Pico De Gallo

When it comes to fresh, light, summery foods, really nothing comes close to some homemade pico. "Eat pico de gallo for dinner" you ask? Well, of course you can! Although it's preeeetty tempting to devour an entire bag of tortilla chips & a bowl of this goodness & call it dinner, I wouldn't always recommend that (although I sometimes would). 

We like to use pico as a fine, fine addition to our tacos (chicken, fish, steak, or bean). Usually we like to keep our tacos pretty simple: warmed corn tortillas (always corn, always warmed), protein of choice (best grilled with lime), pico, & cheese. If we're feeling particularly spunky, we'll add in some sliced avocado &/or Greek yogurt to top them off.

Tacos are great because they are so versatile, but also because they're a hearty, yet light meal, & they don't take much oven time at all. We like to use our grill as much as humanly possible in the summer, so that keeps this meal completely oven-free for us.

The pico, of course, doesn't use the oven at all, so you can whip up a batch without adding extra heat to your kitchen. And if you're actually into heat this time of year, you can play around with the amount of jalapenos or the amount of seeds you keep. I would recommend wearing some gloves while chopping the jalapenos so that when you're done chopping them & when you rub your eyes immediately after, they won't get smeared with hot jalapeno juice (is it just me that does that?)

Picco De Gallo

Ingredients

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 medium white or red onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped

1 medium jalapeno, seeded (unless you like it hot) & chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

A few handfuls of chopped cilantro

1-2 tsp lime juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

It's very important that you take the extra time to seed the tomatoes so that the pico doesn't get really runny. We also patted the tomatoes with a paper towel to make sure they were extra dry. Once you've seeded & chopped everything, mix the veggies in a medium sized bowl. Mix in the cilantro & drizzle the lime juice on top of that. Mix until incorporated well. Season with salt & pepper to taste & serve with tortilla chips, tacos, or anything else you'd like.

Tomato, Avocado, & Mozzarella Salad

When it comes to summer cookin', there's no messing around with the oven at our house. We don't have central air or any kind of air conditioning on our main level, so turning on the oven literally makes our house sauna-like. I was painfully reminded of this the other night as I preheated my oven to 375 to pop in a pan of frozen alfredo lasagna that I had made a few weeks earlier & froze for future use. When I had made it originally I thought, "won't it be so nice to have a scrumptious meal that just has to be warmed?" I didn't really think through the fact that it would eventually get hot this summer & by cooking this lasagna, it would heat up our entire house while it baked for 45 minutes, thus making me a crabby, sweaty mess.

So that sort of kicked me in the pants & motivated me to dig deep into my "anti-oven" cooking collection.  I don't know how many times I've literally said out loud that I want to make a list of all our favorite non-oven meals so that we can eat in comfort & peace this summer, but now I'm finally getting to it. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting mostly "anti-oven" meals & then I'll make one big list that you (& I) can refer to often, especially once we get into the really thick weather of July & August.

So today, I share with you one of our favorite side dishes- Tomato, Avocado, & Mozzarella Salad. It's a total crowd pleaser, full of flavor, & best of all, extremely nourishing. This salad works best when you make it & then immediately scarf it down because of the avocados (the lemon juice does help them keep their color, but it's still best if eaten sooner rather than later). Left-overs are not encouraged.

What I'm really going to love about this recipe this summer is that I'll get to use some of my fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, & parsley all from my own garden! Everything is growing so intensely right now, so I'm hoping to have a nice bounty of plump veggies & herbs to cook with this summer. I'm still dreaming of a lemon & avocado trees...maybe next year?

This salad can be quite adaptable, too. You can eat it simply as a side, or you can get all crazy & wrap it up with a tortilla or make it into a panini-type sandwich. You could even toss the ingredients into an omelette or with some pasta, but that would involve a bit of stovetop use. My favorite way to eat it is with a toasty baguette, maybe with a little meat somethin' somethin' on the grill. Mmmm....

It's simple, refreshing, & satisfying, my friends. So stay cool & eat your hearts out.

