Our Fabulous Bites

Some of you ask me what we eat if we aren't eating meat.  This is something I make if I failed to plan ahead, running short on time or lack desire to cook.  We all seem to enjoy last minute taco nights.  This isn't so much a recipe but more a list of ingredients, decide on quantity based on how much you think your family will want.  There isn't cooking involved which is great on hot days.  Vegetarian Tacos Corn tortillas (plan for around 3 per person, you judge) Chopped or shredded lettuce Sliced olives Shredded cheese Chopped green onions Chopped fresh tomatoes Salsa Hot Sauce Beans  - I prefer black beans, and I heat mine up tad. Chopped avocados I heat up the tortillas and then put everything else in bowls on the table.  Everyone gets to assemble their own tacos, which means the kids usually opt out on beans. I always serve rice on the side but admit we all chow down on tacos and barely touch the rice.  If we have left overs I make a green salad with them the next day.  

I discovered I appreciate pancakes more with the following fresh strawberry syrup. This recipe is so easy.  I cooked the syrup for a bit longer than the recipe states.  I didn't strain it; I liked the texture with the strawberries.  Great way to use strawberries that you have that might be a bit too ripe for your liking.    Fresh Strawberry Syrup: 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled* and diced, (about 3 cups) 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons orange juice 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest In a medium saucepan , combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the strawberries are soft and the syrup is thickened and reduced by one-third to one-half in volume, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before serving. (If thinner syrup is desired, strain the hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container and let cool.) Yield: 2 1/2 cups *Tip:  ladies from church said they have success u

Lighter Lasagne, from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites This lasagne is so rich with vegetables, herbs, and wine that you'll never mis the extra cheese and fat that we're accustomed to finding in standard recipes. Serves 6-8, preparation time 40 minutes, baking time 60-70 minutes. 2 cups cubed zucchini 1 cup cubed bell peppers 1 cup chopped tomatoes 4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup dry red wine 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil 10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese 1 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 recipe Tomato Wine sauce (page 350) or 3 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce 1 pound uncooked lasagne noodles (see Note, page 216) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, salt, and wine in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender and

This week's menu will actually be 1 day short, because we have a ward activity on Saturday. So I only have 6 days for ya, which includes 2 leftover day. Too be honest, we sometimes have a few leftover days ;) I have added the link to each menu items title, except for Thursday. That's just my own recipe, of which I would post, but Josh wants us to try to sell it ;) We shall see. Monday: Tortilla Soup (w/o chicken, and I added red potatoes) Tuesday: Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia with Lemon brown rice Wednesday: Crispy Potato Tacos and Mixed green salad Thursday: Spaghetti and Mixed green salad Friday: Left over night Saturday: absent Sunday: Grilled veggie pizza

I would have eaten this whole tart if Jeff didn't take it away for me.  I love this dessert. Fresh Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises) 1 fully baked 9-inch (24-cm) tart shell made from Sweet Tart Dough Pastry cream (recipe below) 3 to 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled Shortly before you are ready to serve the tart, spread the pastry cream in the bottom of the baked tart shell and arrange the strawberries over the top. Le voila! Pastry Cream 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) whole milk 1/2 moist, plump vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 large egg yolks 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar 3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1. Bring the milk and vanilla bean (pulp and pod) to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and set aside for 10 minutes. Or, if you are using vanilla extract, just bring the mil to a boil and proceed with the recipe, adding the extract befo

I wanted to post menu's everyone once in a while where I share what we're eating for dinner for 1 week, while trying to stay within a $50 per week budget (this includes items we buy for breakfasts and lunches). This will hopefully help others (especially on a budget) come up with some ideas for their own menus. There are rules to our home menus: 1) HOME MAKE!! It's fresh, it's REAL, and it's healthy. There are of course some exceptions. For instance, I don't always make our own pasta, or corn tortillas (working on that). But try to make as much as you can from scratch. 2) Believe in Left Over night(s)! It gives you a break, saves money, and some things are so delicious they need to be eaten twice :) Have at least 1 left over night a week. 3) Embrace fruit for a dessert. Again, it's healthy, and delicious. When I lived in France, my french family would have fruit for dessert every night, except Sundays; Sundays were the our special night, where we would have

