Pakastini Kima

This is a great "meat & potatoes" kind of meal, with a yummy twist -- curry!  It comes together pretty quickly, only requires one pan (plus one for the rice), and is pantry-friendly, as I almost always have the ingredients on hand.  This meal is on our menu on a very regular rotation.  For the kids, I will pull out a couple scoops of the hamburger & potatoes before I add the curry & tomatoes, and will add beef broth, or just water, for the liquid to cook the potatoes, in a separate small pan... and then I add carrots and/or peas to theirs.

Pakastini Kima
Ingredients:
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. chopped onion
3 Tbsp oil or butter
1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp curry powder (or 1-2 Tbsp fresh curry paste)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
dash each cinnamon, ginger, & turmeric
2 c. (1 large can) diced tomatoes, with juice
2-3 white potatoes, diced [I use Yukon Gold, about 4]
2 c. frozen peas or green beans [this is not in my original recipe, but I noticed it in the More-With-Less cookbook, and I plan to add peas next time]

Directions:
Saute butter/ oil, onion & garlic in a large skillet, until onion is soft, but not brown.  Add hamburger, and brown well, breaking up into small bits.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cover & simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  [Note: I usually add many additional dashes of cinnamon, ginger & tumeric that probably adds up to 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of each.]
Serve over hot rice.
[Note: you can get curry powder in mild, medium or hot, and depending on the preference of your tastebuds, you can tone down the spiciness by pouring a little honey over top after serving.  I usually just put the honey bear on the table and let everyone add as much or as little as they want.  The M-W-L cookbook also suggests that it can be garnished with shredded coconut.  I've never done this, but I imagine it would be a nice compliment too.]

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes can come in many different forms, but in our house, they are very similar to Latkes, except that instead of shredded potatoes, they are coarsely chopped in the blender...  Simple to put together, simple ingredients, and requires very little in the way of pot & pans and clean-up in the kitchen, these are one of my 'go-to' meals, often when I don't have anything else planned.  But they were actually on my menu this time around.  I don't always go to the trouble, but I love to serve these with sauteed onions.  Dab a little butter, a blob of sour cream, and some soft onions on top.  Perfect.  If I have it on hand, I will fry up some Kielbasa or Farmer's sausage to go along with it, and usually, applesauce to round out the meal.  I love to cook the pancakes & the sausage on my electric griddle, because then clean-up is a breeze, and it doesn't heat up my kitchen as much as the stove top does.  

Potato Pancakes
Ingredients:
3 c. cubed raw potatoes, divided [I use Yukon Gold, so I just scrub them and cut them a little finer, but leave the skin on. But tougher skinned potatoes, you'll want to peel them first]
2 eggs
1/2 of a small onion [I'm always quite generous here... I love the onion/ potato combination]
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt [again, I'm usually a bit generous here, more like a rounded tsp]

Directions:
Put eggs, onion, salt, flour baking powder and 1/2 c. of the potatoes into a blender.  Cover & process until potatoes have gone through the blades.  Add remaining potatoes and process only until potatoes have passed through the processing blades (you want it to be a bit chunky still, but not huge chunks).  Fry until golden brown on a hot, well-greased griddle, or fry pan.

Meat & Potato Quiche

This is a lovely, different, wheat-free alternative to traditional crust for quiche.  Shredded potatoes!!  What complexity it adds to what can very easily become a run-of-the-mill sort of meal.  I think this will be my new "normal" way of preparing quiche.  So much easier, too, than rolling out a crust, and much more economical than using gluten-free flour.  Make this.  You won't regret it!


