Featured Product- Heirloom Squash

My parents planted this heirloom squash in their garden and it was so good. See the bulb at the bottom? That's where the seeds were so that long swan neck had no seeds in it, just thick butter flesh. It was amazing and it made great soup! It's great in lasagna as well. No stringy middles, no big seeds, just nice meaty flesh! (Actually there are seeds in the bulb at the bottom but the long neck has no seeds.) It didn't have a name other than "heirloom squash" on the seed packet. They purchased the seeds from Azure Standard. I hope to plant these in the future.

Does anyone recognize this squash? We are calling it the swan squash.

*UPDATE: I finally found out the name of this squash. It's a variety of zucchini. It's called ZUCCHINO RAMPICANTE. It is one of my very favorites now! Yum!

Did You Know?

I'm starting a new feature/category for this blog called "Did You Know?" I hope you enjoy it. My first "did you know?" has to do with the season and the garden. We just had our first freeze of the season two nights ago and then it froze again the next night. Paying attention to the weather reports during this time of year is crucial when you have a garden. So, if you know a freeze is coming,

DID YOU KNOW that you can pick all of your green tomatoes even though they haven't turned red yet and they will ripen inside your house sitting out on the counter? Yep, most veggies and fruits won't ripen much more after picking them but tomatoes will. Even the small ones. They of course aren't as good as vine-ripened but at least you can get the last of your crop in.

side note- root veggies usually are safe during a freeze if you are pressed for time. Their tops will blacken and die with a freeze but the ground hasn't usually frozen in the first frost. So, you still have time to go gather up your root veggies over the next few days.

Anyone else have a tip for frost season?

Fried Rice

This is so easy to make and pretty darn healthy. I use brown rice which makes it even better for you. I can see why this is a staple in so many other countries. It's also a great way to use up leftovers.

4 cups leftover refrigerated rice
1 diced onion
oil (olive oil or coconut oil)
2 eggs
2-4 tbsp soy sauce to taste
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper
garlic (1 minced clove or a dash of powder)
leftover veggies (peas, corn, chopped spinach, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, etc.)

Saute the cold rice, onion, and veggies in oil. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic. Push rice mixture to the side and crack eggs into the skillet, blending them as they cook. Serve.

Notes-
In the pictures I used spinach and green beans. This was not a big hit with the kids. They liked it better the next time I made it with carrots and corn. Use whatever sounds good to you. My husband and I really like this new dish.

Chow Mein

I wanted to attempt to make a Panda Express Chow Mein Noodles copycat and although I didn't have all the right ingredients on hand, this turned out so good. My husband was loving it and begged for all the leftovers. My kids loved it and I loved it. Yum. Here's what I came up with.
(Oh, and the pictures are from a few different times that I've made it until I had perfected it.)


1 package soba noodles (these are found in the Asian cooking isle)
1 can mung bean sprouts or 1 1/2 cups fresh mung sprouts
1 cup fresh snow peas
2 cups chopped cabbage (either Napa Cabbage or Bok Choy)
1/2 a diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves

(optional to add sliced mushrooms, diced bell pepper, etc.)

salt, pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp soy sauce (we prefer 2 tbsp)
olive oil

Directions: Saute all the veggies and beans in the oil. Cook the soba noodles in a pot of boiling water according to package directions. Once noodles are done cooking, drain and add to the sauteing veggies. Add seasonings and soy sauce. (Don't add too much salt because the soy sauce will be salty.) Pour more olive oil over the sauteing noodles and veggies. Saute the noodles with the veggies for a few minutes and serve.

Notes:
Not very healthy when it comes to the noodles since I'm yet to find whole grain soba noodles. But with the olive oil, organic high quality soy sauce, and all the veggies, this is pretty good for you! Of course, I haven't been able to find all of these ingredients organic so this is one of those "not eating the way we should be meals" that happens from time to time. You could easily substitute coconut oil for the olive oil which I plan to do next time, making this an even healthier dish. This is going to be one of our new vegetarian meals because it was such a big hit.

I've been making fried rice too and I'll share that recipe soon.


Anyone know where to get whole grain soba noodles or a healthier alternative? I'd love to know!

Homemade Potato Salad

I made this up and it's soooooooooooooooo good. I think someone was asking for a recipe earlier this summer so I apologize for it being past the summer season but it's also a great dish for football season! =0) I wanted to create a potato salad that tasted like my Great-Aunt June's like I remember as a small child and watching her make it in the kitchen of her enormous house with an elevator. I think I successfully mastered it!

