Potato Salad

Mark and his parents have been painting our new house each weekend, and since I can't help (someone's gotta look after baby Henry!), I bring them lunch! Today I brought them potato salad (along with some other things).  It's super yummy and the recipe is from my mom!

Ingredients:

• ~3 lbs potatoes
• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 1-2 celery stalks finely chopped
• 1/2 brown onion finely chopped
• 2 cups mayo (Hellman's is a MUST! Thank god they have it in Australia!)
  
• salt, pepper
• paprika

What you do:

1. Cube the potatoes and boil the potatoes and eggs (together or separately, it's up to you).  Chop up the eggs.
   
2.   Chop up the celery and onion.
3. Mix everything together, refrigerate, and enjoy whenever it is cold!
   

drunk chicken legs

Wow, I discovered this recipe on tastespotting and it is a real winner!  Very VERY yummy!  Definitely a keeper!

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs)
• 2 big carrots
• 2 big onions
• ~400 g mushrooms (I only used 200g and it was perfect)
  
• 200 ml white wine
  

and spices

• 4 tbsp tomato paste (about 150 g)
• 4 cloves garlic
• half a bundle of fresh parsley leaves
• salt & pepper
• dried oregano
  

Directions:

1. Half the carrots lengthwise, then slice them. Finely chop onions. Dice the mushrooms. Finely chop garlic and parsley. 
2. Sprinkle meat with salt, and fry in a pan to get the meat golden from all sides.
3. In a big pot, add onions and carrots, and saute until vegetables get soften, adding about 250 ml of water gradually. Put the meat and garlic in, pour with 500 ml of water, and cook covered over low heat for about 45 mins.
4. Stir in tomato paste and parsley.  Add other spices to taste. Let it simmer for a bit and then add the mushrooms and wine and simmer for about 20 mins, until meat fall of the bones. Serve with mashed potatoes! 

Cooking tip

Here is a tip from my mom: add a little olive oil to the water when boiling pasta to prevent it from sticking. 

And here's my secret ingredient when making pizza: mix ricotta cheese with the tomato sauce, yummy!

Chicken stew

I found this recipe on tastespotting.  It was good enough to warrant a blog post.  It's kind of like chicken cacciatore, but even tastier.  I think I'll definitely make it again! 

Ingredients:

•  2 large chicken breasts (preferably organic)
  
• 2 medium yellow onions 
• 2 red capsicums aka bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 green)
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 cups small new potatoes, chopped into large chunks
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• sea salt, freshly ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Brush olive oil over 2 chicken breasts, and sprinkle liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in over 15 - 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven, and let cool.
2. Dice Chicken.
3. Cut 2 red capsicums in half lengthwise, and remove the stem and seeds. Roast in the oven until tough skins are blackened, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Remove skins from capsicums, and slice into long strips.
5. Chop two medium onions into long strips.  In a dutch oven, saute in EVOO until softened and translucent.
6. Add chicken, sliced capsicums, and 2 cups chicken stock to the pot.
7. Add 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1 cup of dry white wine, 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, and 2 cups roughly chopped new potatoes
8. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer 1-2 hours, until potatoes are soft.

Broccoli and Potato Soup

This is really really good soup! It is thick, hearty, and very filling. You could probably make it even healthier by using low-fat milk instead of cream, and less cheese. It looks watery at first, but after you puree everything it thickens right up! This serves about 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 large heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 5-6 potatoes, diced (keep 2 of the diced potatoes separate)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable stock or broth
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup whipping/heavy cream (or milk)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated old white cheddar
  
• salt & pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F). In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the 3-4 diced potatoes.
2. Add in enough vegetable stock so that the potatoes are just covered. Add 1 1/2 of the chopped broccoli heads (save 1/2 of a chopped broccoli head for the end). Cover and simmer over med-low heat for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Sprinkle the remaining 2 diced potatoes (make sure they are not huge chunks) with salt and pepper and place on a greased and/or lined baking sheet and bake until crispy and fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree the soup with blender or your food processor (don’t overfill, if it all doesn’t fit you can always do this in two parts) and then put in back in the pot.
   
5. Add in the cream/milk and cheese. Add the rest of the broccoli and cook for several more minutes.
   
6. Gently stir in the roasted potatoes, then check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if you feel it’s needed.
7. Enjoy!
   

