Koala in the Kitchen

Moved cooking

2010-03-30T21:48:00.003-04:00

Last summer I created this blog just for my cooking posts. I've decided to move them all back to my blog. I've felt kind of fragmented separating my food posts so I'm fixing it. :) I won't delete this so it'll be here but future posts will be at koala brains.

The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook giveaway

2010-01-11T21:46:00.006-05:00

I was perusing the bookstore the other day and found a cookbook I really want called The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. Just as I was flipping through it, I realized the time and had to leave right then so didn't get the chance to buy it. I did jot down the author's name (Elana Amsterdam) and come to find out, she has a website. There are a bunch of recipes so be sure to check it out. I made her coconut chicken soup recipe tonight and it was delicious. I should've taken a pic but I was too hungry to take the time to do it! I bought the ingredients to make her roasted chicken with olives and prunes so that'll be dinner one day this week. There are a lot of other recipes I want to try so I think I'll be cooking Elana style for a while!

Elana is hosting a giveaway which includes the cookbook and 5 lbs of almond flour so I'm entering and maybe I'll get lucky. I want the book because the ingredient list is minimal yet the recipes sound yummy but what I find most intriguing about the book is the use of almond flour which has a low glycemic index than grain flours and is much more nutritious, too. I've been decreasing my grain intake because a couple hours after I eat them, I feel the sugar crash. This is especially the case with rice pasta but I get it from brown rice, too. Maybe I'm ultra-sensitive? Anyway... The book is really pretty and inspiring. I've been trying to find a gluten-free cookbook but surprisingly hardly any of them have pictures or if they do, there's only a few. I can't help it but I really like pictures of the food in cookbooks which is another reason why I want the book. Don't you just want to dive into that cake on the cover??? Oh and by the way, there's no dairy in that cake or icing. In fact, I don't think I saw dairy used in any of her recipes which is a bonus. Here's a little blurb from her site about the book:

- A full-color collection of 99 gluten-free, lightly sweetened, quick-and-healthy recipes.

- Almonds are today's superfood: high-protein, low-glycemic, low-cholesterol, full of fiber and antioxidants.

If I don't win the giveaway, I'm getting the book asap!

Update: 3/30/2010...Got the book a couple days after posting this and love it. I ordered almond flour online like recommended. I tried 3 recipes so far and they came out great. Definitely a good addition to my library.

Love it - cake for breakfast

2010-01-11T21:38:00.003-05:00

It's the new year and I've been trying different recipes. I made a quinoa breakfast cake (although more like a bread) this evening and it's unbelievably good! I told Boo if she went to bed without any issues tonight she could have "cake" in the morning. She was pretty excited about it so I hope she'll like it. I modified it slightly by leaving out the brown sugar and increased the agave to 1/2 cups. Believe me, it's plenty sweet. I also added a mix of craisins and raisins and left out the coconut because I am not a fan of grated coconut. This is a keeper!

Too much of a good thing

2009-09-21T23:30:00.002-04:00

I do love spicy food but this dish was so freakin' hot that my head and neck(!) were sweating. Maybe I had a death wish or something that day but I ate my portion because despite the heat, it was really tasty. DB really loves me because he ate his portion although I knew he didn't want to partake in this masochistic act. Note to self: use thai green curry paste sparingly. The recipe called for 2-3 TB and I used 2 1/2. Next time, I'll use 1 1/2. In this recipe I added red potatoes, green beans, carrots, cilantro, chicken and eggplants from the garden. Not posting this recipe for said reason. I'm not giving up on this dish. I will find a recipe that works because I love the flavors.

Gluten free banana muffins

2009-08-27T11:00:00.001-04:00

I'm sure I mentioned this before but I LOVE baked goods and I cannot imagine life without them. Boo and I made Pattycake's "easy gluten-free banana bread" mini muffins last week for her 4th birthday celebration at school. They were a hit with the kids - - except there was one table where I was making small talk as I was handing them out and I asked them, "who likes bananas?!?!?", expecting them all to say, "ME!!" but of course there was one who didn't so he refused to try it. His loss... Yeah, I should know better than to mention ingredients to kids!

Update: I baked the mini muffins for 15-20 minutes at the same temperature as the recipe.

Creamy eggplant with assorted veggies

2009-07-20T21:00:00.008-04:00

I got the eggplants from the garden and I wanted a dish that was creamy that satisfied the fat craving that one gets from alfredo sauce or some sort of mayonnaise based salad BUT it had to be healthy (the nut spread is key in the creaminess of the dish). Every eggplant dish I know of requires lots of oil to soften it so I came up with this recipe which uses the water that is released from the other veggies to infuse the eggplant with moisture and flavor. In the past week I have made this twice and can't get enough. I made a huge batch yesterday (about 4x the recipe) because of all the eggplants that were ready to use. I couldn't use one of the Ichiban eggplants because it got too big so was seedy. I used young eggplants so the seeds were super tender so the texture of the dish isn't affected by the seeds. The big one in the picture had some seeds so I scraped them out.

Creamy eggplant with assorted veggies
Makes approximately 3 1/4 cups
Note: I like this to be chunky so I chopped all the veggies and minced the garlic

3/4 cup eggplant, peeled and seeds removed
2/3 cup carrots
2/3 cup red onions
1 cup portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup red pepper
1 cup tomatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
2 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar (or other sweetener)
1/3 cup nut spread

Saute first 7 ingredients in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Mix in salt, vinegar, and agave nectar. Cover the pan and cook on low for 30 minutes (or when veggies are tender), stirring often. Remove from heat and mix in the nut spread. Add salt if needed.

In the photo of the completed dish, I blanched napa cabbage leaves for a minute then stuffed it. Other ideas:

- Toss this with your favorite pasta. I use Tinkyada brown rice pasta.
- Eat it as is as the main or side dish.
- Top it on chicken, a baked potato, or a piece of fish.
- Roll it up with some raw veggies and nori.

Veggie nori rolls

2009-07-16T20:10:00.006-04:00

I've been eating veggie rolls a few times a week for lunch because it's light and quick to prepare. I fill it with carrots, sauteed asparagus, cucumbers, blanched napa cabbage, and a nut spread all wrapped up in nori (sushi seaweed sheet). Use whatever veggies that sound good to you. I bought some bean sprouts today so will add that to the mix tomorrow. Two rolls are enough for me and keeps my belly happy until the next meal 2-3 hours later.

Assemble as shown in this picture and roll it up. Add a little water to the end of the nori so it'll stick to itself. Dip the roll in the teriyaki sauce and enjoy!

Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic

I use a microplane to grate. Mix all together in a bowl.

Nut spread
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp garlic
almond milk

Grind in food processor until smooth. Add almond milk to facilitate blending (just drizzle a little at a time).

I got the raw macadamia nuts in the bulk section at Whole Foods and the raw cashews from an Indian grocery store. You will have plenty of the nut mixture leftover. Use it as a veggie dip or save it for an eggplant recipe I will post soon.

Torture

2009-07-04T00:24:00.001-04:00

Why do I always look at cooking blogs (with all those scrumptious pics) late at night when I'm hungry? Talk about testing my willpower.

Tried to make gazpacho

2009-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

DB had gazpacho at a restaurant last week and keeps talking about how delicious and refreshing it was so I gave it a shot. It was refreshing and we felt good about eating an entire bowl of raw veggies but it didn't wow us. Something was missing. I'll have to experiment some more or find a recipe.

Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

2009-06-26T20:40:00.005-04:00

I really enjoy cooking meals at lunch because I can go about it at a leisurely pace. In the evenings, I feel like I'm racing to get everything done in time to get Boo in bed by 7 so some of the fun is taken out of cooking. The past couple days I've been trying new recipes at lunch and here's one I made yesterday. It's a pesto zucchini tomato gratin from Karina's Kitchen. I followed the recipe except I added zucchini blossoms (have a bunch from the garden, not sure what to do with them) and substituted the mozzarella with feta since I have a big tub of it in the fridge. I made brown rice noodles and tossed them in pesto as the recipe recommends and it was yummy. It's been so long since I gave Boo pesto that she has no recollection of ever eating it. She didn't like the gratin part but absolutely loved the pasta with pesto so I gave that to her along with a mug of sweet potato bisque from Trader Joe's. She said "mmmm" the entire time and asked for it for dinner that night. DB and I really enjoyed this dish and I actually prefer it sans the pasta.