Tomato, Avocado, & Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 carton fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained
1 avocado, peeled & diced
1/3 cup basil, julienned
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil & parsley & then set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper & drizzle over the tomato mixture. Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Just before serving the salad, mix in the chopped avocados, making sure everything is evenly coated.

Recipe adapted from Everything Fabulous

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Buns. Buns. Buns. Buns. Bunnnnnnnnsssssss. I think I would rather starve than go on the Atkins diet because I am so in love with all things bread. Maybe that's a problem, but maybe it's not. I'm a full believer in most foods moderation-wise & I figure, if we're going to splurge on something scrumptious like a hamburger or heck, a veggie burger, then why not go way over the top & make a hearty bun? Go big or go home people.

I've been testing out a few bun recipes for a couple months now & have been pretty disappointed with most of my results. I've always struggled in the bread/bun/roll department, mostly because you are supposed to do things like take the temp of the water, or wait exact amounts of time before adding certain ingredients. I'm not that good at following directions anyways, but once you start telling me when I should do them, too, things go downhill quickly.

Luckily this recipe is pretty much fool-proof (although I totally screwed it up the first time, thinking that the recipe made 6 bun halves instead of 6 bun pairs, so we ended up having GINORMOUS burgers that night & had bun hangovers in the morning). Plus, they are wholesome & hearty & they freeze like champs, so you can whip up a big ol' batch & enjoy them for all your summer cook outs.

I especially like how each bun is uniquely shaped. No bun is the same- each one a special ball of wheaty goodness with a cripsy, yet flakey crust. You're seriously gonna love these buns.

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water, divided
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions
Mix the sugar, 1/2 cup warm water & the yeast i& set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to froth, indicating the yeast is alive & well.

Sift all the flours, salt, & baking soda. Knead on low speed in a stand mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes, trickling in 1 cup of water until you have a dough that's smooth but slightly sticky. Add the oil & continue to knead until the oil has been absorbed by the dough, about 1 more minute.

Now place in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat all over with oil, cover with a kitchen towel, & set aside for 2 hours until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough & divide into 6 balls

Shape them into smooth balls. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, at least a couple of inches apart. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers, & let the buns rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 370. Place the buns in the oven & bake 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Holy Cow! A Vegan Blog

Whole-Wheat Cornbread

Is anyone else not only sick of the cold weather, but everyone complaining about it? I've literally had to stay away from most social media lately because it's just been driving me crazy. Yes, we know it's cold! Please talk about something else! Or at least stop moaning about it!

Now to be fair, my hometown of Duluth, MN has been getting some pretty stupendous amounts of snow. As of right now, this is the 2nd snowiest April on record, ever! When we were visiting Duluth last weekend, it snowed 14.5 inches & 4 more as we were leaving. This morning, my Dad texted me a picture of snow mounding over his mailbox with a message that said, "20 inches yesterday." My Mom, on a similar train of thought, sent me a picture of the Target parking lot's snow mountain. These are crazy times here, folks.

Although I definitely am one to complain about the weather (I always seem to be either too cold or too hot), I just can't take it any more. All this complaining has got to go! No more snowman memes, no more "ahh shucks another snow day" facebook updates or "will it ever end?" twitter tweats. Let's talk about something else, please! How about this cornbread?

On Friday, I was foolish/dumb/stubborn enough to have a rummage sale. Yes, it was 20 degrees. Yes, it rained, sleeted, & snowed. Yes, it was incredibly windy. But you know what? I kinda had fun. Again, remember that John & I kinda love extreme weather situations. Plus, I was selling a whole bunch of gems (crap). It's really amazing what people think are treasures.

After the sale, all I wanted to do was curl up with another bowl of vegetarian chili & soak it with some of this cornbread & crawl under a blanket for the rest of the day. I almost did that (except that my chili was still frozen, I didn't make any cornbread, & I had a clothing swap to go to-- yes, I planned this, too).

So since it's still winter in much of our country & since it sucks to bake in the summer, why don't you at least treat yourself to the best cornbread you will ever treat your taste buds too. Seriously, this bread is da bomb (sorry).

Whole-Wheat Cornbread
Ingredients
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup whole grain corn meal, preferably organic (I used Arrowhead Mills)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
2 eggs
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour together with corn meal, baking powder & salt.

