Oatmeal Waffles

This morning, I made waffles for breakfast.  I cheated and used pancake/waffle mix, but I didn't quite have enough batter for both Ryan and me to eat.  I ended up grinding some oats to a fine powder using the coffee grinder.  I added the powder to the batter along with a little more milk and oil to give the batter the correct consistency.  I topped my waffles with peanut butter, a little syrup, and strawberries!  This gave the waffles a savory, sweet, and fruity flavor.  They were delicious, but the oats made them a bit more crumbly than I'd like.  However, I think they filled me up better than regular waffles, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay full longer.  So I consider them a success...just wish they weren't so crumbly.  Also, now I really want to try some other waffle recipes.

Home-grown

Mmmm!  I love home-grown veggies!  My container garden has been through a lot (including a move to a new state), but it has survived.  I have ONE pepper and lots of tomatoes.  I also have three tiny cucumbers!  My yellow squash has flowered at least three times, but not squash yet.  My zucchini died...as did my radishes and green onion.  My carrots have lots of green leaves showing, but I'm too scared to pull any up yet.  Here are some pictures:

Cucumbers (3 little ones)

Sweet Pepper (only 1)

Tomatoes (multiple cherry and regular-sized ones)

Basil (also in the container: cilantro, parsley, and oregano)

The tomatoes are DELICIOUS!  I can't wait for the green ones to turn red...they're not producing fast enough for me.  Hehe.  :)

Beef and Kale Stew

I was never a fan of stew, but here I am giving it a second chance.  And I'm glad I did.  This has to be the best stew I've ever had.  Other ideas for this stew include adding cremini mushrooms or serving it over cooked quinoa.

Beef and Kale Stew

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 T garlic powder
2 t dried thyme
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried oregano
2 large carrots, slicked
2 large celery stalks
1 lb beef stew meat
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c beef stock
2 T marsala wine
4 c thinly sliced kale
1 T red wine vinegar
Sea salt (total of about 1 t) and pepper

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, green onions, garlic, and some sea salt; saute for 5 minutes.  Add dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, carrots, and celery; saute for 5 more minutes.  Then add stew meat, and continue to saute for an additional 5 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, beef stock, and marsala wine; bring to a boil.  Then cover and reduce heat to low or medium-low.  Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the kale, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Cooking the veggies!

Rice, Black Bean, and Feta Salad

I really think this recipe could use some red in it--maybe some tomato or red pepper.  Next time.  Still very good.

Rice, Black Bean, and Feta Salad

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 c. celery, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 c. green onion, diced
3.5 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Mix everything together.  Refrigerate for a few hours and enjoy!

Indian Curry

Ryan and I often make Thai curry, but for a change we decided to try out an Indian curry recipe we found in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.  Here it is with a few adjustments we made.

Indian Curry

2 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t curry powder
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 T oilve oil
1 medium onion, diced
Sea salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
about 30 baby carrots, sliced
1 can coconut milk
1 T tomato paste
4 c thinly sliced kale

MIx cumin, coriander, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  Heat oil in a large skillet.  Saute the onion with a little sea salt for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic, seasoning mix, and a little sea salt.  Saute for another 2 minutes; then add the chicken.  Saute for another 5 minutes.  Add carrots, coconut milk and tomato paste.  Stir well.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add sliced kale.  Stir well and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Fish Tacos

Today was the first day I've ever cooked fish in my life.  I've hated all kinds of seafood for the past 10+ years of my life--mostly I hated the smell of fish.  However, a little over a year ago I decided to give it another chance.  It's a slow process because I'm scared of cooking it, which means I only eat it when we dine out (and then I generally see other items on the menu that sound better) or if a friend/relative makes it for me.  Today I decided to face my fears, and I made these fish tacos using tilapia for lunch.  We were going to use halibut, but couldn't find any fresh at the store.

Fish Tacos

1/2 lb fresh tilapia or halibut fillets, skin removed

1 T olive oil

Marinade:
1 lime, juiced, about 2 to 3 tablespoons
1/2 c wheat-free tamari
1 T Mexican seasoning

Other ingredients: 
Whole wheat or corn tortillas
Guacamole
Fire-roasted salsa or spicy fire-roasted salsa
Thinly sliced romaine lettuce
Shredded Mexican cheese

Cut fish into bite-sized pieces.  Place fish into a small bowl, and add lime juice, tamari, and Mexican seasoning.  Marinade for 30-40 minutes.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When oil is hot, saute fish for 5-6 minutes or until fish is cooked through.  Immediately serve fish in a tortilla topped with guacamole, salsa, lettuce, and cheese.  Enjoy!

Stir-fried Tempeh

Years ago, Pk introduced Ryan to tempeh (see Tempeh).  For the past 6 months, Ryan keeps bringing it up.  I looked at probably 6 or 7 different grocery stores before I finally found some.  I used a recipe from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook with a few alterations.  I really liked the stir-fry, but the tempeh turned out very strong.  I actually marinated mine for about 45 minutes, and I think that was a little long. The flavor was really good though.

