Happy Solstice! Let the Summer Festivities Begin!

Weekly Menu
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Quinoa Burger with Broccoli
Wednesday: Garlic Cream Risotto with Baby Green Salad
Thursday: Roasted Ratatouille with Poached Egg
Friday: Salad Wraps
Saturday: Black Bean and Veggie Quesadillas
Sunday: Halibut Brochette Provencale, Rice with Puttanesca Sauce, Bread and Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate Chip Cookies (seriously, 2 desserts - yum!)

Weekly Pantry List
Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, almonds, bread crumbs (1 cup), fresh garlic, Hoisin sauce, sesame oil, fennel seed, capers and hot pepper flakes

Weekly Grocery List
1 1/2 pounds halibut
Cheddar Cheese
Yogurt
1 package extra firm tofu

1/2 cup black Kalamata olives

1/2 cup green olives

Baby greens
2 peaches
2 cucumbers
Carrots
Green onions
1 vadalia onion
1 small red onion
3 lemon
8 cherry tomatoes
2 tomatoes

2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes

3 roma tomatoes

3 zucchini
2 eggplant
2 red peppers
2 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper

16 mini bell peppers in assorted colors (from one 5-ounce package) or 1 bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares

Fresh mint
Fresh parsley
Fresh basil (probable need 2 packages)
Fresh ginger

Fresh marjoram

Fresh thyme

Fresh rosemary

Fresh sage

14 cremini mushrooms
Sprouts
Broccoli
Raw cashews (1 cup)
1 can black beans
Salsa Verde
1 package low sodium fajita seasoning
MASA or Corn tortillas
Rice wraps
Bean thread noodles
Arbio rice (1 cup)
Brown rice
Veggies stock (3 cups)
Quinoa
Bread

Leftovers

On their rocket ship, Hannah's turn to drive.

Hannah and Harper were really into drawing today, for the first part that meant colouring their fingernails, much to my disappointment. When we went to that wedding a little while ago I painted my nails and Hannah has been obsessed with the idea since but, I really feel that she's too young to have her nails painted. It's not necessarily the polish itself (although it kind of is) it's the whole idea of all of that stuff and where it can lead that I'm not ready to delve into. So she has taken to colouring her nails with markers, I'm hoping the novelty of this wears off soon. So I was really pleased when I looked up and she was actually drawing a picture. She's explaining to Harper that she's drawing a map and they're going to take a rocket ship to explore a new planet and they need this map to know their way around. Harper's intently taking all the lids of the markers and not looking at Hannah as she talks but is repeating everything she is saying, otherwise she appears to be totally uninterested. Hannah continues with her explanations and asks, "Harper, can I drive the rocket ship first?" Harper responds, without so much as flinching, "No." Hannah asks again receiving the same response and very disappointingly says, "Well, O.K. Harper but I get to drive it after." Poor Hannah, she's so polite. So later they're off on their adventure and once they land Hannah leads them all around the house to explore the new planet returning to the rocket ship every time they see something so she can right it down. Isn't the imagination such a wonderful and amazing thing?

Recipe
We had lots of leftovers to use up and so that's what we had. I did have one package of mussels that needed to be cooked and even though I loved last nights, I didn't want to have the cream two nights in a row so I made up a quick little sauce.

1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
1/4 of a white onion, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup veggie broth
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
907 g package of mussels

Heat a little olive oil over medium heat and saute fennel, onion and garlic until soft. Once veggies are ready add the wine, broth and tomato and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and cook covered for 7 to 10 minutes until they are open.

Quinoa Burgers and Broccoli
Happy Solstice! We were discussing how solstice is really bitter sweet because it is such a wonderful time of year, but the longest day also means that each after is getting shorter. I was lucky enough to have my cousin sign her and I and our other cousin up for a solstice herb planting class at Sage Garden tonight. It was a wonderful way to spend solstice, with two of my favorite people and my hands in the dirt. I am learning to love gardening, herbs especially. My interest in cooking has lead me to my interest in growing my own herbs but also I find the folklore of certain ones fascinating. I'm very excited to turn my front garden into something of an herb garden, including perennials that encourage butterflies, bumblebees and of course fairies to come and visit our little piece of the world. It is a funny thing though, I stare and stare at my weeds and when I finally get to them I find this peace and serenity, a place where I can actually still my mind (which I am never able to do) and just concentrate on the task at hand. I hope that you all had a wonderful solstice and are feeling recharged and light for the summer days ahead, finding a little peace and serenity along the way.

Recipe
I made these quinoa cakes from The Healthy Foodie and found the patties to be really tasty, but when I made them into a burger I found them to be a little bland.

*I had then for lunch the next day just on a bed of sprouts with tzatiki on top and it was very good, so that's how I recommend having these if you try them. She also originally had them with a little watercrest and a poached egg on top and I would be curious to try it that way too.

