Sesame Cucumber Salad

Everyone in our family loves cucumbers.  Our favorite way to have cucumbers is marinated in apple cider vinegar.  I wanted to find a new and easy way to prepare cucumbers and came across this recipe for Sesame Cucumber Salad.  It is from the Carolina Country magazine that my mom gets every month.  

This is now one of our favorite ways to eat cucumbers.  The flavors are well-balanced and they are almost like potato chips, where you can not eat just one.

Sesame Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1-2 Large cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 Tsp salt
1 Garlic clove, minced
2-3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil (or sesame oil)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/8 Tsp cayenne pepper

Place cucumbers in a colander.  Set in the sink and sprinkle with salt, toss.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse and drain well.

In a bowl combine garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sesame seeds and cayenne.  

Add cucumbers to a bowl and toss with dressing to coat.  

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* Another great ingredient to add would be green onions, sliced.  I did not have any on hand or I would have added them.

Bacon Broccoli Corn Chowder

It is getting a little cooler around here and the first thing I think of when it gets cold is soup.  It is so versatile and everybody tends to eat it, even my four year old.

The Weight Watchers site has some really great recipes.  I came across a recipe for Canadian Bacon, Broccoli and Corn Chowder and thought we should give it a try.  I know this probably changes the Weight Watchers points, but I had to use bacon instead of Canadian bacon because that is what I had on hand.  

Here is my not as healthy, but still delicious version of Bacon Broccoli Corn Chowder.

Bacon Broccoli Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

3-4 Green onions, sliced
3-4 Slices of low-sodium bacon
12-16 oz Bag of frozen broccoli or fresh
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Cups fat free milk
15 oz Can of corn or fresh
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
1/2 Cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

Heat strips of bacon in a large pot.  Once bacon is crispy remove to drain on paper towels.  Also properly dispose of most of the bacon grease, leaving about a tablespoon.  

Toss green onions into the pot and cook on medium low.  

If using frozen broccoli, thaw in microwave.  Once thawed add to pot and continue to cook until broccoli is tender.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook for an additional minute, stirring continually.  Gradually stir in the milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the corn, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and add cheddar cheese.  Stir until is is melted and completely combined.  Serve in individual bowls.

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas with Ham

As I mentioned in my previous post I have fallen in love with a new food blog called Skinny Taste.  It not only has healthy meals, but tasty ones too.  

Last night we tried the recipe for Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas with Ham and it was delightful.  I made just a few minor changes based on what I had on hand and I also served it with whole wheat drop biscuits.

My personal preference would be to add a few more jalapenos next time because we like things spicy, but other than that I thought this dish was superb.

Crock Pot Quinoa Casserole

I am sure you have heard me talk about this before, but each week I try to prepare at least 2-3 vegetarian dinner meals.  I believe it can sometimes be cheaper and healthier, plus it brings us out of our comfort zone.

I came across a recipe for Crock Pot Quinoa Casserole and thought it sounded easy (I love easy), and healthy, plus it met the requirements for vegetarian night.  I did add garbanzo beans, as she suggested, to make it a little heartier.   I also added peanuts in the last 30 minutes of cooking, instead of almonds.

I really loved this dish, but my kids did not.  My husband said it was okay, but would be great with chicken (ha, ha).  I think that would officially take it out of the vegetarian category, don't you think?

You should really give this Crock Pot Quinoa Casserole a try if you are up for trying something new.  It would make an awesome side dish too!

Cucumbers in Vinegar

This may seem kind of weird to post about something so simple like cucumbers and vinegar, but I think it gets forgotten sometimes.

You may say "this is not a healthy side dish". Well let me tell you about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar.  Studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can lower blood glucose levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and may slow the growth of cancer cells.  Who knew, right?

My kids really love cucumbers with apple cider vinegar and yours may too.

Cucumbers in Vinegar

Ingredients:

1-2 Large cucumbers (depending on your family size), peeled (optional) and chopped

Enough apple cider vinegar to almost cover the cucumbers

Fresh ground pepper according to taste

Salt (optional)
1-2 Tbsp water (optional - it will reduce the strong flavor of the vinegar)

Mix all ingredients together and serve.  You may also put in the refrigerator to let the flavors marinate until you are ready to serve.

* My mom said that adding fresh tomatoes and onions is also a great twist to this classic.

Quinoa with Spinach and Feta - Great Side Dish

My entire family gave this dish a thumbs up.  

Quinoa with Spinach and Feta 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup quinoa

1 Cup water

2 Tsp olive oil 

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 -2 oz Feta cheese

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a medium size pot.  Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.  

