Banana Dogs

Lunch today...

This is a huge hit with our kids, and it doesn't get much easier!

Sweet Potato & Corn Chowder

This photo makes it rather obvious that I'm not a food blogger, but I wanted to a share a new-to-us recipe that's really yummy and perfect for this time of year!

Sweet Potato & Corn Chowder
7 large sweet potatoes, peeled, divided
4 T butter (or oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or more)
1 large onion, peeled, diced
2-3 ribs celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled, diced
8 cups chicken stock (or water)
5 dashes Worcestershire sauce (or vinegar)
1/2 cup brown sugar (or preferred sweetener)
1 T. ground coriander (I used curry powder)
2 cups heavy cream (or milk)
2 cans (16 oz) whole corn, drained (I used frozen)
1 can (16 oz) creamed corn (or just more frozen corn)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle cayenne pepper (optional)

In 3-qt saucepan bring 1.5 quarts salted water to boil. Dice 2 sweet potatoes and add to boiling water. Boil 10 minutes. Drain in colander; rinse w/ cool water and set aside. (Or you can omit this step as I did - it just means you won't have any chunks of sweet potato in your soup - it will all be pureed.)

In large stockpot melt butter over med-high heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and 5 chopped sweet potatoes. Saute for 10 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 45 minutes.) Remove from heat. Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar, coriander, and cream. Puree soup in the pot using hand blender (I am a HUGE fan of immersion blenders!!) or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth and creamy. Add reserved sweet potatoes and corn. Return soup to stove and simmer additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 10-12 servings.

ENJOY! Great with a warm pumpkin-chocolate chip-cranberry-walnut muffin and some raw veggies.

Make It Yourself: Taco Seasoning

The other day as I was measuring seasonings into a jar, the kids said, "Mom, that looks so pretty!" So I had to take a picture before I shook it up...
Because it's not nearly so beautiful after...
BUT it's a great, easy way to save money, choose your ingredients (make it as hot or mild as you want it, without any additives), AND because it's in a jar like this, you can grab just a bit whenever you need it - to season eggs, roasted potatoes, popcorn, soups, etc. I would never want to open up a packet to use just a couple teaspoons, but this makes it very handy. So, if you want to give it a try, here's my recipe.

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I usually multiply this by four to get the amount you see in the jar which is equivalent to about four packets of taco seasoning. So the recipe as written is equivalent to one packet.

1 Tb chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 scant tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or dried cilantro
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container (preferably glass because it will season your plastic!)

Cilantro

I was just chopping up one of the bunches of cilantro that I bought at the grocery store today (yes, I bought two large bunches of it because we use it so much!) I chopped some for the southwestern salad we're having tonight, some to go in our burritos for lunch tomorrow, and some to top the lentils and rice we'll have for dinner. I only "discovered" cilantro in the last year or so, and now we're addicted to it! We eat a lot of Mexican food around here, and it all tastes better with cilantro on it. It also pairs beautifully with Indian or Mediterranean cuisine. We even had some in our bbq chicken sandwiches and bbq chicken pizza this past week (Dan said it's the only kind of pizza he wants from now on. :) A couple weeks ago I made a "pesto" of cilantro, feta cheese, fresh garlic, and olive oil - processed in a mini food chopper. We put it on homemade pita and it was amazing! Taste alone is reason enough to eat it, but I also love knowing that cilantro's good for you. It's actually thought to help detox your body, and has many other health benefits as well. So three cheers for cilantro! You really ought to pick up a bunch the next time you go to the grocery store!

Fun Snack Recipe

Last week Calvin helped to make some "mudballs." They're a fairly healthy, very yummy treat/snack to have on hand (I store them in the fridge, or even freeze for longer storage.)Shaping the little balls is a perfect job for little hands!
I got the recipe from the Heavenly Homemaker blog. I'll note a few of our changes below - it's really a very flexible recipe. I would at least double the recipe as it doesn't make very many. Have fun!

Mudballs
1/4 cup peanut butter (almond butter is also great!)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup wheat germ (we substitute ground flax meal)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup chocolate chips (or carob chips)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
(we also like to add in some shredded coconut)

Cook the peanut butter and honey over low heat until melted. Add remaining ingredients. When cool enough to handle roll into mud balls.

Easy Summer Lunch

This was our lunch today... organic blue corn tortilla chips in a 9x13 pan topped with some black beans that I had mashed a bit of salsa into, shredded cheese, diced tomato, and green onions. After broiling it for a few minutes on high (til cheese melted), I covered it with diced avocado and chopped cilantro. The baby spinach next to the orange slices is not just garnish - we actually enjoy eating it that way - I think b/c it's from our garden! This lunch was a big hit with the kids, so thought I'd share it with you to inspire your summer meal planning. Enjoy!

Movie Reviews

Here are a couple great movies we've enjoyed as a family recently:Miss Potter is the story of Beatrix Potter. It was a beautiful, enjoyable movie that all 5 of us enjoyed!

Here's the product review given on Amazon:
Product Description
KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom corn. Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naivete, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America.

With the help of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aide, and some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and scary but hidden truths about America s modern food system in this engrossing and eye-opening documentary.

A graceful and frequently humorous film that captures the idiosyncrasies of its characters and never hectors (Salon), KING CORN shows how and why whenever you eat a hamburger or drink a soda, you re really consuming ... corn.

World's Best Braised Cabbage

Here's a new recipe we tried this week that I just had to share! If you like cabbage at all (and it is almost St. Patrick's Day!), I'm sure you'll love this recipe. After seeing what a cooking method could do to a food, I'm anxious to check this cookbook out of the library and see what other foods I can braise! This is a very simple recipe - you just have to do it when you'll be home for a couple hours. Enjoy...

Memories of the Middle East

When Dan and I travelled to the Middle East (ever so long ago!) we ate pita bread every day. This month I've made it a couple times and we all love it - so yummy and fresh!The dough is soft enough that it's actually quite quick to roll out (and you don't have to double the recipe and make 21 - like I did - which would also shorten the time.)
They only take 4 minutes to bake and every time it's so exciting to see them puff up! Simple pleasures, I know. If you feel so inclined, here's the recipe. (And it adapts very well to having the grains "soaked," so if you're into that, just ask me for directions.)

Power Smoothies!

We just started making power smoothies and the kids love them! Can you tell?

Yes, they have blueberries in them...
But the surprise ingredient is SPINACH! (Also, frozen bananas, kefir, and a bit of vanilla.)A great way to get lots of antioxidants and all the goodness that fresh spinach has to offer! (I hear my sister makes them with kale, so I'm sure the options are endless...) Don't be afraid - give it a try!

What's for dinner??

I just had to share the best ever recipe for Baked Beans & Beef. My dear sister, Mara Beth, shared it with me and I made it for the 2nd time yesterday and we ALL love it, plus it's a crockpot meal - bonus points! And it makes enough that we all had it for lunch today. So I wanted to pass along for your family to enjoy, too.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans (28 ounces each) baked beans, any variety
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tb molasses
2 Tb dry mustard (optional)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Lighly spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray
2. Brown the ground beef and onion; drain; place in slow cooker (I just use a bag of meat/onions from my freezer that I've already browned, so that speeds up the prep time.)
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.