Lentil Taco Filling

We love tacos in our house and eat them at least once a week. We have done everything from black bean and butternut squash, to Thai tofu and most recently we have been hooked on the Minimalist Bakers quinoa taco filling.

The plan was to serve the quinoa filling but I realized that afternoon that I was out of quinoa and so was the grocery store, oh the joys of small town life.

I am actually glad we were out of quinoa because it forced me to use what we had on hand and we came up with these babies. Be sure to save a little of the lentil mixture for nachos another night. We topped our nachos with some cashew queso that my husband raved over.

For the Lentil Taco Filling:
1 c green lentils
2 c broth
1 portabello mushroom, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 la Cucina taco seasoning packet or what ever your favorite taco seasoning happens to be.



Cook lentils in 2 cups of broth for 30-35 minutes leaving them a bit chewy. Set aside lentils and remaining broth.

Meanwhile dice veggies and saute in large sauce pan. When veggies are almost done but still crisp add in lentils with broth and taco seasoning. Cook until broth has been absorbed and lentils are soft but not mushy. Serve in tortillas and toppings of your choice.

MMM...Nachos...

Cashew Queso

Cashew Queso is easy to whip up. I like to use the smoothie cup attachment for my ninja blender since it is such a small amount. 

We topped our nachos with this recipe but would be awesome in burritos, tacos or just served as a dip.

Ingredients:

1/2 C cashews, soaked for 4 hours to soften
1/4-1/2 c water
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 Chipotle chilie
2 tbs salsa

Blend cashews, 1/4 cup of water, nutritional yeast, Chipotle chili and salsa until smooth, adding more water if necessary for desired consistency.

Homemade Organic Raw Cashew Milk

Necessity is the mother of invention, and when I realized I was out of milk (I didn't want to use the boys’ chocolate oat milk) I decided to give making my own nut milk a try.

Cashew milk is ridiculously easy to make and required very little prep time. I started soaking the cashews and dates at 8 am and had fresh healthy milk by lunch. Best of all no special equipment just my trusty old Ninja blender.

I used my Organic Bakers Extract from Costco in this. It’s a chocolate vanilla blend that added a nice but not chocolate flavor. The milk was way better than any I've bought and easy enough to put together while holding the baby.

I can't wait to try it out in my overnight oats in the morning.

Ingredients:

1 C Raw Cashews

2 Dates (you could also use a little maple syrup or other sweetener)

4 C Water

1 tsp Vanilla extract (or Organic Bakers extract from Costco)

Dash of Sea Salt

Soak the cashews and dates in a mason jar with just enough water to cover. Chill in the fridge 4 hours then drain.

Place drained cashews and dates in blender with 2 cups of water and process until smooth. Then add remaining 2 cups of water, vanilla extract, and salt. Process until incorporated.

That's it. Chill and use within 5 days

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed French Toast Waffles

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed French Toast Waffles... WHAT!?!

That's right. When the five year old said he wanted breakfast for dinner tonight I jumped right on it. He is going through one of those fun phases where he won't eat anything, except eel sushi (I know, right?) and mac and cheese.

I'm not a huge fan of breakfast, give me a protein shake or a kind breakfast bar any day, and I'm even less inclined to eat the usual sweet breakfast fare, but I wanted to accommodate my picky eater.

So off to Pinterest I went and found a recipe for french toast waffles. Bingo! My big kid loves waffles, but how could I turn this into something the hubs and I would eat.

I love jalapeno poppers and since you can turn cream cheese, jalapenos, and bacon into a filling for almost anything, why not french toast. 

We made a basic version of french toast for the kid, eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar and dipped slices of bread into the egg mixture and cooked on the waffle maker. In a separate bowl we mixed the eggs for our adult breakfast for dinner and everyone was happy. 

For the filling:

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Jalapenos
3 Green Onions
2 pieces Bacon, crumbled

For the french toast:
8 pieces of Sourdough Bread
8 Eggs
1/3 C Milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast jalapenos for 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
Meanwhile start cooking bacon (you know you want to cook extra to go with your waffles) and mix together 2 pieces of crumbled bacon with cream cheese, cheddar, and green onions. When jalapenos are finished cooking cut into medium sized pieces, and add either half or all the jalapeno depending on the spice level. 

