Comfort Foods

I've been craving squash lately and since necessity is the mother of invention, some pretty great dinners were created:
First up is tonight's feast of yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, and whole wheat-sweet potato gnocci.  Ingredients for 2 servings are as follows.  Measurements are approximate since I work with handfuls and pinches and tasting, I promise to work on measuring as I go :)

1 C gnocci (I used whole wheat-sweet potato because they are healthier but regular would work fine)

1 C yellow squash

1/3 C diced onion

1 clove garlic, diced

1 1/2 C cherry tomatoes

Salt to taste

Dried basil to taste

*If you prefer bottled marinara to cherry tomatoes in the blender, skip salt, basil, garlic, half the cherry tomatoes and just add sauce to cooked veggies & gnocci, then heat through

Soften onion & garlic in a lightly oiled skillet, toss in sliced yellow squash, boil gnocci while your veggies cook.  Put half of cherry tomatoes into your blender (I used my magic bullet) and puree.  Cut the remaining cherry tomatoes into halves.  Pour the puree in your veggie skillet, add salt & dried basil to taste, and simmer for a minute or two to let the sauce thicken slightly.  Add in cooked gnocci (they only cook about 3 minutes and float when they're done), toss in halved tomatoes & heat through.  Serve immediately.  If it's a little acidic, add a touch of sweetener (this is a tip I learned from an ex-military construction buddy, you'd be suprised how many construction workers are fabulous chefs!!!)  I avoid processed, white, granulated sugar.  I prefer agave, honey, or date paste so I added a small squeeze of agave to mine.

Next up is zucchini & quinoa.  Two of my favorite foods in the whole world on one plate!  This is a protein packed dinner, no meat needed.  Makes aprox 4 servings.

1 C quinoa (usually available in the rice section of the store, I buy mine at Costco where its much cheaper AND organic)
2 C water
1 Zucchini, diced
1/3 C diced onion
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 C cherry tomatoes
Spoonful of guacamole or diced avocado
Salt to taste

Cook quinoa as directed on package ** see tips below.  Sautee garlic, onions, & sliced zucchini.  Chop cherry tomatoes.  Put all veggies on top of quinoa & top with a dollop of guac :)  mmmmm *Quinoa tip - package directions call for water, add some extra flavor by adding your favorite spices to the mix (I like Adobo with cumin) or even chicken broth if you are not a vegan.  **Quinoa tip 2 - on medium heat, bring to just simmering, then cover & turn heat down to low.  Cook until quinoa doesn't move around when you give the pan a little shake, 12-15 minutes.

Teacher's Pet

I started this blog to share with family and friends who tell me "if you only lived in the same state, you could feed me your wonderful cooking."  Well, my concoctions just aren't all that difficult to make.  A good amount of creativity goes into dreaming them up but I like to keep things simple and leave the complicated stuff for the weekend.  Here are a few things I have taught them to make and even a photo from the other side of the country where my best friend made her first Dave Sketti!!Green smoothies and fresh juice usually start off my day.  I've even got my dad making this stuff :D  Here are two I am currently addicted to.  First up is a banana protein smoothie.  Large handful of spinach, 1 broken up banana, couple dashes cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice,  a touch of vanilla, a squirt of agave or honey, a couple heaping spoons of hemp protein powder (you can leave this out or use a different protein), almond milk.  Put everthing in the blender except the milk, then add just enough milk to get it to mix.  Run blender until it is very smooth, then slowly add in the remaining milk until you reach your desired consistancy/thickness).  This makes for a much less chunky smoothie.  If you add all the liquid at the beginning it just doesn't blend as well.

Beet was a 4 letter word to my husband until I juiced up this beet, pineapple, lemon, apple favorite of mine and plunked down in front of a movie rental with him.  Throughout the movie he was stealing gulps from my tall glass of iced crimson drink.  It wasn't until the next day when I was telling my friend about how I had converted him that he said "What??  That wasn't berry juice??"  1 peeled beet with or without greens, 1 slice pineapple (you can leave core but I cut off the outside), 1 peeled lemon, 1 apple.  Put through your juicer and serve over ice.