Cucumber and tomato salad

2009-06-24T23:17:00.006-04:00

The first cucumbers were plucked from the garden yesterday so we made this salad. It contains (all to taste, didn't measure anything out):

- cucumbers
- campari tomatoes
- red onions
- red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- feta (goat)
- fresh basil from the garden
- dill
- kalamata olives

Boo made her own salad of cucumbers, feta, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. We ate it along with baby spinach tossed in dressing topped with a salmon patty (care of Costo, it's Trident seafood brand and it's gluten free). We always have them in the freezer because they are easy to make and are really good. Just lightly oil a fry pan (we use Smart Balance) and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Did you know a lot of the feta you find at the grocery store is made from cow's milk? You'll have to look at the ingredients to determine if it's made from goat's milk because it'll specifically say so. Many people who are lactose intolerant can consume goat's milk. Check out this link for some FAQ's about goat cheese.

Veggies and assorted dips

2009-06-20T22:13:00.002-04:00

This always happens...when I cook yummy meals (besides the old standbys), I don't craft. Or if I'm crafting, I'm not really into putting forth the extra effort to crank out some interesting dishes. Can I have some balance, please? I haven't stepped into the craft room all week but I've been cooking some yummy stuff. Here's what we had for dinner the other evening. The weather wasn't too miserably hot so we ate outside.

Celery, carrots, cucumber, & cauliflower
with
Clockwise: white bean dip (w/ basil on top), roasted
carrot and garbanzo bean dip, and eggplant tapenade

The white bean dip was a recipe I found on a blog and it came out super bland so I doctored it up by adding salsa, fresh basil and added the rosemary into the dip, not on top. It actually turned out delicious! Here's the recipe:

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 15.5 oz cans white beans (cannellini, navy, great northern - which I used) drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
2 TB fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 TB basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup or more black bean and corn salsa (add to your liking)

In a medium pan, heat oil and add onion. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic, stirring, and cook one minute. In a food processor, pulse together everything except the salsa. After it's the texture of your liking, pour into bowl and mix in salsa.

I goofed on Just Bento's roasted carrot dip so I had to fix it and it actually came out really good. The addition of the beans makes it more nutritious but I still do love the original (w/ half the sweetener) which I make on a regular basis. I modified the ingredients slightly as follows:

2 large carrots
4 TB tahini
1 TB olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
1/2 TB raw cane or light brown sugar, or to taste (I don't like mine too sweet)
1 tsp. ground cumin
Pinch red chili pepper powder, or to taste (I left this out for Boo)
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oven to 180°C / 360°F. Wash two carrots, cut them up roughly, sprinkle with a little salt, and wrap them loosely in kitchen parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until soft. Open the paper up for the last few minutes to evaporate any accumulated moisture.

Let cool a bit, and put the pieces in the bowl of a food processor with the other ingredients. Drizzle some water to help the blender along. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

I've made Karina's Kitchen's eggplant tapenade several times and it's oh so delicious! I follow the recipe exactly. I have some left over so I'm going to shred zucchini like spaghetti and toss it in with the tapenade and call it lunch.

All these dips with veggies make for a light meal on a hot day or you can serve them as an appetizer. I like to cut up extra veggies so they make for an easy and quick snack. I find if everything is prepped and ready to eat, well, I'll eat them. Boo ate all the dips but said she preferred the original carrot dip. I was actually surprised she ate the white bean dip because it had a kick to it from the salsa. She ate the tapenade but didn't say anything about it.

I have a recipe I'm going to make tomorrow for Father's Day dinner. I've never made it so I'm hoping it'll turn out. It sounds good on paper. If it's a winner, I'll definitely blog about it. Have a good day tomorrow!!!

Boo's breakfast cookie

2009-06-17T22:13:00.004-04:00

Boo has to be at school by 8 so we usually wake up early enough so she can have a bowl of oatmeal with bananas but sometimes we run late. On the rushed days I still want her to have a nutritious breakfast so I came up with this breakfast cookie and she loves it. I have made mommy guilt-free cookies and crazy-good monkey bites which are good for the mornings but they are moist so bits tend to stick to her fingers. I also wanted something hardier with more added goodness. We all agree it's a winner. By the way, it's gluten-free, dairy free, and egg free!

Boo's Breakfast Cookie

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, mix together (first 6 ingredients are all Bob's Red Mill products - all gluten free):

1 cup Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free baking flour (or your own GF version)
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tapioca flour/starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1/4 cup oil (smart balance, coconut oil, canola, etc)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
2 TB blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 cups Erewhon Gluten Free Crispy Brown Rice cereal

In separate small bowl, mix together (egg replacement):

5 TB flax seed meal
6 TB water

Pour "egg" mixture and wet ingredients into large bowl and mix together very well. If it's looking really dry, add 2 TB almond milk or your favorite dairy free "milk".

Next add these to the large bowl and mix well:

3/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted nuts (I used a mix of raw walnuts and cashews)
1/2 cup craisins
10 pitted dates, chopped
1 medium carrot finely shred

Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. I made big cookies so they were about 100 grams (use ice cream scooper). Round them into a ball then place on cookie sheet and press down. They don't spread out so you don't want them too thick or thin. Mine are about 1/2" thick. Bake for 15 minutes. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool. They have a really good texture and aren't very crumbly which is great because who wants (more) crumbs in their car?

These freeze nicely. They're a little too big for Boo but that's okay with me because she gives me what's left and of course, I can't waste it - hee hee! These are also great as to go snacks. I used to always have kids' cliff bars to give her but I don't have to anymore.

"Swamp Thang"

2009-06-09T22:12:00.000-04:00

I got a few emails asking what made up my "swamp thang" smoothie (gluten free, dairy free) I mentioned in my Wardrobe Refashion interview so I thought I'd blog about it in case others were interested. Here are the ingredients:

- 1/2 tsp dulse flakes/seaweed (good source of iron)

- 1 scoop Garden of Life's Perfect Food (tons of green goodness)

- 1 scoop of hemp protein powder or brown rice protein powder

- 1 banana and any other fruit I have around (in pic are blueberries)

- 1 tsp maca powder (helps regulate hormones)

- 1 scoop flaxseed meal (good source of fiber, anti-ox, omega-3 fatty acids)

- 1/4 cup of no added sugar juice

- 1/4 cup almond milk (not pictured)

- ice

Yeah, it takes a little getting used to between the taste and texture but I love it. It gives me energy and I feel good about getting so many nutrients the first thing in the morning. I'm off to a good start for the day! You definitely don't have to have all this in your smoothie but I like to get all my bases covered and perhaps overdo it at times.

As far as crafting, I'm finishing the shirt dress tonight. I cut out a pattern for me last night and plan on making the dress sometime in the near future. :) I have to finish DB's capris - it's not a big deal, just keep forgetting about it. Well no, here's the real reason, I/perfectionist don't want to finish it because it's a disaster. He's only going to wear it around the house but still, I have to look at it. I should just finish it.

Super healthy raw wilted kale salad

2009-06-07T22:11:00.005-04:00

So far DB and I made 3 recipes from The Raw Chef blog and each have been delicious. We made carrot and orange cake, lasagna (I prefer this version over the traditional pasta kind), and on Sunday I made wilted kale salad with a creamy chipotle dressing. There's a farmer's market nearby where a local organic farmer sells absolutely beautiful leafy greens this time of the year so I stopped by last Saturday and bought 3 bunches of kale. I can't remember the names but they were two different kinds and much tender than the variety you would typically find at the grocery store. I really enjoyed the salad and felt so energized immediately after. DB and I had small portions because it fills you up plus it requires a lot of chewing which is a good thing (I can be bad about not chewing my food enough). I modified the recipe because I didn't realize I was missing some of the ingredients until I was prepping. We ran out of hulled hemp seeds so I replaced it with 1/2 cup finely chopped raw walnuts and 1/2 cup finely chopped raw cashews. I didn't have chipotle peppers either so I followed the recommended replacement. I had 2 avocados instead of 3 so there wasn't as much dressing. Despite these modifications, the dish came out great. Next time I make this, though, I'm cutting the recipe in half because there's just two of us so we had tons leftover and there's just so much raw kale I can consume. Boo tasted it but didn't like it which didn't surprise me. I don't think a dish can get any healthier than this one!

Mango + strawberries = party in my tummy!!

