Elana's Pantry Butternut Squash Soup/ Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

All week I have been trying out different concoctions for Thanksgiving.  The reason you haven't seen any posted is because I botched most of them! So, instead of trying to get them "just right", I resorted to making a recipe from a blog I know is reliable: Elana's Pantry.  She is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and probably lots of other "free"s that I'm not remembering. 

This is her Butternut Squash Soup: It's so easy and tastes great.  My husband, who doesn't usually like creamy soups, gave it the thumbs up ;)

If you're looking for an easy side-dish for Thanksgiving, here is my recipe for Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:

Yellow and Purple fingerling potatoes

Grapeseed or Coconut Oil

Herbs de Provence

Real Salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Poke potatoes with a fork.  Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet and coat them with oil.  Sprinkle Herbs de Provence and Real Salt on potatoes.  Bake until tender (about 30 min.)

And the Winner is...

We are so excited to announce the winner of our very first giveaway!  Congratulations to

 La Guera Salsera!!

Just e-mail Jenny @ LuckyJPM@gmail.com and leave your address so we can send you the tahini!! (And now that you have some tahini, you'll have to tell us what you think of the falafel after you make it!)

We are very appreciative of all of the comments we received.  To be honest, it was a really hard decision to make.  We know that each person that commented took time out of her (no guys commented) day to do so.  Now we have a little more insight into who our audience is, and will hopefully be able to cater to your needs accordingly. 

We will have another giveaway in the near future so stay tuned!

Baked Asparagus/Sweet Potato Fries

Having a hard time coming up with sides dishes? Here are a couple that will accompany almost any meal:

Baked Asparagus

                  

1 bunch of asparagus

Grapeseed Oil/Coconut Oil

Real Salt


Rinse asparagus and pat dry. Spread the stalks out on a cookie sheet. Brush with grapeseed oil and sprinkle with Real Salt.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees until tender, and a bit crispy at the top (about 20 minutes).  This is how I like it; if you prefer it firmer, bake for less time.

FYI:  I don't bother to snap off the woody, bottom part of the asparagus stalk. It's actually not an essential part of preparing asparagus.  My family just munches it down until it gets too fibrous.  If I were having company over, I would probably take the time to do it, but with two kids hanging on my legs, no thanks.  And I say that with all the love in the world toward my kids...

Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 Yellow or Orange Sweet Potatoes*

Grapeseed Oil/Coconut Oil
Zip (http://www.spicehunter.com/)
Real Salt

I recently discovered the sweet taste of yellow sweet potatoes.  I like to use them to make these fries because they seem more like the "real" thing, which is helpful if your children are transitioning to a healthier diet.  They are also splendid merely baked - I don't even dress them with anything.  So yummy!  I'm digressing...

Wash and peel potatoes.  Cut potatoes into fries about 1/2 " wide and 3-4" long and spread them out on a cookie sheet.  Don't cut them too thin because they shrink as they bake. Brush your cut fries with grapeseed oil, sprinkle with Real Salt and Zip (or your favorite seasoning), and cook in a 350 degree oven until tender and slightly crispy.  It usually takes about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size and quantity of fries.


*Click here to learn the difference between yams & sweet potatoes

Why the confusion?

In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.


Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

Sweet Potato Hash or Mash

Sweet Potato Hash Or Mash

3 medium organic sweet potatoes or garnet yams

3-4 tablespoons almond or soy milk

2 tablespoons vegan butter or 1 tablespoon grape seed oil

1/3 cup chopped parsley

3 teaspoons fresh thyme (I've used dried too - works fine)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

3 teaspoons garlic powder

1-2 dashes cayenne pepper

Cook sweet potatoes in oven.  Cut in half and scoop out the flesh.  Add all other ingredients and mix with a fork.  You can also make some patties out of the mash, roll them in a little whole wheat flour, and fry them up in a little grape seed oil for a tasty hash.

Also, the giveaway is still going on (it ends Wednesday, the 18th), so be sure to leave a comment if you'd like to be included :)

Our First Giveaway & Closet-Reader Reveal!!

Okay, so this is what has been going down lately...We have been getting more questions and comments from readers via phone calls and e-mails than we have been via the blog. Since many of these readers hadn't commented on the blog, we had no idea they were even following it...And we WANT to know! So, all of you closet-readers, get ready to reveal yourselves!

We want to KNOW who you readers really are! We want to know what experiences you have had with the information we have provided through the blog. We want to know what steps (baby steps count) you have taken to better your health, and what results have come from those changes. We want to know which recipes you have tried and your thoughts on them, and we want to know of any suggestions regarding improving the blog you might have for us. ANYTHING!! GIVE US ANYTHING!!! And you might just get a reward in return. Annie and I will choose our favorite comment and announce the winner one week from today.