Meat & Potato Quiche
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp oil [I use avocado oil]
3-4 c. coarsely shredded raw potatoes [I use Yukon Gold, skin scrubbed, but left on]
1 c. grated Swiss or cheddar cheese [I used Colby]
3/4 c. cooked diced chicken, ham or browned sausage or hamburger [I used ham this time]
1/4 c. onion, finely diced
1 c. evaporated or rich milk (part cream) [I used 3/4 c. whole milk, 1/4 c. heavy cream]
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash onion powder
1 Tbsp parsley flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees [I used convection].  In a 9" pie pan, stir together oil & potatoes.  Press evenly into pie crust shape.  Bake for 15 minutes until just beginning to brown.  Remove from oven.
Layer on: cheese, meat & onion.  In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, salt, pepper & onion powder.  Pour over other ingredients.  Sprinkle with parsley flakes.
Return to oven and bake at 425 degrees about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned, and knife inserted 1" from edge comes out clean.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Split Pea Soup

We invited some friends over for lunch after our Good Friday service, and I decided to keep it simple with build-your-own grilled cheese sandwiches and some soup.  I wanted to do something that could be cooking in the slow cooker while we were gone, and bought all the stuff for split pea soup, only to read the directions and realize that this is not a "dump everything in and go" sort of soup!  But, in More-With-Less fashion, I determined to make it work, and use the ingredients I already had on hand, rather than buying stuff for a different soup.  The nice thing about split pea soup is really, the longer it cooks the mushier and thicker it gets, which is really what you want.  Adapting it for the slow cooker was a little extra work, but in the end, it actually worked quite well!  This is my grandmother's recipe, and I will post it as is, but I will add some notes in the directions section for what I did to use the slow cooker.  

Split Pea Soup
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. (1 lb.) dried green peas, rinsed well
8 c. (2 qts) cold water
Ham bone or just chopped ham
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 c. diced celery
1 c. diced carrots
1/4 tsp marjoram (optional) [I didn't have any, so I omitted it]
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. cream, half & half, or milk [optional]

Directions:
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, cover peas with cold water -- bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat & let stand for one hour.
*Slow Cooker addendum: Boil the peas on the stove in a large pot.  While it is heating/ boiling, "charge" your slow cooker pot with hot water (fill it with very hot water and let it sit).  When ready to "remove from heat", dump hot water out of slow cooker pot, dry off the outside and pour the peas/ water into the slow cooker pot (I did this over the sink, in case it made a mess), and put the pot into the cooker.  Put on the lid and let the peas sit for one hour (cooker turned off).
After one hour, add the remaining ingredients, except the cream. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.  Then remove the bone and cook for another 30-40 minutes or until soup is thick.   *Slow Cooker addendum: Add ingredients & replace the lid, cook on high for 2-3 hours (or low if you need it to be a longer time frame, like 5-6 hours).  
If using, stir in cream right at the end, reheat and enjoy.  *Slow Cooker addendum: Turn cooker to low, add cream and reheat (covered) for about 15 minutes.

Creamy Egg & Noodle Bake

I served this with shredded zucchini,
steamed with chopped onions.

This was an interesting recipe.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out, when I chose it, but I gave it a try, and it was really tasty.  The hard-boiled egg was an interesting addition, not one I would have thought to use, but it really worked.  I added some cooked, shredded chicken (canned) to it, to boost the protein content a bit more, and save me from adding 8 hard-boiled eggs!  I also added chopped carrots to it, because I've become obsessed with mixing veggies into everything.  My toddler and my somewhat veg-a-phobe husband will both eat them if they are mixed in... they are less enthusiastic when they are a side.  When eating this, I decided that broccoli would have been another nice addition to the carrots.  I've added it to the recipe as an optional add-in even though I didn't when I made it.

Creamy Egg & Noodle Bake
Ingredients:
3 c. noodles, cooked to al dente, drained [I used brown rice & quinoa fusilli from Trader Joe's]
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. finely chopped onion [I used 1/2 a large onion, so probably more like 1 c.]
8 hard-cooked eggs, chopped  [I only used 3]
1 can cooked chicken, shredded with fork
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped, steamed to al dente [optional]
1-2 c. broccoli florets, steamed to al dente [optional]
2 c. small-curd cottage cheese
1 c. plain yogurt [I used sour cream, because that's what I had on hand]
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp poppy seed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp melted butter [I used more, probably close to 2 or 3 Tbsp, because I like butter]

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse & drain, and set aside.
Saute butter & onion until tender.
In a large bowl, combine sauteed onion, noodles, eggs, chicken, and carrots & broccoli (if using).
In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, poppy seed, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper.  Fold into noodle mixture.  Pour into greased casserole dish.  Combine bread crumbs and butter, and sprinkle over top.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Tangy Taco Soup

I forgot to take a picture, so I'm borrowing one from my
original recipe post for now.  The major difference is
I served it over rice, not chips, this time.