2009-06-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

If your child watches Yo Gabba Gabba! you'll get my lame attempt at a cutesy title to this post. Seriously though, it's true because I LOVE this combination. When I was a kid, my mom and I ate sliced strawberries with condensed milk drizzled over it. Mmmmmm, so delicious but not healthy. I discovered a combination last year that tastes like mom's dish but it's all fruit: mango and strawberries. They are a perfect match so I won't let any other fruit join this party because they will ruin it. There are many kinds of mangoes and the one I use is the golden color kind which I buy at an Asian grocery store (other kinds of mango may work but I haven't tried). My friend found some at Whole Foods. Who knows, it may be found at your local grocery store, just take a look.

Boo started Montessori summer school on Monday so we are both adjusting to the new wake up time. I'm not used to getting up at 6:30 so I've been worn out by the time she goes to bed so haven't stepped in my craft room for days but I have been making some good food. Other progress: I started exercising again after a month off. I'm no longer in denial about my gluten intolerance which by the way IS celiac disease. I've been telling myself I'm just intolerant and that's not the same as celiac but a gastroenterologist set me straight. That discussion was an eye opener so I'm committed again to be gluten free. Wish me luck - I need it!

The best salmon dish in the whole wide world

2009-05-20T22:09:00.000-04:00

Wasabi-maple salmon with stir fried baby bok choy and brown rice

(Picture doesn't do the meal justice!)

When I first tried Je Mange la Ville's recipe for Wasabi-Maple Salmon 2 years ago, I made it once a week for months, no joke - it's that good and best of all, easy to make. I've made it for several dinner guests and everyone loves this fish dish. I made some adjustments to the recipes and they are as follows:

- Instead of grilling it (b/c I don't know how and I don't care to learn), I bake it at 475 F for 10 minutes and it comes out just right (sliced about 1.5" to 2" wide).

- I slice the salmon before marinating.

- I love how the spring onions complement the fish so I triple the quantity.

- I use gluten free soy sauce.

This dish isn't spicy like you would think with the wasabi in it. I would increase the amount but don't so Boo will eat it. Taste the sauce and add more if you want. By the way, I made this Monday night and she ate the same amount of salmon as I did and she said "mmmmmm" several times. Seriously, you must try this recipe.

Pizza!

2009-04-22T22:08:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to make homemade gluten free pizza. I thought it would be fun to have pizza night at home, getting the family involved with making the dough and playing around with different topping combos. Yesterday Boo and I tested out Bob's Red Mill GF pizza crust and it was easy to make and pretty tasty. I roasted some mushrooms and zucchini in advance, made an olive oil garlic sauce, added more veggies & herbs (roasted red peppers, artichokes, spring onions, basil, thyme), and feta and we have dinner. It did come at a cost, though...whilst slicing pieces of zucchinni with my mandolin, it happened. My poor pinky! It didn't hurt until an hour later...that's when you know it's a bad cut when you don't feel it at first. I didn't use the safety feature so it was a dumb move on my part. At least the pizza came out well. I would be really upset if after the sacrifice, my dinner stunk!

Raw lasagna

2009-04-19T22:07:00.002-04:00

DB surprised me by making this absolutely delicious lasagna (photo courtesy of The Raw Chef Blog) this evening. It's raw, vegan, and the flavors and textures complement each other extremely well. I couldn't get enough of the lasagna and am actually thinking about tomorrow when I can eat it again! The "cheese" is made from macadamia and pine nuts and is AMAZING - it was creamy like ricotta cheese in traditional lasagna. We ate it at 6pm and it's 10pm now and it has kept me full although writing about it is making me hungry again! This is the 2nd recipe DB has made from The Raw Chef and both are delicious (other was a carrot cake) and we're not even vegans or vegetarians. He has a few recipes bookmarked so we'll have to try one out this weekend.

Note: The walnut meat layer was really salty from the miso and soy sauce so DB left the salt out from the other components of the recipe.

4/20 Update: It's even better the next day. I've already eaten it twice today!

Veggie?

2009-01-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

LOVE this zucchini bread recipe I got from the back of Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour. It packs 2 cups of shredded zucchini so it's definitely substantial enough to be counted as a vegetable, right??? I made two loaves - one for us (which is almost gone and I just made it this evening) and the other is for tomorrow. We're going to a friend's to hang out. I'll be curious to see what they think with it being gluten free and all. Will they be able to tell? Hmmm, we shall see.Veggie?

I LOVE this granola!!!

2008-12-23T22:03:00.002-05:00

I typically have a smoothie every morning but need a little something between it and lunch. I wanted a change from eggs so I made a batch of Altered Plates' granola but modified it a bit to make it gluten free. I made it once before and it came out yummy but oatmeal (even the gluten free kind - bummer) and I just don't get along so this time I replaced it with crispy brown rice cereal. I like it better with the rice because of the crispy texture it adds plus it isn't as heavy as the version with oatmeal.

Ingredients:
3 cups Erewhon's gluten free crispy brown rice cereal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour
3/4 cup coconut powder or finely shredded
3/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
1/2 cup roughly chopped cashews
1/2 cup roughtly chopped pecans
3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
7 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas
1/4 hulled hemp seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla

add-ins for the post-baking mix:
1 cup chopped dried dates

Follow baking directions from Altered Plates' recipe but change the cooking time to the following: Bake 15 minutes, mix then rotate pans, bake another 10 minutes, mix then rotate pans and cook another 5 minutes. Thus total baking time = 30 minutes. It might be better the first time you make this to bake for 15 minutes then mix and rotate every 5 minutes since ovens differ and you don't want to burn the granola. The cooking time must've changed because I replaced the oatmeal with crispy rice cereal.

I love eating this with chopped apples, bananas, and almond milk. I felt lazy this morning so just had granola with almond milk and it was just as yummy. Give this one a try - it is absolutely delicious!

Crispy brown rice snacks

2008-11-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't had rice krispie treats in a while and I was craving them the other day so I made a healthier version I found on the back of my cereal box. It's a recipe for Erewhon cereal's crispy rice snacks. I tried cutting back the honey but it's all needed in order to keep the balls intact. 1/2 cup sounded like a lot to me but the recipe yields about 6 dozen snacks so it's spread out quite a bit. I rolled them in toasted sesame seeds so they can be handled without leaving a sticky mess on your fingers. This is a quick, tasty, and dairy & gluten free treat that I will make again. Let me know what you think if you make this.

Shrimp and tofu mini burgers

2008-11-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

Despite stabbing my thumb with a shard of glass then burning the same finger on a 325 F baking pan, lunch and dinner came out successful! I've been wanting to make Just Bento's shrimp and tofu mini-burgers (tsukune) with red pepper sauce and I made them for lunch today. It was absolutely delicious!!! I served it with brown rice and winter melon miso soup. It did take some time to prepare b/c I had to peel and devein the shrimp but Boo was busy helping DB organize his office so I was able to make lunch without interruptions. Next time I'm going to make a double or triple batch and freeze them.

Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha

2008-10-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

I am so ready for sweater weather. Around this time of the year, here in the south we are teased with bursts of cool weather then it gets warm again until finally it stays cool. It was 80 today so it's not feeling like fall at all. Last week when it actually felt like the season, I roasted a pumpkin and it was heavenly! The recipe calls for kabocha which is a Japanese pumpkin that tastes like a combination of pumpkin and sweet potatoes. According to Wikipedia, it's rich in beta carotene, with iron, vitamin C, potassium, and smaller traces of calcium, folic acid, and minute amounts of B vitamins. In other words, good stuff! I have had it fried, stewed, and steamed but not roasted (I don't think I have) until I tried Just Hungry's recipe for sweet and spicy roasted kabocha. I LOVE this recipe and since I first tried it last month, I have made it three times! I have another kabocha on my counter that I plan to roast this weekend. I use gluten free soy sauce so it's wheat free. Boo likes spicy food so has no problem eating this but if you have kids who aren't too keen on spicy, I'd reduce the amount of cayenne the recipe calls for. Just add a little then taste the sauce and add more if you like. I like my food spicy so I create two batches - the recipe version and mine with extra cayenne. I grew up in the New Orleans area so I'm all about spicy food!

Poached eggs with smoked salmon

2008-10-11T21:57:00.001-04:00

We had a fun family day today and we started it off with this experiment: a gluten-free eggs benedict. It turned out really yummy and was easy to make. Instead of english muffins, I shredded potatoes, zucchini, and carrots then sauteed them in a little olive oil and salt. I placed it on the plate topping it with smoked salmon and poached eggs then surrounded it all with spinach sauteed in olive oil and lemon juice. I didn't want to make hollandaise sauce from scratch so I took some mayo whisked in lemon juice and some smart balance butter. It was more liquid in consistency than hollandaise but it was still tasty. This is definitely something I will make again and again. I think I'm going to make it again tomorrow morning! This was my first time poaching eggs and I learned how by watching this video clip via YouTube. Don't you just love the Internet? Remember the "old" days when you had to go to the library or buy a book to learn such things? Now it's just a click away.