Turn heat to medium-high and add quinoa and water.  Once it starts to boil, lower the temperature to a simmer and cover.

Cook about 10 mins. or until water is absorbed.  Add spinach 2 minutes before completed cooking time.

Remove from stove and stir in feta cheese.  You may want to add some salt and pepper to taste.  Serve!

Okra Black-Eye Pea Saute

This is the first year that we have planted okra in our garden.  It has taken much longer than the other vegetables, but we finally have some okra.

Both my kids (and myself) prefer okra, battered and fried.  I wanted to find a recipe that I could use that was not fried and I found this incredible recipe for Okra Black-Eye Pea Saute on Food Network.  

I did make some minor changes to the original recipe to suit my family, like deleting the chili peppers and adding fresh chopped tomato at the end instead of oven roasted tomatoes.  Both my kids prefer uncooked fresh tomatoes instead of cooked.

This was a great recipe that we would definitely make again.

Parmesan Kale Chips

Kale Chips are one of our family favorites.  I usually serve these with just a touch of sea salt, but this time I thought I would add parmesan cheese.  These Parmesan Kale Chips are just amazing.  What a inexpensive healthy way to get kids to eat their vegetables.

Parmesan Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 lb or more of Kale, cut away from the stem in pieces (try to get them about the same size so they cook evenly)

Olive oil, I spray several sprays with the olive oil pump

Dash of sea salt (optional)

1/4 Cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 350°.

Combine kale, olive oil, and a very small amount of salt (optional).  Kale seems to absorb the salt so be careful not to over salt.

Place on a baking sheet spreading evenly not layering if possible.  Top with parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 15 mins.  You want them to be crispy and dark green, but not brown.  If the ends become brown take them out right away.

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili - Crock Pot

We have an overabundance of yellow squash in our garden and I have been super excited about finding recipes to include this colorful little creation.  I tried some traditional dishes like sauteed squash with onions and fried squash, but my kids just don't care for them.  Then I came across an incredible recipe for Vegetarian Chili with yellow squash and thought maybe if I cut them really small the kids would not notice.

Verdict: 3 thumbs up and 1 down (the picky four-year old of course).  My oldest loved this chili and gobbled it right up.

I am not usually to crazy about vegetarian chili, but this was outstanding and extremely versatile!

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili - Crock Pot

Ingredients:

3 Carrots, diced

2 Yellow squash, diced

1 Red pepper, diced

1 Red onion, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced (This chili is not spicy so please don't leave out the jalapeno)

28 oz Crushed tomatoes

2-3 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tsp dried oregano

1/3 Cup quinoa

1 (15oz) Can of beans, white, black, red, brown (I used white northern beans because that is what I had on hand)

1/3 Cup barbecue sauce

Add first 10 ingredients to crock pot and stir until mixed well.

Sprinkle quinoa over top, leaving a border around the edge.  Do not press or mix into the chili.

Cover and cook for 3-5 hours on high and 6-8 on low.  Add beans and barbecue sauce to the crock pot, stirring to mix all the flavors together about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve in individual bowls with cornbread or crackers.  YUM!

Lentil Quinoa Salad

Lentil Quinoa Salad with Strawberry Salad and Garlic Bread

It can be rather challenging I think to come up with vegetarian dinners for carnivores.  I try to have at least 2 to 3 vegetarian dinners a week and I struggle to find ones that will please everyone.  

Well, last night was no exception.  Instead of a main dish I prepared two side dishes and served them along side garlic bread.  I served this fresh and flavorful recipe for Lentil Quinoa Salad that I found on the Food Network.  It got rave reviews and was a great way to incorporate more iron and fiber into our diet.

The final word was three thumbs up, one down (the picky four-year old of course).

The lime and cilantro really make this dish come alive.  Not sure if I would make any substitutions for those two ingredients in this recipe nor would I suggest leaving them out.

Here is a link to the original recipe for Lentil Quinoa Salad.

Braised Kale Bowties

If you are new to this blog or have not read the last few posts you may not understand my recent obsession with kale.  

I came across an amazing deal for a HUGE bag of kale at my local grocery.  I could not help but get super excited about all the new recipes I would have to try if I purchased it.  

Well, I am at the end of my HUGE bag of kale so this is the last recipe for this week that has kale as an ingredient.

I did make a few changes because it seemed like the recipe needed a little something.  I added bacon, red pepper flakes and onion.  Take a look at the original recipe here for Braised Kale Spaghetti.  

I also topped the Braised Kale Bowties with shredded parmesan cheese, after taking this picture.

Asian Noodle Slaw

This picture is not that great.  I will try to take a better one!

