Please don't egg my house

I'm having growing concerns that one day I'll wake up to find my 4-year old's bed empty, and in place of his sleeping body will be a ransom note that says:

"Give us more Foodie and the boy will be returned to you, unharmed."

I've been asked about a handful of times when I was going to start blogging again. I figured I better git off my lazy arse before people start resorting to drastic measures. I'll spare you all the blah details of my life and throw out a couple seasonal recipes that yielded fresh, flavorful, summery results. Ya better hurry, though, if you want to prepare these dishes cause autumn will be rearing its lovely head soon.

Sweet Corn and Summer Squash Soup

I love it when I see that a recipe only has a minimal amount of ingredients. And this soup is a perfect example of the fact that good quality recipes need not contain insane amounts of ingredients you can't pronounce. Sometimes simplicity produces the best results. I maintained the simplicity of the dish by serving it with rustic french rolls (from Trader Joe's, no less!) and tossed green salad. (Found in Cooking Light.)

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Place half of corn mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Strain corn mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. (I chose not to strain the soup...too much work, plus the soup tasted great without being strained.)Repeat procedure with remaining corn mixture. Serve immediately.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Something magical happens to vegetables when they're grilled. It's as if their best flavor molecules are suddenly released and kick up good veggies to stellar veggies. I'm a total sucker for grilled veggies and in addition to eating them as a side dish with dinner, here are 2 other ways I love to utilize leftovers. First--all those magical properties of grilled veggies are the secret ingredient for an intensely flavorful omelet. Just chop up the leftovers and throw into your omelet while cooking it. Second, I love to add leftover grilled veggies to my typical lunch salad. Mmmm, I'm getting a little giddy just thinking about it. I have to admit that this recipe did involve quite a bit of prep work, but it was totally worth it in the end. This picture is shown before I added the goat cheese. (Also found in Cooking Light.)

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed
• 2 (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps (I used 6 oz. of sliced baby portobello mushrooms)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
• Cooking spray (I chose to use brush all the veggies with olive oil, in place of the cooking spray)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 6 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco (I substituted crumbled goat cheese)

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

To prepare salad, coat asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, onion, and bell pepper with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil). Place vegetables on grill rack; grill 4 minutes on each side or until slightly blackened. Remove vegetables from grill; cool slightly. Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Add vegetables, basil, chives, and parsley to vinaigrette; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Sweet 'n' Spicy Dressing

This is a fanastic dish to make on a steamy, summery day. It's light, refreshing, flavorful...and you don't even have to turn your oven on! I added black beans and shredded co-jack cheese for even more pizazz, and I'm thinkin that fresh sweet corn, straight off the cob, would be another great addition to this salad. (Recipe found in Cooking Light.)

Grilled Chicken Salad with Sweet 'n' Spicy Dressing

Chicken:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salad:

• 8 cups mixed salad greens (I used romaine)
• 1 cup thinly sliced peeled cucumber
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 plum tomatoes, quartered

To prepare chicken, combine the first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally.

Prepare grill. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Let chicken stand 10 minutes; cut across grain into 1-inch-thick slices.

To prepare dressing, combine cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon cumin) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. To prepare salad, arrange 2 cups greens, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1 tablespoon onion, and 2 tomato wedges on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 chicken breast half. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over each serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Bounty

Perhaps I'm just a little crazy, but I have an insane amount of fresh produce in my kitchen right now. Like more produce than I've ever had at one time. Here's what I currently have:

Fruits: bananas, yellow peaches, Athena melon (a type of cantaloupe), 5 lb. bag of apples, papaya + 3 bags of frozen fruit

Veggies: avocados, English cucumbers, radishes, assorted bell peppers, button mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, mixed baby lettuces, mustard greens, kale, romaine, yellow summer squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, red onions, red potatoes...and I think that's it.