Spread filling on 4 pieces of bread and top with remaining slices. Heat up waffle maker. 

Mix 4 eggs and milk with salt and pepper in a pie plate. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture and cook on waffle maker. Place done sandwiches in oven to keep warm. when sandwiches are done cook remaining four eggs sunny side up. Serve on top of  your jalapeno popper stuffed french toast. 

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

I love carbs. I have proclaimed my love for all things wheat on this blog and in articles I have published on the Mediterranean diet. 

Our cheap little spiralizer

I have tried my hand at cauliflower crust pizza and other wheat like substitutes and was left less than impressed but zucchini noodles, or zoodles, is one trend I wholeheartedly love. Our favorite way to serve zoodles is cold or room temperature (cooking them gives them a soggy texture I do not enjoy) perfect for the warmer weather headed our way.

You don't have to go out and spend a ton of money on a spiralizer for this dish, we have an inexpensive little gadget that does the trick but if you wanted to spiralize harder veggies like beets or butternut squash you may want to invest in something a bit fancier.

I made enough pesto for 3 recipes of this dish, so portion out the remaining pesto into small containers and freeze the leftovers for another day. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. 

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
1 tbs Italian Seasoning (salt free)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 medium Zucchini, spirialized into noodles
1 C Grape Tomatoes

Pesto
3 C Basil leaves, packed
3/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated or crumbled
4 cloves Garlic

In a quart size freezer bag combine 1/4 C olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Make pesto by combining basil, cheese, garlic cloves and 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil in food processor until it forms a paste and is free of lumps.

Grill chicken over medium heat for about 12 minutes, turning once. While chicken is cooking grill tomatoes for 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl combine cold zucchini noodles with sliced grilled chicken breast, tomatoes and about a third of the pesto.

I would imagine that this would make great leftovers but we ate it all.

Banana Muffins to Boost Lactation

These nutrient packed muffins are great for lactating mothers, or anyone who could use a boost of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

These aren't your grocery store muffins that are a super sweet cake like creation. These muffins are a nutrition packed breakfast or snack that you don't have to feel bad about.

Ingredients:
3 large Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 C Maple
3 oz Applesauce
2 Eggs
1/2 C Oil
1 C White Wheat Flour
2/3 C Oats
3 tbs Flax Seeds
3 tbs Brewers Yeast, debittered
1/2 C Pecans
1 tsp Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two muffin tins with non-stick spray, set aside. Put oats, flax and pecans in a blender, pulse until ground into flour (flax seeds will still be large but broken up). In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin tins, it should make about 2 dozen muffins. Bake 20-23 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

Before embarking on a car trip to San Diego I thought these muffins would be the perfect breakfast to eat in the along the way. We like to get an early start and need something easy to store and eat in the car. You could certainly add nuts to these, I skipped them. The three year-old doesn't like nuts but he did give the nut free version a thumbs up.


Carrot Raisin Muffins
Makes 16 Muffins
3 large Carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 Cups)
1 C Raisins
1/2 C Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
1/2 C Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
1/3 C Sunflower Oil
2 C Unbleached White Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2  tsp Cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat together Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Eggs and Oil. In a small bowl mix together Flour, Baking Soda and Cinnamon. Mix dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Stir in Carrots and Raisins. Prepare two muffin tins, spray or line with cupcake papers. Fill  cups nearly to the top with muffin batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Shredded BBQ...sweet potatoes?!?!?

I love BBQ but when we are not eating meat it can be a tough craving to satisfy. I try not to use a lot of the meat replacement products because they are so highly processed. I came across this idea a few weeks ago but when I first attempted it I cooked it in a skillet it stuck to the pan and made a huge mess. It absorbed so much oil as I tried fruitlessly to keep it from sticking. I loved the concept of sweet potatoes as a shredded meat replacement and truth be told I just LOVE sweet potatoes, so I decided to give it another shot.  Baking the shredded sweet potatoes in the oven with just a spray of oil on either a silpat or parchment paper worked great. Nothing stuck and I was free to prep the rest of dinner while they baked. We served our shredded BBQ Sweet Potato Sliders with Kale Slaw and a few red onion slices that I tossed in a bit of vinegar while everything cooked.
Serves 2 hungry adults

Ingredients:
2 small Sweet Potatoes

1/2 C BBQ sauce

Spray oil, I used spectrum organic grape seed oil
Buns for Serving

Preheat oven to 400. Grate both sweet potatoes on the large side of the grater. Spread out grated potatoes on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Spray with a little oil, bake for about 15 minutes, flip potatoes and spray with more oil. Bake another 15 minutes. While potatoes are baking heat BBQ sauce in a small sauce pan. Toss cooked sweet potato in BBQ sauce and serve on Buns. 

