Coconut Rice with Black Beans, Plantains, and Mango Salsa

Coconut Rice with Black Beans, Plantains, and Mango Salsa  Rating: 9

Three words. Caribbean. Comfort. Food.  This was great and super easy!  This was our first time using a plantain thanks to our co-op produce.  If you are unfamiliar with plantains, they are sold next to the bananas and tropical fruits.  They are larger than a banana, less sweet, and starchier. 

The avocado was a nice touch but I think it would have been good without it, too.  I say this because my dear sister-in-law is deathly allergic to them.  Isn't that weird!  She has to carry an epipen just in case she has exposure.  She's a special person.  What can I say?

Back to the food.  I did not use the jalapeno in the salsa only because I did not have a fully ready one waiting to be picked from our garden. 

I could eat this often.  It was fresh, but a bit sweet, and totally satisfying.  Great first experience with plantains.

Secret Chocolate Cake

If you are going to make a treat anyway, might as well add some nutritious ingredients as well.  This chocolate cake is made with...

Beets!  In all their ruby-red glory, beets!  There is a summer variation, provided as well, using zuchinni.  This recipe is originally from Simply in Season.  I came upon it when I subscribed to their weekly recipe.  You can do so also.  It is a great way to get thinking about seasonal eating, which I urge.  They only display their recipe for one week so you'll have to wait for it to come around.  Adaptations are also online but I found this link to be the closest match.

Secret Chocolate Cake  Rating: 8

In making this cake, I used whole wheat only and I was still happy with it.

To avoid sabotaging my efforts, I served it with unsweetened applesauce, as suggested, instead of sugar laden frosting (which is a beautiful thing of its own).  My family and I were pleased with the combination.

Did I detect beet?  Only because I made the cake did I very faintly notice the trace of beets but it still tasted really good and I truly do not think a single unknowing soul would think the cake was off.  I'd certainly make it again.  When your mother tells you to eat your beets, you can now say, "Yes, please."  So enjoy all that vitamin C, folate, and potassium love.

Spring Salad with New Potatoes

Spring Salad with New Potatoes  Rating: 8

I made this last summer while my mother-in-law was visiting and she loved this salad so much she requested the recipe.  It is a lovely potato salad that is lightened up with other veggies and a zingy dressing.  It is not your average potato salad, it is better.

This time around I subbed green beans for asparagus because that is what I had on hand, but I do prefer it with the asparagus.  I also used snap peas and radishes from the garden. You can put whatever seasonal veggies sound crisp and fresh to you.  I cheated on the pickled onions this time and just put some thinly sliced white onions in a leftover jar of pickled banana peppers Neal canned last season.  Just as good.  Served it up with slices of pineapple.

Mexican Enchilada Sauce

Mexican Enchilada Sauce  Rating: 10

Don't bother buying canned red enchilada sauce.  You have everything you need in your pantry and you'll know what you are putting in your body.  This is easy and yummy. Ole!

If you want total comfort food make homemade corn tortillas for your enchiladas.  These tortillas are a 9 or 10.  We started making our own when we started reading ingredients on packages and got Neal a tortilla press for Christmas.

Blue Cheese Beet and Carrot Rice

Blue Cheese Beet and Carrot Rice  Rating: 7

This was a second go at beets since Neal was okay with the first experience.  He actually went off to the farmer's market and came home with these all on his own. 

Keri was leaning toward an 8 on this one.  It was really good with all the spices in there and comforting because of the rice.  We used walnuts instead of pecans and I omitted the bacon.  We can only imagine bacon would improve the rating but we are trying to eat less of this product. Packed with antioxidants, omega 3s, protein, and love for your body and mind.

We served this on Star Wars Day and called it Boba Fett Beet and Carrot Rice.  Sophie thought it was cool how the beets shared all their antioxidant love with the rice.  Pink food is always more fun.

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

This is our Go-To Pizza Crust.  We don't have to wait long to use it, it's easy to double so the second one can be thrown in the freezer for a future meal, and we like the taste and texture we get when we use our whole wheat flour.