And I'm loving it! I'm trying to commit to having raw fruits or veggies for my snacks in place of other food that I tend to eat for snacks (granola bars, etc.). It's been somewhat challenging to re-train the way I think about snacking, as I'm not used to grabbing an apple or some sliced bell peppers when I'm hungry. When I'm struggling, I try to remind myself of how good I feel when I eat this way. I'm also discovered that the more produce I have, the more time I have to commit to prepping all of it. This week, I've become a washin'-rinsin'-choppin'-dicin'-fool! ("I pity da' fool who don't drink green smoothies!")

Hopefully I can keep this up...

A Healthy (and Moral) Love Affair

I adore avocados. No, make that, I LOVE avocados, passionately and without abandon. I am so thankful for my eyesight every time I cut one of these beauties open because their color is simply stunning. But please, why did those crazy folk in the 70's think this color would look good on walls and couches and bathroom tiles...ugh, God forbid!! Then, there's the taste--smooth, creamy, slightly nutty and oh-so-indulgent. For the past 5 months or so, I have been eating an avocado nearly every day. It usually takes residence on my daily lunch salad and when tossed with other salad goodies, it sky-rockets my salad from "good" to "phenomenal." And I have yet to get tired of them.

I have only the slightest quibble with avocados. Why, I ask, why must they go brown so quickly after cutting into them? I know, I know, there's all that chemistry about why fruits like apples and pears turn brown once their flesh is pierced, and I'm sure it's the same with avocados. But it's just a little disheartening...I mean, I cut into it, barely turn around and it's already staring to brown. So I have to be committed to eating a whole avocado at a time and thankfully, my halfpint veggie-lover shares my affinity for avocados and will gladly split one with me. I guess it's a small price to pay for all that wholesome goodness.

Read all about the do-ya-body-good benefits of avocados here. And search for a vast variety of recipes featuring avocados here.

Unresourceful People Need Not Apply

See these seemingly unassuming-looking veggies pictured above? To the untrained eye, they may look perfectly ordinary. What would you say they're called? Bell peppers and zucchini? Well, think again! These are not your run-of-the-mill veggies. Let me introduce you to...pepper fries and zucchini fries. Before I had our son, I scoffed at the suggestion of coming up with cool-sounding names to entice your children to eat. "That's for sissies," I thought, "My child will eat nutritious foods called by their given names. There will be no 'Superhero Sandwiches' in my home."

As all you parents out there already know, becoming a parent has a way of humbling a person, and I am certainly no exception to this...God knows I need all the humility He's willing to grace on me!! Now I am extraordinarily thankful that our son really does love a lot of nutritious foods, especially fruits and veggies, and that's something that I've worked on ever since I began introducing solid food to him. But as I've learned more and more about the way nutrition affects every part of our bodies' functioning, I wanted to up the anty even more, both for myself and for my family. I noticed that my son was eating way too many carbs for snacks and while they were "healthier" snacks (granola bars and crackers that were preservative-free and free of trans fat), I knew that I needed to gradually work in more raw food for snacks. Calvin already loved bell peppers, so the thought of eating "pepper fries" was quite exciting to him and he was all on board. The zucchini fries didn't go over so well, but I can't complain too much because he does like cooked squash. Now he knows that for at least one of his snacks during the day, he'll having some raw foods. Giddy up, Mama!

The more I thought about this concept of making foods sound appealing, it made perfect sense, and I realized that it isn't just about kids. Adults are enticed all the time simply by the name of a food. Most people are more likely to be drawn to a "Rootin Tootin BBQ Burger" on a restaurant menu than they are to a plain ole "burger." We like to start our wining and dining in our brain, before the food even touches our palate.

I'd love to hear about the creative ways that other parents out there have used to help their kiddos eat healthy!