2½ cups cooked quinoa
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
½ cup (or 4) egg whites
2 green onions, finely chopped
45g extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Combine the quinoa, eggs, egg whites, green onion, cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. Form into six patties.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties, if they’ll fit with some room between each and cook until the bottoms are deeply browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden.
Transfer to serving plate, top with a pinch of watercress leaves and a poached egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

For the sauce you can buy tzatiki but it is really easy to make. If you check out the Healthy Foodie link above she has a recipe for it that looks really good (I didn't have everything for it so I didn't try it but I will next time). I just mixed the following together:

1 cup yogurt
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 - 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

I just steamed the broccoli.

Garlic Cream Risotto
This morning we needed to go to the doctor to get Hannah her booster shots. She was going to be getting two needles and so I had prepared her last week and then again on the weekend. We talked about it again before we went and she really seemed fine with the whole thing. Before we left she said to me, "You know mom, I am a little nervous because I have to get a needle." I reassured her the best I could by telling her that it was perfectly fine to be nervous and that it would probably hurt (that doesn't really sound very reassuring doe it?) but that it would be over soon. On the up side I was thinking this would be good for Harper because she would go and see the doctor without having to have a needle or even be examined, helping to make her feel comfortable the next time we go for her. Hannah was a champ, she's grown over 1 1/2 inches since last summer! When the doctor gave her the needles, Harper sat in the chair and I sat up on the little bed holding Hannah in my arms, she didn't even flinch, she was so brave (actually more brave than I was but I think I hid it well). When it as all over the doctor chatted Harper up a little bit and we all got ready to go. When Harper realized we were leaving she began to cry, because she wanted a needle too! As the doctor said, she can't win! On our way out the woman behind the desk gave the girls a sucker (she tried to give them two) and this did seem to make up for not getting a needle!

Recipe
I finally soaked my nuts! Yes, that's what I said, it is a little bit of a funny statement isn't it? But I remembered, overnight in the fridge, they come out looking really bloated and chalky but don't let that deter you because this risotto was really yummy. I love that it doesn't have any cheese in it and has the little bit of added protein from the nuts. I somehow screwed up the risotto, I'm not sure how, I think I wasn't paying attention and not letting enough of the previous liquid absorb before adding more, it was really hairy around here at the time. So we ended up with a little bit of a soggy risotto but, the flavor was really nice! It is from Spabettie, I slightly altered the quantities of veggies and such but for the most part it's the same, the garlic cream is really key.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 vadalia onion
1 zucchini
14 cremini mushrooms
1 cup arbio rice
3 cups veggies stock
2 cups roma tomatoes
garlic cashew cream

Bring veggie stock to a simmer. In a large pan heat olive oil and saute veggies. Add the arbio rice and saute until opaque then add stock a cup at a time stirring until absorbed before adding the next until it is all gone and the risotto is nice and creamy.

Once the risotto is ready stir in tomatoes and garlic cashew cream.

Garlic cashew cream
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

We had this with baby greens, sliced peaches and toasted almonds, drizzled with a little honey, balsamic and olive oil.

Poached Eggs Over Ratatouille

Please, don't mention to me how Harper looks so big here!

So Hannah, Harper and I did this kid's yoga video yesterday and it went over really well so we decided we're going to try and do it everyday, which means three or four times a week for us. Hannah and I have done it a few times before but we hadn't pulled it out for a long time. I was very impressed because Hannah did really well all the way through and Harper did about 15 minutes out of the 30 minute video, trying every pose. So, today we remembered to do it again, which is a pretty great feat in itself. When we were waiting for the video to start I was resting in child's pose and Hannah calls to me and I look up at her, she's got the most disgusted look on her face, "We don't do that pose first Mom, you have to wait until after we do the dog one for that!" My little rule follower, she's so funny. Both girls did extremely well and Harper did the whole thing, all 30 minutes which I thought was very impressive for a two year old.

Recipe
The recipe for the ratatouille can be found here, and I'd completely forgotten that we had done it with eggs already. This time I just poached eggs and made a little toast and then stacked them on top of each other; toast, ratatouille and egg - quick, simple, warm and comforting!

Salad Wraps
Dave took Hannah to see the Winnipeg Symphony at Assiniboine Park tonight, and Harper and I? We hung out. We did watch some of the NHL draft picks (Do you think it's bad that Hannah got symphony music and Harper T.V., not even an actual hockey game...and we actually missed the Winnipeg Jets (yay!) first pick). I also put Harper to bed by singing that creepy, the monster is coming song/book, she actually fell asleep at, "He's coming closer and closer, the monster in coming!" in a creepy kind of church choir voice, but poorly sung - those of you that have heard me sing, you know what I mean - the poor singing makes it even creepier. This, after they had a bath this afternoon and pretended they were making wine with the empty shampoo bottle. I know, the symphony seriously is the best parenting we've done lately.

RecipeHannah was so excited that we were having salad wraps tonight, the recipe is here.

Quesadillas
This was a bit of a crazy yet relaxing day. Harper and I drove around checking out garage sales for a few things for our favorite visitors, while Dave and Hannah went to Princess Auto (Dave's favorite store...or at least flyer) to get a hitch for the car. Harper was delighted with the garage sales, "Pease my go to another one." Oh dear.

