Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Omelettes and A Goodbye to Our Dog, Candy

Hey there, how was your short-as-usual weekend? Hopefully pleasant and filled with healthy, delicious food! Unfortunately, mine was sad and not a great way to welcome the Fall season.

Our family dog, Candy, who lived at my mom's and was a black lab mixed breed, passed away.  She started acting weird early last week, and the vet just said it was arthritis.  Turns out, they later confirmed she had cancer that was too far along and had to be put down.  Since I don't live too close anymore, I just found out after it happened.  It was mostly expected, but you never think so soon.

I don't have any pictures on my computer, but she was a sweet dog who loved to chase fireworks and bring home half alive rodents to show off. She was around 12 human years old and lived an exciting life with loving friends and family. So, to Candy, I'm sorry I didn't get to see you that much these past years, but you will always be with my in my heart.

On a lighter note, I made Kelley and me pumpkin omelettes inspired from Heather at Kiss My Broccoli and they were a delight! I used only egg whites and no filling but they were perfect; light, fluffy, filled with pumpkin pie spice, and healthy!  Thank you, Heather, for the great recipe that will be used a lot in my home!

The soymilk maker I just got made some delicious soy milk and another batch with half pistachio, half soy nuts.  After allowing the milk to cool, I added a touch of sea salt, bit of stevia, and some vanilla extract which is way better than store bought to me. So goodbye Silk Almond Milk and hello homemade! Now I just have to turn Kelley into a fan and we'll no longer need to buy organic skim milk!

Nothing like fresh-made soymilk in your Sunday coffee!

The leftover pulp from the milk, called okara, was enough to create delicious vegetarian okara burgers.  These will be a great change from the usual steamed beans and veggies for Meatless Monday.

Okara patty on a portobello; I was too excited to try before taking a picture....hence the giant bite marks on the right. So good and easy!

Recipes to come, I promise, just not sure how soon since this week will be work-focused most of the time.  Boo, I know, but work pays the bills and lets me get the healthy, delicious food I love so dearly.

Speaking of, I better go and get to work! Have a wonderful Monday!

Have you lost a loved animal? I'm sure most of us have, but how do you cope or comfort others?

I know my mom misses our dog, but thankfully she has another, spunky little dog who stays at her side wherever she goes. I think the comfort of your other animals can help console you after losing another pet.

Also, congrats to Renata for winning the Navitas Naturals giveaway, hope you enjoy the Cacao and Lucuma powders! Thanks to all who entered!

Why You Should Add Fennel and Fenugreek to Your Diet

Oh joy, it's Monday again.  The weekend felt like it went by too slow and now I'm saying T.G.I.M (Thank Goodness It's Monday). That's all a lie, obviously, who wants to work/go to school/do anything? Not me.

But, I am happy that Kelley and I finally used our Groupon to go kayaking at a local lake on Sunday. She's never been, and I've always wanted to take her.  We both got in our own and paddled around for a while, but I kept leaving her behind.  So, we went back and got in a 2 person kayak so I could do most of the paddling.  She helped some, but I was happy to paddle my wife around the water.  It was a great time and we have one more Groupon to use before the end of this month?  Hoping for next Sunday!!

The weather has been cooler here in Texas.  Instead of 105 degrees, it's only getting up to 95 degrees; 10 degrees makes a world of difference.  Especially when you work out in your garage; I actually had some energy left after yesterday's workout!  Lunges, lunges, dead lift, squats, lunges, and did I say lunges?  Yeah, I feel it today.

Luckily, I had this easy and delicious spinach and egg white scramble to fuel me up with healthy goodness.  Honestly, I meant for this to be an omelette, but really jacked it up, so why not just throw it all in a bowl?  I think adding salsa on top would've been a great addition, but my mustard smiley face was perfect.  Egg whites and spinach for breakfast are pretty satisfying, I'll be having this more often!

Aside from it's already healthy components, I added two tasty and functional flavors to boost nutrition.  One powder from the licorice flavored vegetable, fennel, and the other from an herb, fenugreek.  Both of these have very distinguishable flavors that stand out in dishes. For that reason, you have to be careful because too much could ruin a dish.

These are both new functional flavors I've started to add to my diet and hope to feel a difference after using for a while.  Fennel and fenugreek are known for alleviating annoying digestive issues (what? we all have them!) along with several other ailments.

