For the past couple years I have read in all of my foodie magazines about quinoa.  There were lots of quinoa salads that did not really appeal to me and the bag I bought sat for many lonely months in the cupboard.  As this super-grain became more popular, the recipes became what I would consider more mainstream.  My first experience was with quinoa turkey chili and I was hooked!

This is another recipe discovered on Pinterest.  It comes from a blog called Around the Table: Loving Food in RI and started with the name Quinoa Mac and Cheese.  Well, when you live with a child with Asperger’s, you do not call a dish missing the macaroni by the name macaroni and cheese .  This was a wonderful, one dish dinner. I added sliced pears and dinner – and a few days of lunches – was done.

This  is one of those dishes that can be prepared in stages.  I cooked the quinoa and roasted the broccoli and garlic when I got home.  I let those pieces sit while shuttling children around and then came home and mixed everything together.  I tweaked the original recipe a little to accommodate what I had in the kitchen and the results were wonderful!  Everyone was full and happy.

Cheese and Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Rinse 1 and 1/2 cups of quinoa to remove the outer bitter coating.  Cook according to the package directions.  Set aside.

Chop 1 large head of broccoli and 2 – 3 cloves of garlic.  Put all of this on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil to barely coat and roast in a 425 degree oven until the broccoli tips are lightly browned, stirring every few minutes.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and coat a 13 by 9 dish with cooking spray.  Mix together one egg, one and one fourth cup of fat free milk, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Fold in the quinoa, broccoli, and 1 and 1/2 cups of grated low fat cheddar cheese. Add a little hot sauce if you like!

Put the entire mixture in the casserole dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Enjoy!!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

I have found Pinterest and I am in love.  There are so many things I don’t know yet about the site but I am certainly enjoying learning!  This recipe comes from a blog called Plain Chicken and it is one of the most fun recipes I have come across in a long time.  I made these for the kids after soccer practice and they were a hit!

The “cupcakes” are encased in wonton wrappers and I used an entire package for my recipe.  I looked up the nutrition facts and each wonton has a little less than 25 calories and no fat – my kind of wrapper!  I also used ground turkey breast and my own taco seasoning – too easy to make to justify buying!  The ground turkey is mixed with black beans, onions, and garlic.  Layer it with the wontons and grated low-fat cheese, bake and decorate.  Wonderfully fun!

No Salt Taco Seasoning

Mix together 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon dark cocoa powder (if desired).  This makes the same amount as a package of spice.

Taco Cupcakes

Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray.  Add 1 pound ground turkey breast, 2 – 3 chopped garlic cloves, and 1 medium chopped onion.   Cook until the turkey is done; drain if necessary.  Add one can of drained black beans, 1/3 cup of water, the no-salt taco seasoning, and 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa.  Cook for about 5 – 10 minutes for the flavors to blend.  This is where I turned off the burner, put the meat in the fridge and took children to soccer practice.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and spray 24 regular sized muffin tins with cooking spray.  You will need one package of wonton wrappers and 2 cups of shredded low-fat Mexican cheese.  If you have been at soccer practice, warm the meat mixture before layering.  Put one wonton wrapper in each tin then put a little less than a tablespoon of the meat mixture on each wonton.  Sprinkle each with cheese.  In each tin, layer on another wonton wrapper and distribute the rest of the meat mixture and the rest of the cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve the “cupcakes” with an assortment of toppings.  I offered chopped avocado, chopped tomatoes, chopped spinach, sour cream, and salsa.  I was worried the wonton wrappers would be soggy on the bottom but they held their shape and their texture.  The edges became crispy and toasted.  This could easily be a vegetarian dish by mixing the black beans with rice or corn.

Enjoy and happy pinning on Pinterest!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

On Valentine’s Day, I was trying to decide if I was going to make my husband and kids a sweet treat or not.  Time was short and will power was low.  Enter the Sunday USA Weekend Magazine which now has one of my favorite Food Network chefs sharing recipes.  Ellie Krieger shared this recipe for Apricot Almond Truffles made with dark chocolate and called it “candy with benefits.”