Juicing and raw carrot & orange cake

2008-10-07T21:51:00.001-04:00

Boo helped DB make juice on Sunday. Since she was involved in the process she was willing to try it and ended up liking her concoction. The juice contained apples, carrots, celery, beets, and cucumbers. She's been a bit picky lately so the juice was a nice injection of vitamins and minerals. I didn't add the juicer to my top 10 list because it's been sitting in the cabinet for a while. I think it's going to creep its way on the list because I had forgotten what yumminess it creates. I'm glad we dusted it off and put it back to work.

After the juice was made, DB cleaned it up (which can be a bit tedious hence the reason why it's not used as often) then juiced carrots and used the finely shredded pulp to make a raw carrot and orange cake. Boo had fun preparing it with him, using her hands to mix all the ingredients together. She liked it at first but she hasn't wanted to eat it since the first day. The texture is fibrous so not soft and spongy as one would expect from an actual cake - but remember, it's completely raw. It's definitely a pretty hard core healthy dessert but I love it. I especially LOVE the icing. Even if the cake doesn't sound appealing to you, try the icing. It would be really good on a fruit & nut muffin. I can eat spoonfuls of it which is just made of raw cashews, agave nectar, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. This is a 100% guilt-free dessert that is filling and satisfies my sweet tooth. We eat light dinners and have this as dessert and I'm fine the rest of the night.

Veggies with a creamy cashew sauce

2008-10-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

This meal is entirely raw from the sauce to the veggies. The original recipe was a tad bland so I made it more Asian by adding the following so it resembles a peanut sauce:

- 2 TB soy sauce
- 1 TB toasted sesame oil
- 3 TB coconut milk
- 1 tsp agave nectar

I also replaced the sesame seeds with tahini since I had some I needed to use plus I added more salt to my liking. It's super easy to make. The sauce contains cashews which makes it creamy and rich (in a good way). You can use roasted cashews if you have difficulties finding them raw (I found some at an Indian grocery store.). The recipes yields a lot of sauce so for a few days I sliced cucumbers, carrots, and celery to dip with. By the way, the intro for the recipe says it satisfies a mac n' cheese craving but I don't get that at all but perhaps you may.

Pictured: Shredded zucchini and carrots, English cucumbers, cauliflower, and campari tomatoes topped with the cashew sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

My top 10 kitchen tools

2008-10-02T20:09:00.001-04:00

If you haven't noticed, I enjoy cooking because I love eating. In our late 20's we spent a huge chunk of our paycheck going out to eat from casual to fine dining. We knew we could make the majority of the food at home for a fraction of the cost but we were too lazy. We were DINKs and young so what did we care? Things have changed now that we have other priorities, I no longer work outside the home, and we have a small child. I have the time to prepare the meals plus DB at one point wanted to be a chef so between the two of us we can cook yummy meals.

To make cooking a breeze and enjoyable, you have to have the right tools. I believe it's important to buy the best you can afford. If you buy cheap, you'll end up working rather than having the tools work for you. Here are the top 10 kitchen tools and gadgets that I couldn't do without:

1. Set of sharp knives. We have had our set of Wusthof knives for 10 years and they are just as good as the day we bought them and worth every penny.

2. Microplane. When a recipe calls for minced garlic or ginger, I just grate them on the microplane which saves a lot of time. Since food grated is finer than minced, I reduce the quantity called for in the recipe slightly.

3. Blender. I broke the pitcher to our 10 year old krups blender (darn!) a few weeks ago so bought a Kitchenaid to replace it. I researched the various ones out there and this was rated high for quality and durability. I read that a Vita-Mix is the ultimate but it starts at $450 so it's a tad out of my budget. And what does a $450 blender get me anyways - time travel? That's a lot of money!

4. Food processor. I have a mini cuisinart we received for our wedding gift 10 years ago and it still works great. I want a larger one because I have made recipes where I have to mix in batches because it is too small. Update: I bought a Kitchenaid and love it.

5. Bowls - We got a set of stainless steel bowls with rubber bottoms at Costco. I really like the rubber bottom so the bowls don't move around.

6. Rice cooker - I always have a batch of cooked brown rice in the refrigerator. I like the cooker because you just toss in the rice with water and forget about it. It rings when it's done. You can spend a lot of money on rice cookers but I have a basic one by Oster I bought at Target and it's all I need.

7. Steamer - I use my steamer all the time. Actually, we have two - one that my MIL gave us years ago that we still use for small batches and the other one is bigger with 2 steaming trays that we bought recently at Target. Update: I recently started steaming food using one of my pots with the steamer component that came with it. It's much easier clean up than the steamers although I use the steamers for large batches.

8. Pots and pans - We have a set of stainless steel pots and pans we bought at Costco. They do the trick but one day I want a nicer set because the ones we have cook unevenly.

9. Mandolin - I use ours daily. When I bought it I didn't think I'd use it often so I bought an inexpensive Japanese mandolin by Benriner. I'm looking for one that can grate really fine, can slice different thicknesses, and is as safe as it can be so I don't slice my fingers off. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know. Update: Bought a couple and ended up returning them. Eventually found one I love.

10. Coffee maker - DB told me to add it to the list since he finds it and his coffee bean grinder to be essential tools. I don't drink coffee so I didn't think to add it to the list.

What kitchen tools do you have that you can't do without?

Broccoli salad by DB

2008-09-30T21:49:00.001-04:00

DB is getting in the kitchen and preparing raw vegan meals for us. It's been a treat to get a break from cooking. I do have to give him credit because he cooked the first 11 years of our relationship but I took over since becoming a stay at home mom. He says I told him I didn't know how to cook but that's not exactly correct. I never said I didn't know how, I just didn't do it so he assumed. ;) Everything he has made has been delicious. He proposed eating raw every other day for the next few weeks (and vegetarian meals the other days) and at first I was reluctant about the raw part. How can a bowl of raw veggies be satisfying? I've been pleasantly surprised that it has been that and also filling. There are a lot of recipes out there that are spa-like. Now, we do eat 5-6 mini meals as opposed to just 3 big ones so this keeps us going throughout the day and we don't go through that super hungry phase.

Pictured is the broccoli salad he made Sunday. We ate it along with various sliced veggies and dips. It reminds me of coleslaw because it's sweet with a touch of sour from vinegar. It contains broccoli, craisins (not in recipe but added for a punch of color), raisins, sunflower seeds, and red onions with a sauce made of cashews, agave nectar, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Yummy!!! Boo even likes it and named it monster salad. Next time he makes it he says he's going to add shredded carrots for some added nutrients and more color.

What's on the menu next, DB? Looking forward to what else you whip up.

Grrrrr...monster pudding!

2008-09-24T21:47:00.001-04:00

I bought this cute monster cup at Target yesterday and it inspired me to fill it with monster related contents. Bolthouse Green Goodness, a.k.a "super juice", looks pretty cool in it with its icky green color. I was trying to think of something fun, nutritious, and of course, tasty, to put in it and here it is...monster pudding.

Monster Pudding

2 bananas

1 avocado

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla extract)

Mix together in blender. Serve right away.

Note: The color of the pudding in the pic is a bit darker than how it will come out in reality. Just couldn't quite capture the vibrant avocado green with my camera.

Super easy to make and yummy! Unless you are a supertaster you will barely detect the avocado - my husband didn't believe me when I told him the pudding contained avocados. Be sure to make it just before serving to maintain the monster green color because both bananas and avocados brown. If your child is hesitant about eating something green, you can put in a teaspoon of cocoa or carob powder to make it look like banana chocolate pudding, but with Halloween right around the corner I bet your little one(s) will get a kick out of the color. When I made this for Boo today, she could not get enough. In fact, she pulled her step stool up to the counter where I was photographing the pudding and she kept saying, "May I have some more, please", over and over again. At least she was being polite - but wow, was she persistent! Give this one a try - it is absolutely delicious.

Thank you to Laurie at Tip Junkie for featuring this blog post!

Fri & Sat dinner

2008-09-20T21:46:00.001-04:00

Friday night dinner: Lotus root mini-cakes with sweet chili sauce and bacon wrapped tofu. The two work really well together. Loved the lotus cake and it's dumpling-like texture sans any kind of grains - it's all veggies. It was the first time I tasted sweet chili sauce and I really like it. I think it tastes like a Thai sweet and sour sauce. The only part of the prep that was time consuming was grating the lotus root. I think I had my mandolin shredder setting too small so it took forever but I will make both again.

