Mamma's Island Oatmeal

I was never a big fan of oatmeal growing up. I learned to love it as I got older, and we have it several times a week for breakfast now. It's a great way to start your day and I love that you can make it so many different ways. Recently I made rice pudding with coconut milk and cardamom and really liked it. So, this morning I thought, why not try that with oats? So glad I did! It's warm creamy and delicious! Everyone in the family loved it! : ) Here is my recipe.

Mamma's Island Oatmeal
1 Cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 Cup water
3/4 Cup light coconut milk
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 Cup raisins
1/8 Cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup bananas and or mangoes, diced in large chunks (optional)
honey or agave nectar to taste (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, place oats, water, coconut milk, spices and raisins. Put on medium heat and stir occasionally until it's at your desired consistency, about 5 minutes or so. When done, serve in individual bowls and top with almonds, fresh fruit and honey or agave nectar and enjoy!

Hummus

One of Owen's all time favorite foods is hummus. He often asks for it at restaurants, and we usually get a chuckle from the wait staff, as most 2 year olds are asking for chicken fingers and french fries.

What's great about hummus is that it is full of protein and fiber and it makes a nice snack to refuel my non-stop action child! This is something that literally takes minutes to prepare and is much cheaper and fresher to make at home than buying it at the store. It's so versatile as well. I have made this recipe many different ways. Some of my favorite things to add to the puree is either a few kalamata olives, or 1/2 a roasted red pepper, 2 Tb. sun dried tomatoes, or 3 Tb. of chopped cilantro or basil.

Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs. The man knows how to create good food. Most of his recipes are simple (which is right up my ally) and full of flavor. I discovered that his recipe for hummus (or as his cute English way of writing it "humous") is simply the best I have found yet. It comes out perfect every time. So, after years of making this, I am sharing his recipe with you!

Humous
Recipe adapted from: Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef

1 12oz. can of chickpeas
1 small dried red chili (since I make this for Owen I omit this part or add very little cayenne)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 Tb. tahini (sesame seed paste, sold everywhere)
4 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice to taste (approx. 2 Tb)
1 Tb. fresh parsley, basil or thyme

Rinse and drain the beans. In a food processor, finely chop the garlic, then add the chickpeas, chili, cumin and tahini and pulse until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, oil, lemon juice and fresh herbs to taste. Add a bit of water if you like yours a little thinner. Chill for at least 1 hour and serve. Have fun with the recipe and let me know if you come up with another delicious twist to add to yours!
Serve as a spread on a sandwich, or with crudites, pita triangles, or crackers, and enjoy!

Salmon Burgers

Once again, Catherine McCord has made my life easier! She is the author of Weelicious.com, a food blog that I follow religiously. When I have nothing planned for dinner and it's just Owen and I (because Adam is at work), her blog is the first place I turn to find a fast healthy dinner recipe. Tonight was the second time I have made her salmon burgers and they couldn't be any easier and nutritious!

Salmon Burgers (Serves 4)Recipe by http://www.weelicious.com/

1 Lb. Fresh Salmon, skinned (I actually used two 6 oz cans instead of boneless and skinless wild Alaskan salmon)
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Capers
1 Tbsp Fresh or 1 Tsp Dried Dill
1 Tbsp Oil

*Note, I added some carrot pulp to my burgers tonight only because I had it and thought, why not?! Feel free to add a small amount of other veggies to the food processor, like kale, or spinach etc...

Accompaniments: Lemon Yogurt Sauce, Mayonnaise, Avocado, Tomato or Lettuce
Buns or Rolls. (I made a quick tartar sauce with sweet pickle relish, lemon and mayo tonight)

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until just combined (you should still see tiny pieces of salmon).
2. Form into patties and place on a sheet tray lined with foil or plastic wrap (mixture will be sticky. Using wet hands will make forming the patties much easier).
3. Cover and refrigerate the salmon patties for 1 hour. (I skipped this step and it was fine)
3. Heat oil over medium/high heat in a large skillet.
4. Cook the patties for 3 minutes on each side.
5. Place on a bun and top with desired accompaniments.
6. Serve.

Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This is one of the easiest gluten free cookie recipes I have ever come across. I was recently introduced to a magazine called Clean Eating. I LOVE it. I found this recipe on the last page of this months' issue and thought, only SIX ingredients, this is too easy not to try. Sure enough, easy shmeezy, delicious soft chewy cookies that don't ever get dry and hard! A must make cookie! Oh and the best part....it only takes 20 minutes from start to finish! Since there is no flour, you just need one bowl, so even the clean up is a cinch!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010 (Makes 20 Cookies)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat (I used rapadura sugar from the bulk bins at my co-op. It is the least processed of all sugars. It is the raw sugar cane ground up to a brown powder. You can get it at any health food store, or whole foods)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl. stir together the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

*Sorry no pictures, they were eaten faster than they should have been!