8 peeled and cubed yukon gold potatoes
8 hard boiled eggs
1/2 a diced onion
3 diced celery stalks
2 diced whole kosher dill pickles
2 cans sliced olives
1 cup mayo plus more till moist
heavy squirt of mustard (about 3 tbsp)
a douse of the pickle juice (secret ingredient!)
salt and pepper to taste (about 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)

Boil the potatoes just till tender. Yukons are the easiest to digest but they also are a very buttery potato (making them a great choice for potato salad) so they can fall apart easily if cooked too long. Drain and run cold water over them till cooled completely. Refridgerate till chilled through. Peel and chop hard boiled eggs (be sure they are chilled ahead of time as well). Mix all the ingredients together.

Garden Fresh Tomatoes

I wish I had planted about 10 tomato plants or maybe even more. These were so good and when it came to making pasta sauce I could have used a ton more tomatoes to supply us with pasta sauce till next season. We also cut these up for salads but would eat them as we were cutting them. There is nothing like a garden fresh tomato! It doesn't even taste like a store bought tomato.These are our Early Girl tomatoes. For some reason the bees didn't like our heirloom Mr. Stripey plant and refused to pollinate it. I even tried to manually pollinate the plant but it didn't work. We were so disappointed but maybe next time.

Some ideas for using Kale

Here's a good post about some ways to use Kale as a pesto. Check it out.

Using Radish

A friend and I were talking the other day about ways we can use radishes. She threw out a few ideas and I decided I would challenge myself to come up with some more ways to use radishes in our diet. Not only are they healthy (lots of vit. C) they are easy to grow during the spring and fall.....

whole dipped in your favorite dip
in coleslaw
in green salad
in three bean salad
in potato salad
in pasta salad
in texas caviar salad
in soups
blended in dip
in rice salad
on sandwiches
grilled radishes
as a soup (using the tops even!)
in asian lettuce wraps
in crab salad
in chicken salad sandwiches
in tuna salad sandwich
in egg salad sandwich
steamed as a side dish
served mixed with other veggies like green beans
in cucumber or tomato (quinoa) salads

I can't wait to try some of these.

Anyone else have ideas or recipes they love using radishes?????

Gourmet Veggie Wrap

My good friend (who needs to start a cooking blog) made me lunch one day this summer and it was so good! She's a health nut like me and she always finds and makes the most amazing food! This recipe was from a magazine (one that I'd like to start getting a subscription to EatingWell) and one day I tried to make a copy-cat version using what I had on hand. Here is my take on it but below you can link to the original recipe. Now I love using the bean/avocado spread for just about any sandwich or wrap.

1 can or 1 1/2 cups cooked white northern beans
1 avocado mashed
1/4 tsp taco seasoning
dash of salt
dash of pepper
sprinkle of garlic powder
pinch of dried minced onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp poppyseed dressing
2 tbsp italian dressing

Mash the beans and avocado together. Spread the bean/avocado mixture on the tortilla/wrap. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Make it into a wrap using any of the following...

tomatoes, spinach, red bell pepper, olives optional.....
whole wheat tortilla or other wrap

This is SO GOOD!


link to original recipe

Sweet Potato Fries

My kids and husband WILL eat sweet potatoes this way and no other way....I love them like this too.

Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Steam till crisp tender. Toss with olive oil, garlic, and salt. Put under broiler till browned. Serve with fry sauce.

Fry Sauce:
mayo and ketchup mixed together.

Salad Bar Wrap

When my salad bar gets low and there isn't much left, I dump it all in a skillet and grill it......throw in some spinach and then lay it on a tortilla with some cheese if you want, sprinkle with some garlic and salt and you've got yourself a salad bar wrap.

Some items that might be in my salad bar leftovers:
diced red, yellow, and orange bell pepper
diced radish
sliced olives
chopped tomatoes
chopped avocado
diced onion
sauteed in olive oil
hand full of spinach

pictured with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper

BBQ Kabobs

It's BBQ season and one of my favorite things to BBQ is kabobs. They are easier than they look. I used to make them more complicated than they had to be but with a simplified version I can whip these up for dinner in about an hour start to table and the reward is great.

For these chicken kabobs I used:
1 can chunks of pineapple
1 container baby bell mushrooms (washed and halved)
2 large bell peppers or 7 minis cut into large chunks
3 chicken breasts cut in large cubes
onion (if desired)
Maui Mountain Teriyaki Sauce (original or pineapple)

Skewer the meat, veggies, and pineapple randomly. Brush with teriyaki sauce. BBQ for a few minutes just until meat is cooked through but still tender (be careful not to over cook the small pieces of meat). Brush again after cooking or serve with individual dipping teriyaki sauce.

