My Favorite Soup from My Favorite Food Blog

Back when my husband and I first started our journey to cleaner eating, we had no idea were to start! Initially, we started by thumbing through some Abs Diet books he had sitting on the bookshelf. (Of note: neither of had or currently has abs!) This was a decent warmup as we learned about superfoods, protein sources, and alternatives to sweeteners. Eat This Not That was my personal favorite because if you're still going to binge on ice cream from time to time, knowledge is power! Knowing what brands did the least amount of damage to our bodies when we succumbed to the siren call of junk food was supremely helpful!

But we still had a long way to go. 

The abs diet incorporated a large amount of meat in its repertoire. And, though we gradually toned down our meat consumption as a natural result of boosting the amount of produce and plant-based foods we were eating, we were still frequently enjoying red meat, sausage, etc. Then the study came out from the World Heath Organization which concluded what we were already beginning to suspect - that processed meat (sausage, bacon, lunchmeat..) is carcinogenic to humans and that red meat is a probable carcinogen as well. That was the kick in the pants we needed to truly start delving into some vegan and vegetarian recipes that were nutrient dense and caloric enough to support our active family lifestyle. 

Enter Angela Liddon's easy to follow and simple ingredient recipes on her blog Oh She Glows! (And, no, I'm not paid to promote her! We just love her food!) My husband actually found her site while researching one night. Unlike many other vegan bloggers, her recipes are high in fat and very filling - a must when you're also feeding tiny people with monstrous toddler metabolisms!

While we still eat fish and organic, free-range chicken once a week, many of the dishes we rotate through our monthly meal plans are vegan and come from her blog. Below is the link to my absolute favorite soup of hers, rich with Indian flavors!

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

I make this with her Cilantro Speckled Basmati (substituting brown rice for the basmati) and I add 1/2 a cup of carrots to round out the soup!

NOTE: If our toddlers aren't eating with us, by chance, I will also substitute 1 can of rotel for the can of tomatoes to bring on heat I associate with curry!

Pineapple - Almond Thai Noodle Bowl

As the weather gets nicer and the children and I spend more time outdoors, I start to lose track of time in the afternoons. (Darn you, Daylight Savings.) My internal clock is thrown off by the lingering sunshine and -more often than not- I find myself glancing at the clock in panic realizing that the witching hour is nearly upon us and dinner isn't even started. For those of you who are unaware -

Witching Hour: (n) 1. An unspecified hour in the late afternoon when every child in the universe decides they are instantaneously hungry, not hungry, tired, not tired, annoyed, incontinent, going to play with all their toys and unbearably bored ... and announce it in no uncertain terms. (2) The same time your spouse usually walks in the door also tired and hungry.

^^This is why I need a plan for a well-balanced dinner can be thrown together in a heartbeat. Crockpot meals are a fantastic solution to the "no time to make dinner" problem, but after a while we start to get tired of the slow cooker texture and long for the more al dente CRUNCH of meal based on fresh produce. Enter the ever-versatile Noodle Bowl! The issues with the traditional stir-fry dinners I grew up on were that they a) required a protein to be prepared and properly cooked, and b) often had us standing around ravenously waiting for the rice to finally finish cooking.

Side Rant - Have you ever cleaned up rice of the table floor, chairs, windowsills, and blinds after two toddlers made a meal of it? No. Thank. You. 

Solution A) An all veggie stir-fry enhanced by a protein-rich nut butter sauce
Solution B) Brown rice noodles, which can be cooked in 3-5 minutes, to replace regular brown rice.

And that is how the Pineapple-Almond Thai Noodle Bowl was born.

Step 1: Start your vegetables of choice in a pan on medium heat with a drizzle of olive, coconut, or sesame oil. You can prep veggies in the morning or even buy pre-cut vegetables to keep thinks extra simple. Stir-fry until al dente*. I use:

• 2 small heads of broccoli
• 2 good handfuls of shredded carrots (about 2 cups)
• 2 good handfuls of snow peas (about 4 oz)

*TIP: I set aside a few vegetables to steam instead of saute. This goes over much better with the twins who are still cutting back molars.

