Parsley and Garlic Prawn Salad

This is such a quick, easy and yummy dinner.  And perfectly compliant if you are doing AIP.

I fill a bowl with chopped iceberg lettuce, chopped cucumber, and chopped avocado.
I sprinkle that with garlic powder.  (You could dress it if you want to.)

Once that is ready, I cook up the prawns.

My fish shop has these amazing prawns that are already peeled and have garlic and parsley added.
I use those but you can use anything you like.

So, I cook up the prawns and then pop them on the top of the salad.

Done.

Easy Glazed Boneless Pork Chops

Jumping into the week right after a trip is CRAZY.  I managed to have clothes clean, but no menu or grocery shopping was done!  My husband graciously offered to pick up some protein to go with potatoes and veggies I already had in the house, and I went in search of an easy, yummy recipe to use with the boneless pork chops he brought home.  Modified the one I found and it was a HIT!

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1 tsp cayenne powder (depending on how spicy you like things...I used 1/4 and it was JUST right for me and the babies)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp of salt (or less if you're watching your salt intake)
1/4 tsp white pepper (or more if you like pepper more than I do)
6 boneless pork chops

- Preheat oven to 350.

- In a shallow bowl or pan combine brown sugar, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

- Dredge pork in seasoning mixture (patting it in for good measure).  Don't dry the pork before doing this, the moisture from the meat helps the seasoning stick.

- Heat approximately 3T olive oil in a large skillet and add the pork when the oil is heated.  Brown the pork on each side (approximately 5 minutes per side).

- If you have an oven-safe skillet you can just stick it in the oven after the pork is brown on both sides.  If you don't, lightly spray a cookie sheet and transfer the pork to the sheet after they are brown.  (I did this and poured some of the yummy oil/sugary juice from the skillet over the pork before I stuck it in the oven)

- Bake for 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chops).  If you have a meat thermometer the pork should be at 145F (or you can just wing it like I did).

-Serve!

I cut the leftovers up and used it in a stir fry the next night - YUM!

Bacon topped Roasted Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup

This soup was so easy and delicious I have to write down how I made it so that I can make it again next winter! It all started because I didn't cook a meal I had planned which left me with half of a pumpkin and a head of cauliflower that really needed to be used.  I didn't really have a piece of meat or any potatoes to go with them so a roast was not on the table.  I didn't want to go to the shops ... you know, it was one of those days!  We all have them, right?! So, I scrounged around and this is what I came up with.

1/2 of a Kent pumpkin

1 head of cauliflower 

1 head of garlic

A couple of onions

I chopped the pumpkin and cauliflower, peeled and quartered the onions, and just peeled the garlic.  I put all of that in a large baking dish (lined with baking paper of course) and coasted with olive oil.  I roasted them in the oven on like 180C (350F) until the pumpkin was soft and the cauliflower was starting to brown. 

I put all of that into my blender, added a bit of chicken stock and blended it to a thick soup consistency. 

We love toppings on our soups too so while the veggies were roasting, I chopped up the following.

1 small onion

A couple cloves of garlic

A few rashers of bacon

I fried them all together ... starting with the bacon because it takes a bit longer ... then adding the garlic and onion and cooking til garlic is not longer bitter and onions are soft.

I served the soup in a bowl, sprinkled with the topping. 

I had intended to grab a few chives out of the garden as well to sprinkle on the top, but I forgot!  Oh well ... next time!

Garlic Prawns and Scallops - In the Thermomix

I had been craving prawns and decided to try Tenina's Garlic Prawn Recipe. I made that decision while I was at the shops but wasn't exactly sure what ingredients I had at home. I ended up having most of what I needed but had to improvise a little bit when I didn't have everything.  Also, Rory and I love scallops so I added those!  Here is my modified version.  PS ... this is done entirely in the Thermomix.

 

6 largish cloves of garlic

25g extra virgin olive oil

10 green prawns, shelled and deveined (I can buy them this way at my fish shop!

35g dry sherry

a pinch of pepper

35g cream

lemon juice, to garnish

a few branches of parsley, to garnish

 

Put garlic and olive oil into Thermomix bowl and chop 4 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl and saute 5 min/Varoma/speed 1.  Add prawns and cook 5 min/Varoma/Reverse/speed 1 with MC off. Add scallops, sherry, pepper and cream and cook 2 min/Varoma/Reverse/speed 1 with MC off.  While this is happening, chop your parsley.  Stir through when cooking is finished.  I served this over a bed of rice, with a squeeze of lemon.