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust  Rating: 9

We use demerara sugar in place of white and whole wheat flour in place of bread flour.

Also, if you are making your own pizza dough, this is a great time to shake things up a little.  Try mixing in herbs and spices that will complement the pizza you are creating.  Ideas may include Italian herbs, garlic, onion powder, cilantro. curry powder, cumin, or chili powder.  For a dessert pizza, consider adding cinnamon or nutmeg.  Have fun with it!

Chicken Gumbo with Fresh Okra

Chicken Gumbo with Fresh Okra  Rating: 8

We've made this several times, especially when our local farmer's market has baskets spilling over with okra.  It' is definitely comfort food and comes together pretty quickly.

I forgo the sausage and shrimp and am still pleased with the outcome.  I've even used canned chicken in a pinch and like it.  We are generous with the hot sauce in the recipe and bring the bottle to the table just for good measure.  We serve it over brown rice.  Enjoy!

Fried Eggs on Sweet Potato Hash Browns

 Fried Eggs on Sweet Potato Hash Browns  Rating: 8

My baby went to the farmer's market this past weekend and picked up some fresh grown yumminess, including asparagus and sweet potatoes.  He has a friend at work that generously shares her hens eggs with us.  Farm fresh eggs are amazing!  And just look how pretty those blue ones are--gorgeous!

We had this for dinner tonight.  I doubled the garlic in the hash browns and they came out great.  We just topped them with fried eggs for protein and enjoyed a side of steamed asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and lemon juice.  Pretty fast and pretty good.

How Do You Get Your Kids to Eat That?

A mom I very much admire asked me this question recently.  She had been looking at this blog and asked, "How do you get your kids to eat all that stuff?"  This is my reply.  It is a combination of things:

1. Start them super young on real food.  We started with our kids super young.  They often help us cook the meal.  Any kid can dump the ingredients into a bowl or stir.  It's unlikely any kid will need a tourniquet for using a butter knife to slice bananas. 

We provide them with several opportunities to try a given food but we may present it in a variety of ways. We act excited about our food and talk about what we like about a given dish or how a given ingredient benefits our body. We model eating healthy foods and talk about how we feel good and have energy.

2. The kids' only option is to eat what we are eating.  We have a rule that you must at least try it.  We are not above bribing. They are NOT excused from the table as soon as they try it.  They can sit with the family and chat while we eat our meals.  If they are hungry we leave out the meal for a while and suggest that they can eat more if they want.  About two hours before meal time, we cut off our kids from snacks.  They can have water.

3. We try our best to provide healthy snacks (namely fruits) so they don't get too accustomed to sugary, carb-loaded, chemical-loaded "food-like" snacks.  If they eat these regularly their bodies are going to demand the garbage rather than the nutrition they deserve.  That's my belief from personal experience.

Healthy snack might be:

Fruit
Granola bars - watch out for sugar
Cheese sticks
Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit)
Roasted Edamame or Chickpeas
Apple Nachos
Kale Chips
Seriously Healthy Ice Cream


4. Give it a "fancy" or "magical" name.  If you are excited to drink "Lucky Leprechaun Juice" (green smoothie), they will be too. Other examples: Mashed "Florets" for mashed cauliflower, "The Easter Bunny's Favorite muffin/pancake/oatmeal" for anything with carrots mixed in, "Monster Guts Sandwiches" for tuna salad sandwiches with tons of finely chopped veggies in them.  Find what works for your kid.

5. Most importantly, we practice nutritional stealth!  We are sneaky so our kids are getting veggies and nutrients packed into almost every bite.  Here's some ideas:

I put veggies in a ton of stuff. 