Here's a sample of fennel's multiple health benefits, as listed on Organicfacts.net:

The health benefits of fennel include relief from anemia, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, colic, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders, eye care, etc. Fennel, bearing the scientific name Foeniculum Vulgare Miller, or its essence, is widely used around the world in mouth fresheners, toothpastes, desserts, antacids and in culinary.

Fennel is diuretic, i.e. increases amount and frequency of urination, thereby helping removal of toxic substances from the body and helping in rheumatism, swelling etc. It also increases production and secretion of milk in lactating mothers and since this milk contains some properties of fennel, it is anti flatulent for the baby too. It strengthens hair, prevents hair fall, relaxes body, sharpens memory and has a marvelous cooling effect in summer if the pale greenish-yellow water, in which it is soaked, is taken with a bit of sugar and black-salt.

And no, I am not using it for production of milk in my breasts. I'm neither lactating or a woman; the indigestion and stomach relief is what I'm after. Read the full benefits of fennel here.

Fenugreek's health benefits, also listed on Organicfacts.net, are:

The health benefits of fenugreek include anemia, pregnancy, lactation, digestion, loss of taste, fever, hair care, dandruff, stomach disorders, biliousness, respiratory disorders, mouth ulcers, sore throat, diabetes, inflammations, wounds and insomnia..

Most of these benefits of fenugreek are due to the presence of saponins and fiber in it. Fenugreek is also used for herbal healing. Its seeds contain a gumming substance called mucilage. Mixed with water, mucilage expands and becomes a gelatinous soother for irritated tissues.

Fenugreek is used to treat wounds, inflammation and gastrointestinal ailments. Fenugreek helps in antioxidation. So, it prevents and repairs damages caused by free radicals. According to ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, fenugreek can be used for inducing labour and aiding digestion. It is also good to improve metabolism and health. Irritated skin condition can be soothed by the external application of fenugreek. Fenugreek is also used for fevers and muscle aches.

Fenugreek is considered to be a safe herbal food. It is used as a spice also and tastes oddly of bitter celeryand maple syrup.

Read more of fennel's health benefits here.

So, I'll be looking for more dishes to add this unique and flavorful powders to. Hopefully I can share some successful uses soon!

Make sure to check out my review and giveaway of Let's Do....Organic Coconut Flour. It ends this Friday!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday and we can all get through the week nice and smooth right into the weekend.

Have you ever used fennel or fenugreek?

Do you have any new herbs or spices in your diet?

Give the Cow Prod to the USDA and Support Meatless Monday!

Have you heard about the USDA retracting its statement referencing "Meatless Monday"?  It seems the Cattlemen's Beef Association flexed its "beefy" bicep when the Ag Dept posted a message to its employees about helping to reduce the environmental impact of eating meat by skipping it one day of the week.

Uh oh, the beef industry might be knocking at my door soon...

But what would the "cow people" association do if more people helped the health of the Earth and their bodies by abstaining from meat for one day?! They can't have that, so I can only imagine their well-paid lobbyists made sure the posting was removed promptly.  And it was......only hours after being posted.

I know I'm on a blogger break (I took only a few pics this weekend!), but I had to just make a quick post about this.  A huge reason America lives in a constantly confused state on what's healthy and what's not is because of the big industries and their money (aka power).

I know very little on the inner-workings of lobbying and getting messages out to the public, but I figure money is the biggest concern; not public health.  When I see/hear any sort of "this is good for you" promotion from the government or any big business, I raise a mental red flag and proceed with caution.

Just ask yourself these 2 questions when you see claims on packages, the television, magazines, billboards, etc:

Who or What will reap the most benefits of this statement? - It says it's healthy, but the 50 ingredients in this pretty package don't seem very good or natural.

How much money was spent so people like me can see this claim? - Only the big industries have great power to push their products for all to see. Small, local companies producing small batch, whole food goods, don't have the funding to really advertise as well.

I like all types of meat and fish, but I eat red meat sparingly and only grass-fed...preferably local too.  The economic cost of producing beef is just not worth it to me.  Just think of all the cheap, junky beef products fast food chains are rolling out to so many people each day; it's crazy! Sure, the $1 menu "deals" seem appealing to those who are ignorant to health and are short on cash; sadly, this is a common correlation.

Costs associated to produce a quarter pound of beef.

