Vegetable Barley Risotto

Do you remember my Vegetable Risotto recipe?  The one that I told you was delicious and healthy, with the exception that white rice has limited nutritional value?  And then I said that I was going to make it with barley instead?  Well, as you've probably figured out by now, I did it!  I finally got around to getting some pearled barley and found the time to stir a pot of risotto at the end of a very busy weekend. 

All I did was replace the arborio rice with pearled barley and kept everything else about the recipe the same.  The cooking time was a little longer, but otherwise the method works.  And the result was worth the time - this variation is delicious!   I do have to admit, if you are expecting a replica of traditional risotto, this is not it - the barley has a much stronger flavor and chewier texture, but you do still get the creaminess and all of the other flavors in the original.  And the health difference is amazing.  I usually focus more on ingredient lists than nutrition labels, but in this case the nutrient difference is so obvious:  for a 160 calorie serving (1/4 cup dry), arborio rice has no fiber and 3 grams of protein, whereas pearled barley has 8 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein!  Just think of all of the other nutrients not captured on the label that remain with the grain when all of the healthy parts aren't stripped away.

So I am convinced - with apologies to the traditional Italian cuisine that I love so dearly, barley risotto is the way of the future in my home!

Garbanzo Burgers

Here we go with another recipe from my Weelicious list!  While I often have a hard time eating whole beans because of the texture, once they are mashed up or pureed I am happy to indulge.  Which makes these Garbanzo Burgers a great way to add more legumes to my diet.  I first made this a few months back, pre-blog, but wanted to make it again so that I could get a photo for you all :).  The burgers are so flavorful that you really can't tell there are beans in there, they come together really easily, and they got rave reviews both times I made them (from hubby and me; the munchkin is still a bit skeptical).  Plus, they are packed with healthy ingredients.  In my home that make this recipe a winner, and I'm happy to have another vegetarian meal to add to the rotation.

I served them on a bun with avocado, tomato (a big tomato would have been better, but as you can see I only had grape tomatoes at home so those worked in a pinch!) and a lemon yogurt sauce.  But feel free to take liberties - I'm sure there are tons of way these can be enjoyed!

Garbanzo Burgers
adapted from Weelicious

1 15 Oz. Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Small Carrot, cut into chunks
1 Garlic Clove
1 Small Onion, cut into chunks
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 Tsp Sesame Seeds
Oil (up to 1 tbsp)

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Move mixture to a bowl and stir in bread crumbs and sesame seeds. 

Heat oil in a large saute pan (or spray a large skillet) over medium heat.  Place approximately 1/4 cup of the mixture in your hands (I used the 1/3 cup measure that was out for the bread crumbs and didn't quite fill it), and form into a patty.  Place on hot pan and repeat to make 8 patties.

Cook the patties for approximately 5 minutes on each side, reducing the heat when you flip them or if they are browning too quickly.

Makes 8 patties

Banana Pumpkin Oat Muffins

Back in December, I told you about the Pumpkin Bran Muffins that I made for the day after Thanksgiving: I liked the texture, but wasn't happy with the flavor, presumably because I didn't put in the full amounts of spices.  Well, I'm sad to report that after trying them a second time and sticking to the recipe, I'm still not happy with the taste.  Hubby and the munchkin also didn't love them, so I need to find a new pumpkin muffin recipe!

The next stop is Sweet + Natural.  She has 2 pumpkin muffin recipes: the first one, Spiced Pumpkin Honey Muffins, looks delicious but has more sugar (honey) than I'm looking for in a muffin recipe.  Her Pumpkin Banana Oat Muffins, on the other hand, have less sugar and have the added benefit of more fruit, flax seeds (go omega-3's!), and oats!  Since I like muffins to be a truly wholesome snack, not a dessert, my choice of which to try first was easy.