Tofu Bahn Yum-Mi

I have seen the Bahn Mi sandwiches popping up everywhere lately but had yet to try this sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, delight. All I can say about this sandwich is YUM! It has it all! I know this recipe will be making a regular appearance on the menu. We decided to bake the tofu in this recipe because we were making Roasted Cauliflower with Bang Bang Sauce as a side but you could fry or grill the tofu if you wish. Most recipes call for a Sriracha Mayo on the Bahn Mi but my latest obsession is Trader Joes Green Dragon Sauce and it was the perfect compliment to the ingredients in this sandwich. 

Serves 4

15 oz Extra Firm Tofu

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Garlic, granulated

1/2 tsp Ginger, powdered

1/3 C Rice Vinegar

1/4 C Sugar

1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced 

2 Carrots, grated

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced 

1/2 C Cilantro leaves

1/2 C Just Mayo or Veganaise (if vegan)

Sriracha or Trader Joes Green Dragon sauce, to taste

2 crusty baguettes, split and cut into 4" lengths

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangles (about 8 slices). Place slices on a few paper towels, top with more paper towels and then a cutting board or sheet pan. Place something heavy on top, I use cookbooks or a gallon of water to help press out the moisture for about 30 minutes. In a shallow dish combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. When tofu has been pressed place the tofu in the dish coating each side. Let marinade at least 30 minutes or overnight, if you want to prepare it in advance. 

Next combine rice vinegar and sugar in a medium sized bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then add in the grated carrots, sliced cucumber, bell pepper and onion. Let sit at least 30 minutes. (This mixture is good in the fridge for a week or more.)

Preheat oven to 400 and bake tofu for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternately tofu can be fried in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil for about 3 minutes per side. 

While tofu is cooking mix mayo with Sriracha or Green Dragon Sauce, use as much or as little as you like to add heat.

Drain marinade off veggies, set aside.

To build sandwiches spread a little of the mayo mixture on both sides of bread. Top one side with jalapeños, slice of tofu, vegetable mixture, and a sprinkle of cilantro and top with other half of bread. 

Cinnamon Raisin Oat Muffins

Don't you just hate when you can't find a recipe that you want to make? I couldn't find the recipe I was looking for, then the brand new bag of wheat bran I had in the pantry smelled off, so I decided to scrap my original plan and go rogue and I'm glad I did.
These muffin were born from what I had in the pantry and a desire to make them as healthy as possible. No refined sugars or oils here! They came out moist and flavorful, but I found their flavor improved overnight and the orange zest really shined.
Each muffin has 12 grams of fiber and only 10 grams of sugar so they are a healthy and delicious way to start the morning!

Cinnamon Raisin Oat Muffins
Makes 24 

3 oz Unsweetened Apple Sauce (I used one of the toddlers pouches)

3 Eggs

4 Tbs Blackstrap Molasses

1 C Non-fat Greek Yogurt

Zest of an Orange

1 C Orange Juice

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 C Oats that have taken a quick trip through the food processor to break them up a bit. 

2 C Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 C Raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line 24 muffin cups, set aside. In a large bowl mix together apple sauce, eggs, molasses and orange zest. Then add yogurt and orange juice. In a separate bowl mix together cinnamon, baking soda, flour and oats.  Mix wet and dry ingredients until they just start to come together. Then mix in raisins. Scoop batter into muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes. 

Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

It's Super Bowl Sunday, the day Americans consume more calories than any other day of the year. Crazy right? It's hard to believe that today the average American consumes more calories eating chicken wings and swigging down beers than on Thanksgiving. How can you stay on track while still enjoying the big game? Easy, try a couple of our lightened versions of some Super Bowl standards along with a few helpful hints.