I spent the end of my afternoon sitting among many others watching my cousin graduate. He is the youngest on my mom's side, the baby and he graduated high school today! We were all so happy and proud of him. Not only did he graduate but he was valedictorian, the first of all of us, and his speech was so good and well delivered. He was confident and poised up there and I wish him great things to come.

Recipe
While I was away Dave made great quesadillas, with salsa verde of course, and there was Corona! I ate on the back deck while Dave and I chatted and the girls played happily in the yard, could there be a better Saturday night?

Olive oil
MASA or corn tortillas
1 red pepper, cut in strips
1 yellow pepper, cut in strips
1 orange pepper, cut in strips
1 white onion, sliced
1 10 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package low sodium fajita spice
Cheddar Cheese, grated
Salsa verde

Make your corn tortillas according the the package directions.

In a pan heat a little olive oil and saute onions until almost soft, add peppers and saute until soft. Once the veggies are ready add the black beans and about half the fajita seasoning with a 3 or 4 Tbsp of water and let thicken. Then place bean mixture on tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and top with another tortilla and grill on a griddle or in a pan until cheese is melted and outside a little crispy. Serve with salsa (and I recommend Corona and lime too).

Halibut Brochette Provencale, Rice with Puttanesca Sauce, Bread and Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate Chip Cookies (seriously, 2 desserts - yum!)
There are a couple of significant things today, first off Dave found Harper downstairs with a handful of....chocolate (it's probably not good to mention what it really was in a food blog) but, on the up side, since we decided not to trust our bionic noises that seemed to smell it no matter how far we got from the scene of the crime, my house has been scrubbed very clean!

Today we officially start the count down until my sister and niece arrive from Australia, one week from about right now, actually. We are so excited, Hannah has been telling all the neighbors how soon there are going to be three little girls playing in the backyard a lot because her cousin is coming from Australia. I swear I haven't even prompted her at all, she's pretty sure they'll also be having pancakes together sometimes. I love that she has developed this bond and excitement for her cousin even though she lives so far away. I can hardly wait to see them. They have been coming every summer, this year my brother in law will be able to come too, although a couple weeks later, and I'm so glad that the whole family will be together! It's like for this short time in the summer when they visit everything is right in my world!

I think we are going to have some house guests this week, and it is going to be crazy and fun (if they happen to be reading this, seriously there is no chocolate anywhere - I swear)! Probably in that order, I'll tell you what the adults verdict and the kids verdicts are at the end of the week.

I bought a shirt with a picture of a bicycle on it, I'm not sure why I have to tell you that, I fell in love with it, bought it and want to wear it everyday. I also can't stop singing, "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle, I'll ride it where I like to go."

We had a delicious meal at my parents tonight, it was so fresh and summery and so, so good! I of course forgot to take photos and get the recipes but I'm pretty sure I found the right ones on epicurious so I will share those!

Recipe
The following recipe can be found on the epicurious site, it was delicious!

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1/2 teaspoon chopped fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped dried lavender blossoms*

1 1 1/2-inch-diameter zucchini, cut into eight 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1 unpeeled slender eggplant, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut into eight 1- to 1 1/4-inch pieces

8 mini plum tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes

16 mini bell peppers in assorted colors (from one 5-ounce package) or 1 bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares

1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges, each wedge halved crosswise, layers kept intact

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 pounds halibut, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/3 cup dry white wine

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Place zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onion in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon herb mixture and 1 tablespoon oil to vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Thread 1 mini pepper, 1 zucchini round, 1 eggplant piece, 1 tomato, 1 onion piece, and 1 more mini pepper onto each of 8 skewers. DO AHEAD: Herb mixture and vegetables can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.

Place fish in medium bowl; sprinkle 2 tablespoons herb mixture over. Add 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, tossing occasionally.

Simmer wine, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining herb mixture. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Divide fish cubes among remaining 4 skewers. Grill vegetable skewers until vegetables are slightly charred and tender, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Grill fish skewers until fish is cooked through, turning occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place 1 fish skewer and 2 vegetable skewers on each plate. Drizzle sauce over.

The following is also from epicurious.

2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup black Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

4 to 6 cups hot cooked short- or long-grain brown or other rice

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic and oil. Add the basil, parsley, salt and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over the hot cooked rice.

It 's Canada day this week, I am very proud to call myself a Canadian, Happy Canada Day to all the others out there!

I hope the sun shines down on you this week!

Happy Father's Day!



 

Tuesday evening Hannah went to school for an open house. She wanted Dave to go with her not me (yes, that did make me a little sad). She was able to meet her teacher, some of the kids that are going to be in her class, see the classroom and play with some of the toys. She was very impressed with the indoor sandbox. Harper was very sad, like me, that she was not invited to go so we made a special bedtime snack that Harper built. She was very proud, we layered yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, rice crispies three times in a glass.