This is just a modified version of my original Taco Soup, but I figured I'd go ahead and make a new post for it, since there several differences.  I used my own taco seasoning mix this time, instead of purchased packages, and I added a package of Ranch dressing mix to make it more tangy.  And I cooked it in the slow cooker for about 3 hours, instead of the stove top.  I didn't have quite the variety of beans this time, so it was just kidney beans, and my canned tomatoes were whole, rather than diced, so I chopped them before adding to the pot.  I added fresh carrots & green peppers, and not as much water, so it was more of a 'stew' than a soup.  I served it over brown Jasmine rice instead of chips, and topped it with shredded cheese, salsa, olives, sour cream and avocado.  

Tangy Taco Soup
Ingredients & Directions:
1) Brown 1 lb of meat (ground beef or turkey or a combination) in a large saucepan with onion.  Add taco seasoning + 1/4 c. water, stirring to combine.  Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed, and meat is well coated.
Taco seasoning mix [I used a doubled batch for this amount of soup]

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper (adjust to your preference)

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I grind mine up, so they blend better with everything.  Again, adjusted to preference)
2) Add 1-2 packages of Ranch dressing mix, stir to combine.
3) Dump meat mixture into slow cooker and add:
     2 large cans tomatoes (diced is easiest, or chop them if they are whole)
     1-2 large cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained (can also use a variety of beans: black, pinto, Great Northern, etc)
     2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
     1 bell pepper (your choice of colour), seeded & coarsely chopped
     2 c. frozen corn (or 1-2 cans corn, with or without liquid, your preference)
     Enough water to make it mixable to soupy, depending on your desired effect.  Less soupy is easier to serve (with a slotted spoon) over a salad, more soupy I would recommend serving over rice or tortilla chips. 4) Cook on high for 2-4 hours, or on low for 4-8 hours -- the longer the better, as the flavours meld more.
5) Top with your favourite taco toppings.  

Stuffed 20-Minute Meatloaf

Please excuse the shocking lack of vegetables on the plate.
Since there are greens inside, I served this with
a leafy green salad, chocked full of veggies. 

This is basically a combination of my Stuffed Meatloaf recipe (adapted from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook), and my mom's 20-minute Meatloaf (from the "Kiss the Cook" McCrillis Family Cookbook).  I like making individual loaves, because they cook up quickly, and I can 'cater' them a bit to our family's different needs/ tastes.  For instance, Ellie, being a toddler, generally scorns anything green and leafy (so she'd probably just eat around the stuffing), but will eat meatballs with veggies mixed in without a question, so I chopped her 'stuffing' smaller, and mixed it right into her loaf, and then covered it completely with tomato topping, so she couldn't see the veggies.  Samuel is still just learning to eat solids, so I mixed less of the stuffing into his loaf and omitted the tomato topping.   
*Note: I make my own bread crumbs from the heels of the bread loaf/ crusts cut off Ellie's sandwiches.  I just pop them into the freezer, then when I need them, whirl them in the blender/ food processor.  It works best if you can bring them to room temperature first, but they can be done from frozen.  When I have time, I will toast/ dry out the bread first, and go ahead and either cut it into small pieces, or grind it up, then freeze it.  You can use whatever type of bread you like.  We are almost exclusively eating sprouted wheat/ grain bread these days, so that's what my bread crumbs are made of.]