Breakfast Burritos ~ The Low Sodium Way

One wouldn't think that it was very difficult to eliminate the majority of sodium from a diet, but I'm here to tell you that it's harder than it sounds!  My biggest difficulty has been bready things ... you just can't find them on the shelves without high levels of sodium.  That's no bueno for this girl!  I've been a bit slack what with Christmas and New Years and the kids being on holidays.  But now that those are all but finished, I'm getting back on track.  I'm going to be revamping our favorite recipes into Low Sodium versions.  Tonight's breakfast burritos were a perfect start!  I loved having a big win!  And though there was no bacon involved, the homemade 'sausage' was a very tasty and quite acceptable substitute. 

I used a few kitchen gadgets to accomplish this but you could totally make these without those gadgets ... it just might take you a bit longer than it took me.  There are lots of components, none of them complicated ... and no real measurements, it depends on how many you are cooking for ... you'll work it out !

Potatoes:  Spiralize potatoes.  (You could also chop or chip or whatever!) Shallow fry in hot olive oil til crispy.  Set aside.

Breakfast "Sausage":  To 500g pork mince add 1&1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp crushed sage (I would have used fresh if I had it), 2 tsp fresh thyme, 1 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped), 1 TBLS brown sugar, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.  Mix.  You could make these into patties but I just tipped the meat as it was into the hot pan that I had just cooked the potatoes in.

Eggs: Scrambled. Do these at the end so that they are hot when you serve

Tomato Salsa: For this one I diced two tomatoes, 1/4 of a red onion (finely diced), 1 clove of freshly minced garlic, 2 handfuls of fresh coriander,  pepper and the juice of one lime. Mix.

Flour Tortillas: I made the dough in the Thermomix but you could mix it by hand.  370g flour, 180ml lukewarm water, 40g olive oil, 1 tsp sodium free baking powder.  Add to TM bowl, blitz speed 5 for 10 seconds.  Knead setting for 2 minutes.  Tip dough out, roll into big ball then divide into 8 equal portions.  Roll with rolling pin.  Fry in hot, dry (no oil) flying pan for 1-2 minutes or until it bubbles, then flip.  The second side never takes as long.  AND the first tortilla never works!  Note to self: make a small one to be 'first one' that goes in the trash!

Top the tortillas with whatever combo of the above ingredients you want ... we add Avocado and Sour Cream too. Fold it up and eat it ! So good !!

Easy Baked Custard

If you like creamy, custardy desserts - this is a MUST try.

My mom used to make this pretty frequently when I was a child, but I haven't made it in years.  An excessive amount of eggs sent me hunting for things to make using lots of eggs without having to make a run to the grocery story.  Thus, I rediscovered this gem.

If my aunt hadn't needed her other hand to take the picture, I think this would have gotten two thumbs up!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Cream together:
- 2 tablespoons soften butter
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add 6 eggs, one at a time, blending well after each egg.

Slowly and briefly stir in:
-2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla

I just added all of the milk and vanilla to my two cup wet measuring cup, turned my mixer down to one notch above stir, slowly poured the milk mixture in, and turned the mixer off as soon as I'd finished pouring.

Place one large pan, a couple medium/small pans, or individual custard cups into bigger baking pans (I used my 9x13 pans) and fill with custard mixture.  Add an inch or two of hot water to bigger baking pans.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (without opening oven) and bake until knife comes out clean - approximately 45 minutes.  I've never tried the individual custard cups, so don't know if that would take less time.

I like to eat it chilled.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

YUM!

In crock pot or ziplock:
- 3lbs boneless skinless chicken
- 1 tablespoon paprika (I just sprinkled in a bit)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder (I just sprinkled in a bit.  Could use minced cloves)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce

Day of cooking:
- add 1 cup of beer

Cook time: 6 to 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: Shred chicken and serve on kaiser rolls.  Great topped with cole slaw

Optional: If sauce too soupy (mine was), strain sauce into a small pan, add thickener (such as corn starch) and boil till the sauce reaches desired consistency.

Baby approved!

Crock Pot Lasagna

No stove for over three weeks?  No problem!  OK...slight problem, but we made it through thanks to the microwave, electric griddle, and of course - the crock pot!

Discovered this recipe for Crock Pot Lasagna Soup and made a few modifications that ended up making it much more like a baked pasta dish than soup.  The FANTASTIC thing about this recipe is that you don't have to brown the meat or cook the pasta - it really is a one pot recipe!