Mini peanut butter cups

These are great!! Mark can't get enough of them! Extremely easy to make too!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces (115 g) white chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 12 ounces (340 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (or dark chocolate), chopped

What you do:

1. Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
   
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
   
3. Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring once or twice, until almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate and peanut-butter mixture into liners, beginning and ending with chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts. Place muffin pans in freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 15 minutes.
   
5. Bring to room temperature before serving and enjoy!!

I got this recipe from here

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This recipe was pretty good. I didn't use enough cajun seasoning, so next time it will be even better!! This recipe feeds about 4 people.

Ingredients:

• Bowtie pasta
  

For the chicken:

• 1-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Salt and pepper
• Cajun seasoning

For the sauce:

• butter & olive oil
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 green capsicum (bell pepper), seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped
• freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T water
  

What you do:

1. To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted.
   
4. Add the capsicums and onion to the pan. Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.
   
5. Add the half-and-half and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer.
   
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble. Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through.
8. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your tastes.
   
9. Serve immediately and top with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired.

I got the recipe and picture from browsing tastespotting.

Tacos (vegetarian style)

These are very yummy and healthy tacos. Since I don't eat beef, but I love tacos, I had to invent this recipe on my own. Mark loves it. This recipe feeds 2-4 people, depending on how many beans and taco shells you use.

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 T Cumin
• 1 t Paprika
• 1 t Cayenne
• 1 t Mexican chili powder
  
• 1 red capsicum (red bell pepper) chopped
  
• 1 green capsicum (green bell pepper) chopped
  
• 1-2 cans organic red kidney beans
• 1 cup of taco sauce (from a jar)
  
• frozen corn
• taco shells

What you do:

1. Add oil to a heated pan and then add the onions.
2. After a minute or two, add the garlic and some of the spices and sauté for a bit.
3. Add the red and green capsicums and sauté for a few minutes.
4. Add the beans, the rest of the spices, and the taco sauce. Simmer for several (5-10) minutes. Add the corn towards the end.
   
5. Meanwhile, heat up the taco shells in the oven until they are starting to turn light brown.
6. Fill up the shells and serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole (mash up an avocado and add S&P, lemon juice, and sour cream to taste), and salsa. (you could even add some shredded lettuce and fresh tomatoes if you wish)
   
7. Enjoy!! Yum!
   

Blueberry Banana Bread

MMMMMM! Now this is some good eats! It is based on several different banana bread recipes from tastespotting.com and I decided to add blueberries because I just happened to have some. It's super moist and soft and honestly, perfect!
Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 150g regular sugar (I used organic)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• a few grinds of iodized sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 large or 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 packet of blueberries
  

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf tin, or line with grease proof paper (I lined with grease proof paper for easier clean up).
   
2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients - mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
3. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bit by bit, just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. Add the blueberries here too. **IMPORTANT: Do not overmix the batter** There should still be traces of flour. Over mixing will result in tough bread.
4. Pour the batter into the loaf tin. Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread is easier to slice when it has cooled.
   

Lasagna: simple, yet amazing!

This is a family recipe. I have tried to modify it in the past by adding spinach and/or other veggies, but nothing is as good as the original. Since veggies are good for you (you should be eating 5 servings per day!), please serve them on the side! This recipe easily feeds 3, possibly even 4 people. We have 2 small baking dishes, so I always make a gluten-free one with meat for Mark and a whole-wheat one without meat for me. The picture is of Mark's meat one.

Ingredients:

• Lasagna sheets (preferably organic whole wheat, or use gluten-free if you have Coeliac like Mark)
• ~ 400 g (14 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please, no dried crap!)
  
