Easy Indian Stew Re-post

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas/Hannukah!

This recipe is on the blog already, but I thought I'd repost it and bring it to every one's attention.  I've made this quite a few times over the years and tweaked it just lightly.  I also took another picture of it instead of the dreadfully bright-beacuase-I-used-a-flash picture from before.

This is a meal that can be on the table in a flash if you have some brown rice left over from another meal.  I now like to slightly mash the chickpeas to give just a little nicer texture.  IE: so I don't feel like I'm just eating chickpeas in a sauce.

The boys love this meal, too, and it's incredibly tasty for the little amount of time and ingredients needed.  So if you haven't made it before, put it on your meal plan for sometime in the next couple weeks!

And have a wonderful New Year!

Pumpkin Pancakes

So over at Annie's Eats, there's this recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes that I've been meaning to try for over a year now.  I know, I know, how can such a simple recipe take so long for me to get around to?

I'm now super bummed that it took me this long.  Seriously bummed.  They are so incredibly good and easy and oh my my....just don't make the same mistake I did and take so long to make these.  Go to your pantry, locate that last can of pumpkin that you had no idea was there (or  what you were going to do with), pop it open and make these tomorrow morning for breakfast - or tonight, for dinner.

The only change I made to the recipe (which is why I'm not posting it here, was using Almond Milk instead of regular.  And I doubled the recipe, which made a dozen big pancakes.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  Have a great weekend, everyone!

It's not too late

I went out this morning to get our healthy treats for our stockings in lieu of candy.  If you're confused by this statement, unconfuse yourself here!

So I ended up getting:

• huge, succulent, Medjool dates
• dried (sugar free) mango slices
• dried (sugar free) papaya spears
• dried pear sliced
• dried sweet cherries

I still need to get the Cuties (shopping trip on Thursday for that and other things for Christmas Eve and Christmas day -- not looking forward to the crowds of people who are thinking the same way I am, but hey -- you gotta do what you gotta do, right?) and Poms, but otherwise, all other stocking stuffers are accounted for and wrapped.

 Speaking of wrapping, I was quite pleased with the way these turned out.  I am SO. NOT. CRAFTY. so I know these could be wrapped so much cuter, but this is me we're talking about here, so I was actually fairly impressed that they don't look horrible.  At least they're not in sandwich bags, right?

You laugh, but sandwich bags were what I was planning on using, or plain Saran Wrap with ties, if I hadn't remembered I had these goody bags and ties laying around.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

These little chunks of pepperminty goodness were so easy to make my three-year old helped me!  They are pretty and fairly inexpensive to make a big batch to break apart and give as gifts or put in stockings.  I made one batch and was able to fill an entire paper plate and six little goody bags for neighbors.  Gotta love that, right? 

The recipe I followed called for more candy canes than I think is necessary, so while I followed their directions, the amount on here is what I think would be better.  Less chunks falling off and wasted. :)

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

• 2 12 oz bags of chocolate chips - I used one milk and one dark and that was perfect
• 2 t peppermint extract
• 16 candy canes, unwrapped, put in a large ziplock bag, and smashed!  (so fun for a 3 year old!)

-- In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate chips in your microwave until smooth and creamy (4-5 minutes on medium)
-- Stir in the extract and about half of the crushed candy canes (I used a spoon to get the larger chunks into the chocolate, saving the smaller pieces and pretty dust for the top)
-- Spoon the chocolate mixture onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (preferred) and spread it as evenly as possible
-- Sprinkle the remaining candy canes on top and gently press them into the chocolate to prevent from falling off
-- Stick in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until hardened and then break into chunks and enjoy the "crumbs"

Vegetarian Chili

This picture was taken of the chili without any of the cans drained...too soupy, but I didn't want to go and remake the chili just for a picture, ya know?

Since we went heart healthy, I have been determined to make all of our favorite dishes fit into our eating style without compromising on the taste.  My chili, which has meat in it, was on the top of my list to recreate.  Now that it's cold out, I was finally able to tackle the challenge.

I love a chunky, bean filled, chili.  Slightly sweet and with bold flavor, but not spicy.  I love different textures of my tomatoes.  So I brought all my favorite qualities to this chili.  Feel free to up the spice and change the type of tomatoes.  The simple formula for this is one can of tomatoes to each can of beans.  Simple, right?  Add in some extras and you're good to go!

Serve this with some cornbread and a good salad.

Vegetarian Chili
Serves 10-12

• 2 cans light red kidney beans (loosely drained)
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans (loosely drained)
• 2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes with diced green chiles
• 1 can sliced stewed tomatoes
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 bell pepper - diced
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1-2 packets chili seasoning (to taste)
• 2 T brown sugar
• dash or two of cinnamon

-- Mix everything together in a large stock pot or in the crockpot and heat through.
-- Add some broth if it's too thick
-- Top with whatever you want: cheese, lettuce, more onions, sour cream, Fritos

Comfort Quinoa

I was originally going to make Sweet Potato Hash, but it was cold out and I was in the mood for more of a hearty stew.  It's not quite wet enough to be a technical stew, and not dry enough to be a salad, but it's somewhere in between.

So I created this and it went over really well!  Don't you love it when that happens?

The boys licked their bowls clean and Scot and I both went back for seconds.  No complaints there!

Comfort Quinoa
Serves 4-6

• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1 cup celery - diced
• 1 red pepper - diced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 3 cups sweet potatoes - bite sized with skins still on
• 1 can black bean - rinsed and drained
• 3/4 t powdered ginger
• 1 t herbs de province
• 3/4 t cumin
• 2 t basil
• 3/4 c dry quinoa
• 3 c vegetable stock/broth 

-- Nuke the potatoes for a few minutes to cut down on the total cook time.  Meanwhile...
-- Saute the onion, garlic, celery, and red pepper for 5 minutes
-- Add the potatoes, beans and saute for another 5 minutes.
-- Add the herbs and spices and quinoa and stir for a couple minutes
-- Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover and simmer (low heat) for 20 minutes until the quinoa is all cooked.

Lentil Soup: Again

I just wanted to let you all know that I really do make this soup all. the. time. in the cold months.  And we never get tired of it.

I finally remembered to take an updated picture and thought I'd just remind you all of the amazing goodness a fantastic lentil soup brings to the dinner table.  Just add cornbread and a salad and you have yourself one well rounded wholesome meal!