Stuffed 20-Minute Meatloaf 
Ingredients:
For the Loaf-
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 large egg
1 c. bread crumbs [+more or less to make it a moldable consistency]
1/4 c. oat bran/ oat flour [or 1+ cup -- can do all oat bran/ flour or half oats & half bread crumbs]
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 to 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian Seasonings/ Herbs de Provence [optional, but a nice addition]
1 tsp onion powder [or 2 Tbsp finely chopped onions]

For the Stuffing-
2 c. fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 c. fresh arugula, chopped
[I found this fantastic mix of greens called the Power Mix, which includes spinach, arugula, beet greens, & kale]
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
dash of salt/ pepper
butter for sauteing (about 1 Tbsp?)

For the Sauce-
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp parsley flakes

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all the loaf ingredients together with clean hands (don't forget to take off your rings!), until everything is evenly incorporated, and the mixture is manageable.  Add more dry ingredients (bread crumbs/ oat bran or flour) as needed to make it not sloppy, but not too much, or it will be quite dry.  Shape into individual loaves about the size of your fist (for adults, smaller for children) and place on a cookie sheet with sides or into a casserole dish [I use a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper], leaving space between the loaves.  Be sure to leave enough meat mixture to make 'tops' for your loaves  Make an indent in each loaf (like you do mashed potatoes for the gravy), and set aside.

In a large fry pan, heat butter over medium heat and saute onions and garlic until soft.  Add salt & pepper, stir to incorporate.  Add your greens, stirring to coat in butter/ onion mix.  Cook, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.  Do not cover, as you want as much moisture to evaporate as possible.  Once the greens are wilted, put into a sieve over a bowl and let sit for a few minutes, to drain any remaining liquid, pressing down with the back of a spoon, if necessary.  (if the stuffing is to wet, it will make the loaf soggy.)  Scoop into meatloaves and put the 'toppers' on top, sealing with the loaf, if possible.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, pour sauce over and bake for 5 more minutes.

Creamed Tuna & Biscuits

This is a family favourite.  I grew up on this, and so did my mom, and maybe even her mom.  And now, its one of my children's favourite breakfasts too.   I realize that it sounds like a revolting way to start the day, but my only plea is "don't knock it 'til you try it."  Its actually quite tasty, if you like tuna at all.  If you can't stand tuna, however, this may not be the dish for you.  The great thing about this recipe, though, is that you can use the directions for the 'white sauce' and for the biscuits, and make your own variety -- sausage is a popular addition for breakfast.  
This particular morning's version did not go so well...  For the biscuits, I had run out of my normal flours, so I just used what I had on hand, which meant a small amount of sweet rice & mostly brown rice flour.  Not much in the way of binding agents, so they were extremely crumbly and a bit grainy.  Not inedible, but certainly not the best I've ever made.  But when doused completely in gravy, you didn't notice it too much. 

Creamed Tuna & Biscuits
Ingredients:
For the Gravy*-
3 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour [I've been using the sweet rice flour to make it gluten-free, and it works quite well]
1/4 tsp salt [a couple grinds on the salt grinder, to taste]
1/4 tsp pepper [a couple grinds on the pepper grinder, to taste]
1-2 dashes of onion powder [optional, but gives it a nice flavour]
1 c. milk [I use 1 can of evaporated milk here]

For the Biscuits-
2 c. flour [I've done it with Spelt/ Kamut, & it works quite well.  A suitable cup for cup gluten-free flour mix would work too.]\
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 c. shortening or oil [can also use coconut oil for a slightly sweeter biscuit]
2/3 c. buttermilk

~OR~ (if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
2 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 c shortening or oil [same note as above]
3/4 c milk

Samuel enjoying his first taste

Directions:
For the Biscuits-
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening thoroughly, until it looks like meal.  Stir in buttermilk (milk) and knead dough on a lightly floured surface, adding more flour until dough is soft and puffy and not sticky.  Knead lightly for 30 seconds.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness & cut with a round cookie cutter or floured glass.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet  & bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  [Alternately, if you're not feeling up to rolling/ cutting, you can also just make these into drop biscuits, just plopping them on the pan in approximately golf ball sized balls (slightly bigger than you would cookie balls) or scoops]