Step 2: While vegetables are sautéing, chop cilantro for garnish and put sauce ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. This makes about 2 generous cups of sauce.

• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup natural almond butter (no salt or sugar added)
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Step 3: After sauce is pureed, set aside and bowl about 6 cups of water. (I use an electric water kettle to speed the process). Pour over oz of brown rice noodles. We love Annie Chun's brand. Allow noodles to rest 2-5 minutes and then strain. Quickly hand toss with a little oil. Rice noodles clump together quickly!

Step 4: Assemble bowls with noodles, vegetables, and sauce.* Garnish with cilantro if desired! Enjoy :)

TIP: You can toss everything together at once, but I have found it does not keep and reheat well this way. The noodles get very "globby" in the refrigerator when coated with the sauce.

Simple Summer Salad with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

The thermometer may have maxed out at 50 degrees yesterday, but the cool weather hasn't stopped me (if you read my latest post) from longing for summer. Right now, I'd give anything to trade our blustery spring week for a few days like these:

However, while I may not be able to conjure up warmer days for my family, I can create a little sunshine in the kitchen at least!

Last night's dinner was Portobello Steak Fajitas from The Oh She Glows Cookbook - brightly marinated mushroom slices with all our favorite fajita toppings! I substituted a 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder for the 3/4 tsp of regular chili powder. It brought up the heat just enough to please the adults (although the tiny food critics made it known that they preferred the original version).

We served the vegan fajitas with a large side of my mom's Simple Summer Salad dressed with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette. I adored this salad growing up. It's like July in a bowl :) And the great thing is that it's totally versatile. Yesterday's version was true to my mom's recipe: 

• 1/2 English cucumber, diced
• corn off 2 ears*
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
•  and about a dozen grape tomatoes, sliced

But I've been known to toss in diced bell pepper, jalepenos, black beans, avocado, and even mango! Top salad with a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

*Note: You can cook corn in the microwave in a pinch. Microwave still in the husks, 3 minutes per ear.

The Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette is just a simple!

• 1 oz apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is our favorite!)
• 1/2 oz olive oil
• 1/2 oz maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• a good pinch of salt

Happy Summer (if only in your kitchen)!

A Lighter New England Dinner

Spring has finally blown into Middle Tennessee. The grass is finally green with the little, golden dandelions blooms in droves mimicking the warm, round sun above. The sunshine is toasty but the constant breeze is still brisk which has a way of reminding me of all the late summers I spent on the coast of New England as a child. It's bare feet and fleece weather. Dinner on the deck weather. Reminiscing weather.

Nantucket Harbor as seen from Henry Street Beach

If I lean back in my adirondack chair and close my eyes, listening to the tolling of our buoy bell, I can almost imagine myself back on the patio in Kennebunkport, Maine or sunbathing in the dingy on Nantucket Harbor. I hope our family will get to visit again this year. I would love hear the pitter-patter of my own children's  feet on Henry Street Beach where I learned to walk; or listen to the kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk of their little beach treasures being tossed into the tide pools on Timber Island. Perhaps we can visit this year. Perhaps not. A twenty-two hour drive with three small children is daunting.

Cape Porpoise, Main

But all this weather and remembering makes me impatient for one one of the best parts of New England - the food! Whether it's a clambake when winds off the sea call for sweaters zipped all the way up, fried haddock and chips on the unassuming Cape Porpoise pier, or Steamboat Clam Chowder during a blustery crossing of the Nantucket Sound - nothing says "New England Dinner" to me like seafood and potatoes! Full disclosure, I could inhale an embarrassing number of fried fish and potato baskets right now. It's my dream to move back to the coast, where I would single-handedly keep a local clam shack in business. But... healthy choices. Fried fish. Healthy choices. Fried fish... Okay. Let's just settle for better choices on a day like today.

