Jen’s Zucchini Bread
This morning, Cooper and I shared some lovely Zucchini Bread. The recipe came from Jen Altman!! Her pictures make me daydream and I get especially excited when I see a food recipe! There's something so Alice-In-Wonderland about her food photos. I imagine eating a slice at a Mad Hatter's Tea Party :) Will it make me big? Will it make me small?
Anyways- It's a perfect way to get a dose of vegetables in a child. And he didn't know the difference. It was especially nice after I BATTLED last night feeding him veggies. Apparently Cooper thinks he's on a carbs-only diet.....
It's also a great way to fuel a sleepy adult in the morning...or a pick-me-up afternoon treat.
Thanks Jen! We enjoyed it so!
Spiced Rubbed Salmon with Chickpea Salad
So tonight might be the night we officially say goodbye to summer round these parts. As we sat down to eat, a cool breeze hit us and leaves fell all over the back deck. At one point I contemplated getting a sweater, but I decided to savor this one last time eating outside at night.
Although, this is the Bay Area and we are known for our Indian Summers...so maybe this might be a lil premature. Either way, autumn is coming and I am super excited to start hibernating and make some comfort food!
To celebrate a beautiful day, I made a Sweet & Spicy Rubbed Salmon with a Chickpea Spinach Salad with a Cumin Dressing.
The orange dressing was PERFECT on top of the salmon.
I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate! Soo healthy, refreshing & tasty. I am looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! I bet it will taste even better.
Salmon with Sweet & Spice Rub
(recipe Ellie Krieger- The Food You Crave)
-Cooking spray -2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar -1 tablespoon chili powder -1 teaspoon ground cumin -1/8 teaspoon salt -1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - 6- 5 ounce salmon fillets, skin & bones removed - 1 tablespoon olive oilDirections:
Coat your grill with cooking spray and preaheat over medium heat. While the grill is heating, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin salt & pepper. Brush each salmon filet with 1/2 teaspoon of oil then rub each fillet evenly with the spice mixture.
Grill salmon, flesh side down, until charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook for 5-6 minutes for medium doneness. Transfer to platter and serve immediately.
Chickpea Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing
(Recipe Ellie Krieger- The Food You Crave)
-1 15 oz. cans chickpeas drained & rinsed -2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley -1/4 cup diced red onions -2 tablespoons olive oil -2 tablespoons lemon juice -1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest -3/4 teaspoon ground cumin -Pinch cayenne pepper -Salt & Pepper to taste -3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt -1 tablespoon orange juice -1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest -1/4 teaspoon honey -2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves -1 tablespoon chopped fresh mintDirections:
In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, parsley, & onion. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, lemon zest, cumin, cayenne salt & pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to coat evenly. In another small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and honey.
Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and garnish with mint.
my lil trip to portland:
I just got back from Oregon. I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it up there. I'm get nostalgic for Oregon as I went to college there waaaay back when.
I met up with a dear friend in Portland before my visit to Eugene and we had a lil food & shopping adventure!
We went to Pine State Biscuits! I've been wanting to go FOREVER.
Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers
Last week, I checked out the cookbook The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger at the library and was pleasantly surprised at how many recipes I bookmarked. I guess there are LOTS of foods that I crave. HAHA GO FIGURE!
This Greek Style Stuffed Pepper recipe was the first of many recipes I'll be trying soon and I was pretty impressed with the results. Thinking about all of the vegetables I put into one meal was totally awesome. My meat and potatoes loving husband really loved the results too and so did my baby!
Next time I might add a little bit of feta in the filling because I am such a sucker for feta! I will probably add a little bit of red pepper cuz I dig on spice! I did add some chopped parsley because it was sitting around in my fridge waiting to be used. Maybe I will knock it up with some chopped garlic too. I have a feeling that this recipe could be improvised in many ways... Here I am brainstorming....
Here I am mixing the filling:
A peak at pepper assembly:
About to put them in the oven:
Dinner- Served with a salad:
Soo filling-- that I didn't end up eating bread!
Coop would like to share his first bite of the filling for you. "See guys, I'm eating it!"
And YES! I loved it. I ate the filling of TWO peppers last night!
Greek Style Stuffed Peppers
Print This Recipe(recipe Ellie Krieger)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
- 1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, cores and ribs removed (I used 4)
- 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium stewed tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulghur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.