Serve with coconut rice.

Healthy Quesadillas

Chop up fresh spinach and sliced avocados to add to your quesadillas.

You can also try adding:
a sprinkle of ground flax seed
a sprinkle of wheat germ
chopped cooked broccoli
chopped cooked cauliflower
chopped sauteed kale
chopped fresh onion
sliced fresh leeks
a few beans
a little corn
some cooked lentils
some sauteed sliced cabbage
or some rinsed sauerkraut

Robin's Pasta Sauce

I've been wanting to make my own pasta sauce for quite some time and so the experimenting began. But one day I was at a friend's house and she had this sauce cooking in her crock-pot and gave me a taste. Oh my was it good! I begged, pleaded, got on my knees, wept tears of envy as I petitioned her to please share her recipe with me. She was very kind and said that yes, I could have it AND I asked her permission to share it with all of you. Now, Robin doesn't have a blog otherwise I'd be pointing you to her blog but she IS a blog reader so feel free to comment on this post and thank her for this recipe if you like it. She made this up herself and well, as her sauce implies, she's a great cook. Not only is SHE a great cook (and I know this because I've enjoyed tasting her cooking several times) but her husband is also a great cook! (Sorry if I'm embarrassing you guys, but truly Bill, you and Robin make quite the culinary couple!) I used the same begging tactics to get a copy of Bill's chocolate bread pudding recipe that was incredible....so I'll have to ask them if I can share that on here too. It's time for Bill and Robin to open a restaurant or at least start a cooking blog! =0) hint hint.

Robin uses all fresh ingredients from her summer garden to make this recipe and then she freezes it in her deep freeze in canning jars. I have a very large deep freeze as well and seeing that I hate the time and energy it takes to can, I loved the idea of freezing it. BUT you can surely can it as well if that is your preference. If you are freezing it, be sure to leave room at the top of the jar for expansion like in my picture above. Do not fill them all the way.

I didn't have fresh garden produce to make this with so I converted most of the recipe for you to canned tomatoes and dried herbs. I have to admit that Robin's fresh version was better but that the canned and dried version still taste good and works well. This IS our new pasta sauce. I used the organic diced tomatoes from Costco and the organic tomato paste from Costco as well.

4 onions
4 garlic cloves (1 tsp garlic powder)
2 diced bell peppers
1/2 c olive oil
16 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 8 cans diced tomatoes -14.5 oz)
1/4 c fresh oregano (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c fresh basil (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c fresh parsley (or 1/8 c of dried crushed)
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp salt
2 6 oz cans tomato paste

Saute onion, garlic, peppers in olive oil. Combine everything in crock-pot. Cook 2-3 hours on low. Stir often. Then let cool. Put in canning jars and freeze.

Other Info-
-My kids aren't crazy about the chunky tomatoes (which I personally love!) so when I'm going to use a jar of sauce I pour it first into our blender to puree it and then the kids love it.

-This recipe makes about 5 large canning jar sizes. It also fits in my 6 qt crock-pot and I don't know how well it would fit in a 5 qt. but you could try it. There was a little room in my 6 qt still. My picture shows 4 jars because we used about 1 jars worth for dinner that night.


Differences-
-Robin doesn't add the tomato paste until she is ready to use a jar of the sauce. When she is heating it to use, then she adds 1-2 cans of the paste for one jar of sauce. I put 2 cans of paste into the original ingredients when it was cooking in the crock-pot and don't add anymore paste when I use a jar.

-I also rounded Robin's original recipe of 3/4 tsp of pepper up to 1 tsp.

-One of the times I made it, I added more sugar because the canned tomatoes just aren't as sweet as garden fresh ones. So I made it with 1/2 c organic sugar instead of 1/4 c.

-Robin uses green bell peppers, I use red bell peppers. (I use red because they are easier to digest and they are packed with nutrients and it's a sneaky way to get them into my kids who don't want to eat them otherwise.) You can use any color bell pepper that you prefer.

Potato Leek Soup

I wanted to make yet another healthy soup and since leeks are super good for you and my kids love potatoes I thought I'd make up my own version of potato leek soup in hopes that they would like it with leeks.

6 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
2 leeks washed and sliced (white part and light green only)
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 box chicken broth
2 c water
1/2 c milk
2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (at least 2 tsp of salt)

I made this in the crock-pot by first cooking the potatoes and leeks in the water till tender. You can also use the same method just in a pot on the stove. Once the potatoes and leeks are very tender, scoop them and the water into your blender or food processor and puree them. Pour them back into your pot or crock-pot and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well when adding the cheese so that it doesn't stick in clumps. You can also toss the grated cheese in a few tbsp of flour to coat it and it won't clump when you add it to the soup. Simmer on the stove for about 45 min. or cook on low in crock-pot for a few hours.