Raw almond butter is a huge part of my diet.  I use it in smoothies, wraps, dips, and anything else I can dream up.  My dad called me the other day and I could hear him smiling as he told me he was enjoying an almond butter and honey sandwich.  Atta boy!  I absolutely love when I can tell someone is elated by their food being so delicious AND good for them.  That's what I'm all about.  Health food is not yucky, if it is, you are doing it wrong!  Haha.  Here is a pic of one of my favorite snacks.  A sliced up apple and some almond butter.  Also fabulous on celery and carrots.

And the feature of the day.......Dave Sketti!  Here is a pic of it all assembled, followed by a pic from teacher's pet after success on her first try!  That's why I named it after her :D  To make this fabulous dish you only need 3 ingredients.  1 spaghetti squash, these usually have directions right on them.  Simply cut in half, scoop out seeds (like a pumkin), place cut side down on a microwave safe plate, pour 1/4C water onto plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 12 minutes (give or take a few minutes).  You know its done if it gives when you push on it.  Let it cool, then simply run a fork across the inside to free the "noodles".  Toss with pesto and halved grape tomatoes.  This would also be fantastic with pine nuts sprinkled on top but in keeping with our easy and inexpensive theme, they are not part of the recipe.

Simply Raw

I was a self proclaimed "lazy vegetarian" for years before discovering a whole new world of cuisine.  I sat for a raw foods demonstration at an unassuming little table in a park on a windy Florida day expecting nothing more than to watch "eccentric" people show what they eat while hugging trees.  What I discovered was a vibrant blend of textures, colors, and flavors!  Raw food does not have to be complicated or time consuming.  The ingredients are so fresh and delicious that they don't need a lot of work to become something wonderful.  Save the complicated recipes for the weekend!  Here are some simple things I've put together recently.

Carrot Grapefruit Juice

Made from 2 fresh ingredients and a juicer!  A zippy start to any day!

Sprout, Avocado, Tomato Salad

I tossed beautiful cherry tomatoes (fresh from a farm stand), sprouts, and diced avocado into a bowl and sprinkled with fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt, & pepper.  Much more satisfying than you might think.

My local farm stand had the most fantastic tomatoes in a variety of colors.  I cut them into wedges, broke up some asparagus, minced some fresh basil, and drizzled with balsamic & olive oil.  Sprinkled with a touch of salt.

Think being a raw foodist means nothing but salads everyday?  Wrong!  Check out this fabulous wrap.  I wilted a kale leaf in the dehydrator (to make it more flexible), filled with my favorite matchstick'ed veggies, and used a dipping sauce I had handy.  This time it was a combination of raw almond butter, water, dates, ginger, and cayenne.  I combined 2 dip recipes from a fellow raw friend to make that one.

More wraps please!   I'm a wrap obsessed girl, so here's another one.  All raw except the rice paper wrapper.  You can substitute any leafy green if you like to keep it strictly raw.  This one has kelp noodles (full of trace minerals), carrots, avocado, carrots, sprouts, basil, cilantro, and my favorite part..........wait for it......mango.  It's just not the same without it.  This wrap is so good it doesn't even need a sauce.  I make this every week or so, I never get tired of it!  Switch up the veggies to use whatever looks good where you shop that week.  *Kelp noodles are available at asian markets, if you can't locate them substitute with the rice noodles you soak for 10 minutes and can even get from the asian section at Walmart.  Rice paper wrappers are available at lots of stores in the asian section also.

Chia rice pudding!  I eat this one for breakfast quite a bit and try to bring enough to go around because the girls at work love it!  For this one I mix 1C almond milk, 3.5T chia seeds, a small handful of dried cranberries (you can use raisins but I substitute tart goodies wherever I can), and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well to avoid clumps.  Cover, place in fridge, and allow the chia time to absorb the milk, at least an hour.  Give it a taste and see if you like a little agave to sweeten or not.  Makes a great dessert!