Baked Falafel
At least once a week, I like to make something vegetarian for us. I am always looking for some creative ways to do so! So when I spied these falafels at Chow Vegan a few months ago and knew I had to try them! They are BIG on flavor and HUGE on taste! I could seriously eat all 10 that I made...and then some!
They satisfy that protein craving and they are perfect for someone who is watching their waistline!
(ahem, moi)
EXTRA PLUS: They were a snap to make!
I started with some canned garbanzo beans...
Mashed them up with a potato masher- it's easier!
Lined them up on an oiled cookie sheet
I made a greek cucumber yogurt dip with lemon zest, yogurt & cumin
Here they are!
I served them with pita, hummus, cucumber yogurt dip, lettuce & tomatoes from our garden.
I had feta, but I didn't think remember to put it in and totally didn't miss it.
It's soo good when you slather a bit of chili sauce in the pita pocket!
You won't be disappointed!
I am sooo gonna make these repeatedly!
Baked Falafel
(recipe Chow Vegan)
Makes about 10 balls
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Put in a medium sized bowl and smash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into small balls, about 1 1/2? in diameter and slightly flatten. Place onto an oiled baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes on each side, until nicely browned (since it’s baked, only the part actually touching the pan will be browned and crispy).
Serve with mini pita pockets, hummus, tahini sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and/or cucumber.
Mexican Chicken Soup!
There's seriously something wrong with me to think it's OK to make soup in this heat...but I couldn't resist!
It was sooo worth battling the heat over!
It all started a few weeks ago, when my mom gave me a bit of her leftovers. I WAS HOOKED. It's one of the latest recipes she tried from her beloved Ina! I'm extremely grateful she had leftovers to share! YUM
Here's what I paired it with:
Oh! and AVOCADOS!!!
And let's not forget a nice cold brewski with some lime!
It's hearty, spicy & sooooo flavorful! It is everything I love about Mexican soup!!! I also happen to think that the chunks of celery & carrots are a nice addition.
Now let's get you started on making some!
Making tortilla strips:
(i took a handful and fried some in a bit of olive oil to make the garnishing strips)
Here's some shredding chicken action:
Mexican Chicken Soup
Print This Recipe
(recipe Ina Garten)
-4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
-Good olive oil
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
-1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
-2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
-4 large cloves garlic, chopped
-2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
-1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
-2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
-1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, NOT optional
- 6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
Directions
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.
Jicama & Orange Salad
My neighbor makes this and it is EXCEPTIONAL! I improvised this afternoon and it turned out pretty good.
Jicama & Orange Salad
-1 large jicama- the size of a cantaloupe (peeled & chopped up into cubes)
-5 clementine oranges (3 for the salad and 2 for the dressing)
-handful of chopped cilantro
-juice of 1 lime
-3/4 teaspoon chili powder
-salt to taste
Mix it all up and devour. It's very crunchy and the sweet spicy salty balance is the BOMB. I have the aftertaste in my mouth right now and it is delightful. I plan on serving it with some grilled chicken tonight!
***You could use regular oranges, I just didn't have any! Because these clementines were soo small, I didn't bother cutting them into segments. It tasted just fine!***
Grilled Lemon Chicken with Tabbouleh
I've been holding onto the summer issue from Everyday Food for awhile now....I have A LOT of the recipes marked but haven't gotten around to making anything UNTIL tonight. This is one of those recipes that required very little and fortunately I had all of the ingredients! Boy do I love when that happens.
I even got to use some of my tomato harvest from today too!
This meal was very very tasty. Casey and I agreed that we could have easily eaten EVERYTHING on the table. Everything is so light and refreshing that it takes awhile to feel full. Which I guess is a dangerous thing... But it's all pretty healthy so why feel guilty?
I paired the chicken & tabbouleh with some grilled Lavash bread & some feta. They were excellent pairings!
I like to put a bit of every ingredient on a piece of the lavash bread and gobble it up!
I think you'll like making this too. It's super simple and very good for you!
Grilled Chicken with Tabbouleh
(recipe EVERYDAY FOOD)
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 English cucumber, halved, seeded, and chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)
Directions
1. Heat grill to high. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a simmer. Add bulgur, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes; fluff bulgur with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine bulgur, parsley, cucumber, tomato, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss tabbouleh to combine.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Season chicken with salt and pepper; grill until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Brush chicken with lemon mixture and serve with tabbouleh.