1. Be mindful of portion sizes. You don't have to completely avoid the chips and dips, but standing by the bowl grazing on chips will do some serious damage. Instead  grab a plate and count out your portion of chips. Each chip is about 10 calories, a serving is about 14 chips.

2. Lighten up your dips. Switch out the sour cream in your favorite dip for fat-free Greek Yogurt. You will cut the calories from 60 per 2 tbs for the sour cream to just 16 calories in the yogurt. 

3. Try our Goat Cheese stuffed Jalapeño Poppers. Less than half the calories than the breaded and fried variety and so tasty!

4. Drink lots of water. It's sound advice any day but water helps fill you up and keeps you hydrated when you are drinking alcohol. It also helps prevent the Monday morning hangover you may get from drowning your sorrows or celebrating your teams success.  

5. Serve some veggies. Give yourself and your guests something else to dip. If you are going to mindlessly snack while you watch your teams fantastic season swirl down the toilet in the final quarter, do it on something that won't make you feel worse the next day. 

6. Serve Brownies! Seriously. Try these brownies. They are delightfully fudgie and gluten free!

7.  Crockpot your Chicken Wings. We've been making these Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings for years. They are so easy to make, stay hot all through the party and are fall off the bone delish. You are saving yourself added fat, and trouble, by not throwing them in the deep fryer.

These simple  hints and recipes will help you stay on track and no one will know you've switched out these Superbowl standards with healthier options.

Goat Cheese stuffed Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño Poppers are one of my favorite "bar food", watching football treats but at 70 calories a pop they can really add up and sabotage your day. We created these lightened up little beauties that only weigh in at 30 calories a piece but have way more flavor than their deep fried counterparts. 

Makes 12 poppers

6 Jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded

2.5 oz of Soft Goat Cheese (about a 1/4 Cup)

1 Tbs Fat-free Greek Yogurt

1/4 C shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Make a "slotted tray" out of foil to lay on a cookie sheet if you wish, it helps keep the poppers from falling over and the filling from spilling out. Combine goat cheese and yogurt. Spoon filling into each half of jalapeño. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until jalapeños are soft and cheese is melted.  

BBQ Veggie and Chickpea Pitas

Sometimes I get ahead of myself. I cooked up a big batch of beans the other day with plans of making hummus, but I forgot we didn't have tahini. Last night we still had a ton of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in the fridge after making Fried Chickpea and Spinach Pitas with Creamy Yogurt Sauce the night before. I really didn't feel like making anything exotic so we threw together this stupid easy filling for wraps. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted to any old veggies you have in your fridge. You could swap out the zucchini with bell peppers, mushrooms, cooked sweet potato chunks, winter squash, asparagus, you get the idea. We used this as a fridge cleaner since we also had a jar of homemade BBQ sauce from last week and Pitas from the night before. Sometimes you just need an easy dinner that you can feel good about.

:

Serves 2-3
For the filling:

2 C Chickpeas, or One 15 oz can of drained Chickpeas

1/2 Zucchini, quartered and chopped

1/2 Yellow Squash, quartered and chopped

4 C Greens (Spinach, Kale, Chard, whatever)

1 C of your favorite BBQ Sauce

2 Tbs of Oil

Tortillas or Pitas for serving 

You can even top it with a sprinkle of Blue Cheese if you please!

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Toss in veggies and cook until softened. Add chickpeas to brown. Toss in greens and bbq sauce, cover with lid and cook until greens are wilted and sauce is heated. Serve in rolled up tortillas or pita bread with a sprinkle of cheese if desired.

BBQ Pockets with Cornmeal Pizza Dough

Yesterday we made Cornmeal Pizza Crust so tonight we are doing a leftover-makeover with our BBQ Pork from Saturday night and pairing it with our Cornmeal Pizza Crust dough to make BBQ pockets. Hot Pockets are one of those things that we haven't had in years due to the quality of ingredients. I've made a few fails when trying to replicate the hand held pocket because I've over filled the dough or used a bread dough that didn't quite hold up. These were a hit! Even the toddler got in on the fun and helped out.

BBQ Pockets:
1/2 of Cornmeal Pizza Dough Recipe
About 2 Cups of leftover BBQ







If dough was made in advance, let dough come to room temperature (about an hour). Roll dough out into a large rectangle about a 1/4 inch thick.