Tonight's dinner: Zucchini & chickpea pancakes (thanks to Cooking for Monkeys for posting this recipe on her site) with nut and fruit chutney along with curried kidney beans and veggies. The chutney can overpower the pancakes if you add too much. Just a touch is nice.

I like everything I have made this week (except the eggplant dish) because they were all super easy to make, tasty, and were made with minimal ingredients. I don't like making food with a long ingredient list with multiple steps so these were right up my alley. I hope you enjoyed my week of Asian cooking and are inspired to try something new. :)

Update 9/22: I made roasted carrot spread and it tastes WONDERFUL as a dip with the chickpea pancakes. The two complement each other very nicely.

Banana ice cream, sweet red bean paste, and mud pie?

2008-09-18T21:44:00.001-04:00

I gave Boo her breakfast and she pushed it away and said she didn't want it. Um, okay, you loved it the last time I gave it to you... but I'm used to it by now. She also loved carrots a couple weeks ago now she thinks it's yucky. She told me she wanted banana ice cream and I told her what a fabulous idea. Boo loves ice cream but it’s not often she gets it. I don’t want to deprive her so here’s a healthy non-dairy ice cream recipe I make that she could have everyday and it’s fine with me.

Cashew Banana ice cream
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons cashew nut butter or any other nut butter

Place ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

That’s all there is to it. If there are any left over, I put it in the freezer and when she wants it again I’ll blend it for a few seconds to soften. This is a good base and other frozen fruits can be added like blueberries and strawberries.

We are a banana loving family but none of us like them when they get lots of brown spots. I buy a couple of bunches at a time so the few we don't eat can get really ripe. These I peel then stick in the freezer for smoothies, ice cream, and other recipes.

I made beany brownies last week and they turned out really good then I remembered it isn't a new concept to eat beans as a desert. How could I forget? In Japan, many of the sweets include sweetened azuki beans that are mashed to a paste-like consistency. When I was little I ate taiyaki which is defined by Wikipedia as:

Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Taiyaki is made using taiyaki, regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown.

I made the azuki bean paste using agave nectar yesterday and it turned out really good. It's usually just mashed with chunks of beans intact but I don't like big pieces so I put it in a food processor for a smoother consistency. I don't like fruit peels and bean skin - I think its texture interferes with the softness of the interior. I don't mind black, navy, and some kidney beans but I do not like lentils unless they are pureed. Moving on...since I'm gluten intolerant I can't have the traditional taiyaki so I thought to try it on gluten free waffles and it was a pretty good substitute. It makes for a healthy snack whether you are gluten intolerant or not.

Finally to wrap up tonight's blog, my 3 year old entomologist and I went outside today to search for bugs. After she grew tired of looking at ants, she wanted to dig in the dirt in hopes of finding other kinds of insects there. The dirt was dry so we got some water to soften the earth. We came across a couple interesting looking creatures that we need to look up in her bug book to identify them - she reminded me of this at bedtime since we forgot to do it. She soon grew bored of that so we made mud pie. We were on the far side of the yard so she happily walked back and forth with her pail of water as shown in the pic. It was really cool to see determination, hard work, and focus in my little girl today. I have a feeling we'll be bug hunting and mud pie making again tomorrow. :)

Good day, good eats

2008-09-17T21:43:00.002-04:00

We had a good day. Boo and I ran errands then went to the mall to ride the carousel, have lunch (I packed bentos for us), browse a little, and then she got to run around and climb in the toddler play area. As we rode the carousel, I looked at her and told her I loved her so much and she smiled really big, leaned down, and planted a bunch of kisses on my face. Soooo precious and sweet!

Speaking of sweet...I made pattycake's banana booty bars last night because my sweet tooth was screaming for something tasty and the bars did not disappoint. To quote from the recipe, these are "Oaty, chewy, fruity bars with a hint of spice and a walnut crunch". I used coconut oil plus added the optional orange zest and 1/4 cup of Ghirardelli's 60% cacao bittersweet chips. There were just enough chips to give it chocolatey goodness. I have to say, I do replace sugar with agave nectar in many recipes but that doesn't mean I don't eat it. I just replace it with a healthier option as much as I can so when I eat sugar, I don't feel as guilty about consuming it. :o)

For breakfast this morning, I made pattycake's blueberry spiced smoothie because I just happened to have all the ingredients. I promise, I'm not a stalker, pattycake! I just really love her recipes because they are healthy, fit my diet restriction, and are easy to make plus I trust her taste buds since everything I have tried have all been delicious.

I'm still in the cooking mood so was quite busy in the kitchen this evening. DB, who works from home, was able to come down at 5 to entertain Boo. I let her watch two episodes of Super Why prior so I was able to start cooking at 4. I had a lot going on - making an eggplant dish (that sounded good but ended up tasting as bad as it looked), a seaweed dish (that was too vinegary but I was able to salvage it), azuki bean paste, and was attempting to make a lotus root mini-cake but decided to make them tomorrow since the other two dishes flopped. I was trying to have vegetarian night but since things weren't going my way and it was already 5:30, I quickly whipped up a batch of the stewed tsukune dumplings (this time using lean ground turkey) with carrots that I made Monday. Things didn't turn out like I planned but it was still a good dinner.

Stuffed potato oyaki with wakame & cucumber salad

2008-09-16T21:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight I made potato oyaki filled with ground turkey soboro with wakame & cucumber sunomono. What does all that mean, you ask? The oyaki is a mashed potato patty filled with soboro, a sweet & salty meat, pan fried in sesame oil. Wakame is the same seaweed you can find floating in your miso soup at a Japanese restaurant. It along with cucumbers are tossed with sugar and rice wine vinegar. I didn't take a picture because there are good ones already along with the recipes. The only difference was my potato oyakis were more caramel in color and not so dark (burned?) as in the photo.

I followed the potato oyaki as written. When I made the potatoes yesterday, I set aside 2 cups for this oyaki recipe. The only change to the wakame & cucumber sunomono was replacing the sugar with agave nectar. I modified the soboro slightly by increasing the soy sauce (gluten-free) by 1 TB and omitted the oyster sauce since I couldn't find a gluten free version. I added a splash of fish sauce to kind of make up for the flavor oyster sauce provides. It took me an hour to make all this and clean-up wasn't as bad as last night. We all enjoyed dinner and Boo especially liked the sunomono. DB and I liked the soboro so much that we added a scoopful over the oyaki.

Chicken, potatoes, and sprouts

2008-09-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

Yay!!! DB is finally off of his high-protein-barely-any-carbs eating regimen so fun cooking can resume once again! I spent a couple hours late last night looking through two food blogs, Just Hungry and Just Bento, both written by a Japanese woman named Maki. I got sucked into both of her blogs and bookmarked a bunch of recipes, created my shopping list, and went grocery shopping today for the ingredients.

Tonight I made chicken tsukune dumplings with carrots, potatoes with sweet-spicy miso, and bean sprout namul. I originally planned to make bok choy namul, too, but I got lazy and didn't feel like washing every individual leaf with all those crevices that trap dirt - too bad because it would've livened up the plate with the green color. I followed the chicken recipe as written, using ground chicken, but changed the other two a little. I didn't use kochujang (Korean spicy bean paste) in the potato recipe because it contains wheat so I used 3 TB of miso then drizzled just a little garlic chili sauce on top (the Vietnamese chili sauce w/ a pic of a rooster on the container). I used 2 TB of agave nectar and about 1/2 tsp of molasses to give it that brown sugar taste. I steamed the potatoes instead of boiling and used red because the store didn't have new potatoes as called for in the recipe. For the bean sprouts, I stir-fried it in a little sesame oil and salt then after a couple minutes threw it in the collander to drain, tossed in some toasted sesame seeds, and about 1/8 tsp of sesame seed oil.

DB and I loved everything while Boo ate one piece of chicken and a couple carrots. She didn't like the sprouts nor the potatoes this time. I read that kids need to be introduced to new food at least 10 times so I'm not giving up. It's been true with Boo thus far so I'm a believer of this statement.

All three recipes were very straightforward, easy, and tasty. It took about an hour to make everything but I was also stopping here and there to attend to Boo. I will definitely make all three again and highly recommend them. We have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow for all three of us - is it lunch yet???

Baking & laundry

2008-09-08T21:40:00.001-04:00

Mondays are a good day for me because it's the start of a new week. I'm highly motivated to get things done around the house and today, I baked and did a few loads of laundry plus in between played with Boo.

