A well stocked pantry/shelf, fridge etc...

When I have a recipe in mind to cook a wonderful, healthy dinner for my family, I hate to find that I am missing a key ingredient. So I have a well stocked pantry. I like to have some great staples and then get the fresh ingredients as I go, but always have some onions and carrots in my crisper in the fridge. 

My pantry, or big white, free standing closet/with shelves, and the cabinet under my counter hold most of my stash :).

20 lbs. of rice, red and white quinoa, red and brown lentils, yellow and green split peas, barley, olive oil, brown sugar, brown rice, flour, and all types of pastas. I tend to have a few boxes of each: penne, ziti, elbows, shells, and spaghetti, as well as a few other types, tri colored and regular. Dried beans are a good thing to have as well, although I tend to use canned beans for the convenience of it. I have red, white, and black beans as well as tomato sauce and paste, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes in sauce, green and black olives, chick peas, tomato sauces, refried beans from TJ's, butter beans, all of the canned food are no sugar added, low salt or no salt added, and organic when I can get it. I no longer buy canned corn and use only organic frozen corn. I also do not use any greens in a can because they taste like greens from a can. I buy both fresh and frozen, no pesticide spinach, and always fresh kale and other green leaf veggies. The corn tortillas are becoming another staple in the house, as well as tortilla wraps kept in my fridge for quick, last minute rice, bean and veggie burritos. 

Also the spices on hand are always, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, garlic powder, italian seasoning, cumin, cayenne pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and a myriad of other spices from all over. 

I like to have fresh organic garlic on hand at all times, garlic is so great for so many things, other than adding flavor and some spice to a meal, it is very healthy and boosts your immune system when eaten raw on a slice of bread (to help with minor stomach upset in some people). My kids and I love it. 

Try to plan your menu a few days in advance so as to make sure you have all the fresh ingredients you will need. I tend to cook what I crave for each night, and my go to meal when I have no idea what to make, has always been rice with carrots and onions and a pot of beans(with potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic) with either sauteed kale if I have it or avocados for the husband and girls. 

What's in your pantry? 

black bean and toasted corn tacos

Black bean and toasted corn tacos for dinner, with roasted red peppers and spinach. Very easy to make. I mixed a can of black beans with 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 tsp. of cumin and 1 clove of garlic. let it cook for abt. 5 to 10 min. until it's a little bubbly. Meanwhile I toasted frozen, organic corn with a little bit of the cumin and black pepper until it was nice and toasted, a little brown on each side. cut the roasted red peppers into strips and wash the baby spinach leaves and you are set to go. You can add various other ingredients if you'd like or omit a few. My middle child doesn't like corn so I do not put them in her tacos, and my son doesn't like the red peppers, so out they go. But they all like cheddar cheese so that gets put in. The kids can fill the tacos themselves if you put all of the ingredients on the table. It's a quick, fun meal to have on a busy night. Last night we made dessert to go with it. We usually don't have dessert after a meal but since this was a very light dinner I decided to make a strawberry cobbler. My husband is the baker in the house, so he helped out :). It came out great, I bought 2 packs of strawberries earlier in the day, used 1/2 of 1 pack for a smoothie and the rest for the cobbler. This was the first time we had any type of cobbler and it was very well received. Next time I'll use the full 2 packs of berries, and add other types of berries to have a nice berry cobbler. 

The other night we had some simple veggie burgers embellished with romaine lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, red onions and avocados for the husband and the girls. Accompanied with potato-carrot-spinach soup. Also simple and easy to make. It has been a hot summer and I do not enjoy cooking for long periods of time over a hot stove. These meals are delicious and so fast. Most of them take less than 40 min. to make. The tacos took about 10 min. and the cobbler abt. 20 in the oven. While things are cooking I'm free to do things around the house so I am not in the kitchen. 

Hungarian green Pea soup and Canadian Potato salad

For dinner tonight I decided to make the Hungarian Green Pea Soup and pair it with Canadian Potato salad (made with red potatoes and sweet pickles). We picked fresh shelling peas upstate last Friday, there is such a nice difference between fresh week old peas and the ones you get from the store/frozen. But the soup can be made with frozen peas as well as fresh. The kids really enjoyed shelling the peas, which is something I remember doing with my grandmother when I was young.
Then as the soup was cooking the girls made the egg dumplings (galuska) for the soup. Simple, easy and delicious :). I like to get my kids involved in cooking special things. They like helping and it creates a nice tradition for them to follow, helping mom in the kitchen. I have noticed that they are more likely to eat food that they have helped to make. My middle child is not crazy about peas but she ate most of the peas in her bowl. (I added cut up carrots to this soup to give it some extra color and taste. I just added them at the same time as the peas. ) I also ended up adding extra water, about 4 cups, while it was cooking so as to make it enough for 5 people.