Cut rectangle into four equal portions, trimming if necessary to get clean-ish rectangles. 

Place about a half a cup of BBQ at one end of each rectangle leaving a half inch border.

Place a little water in a small bowl and dip fingers into water and run your finger around the edge of the dough where the filling is.
You don't want to wet the entire edge or it won't stick together well.














 Fold dough over filling and pinch edges to create a seal.

Place pockets on a cookie sheet lined with a SILPAT or parchment paper. Cut a couple of small slits in each one. Cover with a towel and let rise about 25 minutes while you let oven preheat to 400 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes until browned.

Berry Citrus Smoothie

I've been feeling pretty sluggish since the sugar and meat-a-palooza known as Christmas so I decided to start easing into my New Years juice cleanse a little early. This is today's breakfast. 

Berry Citrus Smoothie 

1 Red Grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

1 Orange, peeled and sectioned

1/2 C Frozen Mixed Berry Blend

1/2 Inch piece of Ginger, peeled

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Makes about 24 ounces. 

BBQ Meatless Loaf

I have experimented with many a meatless burger, loaf, meatball over the years and have not found many that stuck together well and had flavor. This recipe delivered on both counts. We used Trader Joe's Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce on ours but you could use whatever Barbeque Sauce you like. We served it with a super simple side dish of roasted carrots that were topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil after they came out of the oven. This loaf was even good cold as a sandwich the next day!

BBQ Meatless Loaf
Serves 6

1 Tbs Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 Clove Garlic, finely chopped 

1 C Red Bell Pepper, diced

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, diced

2 Cans Black Beans, drained

2 Tbs Chili Powder, salt free

2 tsp Smoked Paprika 

1 C Oatmeal

4 Tbs Trader Joes Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute onion, garlic, red bell pepper and mushrooms in oil until soft. Stir in spices then mix in beans. Mix about half of the oatmeal and mash mixture with back of spoon or potato masher adding in oats until you get a doughy consistency that starts to stick together.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the loaf. Press bean mixture into pan and cover with BBQ Sauce.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan, slice and enjoy!

Vegetable & Lentil Bolognese

There is an awesome recipe for lentil meatballs that we have been making for a while (and I linked it here) and I was actually planning on making tonight but things don't always work out as planned. The toddler has been in rare form today and there was no way I was pulling off the meatball recipe so I improvised. I can't give exact times for how long I sautéed everything because I was busy playing firefighter while making dinner. So embrace the craziness, crack open a bottle of red wine and make this recipe while saving the world. 

Vegetable and Lentil Bolognese

 Serves 8

1 C Lentils, Black or Green (red don't hold up well)

2 C Vegetable Broth 

1 Yellow Onion, finely diced

4 cloves Garlic, minced

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, stems removed and diced

1 Zucchini, diced

1 C Red Wine, plus more for drinking!

1 Tbs Olive Oil 

2 tsp Oregano 

1 tsp Rosemary leaves 

1/5 tsp Thyme 

2 jars Pasta Sauce or 6 C homemade pasta sauce

Your preferred noodles for serving 

Cook lentils a few minutes less than package directions in vegetable broth to keep them firm. In a large skillet over medium low heat add olive oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic continue cooking until onions begin to brown, then add zucchini. When zucchini is soft and onions are brown add spices, lentils and wine. Continue cooking until wine is absorbed. Add in jars of pasta sauce and serve over noodles. 
(This recipe freezes well so don't worry about making too much.)

Balancing Act

Living a healthy lifestyle is all about balance. We search for work/ life balance for healthy relationships with our family and friends. We try to find balance in our personal life and make time for ourselves but finding balance in our diet is often over looked.

I've often gone off on long winded tangents about keeping balance in your diet but like most advice I dish out, I often need to be reminded of it myself. I've always tried to feed the toddler as organically as possible and even managed to avoid giving him any refined sugar till nearly his second birthday. The holidays are the hardest time for me to keep our healthy lifestyle going as I tend to get caught up in the nostalgia of holiday meals past. Today was one such day.