And overall, these were a success!  They are moist, flavorful, and hardy, although in my opinion the banana was a stronger flavor than the pumpkin (which is why I changed the name around), so I don't quite have a pumpkin muffin recipe yet.  This was my first time cooking with flax seed meal, and I'm so excited to have a good recipe.  The only thing I might change is to use quick cooking oats (I used rolled) because the oats did stay a little crunchy, but they also add some texture which isn't a bad thing.  Hubby, who is generally opposed to all things pumpkin, said that they are good but he'd probably like them even better if they had raisins or nuts in them - he's a fan of muffins that are filled with "stuff" :)  But he can stick to his favorite granola muffins if he wants because the munchkin and I are gobbling these up just the way they are!

Banana Pumpkin Oat Muffins
adapted from Sweet + Natural

Dry Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup oats
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

"Wet" Ingredients
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup flax seed meal
2/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a separate, larger bowl whisk together "wet" ingredients (flax seed meal isn't really wet, but for some reason it goes in that bucket!) until well blended.  Add dry ingredients to large bowl and stir until just combined. 

Fill each muffin cup to be about 3/4 full, and bake 15 minutes for mini-muffins and 20 minutes for regular muffins.

Makes approx 30 mini or 15 regular muffins (I got 24 mini + 3 regular)

Double Broccoli Quinoa

In the world of grains, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a winner.  It is easy to cook (similar to rice but faster), has the nutritional benefits of being a whole grain, and is even a complete protein (most grains are missing a couple of the essential amino acids, which means that while they are good protein sources, you need to ensure you are eating foods with complementary amino acids to get everything you need.  For example, rice and beans are a perfect combination because the beans include amino acids that rice lacks).  Sadly, a few years back I tried making it a few times and just couldn't get excited about the taste - I found it to be boring and a little bitter.  Well, that was before I realized that you can toss it with pesto (in this case, broccoli almond)!  I just came across this recipe for Double Broccoli Quinoa on 101 Cookbooks, and it is delicious.  Remember I told you that hubby declared our recent Avocado Lentil Salad to be one of his favorites?  Well, this quinoa dish may have topped that. 

What's even more exciting than this recipe just being wholesome and delicious (as if that's not enough!) is that after years of thinking that no meal is complete without a piece of meat, I am finding that vegetarian meals can be totally satisfying.  We ate this topped with slivered almonds and feta cheese with some toasted bread on the side, and it was a great dinner.  The original recipe recommends avocado as another topping, and I think that would taste great, too!  Feel free to be creative with this one...you could probably even add some dried fruit if you want to make it more like a salad.  We enjoyed it warm for dinner, and I just had it cold for lunch, so it's also versatile from a temperature perspective.  Let me know if you come up with any other ideas that work well, as I'm sure I'll be making this again many times!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups broth (or water)

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and stems

Pesto
2-3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup grated romano cheese
2 big pinches of salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approx. 1/2 large lemon)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (or less) broth

Toppings (optional)
Feta or goat cheese, avocado, toasted slivered almonds, extra pesto

Cook the quinoa according to package directions, using broth or water.

Lightly steam the broccoli by bringing 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium pot and adding the broccoli, leaving it in there covered for 2-3 minutes.  I needed to stir a couple of times to get the raw edge off of the whole batch.  Transfer to a strainer and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Make pesto by pureeing 2 cups of the cooked broccoli with garlic, almonds, romano, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Drizzle in olive oil and then add additional broth until smooth.

Toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli with about half of the pesto*, adding more if necessary.  Top with any toppings you are using.

Makes about 4 servings.

* You could, of course, just make less pesto, but having some extra in my fridge to toss with pasta later this week is pretty exciting!

Mac & Cheese (with Squash!)

It should be clear by now that Kraft Mac & Cheese, as yummy as it might be, is not something I'd consider cooking for my family (sodium tripoly-phosphate? yellow 5 AND 6?).  I have made the Annie's Organic Whole Wheat Shells & White Cheddar, and while I feel ok about the ingredient list, it just doesn't taste all that good.  So that led me to a quest for a home-made version that's not too unhealthy or hard to make. 