You can see the original recipe here.

Serves 6-8 (if you're feeding normal people...I fed 4 with one small portion left over - but that included two very hungry men!)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or turkey (I only partially thawed the meat before adding it to the crock)
3 cups broth (I used chicken)
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried basil
1 onion, chopped
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 - 6oz can tomato paste
1 cup V8 juice (or any vegetable juice)
1 lb uncooked pasta shells
1/2 t white pepper (or black...I just like white better)
1/4 t salt
1 cup water
Shredded mozzarella cheese to top

Directions:
Mix diced tomatoes and tomato paste in crock pot.  Add broth, garlic, onion, V8, and spices and mix.  Add meat and give it another stir.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

When there's 20 to 30 minutes of cooking time left (depending on how soft you prefer your noodles), add the water and noodles.  Stir.  Replace lid and finish cooking.

Serve topped with cheese.

Easy Cole Slaw

Shred one head of cabbage and two or three carrots (peeled) into a bowl and mix.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup mayo, 4 Tablespoons sugar, and 2 Tablespoons white vinegar.  Add to cabbage mixture and stir until combined.  If it doesn't look goopy enough for your taste, mix up some more dressing.  You can also adjust the vinegar to taste. 

It's always nice to let it marinate in the fridge for a little bit, but not necessary.  I sometimes make it and just stick it in the fridge while I make the rest of dinner.

Super easy (especially if you have a food processor or shredding attachment to your mixer) and very yummy!


EDIT:
If you want a yummy twist on this favorite, add to the dressing: the juice of one or two limes (to taste) and cilantro (one bunch, chopped). BAM! Yummy cilantro lime Cole slaw

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

I posted this recipe in 2008 but thought it was time for a repost.  If you haven't tried these yet, it is time.   I found the recipe here and have basically followed her recipe but over the years have adapted it just a little bit.  I use greek yoghurt, a specific amount of oil, and I use canola ... oh,  and more topping ... but anyway, I'll give you my method below ...

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup greek yoghurt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablspoons canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, melted (about 55g)
1/2 cup sugar
1teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200c/400f.  Line muffin pan with paper or silicon cups.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a different bowl, whisk wet ingredients.  I start with the eggs, whisk.  Add yoghurt, whisk.  Add sugar, whisk ... you getting the picture? 

When the wet ingredients are combined, add the dry ingredients.  Mix gently until just mixed.  Don't over mix; batters should not be smooth.  BUT ... DO make sure the baking powder is mixed in!  The first couple of times I made these I found little lumps of baking powder when I was eating my muffin.  It was quite unpleasant!

Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 12-15 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt butter in a small, shallow bowl. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a different small, shallow bowl. As soon as the muffing are done, dip them one at a time in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Set on a rack to cool ... or just eat straight away like we do!

Makes 12 standard muffins.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Leftover buns plus a busy Monday scheduled had me looking for something quick to stick in the crock pot.  I found this recipe here and thought I'd give it a go.  I'm not always a fan of sloppy joes, but not only did the boys LOVE this, I actually liked it!!  SCORE!  Not a drop left, and I made more than just 1 recipe. 

2lbs ground beef (I did about 3lbs and should have done more!)
1/2 cup ketchup (I did 3/4 cup since I'd increased the meat)
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard (I did 1/3 cup since I'd increased the meat)
1 can pork and beans (I did 2 cans and really liked the fact that it was heavy on the beans)
Hamburger buns or hard rolls of some kind

Brown beef and drain.  I did this the night before when browning meat for redneck nachos and just refrigerated it overnight.  Made prep super quick the next day.

Mix browned beef, ketchup, mustard, and pork and beans well in the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. 

Serve!

The original recipe says it makes 6 servings, but I barely fed the 6 of us with the increased amount.  Granted, I was feeding a lot of hungry boys, but still I think I'd at least double it next time. 

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

 

You know how sometimes a recipe calls for shredded chicken?

Well, this is a great way to make it.  

Easy.  Nothing to it.

I started with four skinless boneless chicken breasts. 

Took them frozen solid out of the freezer and popped them in the crock pot.

I added two cups of chicken stock to the crock pot as well.

Four hours on high and they were done.

Just shred with two forks and THAT IS IT.

We used some of this on pizza that night.

I froze the rest in ziplock bags.

Already, I've pulled out one bag and used it for an easy dinner.

Just threw some chicken, cheese, leftover guac, chipotle mayo into a flour tortilla

 and toasted that in the sandwich press.  The others in my 

family varied their ingredients a little.  