 

Weekly Menu
Monday: Mexican Lasagna
Tuesday: Roasted Artichoke Antipasto Salad with White Bean Hummus, Cherry Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Lemon Sole, Spinach and Roasted Potatoes
Thursday: Chickpea Salad and Pitas
Friday: Fried Eggs, Toast and Fruit
Saturday: Pizza
Sunday: Mussels with Cream Fennel and White Wine, Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Pasta with Salad and Sticky Date Pudding

 

Weekly Pantry List
Taco seasoning or chili and cumin, olive oil, fresh garlic, balsamic vinegar, sage, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar), hot pepper flakes, flour, yeast, fennel seed, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, eggs (3), butter (about a pound), ground ginger, sugar, maple syrup, mayonnaise, vegetable oil, dried cranberries, walnuts

 

Weekly Grocery List
Mozzarella Cheese
Feta Cheese
Blue Cheese (4 oz)
Heavy Cream (1 1/2 cup)
Mussels (3 lb)
Olives (for pizza)
2 large white onion
1 bag yellow onions
2 red onion
3 shallot
1 bulb fennel
1 pear
Fresh dates (10oz)
3 red peppers
1 zucchini
Cremini mushrooms (1 cup + extra for pizza)
Fresh basil
Fresh mint
Fresh parsley
4 lemons
2 packages of cherry tomatoes
4 9oz bags of frozen artichokes
1 jar of capers (need 6 Tbsp)
Pizza sauce
1 14 oz can tomatoes
2 19 oz can white kidney beans
1 19 oz can of chickpeas
MASA or corn tortillas
Chunky pasta (1 lb)
1 loaf of crusty bread (I used roasted garlic ciabatta)

 

White wine

 

Mexican Lasagna
Hannah declared to me today, after staring out the window at the rain, "It's such a drooly day out there!"

 

Do you want to know when your children will finally break after being up late two nights in a row with little catch up sleep in the morning? After the third night, Harper walked around today being grumpy to everyone, including her stuffed animals and Hannah seriously looked like a really cute zombie, all innocent and stunned, that is until something didn't go her way (like the suggestion that she may be cool in shorts), and then she melted like the wicked witch after having water thrown on her. When the sun finally came out around four they, and their little dark clouds, spilled into the backyard and put their energy into making mud pies, I've never been so relieved to see them play in the mud!

 

Recipe
I have a confession to make, I'm in love with salsa verde. I'd never tried it before the whole bowl the other week and now I can't get enough of it. More importantly, I can't get enough of it smothered on something cheesy, which is perhaps more the issue than eating a lot of salsa verde! I made this dish tonight specifically so I could smother it in salsa verde, but it would hold up on it's own as well.

 

olive oil

1 large white onion, halved and sliced

3 cloves, pressed

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1/3 of a zucchini, chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
14 oz canned tomatoes
19 oz canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pack of low sodium taco seasoning (you could also use a little chili spice and cumin I was just lazy)
7 corn tortillas (homemade with MASA is best)
2 cups mozarella cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350F.

 

Heat olive oil over medium low heat and saute onions until soft, add garlic and taco seasoning and a little water (scant 1/4 cup) stir all together until saucy. Add the pepper, zuchinni, mushrooms and saute until soft. Once all the veggies are ready add the beans and tomatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat while you make your corn tortillas and grate the cheese.

 

Once everything is ready put a spoonful or two of sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish (I used an oval 2 quart Corning ware dish), layer half the tortillas (cutting and piecing them together as necessary), half the sauce and half the cheese repeat all for the top layer and then bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with salsa verde!

 

Roasted Artichoke Antipasto Salad with White Bean Hummus, Cherry Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic Bread

Heat! Thank you Goddess of Nature for the nice hot day today. It was the first sprinkler day of the season for us. There is something very...retro about watching my kids run through the sprinkler; except for the fact that they are wearing suns shirts, hats and are loaded up with sunscreen, it reminds me of being a kid. I was trying to convince Hannah to use the regular sprinkler (the one that comes up in a rainbow and moves from side to side) but she wanted to use the little spinning froggy. We ran through the sprinkler a lot as kids and I loved it. I loved the rush of excitement as the sprinkler was getting closer and closer (I know, I was a real dare devil, that water is pretty cold you know) or I can remember the feeling of standing over it with my head right in it and the inevitable thrill when someone picked it up and started to point and run with it. The girls squealed with delight as they ran from the sprinkler to the water table and then sprawled out on their towels to play beach party.

 

Recipe
The recipe for the roasted artichoke antipasto salad is from Circle B Kitchen. I made up the white bean hummus, being inspired by a dip I bought on a whim at the store the other day. They were all good separate but were best when piled together on a nice piece of ciabatta.

 

Artichoke Salad:
4 boxes (9 oz each) of frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and cut in quarters

Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 shallot, minced
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
6 Tbsp capers
2 roasted red peppers, sliced thin
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 pinches hot red pepper flakes (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350F.

 

Toss the artichokes in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and toss to coat. Lay them out on a cookie sheet, in one layer and roast for 25 minutes.

 

Meanwhile make vinaigrette. Place the minced shallot, lemon juice, mustard and 1 Tbsp of the vinegar in a food processor and process for 5 minutes. Add basil leaves and process into a green puree. With the processor running slowly add 1/2 cup olive oil until the ingredients are finely pureed. Set aside.