There are all kinds of reasons to to enjoy these truffles – dark chocolate has antioxidants, almonds have healthy fats and dried apricots have fiber and potassium.  The best reasons are they taste great and go together in about 15 minutes!  There are only three main ingredients and a few spices and the result looks and tastes fantastic.

Apricot Almond Truffles

Place 1/2 cup of whole, natural, unsalted almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until they are toasted and smell fragrant – about 5 minutes.  Cool slightly and then put the almonds in a food processor.  Pulse a few times until the nuts are coarsely chopped.  Add  1  1/2 cups of dried apricots (I used a bag that was a little smaller), 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to the processor.  Process until the ingredients are finely chopped and start to stick together – about a minute.  Roll the mixture with your hands into large teaspoon-sized balls and put them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  You should have 17 – 20 truffles.

Melt 3 ounces of dark chocolate – I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips.  I have melted chocolate in the microwave before but I used a glass bowl over some simmering water this time.  Put half of the chocolate in the glass bowl and melt.  Remove from the heat and stir in the other half of the chocolate.  Roll the apricot balls in the chocolate to coat and then return the balls to the waxed paper.  Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to set the chocolate.  These can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

I’m pretty sure it took me longer to write this blog than it did to make these truffles!  If you make 20 truffles, each one has 80 calories.  On the new Weight Watchers System, they have 2 points each!  Enjoy!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

Okay, this may not be what my friend was requesting when she asked for some “real” food but this was an amazing dish!

This was my first adventure with creme fraiche – great to be able to find something so fancy sounding at the local Ingles grocery!  Creme fraiche is certainly not a diet food but I spent some time looking for substitutes and none sounded truly promising.  I figure with whole wheat pasta, butternut squash, and kale there must be some balance.

You need 5 cups of cubed peeled butternut squash.  I bought a big squash and cut it myself but you can find it in the grocery store already chopped .  A big convenience if it is affordable for you.  This recipe comes form the new January/February Cooking Light Magazine.

Bacon and Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine 5 cups of chopped and peeled butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Arrange the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Cook 12 ounces of tube shaped pasta until almost al dente.  Add 4 cups of chopped kale to the water with the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Drain the pasta mixture.

Cook 2 bacon slices in a large skillet until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble.  Add 2 cups of vertically sliced onions to the drippings in the pan; cook for 6  minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 5 minced cloves of garlic.  Cook another minute. Move off the heat.

Start with 2 cups of chicken stock.  In a saucepan, bring 1 and 3/4 cups of chicken stock to a boil.  Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of stock with 2 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add the flour mixture, another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the broth.  Cook 2 minutes or until the broth is slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat and stir 1 cup of creme fraiche.

In a big bowl, combine the squash (be sure to scrape any bits from the pan), pasta mixture, bacon, onion mixture.  Place the pasta mixture in a 13 x 9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle the top with 1/3 cup (1.5 ounces) of shredded Gruyere cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

This makes enough to serve 8 buts holds up as excellent as leftovers.  If you actually divide it into 8 servings, each serving is 388 calories.  It was so wonderfully rich and felt like a decadent treat.  Enjoy!!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

My Sunday morning ritual includes pulling out the Ingles grocery circular and planning out my menu for the week.  I have found if I do not have a menu planned out I make so many bad choices in so many different directions!  I buy random stuff at the grocery store and then after school each day I have no idea what I am going to make for dinner.  Too often, Papa John’s Pizza makes an entrance!

I start with this fabulous planner pad my sister-in-law stuck in stockings a few years back.  I put all of the week’s commitments on first -what kind of sports or clubs have to be accommodated – and then figure out how much time – and energy – I think I will have left at the end of the day.  This is not set in stone but I know I will have the ingredients to make these meals at my house by Sunday afternoon.

