut butter on it I think he was skeptical, but he did try it and has since had it multiple times as a lunch addition/snack. He's not one to have yogurt plain, but throw some peanut butter on it and he's a big fan. :)

Yogurt with Nut Butter

Here is my "formula"- play around with it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut butter or almond butter-- peanut butter will have a stronger flavor)
drizzle of honey or small spoonful of jam

DIRECTIONS:

1) Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

2) Eat!

Or... if you want to make it look fancy, you can microwave the peanut butter in a small dish first for about 1 minute to make it easier to pour. That's what I did for the first photo. But usually, I just stir everything together in the bowl or container I eat it out of.

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

2014-02-09T16:03:00.000-05:00

As much as I love Mexican food, I have never ordered enchiladas from a restaurant before. Really, I don't have a good reason for this. It's mostly just that I can't seem to choose anything besides a vegetarian burrito. Ha! But when I saw this post a few weeks ago and the author writing "promise me you will make it!" on the recipe, I knew I had to give it a try.

The results really were amazing. Definitely an example of something that tastes way better than it looks!! Mark said many many times how good it was as he was eating it. He didn't even want me to tell him what was in it because he said it tasted so good he didn't want the truth about whatever healthy things were in it to spoil that for him! This enchilada bake has quinoa, veggies, black beans, homemade enchilada sauce, and Mexican cheese. We topped it with avocado and ate it with baked tortilla chips. The enchilada bake was great for dipping chips in! While it isn't the healthiest thing you could eat, this is overall a pretty healthy meal.

I know I am not posting as frequently as I used to, but I will post great recipes that I find- I want to remember to make them again myself! So trust me, this was really good. I will be making it again very soon!

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

serves: 6 (generous servings!)

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake Recipe

Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Kaitlyn's Notes:

As you can see by the links, I made my own enchilada sauce. It was very easy to do so I recommend that! I made the full enchilada sauce recipe and used it all in the enchilada bake.
When I made this I actually made 2/3 of the quinoa, used less cheese (probably 1 cup) and baked in an 8x8 pan to serve 4. These were big servings, but we devoured it!

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowls with Peanut Sauce

2014-01-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats a few weeks ago and immediately bookmarked it (peanut sauce? I'm sold!). The original recipe calls for eggplant, but I haven't quite grown to like eggplant yet... so I used broccoli instead. Both Mark and I were very impressed with the result. The peanut sauce has a lot of flavor, and helped to make the dish quite filling. For dinner we had it warm (since the quinoa had just cooked), but for lunch I had it cold and it was delicious that way. If you are a peanut butter fan and looking for a new dinner or lunch option, I highly recommend this recipe!

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowls with Peanut Sauce

serves: 4-6 (depending on if you eat this for lunch or dinner)

The recipe can be found here.

Kaitlyn's Notes:

The original recipe calls for eggplant, onion, snow peas, and bell peppers for the vegetables. I used broccoli, bell peppers, onion, and snow peas and I increased the overall quantity of vegetables by about 50%. Feel free to experiment with different vegetables!
The vegetables get drizzled in olive oil and roasted. The peanut sauce also calls for olive oil. I found the dish a bit too oily overall, so I would use only 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in the sauce next time (and possibly add a bit of water to thin the sauce).
I increased the peanut butter and garlic in the sauce a bit.... because I love peanut butter and garlic. :)

Pantry Basics: Ingredients and Organization

2014-01-14T06:34:00.000-05:00

Having a stocked pantry can make cooking a lot easier. After cooking for a few years, I came to know the ingredients I use regularly that are helpful to always have on hand. These are the ingredients that as soon as I'm running low on, I add to the next grocery list. By doing this, recipes with 10 ingredients might have only 3 that I actually need to buy on any given week. My pantry includes these items that I always like to have, as well as special items that I've bought for upcoming meals (or recipes in the past), but that I wouldn't restock once they were used up.

In this post I will share the pantry foods that I like to keep on hand, plus my method for organizing them. One thing to note is that there are other foods I like to keep on hand in the refrigerator/freezer, but I will tackle those in another post.

If you are new to cooking or just not sure how to decide what to keep on hand, I hope this will be a helpful starting place for you. The particular items you choose as your staples might be slightly different from mine, but you could use a similar process.

To the right is a picture of my main pantry area. It is next to the refrigerator in my kitchen which is very convenient! You can see that I happen to have six shelves. I have them organized in a way that makes sense to me. Your organization might be different based on the number of shelves/areas you have and the types of foods you eat. Let's look at what I put on each shelf and what I consider to be my staple items for each shelf.