I got the recipe from recipes.vonmetz.com/recipes.html

Zöldborsó Leves (Green Pea Soup)

This delicious soup has a Springy, refreshing taste that no other vegetable soup will offer. When I was a little girl, my Mother never missed a chance during the late spring and early summer months of sending me out to our vegetable garden to pick the green pods from the vine. Shelling the peas together in the sun-lit kitchen, or sitting closely with bowls in our laps on the steps by our backdoor, always made me feel very secure and content.

Unfortunately, my own children missed all this, because I had to use frozen ready-shelled peas, or had to shell the store-bought fresh pods alone for our zöldborsó leves.

Ingredients

• 1 pound shelled peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon Wondra flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, cleaned and minced
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Salt
• Water

Shell and wash the peas if not using the frozen kind.

Heat up the butter in a medium soup pot and add in the garlic and parsley. Turn the heat down and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the peas and sprinkle on the one tablespoon flour. Stir well until they are coated with the roux. Poor in the milk and two cups of water; add the sugar and salt to taste. Bring up to boil and cook uncovered on medium heat for 10 minutes. The peas should be almost done; add more water if necessary.

While the peas are cooking prepare the dumplings.

In a small bowl slightly beat up the egg with a fork; gradually add in the flour and a pinch of salt. Mix well until it forms a soft and smooth dough. With a teaspoon and the help of a dinner knife drop small and even dumplings into the boiling soup. You can also force the dough through a Spatzle machine (galuska maker) directly into the soup.

Cook on medium heat for few more minutes, until the dumplings come up to the surface.

Serve it immediately.

Experimenting with food

Seeing as I love to cook, I decided to commit to making a new vegetarian dish every night for 14 days. My family is adventurous when it comes to food and they are willing to try all types of food. I have numerous recipe books and at least 30 Vegetarian Times magazines that I have looked through and have said that I'd try and make the recipes that look so good. This time I am determined to make them...

Tonight for dinner I will make baked mac and cheese with cauliflower and elbow noodles since I do not have enough cauliflower.  Tomorrow I will make Hungarian green pea soup, with the fresh peas that we picked this past Friday when we went upstate to see my step daughter and her family.

Substitute cauliflower for the white pasta to make this meal a little bit healthier, the flavor is almost the same. My kids actually prefer this to the regular home made mac and cheese I make occasionally.  I try to substitute for lower fat ingredients where I can.  I know the recipe says it serves 8, but for my family of 5 I have to use at least 2 heads of cauliflower, or substitute a little of the elbow or medium shell pasta and add a little more of the cheese and milk mixture.

nutritional information

Per 1-cup serving:

• Calories: 273
• Protein: 16 g
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Carbohydrates: 18 g
• Cholesterol: 94 mg
• Sodium: 314 mg
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 6 g

• 

Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

Serves 8

Get all the creamy, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese—without the high starch content of macaroni. To make your own breadcrumbs, tear firm, fresh bread into pieces and whirl in a food processor or blender until crumbs form.

• 1 large head cauliflower (1 ½ lb.), cut into medium florets (8 cups)
• 2 Tbs. butter or margarine
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

January/February 2012 p.46

Fruit, the natural sweetener

One thing I do love about summer, are all the wonderful fruits you can find.  In our house we love a variety of fruits, all kinds of apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, watermelon, grapes, cherries, oranges, mangoes, etc...

My kids are not afraid to try new fruit either, this week they tried papaya (which only my oldest liked).

I like to make a berry smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries, mix it with a little bit of OJ and blend. It is sweet as well as refreshing, no sugar added :).  My youngest likes a smoothie with low fat milk, bananas and peaches. There is an endless variety of smoothies you can make, my SIL makes a delicious one with mangoes, honeydew melons, and strawberries. Don't be afraid to experiment, and get your children involved. :)

My 9 yo made a fruit kabob the other day with bananas, peaches,  grapes and strawberries that she washed, cut and strung together herself. This is an easy and fun way to get kids to try a variety of fruits. I make sure we have a variety of things in the house for them to snack on when they get hungry in between meals, they are bound to like something if they have a variety to choose from  :).

For the 4th of July I will be making a red.white and blue treat. Lactose Free vanilla ice cream layered with strawberries and blueberries.    

You can add fruit to your breakfast, today's breakfast was hot farina with strawberries for me, bananas for my youngest, blueberries for my son and apples for the 9 yo.  Home made pancakes in our house (made by my husband) always involve a variety of fruits. My favorite is the triple berry one, cherries, raspberries and blueberries. My youngest eats her with bananas inside, he also makes some with apples and choc. chips. The sweetness of the fruit doesn't make syrup the main thing on our pancakes.  If you eat cold cereal be sure to put some fruit in it for added flavor. Sugary cereals are not healthy and fruit is a great way to add flavor and some sweetness to most cereals.