Carrot Oat Bars

One of Owen's favorite things in the whole world is carrot juice. He usually makes this at his Nanna's house after picking carrots in her garden, scrubbing them in the sink and helping her put them in the juicer. I make it too, but hate the clean up from the juicer, so I don't make it as often as I should. I just planted a ton of carrots in our garden, so I am sure in the next few months I will be doing a lot more juicing!

This morning he was begging for carrot juice, so I pulled out my monster juicer (dusted it off) and filled his sippy cup with the golden liquid. He was happy, and now I had a lot of carrot pulp that was asking to be used instead of tossed. I had recently marked a recipe from the Whole Foods website that I wanted to make that called for grated carrots, so that's what I made. Carrot Oat Cake. (I changed the name from "cake" to "bars" because it's not very cake like, and more like a hearty moist granola bar)

It turned out really yummy! Even better, is that it is filling, full of nutrients, fiber and no processed sugar! It makes the perfect snack, breakfast or dessert, and I don't feel bad giving any of this to Owen because of all the good stuff in it. He absolutely LOVED it! This is a keeper.

Carrot Oat Bars
Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market

Natural cooking spray
1 cup rolled or quick cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots (I used the carrot pulp from my juicer and added a touch of pineapple/coconut juice to add back some of the liquid that was lost when it was juiced)
1 cup pure maple syrup (I used a little bit less than what it called for and it was still very sweet)
1 cup dried currants (I used 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup dried cranberries)
1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a (9-inch) square baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside.

Pulse oats and walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix well. In a second large bowl, combine carrots, maple syrup, currants, coconut and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared pan and bake until cooked through and deep golden brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to let cool before cutting into squares.

Thai Noodle Salad

I first discovered Thai food when I was living in New York. Brooklyn had some pretty amazing Thai restaurants with delicious food, spicy martinis, and beautiful ambiance. I was hooked after my first experience. The dishes that involved coconut milk, lemon grass or peanut sauce always kept me coming back for more. The food is simple with few ingredients usually, but it always tastes so good!

Since I can't fly to NY on a whim and eat at Planet Thailand in Williamsburg, it was time to recreate it without leaving my kitchen. By the way, you'll get 100% of your daily vitamin C with this dish! It's great cold the next day out of the fridge for lunch too.

Thai Noodle Salad
Recipe adapted by www.babyfit.com

6 oz. dried vermicelli (thin rice noodles)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 package of extra firm organic tofu (feel free to substitute this with chicken or shrimp)
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 green onions, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. sesame seeds for garnish
lime wedges for garnish

1. Place the tofu between two folded towels and place a heavy pot or pan on top of it for 10-20 minutes to release some of the water. Place tofu in terriayki or soy sauce marinade for a few minutes (or more if you have the time). Slice it in to cubes. Heat sesame oil in skillet on medium high heat and cook tofu until brown on all sides. About 5 minutes.

2. Cook vermicelli according to package instructions, drain and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, broth, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until peanut butter is melted.

4. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly

5. Stir in tofu, sweet red pepper, green onions and cilantro.

6. Serve with lime wedges.

*Note, you might want to double the recipe for the sauce. Though it was fine for us, I would have preferred a bit more sauce.

Pumpkin Pasta

Once again, it was a last minute night for dinner. What are we going to have? I had a few options in my head, but I seemed to be missing one main ingredient for each meal I was hoping to make. So, I turned to the great Martha Stewart online and found this interesting and healthy dish. I wasn't too sure it was going to be tasty by reading the ingredients, I mean, baked pasta and NO cheese? Is she crazy? But we gave it a go and we were all impressed without any cheese (though I did put a little Parmesan on top before serving ; ). It's a filling meal packed with vitamins, fiber and protein. Owen had two bowls, which made me very happy!

Pumpkin Pasta
Recipe by Martha Stewart

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound gemelli pasta, cooked and drained (I used whole wheat Penne instead)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch (about 8 ounces) kale, thick stems removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces *I used 1/2 a bag of frozen spinach thawed and drained.
1 can (29 ounces) pumpkin puree, (not pumpkin-pie filling)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons jarred sun-dried tomato pesto
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 cup unblanched almonds, sliced

Directions
1.Cook pasta, and drain; reserve. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add kale; cook, stirring, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, broth, and pesto, and nutritional yeast, if using; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2.Toss pasta with pumpkin-kale mixture. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or eight individual dishes. Top with almonds. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

3. Enjoy!!