Let me just start out by saying that this is one of my favorite slaw dishes.  A neighborhood friend of mine made this for a bible study potluck one year and it was such a hit.

This slaw is perfect for a barbecue or cookout.  I took it to a friend's birthday cookout and everyone really enjoyed it so I figured I better post the recipe (this is for you Shannel!).  

Asian Noodle Slaw

Ingredients:

2 Packages of Ramen noodles (throw away the seasoning packet)

1 Package of broccoli slaw- I cut this into smaller pieces with my kitchen shears

1 Cup Craisins

1 Cup Asian sesame with ginger and soy dressing (I used Ken's) or homemade

2 Green onions, chopped - optional as a garnish

Handful of silvered almonds - optional as a garnish

Cook Ramen noodles according to package for about 3 minutes, drain and let cool.  Combine broccoli slaw, Craisins, noodles and dressing until evenly coated.

Toss with green onions and almonds if desired, cover and place in refrigerator for 2 hours or more. Serve.

Now isn't that simple!

Corn and Kale Fritter Cakes

Look at all that color

Are you starting to see a theme on this blog lately?  Kale is going to be my focus for the next few days.  I know you can use kale for smoothies, chips, and salad, but I hope to find other recipes to use this healthy, nutritional vegetable.

Kale has vitamins A, C and K, plus it contains lutein which keeps eyes and vision healthy.

This week I did not plan my menu well because we were on vacation for part of the week and I thought I would find time to do it when we returned.  Therefore I found myself really not planning at all, which is so unlike me.  I knew we were going to have tuna cakes on Thursday night and scoured the internet to find a side dish.  I came across a delightful recipe for Corn and Kale Fritter Cakes and thought we would give it a try.  

While this recipe was not our favorite, it was pretty good and a great way to incorporate this wonderful green leafy vegetable into our meal.

Here is the link to the original recipe for Corn and Kale Skillet Cakes.  Enjoy!

Apple Celery Coleslaw

My husband and I really like traditional southern coleslaw, but my children do not. I found an easy non-traditional coleslaw recipe and thought we would give this a try.

Even though we thought this coleslaw was horrible, I thought I would post it anyway to get recommendations on how to improve it. Please let me know if you have suggestions!

Apple Celery Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 Large apple, peeled and shredded
1/4 Head of red cabbage, shredded
1 Large celery stick, shredded (or fennel bulb, shredded)
1/4 Cup fat free sour cream
1 Tbsp Mayo
Juice from one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour to mingle flavors. Enjoy!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Panera Bread is one of my favorite places to eat soup and salad. I love how they have the calories listed on the menu so you can make a wiser choice for you and your family.

I am a member of the "My Panera" club and frequently get emails from them with recipes, another great reason to love Panera. I received the recipe below in my email box from Panera and decided to give it a try (with a few changes).

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Cup onions, chopped
1 Cup celery, chopped
1 Cup carrots, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
1 (15oz) Can diced no-salt tomatoes (basil, oregano, garlic flavor)
8 oz Rainbow chard (you can use any kind you like)
1 Cup pinto beans
1 Cup black beans
6 Cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Sourdough, French or Italian bread, cubed (optional)
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook until the vegetables are tender about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and cook for an additional minute.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, and chard and cook for about 10 minutes.

Puree one cup of pinto beans and 1 cup of broth in a food processor. Add to the soup along with 5 cups of vegetable broth.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, salt and bread cubes and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve with parmesan cheese.

* My husband did not care for the bread inside the soup, so next time I would just serve it along side.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans

My husband loves brussels sprouts and has been talking about how I never serve them. I have to be honest and say that I really have never been too fond of brussels sprouts. I think I never liked them because of the way they were prepared. I found a super simple (I like simple) recipe to prepare these little creations and thought we would give it a try.

My youngest son, my husband and myself really liked the brussels sprouts prepared this way. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts - about 20 or so, halved or quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or more if you like)
Salt and pepper
Toasted pecans (heat in a skillet with olive oil until toasted)

Preheat the oven to 400°

Toss brussels sprouts with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Top with toasted pecans and serve.

Black Bean Salad

If your family likes beans this recipe for black bean salad is a super delicious and completely versatile dish. It makes an awesome and flavorful side dish or light main dish. A friend of mine gave me this delightful recipe a few years ago and I had forgotten all about it until I was flipping through my disorganized recipe book.

