Lazy Lentil Casserole

Last night, I had no idea what we were going to have for dinner. It was the night before our CSA pick-up, so nearly everything had been eaten and prepared from last week's box. I turned to lentils and rice -- the perfect ingredients for a last-minute lazy dish. I always have each in my pantry. Off to Google I went. After a quick google search for lentils and rice, I was most inspired by this recipe. I made some changes to accomodate what I had on hand, and this is what I created. We all really loved it. Honestly, it's the most simple and loved new recipes I've made in a loooooooong time. Aksel, my three-year-old, even exclaimed, "This is a yummy meal." He's way more interested in moving on from dinner then asking for seconds...but, he had more...then more. I paired it with two small heads of lettuce from our garden drizzled with balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil and salt. My husband later decided to add some blue tortilla chips, which we all gladly used to scoop up the casserole.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced (or onion)
1 fennel bulb, diced (or celery)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 to 2 1/2 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Heat olive oil over low to medium heat. Add carrots, kohlrabi and fennel. Measure and rinse lentils and rice. Add garlic and stir then add lentils and rice. Add water, salt and bouillon cube (I like to break it apart with my fingers as I add it to the pan). Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to create a gentle simmer. Simmer 30-40 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked and water is gone. Trick to testing to see if water is absorbed: gently tip pan to the side and see if water appears. If there is still water but the lentils and rice are cooked, just simmer with the lid off to help extra water evaporate.

Mango Berry Banana Smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen mango (or peach)
1 cup frozen blueberries (or other berry)
2 bananas, unpeeled
2 1/2 - 3 cups unsweetened, plain soy milk (or other milk of your choice)
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds

Place all in the blender and puree until smooth. Add more soy milk to get your desired consistency or to stretch it out for one more person to enjoy!

Makes 5 1/2 - 6 cups of smoothie (enough for two adults and two children)

Cheers!

Thoughts on a CSA box

It's CSA season again, and I could not be happier. Every Thursday, we are gifted with an amazing box jam-packed with fresh, beautiful vegetables from Driftless Organics. I was inspired to write about how I used this past week's box, because many people ask how we can go through a full-share every week without food going to waste. Why so inspired this week? I was able to plow through this box in just two days. We were headed out of town for two and a half days just 36 hours after picking up our box, so I immediately attacked that box. Here is a list of the vegetables, and how I used them.

Broccoli
Garlic Chives
Green Garlic
Pea Vine
Radishes
Red Butterhead Lettuce
Red Potatoes
Salad Mix
Spinach
Yukina Savoy

Thursday
We picked up our box when we are usually already eating supper. So, just as we arrived home, I quickly threw in an Amy's veggie burger for the boys to share and started a pot of water to blanch the broccoli. Then I made a salad using half the spinach and half the salad mix along with pear, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil (also by Driftless and AMAZING) and freshly ground salt and pepper. The boys ate toast, veggie burger, salad and mounds of broccoli. Then off Ethan went to put them to bed as I continued on my mission.

Just after I pulled the broccoli out of the boiling water I tossed in the rest of the spinach which quickly wilted. I then pureed it and voila! Baby food. (Yes, there were bits of broccoli...but Odin loves broccoli, too). Put it in ice cube trays, and we've got spinach for several days for our Odin.

Dumped that water and started the pot all over again for a pound of whole wheat spaghetti. As the water came to a boil, I created pesto out of two handfuls of walnuts, all the garlic chives, salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil, the rest of the salad mix (yes, you can make pesto from salad mix...you can make it from any green you want), and a cup of the pasta's cooking water. The cooking water is an excellent way to stretch the pesto with using very little oil and smoothing it out for the little ones. After the boys were asleep, Ethan and I finished the salad and had pesto spaghetti.

Friday
I was inspired to have breakfast for dinner, because this week's newsletter mentioned that the amount of potatoes was perfect for one batch of hashbrowns. I sliced the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds, place in a pot and covered with cold water. Bring to a boil and parboil. I did this a few hours before dinner while the kids were either napping or occupied. Placed them in the fridge until I was ready to brown them. Heat one to two tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add parboiled potatoes. Cover. Just before they were finished (about 8 minutes) I threw in the green garlic (chopped) and yukina savoy (roughly chopped). Along with the potatoes, we had another salad exactly the same as the night before except butterhead lettuce was the green along with roughly chopped pea vine. If you don't have pear, just skip the fruit or add berries instead! And the main dish...waffles!!! Topped with greek yogurt and pure maple syrup. My vegan-altered Betty Crocker recipe follows. I simply loved this meal.

Yes, I didn't use the radish...but they are sturdy and last long in the crisper drawer with the carrots and apples. I'm thrilled to use them tonight.

Vegan Waffles
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas
2 1/2 cups of soy milk
3/4 cup sunflower oil

Combine dry ingredients. Mash bananas in mixer. Gradually add soy milk, oil and dry ingredients until all are combined. Cook/bake as directed for your waffle maker. Extra waffles can be frozen. I used the extras for breakfast-in-the-car the next morning. (I needed to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house in record time...I needed a break!).