Primary Cooking Shelf:

The primary cooking shelf is where I have the bottles and ingredients used in cooking dinners. I always keep on hand oils, vinegars, cornstarch, and garlic. Also on this shelf are some spices (I will discuss these more next), and any specific ingredients I will be using for upcoming dinners. This week I am using avocados in two recipes, so I have those on this shelf, but I don't always keep avocados stocked.

The items on this shelf that I always keep on hand are:

olive oil
sesame oil
canola oil
coconut oil spray
butter cooking spray
rice vinegar
balsamic vinegar
distilled white vinegar
red wine vinegar
apple cider vinegar
fish sauce
cornstarch
garlic
onions (I keep these on top of the refrigerator, but they fit in this category!)

Spices:

I keep some spices on the primary cooking shelf (like the salt), but the majority of my spices are on a separate spice rack that hangs in the kitchen (yes, it is alphabetized... haha!). Having a variety of spices on hand can really improve your meals. If you don't have any spices, definitely start with salt and pepper. Then, buy them as you need them for recipes that you try. After a month or two notice which spices you use the most often, and buy them in bulk if you can (it is much cheaper). While I have about 40 different spices on my spice rack and elsewhere in my kitchen, there are about 15 that I use very regularly. These are the spices that I buy in bulk and then refill the little jars as needed (actually it is Mark who usually refills the jars because for some reason I hate doing it.... thanks Mark!! :) ). I make a lot of spicy food and Asian foods, so those types of spices are the ones I use a lot.

Here are my top spices:

Basil
Black Pepper
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Cumin
Curry Powder
Oregano
Red Pepper Flakes
Sesame Seeds
Thyme
Turmeric

Grains and Carbs Shelf:

Another shelf in the main pantry is where I keep the grains and carbs that I use when cooking dinner. The particular grains you keep on hand will depend on what you like the most. I like to keep grains in oxo pop containers so they stay fresh (and look nice). It's really helpful to have at least one quick-cooking grain on hand for when you need a side for dinner, so you might start with whichever grain you like the best!

Also on this shelf is where I keep potatoes. This week I happen to have red potatoes, russet potatoes, and sweet potatoes, but I don't always keep these on hand. I only buy them if I will be using them in the coming week (since while they have a long shelf life, they don't last forever). Then, I try to make sure I use them all up in the following weeks.

Grains I like to keep on hand:

long grain brown rice
quinoa
bulgar wheat (*If I had to have only one, this would be the one I would have-- it is relatively cheap, healthy, and cooks in 15 minutes*)

Other grains/carbs I often have:

pearled barley
pasta

Breakfast Shelf:

This shelf is where I keep all of the non-refrigerated items we have for breakfast. We both have oatmeal pretty much every day, so that's what I like to have on hand. I have oatmeal with coconut butter (usually would be on this shelf, but I need to make more) and frozen blueberries. Mark has oatmeal with chopped walnuts (these are in the freezer) and honey. There is also boxed cereal (it's a nice backup or sometimes I have it as a snack), vitamins, and protein powder (I use the protein powder for smoothies that I typically have for lunch- so it doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the breakfast items!).

The items on this shelf I always have on hand:

old fashioned oats
honey
coconut butter
multi-vitamins

Baking Shelves:

I have two shelves with baking supplies. Some are staples that I always like to have on hand, and others are specialty items that I will buy as needed for recipes (the brown rice syrup is an example of this). I use oxo containers to store flour and sugar. I love these containers because they look nice, make it much easier to scoop out ingredients, and also keep out moisture when it is humid in the summer. They are expensive, but I highly recommend them!

Baking ingredients I always have on hand:

unbleached all purpose flour
white whole wheat flour
granulated white sugar
brown sugar
nonfat dry milk powder (used in bread)
potato flakes (used in bread)
cornmeal (used mostly in cornbread)
baking powder
baking soda
coconut oil
vanilla extract

Snack Shelf:

The last shelf in my pantry is where I keep snack items. It's helpful to have all the snacks in one area so that if you or anyone else in your house is looking for a snack, they know where to look. I typically have nuts, craisins + raisins, popcorn, tortilla chips, and some chocolate on this shelf. Mark and I have recently become big fans of the Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter (I highly recommend it!). Think about a few healthy-ish snacks you like to have on hand for this area of your pantry.