We were all happy.

Just the way 

I like it.

Apple Dip

I've seen these recipes all over the internet ... had to try it.

'twas tasty.

I think I used this recipe ... but I didn't do the whole recipe ... as you can see.

The full recipe is ... 

1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract.  

Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer.

Dip into it with apple slices.

mmm. mmm. good.

Easy Peasy Crockpot Pork

EDIT: I don't have much time after work to cook dinner, so I've been making meals that I can put in a ziplock, freeze, and then dump into a crock pot to cook all day.  This is one I'm trying!  I've heard it does well in the freezer.  Just dump all the ingredients into a bag, label, and freeze.  You can either thaw it before you put it in the crock pot, OR stick it in a bit of hot tap water to get everything unstuck from the bag and put it in the crock pot frozen to cook all day.  Now THAT is easy!

Super Easy - Super Yummy

- Pork chops (or favorite pork cut) - I used two family packs for the 7 of us

- Cream of chicken soup - we like plenty of gravy so I used 3 cans, probably could have gotten away with two cans for the amount of pork used

- Ranch dressing packets - I used two for the amount of soup and pork


Place Pork in Crock pot and top with soup and ranch.  I kind of stir the ranch into the soup a little.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice with a veggie beside. 

Done!  YUM!

Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto

Hi! I'm Marissa. I'm new here. Well, actually, I've been making Beans Blog recipes for years now, but I have one of my own to contribute for the first time! I am married and have an almost year-old baby.
Here's a picture of the three of us (picking apples this fall):

My husband is picky (nothing green and leafy, white and creamy, or too chunky), and my baby is slowly adding to his repertoire of solid foods. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute some recipes that work well for picky eaters but are also healthy enough for a little one.

Mostly the baby eats healthier food than we do (vegetable, protein, grain, dairy, and fruit for most meals), so I figure that rather than changing his diet to accommodate ours, maybe I should change our diet (more processed food than is good) to accommodate his. This creamy risotto was a favorite for all three of us. The creaminess comes from the rice and a tiny bit of butter rather than fatty cream, so 100 grams is only about 75-80 calories. 200 grams is a nice size helping of rice and only 150 calories. It made a flavorful, simple side dish without adding too many calories.

Here is a picture of the baby enjoying it (the rice is sticky enough for him to eat with his fingers):

And here is a picture of the grown-up food (rice, green beans, and marinaded chicken thighs):

The recipe from The Baby & Toddler Cookbook is below.

Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto
1 cup Arborio or short grain rice
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp unsalted butter
1 cup pureed butternut squash
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rice and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir the butter, squash puree, and nutmeg into the rice.

Serve warm.

NOTE: I started with a whole butternut squash. To cook it, cut in half longways. Scrape the seeds out. Lay flesh side down in pan. Pour water 1/4 inch up the sides of the squash and cook in oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 min. Remove the skin and puree. (I used my immersion blender, which worked perfectly.)

Rio Verde Breakfast Special

The weeks that the boys are with us, we like to make sure they get a protein filled breakfast to start their days out.  A good hearty breakfast for very active boys!  They are fine having eggs and pancakes every morning, but I like to mix things up a bit.  Today I tried a new recipe from Tortilla Lovers Cook Book.  It was quick (something I appreciate since I'm cooking AND getting myself ready for work) and was a yummy hit!  I altered it just a bit.

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
pinch or two of salt
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup Jack cheese (I used Monterey jack), cubed
small can of green chiles
6 tortillas (I used flour, but the recipe called for corn)

Garnish with green salsa, sour cream, and/or avocado

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, and salt and mix well.  Melt butter in skillet.  Add eggs and cook, stirring gently.  When eggs are almost set, add cheese and chiles.  Cook until firm, or desired consistency.  Heat the tortillas and fill each with egg mixture.  Garnish as desired.  I served it with orange slices.

Further Modified Mexican Chicken

While they're heading into summer across the ocean (not that I'm completely jealous...), we're hunkering down for Arctic blasts.  Yesterday we got a dusting of snow - on top of ice.  GROSS!!!  Hearing the nasty traffic reports and knowing that many cars weren't making it up the hill out of our small town, I decided it sounded like a lovely day to stay home!  Not wanting to go out to the grocery store or make my wonderful husband stop on the way home after a long cold day of work, I decided to see what I could make from things in the pantry and freezer (having just moved in after our wedding, I don't have a good handle on the food inventory). 