In a small pan over medium heat melt the butter. Whisk in 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour & keep whisking until it begins to brown. Add the frozen corn kernels & let thaw in pan for a minute. Pour in heavy cream & whisk entire mixture together until it thickens (should only take a couple minutes). Mix in tablespoon of maple syrup & remove from heat.

Add creamed corn mixture, eggs, yogurt & grated cheese to dry flour mixture. Blend together well without over-mixing. Pour the batter into a silicone bread pan (or other pan) & bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from 100 Days of Real Food

Coconut Bread

Right after we got back from our trip to Florida, I was sluggishly doing laundry. I was having a hard time transitioning back to our Siberia-like weather conditions & the thought of getting back to every day domestic life was really depressing. Who wants to do laundry, cook, & clean when you can just lay around at the beach, watching your kid squeal around in utter bliss? 

While I was taking our clothes out of the luggage, I caught a whiff of one of the dresses I frequently wore to the beach (don't worry, this story ends well). I actually grabbed it out of the pile & breathed it in. It smelled of the sun. Instantly I was back in the warmth, the giddiness, & the joy that we felt by being in Florida. I'm not sure why the sun does that to us, but it is so gosh darn life-giving.

I love how our sense of smell is tied to so many memories. There are times when I literally am stopped in my tracks because I catch a scent of something that reminds me of a childhood experience I had or a far off land I once visited. And for me, the aroma of coconut will always remind me of the sun. That might be attributed to all the tanning lotion I poured over my body growing up, or maybe from sipping coconut rum in my summer collage days. Who knows. 

I absolutely love baking with coconut. Since we have cut a lot of the processed sugar in our diets, I have used a lot of unsweetened coconut & I think I actually like it better than the sugary stuff. I feel like you actually get the full flavor of the coconut & you aren't left with a gut bomb afterwards. Coconut oil is also lovely to bake & cook with & besides the incredible flavor, your house will end up smelling like something out of a Jamaican resort. For the record, I've never been to Jamaica, but this is how I picture it- everything smelling like coconut.

If you are like me & all of a sudden semi-obsessed with coconut, you will absolutely love this coconut bread. And if that's just not enough, here are a few other recipes to tempt you:

• Coconut chicken nuggets
• Coconut chocolate pie
• Whole wheat coconut chocolate chip cookies
• Oat drops

Coconut Bread
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup demerara
5 ounces unsweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & browned

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk & vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder & cinnamon. Add the sugar & coconut, & stir to mix. Make a well in the center, & pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, & stir until just smooth (don't overmix).

Spread batter in a silicone bread pan (you could use a different pan, but just make sure to spray it & lightly coat with flour first) & bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack. Wait until the bread is completely cooled before cutting.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Wheat Crackers

My friend Holly is in the middle of a life-changing food experiment to stop eating foods that contain GMO's (genetically modified organisms) because they are terrible for us (read Holly's blog here). Have you heard about GMO's? Do you realize how they are in almost everything processed we eat? Here's just a quick sample of some popular GMO's:

• Aspartame
• Sodium Ascorbate
• Vitamin C
• Sodium Citrate
• "Natural or Artificial Flavor"
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Lactid Acid
• Malodextrin
• Molasses (non-organic)
• Monosodium Glutamate
• Sucrose
• Xantham Gum

I encourage you to check out this site that gives way more detailed information on GMO's than I could begin to list here. They have an incredible list of products are are known to contain GMO's (yes, even some that are marketed as "natural"), those without GMO's & best of all, they have an app that you can download, because if you're anything like me, you have a hard time keeping things straight in your head.

Our food industry is in a lot of trouble & I think a lot of people just don't want to deal with it or don't have the resources to, so they continue to eat foods & feed foods to their families that are filled with toxic junk. Companies especially know how to target people that are low-income, have kids, & those with addictions (McDonalds is known to put addictive ingredients into their products) so that they can keep selling their crappy food. We are a society who loves convenience & we are too busy to invest in our health, so we just buy whatever's easiest, cheapest & takes the least effort. And unfortunately, as a society, we are paying the heavy price of extremely high cost medical & behavioral issues that have been linked to our unhealthy diets.