• grated carrots, zucchini, kale, spinach in baked goods. 
• canned pumpkin in pumpkin "pie" oatmeal, smoothies, and pancakes and in pasta sauce.  
• finely shredded spinach, celery, grated carrot, finely chopped green onions, grated radish, in tuna, chicken, or egg salad sandwiches and then top with lettuce, arugula, spinach, tomato, etc.
• finely shredded spinach, chard, or kale in scrambled eggs along with other more traditional veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, etc.
• spinach, kale, chard, romaine, mint in "green" smoothies.  Our green smoothies have fruit in them to balance out the "green" taste.  I call them "lucky leprechaun" smoothies and the kids think it is very special.
• bean purees in baked goods and some smoothies.
• finely or coarsely chopped veggies and herbs can be added to create your own signature spaghetti sauce and no crappy sugar or corn syrup will be in there. Our sauce is almost more "other" veggies than tomato sauce.  Use mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, onion, peppers, finely shredded kale or spinach, eggplant, fresh or dried basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• lots of herbs in homemade dressings
• finely chopped veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onion, etc.) and herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage, etc.) in mashed potatoes
• pureed squash in sauces like butternut mac and cheese
• pureed sweet potatoes in baked goods or oatmeal

I basically try to very finely chop or puree veggies and herbs and put them into something the kids like and that they can't pick the veggies out of easily-oatmeal, pancakes, mashed potatoes, chili, baked beans, soup, scrambled eggs, quesadillas, smoothies, sauces, muffins, turkey burgers or meatloaf--you get the idea. 

These muffins are loaded with kale and carrots.  Loaded!

This way I know they are getting the nutrition they need from veggies (and fruit) and getting numerous opportunities to get used to their tastes.

I can also say, "You liked it in whatever dish they liked, so tell me what you think about it in this dish(where it plays a more recognizable or substantial part)."

I also add nutrition with a variety of beans, nuts, seeds (ground and whole), and spices.  Nuts and beans can be added to baked goods, salads, and pastas.  Seeds are great in oatmeal, granola, salads, and on veggie sides.  Spices are a great way to pack in flavor and they have their own benefits: ginger (anti-inflammatory), cinnamon (helps process sugar slower), etc. 

I sweeten with the least processed sugar we can afford.  But I am trying to use other sweeteners in place of demerara and raw sugar, when it is needed.  I use fruit (fresh and dried), molasses (high in manganese, copper, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium), agave syrup/nectar, honey (local and unfiltered, may help fight airborne allergies), and real maple syrup.  I also find I get away with a lot less sweetener than is usually called for in traditional recipes.

Recipes that you can practice nutritional stealth with are:

Apple and Kale Spice Muffins
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Fresh Corn Pancakes
Heather's Vegetarian Chili
Egg Casserole - put whatever veggies you want in this
Chocolate Chip Blondies

Hope this helps you find new ways to introduce increased nutrition to your children and have fun while doing it.  Some of the things we do may not be for your family.  You will find what works best for you.  We are not perfect at all the ideas listed above but we have become rather consistent and found that this approach has worked for us.

Apple and Kale Spice Muffins

Apple and Kale Spice Muffins  Rating: 8

These muffins run approximately 200 calories each and they are not overly heavy but they are filling.

I have made these a few different times.  Sometimes with apple, sometimes with carrot, sometimes with apple and carrot, but always with kale.  They are tasty.  There is a ton of veggie goodness in there but they are sweet because of the carrots or apple (keep those peels on!) and the honey and dried fruit (I just use raisins).  Yep, no refined sugars.  Whole grain goodness too.  I go heavy on the cinnamon and nutmeg. 

This is a good on catch-all, mix-things-up recipe.  Yogurt instead of milk, all a pinch of cloves if you want, spinach instead of kale, zucchini if you want, cranberries instead of raisins, add ground flax, add nuts or not.  Whatever!  Get funky!

Just look at the obscene amount of kale that got shoved into 12 muffins!  I added the apple in this photo for scale.  I just finely chop that kale in my food processor so there's no "chunkage" or leafy issues in the finished product.  Can you believe you and your child is going to get that many greens in them.  Believe it!

Now add a packed cup and a half of grated carrot on top of that!  You are a super star!

Some finely chopped nuts for protein and omega 3s.  Raisins for sweetness, not to mention fiber.

Tah-dah! With some fruit and some cheese, you have a lunch or breakfast that is quick, yummy, and nutritious.  I love getting veggies before I even leave the house.  The muffins are a nice snack as well.