I made beany brownies from Altered Plates, Patty's pumpkin pudding from Pattycake, and a modified version of Southern Living's yellow squash casserole. I took pictures but accidentally deleted them off my camera. Oh well, just visit the links and you'll see pics of the goodies.

The beany brownies intrigued me because there's no flour, butter, or oil. Instead it's made out of black beans. Can you believe it - beans! It satisfies my chocolate craving which I am no longer denying. Life is short, I'm eating chocolate.

Patty's pumpkin pudding is absolutely delicious. Think pumpkin pie sans the crust which is how I usually eat it anyways. Boo loves it, too, which is wonderful because pumpkins and their seeds are highly nutritious and beneficial (visit these links to learn why). The recipe calls for juice - I used half carrot and half orange. I used corn flour, agave syrup, and canned pumpkin (yeah, not sure what Patty will think of this but it works). I did include the orange zest and I'm glad I did because how wonderful is the combination of cloves and oranges? This is a keeper.

For the squash casserole, I omitted the cheese this time but in the past used soy cheese, reduced the butter to 2 TB (used Smart Balance), left out the sugar, and replaced the crackers with brown rice krispies that I ground in the food processor. Yeah, it still has mayo in it but that's what gives it the creaminess. I used Smart Balance mayo but the last time I made it, I used vegenaise (which is surprisingly tasty).

I'm starting to realize that living gluten-free isn't so bad. There are tons of options and these three recipes are examples of how food I love can be modified to fit my food restrictions. Even if you aren't living gluten-free you should try them out.

Quick & easy falafel

2008-09-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

I totally lost track of time today and before I knew it, it was almost 5pm and I didn't know what to make for dinner. Just one of those days. We have to start Boo's bedtime routine by no later than 6:15 to ensure she's tucked in bed by 7 so we eat dinner early. I checked out the frig contents then the pantry where I spotted the garbanzo beans so I decided to make falafel. I quickly whipped up a batch and while it was baking, I checked out the produce drawer and found spinach, carrots, and zucchini - good, we have salad. I tossed the veggies in some Annie's Naturals Goddess dressing which contains tahini so complements the falafel perfectly. By 5:45 we were sitting down for dinner. When I copied and pasted this recipe into my recipe document a while ago, I did not include the link so I cannot give the appropriate credit. Definitely try it - it's yummy, easy, and quick to make.

Baked Falafel
- two 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp coriander
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, puree 2 cups of the garbanzo beans and other ingredients until creamy and well combined.

2. Add the remaining garbanzo beans and pulse several times until mixture is combined but there are still pieces of garbanzos left intact.

3. Make falafel into 2-3" patties and place them on a greased baking sheet

4. Bake 15-20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway into cooking.

Crazy-good monkey bites

2008-08-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

Boo asked for oatmeal cookies so I made a batch but experimented a little. I didn't have any dates or cashews so I modified the mommyguilt-free cookies and this new version is much more moist and a tad gooey, but in a good way. They're also not as dense as the original. They contain peanut butter but the taste is really subtle. I tried another batch adding more peanut butter but then they got the mouth-sticking consistency without the added flavor. Oh well, I'll take this version because of its consistency and protein the peanut butter provides. I make them pretty small so she eats about 3 or 4 for breakfast around 7:30. Around 8:30 I give her a smoothie and she's nice and full until her midmorning snack which is usually a fruit leather or something light, fluffy, and not too filling like veggie booty or snapea crisps.

I was trying to come up with a fun name so I asked my husband what comes to mind when I say peanut butter and bananas and he said "monkey nuts". Did I mention I have a second child who happens to be 36? Okay, so "monkey nuts" isn't very appetizing so I asked Boo what comes to mind when I say peanut butter and bananas and she said, "good!". So here you go, "Crazy-good monkey bites". I had to add "crazy" because how can I not with nuts and bananas? Hee hee...

Crazy-good monkey bites
Makes 4 dozen mini bites
- 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 TB cocoa powder
- 3 cups over-ripe bananas (approx 7 medium nanas)
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (honey, agave nectar, or sugar will work, too)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Use a blender or food processor, blend the oats into a fine flour (it doesn't have to be exactly like the consistency of store bought flour - it can be a little rougher). Add the baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa powder and blend for a few seconds to combine. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas using a fork or potato masher. Add peanut butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup and mix well. Add banana mixture to the oat mixture and combine well. Using a mini ice cream scooper (mine is 1.5" in diameter) place mounds of the dough on the baking sheet. These cookies don't rise so press down a little. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Cool cookies on a wire rack then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These freeze well, too. I make sleeves of them by wrapping 10 in plastic wrap then place them all in a freezer bag. I pull out a sleeve the night before and place in frig and it's ready to eat the next morning.

In the other batch where I used more peanut butter, I added pureed carrots so the next time I'll replace some of the bananas with carrots. Hmmm, I could add shredded zucchini, too. Next batch...

PS: I changed the name from "cookies" to "bites" so kiddies who are older and have expectations of what a cookie is like aren't disappointed when they get this since it's more muffin-like. :o)

Dips to get your kids to eat veggies

2008-08-21T21:36:00.001-04:00

When I was little I would only eat salad if it had my mom's dressing on it. She made it with mayonnaise and ketchup with a dash of sugar and only later did I realize it was 1000 island sans the relish. I've been trying to get Boo to eat salad and more veggies so I whipped up a healthy version of my mom's dressing. I drizzled some on lettuce and she ate it and actually said "yum" - success! She likes to dip her baby carrots and cucumbers into it, too, so now I'm going to start introducing other raw veggies like red peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower. Here's the recipe:

Yoshi's dressing

- 1/2 cup medium-firm tofu

- 2 TB mayonnaise

- 2 1/2 TB ketchup

Place tofu in food processer and blend until smooth then add mayo and ketchup. Keep it in the frig in an airtight container and it should keep for 7-10 days (since that's how long unsealed tofu will keep). Taste it and if you want it creamier and/or sweeter, just increase the amount of mayo and ketchup.

The healthy part is the tofu which contains protein but I also used healthier versions of mayo and ketchup. I used Smart Balance mayonnaise (contains omega-3 and 6 fatty acids and it's non-hydrogenated) and a ketchup that is made of organic sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Yes, sugar isn't ideal but it's way better than corn syrup (check out this link to read why it's bad for you). If you have the time you can always make homemade ketchup. I actually have some in the freezer but didn't think to use it until now as I type this. I love the ketchup recipe but neither Boo nor DB were crazy about it but it's been a while since I offered it to her so I should try again. It really won't make a difference in the dressing anyhow. Okay, next time.

I recently discovered that Boo will eat baby carrots if I steam them so they are tender but not mushy (in my steamer, about 10 minutes). She even likes them plain since the sweetness of the carrots come out more when they are cooked. Great snack on the go! I'll just give her the dressing with her meals at home. I buy a 5 pound bag of organic babies from Costco (one of my fave places if you haven't figured that out already) so I have plenty to give her. The majority I steam, puree, then put in recipes (I like adding some to marinara sauce - you can't tell it's in there).

Hope some of these ideas help you get your little ones to eat more veggies! Would love to hear what you do to entice them.

Faves: Healthy juice and a cool way of drinking it

2008-08-16T22:11:00.001-04:00

Note: I don't get paid to comment about products. I just like babbling about stuff I like that makes my life easier and perhaps will do the same for yours. :)

My husband and I drink a lot of water. On a daily basis, he drinks about 192 ounces and I usually get between 96-128 ounces. I was told by a spin instructor you should, at a minimum, drink half your weight in ounces and more if you worked up a sweat. I wish Boo would drink a lot of water but she doesn't - yet (going to encourage her when the weather cools when she isn't sweating like she does now). I experienced mommyguilt because I was giving her juice while many of her friends were drinking water. I have recurring nightmares where she gets dehydrated so I resolved that watered down juice is a whole lot better than her not drinking enough. Last year, I stumbled on a healthy beverage that has gotten rid of the guilt. It's Bolthouse Farms' Green Goodness smoothie. It contains such ingredients as wheat grass, spirulina, spinach, and blue-green algae but the various fruit that's added masks the flavor of these green goodies. It's flash pasteurized, preservative-free, and is made of 100% juice with no added sugar. It's a dark green color so I was concerned Boo wouldn't drink it when I first gave it to her. The first few times I put it in a sippy cup where she couldn't see the color but after a while I stopped concealing it and she was fine with it. We call it "super juice" so it sounds really cool. I do dilute it and feel good knowing she is getting hydrated and consuming the nutrients it provides all at the same time. You can usually find it in the produce section for about $4 for 1 liter but you can get a twin-pack at Costco for about $6. Pricey, yes, but I think it's worth it.