• 500 g (~18 oz) Ricotta cheese (yes, you need this much for such a little lasagna!)
• Marinara sauce (you can use meat sauce if you must)
  

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F) and cook the pasta sheets if they aren't instant.
2. In a small (8 x 8 inches), square glass baking dish (if you want to use the large one, you need to double the recipe), spoon sauce in the bottom of the pan (to prevent the noodles from sticking)
3. Lay down one layer of noodles (if you are using the instant kind, be aware that these noodles will grow during the baking!)
4. Layer in this order: ricotta (a thick layer of this is best), mozzarella, parmesan cheeses
   
5. Spoon marinara sauce over the cheeses
6. Lay lasagna noodles on top of the marinara sauce
7. Spoon more marinara over the noodles and repeat until done (sauce, noodles, sauce, cheeses, sauce, noodles, sauce, cheeses, ....)
8. End with the cheese layer
9. Bake in hot oven for 40 mins or until bubbly (I like to cover with foil first and half way through remove the foil)

*note: you can freeze either before baking or after

Creamy Semi-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta

This is one of my favourites! It's quick and easy, plus it's very good the next day for lunch! This recipe yields about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts cut into strips (optional)
• ~ a heaping 1/2 cup of semi-dried tomatoes (like sun-dried tomatoes, but a bit softer)
• 3/4 of a jar of your favourite organic tomato sauce
• ~3/4 or 1 cup of heavy/thickened cream
• ~ 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• Organic whole-wheat penne pasta
  

What you do:

Cook the chicken any way you like. I think grilled would be best, but if you don't have a grill, then saute the chicken in a pan with butter and olive oil. Set aside.
Meanwhile...

1. Start the pasta water boiling.
   
2. Chop up the semi-dried tomatoes (or put in food processor) and saute in pan (same pan chicken was in).
3. Once the tomatoes are going, add sliced mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft
4. Add tomato sauce and cream (the sauce should be pink in colour).
   
5. By now the pasta water should be boiling. Add the pasta to the water.
6. Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer until pasta is ready
   
7. Drain the pasta and mix the sauce and pasta together really well so that the pasta is coated with the sauce.
8. Serve into bowls and top with a lot of freshly grated parmesan (none of that dried crap!)
9. Enjoy with some crusty bread!!

Sticky Chicken Legs... MMMMM!!

The sauce for these chicken legs is honestly amazing. One of the best things I have ever eaten. It's an old family recipe from my mom, but I think I may have modified it slightly. It tastes best when served with baked corn on the cob and roasted potatoes. I suggest using organic, free range chicken legs, and organic honey and ketchup. This recipe makes enough sauce for about 7 regular sized chicken legs.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• more than 1/2 cup honey (maybe 3/4 of a cup)
• several shakes of Worcestershire sauce (gluten free of course!)
• a few shakes of apple cider vinegar
• ~ 1-2 tsps of brown sugar
• ~ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder
  

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to about 350 F (180 C).
   
2. Mix all of the ingredients up in a bowl.
   
3. Line the legs up in a roasting pan or glass dish (8 legs should be enough for 2 ppl) and brush the sauce all over them. If you don't have a brush, then dunk the legs in the sauce real good. I find that the sauce sticks best to the legs when they are dry. So, after washing the legs in water, dry them off with a paper towel.
   
4. Bake in a hot oven until done! It usually takes about 30-40 minutes in my oven. You might want to cover it for the first 15 minutes with tin foil, and leave uncovered for the rest of the time. Leaving it uncovered increases it's stickiness, which is key to the yumminess.
5. Serve with baked corn on the cob* and roasted potatoes**

*Baked corn on the cob (I promise this is better than boiled!): Shuck the corn. Put corn on a square of tin foil. Top with freshly ground salt and pepper and a large square of butter. Wrap the corn in the tin foil (1 corn per foil square). Bake for about 15-20 min or until done.
**Roasted potatoes: In a bowl, mix cubed potatoes with salt and pepper and olive oil (and maybe some butter too if you want). Roast in oven for the entire time the chicken is cooking. They are done when crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Stuffed Mushrooms (vegetarian version)

I made these as a little appetizer last night before dinner (we had roast chicken and mashed potatoes) because we happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Mark loves these and so do I! This recipe is a modified version of a family recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 small chopped onion
• butter
  
• extra virgin olive oil
• bread (use gluten free bread for the gluten free version)
• 1 egg
• parsley
• sage
• salt and pepper
  
• milk
• finely shredded parmesan cheese (none of that dried crap!!)
  
• mushrooms with stems removed and cleaned
  

What you do:

1. Sauté onion in a little butter and EVOO and remove from pan when golden.
   
2. In a mixing bowl, add the bread chopped up in tiny pieces, egg, parsley, S&P, sage, and parmesan cheese. Add milk as needed according to moisture.
3. Add sautéed onion.
4. Scrunch up with fingers until well mixed.
   