Extra Food Storage:

I have another closet in my house that has more pantry items. Here I keep the bulk spices that I refill the small containers from, extra spices I don't use as often, bulk sugar that I fill my sugar containers from, and the canned foods that I use regularly enough in recipes that it warrants buying the cans in cases. This is also where I keep backup items for the regular pantry. So, for example, I noticed I was low on white vinegar last week, so I bought some on my most recent shopping trip so that when it runs out in the regular pantry, I will have one to replace it. Note that ideally, this is not an area I should really be going to multiple times while cooking. It is more for backup food storage.

Extra food I like to have on hand:

black beans
diced tomatoes
tomato paste
vegetable stock

IMPORTANT! I try to be careful about only buying foods that I will actually use and not going overboard with stocking up on things. I don't want to end up with expired food. Buying in bulk is only cheaper if you actually use all of the food! For example, canned pineapple is a food that I use occasionally, but not that regularly. So that wouldn't be something I would stock up on. Instead, I would only buy it if I needed it for a recipe the next week. Diced tomatoes on the other hand I use in lots of recipes and to make quick pasta sauce, so it's nice to have those ready to go. Same goes for black beans, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. I use these very frequently so I know I will go through the cases long before the cans expire. If you are new to cooking, I recommend not buying anything in bulk to start. Then, after you have been cooking for awhile and have found a handful of recipes that you really like and make often, notice what type of ingredients you are buying every week. These are the items that you should stock up on and consider buying in bulk.

Using Your Pantry

Once you have your pantry set up, you want to keep it working effectively. Try to keep it organized by always returning items to the same place you took them from. If you are running low on one of your staple items, immediately add it to your next shopping list. We keep a running shopping list on a white board on our refrigerator. It is EXTREMELY helpful. Mark and I both know that if we finish something or are getting low on something, we should add it to the list. Then before I go shopping I'll add everything from the white board to my shopping list (or I take a picture of the white board with my phone). If you do this you are much less likely to be in the middle of a recipe and realize that you don't have olive oil, flour, or some other crucial ingredient. Obviously this works for non-pantry items as well!

Summary

I hope this has been helpful! Below is a summary of all the foods I mentioned above in case you want to copy/paste into a word document and modify for yourself.

olive oil
sesame oil
canola oil
coconut oil spray
butter cooking spray
rice vinegar
balsamic vinegar
distilled white vinegar
red wine vinegar
apple cider vinegar
fish sauce
cornstarch
garlic
onions (I keep these on top of the refrigerator)
Basil
Black Pepper
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Cumin
Curry Powder
Oregano
Red Pepper Flakes
Sesame Seeds
Thyme
Turmeric
long grain brown rice
quinoa
bulgar wheat (*If I had to have only one, this would be the one I would have-- it is relatively cheap, healthy, and cooks in 15 minutes*)
old fashioned oats
honey
coconut butter
multi-vitamins
unbleached all purpose flour
white whole wheat flour
granulated white sugar
brown sugar
nonfat dry milk powder (used in bread)
potato flakes (used in bread)
cornmeal (used mostly in cornbread)
baking powder
baking soda
coconut oil
vanilla extract
black beans
diced tomatoes
tomato paste
vegetable stock
your favorite snacks

Look for similar posts in the future about what I keep in my refrigerator and freezer and how I organize those areas.

Happy Holidays!

2013-12-20T10:14:00.000-05:00

It's only one more day until winter officially begins, but the weather here did not get that memo! It's been snowy and cold for the past two weeks, but then this weekend it's supposed to be in the 50s. It's perfect for us though because we are finally moving! (and moving during a snowstorm would be less than ideal....haha!)

Our life is in boxes right now, but we did get internet set up at our new house this morning so we can still feel connected to the world. Our new house has a beautiful view in the back. I took some photos this morning during the sunrise. I hope you enjoy them! The farm near us that we can see out back is a dairy farm. They make their own yogurt and cheese and they also sell milk, beef, and a few other items. We've already stopped in a couple of times. They're great!

One of the reasons I originally started this blog was as a Christmas gift for my mom last year. Of course, it was for me too, but the idea was to give her menu ideas each week for the year so she wouldn't ever have to ask "what should we have for dinner?" I'm happy that it has turned into a great place for me to record and share the good recipes that I find.

