A Quick Dinner for Summer

Last summer we decided to experiment with having lunch be our main family meal. Because my husband is a professor, it is possible to work around his teaching schedule so he can come home in the middle of the day to enjoy lunch with us. Then, in the evening we have a light, casual meal of leftovers or a salad of some sort with some bread and nuts. I really enjoy this schedule, as it allows me to cook when the house is still cool and have one of my main responsibilities done early in the day. Also, there seems to be less distractions, allowing us to be all together almost every day. The rest of the family also liked the idea so we decided to do it again this summer. If you have the flexibility to do this in your family, I highly recommend it. I would love to incorporate the traditional siesta as well, but haven't managed to convince the rest of the family (or country) to adopt this tradition. Maybe some day I will move to Spain...

Although my family enjoys this meal year round, it is especially appreciated during the summer when the house feels hot and the last thing I want to do is stand over the stove for a long time. (Notice that it feeds a whole family with only half a pound of meat.) So, here is a dinner that is quick and easy for the coming summer days:

Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Pasta-This serves my family of 6 with a reasonable amount of leftovers. If your family doesn't like shrimp, I have also made it with 8 oz. of preservative-free turkey bacon.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
• Course salt and ground pepper
• 6 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 2-3 fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 lb whole grain angel hair pasta
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn or cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Cut shrimp in half or thirds and season with salt and pepper (if you like a bit of spice, sprinkle on a dash of ground cayenne pepper).
2. While you make the sauce, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. 
3. In a large wok or skillet, heat 4 tsp. oil over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until it turns pink (about 3 minutes), turning occasionally. Transfer to a bowl.
4. To the same skillet, add remaining 2 tsp. oil and garlic. cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh diced tomatoes.
5. Add cooked pasta, shrimp, and basil to sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and serve immediately.

Banana Bread Protein Bars

These have become one of my favorite breakfast/healthy snack options ever since I tried them for the first time a few months ago. I make a double batch in a 9x13 inch baking dish, cut them into bars and store them in the freezer. They are perfect with a green smoothie for a healthy breakfast.

Banana Bread Protein Bars

Yield: 10 bars
Dry ingredients:

• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats*, ground into flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup unflavored protein powder
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips 
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Wet ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 small-medium)
• 1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup or brown rice syrup (Rachel's note: I use brown rice syrup)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8-inch square pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Tip – to get the parchment to stick to the pan, give the base a spray with olive oil and do this for the next paper too.

2. Add raw buckwheat groats into a high-speed blender and blend on high until a fine flour forms. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

3. Mash bananas until smooth and measure out 3/4 cup. Stir together the banana and all the wet ingredients in a bowl.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir well until combined. If it is too dry, you can add a bit of water. The dough should be very sticky!

5. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the batter and press it down to spread out the batter evenly. You can also remove the paper and wet your hands lightly and spread it out that way. Make sure it’s as even as possible.

6. Bake at 350F for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the bread is firm to touch. Cool in the pan completely (I left it for 1 hour) before removing and slicing into bars.

*Notes: Raw buckwheat groats are not the same as kasha or toasted buckwheat. Raw groats have a milder flavour than toasted. You can find raw groats online, in some health food stores, or the bulk bins of Whole Foods.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/04/17/banana-bread-protein-bars/#ixzz2WhVXJmWo

Quick Tip Tuesday-Peanut Butter Bread

I am always intrigued by what people consider a "snack". My husband and I have both struggled with blood sugar issues. When blood sugar gets low, tempers get short and attention span diminishes. As a result, we have both learned that in order to keep blood sugar stable, it is necessary to eat something every 2-3 hours. We have also learned the composition of the food is just as important as the timing. The snack needs to contain some protein along with carbohydrate. Fiber also helps slow the release of sugar into the blood. It turns out, our kids are also sensitive to low blood sugar. This makes after school snacks and a timely dinner very important. Healthy snacks with substance make us all happy!