Halloween is just a couple of days away and I kept seeing fun little posts on Pinterest about making little pumpkin shaped rice crispy treats and instead of making my Salted Maple Cashew Crispy Treats I decided to make the real deal. As the toddler and I were melting the corn syrup laden marshmallows with my organic butter I started to feel really guilty. I should have bought the organic rice cereal and why didn't I make the marshmallows from scratch with out the corn syrup. Ugh, I'm feeding my child garbage all for the sake of nostalgia! Then a little voice in my head told me to chill out.

Balance, we have always said we want the toddler to grow up with balance. We don't want these types of treats to be treated as taboo or else the second he is out of our sight he is going to feast on the forbidden foods. I don't want to tell him he can't have what the other kids are eating at the birthday parties. So I feel if he gets to eat them from time to time it won't be a big deal. As for today after I cut him a piece of rice crispy s treat (I didn't shape them into cute little pinterest worthy pumpkins after all) he ate a few bites and asked for some carrots, because at two he is already learning balance.

Peasants Pie

 I didn't want to call this Vegetarian Shepard's Pie, Shepard's Pie has meat and this dish isn't trying to pretend to be something its not. Peasants Pie stands on its own with a rich gravy filled with sweet carrots and turnips, earthy mushrooms and garlic, topped with a slightly cheesy mash of baked sweet potato. 

Peasants Pie is a great Meatless Monday recipe that can be easily made Vegan with a few changes. If you are a strict vegan or vegetarian most Natural Food Stores carry a vegan Worcestershire sauce and you could sub out the Parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast. If you are just going for an easy yet hardy Meatless Monday dish forgo the trip to the store and just use what you have on hand. Sometimes ingredients can be hard to track down, especially if you live in a town as small as mine!

Ingredients:
1 Yellow Onion, diced

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 stalks of Celery, chopped

8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced

2 Turnips (about the size of your fist), peeled and cubed

3 Carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Tbs Oil

2 tsp dried Thyme

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

2 Tbs Flour

1 1/2 to 2 C Vegetable Broth

2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce 

1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar 

For Topping:

2 medium Sweet Potatoes, baked

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

+2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for top

Preheat oven to 375. 

In a large skillet over medium heat oil, then add onions, garlic and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes then add in mushrooms cooking an additional 3 minutes before adding the carrots and turnips. Next add the thyme, pepper and flour stirring well and cooking until the flour starts to brown. Then slowly add in 1 1/2 C of the vegetable broth, scraping the pan to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes adding remaining 1/2 C of broth if gravy gets too thick. 

Meanwhile mash the cooked sweet potatoes with 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese. 

Pour vegetables and gravy into a deep pie dish or 8x8 pan. Spread potatoes over top of vegetable mixture and top with remaining Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes.  

Easy Everyday Pancake Mix

Who says pancakes have to be saved for special occasions like Saturday morning? My Easy Everyday Pancake Mix makes Monday morning pancakes possible!
I was tired of buying the over priced organic pancake mixes and making them from scratch every time was time consuming. Not to mention that I didn't want a huge batch of pancakes for just the toddler and I, so I came up with this mix based off our favorite pancake recipe. I just mix the dry ingredients together and store them in a quart jar. I have a piece of paper I keep under the ring on the lid with the ingredients for the mix on one side and the directions for making pancakes for two on the other so I am never searching for the recipes when I need them! You could make this with whatever flour you like, white, wheat or a mix (you could even make them with gluten free flour and add xanthin gum). I've even started making muffins with this mix, so look for those recipes in the future!




For Mix:
3 C. Organic Unbleached Flour
4 Tbs Evaporated Cane Sugar
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Sea Salt

Mix everything together and pour into a quart jar for storing.


For Pancakes...

If I want to just make enough for one or two people I add;

1/2 C Easy Pancake Mix
1 Egg
1/3 C Milk (cow, almond, cashew, whatever you desire)
2 tsp Oil or melted Butter
1/4 tsp Vanilla

For four People I double every thing but the egg:

1 C Easy Pancake Mix
1 Egg
2/3 C Milk
4 Tsp Oil or melted Butter
1/2 Tsp Vanilla

Stir together pancake mix and wet ingredients until lumps have disappeared.  In a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat drop desired amount of batter, I do tablespoons for silver dollar pancakes. When pancakes start to bubble, flip them.

(See how the left and right pancake have bubbles but the middle does not.) Another minute or so and they will be brown on the other side. Grab your syrup and dig in!