I think we owe it to ourselves & our children to really start reading nutrition labels, making choices based on those ingredients & voting with our forks.

If you are trying to cut back on eating foods that contain GMO's, here are a few things you can do:

1. Buy organic. Foods labeled "Certified Organic," by law, cannot knowingly contain GMO's.
2. Buy products with the Non-GMO Project seal.
3. Look for dairy products labeled "No rBGH or rBST,” or “artificial hormone-free" (however, just because a dairy product doesn't contain rBGH or rBST, it doesn't necessarily mean it's GMO-free because the cow could have eaten feed that was genetically modified, so organic is still best).
4. Avoid at-risk ingredients. Avoid products made with ingredients that might be derived from GMO's (see the list above). The eight GM food crops are Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, Sugar Beets (if a non-organic product made in North American lists “sugar” as an ingredient & NOT pure cane sugar, then it is almost certainly a combination of sugar from both sugar cane & GM sugar beets), Hawaiian Papaya (most) & a small amount of Zucchini & Yellow Squash.
5. Download a helpful shopping guide. Both No GMO & Non GMO Project have really great apps & shopping guides to help you navigate this mess.
6. Shop at your local farmers markets. Click here to discover the farmers markets in Wisconsin.
7. Check out 100 Days of Real Food for all kinds of great tips for getting kids to make healthier choices, how to read labels & most importantly, recipes for eating whole foods- as in non-processed foods (also become a fan on facebook).

Someone once told me that if you are trying to eat healthier, you should only eat food that your great-grandparents would recognize & half of the portions you normally would. My grandparents lived through the era of wonder bread & margarine, so I need to go back one more generation. My great-grandparents would have no clue what Nacho Cheese Doritos or Diet Coke were (which is a shame because those are two of my favorite junk foods).

So, OK, GMO's are bad- that's pretty obvious to me. But where do we go from here? It's nearly impossible to avoid them unless you can buy everything organic & cook the food yourself. We do try to eat mostly organic fruits & veggies (especially those listed on the Dirty Dozen list), & we eat mostly organic & local meats. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy organic dairy products (only because of the price), but it's where we would eventually like to be. I don't necessarily want the price of organic products to go down too low, though & here's why. In my opinion, we will either pay now or later (health-wise), so why not invest in healthy bodies now instead of trying to fix them once they are broken?

I like the idea of trying to eat this way 80% of the time. That's why I work so hard to make things from scratch. That's why I research food labels before I go shopping. That's why I try to keep most processed foods out of our reach. But I also realize that it's not possible to do that 100% of the time. We enjoy dining out occasionally. We like to eat with friends. We get attend parties. And we realize not everyone has the same convictions about food that we do & that's OK.

But sometimes we really just want a bowl of cereal or some crackers to go with our cheese. I found this recipe from one of my absolute favorite books, The Homemade Pantry, & I'm really excited about finding yet another thing I can make from home. The whole recipe took me about 35 minutes (20 minutes cooking time), so I consider that worth the time & energy. It will save us from not having to dish out major bucks for non-GMO crackers & I can have the peace of mind that they are safe for my family when John & Ruby are having cracker eating competitions.

Wheat Crackers
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour (for all our flour needs, we use King Arthur, which is GMO- free!)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (Frontier brand, & Rumford, which are GMO-free!)
1/3 cup whole, uncooked organic millet (here is a list of a few organic brands)
1/3 cup ground organic flax seeds (Frontier brand)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Parchment paper
Cookie cutters, if using

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl or Kitchen Aid, combine the two flours, baking powder, millet, flax, & salt. Add the olive oil & combine. Add 1/2 cup water & continue to add more water (up to 1/4 cup additional, if needed) to the dough until it holds together. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl for 2 minutes until it is smooth & very workable.

Turn out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, press into a flat disc & roll with a rolling pin until the dough is 1/8-1/4 inch thick (too thick dough = soggy-ish crackers). You can either make square crackers by cutting with a pizza wheel or knife, or you can use cookie cutters & make your own fun shapes. And leftover dough can be rerolled for more crackers.