5. Stuff mushrooms and bake for 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms look soft and ready to eat.
   
6. ENJOY!!
   

Honey Mustard Sauce

Tonight we had some coconut fried chicken for dinner. It was nothing to rave about (although, as usual, Mark thought it was awesome), but the honey mustard sauce that I invented was actually quite tasty! Hubby said it was something spesh! I didn't take a picture, but it just looks like honey, but creamier. This recipe makes wayyyyy more than you need for 2 people.

Ingredients:

• ~2 Tblspns mayonnaise
  
• Honey (I just poured a lot in the bowl... probably nearly double the amount of mayo)
• a big squirt of mustard (maybe a couple of teaspoons)

What you do:

Stir all the ingredients together really well! I think it would probably be good with some shake and bake chicken (will post a recipe in the future).

Snickerdoodles

OH. MY. GOD. These are to die for. I don't usually eat dessert, especially because I am pregnant, but sometimes I just have to have something sweet!! Mark can't have them because they have gluten in them, but don't worry, I baked him a gluten-free chocolate cake so that he wouldn't feel left out. Anyway, if you don't like these, then there may be something wrong with you. This recipe makes about 18.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 pound (115 g) of cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
  

What you do:

1. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; set aside. Cream butter on medium speed until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Beat the mixture on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
2. Add the eggs and beat on low until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Remove dough and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
5. Combine some cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
6. Pinch off pieces of chilled dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Drop the balls into the cinnamon sugar and coat thoroughly. Place balls 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies look dry and feel firm.

Sweet Potato Burritos

These are YUMMMMMMY! You would have to be a fool to not like these. I have no idea how I came up with this recipe, but it has become a staple in our house. This recipe feeds 2 extremely hungry people or 3 not really very hungry people or 2 hungry people, with a little bit of leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

• 4 small sweet potatoes (or 2 large ones) chopped up
  
• 1 small brown onion finely chopped
  
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• ~1 tspn cumin
• ~1 tspn mexican chili powder
• ~1/2 tspn paprika
• cayenne to taste
• whole wheat tortillas (use corn for gluten free)
• salsa
  
• cheese (Australian grocery stores have no variety, so I have to use "tasty" cheese, but surely there is something more authentically mexican in the US)
• serve with sour cream and guacamole
  

Step by step instructions:

First, put the sweet potatoes in a pot of water over heat.


Then, get the onions going in a fry pan with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. After a little bit, add the chopped garlic and sauté everything until onions are translucent.


Add the can of red kidney beans and the spices (cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and some freshly cracked pepper).

When the sweet potatoes are done (water is boiling and when you prick with a fork they seem ready to be mashed), hand mash them and add to the onion and bean mixture. Mash everything together into one big mess. Feel free to add more of all the spices at this point. It should look something like this:


Fill the tortillas with the filling and top with salsa and grated cheese. (Mark has celiac and is therefore allergic to gluten, so his burritos have to be kept separate from mine).


Bake on high heat until the tortillas are nice and CRISPY! Crispy is key to the yummy taste! Serve with sour cream a guacamole and enjoy!!

note: the picture of the finished burritos at the beginning of this post are of mark's gluten-free corn ones. They don't look as crispy as normal whole wheat tortillas.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

These are the tastiest muffins EVER! They are from the cookbook "More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery." If you've never been to the Magnolia bakery in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, you are missing out! Too bad I live on the other side of the world now! These muffins are soft and fluffy and would be nice for a mid-morning snack. This recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tspn baking powder
• 1/2 tspn baking soda
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 8oz (225 g) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter (115 g)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
• Raspberry jam
  

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
2. Grease and lightly flour muffin tins (I have 2 tins that make 6 muffins each).
   
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
   
4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth.
5. Add the eggs and beat well.
   
6. Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins filling them about two-thirds full. Drop 3 small dollops (about a teaspoonful each) of raspberry jam onto the top of each bun (the recipe says to use the tip of a sharp knife, swirl the preserves into the batter, forming a decorative pattern. I had a hard time doing this).
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a fork inserted in the centre of the bun comes out clean.
   
8. Allow the buns to cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Yum!
   

p.s. I stole the photo from another blog here, because mine didn't look quite as pretty!!