 

Place the roasted artichokes in a bowl and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to moisten. Add capers, red peppers, red onions, parsley and 1 Tbsp vinegar and toss together. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and set salad aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

White Bean Hummus:
1 19 oz can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 bulb garlic, roasted
4 Tbsp minced red onion
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sage
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup (scant) water
salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350F.

 

Wrap garlic in a piece of foil with a drizzle of olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes, until garlic is tender.

 

Put all ingredients in a food processor except for water, and process until smooth adding water a little at a time until you get desire consistency.

 

Slice nice thick slices of bread, spread with white bean hummus and top with artichoke salad, we had this with cherry tomatoes on the side



Lemon Sole, Spinach, Green Beans and Roasted Potatoes

I came down from getting dressed this morning to two girls with very wet hair. I determined that Hannah had climbed up and gotten the water bottle and they were playing hairdresser (which I wouldn't normally have a problem with if it didn't result in water all over the hardwood floors). I gave Hannah a dish towel and asked her to clean up all the water while Harper and I cleaned up a large toy dump in the back room that was mixed in with the laundry. After a few minutes Hannah comes in and complains that she didn't make the puddle on the floor. I explained to her that she took responsibility for the water when she took down the spray bottle and her job was to clean up the water. Shortly after, my dad came in and I ventured out of the back room to find Hannah standing over a huge (like half the kitchen) puddle of water with her little dish cloth and her eyes very big and round trying to figure out where to start. Poor Hannah, I didn't realize that the dishwasher had leaked all over the kitchen and that was the puddle she was talking about. Perhaps next time I will ask for a few more details. Dave fixed the dishwasher when he got home and all it back to normal...for now.

 

Recipe 

This was a very simple dinner enhanced by Hannah and Harper setting the table in the dinning room tonight, they wanted it to be a little bit fancier.

 

4 sole fillets
1 lemon
Margarine (butter would obviously be better but I didn't have any)

 

In a pan melt a little margarine add 1 or 2  tsp of lemon zest per fillet and lightly fry over medium low heat until cooked. Once all are cooked squeeze a little of the lemon juice over them and serve. This is very light and mild tasting.

1.5 lb new potatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt

 

Preheat oven to 450F.
Toss potatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar until coated and then spread out in one layer on a parchment lined pan, sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 30 - 40 minutes, until crispy.

1 bunch spinach, washed and chopped
leftover artichoke salad
1/2 red onion
Olive oil
White wine vinegar

 

In a large pan heat a little olive oil over medium heat and saute red onion until soft, add the leftover artichoke salad and cook until warm, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Once spinach is cooked drizzle a little of the vinegar over and serve.

If you don't have any leftover artichoke salad add a clove of pressed garlic with the red onion.



We also had some green beans which I just washed and steamed.

 

Chickpea Salad with Pitas

There's this book by Adam Mansbach called Go the F to Sleep and I'm going to go ahead and call it a parenting book. Clearly it is meant to poke fun at the difficulties of putting little ones to bed. It is told in a gentle voice but ends each page with go the F to sleep or some other variation. It takes you through the hour or two ordeal of putting a two year (or insert child's age here) old to bed that makes you question every parenting decision you've ever made. What's so lovely about it and what makes it a parenting book is that you can think about it after you've been trying to put your little one to bed for 64 1/2 minutes and realize you are not alone. All over the world there are other parents (well, in your time zone) who are frustrated thinking about the few precious hours that they get to spend on their own or with their partner slipping away. You are not the only one actually counting the seconds and fighting to stay awake so you can clean up the dishes and sneak in a T.V. show, few pages of your book or a little adult conversation before you collapse into bed (often only to be woken by a little cry from the same room that you have just left) and ironically enough have no trouble falling asleep. So Adam, I thank you for keeping me company while I listen to my two year old declare, "I awready sweep, let's get up, come on mama, come on!"

 

Recipe

I have already posted this recipe here, where we had it in wraps with tztiki and potatoes. Tonight we just had it with warm pitas on the side, Hannah declared it a ten.

 

Fried Eggs and Toast with Fruit

Wow! For the most part, the weather this week feels like summer! The girls and I headed out to Children's Garden again at Assiniboine park but, I think the magic was on a break when we got there. There were so many people and lots and lots of big kids. I have nothing against big kids, in fact I hope that my children one day will become big kids (not really, please make them stop growing), it's that Harper likes to play with anyone. She's very non discriminatory, you seem to be in the sand, I seem to be in the sand, let's play together - never mind that you're three times my size, tossing large rocks around and not really at all noticing me, I'll still play with you. It was making me very nervous, and I was trying distracting her to other places but she just kept going right back to where they were playing. Finally we all toddled off and had some lunch and then came back, and so did the magic. We all sat down in the sand, far from the water and tossing rocks, and built sandcastles. Harper was very happy to fill the pails, let Hannah or I flip them, squeal in delight and then smash it. Hannah is the perfect age for sandcastles! She can fill and flip the pail quick enough to make it stand. She was also planning out her whole castle in advance, the moat and towers and how it could be decorated with leaves and flowers, I could actually see the picture of it in a little thought bubble above her head. We unfortunately didn't really have all the equipment to make the castle she was planning but, I'm planning a sand castle expedition the first weekend we get out to the lake this year. It was so amazing to watch the pride on her face when she flipped the bucket and it worked!