For the Gravy-
Melt butter in pan over low to medium- low heat.  Sprinkle in flour, blending into the butter until all the flour is coated and bubbly.  Using a wire whisk to prevent lumps, slowly blend in milk.  Cook just until smooth and thickened to your desired thickness.  Makes slightly over 1 cup of gravy (so if you're feeding more than 2 adults, you'll probably want to double the recipe).  Flake tuna with a fork into the gravy, and stir to incorporate.  Serve over biscuits or toast.

*You can make your sauce thicker or thinner depending on the butter-to-flour ratio.  See chart below for different thickness ratios.  (Salt remains 1/4 tsp or to taste, and liquid is 1 cup.)  This is a standard white sauce that can be used in a myriad of applications throughout your cooking repertoire.  "Medium-thick" is comparable to undiluted condensed soup, and makes about the same amount as a 10 oz can.  You can use milk, stock or a combination depending on your recipe, and you can flavour it by adding other things to it, for example: cheese sauce- add 1/2 c. grated cheese & 1/4 tsp dry mustard; tomato sauce- use tomato juice as liquid, add dash of garlic salt, onion salt, basil, and oregano; mushroom sauce- saute 1/4 c. chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour; celery sauce- saute 1/2 c. chopped celery and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour; chicken sauce- use chicken broth or bouillon as half the liquid, add 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning or sage, and diced cooked chicken if available.

Thin: 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 Tbsp flour
Medium: 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour
Medium-Thick: 3 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp flour
Thick: 4 Tbsp butter, 4 Tbsp flour
**For this recipe, I like mine really thick, and a bit lumpy, so I add more flour than butter, and don't always use a whisk to blend it.

Lumberjack Eggs

I don't know why they are called that.  Its just what my mom has always called them.  

So there you go.  

Eggs -- simply another delightful medium for enjoying spaghetti sauce.


Lumberjack Eggs
Ingredients:
Eggs [2- 4+ depending on how many you are feeding... I do 2 for myself & Ellie, 4 when we add Alistair to the mix]
splash of milk
dash of salt & pepper
butter
leftover spaghetti sauce

Directions:
In a small bowl, scramble eggs with milk and salt & pepper.  Warm your frying pan (non-stick is helpful) to medium-low heat (for reference purposes: my stove dial goes to 9 (high), with 5 being 'medium'.  I usually do eggs on 3.5 or 4.), add a dab of butter, swish it around to cover the bottom of the pan, add your eggs, and cook, stirring frequently until they are done to your likeness.  Add a spoonful or two of spaghetti sauce (you can pre-heat it if you want, but it doesn't take long to heat), mix it into the eggs, and continue cooking briefly until everything is heated through.  Remove from pan to plate, and enjoy immediately.  This is a great high-protein way to start a busy day, and is complimented well with a slice or two of hearty toast with butter.  Add some fruit to round out your 'food pyramid'!  :-)

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I will pretty much never buy jarred spaghetti sauce again!  I found this recipe, courtesy of tastykitchen.com, and I am never looking back.  So amazingly easy, so incredibly tasty, and I control exactly what is in it!  And best of all, it requires no attendance, as the slow cooker does all the work for you.  The instructions say you can double this recipe to make leftovers to freeze for another time (if your slow cooker is big enough).  I sort of doubled it... I just kept adding stuff until it was full.  I've posted the recipe as is, with my changes in [brackets] for your reference purposes.  
*Note: My full crockpot made enough to feed us to satisfied the original night, plus a medium-large container in the fridge for leftovers the next day (see Lumberjack Eggs), plus both a large (650 g/ 23 oz) & a small (453 g/ 16 oz) yogurt container full for the freezer.  