As we enter the new year, I will probably use the blog a bit differently. I will still always be on the lookout for good recipes and I will post them whenever I find them. However, I probably won't do the weekly menus any more. If you ever need a week of menus, the menu archive will still be available with lots of great ideas!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a great start to 2014. It's been so fun sharing 2013 with you! Expect more posts from me starting sometime in January...

~Kaitlyn :)

Menu for December 15, 2013 through December 21, 2013

2013-12-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

This week brought the first real snow of the season. We got a couple of inches which was perfect because it was still easy to drive and get around, but it made everything so pretty! Given that we are moving so soon, I took some time to enjoy our current yard and views of the snow. Of course I didn't think to take a picture, but oh well! I did take a picture from my window at work the day it was snowing. In the background you can see the river. Great view!

This past week I was really needing a dessert (even more so than usual I suppose) and I had some caramel that I wanted to use. I made these (not healthy) chocolate caramel oat bars and they were amazing!! Mark loves oatmeal cookies and he thought these were better than oatmeal cookies. I made 2/3 of the recipe in an 8x8 pan and used less chocolate than was called for. Instead of the caramels/heavy cream I just used the caramel I had in a jar (probably about 1/2 cup but I did not measure). If you make these, you should really wait until they are completely cool to eat them. That way they are actually possible to cut and you are able to taste all the flavors a lot better. Most chocolate-y desserts I think are best warm and gooey, but not these! And in case you are curious, they are also good straight out of the freezer. :)

Dinner! How about some recipes that you haven't tried in awhile? I'm planning on Thai black pepper and garlic tofu, spaghetti squash with meatballs, chile sweet potato hash with avocado and eggs, and curried vegetable and chickpea stew. Whatever you have, hope it's delicious!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew with bread on the side if desired.

Make the half the recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday. OR, make the full recipe and freeze half for later or eat for lunches.

Monday: Thai Black Pepper and Garlic Tofu with rice if desired

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs (Serve outside of the shell if desired- I've done that recently and it's great that way too and makes leftovers easier! Also, you can get away with one extra large spaghetti squash to serve 4 if you serve outside of the shell.)

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

Thursday: Leftover Thai Black Pepper and Garlic Tofu

Friday: Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

Saturday: Chile Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs and Avocado

Make the full recipe. Have any leftovers on Sunday.

Menu for December 8, 2013 through December 14, 2013

2013-12-06T03:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I feel like we are solidly into December at this point. I read a blog post yesterday that said "In case you are not quite done with your Christmas shopping yet...." and I thought WHAT?? Haven't even started... But that's okay. There is still plenty of time! Don't worry. :)

The past couple of years I have made homemade treats for some of my gifts. Given how much I love making new things, I have a lot of fun doing it. The picture above is from last year. This year I don't know if I will be able to do as much because we are in the process of moving (which makes everything more difficult!). But I would like to make some marshmallows again!

Don't these peppermint crunch marshmallows look fun? The post that goes along with them is also pretty funny. Marshmallows are actually not too difficult once you get the hang of it and they taste amazing! Seriously, WAY better than a marshmallow out of a bag from the store. Plus I like how you can customize them however you like. For example you could also make gingerbread spiced marshmallows! Another great thing about making marshmallows is that one batch makes a ton, so with just one batch you can make up a lot of little gifts. While marshmallows aren't exactly health food, my philosophy is that if you've made it yourself and you know the ingredients that went into it, it's probably better than a store bought version with lots of preservatives. And if you just have them occasionally, it's fine.

Okay, time for dinner. Are you done with (or sick of?) Thanksgiving leftovers yet? This week we have some comforting polenta with roasted vegetables, breaded tempeh, sweet potato peanut bisque, and pizza on the menu! Enjoy :)

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque with salad and/or bread on the side if desired.

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Tuesday.

Monday: Creamy Polenta with Kale, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Tuesday: Leftover Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

Wednesday: Leftover Creamy Polenta with Kale, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Thursday: Breaded Tempeh with roasted vegetables on the side.

Make the full recipe (serves 2). Have any leftovers on Saturday.

Friday: Spicy Kale, Mushroom, and Pepperoni Pizza (or other pizza of choice).

Make the full recipe and eat any leftovers on Saturday.

Saturday: Leftover Breaded Tempeh and/or Pizza. Or, if no leftovers, make this Lemon Garlic Salmon.

Breaded Tempeh with Spicy Tomato Sauce

2013-12-04T12:46:00.001-05:00

I made this yummy tempeh recipe a few weeks ago. Mark said it was one of his favorite ways of having tempeh. It's essentially chicken parmesan, except with tempeh instead of chicken. Tempeh is breaded and cooked in a skillet. Then it is topped with a spicy tomato sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce) and cheese.