 

Recipe

Seriously, am I going to give you a recipe for fried eggs? No, this wasn't the actual plan but the risotto I was going to make has cashews in it that need to be soaked over night and I forgot. I actually forgot all week, this was planned for Tuesday but I never soaked the nuts. We spent the whole day outside and I really didn't feel very creative...I actually have to say a fried egg and buttered toast is kind of a comfort food for me.

 

Pizza

How dirty do you let your kids get? If you read this blog regularly you will see that I am fairly lax when it comes to my children playing in, rolling in and even at times eating dirt, although I do try to discouraged the later. Today I went to my cousins for a play date. She has two boys and a girl and as the sun got hotter the kids seemed to be unable to connect and engage in any activity (it was really very scattered and bizarre), she brought out the sprinkler. A brilliant idea! All kids love the sprinkler; running it, picking it up and spraying others, there was even some head soaking involved. They had a blast! But there comes a time when the sprinkler needs to be turned off. Somewhere in the pit of my stomach I always start to get this sick feeling as I watch the water pour out of it, because I'm wasting such a precious resource. I always think back to my environmental studies class where we did a water audit and it was very eye opening to see, in gallons, the amount of water we waste. But our children, very resourceful (or really, really gross), found some dirty rain puddles on the street and began to run through and splash in them. When the first child's hands touched the water we recoiled in heebee jeebees and called out, "No hands in the water, only feet!" Our children were too excited and we decided to look the other way. Then, the first child sat down in the puddle and as we processed this, quickly thinking about the hands probably being the worst part of the body to go into the puddle, they laid down! Now, someone did make a comment about it being an economical above ground swimming pool and I suppose you could look at it that way and see the resourcefulness of our children. Although, at this point I think we mostly saw it as a cesspool of germs! My cousin ran a bath and in a panicky voice called to the girls to come in and get in the tub (much to my total relief), the boys followed. Kids were scrubbed, hair was washed, finger nails were clipped and the line of how dirty we'd let our kids get (umm...well again) was drawn in the dirt, right before the mud puddle! My cousin snapped this picture of them!

Mussels with Cream Fennel and White Wine, Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Pasta with Salad and Sticky Date Pudding

I love father's day. I love that we made Dave's father's day gift at the beginning of the week and the girls have been making gifts for him (flower arrangements in the backyard) ever since. I love to see the excitement in their faces when he opens it (painted mug) and makes all the right faces and all the right comments so that they beam with pride. At this age the day is really more about the kids making the fuss than Dave being fussed over and he graciously accepts this, even revels in it a little. He is an amazing dad. I love observing the girls climbing all over Dave, wanting to do everything with him while I quietly putter away in the background thinking about my Dad. Remembering him opening the ceramic baseball glove change holder and making all the right faces and all the right comments so that I beamed with pride. I have many fortunes in my life, my dad is definitely one of them. What is it that makes a good father? Is it one that takes an interest in our lives; helping with homework, coaching or cheering for us at sporting events, listening to our stories? Is it one that is sure we are healthy; eating our veggies, ensuring we exercise and caring for our bumps and scrapes? Is a good father a teacher; running down the street holding on to the back of our bikes (or not), helping with homework and giving us an allowance with advice on how to save and spend? There are a million little details, jobs that make a good father, my dad has them all, he really does. But most importantly he has always made me feel loved, valued, safe and for that I am blessed and grateful.

Recipe

Mussels

This one is from epicurious, be sure to have lots of bread to sop up the sauce.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup chopped fresh fennel bulb

2 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded

 

 

 

 

 

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped fennel, shallots, garlic and fennel seeds. Sauté until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cream and boil until liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Divide mussels among 6 shallow bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve.

 

 

My mom brought a beautiful salad with baby greens (some from her garden), pears, almonds and dried cranberries dressed with a maple dressing, which I believe is this one also from epicurious.

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

We had Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese from Moosewood Simple Suppers.

1 lb chunky pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 cups chopped onions

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine, veggies stock or water

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (1 cup)

Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

In a skillet on medium heat, warm the oil and cook the onions with the salt and pepper until soft, golden brown and lightly caramelized. Add the wine, stock or water and continue to cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done. If the onions begin to stick, add some pasta-cooking water.

When pasta is ready, drain it, reserving a cup of the hot eater. Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add the onions (swirl a little of the reserved cooking water around to make sure you get all the good bits) and the blue cheese, and toss together to melt the cheese and coat the pasta. Add more of the pasta-cooking water if you'd like it saucier. Serve hot.

The sticky date pudding (we have this every father's day) recipe was also from epicurious (what a great resource).

For pudding

1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates (about 10 ounces)

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

For sauce

1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

Make pudding:
Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.

Coarsely chop dates and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.

While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.

Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.

Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.

Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the Dad's in their lives and that the sun shines down on you this week!

A Fair and a Wedding!