I started with this one from Smitten Kitchen, which had the appeal of not requiring me to boil the pasta OR make a cheese sauce first!  Unfortunately, it was too good to be true...the dish came out more like pasta with some melted cheese on it, and was greasy instead of creamy.  Even Deb at Smitten Kitchen later posted another mac & cheese recipe after deciding this super-easy one wasn't up to her standards!  I considered giving that one a try, but making croutons for the topping sounded a bit ambitious (remember, my cooking is SIMPLY wholesome!) and a pound and a half of cheese plus a stick of butter for a pound of pasta seemed a bit excessive.

So I went back to Ellie Krieger, the queen of lightening up traditional favorites.  A few years back I made her mac & cheese recipe for my in-laws, but couldn't really remember if I liked it.  Time to try again!  Well, I am very happy with the results.  This recipe is way more wholesome - there is only roughly a half pound of cheese for a pound of pasta, a ratio I think is much more reasonable, and she managed to include a vegetable for some added nutrients.  Plus, it is actually really tasty!  Let me be clear - this is not the ooey gooey mac & cheese with the buttery crust that you would get in a restaurant.  But if you are looking for a healthier version, this one is very enjoyable.  The squash actually helps create a creamy consistency and adds a little sweetness, which is balanced by the mustard and cayenne.  It tasted good right out of the oven, and then again on day 2 reheated in the microwave, so it's also a nice dish to have in the fridge.

Mac & Cheese (with Squash!)
adapted from Food Network

Non-stick spray
1 pound whole wheat pasta (elbow, or I used spirals because I couldn't find whole wheat elbows)
2 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups 1 percent milk
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded, reserving 1/2 cup for topping
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is the original amount, which does not add a ton of heat, so feel free to add more if you prefer a good amount of spice)
2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons grated parmesan or romano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but firm (subtract about 2 minutes from the cooking time on the box).  Drain in a colander when cooked.

Meanwhile, place frozen squash on a microwave-safe plate, cut slits in plastic, and microwave 4-6 minutes until completely thawed.  This is also a good time to shred the cheese if you bought blocks, collect the rest of the ingredients, and start making the topping (combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons parmesan/romano, and oil in a small bowl).

Once the pasta is in the colander and the squash is thawed, add squash and milk to the empty pot.  Cook over medium-low heat, whisking a few times,  until mixture is smooth and almost simmering.  (Finish making the topping while it cooks if you haven't already).  Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese (except the 1/2 cup reserved cheddar and 2 tablespoons of parmesan/romano), salt, mustard and cayenne pepper.  Add the pasta and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.

Sprinkle the reserved half cup of cheddar over the mac & cheese, followed by the bread crumb mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and broil for 3 minutes or until the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Serves 8 as a side dish or lunch portion

Avocado Lentil Salad

As I've already mentioned, I really like Michael Pollan's philosophy on food and eating, and have been trying to make changes in my life to "eat food, not too much, mostly plants."  The "eat food" part I'm in good shape with, as you can probably tell by my blog!  But "not too much", well, that's a bit of a struggle.  Most of the first year of the munchkin's life was spent nursing and pushing a stroller around Manhattan, which basically meant I could eat as much as I wanted and STILL lose the babyweight!  Unfortunately that's starting to catch up with me, so I've had to set some guidelines for myself - 3 meals a day + 2 small snacks, no eating the munchkin's leftovers (a tough one since I feed her such yummy food!), no seconds, and a very small dessert (e.g., a few bites of good dark chocolate).  It's been a week, and so far so good!

The "mostly plants" part is a bit of a challenge, too.  Grains and potatoes are easy, but eating vegetables and legumes is not something that comes naturally to me, and I've had to work very hard over the last few years to even remember to include vegetables in my meal planning (thank you hubby for the reminders!).  But I'm even more committed now, which means I'm always on the lookout for hardy meals that don't include meat.  Lentils are really high in protein and fiber, so they make a great meat replacement.  I've already shared my lentil soup recipe, but another way I've found to enjoy lentils is as a salad.  I first tried this recipe from Food Network, which came out delicious (I will share my modifications another time!). 