But consider other costs; the cost to get the meat wrapped in a paper package and handed to you through the window of a drive-thru...mmm. Producing just a half pound of beef requires 7.40 pounds of CO2, that's equivalent to driving 9.81 miles. Now take into account that in 2009 the U.S. consumed 14 million tons of beef; and 72 million tons for the world.  That's a lot of gas! (Source for this info.)

I will happily choose my meatless meals for Monday and other days of the week to help reduce emissions just a little bit. If more of us did this, our little changes will have a big impact on the health of our economy and bodies. So give the USDA and Beef Industry the finger a carrot, and enjoy a meal like spicy black bean patties along with a green pistachio and carrot smoothie for dessert! Check out wannaveg.com for a list of 10 reasons to go vegetarian one day each week.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! It was hot (not surprising) here in Texas, but I prefer the heat to the cold, so fine with me!

Why is My Slow Cooker “White” Bean Puree Green?

Meatless Monday is something that more of us should recognize. And it doesn’t have to be Monday, it just rolls off the tongue better; kinda like “Thirsty Thursday” (ahhh, the college days), and “Wheat-free Wednesday.” Oh, and how can I forget, What I Ate Wednesday!!! That’s a fun one for a lot of Foodie Bloggers; myself included.

As a supporter of blending, mixing, or processing foods into a rich and creamy mishmash of intense flavor, I tend to create a lot of purees for Meatless Monday Meals. Some of you may wonder why this “white” bean veggie fusion is green instead of, well, white. Or maybe you’re a frequent master o’blending too and know that adding healthy doses of green veggies will do the trick.

Was this just a dumb question? I don’t think so. Even though I did add broccoli to the cumin-intense melting pot of veggies, okra is the main culprit of the green. Yep, okra, a veggie I feel is often overlooked unless you’re a Cajun or eat recurrent amounts of gumbo. Next to Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, okra is one of my top favorite vegetables to eat alone, dehydrated, or added to any dish.

I posted the copious amount of benefits okra provides and a couple recipes that can be found here. Did you know another name for okra is “lady fingers”? Makes sense when you look at whole okra, but it sucks to be that lady!

The slippery mucilage in okra acts as a natural “binder” which, when added to purees creates a consistency worth dipping for. I savor thick soup purees that can double as a dip, and okra supplies what I need to make it happen!

Kelley, my dear wife, is repulsed by okra, but this puree is today’s lunch and she’ll be reading this too late….sorry, Kelley. Yay me if she says it’s good before she knows what’s in the mix! I added the goat cheese to help offset the possibility of a feud later.

That’s another advantage of serving pureed meals; you can add heaps of healthy foods not favored by others, and they may never know! Cooking for kids? Not a problem if you serve a healthy homemade blend of veggies and give it a fun name. I'd call this blend “Hulk Stew” for the little “Hulk(s)” in your life; they’ll love it!

Slow-Cooker “Green” White Bean Veggie Puree (a.k.a. Hulk Stew)

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Ingredients (Serves 4 - 6)

• 2 (15oz) cans drained and rinsed or 1 cup dried white beans; I used dried cannellini beans and soaked overnight, but any white bean will work.
• 12oz bag of frozen cut okra
• 10oz bag of frozen or fresh carrots
• 12oz bag of frozen broccoli
• 10oz bag of frozen diced green peppers, onions, and celery mix
• 4 – 6 cloves fresh garlic; I love garlic, use less if you don’t
• 1 T each of cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, and paprika
• 2 t dried thyme
• 1 t cayenne powder
• 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock; I used about 1/2 cup of Pacific Natural Foods French Onion Soup for extra flavor, but not too much as it’s high in sodium!
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• Optional: Creamy goat cheese to crumble on top or blend into potentially mad wife’s portion; or just because it’s good.

Instructions

Add all ingredients to slow cooker (you may need more liquid, but I like to make sure it’s really thick) and cook on high for 4 hours.

Puree everything together with an immersion blender right in the pot, or scoop out into blender and puree in batches. Be careful if using a blender; heat expands and you’ll have a hot mess all over you and your kitchen!

Garnish with extra paprika, parsley, and crumbled goat cheese if desired

Serve with your favorite chip for dipping; try it hot or cold

Powered by Recipage

Thick soups/stews are easy to make and a lot of fun! Add a side crunchy chips or hearty whole grain crackers for dipping and skip using a spoon altogether!
 
Q: How do you your soups/stews/dips? Hot or cold; thick or thin?