If you've never had tempeh or need to please someone who doesn't usually eat tempeh, give this a try. With all the breading/sauce/cheese, it's easy to forget that you are eating tempeh. :)

Breaded Tempeh with Spicy Tomato Sauce

serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 8 ounce block of tempeh (any variety)
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
2 tablespoons olive oil
tomato sauce (use spicy tomato sauce below or your favorite pasta sauce)
mozzarella cheese or other cheese of choice

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut the tempeh in half lengthwise so it is half as thick. Then, cut each half into 4 equal sections.

2) In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Put flour in another small bowl. Put egg whisked with water in a third bowl.

3) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I used a cast iron skillet). While oil is heating, coat each piece of temepeh in the flour, then the egg wash, then the breadcrumb mixture. Use your fingers to make sure the tempeh is fully coated with the breadcrumbs. You might not end up using all of the breadcrumbs.

4) When olive oil is hot, add temepeh to the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Then carefully flip each piece and cook on the other side for another 3-5 minutes.

5) Serve topped with tomato sauce and cheese with roasted vegetables on the side.

recipe slightly adapted from edible perspective

Spicy Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/ 4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Combine oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add crushed tomatoes, salt, and oregano. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Menu for December 1, 2013 through December 7, 2013

2013-11-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? Enjoying your leftovers? I brought a crusty apple pie to share with my family. All the food was amazing! After a very rainy day on Wednesday, we had a beautiful sunny day for Thanksgiving. It was a great day. I have so much to be thankful for!

And TODAY is an exciting day too. It's the day I allow myself to start listening to Christmas music! Does anyone else have personal rules about waiting until Thanksgiving is over to start Christmas?

As usual, time is flying. 2013 will be over in just a few weeks! For the first week in December I have a variety of healthy meals on the menu. I'm writing a menu assuming you don't have Thanksgiving leftovers, but if you do you are so lucky! These Thanksgiving Leftover Nachos look like a great idea. On the menu I've got Santa Fe Chowder, Tofu Pad Thai, Quinoa Burgers over salad, and Shakshuka (one of Mark's favorite meals ever!). Have a great beginning of December!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Santa Fe Chowder with bread on the side if desired.

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Monday: Tofu Pad Thai with salad or roasted vegetables on the side.

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Quinoa Burgers served over salad with an egg on top if desired.

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Santa Fe Chowder

Thursday: Leftover Tofu Pad Thai

Friday: Leftover Quinoa Burgers

Saturday: Shakshuka (use less eggs than in the recipe as desired)

Make the full recipe and eat any leftovers for lunch on Sunday.

Menu for November 24, 2013 through November 30, 2013

2013-11-22T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! I recently took this picture of Mark in our side yard. It makes me smile! Are you excited about the big day? I'm looking forward to it all! For some reason Thanksgiving makes Mark think of brussel sprouts, so last weekend I roasted some up with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. We devoured over a pound of brussel sprouts between the two of us. Funny? Perhaps. But also YUM!

I also tried a new "pie" recipe when I was craving something sweet on Monday night this past week. I tried this naked apple pie by King Arthur Flour. While different from traditional pie, it was really good! The best way to describe it I think is it tastes sort of like apple pie bread pudding. There is no crust which is why it is called a naked apple pie. Then the apples and nuts are mixed with sugars, cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves, eggs, and flour. The eggs and flour hold the filling together so it's different from an apple crisp. Definitely a new experience, but very quick to make and delicious. If you give it a try, you could probably reduce the sugar a bit and it would still be plenty sweet enough! I also think it would be good with raisins added in. One thing to note about this recipe is that there is no butter in it. Still not exactly healthy though.... :)

For dinners this week there's of course THANKSGIVING on Thursday! I'm not providing a meal for that day since I figure you've got that one covered. And leading up to Thanksgiving I've got some light meals so that you can feel okay indulging on turkey, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie on Thursday. Have a great week and a delicious Thanksgiving!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Quick Mixed Bean Chili with cornbread and salad on the side if desired.

Make the full recipe and eat two servings tonight, have leftovers on Tuesday. Have any additional leftovers for lunch on Wednesday or freeze for later.
Do you like cornbread dressing? Make a double batch of cornbread and use half for some Thanksgiving dressing!

