Beans, beans they're good for your ...kid and budget!

We eat a lot of beans in this house...i know maybe T.M.I. but it's true.  I never really like the taste or consistency of the ones in the can so I decided to buy the dried ones and do them myself.  After a few dozen mishaps I have it pretty much down.  I must admit, the most fun part was organizing all my new dried beans. I bought the large mason jars and brought out the label maker.  Every time I look in the pantry at the very organized bean shelf it brings a smile to may face. Wish I could block out the other less organized shelves that surround them...O well.

It seems like a lot when I put it in writing but really, after you get the hang of it, it goes by much faster. I do a batch once a week and store them in the fridge.

BEANS (black, pinto, garbanzo, adzuki, kidney, great northern)

1 cup dried beans 

10 stems fresh cilantro (optional)

* Kombu seaweed (optional) 

Rinse the beans very well and check for any sticks, stones or mutant beans.

Put beans in a medium size pot and cover with water, at least 2 inches above bean level.

Add 1/2 piece of  Kombu

Soak overnight or all day. 

After soaked, checked beans and make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering them.

Bring to a boil ( when boiling I usually skim the foam off the surface).

Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 45min. - 2hrs.

(You will need to check occasionally to make sure there is still enough water in the pot).

Once they start to get tender add salt, pepper and cilantro.

Let cool in the pot and transfer to container for storage in the fridge.

Yum!

*Kombu is a seaweed that helps reduce the gas in the beans.  

My kid won't eat Cauliflower or Brussels sprouts...wait...what...he just did!

Since Henry was a baby he would never, ever, ever try Cauliflower or Brussels sprouts, not that I really blame him. When we were home over the holidays we roasted a bunch of vegetables that included the above and to my complete amazement, surprise and shock ..HE ATE THEM!! LOTS OF THEM!


ROASTED VEGGIES
1 Head Cauliflower
1 Bunch Brussels sprouts (pull off outer leaves, cut off bottoms and then cut in half)
1 Head Broccoli
Some carrots


Put all veggies on a sheet pan (brussels sprouts flat part down) and toss lightly with olive oil and a tiny, tiny bit of sea salt or kosher salt.
Cook at 400 until tender. Anywhere from 20-40 minutes (depends on your oven).

Veggie Tip #1 (I'm hoping eventually there will be more).

On any recipe that has a sauce or is a liquid I will, almost always, add a cube of pureed vegetable. I usually have spinach, kale, squash or cauliflower in my freezer. Anything that you can steam or even roast can be pureed and frozen. If the puree is too thick you can add some of the water you used to steam them with.  I pour the puree into ice cube trays and then once frozen put them all in ziplock bags so I can write the date on them. Most are good up to 4 months.
I seem to be able to find the time to do this once a month or so.

I find, for me, it takes some of the "is he getting enough vegetables" stress away.
Happy Blending!

Protein/Veggie Scramble (a one-pan meal!)

1 pound either ground chicken or ground light turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli (or cauliflower or carrots)
1 parsnip
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach (or dinosaur kale)
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon either oregano, thyme or cumin


Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan.

Add broccoli, parsnip and spinach and cook at medium heat until tender.

I like to move the veggies to the side of the pan, add the meat, then cook until almost done (about 6 minutes). Then I start to combine the veggies and meat.

Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer until the meat is completely cooked.


*This dish goes great with brown rice or quinoa.

DaDa's Morning Oatmeal

Henry and his dad have this oatmeal almost every morning. This one is all DaDa!!

1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon almond butter (or peanut butter)
dollop of honey
splash of almond milk (or milk, soy milk, rice milk)

Combine oats and water in microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove from microwave.
Add almond butter, honey and almond milk.

It's also really good with dried berries or any fresh fruit.

Greek Chicken Fingers

Henry loves greek yogurt. If your kid doesn't, scrape off quite a bit before dipping the chicken tenders in the crumb mixture. They should still be moist and yummy, with less of a yogurt taste.

6 raw chicken strips/tenders (rinsed and patted dry)

8 oz. organic greek yogurt

2 cups either whole wheat bread crumbs, crushed cornflakes or panko crumbs

1 tablespoon either parsley, thyme or oregano

Place the chicken tenders in a large bowl.

Add yogurt to cover the tenders. (If I have time, I let them sit for an hour. If not, no biggie.)

Put the crumbs and the spice into another bowl.

Remove the chicken tenders from the yogurt and dip them into the crumbs-and-spice bowl.

Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until browned, about 20 minutes.

νόστιμα!

Oops, I don't have a jar of tomato sauce Tomato Sauce!

I promised Henry he could have spaghetti for dinner. The noodles were boiling and I went to get the jar of pasta sauce that I always have in the pantry and much to my horror I was out. A promise is a promise so I had to improvise. The flavors in the below sauce are so delicious, and I made it in the same amount of time it took to boil the pasta.

1 bag any pasta (I used spinach spaghetti noodles)
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 large can crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 teaspoon dark agave (if you don't have Agave you could use honey or raw sugar)
1 cup finely chopped spinach


Saute the shallots until they are translucent.
Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
Add the can of tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the spinach and agave during the last 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce!