Fruit Slaw

I was looking for a light side for burgers and sandwiches and found a recipe for Stone Fruit Slaw on Epicurious. This time of year it's not easy to find peaches and apricots, so I used black plums,
apples, and pears. The result was a refreshing dish that I'll make again - and look forward to trying when stone fruits are back in season.

The only unusual technique in this recipe is how you cut the fruit; the recipe asks for matchsticks. I held the fruit right side up and sliced off the four sides. Then I put each piece cut side down and made a horizontal cut through the middle. Holding the two pieces together, cut 1/4 inch slices vertically.

Fruit Slaw

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pound assorted firm fruit (about 5; such as plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots, pears, or apples), julienned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add fruit; toss gently to coat. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

Pioneer Woman is famous for down-home recipes that use meat, butter, and cheese plentifully. But this recipe is from her "Cowgirl Food" section, meaning that her husband Marlboro Man and the other ranch hands wouldn't touch it. I love it! Chock full of vegetables, the flavorful, Asian-inspired salad is delicious. And it has cashews!

You can mix and match the vegetables - leave out what you don't like and add more of what you do. The original recipe called for bean sprouts, but I left those out due to food safety issues and general dislike. Other than that, I made it as is. I cooked the pasta and chopped the vegetables the day before, but I kept the dressing separate from the salad until I was ready to serve it.

Asian Noodle Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 16 oz. package linguine, cooked, rinsed, and cooled (can add a little oil to keep them from sticking)
½ head sliced napa cabbage, or more to taste
½ head 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, sliced thin
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 (watch so they don't burn!)
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FOR THE DRESSING:

1 whole lime, juiced
8 tablespoons olive oil
8 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 whole jalapenos, chopped (remove seeds and ribs unless you want dressing to be spicy)
chopped cilantro to top salad (optional)

Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl or platter. Whisk dressing ingredients in a separate bowl, then toss with salad. Top with cilantro if desired.

Soft Serve Banana "Ice Cream"

Growing up in New Hampshire, we had a soft-serve ice cream shop named King Kone. King Kone had never more than six flavors: usually chocolate, vanilla, twist, banana, black raspberry, and bananaberry. Their soft serve was excellent and the cones were huge, and if you ever visit Merrimack, NH in the summer, be sure to check it out.

This recipe doesn't really have anything to do with commercial soft serve, but it sure is good. And healthy!

Take three bananas (overripe or ripe) and cut them into pieces, then freeze. To make the ice cream, take the bananas out of the freezer and let them soften for a minute or two.

Put the banana pieces in a food processor and blend until the ice cream is light and airy. It will take about 2-3 minutes; scrape down the bananas as needed.

The boys love this - the first time I made it, I told them they were having ice cream for breakfast. It's amazing how creamy, rich, and smooth the bananas become, truly mimicking the texture and flavor of soft serve.

Golden Cinnamon-Pumpkin Bars - Whole Grain

Yes, I cut these bars awfully unevenly! But don't let that or the half-eaten pan dissuade you: these bars are really good. Their consistency is like brownies, but with pumpkin flavor.

The bars are adapted from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. The philosophy of King Arthur was that the recipes in the cookbook would be great on their own merit, not just "good - for whole grain." By using various kinds of whole-grain flours, mixing whole grains with all-purpose flour, letting batters "rest" overnight in the refrigerator, and yes, using butter freely, I think they accomplished this goal.

The large amount of butter in this recipe works out to 1/2 T. per bar if you cut them into 24 pieces, which is not unreasonable. You could replace 1/4 cup of butter with applesauce, and they'd still be great.

Variation idea: swap chocolate chips and raisins or Craisins for the cinnamon chips and apples

Golden Cinnamon-Pumpkin Bars

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground allspice
1 large egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup diced unpeeled apple

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Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan

Melt butter in a medium microwave-safe bolw or in a saucepan set over low heat, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the microwave briefly, until it's hot and starting to bubble (1-2 minutes -check midway). Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and allow it to cool until you can comfortably test it with your finger.

Beat in the vanilla, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin, flour, chips, and apple. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake the bars until a sharp knife inserted into the center reveals moist crumbs, 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Sausage

I ended up making this soup tonight instead of the gnocchi I had planned. I had great plans to grill Italian sausage and vegetables this weekend, but it rained for four days straight, so I needed a way to use them up. This was a great find! I ate the leftovers without sausage, and it was just as good.

The recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray. She uses bacon, which I'm sure would also be great.

Note: I always have chipotle peppers in the freezer - when I buy a can, I freeze individual peppers with adobo sauce in ice cube trays, then transfer them to a ziploc bag. Otherwise, I'd end up wasting most of the can since most recipes only call for 1-2.

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes (2½ pounds), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 links Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
One 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling
Pepper
1 cup sour cream, for passing around the table

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the sausage and crumble. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and thyme and cook until the onions are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon; drizzle with honey/maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (alternatively, puree in batches in a blender or food processor). Serve the soup with the sour cream and sausage on top.

Incredible Hulk Smoothies

UPDATE: Quick, make these and call them St. Patrick's Day smoothies - I got that suggestion from a friend on Facebook.

Green smoothie recipes are all over the internet these days. I got a huge bag of baby spinach the other day, and I thought I'd try these smoothies on the boys. Ben will already drink the green juice from Trader Joe's, so I figured this wouldn't be that much of a stretch. And it wasn't! They drank them right down, flexing muscles and tearing off shirts along the way.

You can sub juice and fruit and even greens with this formula - I just put some things together I thought they'd like. I suspect spinach will be easier to use than kale or another tougher green. Don't forget the frozen banana - it add sweetness, thickness, and creaminess.

Green Smoothies

Makes 3 medium or 2 large smoothies

2 frozen bananas, peeled
1 cup frozen mango, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, etc.
1 cup orange juice
Several handfuls baby spinach (I filled the blender to the top loosely)

Process the ingredients, adding more OJ or water if it is too thick. You'll probably need to stop and stir the smoothies midway through. Blend until you don't see big flecks of spinach.

How to Cook Brown Rice

For the most part we try to eat whole grains for non-dessert starches: whole wheat bread, tortillas, Barilla Plus pasta, etc. I bake a lot from King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking, and I often add half white whole wheat or whole wheat flour to quick breads, muffins, and pizza dough. We also eat mostly brown rice. Some meals just go better with white, though!

If you like brown rice, you might be turned off because it takes about an hour to cook. The good news is that you can make a big batch and freeze in individual or family-sized servings. It heats up very well.

This technique for making brown rice came from Saveur magazine, and it's great. Even though there is no fat added, it ends up almost buttery tasting - like popcorn. The boys like it, too - though I usually add a little butter to theirs. This recipe is more like making pasta than rice - you don't want all the water to absorb.

Brown rice doubles in size while cooking. Last night I made 3 cups dried and ending up with 6 cups cooked. We ate two cups, and I froze the rest in two cup portions.

Perfect Brown Rice

Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water and bring to a boil. Using a fine-mesh strainer or a regular strainer lined with paper towels, rinse one cup of brown rice. Add to the water when it is boiling and cook for 30 minutes. Remove rice from water and drain again briefly. Add the rice back to the hot pot, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, add salt, and serve.

Note: When I made the rice last night, I filled a stock pot with enough water to cook a pound of spaghetti. I wanted to be sure I'd have enough water so it wouldn't be absorbed.

Spinach/Orange Salad with Maple/Mustard Dressing

This salad is one I made up. It's easy for a weeknight salad, and I often leave out the almonds if I don't have them. It's also good with feta.

Spinach and Orange Salad with Maple/Mustard Dressing

1 bag baby spinach or romaine (10 oz.)
sliced oranges, clementines, or mandarin oranges
1-2 oz. sliced almonds
feta (optional)
1-2 T. olive oil
1-2 T. real maple syrup
1 t. stone ground mustard
1 T. mild vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
salt and pepper

In the bottom of the salad bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Taste the dressing on one piece of spinach to correct seasonings, if necessary., Add as much baby spinach as desired, along with oranges. Toss the salad, and top with almonds and/or feta.

The Splendid Table's Supper Salad

Since everyone in our family likes salad, we eat it quite often, though not every night as I did when I was growing up! When I'm in a hurry, it's usually mixed greens or romaine hearts with one or two veggies and salad seasoning. I usually prefer a quick vinaigrette mixed up in the bowl, but all three boys like to *see* the dressing on top of their salads, so we alternate. I have about four other recipes I like to use when I have the time or need to take a salad somewhere. I'll be posting them all shortly; here's one we've been making a lot lately.

This salad comes from The Splendid Table's cookbook, How to Eat Supper. It's just the kind of cookbook I like, with lots of opinions and asides, as well as great food, gorgeously photographed. This recipe is a formula for an entree salad, but we adapt it to be a side salad. If I were making it for our family of four as a side, I would halve the ingredients.