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian Pork Sausage [I used ground turkey. You could do beef too, or a combination]
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes (with juice) [I used 2 large cans of whole tomatoes, chopped to oblivion with my chopper... because I'm weird about tomatoes...]
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce [I think I did 2 cans]
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced (3-4 cloves, depending on taste) [I used 5, as I was kind of doubling it]
½ tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried thyme [I couldn't find my thyme so I replaced it with 1 tsp Herbs de Provence]
1 Tbsp brown sugar [I may try palm sugar next time]
red pepper flakes, to taste [I ground mine up, so they would blend better]
1 handful of Parmesan cheese, grated [totally forgot to add, but will next time!]
[optional add ins:]
2 carrots, peeled, and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 leak, white part only, chopped
2 small zucchini, finely grated
any other veggies of your choice -- whatever you have on hand... (see below for original suggestions)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, saute onions in 1 Tbsp oil, until soft, then add meat and brown completely, until no pink remains.
2. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pat it dry with paper towels to remove excess grease.
3. Into the slow cooker, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.
4. Add cooked sausage to the slow-cooker tomato mixture.
5. Add bay leaf, garlic, salt, oregano, basil, thyme, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. The latter is to your own taste (I recommend 1/4 teaspoon to start). If your family can’t take the heat, you can leave out the red pepper flakes, and the sauce is still delicious!
6. Add Parmesan cheese and stir all ingredients a few times to incorporate spices and cheese evenly. Turn the slow cooker on Low and let simmer for 5-6 hours.
7. You can also load this sauce up with tasty veggies for a chunkier consistency and unique twists.
Optional ingredients: eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, other Italian cheeses, or substitute pork for ground beef or turkey.

If your Crockpot is big enough, you can easily double this recipe and freeze extra for those nights you’re just too tired to cook.

Mexican "Chop Suey"

Alistair read this book once ("The Fortune Cookie Chronicles") that tracked the origins of American Chinese food, and got a kick out of the fact that pretty much nothing on the menu in Chinese restaurants came from China.  The only thing this has to do with this post is to explain the title-- Chop Suey essentially means "Odds & Ends," so when I made this, Alistair called it Mexican Chop Suey, and I liked it, so it stuck.  

Mexican "Chop Suey" (aka Taco Salad)

This is basically a pantry-emptier.  Leftover green salad, rice, refried black beans (from Trader Joe's) with smushed sweet potato mixed in (Shhhhhh, don't tell.  Nobody noticed!), thinly sliced chicken seasoned with my homemade taco seasoning (you can also do ground beef or turkey), then onions & peppers sauteed in the pan with butter (with the leftover seasoning in the pan).  I had no salsa, cheese, sour cream, or olives, but if I had, they would have been added too.  I had a little bit of an avocado that I smushed with a fork, added salt, pepper, onion powder, and a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (ground into a powder) for 'guacamole' topping. And I topped it off with some Ranch dressing.  I totally forgot to take a picture, but my plate was beautiful before I dug in!  :-)  

In the absence of a real 'recipe' for today, here's my taco seasoning mix:

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper (adjust to your preference)

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I grind mine up, so they blend better with everything.  Again, adjusted to preference)

This can easily be doubled or tripled and then stored in an airtight container.  I usually make up a double batch at a time, but that's just because of the size of container I've chosen to use.  