I guess it depends on the type of soup (thick miso soup would be weird), but cold and thick soups are my favorite in the summer!

Spicy Protein Black Bean Cake Mistakes – My Meatless Monday Mishap

Time for posting will most likely be short this week (boo), but it’s hard to not post anything. Plus, I have to share this recipe I created on accident.


You ever do that; set out to make one thing, and wind up with something else? I guess that’s how a lot of great things have come into existence…..the slinky, microwave, Post-it notes, and even chocolate chip cookies, to name a few.

I was trying to make black bean burgers this weekend, but the wet ingredients seemed too much for the small amount of corn flour and protein powder I used; so I kept adding more until I could form patties.

Apparently, I could’ve stopped adding dry ingredients after the first 3/4 cup, but it just didn’t seem right to me.

So instead of a moist and tender bean burger, I wound up with a slightly crispy and tasty bean cake like you see here.

Meh, I didn’t want to use a bun anyway! These would’ve great formed into rectangles for a fun finger food you could use with cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or just mustard as delicious dips. Kelley definitely didn’t mind either; she snuck a few bites before I was able to put the patty (cakes?) in the fridge!

This recipe is one delectable mistake that I’ll be making again………on purpose. Try it for yourself and let me know how you like or what you did different.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Shittake Mushrooms take the...errr...um...cake!

Spicy Black Bean Cake Mistakes

Ingredients

- 1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight or 2 (15oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 6oz of your favorite salsa; the amount varies, just eyeball it and add more towards the end if needed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers (any color); chopped
- 4 cloves garlic; crushed and minced
- 4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 whole eggs or 3 egg whites; you can use 1/4 cup ground flax seed to make this vegan
- 3/4 cup corn flour
- 3/4 cup unflavored protein powder
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Ground black pepper to taste; no need for salt as there should be enough in the salsa and mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons dried cilantro


Directions
 - Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

- Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat, sweat onion, bell peppers, and garlic; add beans, cilantro, and spices and cover to let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.

- Remove beans from heat and transfer to large bowl to let cool; you don’t want to cook the eggs!
- Using a large fork or potato masher, mash most of the beans leaving a few ones intact for texture.

- Add remaining wet ingredients to bowl and mix well. Sift dry ingredients in small bowl and slowly mix into wet.

-With a large spoon, scoop the mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet, form into patties or whatever shape you want, and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, and then flip over and cook another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven (should have a crispy brown crust) and let cool on pan for 5 to 10 minutes.

 - Top each cake with salsa, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, or mustard and any of your favorite toppings. Serve with a big side of steamed veggies.

Q: Do you like finger foods or prefer to use utensils most of the time?

A: I love finger foods, but most of my comfort foods are consumed with a spoon and a cup. Mmmmm, squash and fruit purees……….

Quick and Healthy Meatless Monday: Cool Quinoa Curry Salad

Quinoa is pretty awesome stuff.  I'm always amazed that when I mention it at work or many other places, people just get a confused look on their face.  These are the same people who can tell you when the iPad 8 (I know this isn't real; I'm exaggerating) is being released.

Being a staple seed in our home, I'm always looking for new and tasty ways to prepare the tiny spheres of complete protein. Since I just bought some curry powder, I figured I'd try it with quinoa.

The result was pure and simple bliss with each bite. Fluffy quinoa, a little bite from the curry, a big bite from the cayenne, and full of healthy green veggies all work magic in this simple dish.  Now that the warmth is probably here to stay, this is a perfect meal to bring along on a picnic or to work for a cool lunch.

Make this Curry Quinoa Salad and double the ingredients to have again or for a quick fridge to plate dinner.

Ingredients  (serves 3-4):•1/2 cup dry quinoa; rinsed
•3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion; chopped
•12oz package of frozen green beans
•10 - 12oz package of frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup of any beans you have; I used black-eyed peas, but black, kidney, garbanzo, or any white beans would be great too
•1 cup chicken stock
•2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
•1 tablespoon each of curry powder, cumin, basil, cilantro
•1/2 teaspoon cayenne
•sea salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:
1. Heat non-stick sauce pan.
2. Add garlic and onion. Cook for three minutes or until soft. Add spices and let toast for 20 seconds.
3. Add vegetables, quinoa, stock and salt and pepper (if desired).
4. Cook for 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked (it will be translucent).
5. Transfer to large bowl or portion out into storage containers for each person. Place in fridge to chill.
3. Whenever you're ready, take out of fridge and enjoy; no heat required!