We have teamed up with Living Tree Community Foods, who wants to sponsor our giveaways by gifting a jar of their spectacular Organic and Alive Sesame Tahini to the winner!




If you are wondering, tahini is a sesame paste/butter that is used in many dips, dressings, and other foods. Hummus is one of the more well-known foods that contains tahini. Raw tahini is important to buy because its essential fatty acids aren't destroyed by roasting and it provides enzymes (that many diets are lacking) that only raw foods can provide.

Some of you have been asking where to buy raw tahini - well Living Tree Community Foods is the place. They take pride in making the best tahini they can: The organic sesame seeds are sliced vs. ground to prevent heat from destroying enzymes, and it is made slowly, over several days. This gives their tahini a crystalline structure and texture, and ultimately, an advantage health-wise over ground tahini. Jesse of Living Tree Community Foods tells us it is made in Berkley, CA, "a city that is a wellspring of innovation and creativity." With lots of fiber, protein, calcium, and iron, and a delicious taste, how can you go wrong? (Find out more about the health benefits of tahini here).

SO LEAVE US A COMMENT ALREADY!!!



(Thanks to Living Tree Community Foods for providing Organic and Alive Sesame Tahini)

Coconut Rice and Beans

Need dinner in a pinch?  This is fast, easy, and goes great with a plate of fresh chopped veggies and dip.

Coconut Rice and Beans

2 cups jasmine rice, washed (I use brown)

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

finely grated zest of 1 lime

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1 can black beans, rinsed

Combine the rice, coconut milk, water, cinnamon stick, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover pot, and simmer 20 minutes.  Add the lime zest, lime juice, and black beans and stir with a fork.  remove from heat, cover and let sit 10 more minutes while you prepare the shredded coconut:  spread shredded coconut into skillet and toast over medium high heat for about 3 minutes.  Stir constantly until it's brown and toasty.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the rice and serve, sprinkling the toasted coconut over each serving.  Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Preventing Illness

I have been following Robyn's blog for quite some time and really liked this recent post done on how to prevent sickness, especially when faced this season with H1N1 and other flu viruses. Check it out.

Addendum to Robyn's post: To help with congestion or to rinse nasal passages, our family religiously uses Xlear (we like the squeeze bottle vs. the pump), which is a saline solution that also contains Xylitol, a natural sugar that research has shown to inhibit the ability of bacteria to adhere to tissue. Without this adhesion it is hard for them to do any damage.


We often drink a mineral salt solution called pHour Salts made out of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium bicarbonates if we are not feeling well or want to stave off illness. This salt solution increases the alkalinity of the blood, making us less susceptible to getting sick. 
 
We just found a new product called Nasaline that comes in a kit with a syringe and saline packets to do nasal rinses. We have not tried it yet but I know that many people have had good results.

In regard to the suggestion to take Vitamin C with zinc to boost absorption, my pediatrician just recommended to my sister-in-law a product called SunDew First Response, and she said it worked very quickly with all three of her kids. Note that it is not recommended for children under 2, or for pregnant/nursing women.

Update: 11/18/09: My kids had some congestion this week - more than what they usually get when they get congested.  I was afraid of ear infections coming on, so I busted out the Jr. Nasaline and that thing works miracles!  Even though my 3-yr. old is a really great nose-blower (seriously...the best around), almost every time we did the saline rinse, a fair amount of mucous flew out.  I loved the visual of seeing that "stuff" in the sink instead of in my son's nasal passages!  After two days of saline rinses (twice a day), he is almost back to 100%.

It's Looking Brighter (Choco-Ganache Cupcakes)

I have a secret.  I HATE Thanksgiving.  I do.  I hate it.  I dread it every year.  It doesn't have anything to do with not being thankful.  It's more that turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and pie just aren't my thing.  They never have been.  I have a WHOLE nother concept (sorry anna) of "comfort food" (think circular ball of dough, tomato sauce, and cheese - throw in a Diet Coke and I'm golden).  


This year, however, I'll be spending the initial weeks of November coming up with a plan of action.  And once my plan is executed?  We might never need the old bird ever again (a turkey, not the finger).  So far, it looks promising.  


I'm going in reverse here because...well, because I felt like it.  So we begin with dessert.  I'm working on a sweet potato pie but it's still in the testing stages.  So the other day I thought to myself, "self, what dessert recipe has the potential to be revamped into something so amazing that even Dad would be left in a state of comatose'd joy?"  Easy.  Chocolate cupcakes.


So here they are.  I've combined a few different recipes to make them totally vegan, mildly nutritious (dude, they're cupcakes), and not PACKED with sugar.