Check out 365 Days of Kale.  She is a kale maniac!  I love what she ends up doing with it and we have plenty of it growing in our garden to try.

Brussel Sprout Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Brussel Sprout Salad with Apples and Walnuts  Rating: 8

This was take two on brussel sprouts with Neal.  He gave this one a much higher rating.  I liked it too because the mustard dressing was zingy instead of sweet.  We paired it with a baked sweet potato with cinnamon.  For it being spring, this meal had a lot of autumn and winter goodness going on.

Roasted Edamame and Cranberries

Roasted Edamame and Cranberries  Rating: 8

Easy, yummy, healthy snack!  I've seen it in magazines and online but it pretty much goes as follows: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Take a cup or so of frozen, shelled edamame and thaw it.  Drizzle a bit of olive, grapeseed, or coconut oil and salt to taste.  Toss it on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing them about a few times.  You want them crisp and golden.  Let them cool and then add in 1/4 cup or so of dried cranberries.  Store in an airtight container.

This is a nice salty, sweet, nutty snack that has a protein punch.  It is very filling.  A 1/4 cup or so does the trick.

Phyllo Pie with Lemon Tofu and Winter Greens and Shaved Spring Vegetable and Apple Salad

Phyllo Pie with Lemon Tofu and Winter Greens  Rating: 8

This was a very time consuming recipe so if I make it again I am going to simplify it a bit.  This was again, from Peter Berley's Flexitarian Table.  I used this adapted on-line recipe.  It was very good.  The lemon tofu was awesome.  Sadly, we didn't taste the sun dried tomatoes at all.  I just can't commit that kind of time to making a recipe that is "very good." 

Shaved Spring Vegetable and Apple Salad  Rating: 8

Again, a recipe from Peter Berley's Flexitarian Table with an online version for you.  This was light and refreshing.  I omitted the sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) and was still happy with the outcome.  We have found that we love shaved fennel in a salad on more than one occasion.  Getting paper-thin fennel and radish slices is a cinch with a mandolin.

Asian Turkey Burgers with Slaw Topping and Mango Cucumber Salad

Asian Turkey Burgers with Slaw Topping  Rating: 9

I used this meatball recipe for meatballs before but on this night I made them into patties and cooked them up on griddle.  They were topped with fresh mung bean sprouts and grated carrot that had been dressed with the dipping sauce.

Mango Cucumber Salad  Rating: 8

This was also well received.  It went great with the burgers.  The sweetness of the mango was nice.

Green Olive and Pine Nut Egg Casserole

Green Olive and Pine Nut Casserole  Rating: 8

This was a marriage of two recipes.  I took the basic egg casserole recipe from this post (minus 1 egg, the zucchini and the chiles) and raised it from a 6 to an 8 by adding in the yumminess inspired by Peter Berley's Green Olive Frittata with Ricotta, Pine Nuts, and Thyme as seen in his book The Flexitarian Table; namely, 1/3 cup slice green olives, 3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts, fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary, and a large handful of fresh spinach.

It was a nice pop of flavor with the olives.  The leftovers kept well and the toasted pine nuts were even better in it the second day.  It was quick and easy.

Raosted Beets with Quinoa and Feta

Roasted Beets with Quinoa and Feta  Rating: 8

So I did not go with the golden beets called for in this recipe. I didn't even look for them at the store because I thought the color from the regular beets would be fun in this dish for my kids and I love eating a rainbow.

There was a good mix of acidity, salty, and sweet going on in this recipe and nice textures too.  I added a bit more spinach (from our garden!) than called for and a touch more feta.  This was Neal's first attempt at beets in our marriage and he did not die!  He was less enthusiastic but enjoyed the dish.  The kids ate it up pretty well.  My mother was visiting and she really liked it.  We served it with a simple green salad from our garden.

Ginger Chicken with Coconut and Kale Chips

Ginger Chicken with Coconut  Rating: 7

This recipe came from Tyler Florence's Start Fresh: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating and it was pretty good but nothing overly special.  It felt like comfort food because the coconut milk used.  We used veggie stock in place of chicken stock.