I had some, although not all, of the ingredients to make the processed version of THIS meal and decided to experiment. 

I had two family packs of leg quarters frozen, so used that instead of boneless chicken breasts (love that it worked to just throw them in the crock pots frozen! - And yes I was thankful for my two crock pots...feeding a ton of hungry boys these days)

Since I had upped the amount of chicken I used 2 cans of black beans (one in each crock pot).

Had a mostly full bag of frozen corn, so divided that between the two crock pots.

I  had one lime and some refrigerated lime juice.

Skipped the cilantro cause I didn't have any.

Used what was left of a LARGE jar of medium salsa (probably wasn't quite double the 16 ounces)

I didn't have cream cheese, but a dollop of low fat sour cream in each bowl was a hit and added that touch of creaminess.

Put everything except the sour cream in the crock pot and cooked it on high for 6 hours. 

Served over rice.

The boys declared it delicious!

Forgot to take pic after it was cooked...this is while it was cooking in the crock pot

Teriyaki Chicken Wrap

This was a little lunch time experiment.  A successful one.  We are going to have this for dinner tonight since I am the only one who ate it for lunch today and it is delicious!!

Rice, cooked.  (I used sushi rice, but you can use whatever kind you like.)

Soy sauce ... I added a few drops to the rice.

Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Avocado, sliced

Spring onion, thinly sliced

Lettuce, shredded

Sesame seeds

Japanese mayo

Flour tortillas

Just heat your tortillas.  Fill with rice, chicken, avocado, spring onions and lettuce.  Top off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of japanese mayo.  I didn't try it this time, but I imagine my husband and son will add sweet chilli sauce to theirs tonight ...

Done. 

PS. If you plan this for the night after you make Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, you will have a super simple dish.  Minimal prep work.  Minimal clean up.  Maximum taste and enjoyment!

Easy Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Pinterest is my major source of recipe finding these days.  

I love it.  This one has been a hit.  I made it last week and then again this week.  

It makes a heap ... actually, mine makes more because I added an extra chicken breast.  

I'm going to freeze a bunch of it this week!! I think it will reheat just fine.

 

 I didn't make many changes ... mainly just adding the extra chicken breast.

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce 

1 chicken stock cube & 1/2 cup water  (you could also use 1/2 cup chicken stock but I never have it on hand ... I need to make and freeze some so I do!!)

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 teaspoon sesame oil 

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned

1 spring onion, thinly sliced 

sesame seeds

Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl.  Place chicken breasts in the crock pot and pour teriyaki mixture and spoon some of the mixture on top of the breasts if they are not covered.  Put the lid on and cook for 3.5 hours on low.  Turn crock pot to 'keep warm' setting. Shred chicken in pot with juices.  Leave until ready to serve. 

The first night, I served this on rice with the spring onions and sesame seeds on top. 

The second night, I served in a tortilla ... that recipe is coming next!

Talia's Korean Bulgogi

 

I got this recipe from my friend Talia's blog.

It is delicious.

 But more than that, this recipe is easy to double for another night.

I've been trying to find meals that I can prepare extra to freeze for another time.

My goal is to have a freezer full of cooked, or prepared and ready to cook food for times 

that are exceptionally busy, or I've not been able to organize a meal.   Those are the nights we 

eat two minute noodles or something similarly unhealthy.  This should solve that problem! As well,

I prepared this last night and put it in the fridge ... this afternoon, after we got home late from soccer, I pulled out the bag ready to cook.  I had put the rice in the rice cooker before we left so that was 

ready.  Dinner was on in no time.  AND ... it get's even better.  Rory had to work late but the 

kids were starving so I cooked theirs and ours is actually still waiting in the fridge.  He is

home now but changing my head light.  Seriously, it never stops around here! :)  

Here is the doubled recipe - with the intention of freezing half.

6 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoon sesame oil 

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 kg beef, thinly sliced

2 carrots, grated

2 spring onions, sliced

1 onion, finely sliced

Mix first  seven ingredients in a large ziplock bag.  Add beef, carrots, spring onions and onion.  Seal bag and shake it around to coat beef.  Refrigerate for a few hours.  I did mine over night.

When ready to cook, just cook 1/2 of the ingredients in the bag, label the bag and freeze the other 1/2 for another time!

Preheat a wok to high heat.  Stir fry beef and veggies in small batches.  Talia's recipe said until you get crispy bits.  Mine never went crispy but I don't think my beef was as thin as hers ... No matter though, it was still delicious!