Kelley doesn't like them, but I added sliced beets to mine. Great color contrast and taste (to me)!
I have been finding many ways to use quinoa, including quinoa pancakes for Kelley and quinoa cookies with goat cheese, rosemary, and espresso balsamic.

Interested?  I'll be posting recipes soon!

What food staples do you use each week?  Is it boring or something you'd never give up?

I always have yogurt and some form of squash ready to use.  These things are not boring and I most certainly would never give them up!

Easy and Heart Healthy Meals for Friends

 

What a weekend! The weather was great, Kelley and I had an awesome time together, and our turtle, Hector, has a new home.

Hector getting a feel for his new home...

He paced the perimeter from one end to the other the entire day, but he seems to be pretty happy. Maybe it’s just me, be his colors even look more vibrant now that he’s out of that plastic storage box. We found a few grubs, beetles, and worms that he quickly gulped down to support his post hibernation energy requirements. Plus, I was nice enough to share a bit of papaya, sweet potato, butternut squash, and jicama for him to snack on; he’s one well-fed turtle!

Papaya halved with seeds exposed; these have a peppery flavor that goes great on salad....I saved some for Hector

Kelley had her own big project to tackle after Hector’s home, and she spent all day Sunday working on the front garden; she has the sunburn to prove it! Her work is always high quality and it shows in Hector’s home, the garden, and our entire yard. I help lift and move things for her, but the rest is all her.  If I didn't cook for us, I wouldn't have much to offer!

It was great spending time outside in the gorgeous weather with my beautiful wife, and although I mentioned time in the kitchen would be reduced, I ended up cooking a work lunch for each day. I even prepared 4 meals for our friend at work; he seems to really enjoy my cooking, and I enjoy providing food to someone who’s appreciative.

For the past 3 weeks I have been preparing extra meals for our work friend, and it’s amazing to think he started out having never heard of quinoa. After first telling him the type of food I cook, he was on Wikipedia searching for an explanation of the complete protein seed that cooks like a grain.

A typical meal for our friend would be a trip to the work cafeteria for something like pizza or nachos in a Styrofoam box. Now, instead of the typical fast food fare, he’ll have organic red quinoa with mixed veggies, split green pea soup puree with broccoli and cauliflower, steamed beans and veggies with an organic jersey sweet potato, and a mix of steamed veggies with beans a flaked salmon. My .02…..Food should be savored and enjoyed, not something consumed from the cafeteria just to fill your stomach.

These meals will provide heart-healthy nutrients and flavor for our friend; hopefully he will notice how much better he feels after including more of the meals I prepare in place of café foods. The recipes are easy to prepare (see links to recipes below), which helped save time this weekend.I even had time to embark on other recipes I wanted to try and will save these for another post this week.

Red Quinoa is easy to prepare and full of vital nutrients to fuel your body right!

Green Split Pea Soup Puree

This link lists lentils, but split peas can be swapped 1:1

Red Quinoa with beans and veggies

Steamed Jersey sweet potato with mixed veggies

Steamed veggies with salmon

Just steam your favorite frozen mixed veggies (I used a mix of broccoli, corn, red peppers, onions, red and white beans, and canned salmon) and season as you please. I used Drew’s Smoked Tomato Dressing to toss everything together; a little goes a long way!

Split Green Pea Puree topped with Arugula...I love this spicy leaf!

I have been trying to update my page with new social links (I have a new Facebook page), and want to apologize for any problems you may have encountered lately. Please check out my Facebook page and “like” Just Add Cayenne (that is, if you actually do “like” my blog) using the button at the top, and use the new Pinterest button to pin any pictures you like and want to share.

I am trying to increase my presence in the foodie world, and appreciate any support. If you see something that does or doesn’t work for you, please let me know and I will hopefully change the problem or continue doing what works. If you’re reading this now, I thank you just for checking out my page and hope you come back again.

Are you known for being the “weird”, healthy person at your job or home? Has anyone ever approached you to prepare a few meals or to help answer their food matters? If not, would you do this if asked to?

I like seeing someone choose to eat healthier by choice, and it feels great helping to provide a means to do so.

Meatless Monday: Green Smoothies and Black Beans with Brown Rice

 How was your weekend? Did you do anything “green” for St. Patrick’s Day?