Weekly Menu
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Broccoli Bean Soup and Toast
Wednesday: Mushroom Burgers and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Thursday: Egg Burritos
Friday: Dinning at the Fair?
Saturday: Going to a Wedding
Sunday: BBQ Salmon, Mango Salsa, Potato, Corn on the Cob, Salad and Bread with Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries

Weekly Pantry List
Fresh garlic, olive oil, milk (1 cup), thyme, 2 slices of whole wheat bread (to make fresh bread crumbs), chili spice, pickles.

Weekly Grocery List
eggs
Cheddar Cheese (1 1/2 cup grated)
2 onion + 1 small
1 red onion
1 bunch of broccoli
Sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs)
1 potato + 2
8 oz mushrooms + 1/2 cup
Jalapeno pepper
1 red or yellow pepper + 1 red pepper
4 tomatoes
Cilantro
Fresh parsley
2 limes
1 can of navy beans
1 can of black beans
Veggie stock
Whole wheat buns
Whole wheat wraps
3/4 cup bulgur

If you are making the burritos without the leftover sweet potato salad.

Leftovers
So I put a bunch of my cookbooks in a garage sale this weekend, and then Dave came home from the library book sale with 17 new ones, this is actually more than I gave away. I'm addicted to cookbooks and Dave's addicted to the Library book sale. I think that since we got ereaders and he's less interested in books for us to read he feels he needs to fill that bag with cookbooks. We’re total enablers. Among the cookbooks was French Women for All Seasons, by the same author of French Women Don't Get Fat (which I never read), and it completely intrigued me. I've only read the first chapter and briefly flipped through some of the recipes but what I've picked up from her philosophy so far has really resonated with me. Essentially it's if you enjoy food while you're eating it, you'll eat less. I though about this throughout the day today, especially as I was mindlessly filling the hunger void by munching on beans while I made the girls lunch. When I sat down to mine and only had a sandwich with no beans to munch on the side I was very disappointed. It seems like we are in such a rush to eat our food and get on with the next task that we don't really pay attention to what we're eating or how much. This week I'm going to try and make a point of setting my utensils down between each bite, take my time to eat and enjoy my food each time I eat it, instead of trying to desperately fill the void of hunger and being left with the not hungry anymore feeling, but not really satisfied either...although, will I have to start eating at 4:30 in order to make it out the door for soccer at 6:00?

Recipe
I feel bad because there's never really anything exciting for Monday dinner, it's usually leftovers but if I leave them in the fridge I will slowly go crazy trying to get them used up before they go bad. So we had so much left from last night that we had it again tonight.

Broccoli and Bean Soup
Hannah loves gum. She loves it, I think that she may even take it over candy. This may be because she was denied it up until last Halloween, I'm not sure. My friend says that her children are also obsessed with gum and so perhaps it's just an age thing. Today at the grocery store she asked if we could buy some gum and I let her pick up a few Hubba Bubba from the bulk bin, you know the ones with cartoons in them...really bad cartoons. She always gets that kind because it's one of the only kinds that I can find that doesn't have aspartame in it, even though I'm quite certain that it's no better for you. She's allowed to have some when Harper naps and she cracks me up because she doesn't eat the whole piece she breaks pieces off and then after about 2 minutes well say, "Well, this piece is out of flavour! Better get a new one!" She's completely right, that gum has about 10 seconds of flavour but she spends more time throwing her gum in the garbage and breaking off a new piece than she actually does chewing and yet she couldn't be happier.

Recipe 
It's rainy and cool today (I know big surprise) and so I made some soup. I love this soup because the kids love it and it has beans in it so I feel like they're getting good substance from it even if we only have it with toast. It from Cook's Own Vegetarian Dishes and I have really just slightly altered it.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli (about a bunch)
2 1/2 cups veggie stock

1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook onions and garlic until soft. Add broccoli, stock, potato, beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are soft.

Transfer to a food processor, or using  a hand blender, puree until desired consistency and return to saucepan. Stir in cheese, milk salt and pepper until cheese melts and serve right away.

We had this with lightly buttered toast and it was warm and delicious!

Bulgur and Mushroom Burgers with Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
The sun was shinning today but it was still cool and the girls opted to play inside most of the day. Usually I would kick them out the door on such a sunny day but, they really do happily play outside all day long on nice days that I thought I'd let it slide. Plus they were playing with the doll house and I love listening to Hannah role play, well except when she makes the mom be grumpy or mean or something because I'm pretty sure I know where she gets the idea and it puts my whole parenting self esteem into a free fall where I feel like the worst Mother in the world and worry that I'm completely and totally screwing up my kids, luckily that didn't happen today (it really sucks when it does...errr, I mean that never happens, everything is always perfect and rosy here). What I especially love to listen to is how she makes her dolls talk like she's reading a book, "Oh, my goodness! She cried, I didn't know we were going to a fair!" I just love it!

Recipe
The burgers are from Canadian Living and were really tasty. They did not hold together very well and perhaps a second egg would have helped, but then you run the risk of them being too gooey. I've just come to realize that often veggie burgers don't hold together but they still taste super yummy piled on a bun. The recipe said it made four burgers but they were really big and next time I will make them into six burgers. Hannah ate a whole burger, which was really quite shocking because they were really big, and then had some of the leftovers for lunch (she rarely eats leftovers for lunch).

