Hummus

Original Recipe HERE

*N* has always happily eaten hummus, but for some reason I never made it myself.  Which is odd, because I made all her baby food and some of *J*'s (not as much since he was a pickier eater as a baby...something he has more than made up for).  And hummus is (1) easy, and (2) healthy.  So I guess I'm just lazy and can't resist the lure of the frequent commissary coupons for Sabra brand.  Tonight, not feeling well, I didn't have the energy or stomach to make a real meal.  I had the makings for hummus and a recipe bookmarked, so I went for it.

Both kids loved it.  *N* asked for crackers and all I had were Tomato & Olive Oil Triscuits (thanks, major winter storm, for preventing me from restocking our pantry for days and days).  She scooped the hummus and ate every last cracker, as well as every carrot and celery stick I provided...without a single protest.  Veggies with nary a cross word?  Unbelieveable.  And *J* used the carrots and celery as spoons, but I'll chalk that up to him not realizing he was supposed to eat them.  Much of his hummus was consumed with his hands and he kept asking for more.  So I will be exploring more hummus options - roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, served on bagels, made with dried beans, and so on, since it seems to be a winner in our house.

Ingredients

2 to 3 teaspoons sesame seeds, rinsed & drained

1 15-oz can chickpeas

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

2 Tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

(1) In small pan on medium-high heat, toast sesame seeds until just turning golden brown.

(2) In food processor bowl, combine sesame seeds and all ingredients except oilve oil.  Process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

(3) Add olive oil; process until smooth.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients to food processor bowl

* Operate food processor

Simple Banana Bread

Original Recipe HERE

I must have at least fifteen banana bread and muffin recipes saved, all very similar to each other.  So I'll keep making my way through my inventory, keeping my standards high, until I have it narrowed down to just a few.  Many bread attempts are too dry on the outside yet still gooey on the inside.  That's why I often make them into full-size muffins instead (because while I like the quick-eating convenience and feeding-of-the-masses ability of mini-muffins, I find the texture of regular size muffins is usually better and the taste somehow seems more pronounced).

This recipe was super easy: the batter was made in less than ten minutes and didn't even require a whisk, much less an electric mixer.  Reading through the comments shows many variations, so I took a few tips and ended up with the following recipe that was delicious.  It had a strong banana flavor, was perfectly crusty on top while perfectly moist inside.

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup shredded dried coconut [optional]

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips [optional]

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease 4x8" loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin.

(2) Mash bananas to uniform, smooth consistency.  In separate bowl, whisk egg.

(3) With wooden spoon, mix yogurt and mashed bananas in large mixing bowl.

(4) Mix sugar, egg, and vanilla into banana-yogurt mixture.

(5) Sprinkle baking soda & salt over mixture; stir.  Add flour; mix thoroughly.  Add coconut and chocolate chips (if using); stir until just mixed.

(6) Pour mixture into loaf pan or muffin tin.  Bake 1 hour for bread or 25 minutes for muffins (done when knife inserted in center comes out clean).

(7) If bread, cool on rack before removing from pan.  If muffins, remove immediately from tin and cool on rack.

Notes: For the sake of comparison, I would use apple sauce instead of yogurt (or using a vanilla or strawberry or banana yogurt).  I would also try honey in place of sugar, and a lime glaze would add a nice tartness.

Kid Participation

* Mash bananas

* Stir wet ingredients

* Crack egg

* Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients

* Sneak chocolate chips when they think Mama isn't looking

Herb & Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Original Recipe HERE

I've never made highly successful homemade french fries.  A few attempts have been disasters, some have produced not-very-memorable results, and I've hit upon a small number of recipes that had potential.  This one is the closest I've come to a "save and make that again" standby.  I thought they were really tasty.  Craziness of craziness, *N* didn't like them.  The girl who has never turned down a fry: curly, spicy, sweet potato, or otherwise.  I'll definitely give them another shot and see if she has dinner anmesia and decides to like them (which has been known to happen).

I couldn't find fingerling potatoes, so I used Yukon Gold.  I chose the smallest potatoes (about 2 pounds worth) I could find in the bag and sliced each into six wedges.  This produced an entire cookie sheet filled with slices, so it was more than enough for two adults and two wee ones.  I also modified the seasonings a bit.  Maybe next time I'll take the time to cut them into the traditional "fry shape," and *N* will accept them as true fries (because I think tonight she considered them faux fries) and gobble them up.

Ingredients

1-2 lbs potatoes

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

1 Tablespoon dried onion

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

3 Tablespoons grated parmesan

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

(2) Cut potatoes into 6-8 wedges per potato.

(3) Toss potatoes in a sealed Tupperware container with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, herbs, dried onion, and parmesan.  Lay on parchment-covered cookie sheet, skin side down.

(4) Bake 35-50 minutes or until potatoes are golden on the exterior and tender inside.

Notes: The possibilities for different seasoning combinations are endless.  Next time I might splurge on smaller, more gourmet potatoes for the sake of comparison.

Kid Participation:

* Add seasonings to container

* Shake container

Mushroom Barley

Original Recipe HERE

I had never had pearl barley before and had to hunt it down at the pretentious food co-op around the corner from us.  I'm sure that something could be substituted, which I'll experiment with in the future: Israeli couscous, quinoa, Trader Joe's Harvest Blend, etc.  The kids didn't like it much, but Husband and I thought it was great.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 cup mushrooms, chopped [I used baby bella]

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

3 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock, low sodium

Directions

(1) In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

(2) Add onion.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(3) Add sugar.  Cook an additional 5 minutes or until onions start to caramelize.