Top with croutons or chopped herbs.

My kids absolutely loved this despite my worries.

Mashpotato Soup

I came up with this easy and healthier potato soup out of leftovers we had on hand. Instead of a creamy potato soup that is high in fat, this one uses no milk or cream at all (other than what is already in the mashed potatoes). And, you can make it in the crock-pot if you want to.

It's a broth based soup with lots of veggies and mashed potatoes to thicken it. My kids loved it and it's a keeper!

2 cups mashed potatoes
3 large carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced
1/2 - 1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 box chicken broth
1 diced potato
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
2 cups water

Saute veggies in olive oil with garlic and onion until all are tender. Add broth, water, and all seasonings. Simmer for about 20 min. Add mashed potatoes and stir till blended and heated through.

Frost on the Pumpkin

It's looking like I won't get that caramel pumpkin pie made in time to post it on here before Thanksgiving. But if it turns out well I'll post it afterwards because it would be nice for any fall day. Meantime, here's something else.

I made this recipe a few years back for Thanksgiving as a treat for the kiddos and so I wanted to share it with you. I'm afraid it isn't healthy other than the pumpkin! But it's a yummy treat that's for sure. I got this recipe from a friend, Lynn. Thanks Lynn! I still love this little dip.

1 can vanilla frosting
8 oz. sour cream
1 can pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
8 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
Ginger Snaps

Mix all ingredients together (except Ginger Snaps of course!) and chill until ready to serve. Serve with Ginger Snaps as a dip!

When I made this I served it up in a little pumpkin just like the one pictured. The one pictured isn't this exact recipe but you get the idea.

Two Beef Pot Pies

You can make these pot pies with regular pie crust or you can use phyllo dough as a healthier option. These directions are for the phyllo crust version. If using pie crust just pour the filling into an unbaked pie crust and top with another pie crust.

Filling:
3-4 cups cooked meat
6 yukon gold potatoes or 3 large russet bakers
2 c chopped carrots
3 celery stalks
1/2 a chopped onion
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
olive oil

Gravy:
You can make a gravy out of the meat juices using butter, flour, the juices and water as needed. Be generous with the gravy amount because the pie will soak some of it up and you want some gravy with it when it's served.

If you don't have the juices from your meat cooking, you can make a simple beef gravy by using these ingredients:
2 beef bullion
4 cups water
no salt (because the bullion is high in salt already)
pepper
garlic

Pie Crust:
1 package phyllo dough...about 10-15 layered sheets for each pie.


Using a clean counter space, layer the phyllo dough spritzing it with olive oil in-between each sheet of dough. Be sure to separate each sheet of thin phyllo. It's a good idea to have another spray bottle of water to spritz the dough to keep it moist. If it starts to dry it will get crispy and you won't be able to fold it. It will just crumble. So, keep it moist.....another idea is to lay a wet cheese cloth or towel over it till you are ready to use it. Lay the phyllo dough sheets in alternately turned directions so that you get a large pile that will cover a pie dish well.

Cook the meat, set aside. Cook the veggies and seasonings in the olive oil (top list of ingredients) until cooked. Add the meat to this mixture. Make the gravy and add the gravy to the meat and veggie mixture.




Place the phyllo pie crust that you made into a sprayed pie plate. This recipe will make enough for TWO pies. Once filled, fold over the phyllo dough that is hanging over the edge. Spray the top with olive oil.












Bake 350 degrees for approx. 30 min.
Freeze the other pie uncooked for another night.

Hubbard Squash

I'd never cooked or eaten a hubbard squash before so this is a first.

Cut the thing in half..which is not easy to do.

Scrape out the insides and steam like you would any other squash or put in your crock for 6 hours on low. This turned out yummy just like other squash. =0)



Serve with brown sugar and butter.

Beets

Beets are good. Red beets stain. But beets are good. =0)

High in iron, beets are worth cooking. Wash them, cut off the ends, and then steam them with the skins on till fork tender. Once cool enough to handle, skins peel off with ease..in fact, they practically fall off. Serve them hot with butter and salt or let them cool and slice them for salads.

Instead of steaming them, cook them in your crock-pot on low for 4-6 hours or until fork tender.

(the beets pictured are red beets and white beets fresh from my dad's garden)