Monday: Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Tuesday: Leftover Quick Mixed Bean Chili

Wednesday: Leftover Vegetable Spring Rolls

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope you get to enjoy some of your favorite foods.

Friday: Thanksgiving leftovers (you could use up turkey in this Chopped Thai Chicken Salad or make Turkey and Dumplings). Or... Red Curry Lentils

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Saturday.

Saturday: More Thanksgiving leftovers. Or leftover Red Curry Lentils.

Menu for November 17, 2013 through November 23, 2013

2013-11-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

This past week was exciting because we saw the first snow of the season! It wasn't much and I didn't even think to take a picture, but it was still fun. There have been some very cold days this week, but I've strangely been enjoying it. We'll see how long that lasts... :)

Last weekend I tried this sweet potato pie with a maple quinoa crust. I was intrigued because it looked like a pretty healthy dessert. This was my first time having sweet potato pie (as opposed to pumpkin), and the pie part turned out great. I had a lot more filling than would fit in a standard pie dish (I think the volume of the recipe is off). So I baked up the extra filling in some ramekins for mini crustless sweet potato pies. Mark and I devoured those! The crust was okay, but didn't end up cooked enough for my liking. Mark would have just preferred no crust at all. I will try the recipe again and see if I can improve the crust, but I wanted to share the recipe link now in case you wanted to try it for Thanksgiving (which is quickly approaching!).

For dinners this week you've got to try the newest veggie burgers on the blog- Thai sweet potato veggie burgers. Don't skip the peanut sauce! Also on the menu is maple walnut chicken, tortellini soup, and tempeh tacos. Enjoy!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce and salad on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Monday: Maple Walnut Chicken served over cooked bulgar/rice if desired with roasted vegetables on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Tortellini Soup with bread and/or salad on the side.

Note: I made this recipe with a 28 ounce can of tomatoes, 12 ounces of frozen tortellini, and kale instead of spinach. If you make it like I did, you might have to add up to a couple of cups of water so that there is enough broth for all of the tortellini.
Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday

Wednesday: Leftover Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce

Thursday: Leftover Maple Walnut Chicken

Friday: Leftover Tortellini Soup

Saturday: Tempeh Tacos

Make half the recipe and have any leftovers for lunch.

Have a great week!

Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce

2013-11-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

Angela from Oh She Glows has got to be the queen of veggie burgers. Every veggie burger recipe she has posted has been amazing. I was so excited when I saw her post recently for Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce because:

I love veggie burgers
I love sweet potatoes
I love Thai food
I love peanut butter and peanut sauce

So basically it seems like this recipe could do no wrong. And it didn't! These burgers held together well and tasted amazing. And the great thing about veggie burgers is you can freeze the extras for a quick meal later on. Mark liked these too, though he said he still prefers regular veggie burgers that he can have with BBQ sauce. So if you are looking for a regular veggie burger, this is not it. BUT, if you like Thai flavors/peanut sauce and non-traditional burgers, give these a try! I will definitely be making these again.

Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce

serves: 6 (you can also easily double this and freeze extras for later!)

The recipe can be found here.

Kaitlyn's Notes:

I used low-sodium soy sauce instead of the tamari.
I used regular oats (not certified gluten-free), but if you want to make these gluten-free you should use the certified gluten-free oats.
I divided the original recipe into 6 burgers.
I added a few teaspoons of sriracha to the peanut sauce to make it spicier and that worked well.
I served these on homemade buns. I spread peanut sauce on both the bottom of the bun and the top of the burger. I then topped the burger with some baby spinach leaves (any lettuce would be good).
Serve with salad or roasted vegetables.

Menu for November 10, 2013 through November 16, 2013

2013-11-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend our neighbors got to take a much deserved weekend away from their farm (hi O+C!!) and Mark helped them out by taking care of their animals. I went over with him one of the times so I could see what he was up to. He was definitely having a blast and the animals sure loved him- especially when he was giving them food! ;) Here Mark is going in to give the sheep some fresh water water while they were feasting on their dinner.

Speaking of dinner... I hope you will get a chance to try the curried vegetable and chickpea stew I posted about this week. I really liked it all four times I had it in the past week! I've also got lemon garlic salmon, vegetarian fajita bowls, and Thai chicken pizza on the menu. For dessert, I'm looking forward to these "natural" chocolate dipped buckeyes. I haven't gotten a chance to try them yet, but I will soon for sure (if you try them, let me know what you think!).

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

Make half the recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday. (Or, make the full recipe and have other leftovers for lunches or freeze!)