I took a shot at making a green smoothie with frozen banana and spinach; first vanilla flavored, and then mint chocolate. I was hoping to replicate the green smoothie Katie made on her blog at Chocolate-Covered Katie, but it wasn’t quite the same.

What do you think?

Do these compare?

At least Kelley enjoyed her mint chocolate smoothie!

I topped mine with pistachios (more green!) and frozen chopped carrots for good contrast.



Kelley and I walked over to a neighbor’s house on Saturday night for a St. Patrick’s neighborhood party and we finally got to meet some neighbors. We just moved in a few months ago, so it was good to mingle with the people we usually just wave to as we pass by.

There was green food and beer throughout the host’s home, but nothing Kelley and I really cared to try. However, I did find myself wondering if any green food was made “green” by pureeing spinach or another green veggie instead of artificial coloring. Beer pureed with spinach…anyone? Didn’t think so.

I cooked more NuNaturals stevia sweetened protein snacks than usual this weekend and they all came out pretty good. Well, besides the microwave chocolate cake I tried to make without actually measuring ingredients; as you can see, that didn’t go so well….



Mug Overflow!



The remains....



Cooking and preparing food each day takes a lot of my time and always leaves Kelley waiting for me to finish. The extra snacks I cooked are meant to replace my daily purees of squash, fruit, and almond milk as well as chopping apples and carrots to use as a mock cereal. Basically, I’m trying not to eat so much with a spoon and a cup which is my most common manner of eating in the evening. We’ll see how it goes this week, but with some of the goods I cooked, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Yum! Who needs stuff in a cup with these Chocolate Protein Brownies?

Packed and ready for lunch!!

Today’s Meatless Monday lunch will be black beans and brown rice; I wasn’t lying about having beans and rice on Friday’s Post! This is no disappointment though; I snuck a taste (quality control!) and am very pleased with the outcome.

Want to make this for yourself? It’s easy, healthy, and inexpensive….a winning combo!

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

•3/4 cup brown rice
•3/4 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight (you can use canned too, just rinse and drain first)
•3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion; I used a package of frozen and chopped onion

•1 package of frozen French style green beans

•1 package of frozen chopped broccoli
•1 cup preferred broth or stock
•1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

•2 tablespoons spicy brown or yellow mustard

•Mixture of several herbs and spices including: cumin, chili powder, basil, cilantro, turmeric, and cayenne

Directions:

1. Heat non-stick deep skillet or sauce pan on medium-high

2. Add garlic and onion. Cook for three minutes or until soft

3. Add rice and stir around to lightly toast it; about one minute

4. Add all remaining ingredients
5. Cook for about 45 minutes; the liquid should be mostly absorbed

Told you it was easy. If you don’t mind have things more than once a week, I’d suggest making a double batch for another meal throughout the week.

Have you ever made a large (to you) purchase and felt the need to cut back elsewhere?

I have (hence the recipe above), but I’m sure we’d be ok either way. Plus, this new camera takes some great pics! Enjoy your week!

Red “Meatless Monday” Quinoa

A little leftover for my breakfast...

Welcome to Monday; the day most 9 to 5 workers dread (myself included) as it means the weekend is over and work begins. It’s a vicious cycle; if I could still be surrounded by food, I wouldn’t mind so much.
Kelley and I were out looking at things we don’t “need” but really want and will probably get. You know how that goes? You keep searching for justification to purchase something, and finally, you just get the thing. Kelley wants an iPad2 and I want a new digital camera to help with food pictures and just because ours current cameras are out of date. We haven’t yet, but with Best Buy’s stupid 0% offers, we’ll probably have our “wants” soon.

After a day of shopping, we came home and setup the pull-up and punching bag station (it finally arrived) and took a few swings before winding down for the evening. Kicking and hitting a big bag was more fun than I expected, and I enjoy the added variety for exercise with built in stress relief!

Quinoa has become a staple “grain” (it’s really a seed) in our home since it’s just as versatile as rice, with the added bonus of packing a more nutritious punch. For today’s work lunch, I used red quinoa (it comes in black and white too) just to keep things interesting. There is not a nutritional difference between the colors, but some say the white one has a lighter flavor while red is more Earthy. You’ll have to decide for yourself, since I don’t notice a contrast in taste.