More Love For Legumes

I realize that my recipe posting has been quite light as of lately, almost nil. But between traveling during April and the perils of an extremely tight budget, I honestly haven't been trying many new recipes. And when I have cooked, it's been my faithful stand-by recipes, such as this one. But this past week, while attempting to make my weekly menu with little money to work with, I sought out the help of the Bush's Beans website. As I've posted about before, the benefits of beans are near limitless, especially for the health-conscious and frugally-minded. So here's two new recipes that delivered big time on flavor and nutrition, plus they were friendly to my wallet:

White Bean Soup: Recently, I've really come to enjoy white beans, AKA white kidney beans, great northern beans and cannelini beans. They're lovely with their creamy texture and mild taste. And this recipe possesses one of my favorite soup characteristics--being partially pureed. My hubby and son have issues with too much dairy (e.g. running to the bathroom), so I have to be creative in substituting taste and texture without too much dairy. Partially pureeing a soup is the perfect solution because it gives the soup a delightfully smooth texture without having to add any milk or cream. Also, I increased the quantities slightly, adding more carrots, beans and chicken stock. I served this soup simply with homemade garlic bread.

Black Bean & Mango Salsa: Just look at all that color!! And by the way, did you know that mangoes are the world's most commonly eaten fruit? Yup, above bananas and apples stand the delicious and diverse mango. You can use fresh mangoes in this recipe, but I used jarred mango from Trader Joe's. And I prepared it without jalapenos, mostly because my 4 year old probably wouldn't have touched it if it was spicy. It was so flavorful and I ate it plain, with tortilla chips and topped my green salads with it. But I can think of at least a handful more ways one could use this salsa.

Green Smoothie Challenge Revisited

So it's been two weeks since I first posted about the Green Smoothie Challenge. Since then, I've "upped my game" and have been drinking a green smoothie (or even two) every day...and there's no goin' back now! These green monsters truly are life-changing, as I believe that my bodacious bod (complete with rolls and dimples) is currently undergoing a bit of detox. In addition to spinach, I recently began adding fresh kale to my smoothies. I learned from "Green Smoothie Girl" that kale is a veggie that will naturally and powerfully detoxify the body of the nasty junk that justs hangin' around in the lower digestive system. So here's the mix of what's been in my green smoothies lately:

• 1-2 bananas
• frozen strawberries
• frozen mango
• kiwi
• several handfuls of spinach
• 2-4 kale leaves (stems removed)
• water and honey

Here's my tip for using kale in the smoothies: buy fresh bunches, versus the pre-cut bagged kale. The problem with the bagged kale is that while it's chopped up, the stems have not been removed. And those fibrous stems will wreck havoc on a blender!! Last week, kale was on sale for $.98/pound at Shop 'n' Save, and 1 pound is more than enough to make a whole butt-load of smoothies. Then I just simply tore the leafy part off of all the hard stems. Tear the leaves up a bit more before adding to the smoothie and then blend like crazy.

I've been trying my darndest to persuade 4 year old Calvin to try a green smoothie. I tried giving the smoothie all sorts of fun names and finally scored when I called it a "Mike Smoothie." (Mike--the one-eyed green monster from "Monsters Incorporated," voiced by Billy Crystal.) The stubborn little stinker is perfectly content to watch me blend up the "Mike Smoothie" and asks me all sorts of silly questions about it...but when asked if he wants to try it, he very politely responds, "No thank you." Argh! Little does he know that his mother is just as stubborn and she will continue to ask him until one day he submits to the mighty powers of the Green Smoothie. (Insert evil cackling noises here...)

Takin' the Green Smoothie Challenge

So right now, perhaps you're saying to yourself, "Barf!! What the heck is in that glass?! Did you actually drink that ghastly-looking concoction??" Now while it may look similar to the contents of an infant's diaper, let me reassure you that the contents of that glass were quite tasty and my body thanked me for it. So what in God's good earth is it?? A green smoothie. I became a big fan of fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies a few years ago and I had heard of green smoothies, too. Then I tried a green smoothie from Trader Joe's (available in the fridge section for about $2), which was really delicious. But then I was confronted with "The Green Smoothie Challenge" on the Happy Foody blog and I finally decided to accept the challenge. Although I should clarify that the actual challenge is to have a green smoothie every day for 30 days, but I'm trying to have one at least 3 times a week. Either way, it's a great start and now there's no going back...

