April Recipes: Week 2

Our menu for the week of April 21st -

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Bean and Vegetable Pitas
Cheddar and Sausage Pie with Zucchini
Chicken Paprikash
Tofu and Broccoli in Peanut Sauce
Vegetable Lasagna


Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-and-corn-quesadillas/
*When cooking the quesadillas, I used olive oil instead of butter.


Preparation Tip: This recipe is already quick and easy, but to save even more time chop and cook the onion with the beans, corn, sugar, salsa and pepper flakes ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you are ready to put the quesadillas together. You can also grate the cheese ahead of time.


Lilah's Take: I omitted the pepper flakes to make these Lilah friendly. She loved picking up the quesadilla wedges and dipping them in sour cream.


Vegetable Lasagna


Preparation Tip: This lasagna can be assembled ahead of time and put in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time to ensure it is heated through. If you don't have time to prepare the whole lasagna ahead of time, you can prepare the individual components throughout the day so that assembly is quick and easy come dinner time.


Lilah's Take: Lasagna is one of Lilah's favorite dishes. This version incorporates vegetables that she wouldn't typically eat if she could tell what they were which is great! You can chop the vegetables as finely or coarsely as you like depending on how much you want to disguise them.


Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg. (425g) ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar or can (680ml) of tomato or pasta sauce
Dry no-boil flat lasagna noodles, uncooked


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, mushrooms, garlic; cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Set aside.
Combine ricotta cheese and parsley. Set aside.
Spread about 1/2 c. sauce evenly onto bottom of 8 X 11-inch baking dish; top with a layer of noodles. Cover with layer of 1/4 of sauce, 1/3 of ricotta mixture, 1/3 of vegetables and 1/4 of cheese. Repeat.
Top with layer of noodles and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake another 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.


Chicken Paprikash
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/chicken_paprikash.php


Preparation Tip: This recipe is already quick and easy, but you could cut up the chicken and the vegetables ahead of time to make it even quicker.


Lilah's Take: Lilah seemed to really enjoy this dish the last time I made it, but wasn't really interested this time around. It may have been because I was out of sour cream and there wasn't anything for her to 'dip'...I have mentioned before how Lilah is a fan of almost any kind of 'dip' whether it is sour cream, yogurt, or ketchup. I asked Lilah if she wanted fresh parsley on her dinner, but got a "no" which wasn't surprising.


Bean and Vegetable Pitas
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/bean_and_vegetable_pitas.php


Preparation Tip: This is another recipe that is really quick and easy, but it could be make even faster by preparing the bean mixture, chopping the vegetables, and preparing the yogurt mixture ahead of time. 
*I didn't worry about draining the yogurt.


Lilah's Take: These ended up being a little too spicy for Lilah so I would reduce the amount of chili powder in the future. The onions also needed to be diced rather than sliced for her to be able to manage them.


Cheddar and Sausage Pie with Zucchini
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/dinner_club/cheddar_and_sausage_pie_with_zucchini.php


Preparation Tip: This recipe took a little longer than I would have liked so next time I will cook the sausage, grate the cheese and chop the green onions ahead of time.


Lilah's Take: Instead of using store-bought pizza dough, I used pitas and naan breads as my crust because that is what I had on hand and I have never actually used store-bought dough before. These crusts ended up being a little too crispy for Lilah because of the length of time the pizzas needed to bake so she had trouble eating the pizza...she mostly just ate the toppings off. I may try a softer homemade dough next time.


Tofu and Broccoli in Peanut Sauce
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/tofu_and_broccoli_in_peanut_sauce.php
*Serve over rice*
*When using tofu, make sure you pat it really, really dry with paper towel. The more you dry it, the better the dish will turn out. I also tend to cook the tofu for longer than the recipe suggests because I like it to be golden on all sides. I suggest using a wok to make this dish rather than a skillet.*


Preparation Tip: Chop the green onions, broccoli and red pepper ahead of time and keep in the fridge.


Lilah's Take: Broccoli is one of Lilah's favorite vegetables so this dish was a hit. Surprisingly, she also gobbled up the tofu! I did leave out the hot sauce, bean sprouts and fresh coriander to make the dish more Lilah friendly.

A Rainy Saturday Morning in the Kitchen with Mommy

I love that my daughter Lilah is at the age (almost 2.5) where she can "help" me in the kitchen. It means I don't always have to wait until she is napping or otherwise occupied to bake or cook. Mind you, she can only be given very simple tasks and it often ends up taking longer and being messier, but I just try to chalk that up to part of the fun of it.
It was raining this morning (and Daddy was home to look after baby Charlotte) so I decided it would be a perfect morning for Lilah and I to get in the kitchen and make homemade chocolate pudding and raisin bran muffins together...two of Lilah's favorite treats and things I had been meaning to get to all week.