Stir-fried Tempeh:

one 8oz package tempeh
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T tamari (or soy sauce)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t paprika

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped into large pieces
1 medium zucchini, chopped into chunks
about 20 baby carrots, chopped in half
1 c artichoke hearts
1 c chopped roma tomatoes
1 c chopped parsley
1/2 c chopped basil

3 c cooked brown rice


Cut the tempeh into bite-sized cubes and place in a bowl.  Add the balsamic vinegar, tamari, garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika.  Marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add tempeh; cook for 5-10 minutes, turning frequently.  Remove tempah from pan and place in a bowl; set aside.  Add onions and carrots to the skillet.  Saute for a few minutes.  Then add the zucchini.  Stir-fry until vegetables are slightly tender.  Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, parsley, basil, and cooked tempeh.  Stir-fry until everything is heated through, 2-5 minutes.  Serve over brown rice.

Olive Oil Fries

These fries were so good I almost forgot to take a picture of them.  Ryan and I ate them with baked chicken marinated in Lowry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade.  We used new potatoes, but you can also use russet or sweet potatoes for these fries.

Olive Oil Fries:

• 2 large new potatoes
• 1/8 c. olive oil
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/2 t turmeric 
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 T paprika
• Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Scrub potatoes; then slice them into strips or wedges.  Place them in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with olive oil and seasonings; toss to coat.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake until golden and fork tender, 30-40 minutes.  Flip potatoes half-way through.

Tempeh

Get ready, vegetarians (and meat-lovers that are looking for ONE alternative meal)!  I'm making tempeh in the very near future!!!  I want to pre-thank Pk for introducing Ryan to tempeh.  However, if this turns out a disaster, I'm blaming him.

Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers

As usual, I was craving burgers tonight.  Hadn't had one in over a week.  Ryan and I decided to go with turkey to be a bit healthier.  Then we thought adding some spice would be good...unfortunately the jalapeno we bought was really mild.  But the burgers were still yummy in my tummy!!  I forgot to take a picture of my burger all made up, so I'll try to get one of the leftover tomorrow.

Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers
Patties:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar
• Spices--use best judgement:
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• smoked paprika
• chili powder
• sea salt
• pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 4 whole wheat buns
• condiments (ketchup, BBQ, mustard, etc)
• fixings (pickles, lettuce, tomato, etc)

To make the patties, combine all of the patty ingredients.  Divide meat mixture into four balls.  Press each ball into a patty.  Grill until cooked through.  Place on a bun and top with your favorite condiments and burger fixings.  

Vegetarian Lasagna

This one goes out to my vegetarian readers.  Just like the meaty lasagna, it's inspired by Gayle's recipe.  The basic ingredients are the same; however, this version is meatless and the sauce is made from scratch (we usually use a pre-made spaghetti sauce).

Vegetarian Lasagna

15 whole wheat lasagna noodles

1 (24 oz) container cottage cheese

1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (4 oz) bag of shredded Parmesan cheese

Tomato Sauce:

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 t. sea salt

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1/2 c scotch 

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

6 oz water

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 T fresh basil, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet.  Once hot, saute the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini with sea salt and crushed red peppers for 2 minutes.  Add the scotch and diced tomatoes.  Simmer for 2 minutes.  Then add the tomato sauce, paste, and water.  Simmer for another 2 minutes.  Finally add the green onions, basil, and garlic.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9"x13" cake pan.  Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Start the first layer by placing a layer of lasagna noodles (5 noodles) on the sauce.  Spread cottage cheese on noodles.  Cover the cottage cheese with the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the sauce.  Repeat the layering process twice, for a total of three layers.

Once all three layers are made, bake the lasagna in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the noodles.  Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.   

Lasagna

A year or so ago, Ryan's mom, Gayle, gave us a simple lasagna recipe.  We liked it so much that we use it as a foundation any time we make lasagna.  We usually end up adding or altering ingredients.  The following recipe is one of our alterations. 

Lasagna

• 1 lb Ground Beef, Turkey, Pork, or Sausage
• Garlic, Sea Salt, and Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 Small Onion
• 1 Jar Prego Sauce (preferably the Roasted Red Pepper variety)
• 2 Shots Scotch, Whiskey, or Bourbon
• 2/3 Red Pepper
• 15 Whole Wheat Lasagna noodles
• 24 oz Cottage Cheese
• 2 c Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 to 1 c Parmesan Cheese

Brown ground meat in a large skillet.  Season with garlic, sea salt, and pepper to taste.  Add onion when almost fully cooked.  After meat is fully cooked, add Prego, liquor, and red pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.  Spoon some of the meat mixture into the pan.  Add three layers of noodles, cottage cheese, meat mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese (in that order).  Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through noodles.  Top with more Parmesan Cheese, if desired.  Cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Great Divide

Went hiking in Golden Gate Canyon State Park today. It was beautiful, even though we had to deal with intermittent light rain. We'll post pictures soon.

