sesame noodles

this recipe is adapted from pioneer woman's sesame noodles. it's super easy and a surprising hit with my boys. i followed her recipe but probably added a splash more of soy sauce and chile oil. oh and tons more garlic because we like to eat garlic practically raw here.

also, instead of adding green onions at the end, i topped the noodles with cut up cucumbers and carrots, to make a more "fresh summer" snack.

ingredients:

12 oz. noodles

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbl sugar

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tble rice vineagar

3 tbl sesame oil

1/2 tsp hot chili oil

4 tbl canola oil (i used olive and it was fine)

prep:

whisk all ingredients together in a bowl (except noodles). toss over warm noodles. (i then allowed the noodles to cool and then topped with carrots/cucumbers)

hummus sandwich

this is a total no-brainer, but i didn't think of it until 6 months ago when nathan's buddy was snacking on it at the park. nathan's favorite is red pepper hummus, and slathered on toasted ezekiel bread with a side of avocados and carrot slices, it's a wonderfully easy and healthy meal!

you guys are probably like, "uh, duh grace." i promise my next post won't be about peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. but this has been such a hit for nathan (he says it's his favorite lunch!) that i felt compelled to share.

Poor Man's Enchiladas

We had left over Taco Soup (I've posted about that before). The question was, how to make something taste/feel a little different without wasting the food you already have in the fridge.

I also always wonder what to do with the small crunched up pieces of tortilla chips at the end of the bag that are too small to dip into the Guacamole. Well, this was a good meal that killed both of those birds with the same stone.

In the bottom of the Casserole Dish, I put a layer of a bunch of crushed up tortilla chips. You don't have to make them too fine, just crunch up the big chips a bit.

Then, I poured over the Taco Soup, which actually was more the consistency of chili and not soup.

Lastly, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 min. until the cheese is melted. Voila! Tastes very similar to enchiladas, and you can garnish it up with sour cream, avocado, diced green onion, olives, etc.

"Fruit on a stick"

I feel a bit lame posting this, since it's probably the most obvious, non-cooking recipe ever invented. But it satisfies my kids' culinary and creative needs, so perhaps it could be useful to share.

If the name doesn't give the game away, it's, well, fruit on a skewer, or as my daughter prefers to call it, 'fwoot on a stick'. My kids don't have any problem eating fruit, so I must have been in one of those desiring-extra-work-for-myself moods when I came up with this one, because it's a pretty constant demand now on the snack list. Thankfully, getting it onto the skewer only takes about a minute, so no biggie.





As for ingredients, you need a bamboo skewer and, well, whatever fruit you think you can get onto the skewer. I've used apples, oranges, mandarins, grapes, various berries (strawberries are especially great for their bright colour), pineapple, banana, kiwi fruit, pear... I did manage to get lychee on there once but only by peeling it really carefully so as to minimise tears in the flesh. Basically anything solid enough and able to be easily cut into rough cube shapes will work. I sometimes add a few cubes of cheese as well.




I haven't branched out beyond fruit, but have a feeling certain vegetables could be successful - perhaps some blanched carrot, fresh peas, cooked pumpkin cubes, leafy greens, steamed zucchini, cooked potato... As I see it, the biggest draw-back to using veggies is the fact you'd have to cook a lot of them in order for them to be edible and/or soft enough to get onto the stick, which brings them from the realm of quick snack and into the proper meal category. But for a creative twist on left-overs, might just be a hit. Will let you know...

Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

SO HEALTHY AND SO YUMMY! The toddler finished most of her bowl and gave it a "thumbs up." Then, she promptly started singing, "Where is Thumbkin?"

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute to release the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, stir in the reserved quinoa and corn. Cook to reheat the corn for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro to serve.

Fruit Popsicles

When your strawberries haven't gone bad, but are a bit too shriveled to eat by themselves, make popsicles!!!

Chicken Souiza Cornbread Bake

Chicken Souiza Cornbread Bake (from Allrecipes.com)

Paul loved it, and Sosi even ate a few bites (though I don't think she was a big fan of the Green Chiles). After reading the reviews online, I made a few changes. Sorry, no time for pictures, as this is probably one of the last big meals I will cook at this house. Everything is getting sold tomorrow!

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup egg substitute I used 2 eggs
  
• 1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix
• 
  
• 2 1/3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons canned green chile peppers, chopped I used 3/4 of about a 5 oz. can
  
• 1 (4 ounce) jar chopped mushrooms, drained Didn't use
  
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat sour cream Used 1/2 cup plus 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt margarine in a small skillet over med-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender, 4 to 6 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine corn, cream style corn, salt and eggs. Beat in muffin mix. Fold in cooked onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake the cornbread mixture for 10 minutes before adding the mixture from Step 3.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, green chiles, mushrooms, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spoon over corn mixture to within 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle top with cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.