I enjoy looking through cookbooks and food magazines to find new recipes but that is not everyone’s idea of fun.  So I am going to try to follow in the steps of many other bloggers and post up my menu plan for the week – maybe I can give you some ideas.

Here’s my menu for the week starting today:

Sunday, February 12:  Quinoa Turkey Chili – find the recipe here! This is a meal in itself!  Served with apple slices and cornbread.

Monday, February 13:  Crock Pot Kielbasa Soup – This is a brand new recipe for me.  It has beans and spinach and canned tomatoes and turkey kielbasa.  I’ll let you know if it is good.

Tuesday, February 14:  Out to dinner at Blue Sky Cafe here in Asheville.  I scored an excellent coupon off www.restaurant.com and with their coupon code got a $50 gift certificate for $4!!  Happy Valentines Day to me .

Wednesday, February 15:  Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken, green beans (the little skinny haricot verts are on sale!), whole wheat orzo with a touch of butter and parmesan cheese.  The chicken is new – from the January/ February issue of Cooking Light Magazine. Says 30 minutes – I’ll let you know.

Thursday, February 16:  Roasted Pork Tenderloin with red potatoes and carrots.  This recipe is so easy!  Start with a package of pork tenderloins that are unseasoned – two come in a package.  Quarter 2 pounds of red potatoes, chop 2 large carrots into 2 – inch pieces, cut 1 medium onion into wedges.  Put these into a large ziplock bag, drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage and a little salt and pepper.  Shake them up to coat and put them in shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray.  Do the same process with the two tenderloins and put them on top of the veggies – kind of nestling them in.  Bake this uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes.  The pork needs to reach 160 degrees.  You may want to stir the vegetables occasionally.  I didn’t think there would be enough flavor with just those few seasonings but this is wonderful!  Add a salad or roasted broccoli and you are done.

Friday, February 17:  Usually this is the night we clean out the refrigerator.  Or have breakfast for dinner.  Or invite Papa John on over!  This weekend my parents are coming up so I will put something a little better together for them.  Think I will figure that one out on Friday afternoon!

Enjoy your week.  We saw a little snow over the weekend here in Asheville and there are small rumblings of a little more on Tuesday.  Keeping my fingers crossed

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

Busy weeks call for the crock pot!  I seem to have a hard time finding dishes that are light and also kid-friendly to go in my crock pot.  Too many full of fat or lots of cheese or just too many convenience products.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for convenience but everything in moderation!

I found this recipe in the Taste of Home Guilt Free Cookingcookbook.  This is a great cookbook that offers lots of mainstream recipes tweaked to be a little lighter.  The recipe calls for a sauce created from crushed pineapple, barbeque sauce, rosemary, fresh lemon juice and lemon peel.  Pour over a pork roast and let the crock pot do the rest.

The meat was tender and juicy and the recipe made enough for two nights.  The first night I served it with smashed red potatoes and a salad.  Two nights later I pulled the pork apart and heated it through with the remainder of the pineapple sauce and some extra barbeque sauce.  Served this on buns with homemade coleslaw and fruit.  A great time saver for both nights!

 Slow-Cooked Pork Roast with Pineapple  Barbeque Sauce

In a saucepan, combine 2 – 8 ounce – cans of unsweetened crushed pineapple, 1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice, 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, 2 teaspoons of fresh grated lemon peel, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes.

Cut a 3 pound boneless pork top loin roast in half.  Heat a large skillet, coat with cooking spray and brown the meat on all sides.

Place the roast in a slow cooker and pour the sauce over the meat.  Turn the meat to coat all sides.  Cook this on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 – 7 hours.  Let stand for about 15 minutes before carving.

Sometimes you come across a recipe that you know will show up again and again on your menu plan – this is one of those recipes!  Try this and let me know if your family loved it as much as mine.

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

Last week was the week of the soup at our house.  A friend brought over a delicious potato soup at the beginning of the week.  I made a split pea soup that will never make it’s debut on the blog, and then redeemed myself with this Italian Sausage and Bean Soup.  So many of my favorite things in this substantial soup almost stew.  I think Rachel Ray calls this a stoup!