A friend of mine's daughter was drinking out of a Thermos FUNtainer bottle and I liked that it was stainless steel and kept drinks cold for 12 hours. Have you seen them? Hers was Hello Kitty who we both love but Target didn't have it so we picked up the Barbie version. It's sold in the camping section - they do have boys' versions, too. It has an easy to open (for a 2 1/2 year old and older) flip top that reveals a straw from which she can drink. Love this because it's durable (it's been dropped countless times and on concrete, too), easy access to her drink and it's leakproof as long as the top is closed. I taught her from the start to close the top as soon as she's finished drinking and she's been good about doing it. It's easy to clean and at $15, it's a good deal for a stainless steel cup. Now that we have it, it's practically the only cup she uses. Before we had it, I'd give her a plastic sippy cup and toss out the majority of its contents because it would sit around at room temperature. This cup allows her to sip from it all day and I don't have to worry about the contents spoiling. I haven't checked out the other stainless steel cups because I really like Thermos'.

Hey, Koala - stop eating poison!

2008-08-14T21:35:00.000-04:00

I discovered in January I am gluten and dairy intolerant. I was doing a good job of avoiding both but starting around Boo's birthday a couple weeks ago, I snuck a little of the forbidden foods here and there. I didn't quite react as severely as I usually do so I ate a little more and more until I was eating like I didn't have an intolerance - bad idea. I have been feeling slightly nauseous for the past week and a half but was in denial about what was causing it. I finally hit a wall yesterday and my body freaked out and screamed at me to stop poisoning myself. I hear ya, body, I hear ya loud and clear - now - for real this time. I promise. My reluctance to accept my allergy is purely psychological, I know it. Many of the food I find comforting contain both dairy and wheat and I need to cut myself off from that attachment. As with any challenge in life, altering perspective from negative to positive is the key to overcoming or accepting them.

Negative: I can't eat Mellow Mushroom pizzas anymore nor can I eat my fave chocolate cake from Alon's bakery. Boo hoo!
Positive: I'm fortunate I figured out my allergies before any damage is done to my body that could cause disease and shorten my life.

Put it that way and it's a big NO DUH to drop the gluten and dairy, don't you think?

I bought a cleansing kit today by Garden of Life that the natural food store I frequent recommended. I have done a cleanse before by fasting for 7 days and that was way too harsh and obviously, restricting, since I couldn't eat food. It did do wonders but I don't want to do that again. This kit cleanses the body of toxins while allowing you to eat like normal (although they recommend you eat clean - no meat, no dairy, no gluten, no alcohol, no caffeine, no processed sugar - hmmm, did I leave anything out?). I'm going to start it tomorrow since I wasn't feeling well to do it today. The box claims I will feel "lighter on my feet with a brighter outlook". What does that exactly mean? I guess it's a nice way of saying I won't feel as lethargic and depressed like I have the past week? Well, I'm ready to give it a try if that's what's going to happen. I'll blog after the 10 days are over to let you know how it went.

Appreciating applesauce in a jar

2008-08-06T21:33:00.001-04:00

Porter brought a bunch of apples her 3 year old and mother-in-law picked. It's such a treat to get freshly picked apples! She said these were cooking apples so I got a little nervous. I have never cooked with apples before so what could I make that I couldn't mess up? I scoured the web and found an interesting recipe for applesauce. Instead of cooking the apples on the stove, this recipe calls for roasting the apples. The recipe only uses a fraction of the sugar the stovetop version uses so I gave it a try. Ohmigosh, it turned out yummy!!!! It has a nice roasted flavor and it's not overly sweet. Actually it kind of tastes like a light version of apple pie filling. I'm relieved it came out well because I would've been pissed if it didn't turn out because I spent 2 hours prepping all those apples. I now have an appreciation for applesauce that I never had before because of all the work involved. A thought that crossed my mind is that I need to buy organic applesauce from now on. Apples are tainted with the most pesticides and since applesauce is so concentrated, that's a lot of pesticides crammed into a jar. Apple juice, too. Anyways, while I was prepping, I was asking Boo who all she wanted to give the applesauce to because based on the quantity of apples I had, I thought it was going to yield a HUGE batch. Um, not - I got about 4 - 5 cups worth out of approximately 24 medium sized apples. I forgot that they cook down. Well, at least I have enough to share with Porter to thank her for the apples. Here's the recipe:

Roasted Applesauce
Note: I made a triple batch so the recipe will make 1-2 cups.

- 8 medium apples, such as Granny Smith or Rome Beauties
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Peel, core, and dice apples into one-inch chunks making them roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the honey, olive oil, brown sugar and kosher salt over the apples. Toss with your hands to make sure all of the apples are coated well. Spread the apples out in an even layer on a heavy roasting pan or a baking sheet.

Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (if you have any honey mix, pour over the apples when you stir the first time). When done, apples should be golden brown and soft, but still retain their shape. Remove from the oven then pulse in a blender until it's to the consistency of your liking.

Boo liked it so much she kept asking for more. For me, I put a teeny bit of vanilla ice cream (I confess, I haven't completely eliminated dairy) over warm applesauce and it was heavenly! Tomorrow for her breakfast I'm going to make a yogurt parfait w/ the applesauce and add some raisins. Wish I had some granola to add to it but it's still going to be yum. I told her when I tucked her in tonight that I was going to make her parfait for breakfast and she got all excited.

Porter also gave me some okra from a neighbor's garden. I have only used okra in gumbo so I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. She gave me a quick recipe but I didn't saute it in oil like she does so it came out ok. I didn't want to waste it so I tossed some into my dinner of stir-fry chicken and it was delish in it. I saved some to give to Boo tomorrow to try. It'll be interesting to see what she thinks. I'm guessing she's going to spit it out but you never know.

This smoothie would've been good

2008-07-22T21:31:00.001-04:00

I don't drink coffee because it makes me too jittery, irritable, and hyper and once it wears off I crash hard...and this is after just one cup! It's mornings like today's that make me wonder if it wouldn't be worthwhile to have just a little. Just enough to wake me up enough so that I would be aware that my blender was coming undone and oozing its contents. My precious smoothie. I mean seriously, it didn't get like this in a couple seconds. It took about 20 seconds, I would guess, and I didn't notice. I remember the blender making a strange sound and proceeded to ignore it then I turned my head and saw the mess. Did I mention I was standing right next to it (but staring off into lalaland)? I made another sans the spinach because I was out. So sad, I like my morning salad.

Peruvian Purple Potatoes

2008-07-21T21:28:00.002-04:00

I was craving potato salad the other day so headed to Super H-Mart, an Asian grocery store, to pick up some red potatoes. They weren't very fresh so I took a gamble and bagged some purple potatoes that were right next to them. I was feeling adventurous so got them even though I had no idea if they were like red or sweet potatoes. The gamble paid off - they are delicious and highly recommended. They are creamy like red potatoes and hold up nicely so would be perfect in potato salad. I steamed them and made them into mashed potatoes (changed my mind) so I could make them into croquettes for Boo. I am going back tomorrow to get more so I can make potato salad that I'm still craving!

I did some research and they are called Peruvian Purple Potatoes - a.k.a. Delta Blues. These "gems of the Andes" were one of the first potatoes cultivated and thought to be reserved for the Incan kings. They are purple on the inside and outside and get their color from the powerful antioxidant, anthocyanin, which is the same pigment found in blueberries. Antioxidants work to neutralize "free radicals", which are produced by our cells when they are exposed to such elements as chemicals, pollution, smoke, pesticides, and sun, just to mention a few. Free radicals harm our immune system which leads to many degenerative diseases.

I hope H-Mart continues to carry these so I can make all sorts of potato dishes which will be so much healthier and prettier because of the purple color. Here's a pic of the mashed potatoes I made. I added salt, Smart Balance, carrots, zucchini, corn, and broccoli. Delicious!

P.S. - The pic of the potatoes before they were sliced are bright purple because they were wet because I had just washed them. When you see them in the store they're dingier.