On the way back, we tried to stop by Golden City Brewery, "the second largest brewery in Golden." They stop serving at 6:30pm every day, so we missed the boat. Onward to Great Divide in downtown Denver.

We hadn't been to the Great Divide taproom since November. Besides the usual suspects, they had Rumble IPA and Smoked Baltic Porter. The porter was pretty much perfect. Similar to O'Fallon's Smoked Porter without invoking bacon, and balanced enough to drink more than one. Of course, I only drank one and then moved onto the Rumble IPA. This is easily one of my favorite beers. If you've heard me bullshit about beer, you know that I'm all about balance. I really don't care for the over the top west coast IPAs, nor do I care much for one-dimensional (I'm looking at you, Shiner Bock) darker beers. Rumble IPA is wood-aged, 7.1% ABV, balanced bliss. Snag some, if you can find it. We picked up a six pack on our way out of the brewery.

Now, if we can only make it to Golden City on time..

Hop-ricot

Support your local brewery. Or breweries. Seriously. You'll never know what kind of delicious beer you're missing out on until you find and then visit them.

Our new home is very close to Dry Dock Brewing Company in Aurora, CO. Dry Dock won "Small Brewing Company of the Year" at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. They've also won "Best Brewpub" the past three years from the local ABC affiliate, which is quite a feat given the number and quality of brewpubs in the area. Of course, when I think of a brewpub, I think of a restaurant that brews beer. There's no kitchen at Dry Dock. There is popcorn, and you're welcome to bring your own food.

The real star is the beer. I have much respect for any brewery that has a Double IPA included in their year-round ("home fleet") lineup. Especially when it's a damn tasty Double IPA. They also tap a Firkin keg every Friday afternoon. From what I gather, it's usually one of their regular beers with a twist. Today's Firkin is called Hop-ricot and is half IPA, half Apricot Blonde. It was fantastic. Hazy peach color with a hop bite on the front and apricot finish. Sort of like a kicked up Magic Hat #9.

So far I've really enjoyed the Pale, IPA, Double IPA, and ESB from Dry Dock. I look forward to trying the rest of their beers. What's brewing in your neighborhood?

Sunny Quinoa Salad

I love the quinoa salads found in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, but I decided that it was time for me to make up my own quinoa salad.  Here's how I made it:

Sunny Quinoa Salad

1 c. quinoa
1-3/4 c. water
pinch of sea salt

4 green onions, sliced
1 c. chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1-1/2 ears of corn, cooked, corn cut from the cob
1 c. canned black beans

Dressing:
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 t. sea salt

Topping:
Raw sunflower seeds
Olive Oil
Sea salt

1. Prepare quinoa:
Rinse the dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under warm running water. Place quinoa in a medium sauce pan with the water and sea salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the additional ingredients (green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, red pepper, corn, and black beans). Once the oven is preheated, roast raw sunflower seeds in a cake or pie pan with a little olive oil and sea salt for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Remove pot of quinoa from the stove and let cool.

3. Once the quinoa is cool, transfer to a bowl with a lid. Add the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, red pepper, corn, and black beans to it.

4. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a separate small bowl. Pour over the quinoa and vegetables. Toss salad together.

5. To serve, spoon salad on a plate or bowl and top with the roasted sunflower seeds. The salad can also be chilled for later use. I recommend adding the sunflower seeds right before you serve it so they don't get soggy.

Cilantro Black Beans

A month or so ago, my sister made some black beans with cilantro to go with her absolutely delicious sour cream chicken enchiladas.  They were delicious, so I asked her for the recipe.  I used her recipe, except I also added a green onion to the beans.  Here's how you make it:

Cilantro Black Beans

2 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced

Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  These beans go great with enchiladas or grilled chicken.

Chicken Basil Pizza

Over a year and a half ago, Ryan bought a bread machine.  Since he bought it, we had only used it three times.  So today we decided to use it for the 4th time and make some pizza crust with it.  The pizza we made turned out amazing!  Here it is:

Chicken Basil Pizza

Crust--made in a bread machine:

• 1 c. plus 2 T water
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 t. dried Italian herbs
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. sea salt
• 2-1/2 t active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in the oder listed.  Select the dough cycle on bread machine, and start machine.

Move oven rack to lowest position.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease two cookie sheets.  Divide dough in half.  Pat each half into a 12" circle on cookie sheet with floured fingers.  Bake dough for 10 minutes.

While dough is baking make chicken and sauce.

Chicken:
Heat 1 T olive oil in skillet.  Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.  Cook chicken in skillet until done.

Sauce:

• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 T fresh oregano
• 1 T fresh basil
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all sauce ingredients together in a skillet or small sauce pan.  Heat through.

Build the Pizza:
When dough is done baking, take it out of oven.  Spread olive oil on the crust.  Then spread the sauce.  Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese.  Top with your favorite toppings, or use ours:

• Sliced tomatoes
• Diced red, yellow, or orange peppers
• Diced onions
• Sliced black olives
• Chicken
• Fresh basil
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Sea Salt
• Pepper

Place the pizza directly on the oven rack.  Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy with a glass of wine.