Transfer the dough pieces to a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper. Sprinkle each piece of dough with salt & pepper lightly & bake 20-22 minutes (make sure you switch the position of the cookie sheet midway). The crackers are done when they are hard to the touch.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The crackers can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for a week, or in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or bag for 3 months (re-crisp in the oven at 375 for 3 minutes).

Recipe adapted from The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making

Pesto Rolls

I keep saying this to everyone I know- these rolls are so going to get me in trouble (like the "there's more of me to love" kind of trouble). I made them for a community lunch that we had at our church this past weekend & now after eating a few, I'm really excited about the possibilities that they hold. For starters, they are super easy to make & although they took about two hours, most of that time was spent anxiously pacing around my kitchen, waiting for them to rise (yeah right, I was washing dishes). So they're pretty simple = win for me.

But then there's the whole slew of combinations that you can throw in the center. This dough will work wonderfully for cinnamon rolls (just sub the pesto & cheese for cinnamon, brown sugar, & butter). But then what about cheesy rolls (a lovely variety of cheeses) or artichoke dip rolls or roasted red pepper & feta rolls? Oooh or spinach & feta rolls. Pepperoni pizza rolls? Butter & garlic rolls? Really, the possibilities are endless.

I'm thinking that I might make a big ol' batch of rolls & then try freezing them after they are cut. What would be better than taking some already-made rolls out of the freezer to bake on a lazy Saturday morning?

These rolls might be the end of me, but it will be a very happy ending.

(like our new magnetic strip for our knives??)

Pesto Rolls
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (115 degrees F)
1/2 cup warm milk (115 degrees F)
1 egg (room temperature), slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons demerara
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package (2 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
Place water, milk, egg, melted butter, sugar, & salt in a Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of flour on top of all the liquid mixture, sprinkling yeast on top. Using the dough hook, knead bread mixture on speed 3 until dough is smooth & elastic adding additional flour as needed (approx. 5-7 min.). Place dough in a greased bowl & cover with a wet towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour in a warm area.

(I've found that if I preheat oven to 200 while the dough is kneading, then turn the oven off when kneading is complete & stick my covered bowl into the oven & leave the oven door cracked open a bit, the dough will rise quicker).

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface & roll into a rectangle slightly larger than a 9×13 pan. Spread surface evenly with pesto & sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Beginning with the long side, roll dough pinching the seam to seal. Cut into equal slices & place them in a greased muffin tin. Cover with a damp towel & allow to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from muffin cups & serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Savory Sweet Life

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Chicken & Vegetable Egg Rolls

I really love cooking with my husband & I feel really blessed to have a guy in my life who enjoys cooking with me, for me, & even without me. It's one of the things that really helped us bond when we were dating & has  aided us in continuing to invest in each other now that we've been married for a little over 3.5 years.

You really learn stuff about people when you're in the kitchen together. Sometimes it's pretty, but sometimes it's really not. We get into most of our disagreements in the kitchen, but we almost always have some of our best conversations in there, too. Somebody needs to get smart & design a house where the kitchen is more of a focal point (I'm talking comfy chairs, fireplaces, hot tubs...)

In the beginning of our dating relationship, I learned that John is an absolute by-the-book cooker/baker. He levels things, he uses measuring cups, & he never, ever eyeballs ingredients when putting them in a recipe (the exceptions would be when there's an ingredient he doesn't like, when a recipe calls for margarine, or when he's making anything that involves oil).

Me on the other hand, well, let's just say I could use some help in this department. I'm getting better about using the right ingredients & the correct amounts (& consequently I think my cooking is improving!) But I'm kinda lazy & I absolutely will (almost always) refuse to go get some ingredient I need if we don't have it because I don't want to leave my project unattended. I'll just try to sub something & it sometimes turns out.

I'll never forget the first tiramisu that we made together. John was horrified (but oh so gentle with me because we had just started dating!) at my techniques. "Did you put in enough vanilla?" "How many eggs have you used?" "Were those peaks stiff enough?" It makes me laugh now, because our styles haven't changed much, although I will say that we are meeting more towards the middle (for the record, this tiramisu didn't turn out & I'm pretty sure I and something to do with it).