Here are the recipes....

Homemade Chocolate Pudding
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Chocolate-Pudding

Bran Muffins (Raisin, Blueberry or Cranberry)

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. wheat bran
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. blueberries, cranberries or raisins (berries can be fresh or frozen...do not thaw first)

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Mix all wet ingredients together in another bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and add berries or raisins. Pour into a greased muffin tin. I am usually able to get a dozen regular sized muffins and half a dozen mini muffins out of this recipe. Bake in a 350 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean (time depends on size of muffins, but about 10 minutes for mini muffins and 20 minutes for regular sized muffins).

Bulgar for Breakfast

I am always looking for ways to incorporate interesting grains into our diet. I saw this really easy, yummy breakfast recipe on the Dr. Oz show last week and couldn't wait to try it. It was delicious!

Apple Pie Breakfast Bulgar

Ingredients
1/4 c. bulgar
1 c. water
3/4 c. diced apple
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt (or whatever kind you have on hand)
1 Tbsp. walnuts (optional)

Directions
When you wake up, soak the bulgar in the water until you are ready to eat breakfast (about an hour). Then mix all ingredients expect the yogurt and walnuts in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3-6 minutes (until the liquid is absorbed). Serve with yogurt and walnuts on top.

April Recipes: Week 1

Our menu for the week of April 15th -

Avocado and Chicken Salad
Meatloaf
Pasta Shells in Double Cheese Sauce
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Pasta Shells in Double Cheese Sauce
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/pasta_shells_in_double_cheese_sauce.php

Preparation Tip: This pasta is so quick and easy to make, prep ahead of time isn't necessary.

Lilah's Take: You really can't go wrong with pasta and cheese in our house!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

This soup was really good. The next time I make it, I will garnish it with cilantro and banana slices!

Lilah's Take: Despite the fact that this soup is black, Lilah seemed to really like it. The dollop of sour cream served in the middle of the soup probably helped. She had bread for dipping which also helped to make it fun.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 16oz. package of dried black beans
2 cups chicken broth
5 cups hot water
juice of a lime
1-2 tsp. coarse sea salt
sour cream for serving

Directions
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and pepper, saute until soft and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for another minute. Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Add beans, broth and water, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 hours.
Before serving, add the salt and lime juice and stir well. Using an immersion blender, puree a bit in the slow cooker so that it is half smooth, half chunky. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.
 
Meatloaf

This meatloaf is quick and easy to put together. It is also very forgiving in that you can add just about anything you have on hand in place of the tomato sauce. I have used pasta sauce, chili sauce and ketchup and they have all been delicious. I also like to spread ketchup or chili sauce on top of the meatloaf before baking.

Preparation Tip: Assemble the meatloaf when you have a few spare minutes earlier in the day and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

Lilah's Take: Meatloaf is a hit in our house, Lilah gobbles it up especially when she has a little ketchup for dipping...in her opinion, anything is better with some kind of dip!

Ingredients
1 pkg. ground beef
3/4 c. oatmeal
1 small onion, chopped
1 c. tomato sauce (or whatever you have on hand/leftover in the fridge)
1/4 c. chili sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients (I find it easiest to do this with my hands). Press into a loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

Avocado Chicken Salad
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/avocado_chicken_salad.php

This salad was DELICIOUS! It would be a great salad to make in the summer when the last thing you feel like doing is cooking.

Preparation Tip: Most of the ingredients for this salad can be prepared ahead of time whenever you have a few minutes in your day. Cook the chicken (which I did in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil because we don't have a BBQ), mix together the dressing, cook the corn, chop the vegetables *with the exception of the avocado* and toss them together with the corn, boil the eggs and wash the lettuce ahead of time so that come dinner time it is just a matter of assembling the salad and chopping the avocado and tomato.

Lilah's Take: I omitted the hot pepper sauce because Lilah won't eat anything that is too spicy. She also doesn't eat lettuce so I served it to her without. She ate around the avocado, but didn't seem to mind the rest of the salad.  

My Purpose

This blog is an extension of my Mastering the Art of Mommyhood blog designed to focus on creating easy, healthy family meals. I will make notes about my children's reaction to the dishes, tips on how to make them baby and toddler friendly and I will note which steps of the recipe can be prepared in advance to make cooking the dish easier come dinner time. There will also be sections devoted to baby and toddler food. Most of recipes I will feature are not my own so I will include links to the recipes whenever possible.

Happy Cooking!