Monday: Vegetarian Fajita Bowls

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Salmon with salad/vegetables on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

Thursday: Leftover Vegetarian Fajita Bowls

Friday: Leftover Lemon Garlic Salmon

Saturday: Thai Chicken Pizza

Make the full recipe and have any leftovers for lunch.

Hope you have a good week!

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

2013-11-06T03:00:00.000-05:00

I made this soup for the first time last week and it was excellent. It was one of those meals where I was sad when I finished the last serving. This soup is full of vegetables and chickpeas, plus ginger, garlic, curry powder and a bit of coconut milk to give it some Indian flavors. It is hearty and satisfying, but also happens to be vegan.

The coconut milk added at the end gives it just the right amount of richness in my opinion. I actually made my own coconut milk from unsweetened shredded coconut and water in my vitamix, but you could also use light canned coconut milk.

While the recipe was written for the slow cooker, I needed dinner within an hour and so I made it on the stove. It worked out great that way, but next time I will try the slow cooker method.

If you are a soup fan and a curry fan, give this a try!

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
serves: 8

The recipe can be found here.

Kaitlyn's Notes:

You can definitely make this on the stove. There are stove-top instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
Feel free to substitute other vegetables. I used 3 red bell peppers instead of the 1 red and 1 green. You could also substitute sweet potatoes for some or all of the regular potatoes.
Don't skip the coconut milk! It really helps to finish the dish. Light coconut milk would be fine.
This tastes great when reheated. I had it 4 times within 4 days for dinners and lunches. YUM!

Menu for November 3, 2013 through November 9, 2013

2013-11-01T03:00:00.000-04:00

Happy November! Did you have an exciting Halloween? Living out in the country we didn't get any trick or treaters, but of course we had to have candy ready just in case! :)

Now that it's November we can start thinking about Thanksgiving, one of the best holidays for food! One of my favorite desserts to make is this apple pie. It is always a HUGE hit and it's not too hard to make as far as pies go. It's a "crusty" apple pie meaning there is more crust and less apples. It looks more like a tart because it's not made in a pie dish. If you're the sort of person who likes the crust of pies, I strongly recommend trying that recipe! Also for Thanksgiving this year we have the opportunity to get a turkey from our neighbors. No, it won't be alive when we get (I know some of you are wondering that), but it will be fresh and it will have enjoyed time out on our property during it's life (they free range around the area). That's definitely eating local!

For dinners this week I recommend cauliflower cheese soup (one of my favorites!), crispy herb chicken, lemony chickpea stir fry, and pizza burgers! For dessert, try this pumpkin oatmeal cookie bake. I tried it this past week and it was delicious! Note that the recipe makes two substantial servings. It's meant as a "breakfast cookie", but if you add chocolate chips it is plenty sweet and delicious enough for dessert.

Have a great week and enjoy your extra hour this weekend!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Cauliflower Cheese Soup with bread on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Monday: Crispy Herb Chicken with Vegetable Hash

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Pizza Topped Quinoa and Bean Burgers with salad/vegetables on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Thursday: Leftover Crispy Herb Chicken with Vegetable Hash

Friday: Leftover Pizza Topped Quinoa and Bean Burgers

Saturday: Lemony Chickpea Stir Fry

Make the full recipe and have any leftovers for lunch.

Potato and Winter Squash Gratin

2013-10-29T03:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I was in the mood for a new fall recipe, and happened upon a recipe for potato, squash, and goat cheese gratin. I was intrigued by the goat cheese and the inclusion of squash in what is typically a heavy potato dish. The recipe called for yellow squash and that was my original plan, but then I saw some small delicata squashes at the grocery store and thought they might be more fitting for fall. They worked out great! This dish is super comforting and delicious, but doesn't have loads of cheese or heavy cream.

Essentially you slice squash and potatoes very thinly. Toss with olive oil and layer into a baking dish with crumbled goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with some parmesan cheese and a little milk and bake for an hour. If you have a mandoline then you can use that to slice the squash and potatoes and this comes together very quickly. I don't have a mandoline, so I had to spend a good amount of time slicing everything thinly by hand. Because my slices weren't quite as thin as a mandoline would have made them, and because delicata squash is denser than yellow squash, I increased the baking time by about 20 minutes.

If you would also like to try this with delicata squash, I recommend cutting it in half lengthwise and scooping out the seeds. Then, thinly slice so you have semi-circular pieces. Of course I'm sure the yellow squash would also be good. You could also mix up the potatoes to include some sweet potatoes as well.