To make this dish, I used the following (serves 3-4):
•1/2 cup Quinoa
•3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 onion; I used a package of frozen and chopped onion
•1 package of frozen mixed vegetables; mine had some beans in there too
•1 package of frozen chopped broccoli
•1 cup chicken stock

•2 tablespoons of your favorite mustard (optional)
•Mixture of several herbs and spices including: cumin, chili powder, basil, cilantro, turmeric, and cayenne

To prepare:
1. Heat non-stick sauce pan.
2. Add garlic and onion. Cook for three minutes or until soft.
3. Add vegetables, quinoa, water or stock and salt and pepper (if desired).
4. Cook for 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked (it will be translucent).

If you can't tell, I like extra seasoning; I see Cayenne!

For the meat lovers in your life, red quinoa can be used as a tasty protein replacement on Meatless Monday. I made extra of this dish to bring for our friend at work since he liked the quinoa sample from last week; hopefully the red doesn’t scare him off.

I ended up cooking more than I said I would on Friday’s post, but Kelley and I still had a great time together and we installed the hardware on our kitchen drawers and cabinets. Actually, Kelley made the templates, marked where to drill, installed the hardware, and cleaned up afterward; I just drilled the holes. We were pretty efficient since I was cooking while doing this in the kitchen; that takes more proficiency than most might realize! This is something we’ve been meaning to do for a while but kept pushing it off.

These pulls will make opening drawers much easier!

Anyway, how was your weekend? Did you tackle any looming plans you’ve been pushing off? If you haven’t already, don’t miss your chance to win NuNaturals Stevia products by clicking here and commenting.

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie and Making Others Happy with Food

 Coming back from Breckenridge, CO left us in a sad state since we know it means going back to work. Since we were both fighting off the inevitable and thinking of a way to delay going to work, I decided to seek solace through food. My Sunday was mostly spent in the kitchen because it’s therapeutic to me; prepping our lawn for summer was Kelley’s therapy.

Working off the adage “A happy wife is a happy life,” I wanted to make something for Kelley to make her happy. This, in turn, will unleash my happiness! For breakfast, I made some pretty tasty pumpkin protein crepes in an effort to capture the feeling of eating crepes in Breck. The crepes were a success (or she’s a good liar) and she readily stuffed one with goat cheese just like she had on vacation. Great, happiness level going North!


Now I needed to keep it up and make some good lunches for the work week ahead. I scanned my brain thinking of the food we had and that she likes: goat cheese, check….jersey sweet potatoes, check……green onions, check. I know all of these things alone are cherished by my dear wife, but what if *enter suspenseful noise* I combined them? And that’s exactly what I did….

Since I usually steam a blend of frozen mixed beans and veggies to pair with jersey sweet potatoes, I decided to spruce the meal up a little. I made an easy vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Here is what you need and what to do with it all:

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 medium jersey sweet potatoes (scrubbed with skin on; you can use your favorite spud or even cauliflower)
3 – 4 ounces plain goat cheese “chevre”
2 cloves crushed and chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onion (chives)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 egg (not necessary but helps hold things together)
1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, paprika, parsley, dill, and ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne (I used more b/c we like it spicy!)
1/2 cup of your favorite jar of salsa
Ground pepper to taste
1 bag frozen mixed beans and veggies (I used a fiesta blend)

1 bag frozen peas

 

Preparation

Turn your oven broiler on.

Wrap scrubbed spuds loosely in paper towels and microwave for 4 – 5 minutes on each side; they will be soft to the touch when ready. Place potatoes in medium bowl, add all ingredients but the frozen foods and 1/2 cup of salsa and mash with a potato masher or large fork.

Microwave steam frozen veggies and peas in microwave-safe container. Season with a little sea salt and ground pepper to taste and add the remaining salsa; I used more of the same spices used in the potato mixture too. Feel free to experiment here, I like to change the herbs and spices used as much as possible.

Transfer veggie mixture into glass baking dish (I used individual dishes so I didn’t have to do anything after broiling) and spread mashed potato mixture evenly across the top. I ran a fork across to help with even cooking and it looked cool to me. Sprinkle with a little more paprika and broil for 5 to 10 minutes until a golden crust appears. Remove from oven, let cool, and store in fridge.

We had this meal today for Meatless Monday and Kelley really liked it. So, I guess I have one more day of a happy life with my happy wife. I only hope tomorrow’s food is good enough for another day of bliss!

Do you try to make your loved one happy with food?