This soup has Italian sausage – you can use turkey sausage here – and beans and barley and kale.  Round it out with some tomatoes and carrots and you have all the essentials for a healthy, filling meal.  The kids liked it and even deigned to eat the leftovers two nights later.

This will take a good hour and a half from start to finish but you can walk away and do other things for large chunks of that time.  What a warming meal!  Check out your schedule and the weather and work this one into your meal plan.  This recipe comes from the December/January Healthy Cooking magazine.

 Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

In a large Dutch Oven or soup pot, cook 1 pound of spicy Italian Sausage (remove from casings)  and 1 finely chopped medium onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.  Add 3 chopped garlic cloves and cook one minute longer.  Drain all of the fat off.  I actually put all of the mixture into a colander and rinsed it with hot water.  I also wiped out the pan.

To the meat in the pot, add 4 (14.5 ounce) cans of reduced sodium chicken stock, 2 (15 oz) cans of pinto beans – rinsed and drained first – 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup medium pearl barley, 1 large diced carrot, 1 large diced celery rib, 1 teaspoon sage and 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.  Bring this to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir in 6 cups of chopped, fresh kale.  Return the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the kale is wilted.  Makes 8 substantial servings.

We served this the first night with bread and pears and on leftover night added panini’s in the George Foreman grill.  If you don’t think you can eat all of it, freeze the extras and pull it out if you have a snow day!

Enjoy!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

My son had to be at the field house this morning at 4:45 am to leave for a wrestling meet in Johnson City, Tennessee.  It’s a bad mother moment but I will not be driving all the way to Tennessee to watch him wrestle.  I’ll be the tech savvy mom and text him periodically through the day to let him know I’m thinking about him and to also assuage my guilt!

I knew he did not need to eat breakfast that early so wanted to send him with something he could eat later on the bus.  I often use a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for events like this but the boys will be eating sandwiches all day.  I asked my son whether he would like banana or apple muffins and after some inner debate he declared BOTH.  Not two separate batches but something mixed with both.  He didn’t take to the idea that I didn’t have a recipe; I guess I was flattered by his confidence that I could come up with something without a recipe.  So I stayed up late and created my own Banana-Apple Muffins.  This made 18 muffins and each muffin came up to about 120 calories.

Banana-Apple Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and melt 1/4 cup light butter sticks (I used Smart Balance).  In a mixer, add the melted butter, 3 medium mashed bananas, 2/3 cup fat-free buttermilk and 1/3 cup fat free plain greek yogurt.  Blend together and then add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Mix thoroughly.

To the mixer add 1 cup all-purpose flour (yes, I did it), 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mix just until everything is blended.  Gently mix in 2 peeled, chopped apples.

Divide the mixture into muffin tins.  Sprinkle the tops with a little cinnamon-sugar if you like.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack then eat up!

I did have a little all-purpose flour that I mixed in these muffins; I usually try to stick with all whole wheat flour and will try the next batch with only the healthier option.  I just love muffins and am very excited to have another kid-pleasing recipe.  The final description from the tween was the muffins had a little banana taste but mostly apple – a winner she said!  Let me know if you have any suggestions for my new recipe!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

The days are getting colder here in Asheville.  We finally had our first snow day off school for this year – later than usual.  I am as giddy as any kid when I wake up and get a day off; we still have to make them all up but the first few days off are a fun treat!  Soup and stew and chili are staples for this time of year.

In the Healthy Cooking magazine for January I found a recipe for Quinoa Turkey Chili.  I have been trying to convince myself to try quinoa for a while now – it is so very good for you!  Quinoa is a nutty tasting grain that is a complete protein and full of all kinds of vitamins.  For a complete list of the glorious attributes of quinoa check out this page for the world’s healthiest foods – their claim not mine.  This chili seemed like the safest start for this food adventure.

