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!