Why a green smoothie? While fresh fruit smoothies are great and offer all the health benefits of the fruits included in it, a green smoothie kicks it up like 50 notches in nutritional quality (givin' a little shout out to Emeril). This is especially great for people who don't regularly consume enough green veggies, because when made properly, one of these bad boys contains between 5-15 servings of fruits and veggies. You can read more about all the amazing health benefits of green smoothies here.

A green smoothie can be made with just about any combination of fresh fruit and greens. The key to making it tasty and thus, drinkable, is to create the right balance so that the smoothie is sweet. Here is what I've come up with, just for starters:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup fresh or frozen red rasberries
• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks (if frozen, defrost slightly in the microwave)
• 1-2 cups water
• 1-2 T. honey
• about 2-3 cups fresh spinach, ripped into smaller pieces

In a blender, combine fruit, water, and honey for about 45 seconds, until well blended. Add spinach in batches, blending well between each batch. Add slightly more water if needed. Pour into glasses and enjoy any time of day!

All of the quantities are just my approximations, so feel free to experiment. For even more ideas on ways to use different ingredients in green smoothies, be sure to check out all the recipes on the Green Smoothie Challenge post. So...are you ready to take the Green Smoothie Challenge?

Drink Your Veggies...Bottoms Up!

For reasons unknown, I don't care for carrots. (My son, on the other hand, eats carrots like candy.) But I can't deny the amazing health benefits of these root veggies, which are bursting with beta-carotene, fiber, biotin, vitamin B6, antioxidants, and many other nutrients. And FYI: Did you know that if you eat at least a pound of carrots a day, your skin would eventually begin to turn orange? This girl's friends didn't believe it was true, so she set out to prove them wrong.

Anyway, so as I've been on a quest the past few years to continually improve my nutrition, I took a big leap recently and bought some pure carrot juice. But I can't drink it straight; just like alcohol, I believe it's an acquired taste. So here are two creative (and mighty tasty) ways I've come up with to sneak the carrot juice into my daily routine:

Carrot-Mango-Apple Juice

In a glass, mix together equal parts carrot juice, mango juice and apple juice. Enjoy with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a tasty snack.

Carrot-Banana-Mango Smoothie

• 4 - 6 oz. vanilla yogurt (or flavored yogurt of your choice)
• 3/4 cup pure carrot juice
• 3/4 cup pure mango juice
• 1 ripe banana

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth; drink up!

In case you're wondering where to buy carrot juice, I'm sure if you take a wild guess you can figure out where I purchased mine. Give up? (Drumroll please) Why none other than...Trader Joe's!! I scored a 32 oz. bottle of 100% pure carrot juice for $3.49 and also bought a 16 oz. bottle of pure mango juice there for $1.99. I'm sure these are available for purchase at many mainstream grocery stores, though they might be a bit more pricey. And beware about vegetable blend juices, as they often have a butt-load of added sugar and other junk in them, and because of this, I'm a big label-reader.

Carrots--they do a body good!

Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit...

Well, you know how the rest of the rhyme goes! Over the past 7 years or so, my palate has been expanded in ways that I could have never imagined. I have been compiling a list in my head of all the foods or types of foods that I used to detest, but now really enjoy. And the food that would top that list, hands down, is beans. The word "detest" doesn't even begin to do justice in describing the way that I used to feel about beans. Words like horrified, disgusted, and vomitous would be slightly closer in describing just how much animosity I had towards the legume family. In the past, I developed quite a talent in being able to eat an entire bowl of chili without consuming a single bean. (My Mom can confirm this.) Why did I hate beans so much? I really don't know, but I came to a point in my life where I came to the decision that I was going to give beans a chance. My body was saying to me, "Sarah, we need iron! We need protein! Please, could you give us some fiber and potassium?" I started listening to this body that God has given me and now, some years later, I eat beans on a regular basis.