The big hit of this meal was the kale chips.  The whole family could not get enough of them.  A great side or snack for us and our kids since we grow it in our backyard. 

Kale Chips  Rating: 10

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a large bunch of kale, stemmed, and torn into chip size pieces in a bowl, drizzle with a bit of oil (we used garlic infused grapeseed oil) and toss until lightly coated. Spread out on baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.  Put them in the oven and after 5 minutes toss them around on the baking sheet a bit.  Once back in oven check every few minutes.  They get crispy and you don't want too much browning at all.  You are just trying to dry them out not brown them. 

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Banana Nut Oatmeal  Rating: 10

I made this three days in a row it was so yummy.  Just throw 1/2 cup dry rolled oats, one half to one whole very ripe banana mashed, 1 cup water, and 3 Tbsp. flax meal into the pot over medium high heat and stir until it is to your desired consistency.  Take it off the heat and stir in a bit of vanilla extract.  Plop it in a bowl and top with chopped walnuts and a glug of maple syrup.  Quick and yummy.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

As part of our family fun in celebrating St. Patrick's Day all week long we made this bread.  I've never made or had Irish soda bread before but my kids and I liked it and felt like it was quite a treat with all the sweet raisins.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread  Rating: 8

This was an easy bread to put together and it is a quick bread so not much waiting.  I made this with my kids and some others that we had welcomed into our home for the the morning.  Everyone enjoyed helping out in some little way, whether turning on the oven, grinding wheat, or kneading the dough.  We went with the molasses option because it is a good source of iron.  It made two loaves so we were able to send the second loaf home with our friends.  Might become one of our St. Patrick Day traditions, who knows?

Kickin' Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Still have lots of pinto beans. 

Kickin' Southwestern Quinoa Salad  Rating: 8

Pretty good salad that came together pretty quick.  Used Anaheim pepper instead of jalapeno, pintos in place of black beans, lemon juice instead of lime juice, and a large Roma tomato in place of the heirloom tomatoes.  The beans and the quinoa made this a protein packed meal.  Would be nice served on a bed of lettuce as well.

Taco Soup

So we were bummed to find that 4 of our 7 quart jars of pinto beans did not seal when we last canned.  And although I am told I can freeze legumes well, we are trying to use up a few of the jars this week on our menu.

Taco Soup  Rating: 7

Neal said this was a 6 but with some pickled jalapenos and hot sauce it became a 7.  The kids ate it fine and I thought a few drops of hot sauce did the trick.

Changes we made were using freshly roasted Anaheim peppers in place of the green chiles.  I also used taco seasoning in place of the cumin and chili powder but kept the oregano.  It was a quick meal I could throw together with stuff I had on hand and it was good enough. 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Bean Cookies (SELF version)

In honor of Chocolate Chip Cookie Week we consented to our four-year-old's request and baked cookies but with a twist.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Bean Cookies (SELF version)  Rating: 6

These were not your decadent chocolate chip cookie but they were okay.  A couple of things to consider, they don't change shape when baking.  I had to flatten them with the bottom of a cup measure before placing the second batch in the oven. 

They are best right out of the oven and become drier as time passes. 

They have no weird bean taste but they don't taste buttery sweet like a traditional chocolate chip cookie.  My kids don't know the difference but I do and I still enjoy them but I know there is a better bean cookie out there so I will keep looking.

Pineapple and Ham Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and an Asian Slaw Dressing

The Ham and Pineapple Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Rating: 7) was a recipe I found in his book Fresh Start: Your Child's Jump Start to Lifelong Healthy Eating which we borrowed from our local library.  The salty sweet combination was great.  We don't eat ham very often but we had some in the freezer to use up.

We served it with an Asian slaw of shredded cabbage and cucumbers and scallions.  I topped it with chopped peanuts and a dressing I got off some Internet message board.  It also earned a Rating: 7 but I don't think it'll make a repeat in our house.  It was good but there is more out there.

Asian Slaw Dressing

for one small head of cabbage 

1 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

2 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Mix well and toss with slaw.

Seriously Healthy Ice Cream

Just one ingredient needed.  Don't bother pulling out the ice cream maker.