As much as we are growing, we still take bold chances sometimes. Our latest adventure was with these egg rolls. OK, they're called egg rolls for a reason, right? Well guess who didn't have enough eggs (we needed one egg)? Did I call my neighbor to get an egg? Did I walk the 4 blocks to buy some? No. We made them without eggs & they actually turned out. We were both a little nervous that they would become "unglued" as they were frying, but it all worked out. They were crispy & delicious & I'm thinking that we need to change the name to "chicken & veg rolls" because of the lack of egg.

John & I have learned to give each other a little bit of space in the kitchen & respect each other's styles. He's realized that baked goods don't need to be coated in white sugar to be tasty & I've learned that yes, sometimes, they do. I think we owe it to ourselves to try that tiramisu again sometime soon, what do you think?

Chicken & Vegetable Egg Rolls

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded or finely diced
1 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup potato, peeled & shredded
soy sauce, about 2 tablespoons, or to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 package egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil for frying
1 egg, beaten & mixed with 1 tablespoon water (egg is optional, but encouraged)

Directions

Mix cut veggies in a large bowl. Heat a large skillet & drizzle with olive oil. Stir fry the veggies in two batches, adding the soy sauce & pepper just as the cabbage starts to wilt. Cook veggies until just underdone, as they will cook more when you fry the egg rolls. Place cooked veggies in large bowl & mix in the chicken. Let the mixture cool slightly before rolling. 

Lay out a wrapper, brush egg mixture on two adjacent edges, spoon as much as you can fit (3-4 tablespoons) into a wrapper, & roll according to package instructions (if you don't have an egg, you can just wet the corners with a bit of water).

Heat the vegetable oil, about 1-1 1/2 inches deep, in a frying pan.  Fry the egg rolls 4-5 at a time, turning as they get to a golden brown color. Remove to paper towels, or a wire rack to drain & cool. I've also heard that you can bake egg rolls, too, but John is anti-baking when the other option is deep frying. Surprise, surprise.

Recipe adapted from Food Pusher

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

We should have taken stock in tortillas because we eat them so often. Some of our favorite meals are huevos rancheros, shredded chicken tacos, breakfast burritos, pizza quesadillas, fish tacos, chicken enchiladas, veggie quesadillas... all involving tortillas. Plus, Ruby just decided that she really likes saying tortilla ("tor-tee-yah!") so there's even more of an incentive to eat them.

We often buy corn tortillas & I want to experiment more with making those, but for the meantime, I am so in-love with these whole wheat tortillas & I am not usually a big whole wheat tortilla fan. I find them to be gummy & flavorless, but these are surprisingly tasty & once you cook them, delightfully crispy.

I think I've avoided making them in the past because they just seem like another thing I could make, & probably something that wouldn't turn out as well as the store-bought ones (which is especially not motivating when you don't even really like the store-bought ones). Sometimes I just don't want another step when I'm struggling to get dinner ready. Although I'm sure these tortillas won't be at every meal where we need them, I will say that they were worth the extra 30 minutes or so (15 of those minutes were spent waiting for them to rest).

Have you ever checked out 100 Days of Real Food? It's one of my absolute favorite blogs for making simple, non-processed foods. She has an incredible index of recipes & that's where I snagged this one. If you're trying to eat more whole foods, you should definitely head on over there (after you make these tortillas).

Whole wheat tortillas used for shredded chicken tacos (shredded chicken, red peppers, onions, avocado, Greek yogurt, salsa, & cilantro-lime black beans)

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients
2½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
½ cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water

Directions
In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil & salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water & continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Take out the dough & divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle & so on until you have 12 pieces.

Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball & flatten it out on a board. Cover with plastic wrap & let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle. Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.

Grease the pan with a touch of oil & then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan & cook until puffy & slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe taken from 100 Days of Real Food

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

We've been kind of busy lately. Not really the measurable or incredibly exciting kind of busy-- more like the "I have 2 batches of cookies ready to go in the oven & I'm trying to cook dinner" kind of busy. It's definitely a struggle to feed your family healthy home cooked meals & also eat healthy throughout the day, but that's what I really am loving about quinoa lately.