Dressing-In-A-Bowl Supper Salad

1/2 medium red onion, thin sliced
3-4 T. red wine vinegar (or other vinegar you like)
salt and pepper
2 T. grainy mustard
1/2 cup canned chickpeas or black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups raw vegetables (cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, snow peas, corn, jicama) chopped
herbs (1 t. if dried; 1 T. or more if fresh - basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley are all good)
protein: I usually use about 1/2 cup feta cheese - if this salad is for dinner, 1-2 cups of cooked
chicken breast, shrimp, or steak would be good
12-16 oz. salad greens
4 -6 T. olive oil

1. In a large salad bowl, stir together the onion, 3 T. of the vinegar, some salt and pepper, and the mustard. Add the chickpeas, moistening them with the mixture. Let stand about 30 minutes.

2. When you are ready to serve, add the vegetables, herbs, protein, and salad greens along with 4 T. oil. Toss the salad together. Then taste, and adjust the seasoning as you like with more oil, vinegar, salt, and/or pepper.

Note: if you want a Mexican-inspired salad, choose black beans, seasoned chicken, and cilantro. Use your favorite Mexican cheese, whether that's a cheddar/jack blend or queso anejo.

Ellie Krieger's Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I took Ellie Krieger's book out of the library, and it's really good. It's called The Food You Crave, and it's basically healthy, satisfying food without fake or substitute ingredients. I'm posting this soup today because my sister has one of her many New England weather-induced colds, and it's pure comfort food - restoring and nourishing.

The eggs disappear into the broth and thicken it. If you have leftovers, you'll need to add some broth.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

4 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces skinless -- boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
1 pinch salt -- plus more to taste
1 medium onion -- diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery -- diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot -- diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo -- preferably whole wheat
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 4 servings, Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Per serving: Calories 280; Total fat 10g (Sat fat 2g, Mono fat 6g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 26g; Carb 22g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 139mg; Sodium 291mg

Oatmeal - Two Ways

When I was young, I didn't like oatmeal. In fact, once my mother even served it to my sister and me with vanilla ice cream to get us to eat it! (We did.) But now, oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts. I just posted an actual recipe below, but here are two other ways I like to make it.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup water
pinch of salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. peanut butter
1/2 apple, chopped

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the oats; stir; and turn down the heat to medium. Cook until thickened. Turn off heat and mix in brown sugar and peanut butter. Transfer to bowl and top with apples.

Oatmeal Muesli (cold)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup plain yogurt
brown sugar
chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
diced apple
frozen blueberries

Mix oats and yogurt in bowl. Mix in brown sugar, nuts, and fruit to taste. If you like softer oatmeal, you can mix the yogurt in the night before and leave it in the refrigerator. You can also substitute vanilla yogurt and leave out the brown sugar to save calories.

Baked Oatmeal

I've been making this recipe for years - I saw it originally on the Cooking Light board. It's quite healthy and reheats wonderfully. It has lots of whole grains, calcium, and protein and makes a great breakfast. I like to put vanilla yogurt on top (Stoneyfield is my favorite). If you want a little something extra with the yogurt, a dusting of brown sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a sprinkle of chopped nuts will take it over the top.

I never use raisins: I use Craisins or frozen blueberries.

Baked Oatmeal

2 1/4 cups Quick cooking oats, uncooked or 2 3/4 cups Old Fashioned oats, uncooked
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup raisins or Craisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites -- lightly beaten (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
fat free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit -- optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into baking dish. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly. Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.

Serves 8. Per serving: 133 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (12% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 220mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates

Spicy Orange Beef

This recipe is from a surprisingly good cookbook, Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight. The cookbook attempts to recreate take out/restaurant food on a calorie budget. This is one of our favorites: it's delicious, lovely on the plate, and healthy. You can be a little more generous with the vegetables.

I'm not sure if she'd find it too spicy, but if not, it's a great meal served with brown rice for my sister, the Extreme Weight Loss Champion of the World! You can read about Kristen's amazing journey at http://www.phatband.blogspot.com/

Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables

3/4 pound beef top round, trimmed of fat, cut into thin strips cut against the grain
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce Sriracha is the brand to look for
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 pound green beans, halved crosswise
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
1 carrot, cut into matchstick-thin strips

Combine beef, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and orange rind in medium bowl. Toss well to coat and set aside.

Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, orange juice, soy sauce, sugar and chili-garlic sauce in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Swirl in 2 teaspoons oil. Add beef. Stir-fry until cooked, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Swirl 2 teaspoons oil and add ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add vegetables, cook 2-3 minutes, until crisp-tender.

Add broth mixture, cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
Add beef and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Serving: 1 cup Calories: 227