Baked Oatmeal

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Baked-Blueberry---Peach-Oatmeal

Really you could do any fruit that sounds good to you.  I haven't tried anything but peaches and blueberries yet.

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I don't pack it and add just a little bit of honey)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil (I want to try substituting applesauce for this next time.  If you try it let me know how it turns out!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can (15 ounces) sliced peaches in juice, drained and chopped (I substituted about 3 fresh peaches)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• Additional fat-free milk, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in peaches and blueberries.
• Transfer to an 11-in. x 7-in. (you could use a 9x13 also) baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a thermometer reads 160°. Serve with additional milk if desired. Yield: 9 servings.

Hamburger Buns

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, but I can't find the link anymore. These hamburger buns are very hearty and tasty.  You eat one and you are full (at least how big I make them).  These with grass-fed beef hamburgers using these seasonings in the meat are amazing.

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 1/2 cups flour (I do half whole wheat/half all-purpose)
• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120 degrees F (I usually wait for it to be steaming, but I let it cool a tad otherwise it might kill the yeast).
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly (I actually flatten them quite a bit). Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake as above. These buns are pretty big.  (So I didn't understand these instructions very well when I made hot dog buns once.  I just rolled them into pretty thin logs and let them raise.  I made them just a little thicker and longer than a hot dog)

Vegetable Lasagna

This is another great recipe I got from Kath Eats.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 3 cups pasta sauce (like Classico Tomato and Basil or Spicy Tomato and Pesto)
• 16 ounces 2% cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• Approximately 4 cups mixed vegetables (I did about 5 cups or so and just packed as many vegetables as I could in the pan) (Some veggies that I liked in it are: spinach, shredded carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini). I think fresh basil would also be really good in this if you have it.

Preheat oven to 400*.  Spray 11 X 8 (I used a 9x13) glass casserole dish.

1. Combine cottage and parmesan cheeses.
2. Place 3 uncooked noodles in pan.
3. Cover with 1 cup pasta sauce, 1/3 cheese mixture, 1/3 vegetables, and 1/3 mozzarella.
4. Repeat 2 more times.
5. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake one hour.

Makes about 8 servings, ~350 kcal per serving.

I used regular whole wheat noodles and didn't cook them beforehand.  With all the juices from the vegetables it turned out great, but it took me a little longer than 1 hour to cook (like an additional 15 to 30 minutes).  Our children really liked this, but once again I had to blend it up for them a little in our food processor otherwise they wouldn't have eaten the vegetables.

Grilled Veggie Wraps

(Yeah, our tortillas look a little funny because they are homemade.)


Grilled Veggie Wraps

This is such a versatile recipe. You could really throw in almost any veggie into these and it would probably be good.  Honestly, these are good because of the hummus.  I LOVE hummus.

Here is a list of some ideas of filling just to get you started:
Yellow crookneck squash
Zucchini
Red bell pepper
Onion
Tomato
Mushrooms
Greens such as spinach, romaine, or spring mix
Mango (not really a veggie, but it would make it sweeter)
Avocado (again, not a veggie, but it would make it good)
Shredded carrots
Sunflower Seeds
Hard boiled eggs, chopped


I sauteed some of the vegetables (like onion, squash, and bell pepper) just to soften them a little bit. We then heated up our tortillas on the griddle and melted a little bit of cheese.  Spread hummus on the tortilla and top with the veggies.

It was a hit with the kids.  I think the hummus and cheese helped. :0)

Colorful beans and rice

I discovered a website that I really like called katheats.com.  She has a tribute to oatmeal that is out-of-this-world.

Colorful beans and rice

My changes to the original recipe are in blue.


Ingredients (serves 2)

For The Bowl

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 can black beans, not drained (I used dried black beans that I cooked myself, just add some extra water if needed)
• 1 large sweet potato, chopped
• 1 cup frozen greens, such as spinach (I omitted this simply because I didn't have any, but I bet it would be good)
• Cumin, salt, pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

For The Salsa

• 1 small mango, diced
• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 diced tomato
• 2 tbsp chopped jalapenos (I deseeded mine so it wasn't spicy)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and cumin to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)

Toppings (I didn't even add the toppings--good as it was without them)

• Shredded jack cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Cholula

Instructions

• Cook rice per directions. Season with cumin.
• Add black beans, sweet potato, onion, and seasonings to a pot. Bring to high heat and reduce to low, simmering until sweet potatoes are soft.
• Add greens, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. You may need to add a splash of broth or water if it's too dry. Keep heat low to prevent this.
• Mix all salsa ingredients together and chill for 10 minutes.
• Layer rice, beans, cheese, salt and toppings to taste!

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

Here's the link to the recipe website I got this from.

We have had this twice now and we really like it.  Levi had a hard time eating it (it's hard for a baby to eat it with a spoon) so I blended it in the food processor and he ate it just fine and loved it!  I also blended up Calvin's because he didn't like the swiss chard in it (he's sensitive to food textures).  He also ate it with no problem once I did that.


Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
Adapted from The New York Times 11/14/07
Yields 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed (I just used water)
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (I've read you can do any greens--we've also done collard greens and it was good)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime (I forgot to do this the second time I made it and it really does make a difference!  So much better with it added.)
Juice of 1/2 lime (I think I did the whole lime, but I like lime a lot)
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores (I topped it with cashews instead)
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth (water), sweet potatoes, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil and then add the lentils; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

(I changed this recipe slightly on 9/12/12 since I learned a tip that makes lentils easier to digest.  Bring the mixture to a boil and THEN add the lentils.)

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds or cashews if desired and scallions.