Mmmmm Cookies...

Monday: Egg Sandwiches and Fruit Salad
Tuesday: Sushi Bowls
Wednesday: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Thursday: BBQ Mango Bean with Mashed Yuca and Roasted Broccoli
Friday: Potato Skins with Black Bean Salsa
Saturday: Sandwiches, Fruit and Cookies
Sunday: Curry Veggie Pasta, Salad with Chickpeas and Ice Cream and Cookies

Egg Sandwiches and Fruit Salad
The war on dandelions has started...I'm not so sure if it's the war on dandelions or the shame of the neighborhood. Honestly, I shouldn't feel ashamed of my dandelions, it means that I am refusing to use harmful chemicals on my lawn, refusing to put the health of my loved ones in danger and the health of the planet...yet, when I look around and see all the dandelionless lawns I do feel a little ashamed of the patch of weeds that I call my yard. Harper and I were out there for two hours this afternoon working on them. I would pull them up and Harper would put some dirt mixed with grass seed in the hole they left behind and then water it with her watering can. She was a very good little helper.

"I 'elping you gow gass."

"I put it in the hole & pat it, see?"

"Then I put water to make it gow!"

Recipe

We just had egg sandwiches tonight with fruit salad. I poached the eggs and then put them on fresh bread with tomato, sauteed mushroom and onions and avocado. They fell apart, they needed to be on toast but the bread had just finished baking and so I couldn't bare to toast it.

Sushi Bowls

We woke up in the middle of the night last night to Harper crying out, she had thrown up all over her bed, poor little one. She seemed fine all day today but, we still stayed home because I have a fear of barfing children in public, especially if they're mine and I can't just run away. My mom took Hannah to dance class this morning and came home with her costume for the recital coming up. I have to tell you I am a bit of a reject dance mom. First off when we started I put Hannah in leotard and tights and sent her in, all the other little girls had fancy little tu-tus (I did later buy her a little ballet skirt). I complained about the price of the dance costumes ($50) and the fact that the tickets for the recital were expensive ($14 each) and was met with silence from the other parents. Now my mom comes home with the costume and the instructions that she was given by the teacher for the girls to have as much glitter as they like and lots of makeup so they're not washed out of stage. The idea of putting make up on my six year old churns my stomach a bit. I know it's only for the evening, but really, washed out? If all of them don't have any make up on what does it matter? They're six. I'm just not really a dance mom, I'm really hoping Hannah decides to play hockey next year instead - I'm just more cut out for it, and it's of course, all about me.

Recipe

Since we couldn't go out to the store dinner was a challenge because we really had nothing in the house, not even a carrot. In the end these turned out quite good. If I'd shopped for them I would have added avocado, sesame seeds, toasted nori wraps (crumbled in) and possibly some smoked salmon or shrimp. Regardless they were good.

1 cup Basmati Rice

2 - 8oz bags of edamame beans, steamed and shelled

1/4 cup of celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 large sweet potato

1/4 cup cream cheese, cut into cubes

Sauce is from 101Cookbooks

grated zest and juice of one orange
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons (raw) brown sugar (reg. sugar is OK too)
2 tablespoons shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray with olive oil. Chop the sweet potato in cubes put in a single layer, spray with a little more olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping part way through.

Cook the rice according to package directions.

Warm the sesame oil in a pan and saute the onion, celery, ginger and garlic until soft.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with sauce, add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

We went to my aunts this morning to gather, while my cousin (well, my cousin's wife) had started to labour with her second baby. When we arrived only my mom and aunt were there with my aunt's grandson and their dog Abbey. We sat in the kitchen and my girls headed into the living room to play with some of the toys. My other cousin and his wife arrived with their two little ones and their dog, Bailey (a very large but gentle chocolate lab). The dogs ran in and teared around for a minute greeting each other and checking the place out. I looked out to check on the girls (who have a healthy fear and fascination with dogs) to find them in the middle of the living room clinging to each other wide eyed while the dogs ran around the room, it was really quite the site! A minute later, they dogs settled down and the girls went back to playing.

(The baby arrived in the wee hours, a healthy baby girl!)

Recipe

I really just threw in a little of this and that. It was quick and easy, I could have used good toasted chucks of bread instead of quinoa as well.