Sometimes I find it challenging to whip up something to go with the main meal. I don't want something that will steal all the glory, & at the same time, I don't just want to suffer through it. Quinoa's where it's at (although this recipe is pretty glorious, so it could definitely be eaten alone).

Have you tried quinoa? It's one of the trendiest foods out there & it's no surprise as to why. It's filling, it's deliciously roasty, & it's packed with good-for-you nutrients. We've been trying to eat more quinoa lately in place of rice, pasta or bread, because even though we eat mostly brown rice & whole wheat pasta/bread, quinoa is more nutritious. It's packed with fiber & it it's a pretty decent source of protein, as well as iron & potassium. It also takes a little less time to cook than rice, so that's a bonus on those nights that we need something really quick for dinner. It's naturally gluten-free & unlike a lot of other grains or seeds, it tastes great on it's own. 

But then I pack it with melty cheese & broccoli & then it tastes sensational.

If you haven't given quinoa a try, go for it! This recipe will win you over in no time. What are your favorite ways to eat quinoa?

Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup cheddar, shredded
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the quinoa, broth & broccoli to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat & simmer covered until the broth has been absorbed & the quinoa is tender, about 13-17 minutes. Mix in the cheese, let it melt & season with salt & pepper. Devour.

Recipe taken from closetcooking.com

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Did you get in on the stuffed pepper craze that was going around this summer? I tried making stuffed peppers for the first time when looking for a way to use the gazillions of peppers that I grew in my garden & I was so pleased to find something that we could really enjoy. 

This recipe calls for using ground turkey, but you could most definitely make them vegetarian & omit the turkey. I'd just add some more seasonings & maybe some more beans to make up the difference (or try experimenting with sauteed mushrooms or zucchini). And contrary to popular belief, it isn't strange at all to eat an entire pepper (I was a little worried, especially with the green ones!) Because they are painted with oil & baked for awhile alone, they get all roasty & delicious. 

And you know what? They are downright delicious! They are hearty & filling & suuuuuper satisfying. We had a BBQ at our house the other night & I made up a bunch of these babies (I made them ahead of time & then we warmed them on the grill) as a side. We had a few left & my (anti-left-over) husband volunteered to take them for lunch the next day. Boom!

My favorite way to top these is with a heap of cilantro, but you can also top them with a slice or two of avocado, sour cream, or really anything else you have your little heart set on. And if you're still a little weirded out by eating a big chunk of a pepper, check out this recipe for crispy quinoa bake, which is pretty much the same thing, just more incorporated.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients

Olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground turkey (or 1 small chopped zucchini & 1/2 pack of chopped mushrooms, sauteed)
1 cup chopped onions
1 heaping tbsp of homemade taco seasoning
2 cups of cooked rice (we used a combo of white & brown)
4 bell peppers, halved & seeds removed
16 ounces of black beans
1 cup of frozen corn
1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa
Shredded cheddar cheese

Fresh cilantro, avocado slices, &/or sour cream to top

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil (I use a designated paint brush, hence my "painting" reference above) & roast in a baking dish about 20-25 minutes just until cooked through. Remove the peppers from the oven & allow to cool until you can handle them.

Cook your rice according to the package. Meanwhile, cook the turkey until it is just browned (if using zucchini & mushrooms instead or in addition, saute them in a little bit of olive oil). Add the onions & cook until they are translucent. In a bowl, add the taco seasoning, cooked ground turkey, onions, black beans, corn & rice. Add in the salsa & mix well.

Carefully spoon the mixture into each half of the bell peppers & place back into the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way through. Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into the oven & broil until the cheese is melty, bubbly, crusty, & delicious!

Remove from the oven and top with fresh cilantro, avocado slices &/or sour cream just before serving.

Recipe adapted from Simply Love Food

Trader Joe's Hummus

Ahh, nap time. I've never really been a person who was enjoyed a nap. It usually takes me too long to fall asleep & then by the time I'm off in zzzland, it's time to get up & then I'm groggier than when I started. But nap time has a different meaning for me now, because when Ruby is napping, I can do something for me... even if it's just going to the bathroom or blogging while I sip some iced nettle & mint tea. You see, life for us has changed drastically over the past couple of days, all because Ruby is now officially mobile!

