Quinoa and black bean taco salad

Because quinoa is rich in protein, I like to subsititute it for brown rice on occasion. My kids seem to like it better than rice, and I'm all for having them eat more healthy food! This is a great summer dinner and the kids can add what they like.

 

 

 

 

1 cup quinoa

1/2 tablespoon chicken stock or 2 cubes chicken bouillon (use vegetable stock or Better than Bouillon for vegan version)

2 cups water

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

 

Combine all ingredients in a medium pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat at simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed water. Fluff with a fork.

 

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, minced

1/2 red pepper, minced

1 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 large avacado, diced

Shredded cheese, if desired

Tortilla chips

Homemade salsa (see below)

 

Combine all ingredients, except for avacado and cheese in a medium pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

 

Homemade Salsa

1 28 oz. can whole or diced tomatoes

1 large onion, diced

1 small serrano chile pepper, diced and seeds removed, unless you like it spicy! (Be careful, the juice will sting if you have a cut!)

1 bunch cilantro

1 tablesoon lemon juice

dash salt to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until desired consistency.

 

 Layer tortilla chips, quinoa, blackbeans, salsa, avacado and cheese, if desired in a bowl. I love how light and tasty this dish turns out!

 



Whole Wheat Bread

This is our new go-to bread. My sister-in-law, Mollee, shared it with me several years back when she was eating a whole foods diet. It's super basic and it turns out well each time, despite my forgetfulness when baking it! It's 100% whole wheat and my kids gobble it up.  I make a slight change to the original recipe, but I added that last. I hope you enjoy!

 

2 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1/2 c sugar or honey
2 T oil
1/4 c gluten (if you knead it a bit longer, the gluten is not needed)
1 T salt
6-8 c flour

(I add 1/2 cup ground flax seed or 1/2 cup mixed grain cereal and emit 1/2 cup of flour.)
Combine water, yeast sugar, oil, gluten, and salt and let sit for 5 min. Gradually add flour while kneading. (If using a Kitchen-Aide, mix in half the flour and knead for 10 min then add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is barely sticking to the sides.) Turn off the mixer, grease bowl, cover, and let rise until double.

Punch down and shape into 2 greased loaf pans, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. 

Lemony Penne and Broccoli

It isn't often I come across a healthy recipe all my kids like, but this is one they ask for often.  Plus, it's super budget friendly - something I wanted to show my friends who claim eating healthy is so espensive.  I found this recipe in Family Circle a few years ago.

8 oz. whole wheat, whole grain, or veggie penne

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 poumd broccoli florets

1 (19 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional for non-vegan version)

Cook penne according to package directions. Drain, RESERVING 1 CUP OF THE LIQUID! Transfer pasta to large serving bowl.  While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden. Add broccoli and 1/3 cup water to skillet and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until tender.
Stir beans into skillet and heat through. Add lemon juice, zest, salt and red pepper. Add contents of skillet to pasta. Stir in the remaining 2 tablesoons oil and enough reserved cooking liquid to create a sauce. Tear in the basil. Serve immediately with cheese on the side.

Creamy potato and cheese soup

This is a soup we've been making for nearly 13 years. I've tweaked it over the years to eliminate the butter and dairy, but it is still as good as ever!

5-6 potatoes, diced with skins on (or 1 bag southern style hashbrowns)

1/2 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup water

3 cups chicken broth (low sodium, if desired)

1 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 cup flour

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place two tablespoons oil in a large saucepan and saute onion and garlic on medium heat for one minute, watching carefully to avoid burning the garlic.  Add 1 cup water, 2 cups chicken broth, and diced potatoes and let simmer until potatoes are tender.  Combine 1/4 cup flour with 1 cup milk and whisk until combined, getting rid of all chunks of milk. Slowly stir milk/flour mixture into saucepan and let boil on medium heat until thickened. Add small amounts of chicken stock until desired consistency is reached. Add shredded cheddar cheese and mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. I like to garnish with croutons or diced green onions! 

Mexican fish tacos with chipotle lime dressing

   I have to start by saying I have NEVER cooked fish in my life. In fact, I don't normally enjoy fish. BUT, these tacos were delicious. Even my kids LOVED them, and they have never even eaten fish. When they started asking for seconds and my husband said this was the best meal he'd ever had, I knew I had to post this recipe.

 

 

 

  There are four parts to this recipe, and I suggest you make the bean salsa and chipotle sauce a few hours in advance. 

 

For the Bean Salsa:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup corn

1-2 bunch of green onions, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2-3 tomatoes, diced

Combine above ingredients in a serving bowl, then in a separate bowl combine:

1 bunch cilantro, diced

2 T. olive oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. lime juice

1 1/2 t. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

Add above ingredients to bean mixture and stir well. Cover and chill for two hours.

For the chipotle lime sauce:

1/2 cup low-fat mayo

2 T. lime juice

1-2 t. chipotle pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill for two hours.

 

For the fish:

4-5 individually frozen tilapia, thawed

2 T. lime juice

1 T. melted butter or substitute

salt and pepper

cooking spray

 

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (You could also grill them, but we don't have a grill!) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place thawed tilapia a few inches apart on baking sheet. Combine 2 T. lime juice and 1 T. melted butter. Drizzle over both sides of tilapia. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until fish is flaky.

 

While the fish is baking...

For the crispy tortilla topping: (not pictured because my kids ate them all!)

5-7 white corn tortillas

oil for deep frying

salt

Cut uncooked corn tortillas into 1/2 inch by 2-3 inch strips. Heat a few inches of cooking oil in a deep pot. Once oil has reached frying temperature (about 170 degrees) place them in small amounts into the oil until lightly browned and crispy, then drain on a napkin and sprinkle with salt. If you want to skip this step you can use store bought chips, but these are light and crunchy!

 

To assemble tacos:

  There really are several choices in serving these tacos. We used whole wheat tortillas and warmed them on a skillet. You could also deep fry corn tortillas and stuff the them with the fish and bean salsa. Layer tilapia, bean salsa, and chipotle sauce in preferred tortilla, then top with crispy tortillas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Beans and Rice (vegan)

After watching "Forks Over Knives" on Netflix Instant Watch, my husband and I now eat mostly vegan meals.  This is one of our favorites.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 or 2 sprays of PAM
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
dash of Tabasco hot sauce (optional)
1 can red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes

For rice:  (45 minutes to prepare brown rice)

2 cups water
1 cup brown rice

Directions

Spray the PAM in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell peppers are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the thyme, hot sauce, tomatoes and beans (I add some of the bean juice and all of the tomato juice) to the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer for several minutes until sauce is thickened to your liking.

Prepare rice as usual (45 minutes to cook brown rice). Serve the beans over the rice.

Freezer Fudge....rich and even healthy! Susanna Winston

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup baker's cocoa
1 cup PURE maple syrup - I use the Sohgave maple flavored syrup which is much lower in carbs
1 t. vanilla
chopped nuts - makes it even healthier, but it's certainly optional

Mix with beater and spread onto a tray that has been covered with wax paper or butcher paper.  This fudge has to be frozen because coconut has a low freezing point.

I have a shallow plastic tray that I put my fudge in because it has a top.  This is my son's favorite fudge and all the grandkids love it too.