Yummy! Ginger miso peanut butter cookies

2008-07-19T21:27:00.002-04:00

I enjoy baking healthy treats for Boo. I can indulge in a couple and not feel guilty knowing they're healthier than the typical goods. I stumbled upon a great baking blog called Pattycake that has recipes on the healthy side and many are gluten and dairy free. The first recipe I tried is her ginger miso peanut butter cookies. Ohmigosh, talk about absolutely delicious! I tweaked her original recipe by replacing the brown sugar and honey with agave syrup, which is purported to have a lower glycemic index which means it raises blood sugar less than the other sweeteners. It's also a lot sweeter than refined white sugar so you can use less thus save calories. Well, I forgot this fact when I replaced it in this recipe so I did a 1:1 replacement and surprisingly it wasn't overly sweet so I'm keeping it that way. I shared these cookies with Porter and Violet at the pool the other day. She and Boo couldn't get enough. As we were leaving, we said we'd get together again soon and Violet said, "Bring your cookies with you." Got the seal of approval from 2 year olds, can't beat that!

Following is the recipe I tweaked. Go to the original recipe if prefer to use honey and brown sugar - nothing wrong with that. There's controversy over whether agave is really that much better anyway. I choose to think it's better until more information is provided and makes me think otherwise. Bake these, you will be happy you did. As Patty puts it, "The combination of sweet, savory, and spicy is pretty awesome :-)", and I completely agree.

Ingredients / Directions:
Have all your ingredients at room temperature. Mix together by hand:

- 1 1/4c natural peanut butter

- 3 Tbsp white miso paste

- 1/2 c agave syrup

- 1 egg (lightly beaten)

- 4 Tbsp starch (tapioca or corn)

- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

Next mix in:
- 1/2 c chopped candied ginger

Roll generous teaspoons of batter into balls, place on parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet, and press with a fork. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Wait a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

Concocting interesting smoothie combinations

2008-07-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

The first thing I do every morning is make a smoothie for me and Boo. It's easy, there's no cooking involved, and it's refreshing. I don't drink coffee so I need to do as little as possible first thing. I like coming up with different combinations and sometimes they work and sometimes they fall flat, like this one in the blender. In concept it sounded good to me. It's a combination of spinach, watermelon, and cucumbers and it tasted ok but had a weird aftertaste and the texture was mealy. I still drank it so I wouldn't be wasteful but Boo wouldn't. DB drank it but thought what I did. It was the watermelon that made it that way because it was overly ripe. Note to self: in the future when using watermelon, juice it. I like adding spinach to my smoothies because if you add just a big handful with fruit you cannot taste it and it's good knowing I got some veggies in without much effort - just didn't work here. I'm not giving up on the cucumbers just yet. I think it would make a tasty and refreshing addition - to something.

I had some steamed sweet potato left over from a recipe I made so I thought it would be yummy to make a smoothie out of it. Here's how I made it:
- 3/4 cup of sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup of vanilla rice milk
- 1/2 cup of pineapples
- dash of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of ice
- 1 teaspoon of flax seed meal
- scoop of strawberry protein powder

OHMIGOSH, it was delicious! I just bought more pineapple and some vanilla protein powder (think that'll be even better) today so will have another tomorrow. I'm going to throw in a handful of spinach, too.

As a snack this afternoon, Boo wanted ice cream. I didn't have any frozen bananas so I threw one in a blender along with some ice, chocolate soy milk, chocolate protein powder, and peanut butter and it was amazing. I have had this combo at Planet Smoothie where it's sold as a Chocolate Elvis. Not low cal but worth it if you want a treat.

I want to play around with other combos so will post when I come up with something yummy.

Mommyguilt-free cookies

2008-06-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

We all deal with mommyguilt. We place too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and frankly it's not realistic. Have you watched cartoons and thought - geeze, how the heck is that mom able to be so patient after that kid did that? The moms never lose it and I find this disturbing because our kids watch these shows and think this is how mommy should be all the time. That's totally setting us moms up and this is where "you're mean" (among other things) comes from. How about that Little Bear's mom? Or Ruby, Max's sister and apparent mother figure? If your kids watch a show where a mom is somewhat REAL, let me know b/c I want Boo to start watching it!

There's a lot of guilt we feel when it comes to eating. We feel guilty when we:
- don't give them enough vegetables
- allow them to eat too many sweets
- give them too much juice to drink
- leave the TV on when they eat
- don't eat together as a family
- feed them fast food
...and the list goes on and on and this is only one aspect where mommyguilt thrives!

Honestly, the biggest critic is mom herself and no one is perfect (although I have done each of the above only once in Boo's life - yeah right, LOL!). We are a healthy household and do our best but I let things go once in a while. We all know better and we do the best we can. Being aware of what is good and not good for our kids is a big step in the right direction and allows us to make appropriate decisions. Next time you feel mommyguilt looming over you, stop and think whether it's really deserved. Is it really a big deal in the overall scheme of things?

To alleviate some mommyguilt I have a great "cookie" recipe for you that doesn't contain sugar, wheat*, oil, or salt. Think of it as a bowl of banana oatmeal your kids can eat without the mess and on the go. The texture is like a muffin and not crunchy like a cookie. You may have to name it banana muffin cookies/cakes if your kids are older and have expectations of what defines a cookie. I give 2-3 to Boo as a snack or first thing in the morning. She loves them and thinks it's such a treat to have them for breakfast! So here it is, mommyguilt-free cookies care of the
Vegan Lunchbox. I modified it to my liking but you can always go to the link for the original recipe.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies - makes about 28 cookies
- 2 cups quick cooking oats (optional - gluten free)
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 4 medium overripe bananas (medium is about 7-8 inches long)
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Use a blender or food processor to blend the oats into fine flour (it doesn't have to be exactly like the consistency of store bought flour - it can be a little rougher). Add the baking soda and cinnamon and blend for a few seconds to combine. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Add cashews to the blender and pulse until they're the desired size. I like mine to be the size of the peanuts in a jar of crunchy peanut butter. Add this to the oat mixture.

Put 3 of the peeled, overripe bananas into the blender and blend until smooth. Add this to the oat mixture. Put the 4th banana into the blender and pulse - stop when it's still a little chunky (the cookies are really tasty when you take a bite and get a chunk of banana). Chop the dates and add to the mix.

Use a mini ice cream scooper (mine is 1.5" in diameter) to place mounds of the cookie dough on the baking sheet. These cookies don't rise so press down so they're about a 1/4" tall. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

That's it. Add more nuts or dates if you like. Get creative - add to the recipe to your liking. Instead of dates how about raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and/or other kind of nuts or seeds? Baking is usually a science but with this recipe you can add other ingredients and not affect the cookies' integrity. Let me know what you come up with.

*This recipe is wheat free but not gluten free unless you buy oats that specifically say so. Oats naturally do not contain gluten but they are processed in the same facilities as wheat causing cross contamination.

About me

2008-06-01T22:38:00.009-04:00

I am creative, a recovering perfectionist, and a health nut 90% of the time (a girl has got to have french fries now and then!). I love to cook and have the added challenge of making it as healthy as possible for my well being. I do love to craft as well and you can read about my creations but here, it's all about FOOD!

Q: Why did you start this blog?
A: To share and document recipes that are tasty, healthy, and gluten free. In January 2008 for two weeks, I eliminated food that could cause allergies or were just unhealthy: caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy, soy, and meat. I did this as a way of starting the new year fresh and guess what? I realized my body hated gluten. After incorporating it back in, I immediately felt awful and my belly bloated terribly. I've been in and out of denial but I've had some health scares recently which has been a reality check. I'm awake now and am committed to following a clean, healthy, and gluten free diet! I keep all the other types of food I listed to a minimum. By the way, you can still find yummy recipes here even if you aren't following a gluten free diet. In fact, I don't think you'll notice except with the baked goods.

Q: Why "koala"?
A: My actual pseudonym is "koala brains" which came to be in 1998 when I married my husband and I changed my last name. Every time Word spell checked my documents, it wanted to correct the spelling of my name to koala brains (Kaori = koala, according to Microsoft). It cracked me up so I never made it "add" to the dictionary because I wanted to see the suggested correction. The name has always stuck. For this food blog, I thought it would be kinda gross to mention "brains" so I dropped it.

Q: What are your interests besides cooking?
A: I enjoy sewing, jewelry making, and any other crafts that interest me, reading, blogging (of course!), and am in the process of learning how to garden. I am also health and environmentally conscious. Granted, I'm not as far along with my earth friendly ways as many people but I'm on my way. I'm very concerned about the long term effects of the chemicals in our food, personal products, cleaning products, in the air, in water, and pretty much everywhere, so my mission in life is to minimize them as much as possible.

Welcome to my blog where I document my healthy food adventure!