So how do you feel about these little goobers? Do you gag at the thought of beans? Or maybe you're just a little hesitant to eat them? Or perhaps you're eating beans for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Regardless, here are a two bean recipes that have universal appeal: they are quick, economical and choc-full of healthy goodness. (And remember: take Bean-o before, and there will be no gas!)

Black Bean Soup

This is my adaptation of a recipe I found on a saltine box 4 years ago. It quickly became one of those faithful stand-by recipes that every cook needs. The cornbread recipe from this post pairs extremely well with it!

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 T. ground cumin
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 (15 oz.) cans black beans, undrained
• 1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth (preferrably low-sodium, low-fat)
• 3 cups chunky salsa
• juice and zest of one lime
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• optional toppings: low-fat sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions or guacamole

In a 4-qt. saucepot, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, cumin and garlic in oil until onion is tender, about 4-5 minutes; remove from heat

Puree 2 cans of beans and their liquid in batches with the chicken broth in a blender; add to saucepot. Drain and rinse the remaining can of beans; add to saucepot. Stir in salsa, lime juice, zest, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Heat the mixture to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Yield: 5-6 servings

Caribbean Black Beans

I found a link to this recipe from one of my frequently-visited-blogs: Foodmomiac. It really lived up to the description she gave, as it was so incredibly simple to prepare, yet didn't lack in flavor one bit. For the recipe, click here.

Garlic Roasted Salmon (with addendum added)

I have three, all-time favorite salmon recipes. And last night, I prepared one of those recipes. (Also noteworthy: the fact that I'm posting less than 24 hours after I prepared the recipe!!)

Suggested Menu:

Roasted Garlic Salmon

Angel Hair Pasta w/Garlic Butter

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Baby Portabellos

Roasted Garlic Salmon

• 1 lb. or 1-1/2 lbs. fresh salmon, skins removed
• 3 T. butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
• salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut salmon into 4-6 portions; place salmon into a greased casserole dish.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Brush each salmon portion liberally with garlic-butter mixture (make sure to use it all up, too! You'll want all that savory, buttery goodness). Bake salmon, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook it...nothing worse than dried out salmon!

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Baby Portabellos

I love the flavor of roasted veggies, and have made many variations using lots of different vegetables. I wondered how it would work to use a light, honey glaze, so this what I came up with last night. Although I overcooked it slightly and probably should've stirred it more often, because the sweet potatoes were slightly burned. But they still tasted good! And b/c this is a newly created recipe, the measurements are just approximations, so use your own judgement.

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-1/2 inch cubes
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. baby portabello mushrooms, thoroughly washed
• 1-2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1-1/2 T. honey
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper; place on a greased jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, stirring a few times. Then add the mushrooms to the pan, toss again. Roast for an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring a few times during the cooking time. It's done when potatoes are cooked through and slightly crispy.

**Addendum to previous post--In my previous post, I had responded to a comment, asking if my husband and son ate all the different types of foods I cook. I'd like to use this current post as an opportunity to assure all my readers that my child is not consuming liver and brussel sprouts on a daily basis. Like I said, he eats pretty well, but he's also 4 years old. And as many of you know, a 4 year has this delightful tendency to change what they like and dislike on an hourly basis! Just so I don't turn into the kind of parent who's constantly bragging about how brilliant and gifted their kid is...

Case in point: this salmon meal was NOT so well received by Calvin. Despite my darndest efforts of prodding and all my goofy "parental" exclamations ("Oh, salmon is sooo yummy, Calvin!"), he turned his nose up at both the salmon and vegetables. He's been offered salmon before and eaten it happily about half the time. And normally, he loves sweet potatoes and squash, so I'm not sure what the problem was last night...maybe the crispy exterior disguised the sweet potatoes too much, maybe it was the honey glaze, but most likely, it was just a 4-year old being a 4-year old. I digress.