So creamy, satisfying, and easy!  On rare occasion bananas in our house actually reach that brown spotted stage when they are super ripe and getting almost mushy soft.  That, my friends, is when I contrive to gain my family's adoration by peeling the banana, dividing it into 6ths (so they are easy to process and so I know how much banana I am using), and storing them in a quart size freezer bag in our freezer. 

Then I say, "Do you want ice cream tonight?" --sweet treats being only occasional in our home.  Then they laud me tremendously!  That Bible verse, Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed." --yeah, it's because of this ice cream.

Seriously Healthy Ice Cream  Rating: 10

I sometimes make this with just the banana and love it.  Her idea for adding nut butter (I use peanut butter) is great!  Depending on what I've eaten that day and where my calorie count lies, I will add or subtract extra ingredients.  I really like it with peanut butter, dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts best.  You can have fun with this but the calories add up quickly so do behave.  All you need is your food processor!

I love giving my family healthy foods that feel decedent.  I mean who wouldn't hand their kid a banana?!  It's fruit! Win-Win!

Dill Pickle Meatloaf and Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Dill Pickle Meatloaf  Rating: 8

What's a girl to do?!  If you've read our Pickle Soup post, you know I have 5 grieving jars of botched home canned pickles sulking in my pantry.  I must put them out of their misery!

We made several changes to the recipe.  We used 1 cup old fashioned or rolled oats in place of the bread, 1/3 cup chopped pickles in the meatloaf, added one grated medium carrot, 4 finely chopped kale leaves, and ground turkey rather than beef.  For the sauce we doubled it and used demerara sugar in place of brown sugar and cut it by 1/3 (1 Tbsp., and 1 tsp. for the doubled sauce).  I also upped the amount of chopped pickles to a heaping 1/2 cup (for the doubled sauce).

The recipe had us bake it in a 8x8 pan which felt a little weird to Keri.  It sort of lost it's meatloaf appearance and made her think of it more of a meat cake.  Mmmmm...meat cake. 

But after pushing past that it came out really good.

It was tasty.  We liked it and the kids ate it up.  Keri who loves pickles and has tried selling her first born for extra pickles on her burger would have tripled all things pickle in this recipe; however, not everyone is as enthusiastic as she.  But two good things happened here: 1.) a good dinner and 2.) we used up a jar of pickles!

The meatloaf held together well and made plenty more than 4 servings.  So it you like meatloaf sandwiches or love it as leftovers, hooray for you.

What better to serve up meat with than potatoes?

Johnny Garlic's Famous Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes  Rating: 8

We halved this recipe and have plenty for leftovers.  We did use 2 1/2 tsp. minced rosemary for the halved recipe since our rosemary is not very strong.  It's an old plant and it has been dry this year so the oils are not so pungent.  We also used whole milk in place of skim because that's what we have.  And we did not have Yukon gold potatoes so we used red skin potatoes.

The adults liked the creamy mashed potatoes, although, Keri would reduce the amount of white pepper if she makes it again.  It had kick and she found it overpowered the rosemary.  We did have chives but forgot to add them before taking the photo. 

Mango Gazpacho

Mango Gazpacho  Rating: 8

We wanted something fresh for dinner and this was great.  It was sort of like a big bowl of mango salsa.  In fact, we are pretty sure the recipes are very close if not exactly the same.  It was sweet, spicy, and fresh.  Now if we just had tortilla chips in the house...

Pineapple, Mango, and Meyer Lemon Salad

This recipe came from March 2012 issue of  Whole Living magazine in an article titled Naturally Brilliant.  The article promoted "eat-your-colors" diet which spotlighted a given color per dish.  Here, we enjoyed the bright yellows.

Pineapple, Mango, and Meyer Lemon Salad  Rating: 9

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pineapple, skin removed, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 Meyer lemon, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, seeds removed, plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (rind stays on the lemon and is part of the salad)
1/2 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

Method
Combine fruit and lemon juice in a bowl.  Top with coconut flakes.

177 cal per serving, 30g carbs, 2 g protien.