It turns out Weelicious has a couple of lentil salads, too - one of them includes avocado, which sounded really yummy to me, so I decided to give it a try.  The main change I made was to add pistachios because there were nuts in the Food Network recipe, and I really liked the combination.  The result?  Big hit, especially with hubby who called it one of his favorites!  The creaminess of the avocado with the lemony dressing really worked well, and what a great way to eat so many healthy foods!

The only thing I struggle with is how to eat this as a main course - I served it with a green salad (using the other half of a lemon to make a quick vinaigrette) and some grainy bread, but I'd love to hear any other suggestions you might have!

Avocado Lentil Salad
adapted from Weelicious

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (this was the amount in an 8 ounce package of pre-coooked black beluga lentils from Trader Joe's)
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch squares (this is most easily done if you cut the avocado while still in the skin, and then scoop out with a spoon)
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to combine.  Serve!

Makes 2-4 servings, depending on what you're serving it with and if my hubby is present

Turkey Meatloaf Mini-Bites

A few years ago, when the munchkin was just a far off idea in my head, I came across a blog called Weelicious, which has tons of baby/toddler/kid-friendly recipes.  Even then I loved the idea of being able to cook wholesome, home-made food for my future kids, so I filed the site in the back of my mind until the time was right.  Once the munchkin started on solids, I combed Weelicious and noted all of the recipes that I wanted to try - there are tons! - and am slowly working my way through.  Little did I know that the recipes are adult-friendly, too, and I could have been trying out this food all along!  Well, lesson learned, and hubby and I are thoroughly enjoying some of the ideas we've gotten from Weelicious (Banana Wheat Germ Muffins, Carrot-Zucchini Pancakes, Mini-Cornbread Muffins, and Pumpkin Butter to name a few!). 

My latest creation was the Weelicious Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites, and wow, am I ever sad I didn't try these sooner.  They are so moist and delicious!  I made only a couple of changes - hubby and I don't like red pepper, so I left out the pepper and garlic (didn't think it was necessary) and added a little extra onion to compensate.  I think they had exactly the right amount of flavor, and the cheese is such a great addition - they almost taste more like meatballs than meatloaf, but still went perfectly with mashed potatoes and string beans.  And the best part?  Even the munchkin enthusiastically ate almost an entire mini-bite!  I can't wait to stock my freezer with a bunch of these to pull out for easy dinners for all of us.

Turkey Meatloaf Mini-Bites
adapted from Weelicious

1 zucchini, cut into chunks (or 3/4 cup of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained)
3/4 cup onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup carrots, cut in chunks
1 egg
1 tbsp worsteshire sauce
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (whole wheat, if possible, or at least ones without partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb ground turkey (white meat only or white/dark mix)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray or grease a nonstick mini-muffin tin* with vegetable oil.

Place all of the ingredients except the turkey in a food processor.  Pulse until everything is finely chopped and well mixed.  Place the ground turkey and vegetable mixture in a bowl and mix throughly with your hands.

Distribute mixture into prepared muffin tin.  I used a 3 tbsp scoop and the cups were filled nearly to the top.  Smooth down the tops with the back of a spoon.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the meatloaf mini-bites are cooked through.

Makes 24 mini-bites
 
*Making these in a mini-muffin tin was part of the appeal for me (hubby insists that I am absolutely obsessed with my mini-muffin tin, and I think he's right!). It makes them the perfect portion for little ones, and they are fun for adults, too. But if you don't have a mini-muffin tin or don't like this idea, you can certainly make these in a regular muffin tin, loaf pan, or in whatever shape you want on a baking sheet - you'll just have to adjust the cooking time.