Black beans are a good source of protein, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, and an excellent source of dietary fiber and folate. After researching black beans a little further I also found information that suggests that black beans help lower your risk of colon cancer. It seems they provide additional support for our digestive tracts, particularly the colon. All good reasons to make black beans a part of our diet.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup red, yellow, or orange pepper, finely chopped
1 Tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp cilantro (I used parsley because that is what I had on hand)
1/4 Tsp cumin
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp red chile honey (see recipe below)
1 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup corn kernels
1 Cup ripe tomatoes, chopped (I used grape tomatoes and those worked just fine, however romas would have been better I think)
1 Cup black beans, cooked

Saute the onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft.

In a separate bowl, combine cilantro, cumin, vinegar, honey mixture, and salt.

Add corn, tomatoes, black beans and sauteed vegetables to the dressing mixture and combine thoroughly. Allow flavors to blend by letting the salad stand for 30-45 minutes. I placed my black bean salad in the refrigerator and served it cold, however you can serve it room temperature as well.

**If you like things spicy you can also add 1 finely chopped or minced jalapeno. For the sake of my kids I decided to leave the jalapeno out.

Red Chile Honey

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 Tbsp red chile powder
1/8 Tsp cumin
1/8 garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir continuously until all the flavors have combined.

Crispy Oven Fried Vegetables

Our local supermarket had zucchini and yellow squash on sale for dirt cheap this week so I picked up a few. Traditionally I saute these with olive oil and onions, but I wanted to try something different. I came across a recipe in one of my many little Pampered Chef cookbooks called Crispy Oven Fried Vegetables. I decided to give it a try since the suggested vegetables were zucchini and squash.

It was not a huge success, but definitely a different way to cook these vegetables than I normally do. I have to also say that it may have lacked some flavor because I used panko breadcrumbs instead of Italian bread crumbs (why can't I follow the recipe as it is written). Give it a try and see what you think.

These are great dipped in a cucumber dip, ranch or even sweet chili pepper sauce(my favorite).

Crispy Oven Fried Vegetables

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 Cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 Egg white
1 Tbsp skim milk or alternative
10 Drops hot pepper sauce
3 Cups of vegetables - yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potato, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms.....

Preheat the oven to 425°

Combine parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl whisk egg white, milk and hot pepper.

Dip each vegetable in egg mixture than coat with breadcrumb mixture. Place in a single layer on a baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Spritz each vegetable with olive oil and cook for about 12-14 minutes.

Bacon Roasted Turnips, Parsnips, and Carrots

As I stated in my dinner menu planning post I picked a few new recipes from the Rachel Ray magazine EveryDay to try this week.

I really went out of my comfort zone because I had Bok Choy for the first time and after making this recipe below I had Parsnips for the first time. I love trying new things...how exciting!

Bacon Roasted Turnips, Parsnips and Carrots

*adapted from EveryDay with Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

4 Bacon slices
1 Large parsnip, chopped
1 Large carrot, chopped
1 Medium Turnip, chopped
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet. Drain on paper towels or paper bag.

Pour off fat from skillet except about 2 Tbsp. Add vegetables to the skillet and toss to coat.

Spread vegetables on baking sheet and cook until tender, about 20-30 mins (depending on how you cut the vegetables).

Toss vegetables with crumbled bacon, parsley, vinegar and salt and pepper.

This is a delicious side dish to serve with almost any meat or fish.

Braised Pork Ribs with Bok Choy - Crock Pot

I don't know about you, but I have heard so many people talk about bok choy. I personally have never had or prepared bok choy. It has such a cool name I had to give it a try.



As you may have read from my previous post while traveling home from Disney World we had some travel delays. During this extra time I was able to review some new dinner recipes in a few magazines I brought along with me.

One in particular that stood out to me was Braised Pork Ribs with Bok Choy. Anytime I read crock pot in the description I get excited. It just so happens that my local supermarket had ribs on sale this week so I had to give this recipe a try. The original recipe comes from Rachel Ray's EveryDay magazine.

Braised Pork Ribs with Bok Choy - Crock Pot

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 Cup dark brown sugar
1 Bunch scallions, chopped (I used 1/4 cup of onions because that is all I had)
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 oz Fresh ginger, minced
Pepper
4 lbs Country ribs or spare ribs
1 Large bunch boy choy, chopped into large pieces

Stir soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions, garlic, ginger and pepper together in a crock pot.

Add ribs and toss to coat with sauce. Add 1 cup of water and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

After meat is cooked thoroughly transfer to a platter. Pour the sauce into a large pan. Skim off the fat and bring to a boil.

Add bok choy and cook until the stems are tender, but still a little crispy, about 5-7 mins.

We really enjoyed this meal, especially the bok choy.

Serve ribs and bok choy over rice or couscous with the extra sauce.