Ratatouille Tart

Ratatouille Tart  Rating: 5

I know a used mozzarella cheese in place of feta but this tart was sadly underwhelming.  Yawn.  The kids like pizza and this was very close to that idea and they barely touched it.  Thank goodness for the grapes.  Still, used up the puff pastry in the freezer.

Gingered Carrot Millet Muffins

Gingered Carrot Millet Muffins  Rating: 8

These were good and also did good in the freezer.  I really enjoy the crunch the millet offers.  The batter is really thick but the muffins come out fine.  Enjoy!

Peanut Stew

Peanut Stew  Rating: 7

This was one of my freezer/slow cooker meals I made along with 11 others on a marathon meal making day.  It was good.  Kids ate it up. Lots of nutritious things in there but then there's the debate that long exposure to high temperatures thwarts that.  Still the convenience of the slow cooker wins out some days.

She doesn't give measurements for the spices so I'll definitely be a little more heavy handed with the cayenne next time.  Just to warn you, the house will smell strong while the cabbage cooks down but the taste doesn't overwhelm the dish at all. We were just shy of a cup of peanut butter and it was plenty for us. 

You will have leftovers for sure because it makes a ton.  We have two adults and two toddlers and we could probably feed ourselves 3 times on this one pot alone.  Guess what's for lunch tomorrow?!

Brown Rice Breakfast

Brown Rice Breakfast  Rating: 8

No picture because every time I make this it is morning, the kids want to be fed, and I am looking at this bowl of yumminess thinking, "that looks so comforting" and the picture idea flies out the window.  Having said that, this recipe is easy, delicious, a great way to use up leftover brown rice, and a terrific whole grain option for breakfast besides our usual oatmeal.  If you don't like oatmeal because it's too gloppy for you, then this is a good place to start.

I use less than half of the sweetener called for and am happy.  I use almond milk rather than soy. I have used both almonds and walnuts with great results but prefer the harder crunch of the almonds.  Very filling, so stick with the portions suggested for the most part.

Purple Fantastic Tofu Pops

Purple Fantastic Tofu Pops  Rating: 8

This recipe came from Anni Daulter's Ice Pop Joy and we could not find a like recipe online to link to so see if your local library has her book.  Ours did!

It is a blend of fresh and dried fruit, soft or silken tofu, and natural sweetener.  I used canned pears instead of steaming fresh ones and I used honey in place of the other called for sweetener and reduced it by a tablespoon.  It was still plenty sweet and made beautiful purple pops.  They were sort of icy and sort of creamy and it didn't taste odd at all.  Kids and adults ate these up happily.  I will certainly try silken/soft tofu in pops again and am looking forward to using soft tofu in other recipes.

I have talked about practicing nutritional stealth before to get goodness into kids but I really like what Anni Daulter had to say about that.  She suggests getting kids involved with the cooking/creating process and telling them exactly what is in the food that is being made. 

I feel she is right on this point.  When the kids know that nutrition is important to the family and have good and tasty experiences with different foods it is more likely to have a better, or long term impact on healthier eating.  I still will slip a variety of healthy foods into my kids food (that isn't easy to pick apart) to get them used to different tastes but we will talk about what is in there.  I've actually seen my 5-year-old become more open to onions as we use them often and tell her they are in there, so I know it will work on other food as well.

Poblano, Mango, and Black Bean Quesidillas

Poblano, Mango, and Black Bean Quesadillas  Rating: 8

These were pretty good and easy to make.  We used fresh mango, diced.  We also used full fat cheddar and whole wheat tortillas.  For the spices we used salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and onion powder, as we omitted the onion.  I used fire roasted poblano from earlier this week so it did not need to be cooked down.  I just heated them through with the beans and spices.  Our kids ate these up.  Served them with plain Greek yogurt (our typical sour cream substitute) and salsa.

Avocado Mango Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Whole Wheat Jalapeno Focaccia

Avocado Mango Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds  Rating: 10

This recipe was one we got from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday when we checked it out from our local library.  His recipes are unique and he often gives variations. 

We would just like to start by saying, God bless Rick Bayless.  We loved this recipe!  There was A LOT happening in our mouths--sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, crispy.  Just delicious.  Those roasted pepitas rocked! 

We went with blue cheese because we like that punch but it can be made with a Mexican cheese.  We added the jalapeno in the dressing, but only half and with seeds and membranes removed.  Also, it calls for Bibb lettuce and that would truly be best as it is tender and would meld well with all the taste bud love going on.  We used our sturdy romaine because that is what we had on hand and we were still very happy.

Whole Wheat Jalapeno Focaccia  Rating: 8

We served it up with this bread.  It was just the right amount of spiciness and with the warmth and the whole wheat, it felt very comforting. 

We've used this focaccia recipe before but with some changes for Orange Rosemary Focaccia.

Summer Squash and Swiss Chard Quiche with Brown Rice Crust

Zucchini and Swiss Chard Quiche with Brown Rice Crust Rating: 8

The quiche was inspired by this tart but I used another recipe and added most of her fillers in. I also opted for a brown rice crust that I saw used at Closet Cooking.

Brown Rice Crust  Rating: 8

First we made the crust. It is super easy--three ingredients. Just switch up the 1/4 cup grated cheese to whatever type you are using in the quiche.  It is a nice whole grain option that is quick and provides a nice base.  Great way to use up leftover rice.

Basic Quiche  Rating: 8

I used this recipe but altered it to 3 eggs and 1 1/2 cups half and half to accommodate approximately 3 cups of yummy add-ins as one commenter suggested.  I used 3 oz. each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  In a bit of olive oil I sauteed up two medium Mexican gray squash, very thinly sliced, and a bunch of Swiss chard, chopped, with 3 large cloves of garlic, minced, and approximately 2 tsp. each of fresh thyme and rosemary, chopped.  I baked it 5 minutes longer than recommended with great results.

It was really good and I think a nice splash of lemon or a spoonful of salsa on top would be nice too.  It did well for leftovers the next day for lunch.  Served it up with hummus and veggies.

Winter Squash Enchiladas with Homemade Green Sauce

Winter Squash Enchiladas  Rating: 8

Yes, I am aware it is the middle of summer but can I help it when our garden and even our co-op produce basket produce winter squash in June and July?  Be flexible.  We were and made these. Look at that picture.  See how one of the enchiladas exploded?  It is revealing the yumminess that was inside.  Butternut squash, poblano pepper, corn, cilantro, onion, bell pepper--yum!  This was pretty labor/time intensive with the roasting of the peppers, baking the squash, and making my own green enchilada sauce.  The result was good but I feel I spent too much time in the kitchen on this one.

Look at those colors we got to eat.  I used red onion instead of a sweet, and orange, green, and yellow bell peppers instead of red because I was using what we had in the fridge.  I went with canned corn and store bought corn tortillas for ease, otherwise I may have done myself harm or at least shed tears.

Green Enchilada Sauce  Rating: 8

I was tempted to just go buy some canned sauce but I had all the ingredients just sitting in my fridge so I thought I'd give it a shot.  This sauce was simple and gave good flavor.  I halved the recipe and it was the perfect amount for the enchiladas. I poured the hot concoction into the food processor and pulsed it a few times to get is smoother.

Neal said he noticed not heat (spiciness).  I said it was near borderline for me.  The kids said, "ouch."