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Wine Sauce

This is Mark's second favourite dinner (his favourite is salmon spaghetti, which I will make next week sometime). It is so yummy! I found a recipe similar to this on tastespotting a while ago, and I modified it to make it easier and quicker. This picture just doesn't do this dish justice! This recipe feeds about 3-4 people. (note: While I am usually a vegetarian, I have been eating organic, free-range chicken during the pregnancy for the extra protein)

Ingredients:

• 3 organic, free-range chicken breasts
• 2 chopped shallots
• 1-2 cups of mushrooms
• ~ 1 tsp parsley (fresh is probably better, but I only had dried on hand)
• ~ 1 cup of dry white wine (I prefer to cook with Chardonnay, but Sav Blanc is fine too)
  
• ~ 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
  
• ~ 1 Tbsp of sage (again, fresh is probably better, but I used dried)
  
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

What you do:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and saute in a bit of butter and extra virgin olive oil. Put aside.
   
2. In same pan, saute shallots for about a minute and add the musrooms and parsley. Saute until mushrooms are browned.
3. Add the wine and then after a minute or so, add the heavy cream, sage, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir.
   
4. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken breasts at some point.
   
5. Adjust sage, salt, and pepper seasonings to taste.
   
6. Serve with freshly mashed potatoes (none of that packaged crap!) and a heaping portion of veggies (I enjoy broccoli). You could probably also use white rice or even pasta if you want!
   

Cheesy Rice and Bean Enchiladas

We eat Mexican all the time in our house, mostly because it's so easy to make, but also because Mark loves it (or eat least it certainly seems that way)! I have a few different Mexican dishes that I make, but this one is a new one that I thought of (I'm sure I'm not the first one to think of this). This recipe yields about 4 or 5 servings.

Ingredients:

• at least 1 cup of brown rice
  
• about 1/2 to 3/4 of a brown onion finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove
  
• 2 cans of organic red kidney beans
• spices (adjust to taste): ground cumin, mexican chili powder, cayenne
• 1 little jar of old el paso taco sauce
• 1 packet of whole wheat tortillas (use corn tortillas if you are gluten-free)
  
• salsa
  
• grated organic cheddar cheese (probably about 2 cups)
  

What you do:

1. Start cooking brown rice and pre-heat oven to about 190 C (~370 F)
   
2. In a large frying pan, add some olive oil, then the onion, then the garlic
3. Sauté and add spices
4. When onions are nicely cooked, add kidney beans and more spices
   
5. After a bit longer add taco sauce
   
6. Let it simmer for a short time and then use a potato masher to mash up the beans right in the pan (turn off heat now)
   
7. When the rice is done mix it in with the bean/onion mixture
   
8. Add most of the cheese to the rice/bean/onion mixture. This should be very cheesy!
   
9. In a glass baking dish (I sprayed the bottom with pam, not sure if this is necessary) load up the tortillas (make sure to warm the tortillas in the microwave first) so that both ends are open
10. Top with salsa and remaining cheese and bake until cheese is melted (These should not be crispy! They are meant to be soft!)
    
11. Serve with sour cream and guacamole* and enjoy!! YUM!
    

*note: To make guacamole, you can just quickly mix up a mashed up avocado with a large scoop of sour cream, 1/2 a finely chopped and seeded tomato, some lemon juice, and a generous amount of sea salt and ground black pepper (surely there is a better recipe out there, but this is for sure the easiest and quickest!)

Banana Pancakes

I had a hankering for some pancakes, so I got this recipe from my mom. They turned out to be the best pancakes ever!! So fluffy and yummy! I made the recipe slightly healthier by adding whole wheat flour. I think next time I might add some cinnamon to the batter!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups of flour (use a 1/2 cup and an 1/8 cup each of regular flour and whole wheat flour)
• 2 TB sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups organic whole milk
• 3 TB vegetable oil
• 1 or 2 bananas mashed up (extra ripe!)

What you do:

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, and baking powder with a fork
2. Add egg, milk, and veg oil and stir tobgether. Add more milk as needed until consistency is like really watery oatmeal
3. Stir in the mashed banana(s)
4. Heat frying pan on medium heat and add butter
5. Pour batter on the frying pan and when the bubbles pop, flip them over and cook until done
6. Serve with organic maple syrup and enjoy!!