She has been scooting & spinning around for a few weeks, now, but just yesterday she figured out how to turn her precious army roll into a full on crawl. And guess what was the first object of desire? That's right... it was Hartley. I was shocked when he didn't even get up when she pursued him. He's such a great dog.

*Side note: how the heck do parents get anything done with mobile babes? Must everything be saved for nap time now?!

So today during Ruby's nap I washed all our floors (something is so satisfying about getting on my hands & knees & scrubbing...) & I got outside in my garden & tidied it up a bit. I bought a few ornamental grasses yesterday & planted those. It just felt so incredible to be out in the sunshine, even just for an hour or so. Give me some hard core yard work over a nap any day (unless I'm pregnant, then forget about it).

Today's lunch reminded me that I wanted to blog about our new hummus recipe that we've been loving. I stole it from another lady's blog, who says that it's pretty close to Trader Joe's hummus. If we had a TJ in the area, I'd be an addict, that's for sure. But for now, we'll just stick to this hummus.

Trader Joe's Hummus
Ingredients

2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained (about 3 cups)

*1 garlic clove (I used 3 the first time & 2 the second... I like 3 better)

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons tahini (we used roasted tahini, found at our food coop)

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I did more like 3/4 teaspoon because John likes the spice)

about 1/2 cup hot water

*update 7/8/13: I just tried roasting some garlic & using that in place of the raw garlic & it gives the hummus a much more creamy, roasty flavor. I used 2 BULBS of garlic & roasted it in a little bit of olive oil in a cast iron skillet until it was soft. Then I pulsed it in the food processor with all of the other ingredients. Delish.

Directions

Place the garlic clove in the food processor and pulse a few times. Dump the rest of the ingredients in to the food processor, except for the hot water, and run for 3-4 minutes. After the first 30 seconds or so, stream in the water while the processor is still running - until you reach your desired consistency and continue to process until very smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and consistency, adding a bit more water if needed. This will set up a bit in the fridge, so make it a tad runnier than you think you'd like!

Recipe adapted from Sweet Annas

Whole Wheat Bread

My neighbor gave me this recipe & I have been slightly altering it every time I make it, just because we have a really funky oven, & it hasn't been all that great when I've made it in the past. I'll be honest... I'm not exactly the most scientific person, so when "I" (actually, John) researched that the water should be exactly a certain temp or that you should make sure you mix the yeast in & then the flour & salt (in that order) or else the salt will "kill" the yeast... it just made me want to go to the store & buy some bread! But I was bound & determined to be able to make good bread at home-- not just the thick & hearty soup bread, but the light & fluffy sandwich stuff. Thanks to John, Ruby & Hartley for putting up with many weeks (months?) of not so great bread. I love you guys. And I (now) love this bread.

Original recipe from my neighbor:
3 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 tsp salt
6 1/2 cups gold'n white flour (found in the bulk section at our co-op)

Directions
Mix water & yeast & let it sit for 5 minutes. Mix in salt & flour & let it rise for 2 hours (make sure it's warm in your house!) Punch it down & knead 5 or 6 times (dough will be very sticky). Place the dough in 2 well-oiled loaf pans. Let it rise again. Bake at 450 for 33 minutes.

My altered recipe
3 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour (I like the King Arthur brand)
3 cups white whole wheat flour (I've tried to do all whole wheat & it just comes out too dense for our liking)

*I've also tried adding 1/2 cup of ground flax (& then using 1/2 cup less of the bread flour) &/or sprinkling the top with oatmeal, just to give it a bit of a different flavor)

Directions
Mix water & yeast & let it sit for 5 minutes. Mix in salt & flour & let it rise for 2 hours (make sure it's warm in your house!). Punch it down & knead 5 or 6 times (dough will be very sticky). Place the dough in 2 well-oiled loaf pans. Let it rise again. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes (I know that temp & time is way less that the previous directions, but that's what works for us... experiment with your oven). I also have found that the dough freezes very well, so if you don't want to eat 2 loaves of bread (you should) you can freeze one in a bag & then let it thaw/rise overnight in a well-oiled pan.