Not Just Cholent

For Saturday lunch this weekend we had company.  We don't use fire or electricity on the sabbath, and since I'm not a huge fan of leaving my oven on over the entire sabbath, or keeping a hot plate plugged in the whole time, I usually stick to cold/ room temp foods or cholent that can go in my slowcooker.  This weekend, however, I wanted to try something different from my usual beef cholent, so I looked for some chicken stew recipes online.  After much searching, I found a French Chicken Stew and figured I would give it a try.  Since I was going to be cooking it a lot longer than the 8-10 hours, I had to do some doctoring...instead of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were diced up, I decided to use bone-in, skinless, chicken thighs so that they wouldn't dry out.  I also wanted it to be more stew-like so I added some quinoa.  And, I wanted to make sure it didn't end up dried out, so I added more water...and some white wine for added flavor.  Oh, and I adjusted the seasonings because...well because I'm almost incapable of following a recipe as it's written.

Anyway, everyone at lunch seemed to like the stew...although it's always possible that everyone is just saying it's good to be nice.  But, I do know that Henry happily ate chicken from the stew on Saturday, and then gobbled up a pretty big bowl of it today.  So, my toughest critic seemed to approve!

French Chicken Stew (adapted from topcrockpotrecipes.com)
1 cup navy beans (soak the night before, and then throw out water)
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground sage
1 heaping tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp chicken consomme powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup white wine
3 cups water

Spray cooking spray in your crockpot.  Put all the ingredients in (I tend to put the beans on the bottom so if they burn it's a cheaper ingredient that's lost).  Cook on low setting for at least 12 hours.  (Mine cooked for about 20 hours).

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Black Bean Roll-ups

I hate to waste food.  I will go to great lengths to use up all leftover food and food ingredients.  Leftover soda from having company? It becomes the base for a sauce for chicken or meat.  Leftover kosher for passover mustard? Once again, it gets mixed into a sauce for meat or some sort of pasta dish.  Amazingly, even with some pretty gnarly ingredients, the end product usually turns out okay. 

This past weekend, I bought cream cheese because we were having brunch.  The problem is that we pretty much only eat cream cheese on bagels (aside for when I was pregnant and had a craving for cream cheese and Triscuits), and I normally don't eat bagels.  So, I quickly had to think of what to do with so much cream cheese.  Tonight I didn't have anything prepared for dinner, and I also didn't have much time.  I remembered, however, a recipe that my cousin Deb had made with wraps, black beans, and cream cheese.  I didn't have time to look up the recipe, so I improvised.  I took some cream cheese, mixed in some medium salsa, spread that on a whole-grain wrap, and then sprinkled diced red pepper, black beans, and corn. 

It took a total of 3 minutes, and Henry ate almost an entire wrap.  Makes me wonder why I make more time-consuming dishes... (As a side note, Henry preferred the half of the wrap that I hadn't cut up into cute little rolls). 

I still have about 4 ounces of cream cheese left.  Anyone have ideas of what else to do with it?

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

3 Forks, 2 Plates, and a Frittata

Sounds like the name of a TV show, but that's what it took to get Henry to eat dinner tonight.  First, I made the mistake of giving him the "serving" fork (a regular fork) with his frittata.  He liked it, but couldn't really use it.  So, then I brough over his baby fork.  He was able to eat with it, but still wanted the big fork.  Then, as Henry was eating with his two forks, I came to sit at the table with my plate and a dessert fork (I like to eat with smaller utensils).  Suddenly Henry wanted the same frittata but from my plate and using my fork.  Basically, throughout dinner, he just kept going back and forth between all 3 forks and both plates of the frittata.  He did eat a full piece though!

Potato Frittata
2 tsps olive oil
1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 plum tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach
salt and pepper to taste
4 egg whites
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup low-fat grated cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, saute potato, onion, and tomato in olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add frozen spinach, salt, and pepper, and cover with lid.  Cook on low for another 4-5 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. 

In a bowl, whisk together egg white, whole eggs, and milk.  Pour egg mixture over the veggie mixture.  Let cook, on low heat, for about 4 minutes with lid on for eggs to set.  Add the grated cheese on top.  Stick pan under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until eggs have completely set and frittata is lightly brown on top.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Chickpea & Mango Curry!

Though I do like to experiment with flavors, I'm not one to usually put fruit in with my savory dishes.  Occasionally I'll throw fruit in a salad, or Craisins in a rice dish, but it's not really my thing.  My husband, however, loves anything sweet.  The sweeter the brisket, meatballs, or veggies, the more he likes it.  So, when I saw a Chickpea & Mango Curry Recipe by Mollie Katzen (author of the Moosewood Cookbook...among others), and I saw how easy it was, I figured I would give it a try.  Aside from having to remember to buy a bag of frozen mango from the store (I never even knew they carried that!), I had everything else in the house.  Plus, the whole thing took me no more than 20 minutes.

And what do you know? We ALL loved it.  Henry was a little slow going in trying it, but once he did, he ate a good portion of my bowl (he didn't want his bowl and fork...only mine).  With such an easy and unusual recipe (at least by my standards), we will definitely be having this again!

I basically followed the entire recipe by Mollie Katzen, but I'll write it out anyway with my slight changes - I also used some of her suggestions as additions to the recipe.

Chickpea & Mango Curry (adapted from Mollie Katzen's Get Cooking)

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, diced

1 HEAPING tbsp curry powder (for me it was more like a tablespoon and a half)

1/2 tsp salt

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 heaping cups frozen mango (I used the 12 ounce bag)

1 cup chopped frozen spinach

cayenne pepper to taste (I used very little)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

lime wedges

1. Place a large pan over medium heat and wait for about a minute. Pour in oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, curry powder, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.