This peanut butter bread is a family favorite snack. It is awesome with honey or strawberry freezer jam. The recipe is from my Blendtec cookbook, specifically for a high-powered blender. If you don't have one, I think you could just cream the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, and peanut butter) with the sugar, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine them just until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

Peanut Butter Bread
Ingredients:

• 1 cup any kind of milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add milk, eggs, sugar, and peanut butter to blender (wild side jar) and secure lid. Select "batters."
3. Add remaining ingredients and secure lid. Press "pulse" 4-6 times or until flour is incorporated. 
4. Pour batter into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan (I like to use 4 mini loaf pans because it bakes more evenly, and in only 30 minutes). 
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Packable Pleasures

Outdoor adventure time is here, and all of that adventure requires fueling! I have let myself daydream before about how much more free time I would have if people didn't need to eat. It seems like I do this more frequently when considering the prospect of packing all of the food my family will need for a day away from home.

Monday, we went with some friends for a hike/bike trip to Craters of the Moon. It was a great day, and the food was good, so here are a couple of ideas for food on the go. Both of these are my own recipes, so I hope all of the instructions are clear. Let me know if there are any questions.

Spinach Black Bean Wraps

Ingredients:

• 8 of your favorite soft tortillas
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt*
• 1 T chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 3 cups cooked or canned beans (I like black and pinto mixture).
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1 can black olives, drained and rinsed
• about 2 cups cheddar cheese
• spinach

Directions:

1. Mix yogurt with chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder.
2. In a food processor, combine the beans, salsa, and olives.
3. Spread about 2 T yogurt mixture and 1/2 cup bean mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle a handful of cheese (to taste), and a handful of spinach on top, leaving a 1" border. Roll the tortillas and place them in an airtight container.

I made these the night before and put them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, we put them in the cooler and they were perfect at lunch time. You could individually wrap each one in plastic wrap, but I just put them all close together in one container (with a lid), unwrapped, and they were fine.

*You can make your own "greek" yogurt by taking a bit more than a cup of regular yogurt and putting it in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl for a few hours. You will be surprised how much liquid drains off. This is important as you don't want that extra liquid in your wrap to make a huge, drippy mess and make everything soggy.

Trader Joe's Sweet Basil Salad-Last summer on our trip to the Oregon Coast, we stopped at Trader Joe's to grab some food for lunch. I got this salad and loved it so much, I took notes on the ingredients so I could reproduce it at home. This is my version. It is a great lunch or dinner on its own or served with some grilled chicken Italian sausage.

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced (I have also used 2 limes with good results.)
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove
• 1 bunch basil (about 3/4 cup loose)
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes about 1.5 cups.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup (about 8 oz.) pearled or Israeli couscous (yields about 3 cups cooked)*
• 1 med cucumber, diced
• 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
• Any combination of greens that look good (I like spinach, red leaf lettuce, and arugula)**

Directions (to pack with you for an outdoor meal):

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Let it cool then put it in a container.
2. Combine all vegetables except greens in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Put all ingredients in a cooler and assemble just before eating. I usually just add dressing to taste and almost always have some left over.

*I really like Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend, which contains Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. However, since we don't have a TJ's close, I often just use plain pearled couscous. I think whole wheat orzo would be good, too.

**The amount depends on how you like it and how many people you need to feed. I always adjust the amount of greens I use, while using the amounts listed of the other ingredients. It is good with almost any ratio.

Quick Tip Tuesday-A Pot of Beans

Ever since we made the change to more plant-based meals, I find myself using a lot of beans. Canned beans are convenient, but wow, do they have a lot of sodium! Even the low sodium cans have about 10% of your suggested sodium for the day in one serving.  In addition, most have some unnecessary added ingredients (firming and coloring agents). I still think they are a good choice, and use them often. However, I set out to see if I could make one big pot at once and freeze them for later. My attempt was successful and now it is quite easy to keep some cooked, frozen beans on hand for any recipe. You can even use them to make your own "refried" beans. Here is how I do it:

Crock Pot Beans

Soak 3 cups dried beans (I usually use a combination of pinto and black) in about 8 cups of water overnight or for 8 hours.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the crock pot with 12 cups of water. Cook on HIGH for about 10 hours.

Drain off most of the liquid. This makes about 8 cups of cooked beans. I generally measure about 2-3 cups into freezer bags and freeze with a bit of the liquid. Then they are ready for any recipe that asks for canned beans.

You may have to adjust the seasonings somewhat for a recipe that asks for canned beans because your beans are unsalted.