(4) Remove onions to plate.  Add mushrooms, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt to pot.

(5) Cook for 3 minutes or until water from mushrooms starts to evaporate.  Remove to plate; set aside.

(6) Add broth or stock to same pot; bring to a boil.  Add barley and 1/2 tsp salt.  Reduce to simmer.  Cook for 45 minutes or until tender.*

(7) Add onions and mushrooms to pot; stir to combine.  Cook until heated through.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation: None.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Original Recipe HERE

This soup was a hit with everyone in the house, and it couldn't be easier.  The original recommends working with dried black beans, but I couldn't find them at the commissary (there's always one thing that I can't get and sends me to the regular grocery store).  I used 2.5 15-oz cans of beans, and it wasn't enough - the soup was much too thin.  After immersion blending the soup, I added a can of chickpeas (since I was out of black beans) and blended again, which helped a bit.

This made an entire 6-quart slow cooker full of soup.  So we aren't eating it for lunch and dinner for three days straight, next time I'll cut the recipe in half.

We sprinkled some mexican cheese blend into the kids' bowls, because adding shredded cheese makes them more willing to try anything.  *N* also liked sour cream, though the creme fraiche we tried (per the original's suggestion) didn't do anything for anybody.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, rinsed & drained [or 3 to 4 15-oz cans of black beans, rinsed & drained]

1 32-oz container chicken broth or vegetable stock

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped [optional; I did not use]

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup water

shredded cheese [optional]

sour cream, plain yogurt, or creme fraiche [optional]

Directions

(1) Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat.  Sauté onions for 4 minutes.

(2) Add chopped garlic.  Sauté one additional minute.

(3) Place onion-garlic mixture into slow cooker along with all other ingredients.  Stir to combine.

(4) Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

(5) Remove bay leaves.  Using either hand blender or traditional blender, puree ingredients to desired texture.
(6) Top each serving with shredded cheese and dollop of yogurt, sour cream or crème fraiche.

Notes: None, other than using more beans.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients to slow cooker

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Original Recipe HERE

I made these because I had a rogue sweet potato that I wasn't inspired by.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe.  The results were good, all-purpose, standard biscuits.  The sweet potato flavor wasn't as strong as I'd expected, but that was perfectly fine.  Both kids loved these, and they held up pretty well in a sealed container for two days (got a little "humid" before they dried out, but it wasn't a big deal).

I made this with a food processor per the directions, but I think they could be made with a regular bowl, whisk, pastry cutter, and serious elbowgrease.  I also used a silpat and a star-shaped cookie cutter to make it interesting for the kids.  The puffed-up biscuits held their shape well, so next time I'll be more adventurous.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cubed

1 cup cooked & mashed sweet potatoes, cooked & mashed

1/3 cup milk

2 Tablespoons honey

Cooking Spray

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 400 F.

(2) Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor.  Pulse to combine.

(3) Add butter.  Pulse until it resembles coarse meal.

(4) Add sweet potatoes, milk and honey.  Pulse until dough comes together.

(5) Place dough onto parchment paper and knead 5 times.

(6) Place another parchment paper on top.  Roll out to 1/2" to 3/4" thick.  Cut into biscuits.

(7) Place biscuits on silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

(8) Bake 12-15 minutes (depending on size of biscuits) or until lightly golden.  Cool and serve.

Notes: I would serve them with salted butter or honey. Pumpkin or apple butter could be tasty but might overwhelm the slight sweet potato flavor.

Kid Participation:

* Add dry ingredients to food processor bowl

* Pulse food processor

* Knead dough

* Roll dough

* Cut out biscuit shapes

Cauliflower & Craisin Couscous

Original Recipe HERE

I wasn't sure how this recipe was going to turn out.  It had definite potential for being too bland for my taste.  But with two key additions (that are included below), it was a great meal that I was happy to have for lunch the next day.  The salty garlic-ness of the Roasted Garlic Caesar "Almond Accents" (aka, salad toppers) and distinct goat cheese flavor made the dish more interesting than it would've been otherwise.

I really like the TJ's Harvest Blend and think it's worth the extra shopping trip to stock up on as many bags as they have in stock (which usually isn't many).  If using couscous, I recommend the Israeli variety so that it doesn't seem like you're just eating sauteed vegetables mixed in with a mushy base.  The kids liked the craisins but weren't fans of the rest of it...they're so unpredictable when it comes to cauliflower.

This made enough for two adults to each dinner and each have some for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

8 ounces Trader Joe's Harvest Blend or couscous

1/2 Tablespoon butter

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 head of cauliflower, broken and chopped up into bite size pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded or chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

salt & pepper
goat cheese crumbles (optional)

Directions

(1) Cook Harvest Blend or couscous according to package directions (I used half chicken broth and half water).

(2) In large frying pan on low heat, toast almonds and set aside.

(3) In same frying pan on medium low heat, melt butter and add olive oil until heated through.

(4) Add cauliflower, onion and pinch of salt. Toss to coat. Cook about 2 minutes.

(5) Add carrots and craisins. When cauliflower is fork tender, add couscous and stir together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(6) Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Sprinkle in toasted almonds and goat cheese, if using.

Notes: I used garlic and herb goat cheese but may experiment with other cheeses.

Kid Participation: None.