2 Japanese eggplants, sliced thick

1 zucchini, sliced thick

1 cup of quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed

1/2 the roasted peppers from a 300ml jar

2/3 cup of sun dried tomatoes and 2 Tbsp of the oil

2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved

3 Tbsp capers

1/2 cup olives, sliced

1 can artichoke hearts, cut into 1/8ths

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

a handful of basil, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar, maybe more add to taste

3 cloves garlic, pressed

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Olive oil

Preheat the BBQ.

Toss the eggplant and zucchini slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill over medium heat on the BBQ flipping once.

Add everything in a large bowl and toss together. Adjust the vinegar to taste adding a little more olive oil if needed.

BBQ Mango Beans over Mashed Yuca and Roasted Broccoli

Today was going to be the start of busy times. Hannah is going to have swimming and soccer Thursday nights for the next eight weeks and so we will be hopping from one to the other. Today, I got supper all ready early, packed up the swimming stuff and assembled all the soccer stuff so that we would be ready to head out right after dinner. We drove to the bus stop so we could go straight to swimming (the girl's like to play on the bouncy castle for a little bit first). It was all very rushed and Harper was very excited when Hannah stepped off the bus her eyes were half closed and instead of the wide grin and exuberant jump and run towards us she slowly walked towards me and almost whispered, "Hello, Mama." I'm not sure what it was, but Hannah she was completely run down and so we cancelled the evening and came home. She asked her cousin, who's on her soccer team to pick out her number for her and spent the rest of the evening laying low.

"This is my belly shirt, see!"

Recipe

Dave also came home sick today, I've been washing my hands and taking oil of oregano. So it was just Harper and I for supper tonight. This recipe is from Appetite for Reduction. I'm going to rave about the beans, they were so good, smoky with a touch of sweetness. The yucca, which I had never had before, well... I thought it smelled and tasted like mothballs. Harper called it yucka and I had to agree, I didn't care for it.

Beans:

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves, garlic pressed

1 mango, seeded and chopped small

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like)

1/4 tsp all spice

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1 (25 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp liquid smoke

2 to 3 Tbsp agave nectar (I used honey)

Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent.

Add the mango, tomato sauce, broth, red pepper flakes, coriander, salt, and kidney beans. Turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot, leaving a little room for steam to escape, and let cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often. The sauce should thicken and the mangoes should cook down a great deal.

Turn off the heat, mix in the gave and liquid smoke, and let the bean sit for 5 minutes. Tasted for sweetness and add more agave if needed. Adjust the salt and seasonings, and serve.

Yuca (cause, I know I sold it)

2 lbs yuca, peeled and chopped into 2 inch chunks

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 salt

Place the yuca in a pot and cover with water until submerged. Add a big pinch of salt, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, until very, very tender. Turn off the heat.

Reserve about a cup of the hot water by carefully dipping a heatproof mug into the pot. Don't burn yourself, please. Drain the yuca, then return it to the pot. Add the lime juice, cilantro, oil and salt. Mash well with a potato masher. Stream in the reserved hot water little by little, mashing as you go along. You may need up to 1/2 cup. Mash the yuca until nice and creamy and serve immediately.

Potato Skins with Black Bean Salsa

Dave's home sick, Hannah's doing all right but pretty touchy (and also very concerned how we are going to get her soccer jersey), Harper's throwing herself on the floor every few minutes and the house is a total sty. Hot tubing with some fabulous women and a bottle of wine? Yes, that sounds like the perfect way to end the day - thank you!

Recipe

Sometimes I like to change up the regular Friday night pizza, but still like it to be fun. I thought these would be good and they were, although I think pizza may be healthier. I made these potato skins and black bean salsa (slightly altered) from Seasaltwithfood. We also used some of the leftover beans from last night and some green salsa and sour cream.

6 Medium Size Russet Potatoes, scrubbed

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

About 1 1 cup of shredded cheese (Monterey Jack & Cheddar)


1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cobs of corn, kernels cut off

1/4 red onion, finely diced

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

A small handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450˚F.


In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn kernels, tomatoes, onion, Jalapeno and coriander. Season the salsa with lime juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Refrigerate the salsa mixture until ready to serve.

Place the potatoes on a large baking tray, pierce with fork. Bake the potatoes for 40 to 50 minutes, or until softened. Remove from the oven and let the potatoes cool slightly. 