The salad recipe comes from The New York Times. If you're debating on whether to make this or not, I'm saying make it. The kids were so so on it but I loved it. You could eat it as a main salad with some fresh veggies on the side if you wanted and it would be a really great change to bring to a BBQ, especially if you're the only veg head and going to just eat the fixings!

Burgers:

Whole wheat buns
3/4 cup bulgur
1 egg, beaten
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups (8 oz) finely chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup dry white wine or veggie stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crumbled dried thyme

Place bulgur in heatproof bowl. Cover with 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water; let stand until doubled in bulk, about 20 minutes. Mix in egg, bread crumbs and parsley; set aside.

Meanwhile, in skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped mushrooms, wine, salt, pepper and thyme; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.

Scrape mushroom mixture over bulgur mixture; stir to combine. Shape into four 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick patties.

Cook over medium low heat in a lightly oiled pan with the lid on for about 6 minutes a side. I grilled our buns on the BBQ and then fixed the burgers  with tomato, pickle, grainy mustard and a little mayonnaise.

Salad:

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large onion, preferably red, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeno
1 clove garlic, peeled
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.

Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.

Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Egg Burritos
It's funny how kids get stuck on certain things. Harper right now is stuck on this monster book. I have no idea where this book came from but it's a lift the flap book about a monster chasing and searching for a little girl (I know it sounds awful) and in every flap you can see the little girl running away until finally there's a page with a huge monster mouth that says, "GOT YOU!" and then the little girl laughs and says now it's your turn to hide. Not only is it scary to start but, the little girl's a cheat - you don't get to run away and change hiding spots during a game of hide and seek but Harper loves it and wants us to read it over and over to her. She's actually asked me to sing it to her when she goes to sleep at night. I believe it's also responsible for her creeping around the house and randomly jumping at you and yelling, "MONSTER!" in a little gravely voice.

Recipe

Whole wheat wraps
Eggs
Grated cheese
Tomato
Cilantro
Pepper
Mushrooms
Onion
Potatoes
Olive oil
Chili Spice

Or use up any leftover roasted sweet potato salad you may have from last night.

I don't really think that there's a recipe for egg burritos, you need to just add what you like. I cooked up some scrambled eggs and added a little white cheddar in at the end, then I added some of the leftover sweet potato salad from last night, tomato and cilantro. Alternatively, if I hadn't had any salad left, I would have roasted some potatoes, tossing them with a little chili spice and olive oil, and tossed them in with some sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms and a little salsa and tossed it all in a warm wrap. These are great for soccer night because wraps are fairly quick to eat and we're never as organized as I think we're going to be.

Fair Food?

We went to the Niverville fair tonight and ate fair food for dinner. Friday nights you pay $12 and can get a bunch a food from vendors, most of these involve some sort of meat and is maybe not the best deal for a veg head but it was still fun (plus I made up for it later by almost eating an entire bucket of mini donuts, shh don't tell). The fair was great, there were so many different rides for the kids (there was also big rides) and I loved watching all their little faces light up as they went around and around. Harper went on her first ride ever, we started with the merry-go-round and she bawled when we got on because the man took her tickets, then loved the ride, then bawled when we had to get off, she's a ride kid. We stayed to watch the fireworks which were amazing, seriously I'm not usually a fireworks kind of girl but these were so great! Hannah had this look of sheer glee as she watched the colors explode in the sky above us. We put the girls in their pjs and they fell asleep on the ride home and Dave and I each carried a sleeping girl up to bed.

We're Going to a Wedding

I love the expressions that kids pick...or almost pick up. We were driving in the car the other day and Hannah says to me, "Wow mom, that girl is super connected!" "Connected?" "Yeah mom, connected she's listening to music, riding her bike, and holding on to a leash with a dog on it without even falling!"..."Do you mean coordinated?"

Or in the tub, she had filled up an old shampoo bottle with water and was shaking it and singing, "Shake it, shake it, shake it like a polar bear riser!" (shake it like a Polaroid picture).

She really cracks me up! We're going to a wedding today and the girls are staying with my parents for the night, fingers crossed (this is Harper's first night away).

BBQ Salmon, Mango Salsa, Potato, Corn on the Cob, Salad and Bread with
Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries

Harper did pretty good last night but Hannah was exhausted today. They slept in the same bed and I think that Hannah felt responsible for Harper and did some night time parenting throughout the night. She then woke up at 4:15 for the day. What a cutie, her eyes were as big as saucers tonight at my parents for supper.

It was such a glorious day today. I was a little tired from the wedding, we actually stayed and danced until the end, it was very fun! This morning was slightly rough going although the extra sleep in and no children did really help a lot. Once the girls got home and we were finally all organized (we may have had to go pick up our car at the hotel) Dave made pancakes on the BBQ side grill and we all sat outside and ate pancakes and fruit on the deck.

I hope you have a great week and the sun shines down on you!