Kamut & Spelt Waffles/ Pancakes

Tonight was sort of a last minute meal, but I needed to use up the buttermilk I had purchased, so I set out to make pancakes.  I've started noticing lately that my son (7 months & nursing) has been having more spit-up incidences when I eat products with wheat, so I've been trying to avoid it, especially white flour.  I've really enjoyed substituting Spelt & Kamut flours, as they are 'ancient cousins' of wheat, so they behave very much like wheat, but don't seem to have the same effect on my son's stomach.  As I was starting to put this recipe together (using my dad's "famous" recipe as my guide), my daughter decided she wanted waffles instead of pancakes, so I made some slight variations to accommodate the waffle iron.  What resulted was a fluffy, yummy waffles with a slightly nutty flavour.  Everyone, including the babe, gobbled them up.  I've also started making my own applesauce, using the discount bin at the produce stand ($1 a bag), buying bags of bruised or 'too speckled' apples.  The type of apple varies each time I go, and they don't always have apples, but this last time, they had Pacific Rose apples and they also had some Bartlett pears, so I grabbed some of those too.  I stewed the apples & pears together (peeled, cored & chopped), drained off the the liquid, and used my immersion blender to make it into applesauce consistency.  [I've also done it with carrots & apples, which is another lovely combination.  If trying it, my "note to self" was to start with the carrots, and let them stew until they are pretty much done, then add the apples, as they need much more time to soften to a mushable consistency.] 

Kamut/ Spelt Waffles
Ingredients:
2 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bakking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. spelt & kamut flours (combined) [I was at the bottom of my barrels, so it was about 3/4 c. spelt and the rest kamut]
1/4 c. (or less) white rice flour* [as needed to make it thick enough]

Directions:
Mix together everything except flours until smooth.  Add spelt/ kamut flours and mix until smooth.  Heat waffle iron, add a dab of butter (or non-stick spray if you have/ need it), and a scoop of batter to the center of your waffle iron, allowing it to spread out (add more batter if its not reaching toward the edge of your iron).  Close the lid, and watch until steam begins to slow down (or your light turns green, as is the case with mine).  Sorry I don't have better directions.  My waffle iron makes it pretty much foolproof.  If you find your first batch is a little soft, add a little more flour (not much!) and try again.
*I added rice flour, because I had used up all my other flour... and also it has a nice binding element to it.

If you'd rather make them into pancakes, you will need to make the batter a bit thicker, so probably more like 2 cups of flour, maybe even a wee bit more.  To quote my dad: "Mix it all up until the batter is nice and smooth, no lumps, no clumps of flour; about the consistency of, umm, halfway between ketchup and tomato sauce."

Menu Planning Board

I'm thinking I need to make something to help make my weekly meal planning more visible.  

This looks like a cool board. Could be a lot of work to get going, but once its done, it seems like it would be pretty handy.  

This is sort of a 'variation on a theme' but I like it too.

Of course, I could go with a simple chalkboard... 

Probably the most economical (and easiest) option is just to put some scrapbook paper behind the glass of a picture frame, and write on the glass -- you can use dry erase markers, but you can also use permanent markers... rubbing alcohol takes it right off!  

Skillet Beef with Lentils

The first recipe tried from my newest acquisition: "More-With-Less," recipes & suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world's limited food resources.  This was a tasty meal, but I couldn't just leave well enough alone.  I added carrots to it, to make it a more complete 'meal in a pan' and next time, I will also add celery and more rice than it called for.  See my notes in [brackets] beside ingredients.



Skillet Beef with Lentils
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. lentils, rinsed
2 Tbsp. butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced [I did 2]
1 lb. ground beef
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp long-grain rice [I used Brown Jasmine*- I will probably do at least 1/4 c. next time]
2 large carrots, peeled & coarsely chopped [optional]

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped [optional]
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp cider vinegar [I forgot to add, but will use next time]

Directions:
Bring 1 qt. water to a boil in saucepan, add lentils, cook 20 minutes.  Drain, reserving liquid.  Set lentils aside.
In a deep skillet, saute butter, onions, garlic.  Add beef, brown well.
Dissolve bouillon cubes in reserved water, adding boiling water (if necessary) to make 2 1/3 c.of liquid.
Add liquid to meat mixture, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in lentils, rice, sugar and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender and liquid absorbed (add more liquid if necessary).  Check seasonings and stir in vinegar.

*Note: because Brown Jasmine takes 40-45 minutes to cook, I 'pre-cooked' mine in a small pan for the 10 minutes that the meat was simmering.  It still took longer than 30 minutes for the rice & lentils to be tender.  Long-grain white rice probably would have been easier, but I didn't have any on hand...