The breaded and baked fish below is every ounce as good as the fried fillets I've had on vacation! I chose cod because it's a classic New England staple. But also because it is extremely mild in flavor (appealing to the twin toddlers) and it's one of the few things I can find fresh this far inland. If you wanted to go paleo or even lighter, you could just bake with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Or you could experiment with breading the cod in almond flour. (I've coated baked chicken successfully this way, but never tried fish). But as I said, today is a day for just making healthier choices! I'm on imaginary vacation :)

1/2 cup (or more as needed) whole wheat flour

1 egg (or just egg white) beaten

1 cup (or more as needed) seasoned panko*

1 lbs fresh cod fillets**
olive oil

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Bread whole fillets of cod by dipping first in the flour, then the egg wash, and lastly in the panko. Set on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes.

NOTES:

*I use an Italian panko mix because the seasonings agree with my little guys. If you aren't adverse to a little heat, though, try a lemon pepper seasoned panko. It's delicious! Or bread with almond flour. Or omit breading entirely and squeeze a little lemon juice over fish before serving.

**You can also cut cod fillets into 1x2 inch strips (use kitchen shears) and bread to make fish sticks. It's more work, but I do it on occasion for the twins.

Stuck on my "fish and chips" craving, I served the baked cod with a vegan potato and asparagus salad from The Oh She Glows Cookbook minus the green onions. It's an amazing version of the original comfort food that replaces mayo with avocado. I highly recommend you purchase her cookbook. There are, however, similar versions available from other food bloggers online. They just don't beat the authentic simplicity of Angela's.

Overall, dinner was a huge success! Adults and toddler alike cleaned their plates in record time. It did not, though, cure my hankering for some sand between my toes. Looks like I need to start researching some toddler-approved healthy snacks for our next road trip!

Hidden Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

I still remember the day when, as a newlywed, I first read the nutrition label on the back of a can of spaghetti sauce:

Ten grams of sugar in 1/2 a cup!

And, let's be honest. Rarely did I eat just half a cup. I am a drown-your-noodle-spaghetti-sauce-soup, kind of girl. There were some pricey, sophisticated sauce options with lower sugar contents, but I was trying to budget for a move and a house and future children so I barely gave them a glance.

Ten ... errrr, 20 ... grams of sugar for me it was.

Fast forward a few years. Now that we have kids, I just can't justify putting that much sugar on their dinner plates and we still can't afford the pricier brands. Solution? Make my own spaghetti sauce! I set out to come up with a good red sauce recipe with three thoughts in mind:

1. It would need to be mild in taste because garlic wards off toddlers almost as well as it fends off vampires.
2. It should incorporate several vegetables because - again - "O" and his whole "no carrots" deal.
3. Also, could it pack in at least a little protein? Don't get me wrong! Some nights, when the banshees small children have worn me down to a skeleton of who I was 12 hours earlier, "noodles + tomatoes" sounds like a well-balanced meal. But, I could probably give at least a polite nod to protein with this sauce.

Here is the end result! It is thick and creamy with a color resembling vodka sauce. There is a good note of sweetness from carrots, easy on the garlic and pepper, and a few lentils tossed in for good measure. The marjoram is a softer, sweeter alternative to oregano (which some children find to sharp in flavor). And if you needed one more bonus for this awesome sauce - it freezes GREAT!

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes

1 approx. 14 oz can of diced tomatoes and juices

1/4 cup lentils

1 1/4 cups broth
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp tarragon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp majoram

1/4 tsp fennel

1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Sweat the onion, garlic, and carrots with a drizzle of olive oil + 1/4 teaspoon salt. Once the onions become translucent, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low - the longer the better! I like to make this during nap time when I know we will not be going anywhere while the baby sleeps. When baby is tired, everyone is tired. I simmer for 2 hours then set aside to reheat for dinner.

Makes enough for 1 box of spaghetti.