Beautiful and so good!  Not filling so maybe a good light breakfast or lunch.  Felt like a real treat to eat.

Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles -- How Texans Celebrate Pancake Day!

Today is Pancake Day and I decided to make a Apple Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake, for the first time.  It's good to shake things up every now and then.  I even went with a spiced up version to push my boundaries on spiciness since I often fear it.

Apple Dutch Baby with Green Chiles  Rating: 10

Why hasn't anyone told me about Dutch Babies?!  It's times like these I realize my mother never loved me. (Just kidding, Mom!--if you ever read this, which is unlikely...sniff, sniff)  Before I go and set up that counseling appointment, let me finish...

It was so yum!  Rich, warm heat, apple cinnamon syrupiness (I just made that word), like a giant pancake of love.  The sweet and spicy combo was great. I was so pleased with myself for using the jalapeno (and not obsessively cutting out the hot membranes).  Would do it again in a jiffy (except for the part when I touched my face even hours after handling the peppers -- yikes! Lesson learned).  I even forgot to give it a squeeze of lemon before shoveling it into my mouth.  I know that would have been a nice touch but it will have to wait for next time.

It was beautiful coming out of the oven but started to fall even as I was sprinkling (pouring?) on the powdered sugar, which was expected.  This was an easy recipe that had a good showman factor for company. 

My kids even ate it happily but they both mentioned the heat from the chile.  Sophie upon almost finishing her second serving said, "It's a little bit spicy." and Rhys at the end of his second serving, touched his mouth and announced, "Ow."

I did make changes: 3 Tbsp. instead of 4 Tbsp. of butter, 3 Tbsp. demerara sugar instead of 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon instead of 1/4 tsp., whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.  I used the Granny Smith apples and they were perfect for this.  You could use Rome or any firm-tart apple though.

I hear you can refrigerate the pancake and reheat it in the oven for 10-15 minutes but haven't tried it.  Now that I know about Dutch Babies, it would be hard not to gobble it up as soon as it left the oven anyway.

Can't wait to see what other variations I can try in the future.

Waste Not, Want Not -- Orange Zest

Orange peels aren't orange, they are gold!  That peels is loaded with amazing oil that will bring many of your recipes to the next level.  Don't throw it in the trash or compost!  Use it!

We do our best to zest our oranges and lemons before peeling or squeezing these fruits.  We love our microplane for this purpose.  It zests easily and beautifully.  It also grates ginger, garlic, and whole nutmeg like a dream.

The zest does not seem to keep well in the fridge - maybe 2 days.  We use a little air tight container to put the zest in the FREEZER.  You can put it in your recipes straight from the freezer. 

What to do with that zest?  Here are some recipes that use it.  Enjoy!

Bircher Muesli with Prunes

Citrus Broccoli Stir-Fry with Brown Sauce

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Orange Rosemary Focaccia

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

Cashew Orange Spread

Cashew Orange Spread and Apple Wrap

Neal and I are trying to slip a few more raw meals into our diet when we find something that's inviting and not to much prep work.  This one fit the bill.  It looks iffy but it tastes great.

Cashew Orange Spread and Apple Wrap  Rating: 9

So the original recipe uses Swiss chard and I thought I have kale growing in the back, I'll just use that.  The taste was right but the size of my leaves was wrong.  I had to do a "taco" if you will instead of a wrap.  Still yummy though.

The Cashew Orange Spread is to die for and it made this a real treat.  I would slice the apples into thinner slices next time just for easier handling when eating.  For the kids, I knew this was not going to be difficult to handle so I just threw theirs into a food processor and hit the chop switch a few times.  It was a chapped salad for them and I just served it in a bow with a spoon.  They ate it up.

This is pretty light so I'd keep it as a lunch.  We added more bulk to our meal by offering raw carrot and celery sticks and cauliflower florets.  I put the bowl of veggies in the middle of the table and threatened that they could not have any of them until they ate what was in the bowl first.  Inject evil laugh here.  They liked the salad version of the recipe and were downing the cru de te as their special treat in no time.  I love freaky child raising moments like this.  I feel like such a genius!