I was asked about stir-fry recently.  Now I'm not a stir-fry expert, but I know some basics.  Like, almost any combination of vegetables works in a stir-fry.  -Figure on 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cut, raw vegetables per serving.  And don't over cook the veggies, you still want a bit of a crunch. -Serve the veggies over noodles or rice. -If you like a bit of heat, Sriracha sauce is awesome.  A little bit goes a long way but I like the flavor it adds. -If the recipe calls for tofu, you could use chicken or beef instead or nothing, which is often what we do. If you use tofu, the firmer the better in a stir-fry.  And we prefer it in tiny cubes but you can go larger if you like. **These recipes only make 1-2 servings so adjust as needed.  These are good beginner recipes. Assorted Vegetable Stir - Fry Sauce Option 1 - Sweet and Sour Sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon ketchup 2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon cornstarch Sa

This recipe and picture is from: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com I made this for dinner the other night and LOVED it! And guess what... Jon really liked it too! He could easily taste the green pepper and the plenty of tomatoes that are used as well, but he still enjoyed it; SUCCESS! I didn't use cumin, chili powder or hot sauce. We made our own tortilla strips by cutting corn tortillas with the pizza cutter and baking them for a very short time. The left overs were wonderful as well. I already want to make this one again. You could easily add ground meat if you wanted it even heartier, but it certainly isn't needed. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 green pepper chopped 2-3 cloves garlic,  minced 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups frozen corn, thawed 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons cumin 2-3 tablespoons lime juice

Here is a popsicle recipe.  You could easily exchange the fruit for others you have on hand, or use a different juice.  Ingredients 1 1/2 cup strawberries 1 cup blueberries 1 can light coconut milk 1 cup apple juice 1/4 cup honey Instructions Place all ingredients into a blender.  Blend until everything is blended and your berries have been well pulverized. Pour into popsicle molds  and remember to leave a little room at the top for expansions.  Freeze for 6 hours or so.  If you ever have too much filling for the amount of molds, I find the children are always willing to drink up the extra as a yummy drink. *Note, you can make these using Dixie cups and popsicle sticks as well.  I haven't tried that myself but what I read was you fill your dixie cups and freeze for about 30 minutes then insert your popsicle sticks and freeze for another 6 hours or so.

We read a book about spaghetti and meatballs that the kids enjoyed.  They then wanted their own spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  Considering I don't have any meat in the house for a traditional meatball, we tried these vegan ones and enjoyed them.   They weren't awesome , but good.  They were very filling and easy to make.  Rees enjoyed rolling them out and said they were the best meatballs he has ever had.  And yeah, they are the first "meatballs" he has ever had. We thought these paired well with a spicy tomato sauce. WARNING :  These are not trying to be meatballs.  They don't taste anything thing like a meatball.  They might look like them, but the flavor isn't at all trying to imitate one and my guess is the texture is very different.  Don't make these wanting a healthier but tasty meatball.  Make these if you are curious as to what they taste like, if you are trying to have a meatless meal and spaghetti on it's on just doesn't seem fil

Well my friends, when we make tacos, boy can we can eat! We've had to learn how to control ourselves because my goodness they are easy to down. Last night, I made fish tacos for the first time, and all three of us loved them! I think these are a great first fish taco. From here we want to experiment with many more flavors. This one is simple, light, and delicious. Plus, they are really quick to make! And for those who are scared of fish...I urge you to try Tilapia. I promise you with all of my heart, it is not fishy! Any GOOD fish shouldn't taste fishy; if it does it means it's not fresh. But Tilapia really is a pretty tasteless fish. Which allows you to just throw in any flavors! You can do it!  Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos 2 tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry (frozen bag from Costco) 1 tsp olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds for less heat) 2 cups diced tomatoes 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopp

This recipe is from my Williams Sonoma Bride & Groom cookbook. This lives up to it's name, it's quick. It's also light and fresh. Do we think it's the best ever? No. But it is still good. We very much love our own spaghetti sauce that we make, but when we don't have the time, this is a great replacement. Spaghetti with Quick Tomato Sauce 3 T olive oil 1 T finely chopped garlic 2 T chopped fresh basil 1 T chopped fresh marjoram or parsley (sadly we didn't have fresh, but recommend it) 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes Salt & pepper Pinch of red chili flakes 1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti Leaves from 1 small bunch of arugula (rocket), coarsely chopped (we did not have this on hand) 2 T evoo Fresh parmesan or romano cheese Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, basil, and marjoram/parsley and saute gently for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, stir well, and season with salt and

1 cup raw cashews nuts 2 cups water 1 tsp salt 2 tsp onion powder 2-3 TBL chicken or faux flavor seasoning (a paste works best) 1/2 tsp garlic powder 2 TBL cornstarch 1 1/2 cups water (to be added after blending)  Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for about 2 min. till smooth, not gritty. (I pre chop the nuts with my Pampered Chef hand chopper then add to blender because I don't have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec). Then add the additional 1 1/2 cups water and blend again. *this is a great substitute for cream of mushroom or chicken soup. These are almost entirely of FAT, and the wrong kind of FAT. Even the 98% fat free products are high in FAT.

Alright ladies (and gents if any are reading), Josh liked this recipe, and Abigail did as well (she'll eat just about anything). However, I did not LOVE it. I didn't dislike it, I just felt like it was missing something. I also felt like it had too much of an EVOO flavor, but I think that could be because we have a 'Robust Flavor' olive oil. So I'm calling on you for any suggestions on how to spice it up? Or let me know of a Pasta Fresca recipe you love. Also, let me know if you like this recipe! Pasta Fresca Penne, cooked al dente 2 t Evoo Roma tomatoes, diced Red onion, diced or in strips (I'd do strips next time) Fresh spinach Fresh parmesan Fresca Sauce: 1/4 c garlic, minced 2 t salt 1/4 c balsamic vinegar 1/4 c white cooking wine 1/2 c evoo (Next time I would lessen this to 1/4 c, maybe less) Place evoo in a hot pan, along with your cooked pasta, tomatoes, onions, and some s&p to taste. Sear the pasta until h

I recently tried Noodles & Co's Japanese Pan Noodles, and I very much enjoyed the dish. So what do I do when I love a restaurants dish? I try to replicate it at home, or course :) Josh has yet to try it because he was gone when I made this, but Abigail and I both really liked it. Japanese Pan Noodles Udon Noodles (Japanese wheat noodles) Sesame Oil 4 tbsp Teriyaki sauce 2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 tbsp Ginger, minced 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp Red chili flakes 1 c Shitake mushrooms, sliced 1 c Asian sprouts 2 c Broccoli florets 1/2 c Julienne-cut carrot 1 tbsp Sesame seeds S&P to taste Fresh cilantro leaves Too be honest I kind of just threw things in and didn't measure it all out, but for those that want measurements here are some estimates :) In a hot wok, add carrots and then broccoli. Stir fry 2-3 minutes and then remove. Add vegetable oil, then saute ginger and garlic. After a minute or so, add the noodles and let

This is a loose recipe, use what you have on hand.  I like the crunch texture of these burgers.  I also like that I can freeze them and cook them later. 1 medium onion 1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews or other nuts, preferably raw 1 cup (raw) rolled oats or cooked short-grain white or brown rice 2 tablespoons ketchup, miso, tomato paste, nut butter or tahini 1 teaspoon chili powder or any spice mix you like Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 egg 2 tablespoons peanut oil, extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grape seed or corn. 1. Grind onion in food processor. Add nuts and oats, and pulse to chop, but not too finely. Add remaining ingredients except oil. Process briefly; don't grind too finely. Add a little liquid — water, stock, soy sauce, wine, whatever — if necessary; mixture should be moist but not loose. 2. Let mixture rest a few minutes, then shape it into 4 burgers. (Burger mixture or shaped burgers can be covered tightly and refri