2. Add the chickpeas to the onions, stirring until they get completely coated with the onion and spices. Turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the mango and spinach, and cover the pan. Let it cook on its own for another 5 minutes, then give it a stir. If it looks like it needs more “sauce,” you can add up to 1/2 cup water. If you do, let it come to a boil, then turn the heat back down to low, cover the pan again, and cook slowly for and additional 10 minutes. (At this point, the curry benefits greatly from being allowed to just sit, covered, off the heat for about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Not absolutely necessary, but it helps develop the flavor.) Top with a bit of cayenne and the fresh cilantro.  

Serve over rice with a lime wedge for squeezing on top.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

New Foods?

Henry has gotten better with expanding his palate, but there are still times when he absolutely just refuses to eat.  I get that sometimes he's not hungry, cranky, or just wants to be the one in charge.  But lately, I've noticed that though he'll reject the foods I make, there are a few items that he always tries to eat:

Yup, that's right.  My son frequently tries to eat his shampoo, bubbles, and Desitin.  At first I thought he just liked chewing on the caps of the products because it felt good on his teeth/gums.  For instance, he tries to eat the bubble wand if I go to show him how to blow bubbles, or he'll chew on the cap of the Desitin when I'm changing his diaper (if he's able to grab it).  Over the last few days, however, I realized he actually is liking the products themselves.  He started sticking his finger in the bubble bottle to lick the bubbles, and he started figuring out how to open the Desitin and then tries to lick it out of the cap.  I always say "yucky" and take the products away, but he still wants them.

Really, I'm not concerned that he's eating the products.  I get that kids do weird things and I know to keep the products away from him now.  What irks me is that he will frequently "yuck" the foods I make, but always seems up for eating non-foods.  It can really give a girl a complex...

Anyway, future teachers of Henry, watch out!  My son will likely be the kid eating glue.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Gnocchi Triumphs Over Sleep

Yesterday, while Henry was napping, and I was finally about to take a much-needed nap, I happened to quickly go on facebook and see my friend Sara's pictures of a trip she had recently taken to Milan.  Amidst all the fashion pictures, there was a tasty looking picture of gnocchi.  Suddenly it was all I wanted.  I mean, what's a bit more lost sleep when gnocchi is a possibility for lunch?

So, I quickly ran downstairs and started microwaving all the potatoes I had left in my pantry...they were starting to grow eyes so it was a pretty good way to use them up.  Ideally you'd then let the potatoes cool, but I had no patience so I used an oven mitt while I peeled the potatoes.  It was such a quick dish that by the time Henry was up from his nap, and my husband was home from the gym, I not only had boiled the gnocchi, but I had even baked it with cheese and sauce.  All 3 of us devoured the dish...Henry loved that he was able to stab the gnocchi with his fork on his own, and definitely ate about 7-8 gnocchi.  A nice hearty lunch - which I guess makes up for the fact that all he had was a chocolate chip cookie for dinner!

Gnocchi*
3 large potatoes
1.5 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
~5 turns of the peppermill

1.  Boil a pot of water.

2.  Bake or boil the potatoes, and then mash them up (preferably once cooled).  Add the flour, and when mostly cooled (or totally cooled), add the egg, salt, and pepper.  Mix it all together with your hands and knead into a dough.  Take portions of the dough and roll into a skinny snake, and then cut off  about 1 inch pieces.

3.  Drop the gnocchi in the boiled water, and let cook until it floats to the top of the pot (it took about 2 minutes for me).

If desired, mix cooked gnocchi with sauce and top with cheese.  Put in oven under broiler for about 2 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown.  (I used 2/3 of the gnocchi from the recipe, a half cup of sauce, and a 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese).

*This recipe ended up making a lot of gnocchi.  I boiled about 2/3 of the gnocchi, and took the other 1/3 and put it on a baking sheet in my freezer to freeze.  Once frozen, I put the gnocchi in a ziplock bag for future use.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

Soup's on!



Lately Henry has been trying very hard to feed himself at meals.  The only problem is he doesn't want to use his fingers anymore, and he hasn't quite gotten the hang of the fork and spoon.  If the food is on the utensil, he can guide it to his mouth, but getting it on the utensil is a challenge.  And most of the time now, he does NOT want ANY help.  Many times if I even try to help, he will throw a tantrum, and meal time will definitely be over.

How does that impact my cooking? Well, I try to make things that would be easy for him to try and spear with a fork (i.e. anything not liquid).  This weekend, however, I really wanted soup, so I decided to throw a soup together in addition to the other foods I made.  I had some carrots and ginger in the house, and not that much time, so a quick Carrot Ginger Soup was the obvious choice.  I didn't really expect Henry to eat it since he wouldn't be able to feed himself.  And Friday night, as predicted, he did not eat the soup (nor did he eat most of what I made). 

And then we found a loophole to all of Henry's eating rules.  Saturday night, I went to have a bowl of the soup for myself.  Though Henry was happily eating his own foods, he decided he wanted what I had (which frequently happens).  And because it was coming from my bowl, with my spoon, he somehow allowed me to help him feed himself.  So now if I plan to make soup, I just have to hope that Henry is jealous of what I'm eating, and then in a good enough mood to let me assist him while he feeds himself...it's getting hard to remember all the nuances of his eating habits!

Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced (keep leaves on in they have them)
8 carrots, diced
1/2 Asian Pear, peeled and diced (it's what I had in my fridge)
6 cups chicken/vegetable broth
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated

1.  In a pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until onion softens.  Add celery, carrots, and Asian pear, and saute about 3 minutes more.  Pour in broth, and bring to boil, then reduce to simmer.  Add grated ginger and let simmer about 15 minutes.

2.  Use handblender to puree the soup, or puree in batches in your blender.  Once pureed, bring to simmer again for about 5 minutes, and then serve.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!