Choco-Ganache Cupcakes

(complete with Hostess curly-Q)

CUPCAKES

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup coconut flour (I thought almond meal would be good too)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons black cocoa powder (or Hershey's special dark cocoa)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain rice or almond milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup organic cane sugar (really it's the best)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1/3 cup vanilla rice or almond milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used unsweetened chocolate to reduce sugar)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

CURLY-Q ICING

2 cups confectioners sugar (more or less depending on desired consistency)

2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners.  In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, oil, maple syrup, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla.  Okay, here's where I ran into problems.  The coconut oil hardens quickly when combined with ingredients that have been refrigerated.  To solve that problem (ahem), I just threw my mixing bowl into the oven for about 30 seconds right before the next step (make sure it's metal).  Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing as you go.  Beat for about a minute more.

Use a wet ice-cream scoop to fill the cupcake liner three-quarters full.  Bake for about 26-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Or if your not a fan of waiting (like me), throw them into the fridge.

Onto the ganache.  In a small saucepan, scorch the milk (bring it to a boil), then lower the heat to a simmer and add the chocolate and maple syrup.  Mix with a heatproof spatula for about 30 seconds then turn off the heat.  Continue mixing until the chocolate is melted and the icing is smooth.  Then make the icing for the squiggles.

Throw the ingredients for the squiggle frosting into a small-ish mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer.  Add more confectioners sugar or water until you reach desired consistency.  And here's a little trick.  My daughter was dead set on the squiggles being pink but I didn't want to add artificial coloring to the frosting.  What to do, what to do?  Juice a beet.  The color is PERFECT!  Be careful though.  You only need a little bit.  It's every bit as strong as food coloring.

So now, your cupcakes should be cooled, your ganache should be warm, and your icing should be ready to go.  Here's what you do.  Dip the top of each cupcake into the chocolate ganache icing.  Tilt the pan to add more depth to the icing for easier cupcake coating if you need.  Place all the cupcakes on a cutting board or cookie sheet, and throw them in the fridge to set the ganache.

Remove the cupcakes from the fridge and make your squiggles (practice first) on the top of the ganache.  I just got a ziploc baggie and snipped a little bit off one of the corners (who needs a piping set?).  Return the cupcakes to the fridge to set.  I kept them in there until I was ready to serve them.

This recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, but doubles very easily.

Minestrone Soup

This recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray's Mighty Minestrone Soup. I found the recipe over two years ago, and it is still in my regular cycle of meals. It's especially filling and warm on an autumn or winter day. It's also kid-friendly because it has beans, noodles, carrots, and celery that can be picked out if needed.


2 Tbs. coconut/grapeseed oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped (I use more)
4 stalks celery, chopped (I use more)
1 fresh bay leaf
1 bunch kale, de-veined and leaves coarsely chopped
Real Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained or 1.5 cups soaked, cooked beans
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained or 1.5 cups soaked, cooked beans
3 tsp. rosemary
3 tsp. thyme
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
1 to 1.5 quarts vegetable stock (I use Pacific Natural Foods brand)
.5 to 1 qt. water
1/2 pound whole grain pasta, any variety (I use brown rice pasta b/c it's gluten-free, and I use less because I like more veggies than pasta)

Heat oil in a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and bay leaf, and cook until the vegetables have softened. Add a pinch of Real Salt and pepper.

Throw the beans, garbanzo beans, herbs, tomatoes, stock, and water into the pot and bring to a bubble. Add the kale and cook until wilted. Then add the pasta and boil the soup until the pasta is tender. Make sure you add pasta right before it will be served - otherwise it will get sticky and mushy. Also, remember not to eat the bay leaf!

Serve with a whole-grain garlic toast or other side.

Candy Buy Back!

I was taking my son to preschool this morning and on the way I saw a sign that said "Candy Buy Back, November 3rd" in front of South Mountain Dental! I thought it was really a coincidence that I had been thinking about finding a dentist that buys back candy this year, and that it just so happened to be on the day I took my son to preschool. It was meant to be!!

South Mountain Dental (12300 S. and 900 E.) is buying back candy for $1 per pound, so if you were like Annie and bought your kids' candy from them, this is your chance to make your money back!!

UPDATE: I just took some bags of candy to the dental office which housed garbage BINS full of candy that will be shipped to the troops. South Mountain Dental is in conjunction with Camp Williams in order to facilitate the shipping of the candy, etc... I had such a fun time seeing how much each bag of candy weighed, and think that when my son is old enough to appreciate money, I will have him bring his own bag of candy to the dental office to enjoy the experience himself. For those who are concerned about their kids enjoying the "fruits of their labor", may I suggest that this is a way they might do just that. Have them collect as MUCH candy as they can, and then take them to the dental office to see how much money they get for their hard work! The "fruits" end up in the form of money rather than candy - all the better!

The dental office had little Halloween baggies that were stuffed with an orange toothbrush and the money from the candy. So cute!