Quick Tip Tuesday-An Easy Breakfast

Sorry about the week long blogging hiatus. School is almost out, so there has been a constant stream of musical programs, recitals, school plays, and field trips to attend. I will be glad to have the kids home for the summer. I hope to share some good food for picnics and outdoor meals. But for now, how about a quick, healthy breakfast for the end of the school year. Strawberries have been inexpensive and good, so I intend to eat this as often as possible. The original recipe calls for all fresh berries, but the others are still very expensive here, and I find that if I take the frozen berries out first, by the time I have the strawberries washed and cut, and the topping made, the frozen berries are just about defrosted. When I find cheap, local berries, I will use fresh ones. Everyone in my family enjoyed this breakfast.

 

Raw Triple Berry Crisp

Adapted from: Oh She Glows
Yield: 6-8 servings
Berries:

• 1.5 containers strawberries
• About 3 cups frozen mixed berries (I use raspberry, blackberry, blueberry)
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Topping:

• 2 cups raw, mixed nuts (I like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans. I just use whatever I have.)
• 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Measure the frozen berries into a large bowl. Wash and slice all strawberries into bite sized pieces.Toss with the other berries and maple syrup.
2. Prepare the topping in a food processor by pulsing all ingredients until just mixed. You want to leave this mixture a bit chunky, so be sure not to over process.
3. In a 2 quart casserole dish or a 9"x13" baking dish, add most of the berry mixture. Spread evenly, then add most of the topping over the berries. Sprinkle on the remaining berries, and then the rest of the topping. Serve immediately over vanilla yogurt.

This gets very watery so does not store well. If you have leftovers, eat them for lunch :)

Green Smoothies for Summer

I remember two times as a kid being forced by cruel and unusual means to eat my vegetables. Disclaimer: My memory is that of a child, so I can't be held responsible for the accuracy of my recollection. The two vegetables in question (on separate occasions) were squash and brussels sprouts. The means of torture was making me sit at the table until I had taken one bite. I don't remember if I gave in before my parents, but I do remember that sitting there while my brothers and sister had gone outside to play (I could hear them with the other neighbor kids through the window, taunting me) was better than taking even one bite of those vegetables. In my memory, I sat there for at least two hours (see disclaimer above). Needless to say, my history with vegetables is not stellar. It has been a huge conflict for me, given my interest in nutrition. I have tried every way possible to get vegetables into my diet without triggering my gag reflexes.  In my college nutrition class, the teacher would joke and say if we were required to name a food that is a good source of any vitamins or minerals, we could just guess spinach and be right most of the time. I wanted desperately to try to work spinach into my diet, but it proved extremely difficult due to the fact that I thought it tasted like swamp water. Luckily, the swamp flavor is rather easy to mask. Anyone who knows me now will probably be surprised by my disdain of vegetables because I have come a long way since my childhood. I have long-since found ways to incorporate most vegetables into my diet.

So, if you are not a vegetable lover, stay tuned. There is hope for you, too. One of my favorite ways to use spinach and other leafy greens that have an outstanding nutritional profile but less than outstanding flavor, is in a green smoothie. I shared a recipe for the "Green Mango Madness" smoothie here. Now, I want to teach you how to make green smoothies a regular part of your life. I have one almost every day. It is a painless way to get about 2 servings of fruit and 1 serving of leafy greens in every day. The key is to experiment with the basic recipe until you find variations that you like. Will they be the best smoothies you've ever tasted? Probably not, but even to a hesitant vegetable eater, they are good (without even a hint of swamp taste). I think I could even eat brussels sprouts in a smoothie. Here is an easy, basic recipe to get you started. Adjust it until you find something that works for you:

Basic Green Smoothie (makes 22-26 oz.)

• 8 oz liquid (I use water, but you could use any kind of milk too.)
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I usually omit unless I am making it for the kids)
• 1 heaping cup frozen fruit (I almost always use cherries and/or mixed berries for their antioxidants)
• 1/2 banana (usually frozen, see this post about how to always have bananas on hand)
• 2 hand fulls of dark, leafy greens (I rotate between spinach, kale, and swiss chard) 
• Optional additions: chia seeds, flax seeds, nuts, nut butter, unsweetened coconut, granola

Now is the perfect time to plant your own leafy greens. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and a few plants will keep you supplied all summer and into the fall. They grow quickly, take up very little space, and can be grown successfully in a container if you don't have a garden.