Hello, again, baby food

My sweet third son, Odin, is now seven months old. Unbelievable. As with all things, Odin has gracefully taken a liking to solid food. This third time around I found myself having many bittersweet feelings. I was excited for him to try this new adventure as I got to whip up batches of nutritious, simple baby food. Yet, he was taking a tiny step towards independence. Sigh.

I've been meaning to write about my method of introducing solids all month long! I'm glad to be here now writing these words. Yay! Each baby is different as is each parent. This is one way of introducing solids that has worked well for my family, and I hope it makes your transition to baby food a little bit easier!

When?
Six months has been the golden age in our home. I love, love, LOVE the information on www.askdrsears.com. They have incredible, straight-forward information that has naturally resonated with me. Check out their Feeding At A Glance Birth-24 Months. Awesome.

What?
I love starting with banana or avocado. So easy and no preparation needed. Simply mash and add a tad of filtered water for the appropriate consistency. Next, I love adding pear (pictured above) to their diet which is great for helping with their bowel movements during this transition. My babies eat this for breakfast every day until they can graduate to true oatmeal with the rest of the family. Don't believe the hype that fruit is too sweet as a starter food. There is plenty of research showing that is an unnecessary worry. Check out this great website on how to make your own rice cereal, which will also lead you to sources (including The American Academy of Pediatrics) backing that you don't have to start with commercial rice cereal or even veggies.

How?

Keep. It. Simple. While you are cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner, make a batch of baby food. This is actually a small amount of food. Three peeled pears fills up two and a half ice cube trays which will last for weeks during the first months. Babies eat so little, especially in the beginning, that cooking a batch in your 2 quart sauce pan will get your very far. I clean, peel, then evenly dice the fruit or veggie. Just cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook until you can easily puree in with a hand blender, food processor or food mill. Spoon into ice trays. Transfer to freezer bags for easy preparation for weeks to come. You can find several books and websites with even greater detail. Just make sure everything (including your hands) are VERY clean.

Books?
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair is incredible. It supports my theory that children should be given real, simple food. She thoughtfully approaches "Raising Healthy Eaters" as well as the nutritional realities of new eaters.

Simply Natural Baby Food by Cathe Olson is a fun resource if you want to add extra creativity to your menu. A small, easy companion.

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is redundant and an overload of information HOWEVER it has some great recipes...especially on how to make your own cereals such as her super porridge.

Being a healthy eater begins with first foods. If it's important to you to introduce a healthy, whole foods diet commit yourself to avoiding jarred food. Save it only for vacations. You can do it! I believe in you! Give you and your child the gift of avoiding food battles in the future by introducing food in their freshest most simplest way. Only feed your children what you are willing to sit down and eat yourself.

Lastly, you don't need recipes. Keep it simple. Keep it stress-free. Have fun!

What to do with way too much cream...

During my weekly mad-dash trip Mississippi Market, I accidentally grabbed a quart of cream thinking it was milk. Oops. I never use cream other than for my daily cup of coffee. This bottle would surely spoil, or I would have to increase my coffee intake expotentially. I couldn't let the mama cow down that worked so hard to make this cream! I cringe every time I see my own breastmilk go down the drain.

I had no idea what to do with so much cream, but I knew exactly who would. I called up my super duper mama friend Lauren. She suggested that I use it to make scones. Fantastic idea! So, I opted for this dreamy cream scone recipe from Smitten Kitchen. My only alterations were using Earth Balance rather than butter and chopped dried apple as the dried fruit.

I still had cream...so! I was inspired by a pancake post (also from Smitten Kitchen). I used the same amounts for the dry ingredients, but my wet ingredients were:

2 cups half and half
1 large banana (mash until creamy - I simply let the KitchenAid mixer pulverize it)
1 Tablespoon sunflower oil



My heart doesn't know what to do with all this high-fat intake...oh, well. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Hearts

This Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe posted last week on 101 Cookbooks, and I knew I would love it. I love making chocolate chip cookies, but I don't like the time it takes. This batter whipped up so quickly, and then I just pressed it into a pan! I decided to make these for Valentine's Day for my dudes and used little heart cookie cutters to make them special. The Izzy's ice cream cake Ethan brought home wasn't so bad either. :)

Vegan alternative - Using a handblender, I whipped 2 Tablespoons of flaxseed meal and 6 Tablespoons of water to a creamy consistency to replace the eggs. Perfect egg replacer for cookies.

Baked Brown Rice

I have been meaning to try baked brown rice for a while. This winter I gave it a shot, and I am so glad! I don't know if I will ever cook rice on the stovetop again. It comes out perfect every time (make sure it's always placed on the middle rack), and you don't have to keep an eye on it. I can walk away (which is mandatory...many meltdowns occur with my little ones between 4 and 6pm) and not worry about it boiling over.

I use Cathe Olson's recipe in The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook, but here is a very similar recipe from The Motherload. I simplify by heating the water up in a teapot and adding oil rather than butter to the rice at the same time as the water.

Sometimes I fancy it up with adding a cube of Rapunzel bouillon at the same time as the water - just stir with a fork to break it up. Then adding some minced parsley just as it comes out of the oven. This is a great side dish to Snobby Joes.