I think this would be a great dish for Thanksgiving or another fall party. For our dinner, I served it with a piece of salmon for some protein. I'm already looking forward to the leftovers!

Potato and Winter Squash Gratin

serves: 4

The recipe can be found here.

Kaitlyn's Notes:

If you want this for a substantial part of your meal, double the recipe to serve 4. I used 1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes and 1 1/2 pounds sliced delicata squash.
You can cut back the olive oil to two tablespoons (for the original recipe) and it will still be great.
Substitute delicata squash for the yellow squash and/or sweet potato for the regular potatoes depending on what you feel like. If you use denser vegetables, plan to increase the baking time by about 20 minutes.
Everything should be sliced as THINLY as possible. You can leave the skins on.

Menu for October 27, 2013 through November 2, 2013

2013-10-25T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! So the big news at our house yesterday was that we finally turned the heat on. (Okay... that may or may not qualify as big news, but it is getting cold!) We also recently got some soft flannel sheets from LLBean which are warm and amazing. I highly recommend them. :)

Last week I got a reconditioned VitaMix. I've had my eye on a VitaMix for a few years, and decided whenever our blender gave out we would get one since then it would hopefully last us decades. Last week was the week! I've loved making smoothies in it, but I've also enjoyed looking through the cookbook that came with it (it's a big hardcover book). I tried a pot sticker recipe where you cut up all the veggies for the pot stickers in the VitaMix. What was especially interesting was it used a "wet chop" method. You put all the ingredients in and covered them with water and then pulsed. After everything was chopped, you just drained out the water. I think it did an even better job than a food processor would have done. Another great thing about the VitaMix is that it is quieter than our previous blender. Both Mark and I can be sensitive to noise, so that is a great bonus for us.

For dinners this week we have creamy vegetable chowder, sesame spiced turkey meatballs with chickpea kale salad, salmon with minty yogurt sauce, and broccoli and potato nuggets. I haven't had any of these meals in a long time, so I'm looking forward to them all! And I apologize for the lack of pictures for the salmon and broccoli and potato nuggets- they were from the early days of the blog and I never snapped a photo of them. :)

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Sesame Spice d Turkey Meatballs with Chickpea Kale Salad

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Monday: Broccoli and Potato Nuggets with BBQ sauce for dipping if desired and salad on the side.

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Creamy Vegetable Chowder with bread on the side

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Sesame Spiced Turkey Meatballs with Chickpea Kale Salad

Thursday: Leftover Broccoli and Potato Nuggets (And candy for dessert? Happy Halloween!)

Friday: Leftover Creamy Vegetable Chowder

Saturday: Wild Salmon with Minty Yogurt Sauce with salad/roasted vegetables and brown rice.

Make the full recipe.

Looking for dessert? Give these cookies a try!

Menu for October 20, 2013 through October 26, 2013

2013-10-18T03:00:00.000-04:00

Have you been enjoying fall? I've been loving it! Last weekend Mark and I explored a new part of Connecticut. We came across a bike path that goes along the Connecticut River. It was beautiful!

I also tried a new (not healthy) chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's been way too long since I made cookies! I have a favorite recipe that I've made (literally) hundreds of times, but I was looking for a recipe that used bread flour since that was all I had. These are Alton Brown's "The Chewy" chocolate chip cookie. The bread flour helps with the chewiness. They were very good! Mark will be sharing them at a game night tonight. :)

For dinners this week you can look forward to sweet potato peanut bisque (while I haven't adapted the recipe on the blog, it's one of my favorite soups!), spaghetti squash and meatballs, coconut thai chicken and vegetables, and pizza!

Dinners for the Week

Sunday: Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque with salad and/or breadsticks (I tried these last weekend and they were good! I want to try to modify to include whole wheat flour).

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Wednesday.

Monday: Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs (serve in or out of spaghetti squash shells- whatever you prefer! It's easier to have leftovers out of the shells).

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Thursday.

Tuesday: Coconut Thai Chicken and Vegetables with Whole Wheat Naan

Make the full recipe and eat half tonight, have leftovers on Friday.

Wednesday: Leftover Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

Thursday: Leftover Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Friday: Leftover Coconut Thai Chicken and Vegetables

Saturday: Spicy Kale, Pepperoni, and Mushroom Pizza (or pizza of choice) with salad on the side

Make the full recipe and leftovers for lunch on Sunday.

Enjoy!