Cut each potato into quarters and scoop out the flesh and leaving about ¼ inch of the potato skin. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush the potato inside out with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Then bake in the oven for about 18 to 20 minutes on until they are crisp. 

Scatter the crisp potatoes with cheese, (as much as you like) and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly and top the potato skins with black bean salsa, or whatever you like.

Sandwiches, Fruit and Cookies

So the hot tub idea was brilliant, the bottle of wine didn't feel quite so brilliant this morning. We had an odd day. It felt slow moving yet in the end we did seem to get quite a bit accomplished. This was helped by the two hours that the girls played together this morning. I still managed to clean the upstairs and bake 10 dozen cookies, finish the laundry and help Dave tile the fireplace. By the time dinner rolled around we were feeling guilty that we had barely spent anytime with the girls and, although the girls played outside most of the day, we had not set foot out into the sunshine. So instead of making the planned curry for dinner we threw together some egg salad sandwiches, cleaned some grapes, cut a little mango and grabbed a few of the extra cookies. We packed it all in the car with a blanket and ball and headed out to the park where we ate it picnic style between kicking the ball around and watching the kids climb all over the play structure.

Curry Veggie Pasta, Salad with Chickpeas and Ice Cream and Cookies

What a strange day today. Rainy and gloomy all day until about three or four and then the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful evening. Of course by the time this happened we were already submersed in indoor activities and never even made it outside. The girls bickered all day...actually Harper bickered with Hannah all day and I'm not sure if they were tired or if it was just the gloom of the day bringing them down, but by the time bedtime came that kid had dropped so many times it was crazy!

We had Sunday dinner here and I made naan that can be found on this post.

I also made a salad that had roasted chickpeas in it, and I quite liked them, the idea came from Cathrine Newman. For the salad I just tossed together green leaf lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, chopped red onion, crumbled feta, the chickpeas and then I drizzled over olive oil, balsamic, pepper, a sprinkle of garlic powder and a squeeze of grainy Dijon.

Here is Cathrine's recipe for the Chickpeas:

For general snacking, I do love getting them really crisp in the oven. But for salads, I love the softer crunch of these, done on the stove top. Use a nonstick or well-seasoned pan, if you’ve got one.

1 - 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and spread to dry on a double thickness of paper towels

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste (but lots—like a teaspoon)

Garlic powder (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat until it is medium hot. Add the chickpeas in a single layer, salt them liberally, and leave them for a few minutes, unmolested by you and your spatula, so they can start to turn a bit golden on the bottom. Now start flipping and turning them every so often, shaking the pan around, until the chickpeas are as crisp and brown as they could be without burning. This will take 10-15 minutes. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder, if you’re using it, then taste for salt and remove the chickpeas to a paper-towel lined dish to cool a bit before their introduction to the salad.

The idea for this recipe came from Live-Love-Learn While Chasing Kids , I have made some slight alterations. It was good, spicy though, I had to keep some pasta and veggies separate for the girls.

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup cilantro stems, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1 tsp red Thai curry paste

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 15-oz can light coconut milk

1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tsp honey

5 cups assorted vegetables (I used cauliflower, peppers and zucchini)

salt to taste

1 pkg whole grain spaghetti or fettuccine

Preheat oven to 500F.

Cut cauliflower and toss with a little olive oil, roast on a baking sheet.

Chop zucchini and slice the peppers and then saute in a little olive oil until tender crisp.

Cook pasta according to the package instructions.

On medium heat warm up the oil and saute cilantro stems and onion, curry paste, curry powder, and turmeric for about 1 min. Add the broth, coconut milk, and honey, and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Mix veggies in the curry and then add drained pasta. Season with salt if needed and garnish with cilantro leaves.

For dessert we had ice cream and cookies. I used the recipe on the back of the package of Robin Hood oatmeal only altering it slightly by adding ground flax, next time I would add some sunflower seeds too.

3/4 cup butter, softened (I used margarine)

3/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup All Purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup ground flax
1 package milk chocolate chips
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla together on medium speed of the mixer until light and fluffy.

Combine flour, ground flax, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, beating on low speed until blended, stir in oats, chocolate chips and raisins. Drop by heaping Tbsp on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

I hope the sun shines down on you this week!