Asian Noodle Salad

Kayli made this once and I tried it and absolutely LOVED it and have been making it ever since. It is a recipe from Pioneer Woman. It does take a lot of chopping but certainly worth it. I substituted some veggies with what I had on hand and it was great.

Ingredients

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

This is a super easy recipe from Giadia De Laurentis. I have paired it with some grilled veggies and good bread and you have an easy but very tasty dinner. It was a hit with Nathan as well.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed (I didn't have but I didn't miss it)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a heavy-duty re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.

Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon zest, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to plates. Drizzle the basil sauce over and serve.

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.