Besides quinoa, this chili has ground turkey, black beans, corn, and zucchini.  It is seasoned with chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  If you have never used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, you find them in a can in the mexican section.  For this recipe you need one pepper and one tablespoon of sauce – that is just the sauce in the can.  Use what you need and then freeze the rest in small sections.  I have frozen them in baggies with 2 peppers and some sauce in each but this Christmas my sister-in-law pureed our leftover chilis and froze them in ice cube trays.  The individual cubes are about one tablespoon and I used one cube for this recipe.  They have a smoky flavor and a little spice but if the tween and I could handle it, everyone can!

There is a little juggling going on with this recipe – cooking the quinoa in one pot while the rest of the chili is in another.  It was so wonderfully good that the pot washing was worth it! Disclaimer: my husband is the pot washer and he agreed it was worth it.  The tween commented on how much she liked the texture of the quinoa .  This makes 9 servings so it would be good for a crowd or freeze some and pull it out for a healthy lunch.

Quinoa Turkey Chili

Rinse 1 cup quinoa – this is important to get any of the bitter coating off.  Mix the quinoa and 2 cups of water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 12- 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.  Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat.  Coat with cooking spray and add 1 pound of lean ground turkey, 1 large chopped sweet onion, 1 medium chopped red bell pepper and 4 minced cloves of garlic.  Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.  Drain any excess fat.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  Cook for 2 minutes longer.

Add the following to the turkey mixture: two 15-ounce cans of drained and rinsed black beans, 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 chopped medium zucchini, 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt , 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 and 1/2 cups of water.  Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of thawed frozen corn and the quinoa then heat through.  Discard the bay leaf.

The recipe calls for 1/4 cup chopped cilantro to be stirred in at the end but the kids at this house do not like cilantro.  They are good about so many other food things, that I will gladly serve it on the side.  We also dropped a dollop of sour cream on ours and served the chili with homemade corn bread.  So good!

Please share your favorite quinoa recipe – I would love to see more!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and had time to spend with family and friends.  In our family, the majority of them come to my house for the days before and during Christmas.  This makes me in charge of the kitchen!  I tried a few new things this year…note to self,  try some of these new recipes before putting them on the Christmas menu.  Live and learn – my family is wonderful and all was fine.

This year we saved our famous Christmas rice for later in the holidays when all of us would be together.  This recipe comes from my sister-in-law and I searching for a new, healthy side dish many years ago – one that did not incorporate the Southern Trifecta of bacon, butter and cheese.  We put a few different recipes together, the basis of this one coming from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  This recipe feeds LOTS of people -  a few leftovers with our group of 14 -  and is served at room temperature so is a perfect dish to bring to a potluck or put out on a buffet.  The mixture of dried cranberries and sweet bell pepper and pecans with both brown and wild rice give a dish with a variety of textures and tastes.

Christmas Rice

Cook 14 ounces of brown rice in 4 cups of chicken broth.  We use 1 entire box of Uncle Ben’s Fast and Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice.  At the same time, cook 2 ounces of wild rice – follow the directions on the box.  Plan ahead, the wild rice takes about an hour.  While the rice cooks, dice one large yellow bell pepper and 4 scallions (include 3 inches of the green part).  Also, chop and toast 1/2 cup pecans.

When both rices are cooked and still warm, mix the rices, bell pepper, scallions, pecans, and one cup of dried sweetened cranberries in a large bowl.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, the juice of 1 medium lemon, and the juice of 1 small orange (this year we used a clementine cutie).  Toss the rice mixture with the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.  You can also add fresh chopped parsley if you have any for additional brightness.

A crowd pleaser!  The textures and flavors match well with ham and turkey and we have also served it with a beautiful, stuffed pork tenderloin.  I have enjoyed the left overs also.

Just an additional note:  all of the beautiful pottery I use to show off my food is made by my mother.  She has been making pottery for only a few years but is truly exceptional at making lovely, functional pieces.  When her website is up and running, I will pass it on!

~ The Mildly Manic Mom