Pakistani Kima (or easy hamburger curry)

This recipe from the More With Less Cookbook is a staple at our house. And although our garden is long gone (cover crop is already growing!), I'm still using up tomatoes that continue to ripen. In this recipe, I substituted chopped garden tomatoes for cooked.

Pakistani Kima
from More With Less Cookbook

Saute in skillet:
3 T. oil (I use olive or coconut)
1 c. chopped onion (or less)
1 clove garlic, minced

Add
1 lb hamburger

Brown well. Stir in:
1 T. curry powder
1 1/2 t. salt
dash: pepper, cinnamon, ginger, tumeric (this combination is awesome!)
2 c. cooked tomatoes (I use garden, frozen, or canned)
2 potatoes, diced (I usually add more potatoes and a little extra liquid)
2 c. frozen peas or green beans

Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Serve over rice.

Easy Corn Chowder

Favorite recipe from my "college family"...

Corn Chowder

3 medium potatoes, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (I use 1/2 onion)

Add water to almost cover and cook til tender, about 15 minutes.

2 c. corn (I use frozen, thawed)
1, 12 oz can evaporated milk (I use regular)
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Add the above. Heat to boiling again.

2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water

Dissolve together. Add to soup, stirring til thickened. (I didn't do this yesterday and it was thick enough without it.) Fry/crumble 3 strips bacon and sprinkle over top before serving.

Easy, economical and good!

Cranberry Pear Salad

Favorite recipe from my sister-in-law. She often brings it to family gatherings...and gives me the leftovers. ;) We had it tonight with baked potatoes/toppings. It's similar to the Green Salad with Autumn Fruit I mentioned a few days ago.

Cranberry Pear Salad

lettuce
dried cranberries
pinenuts or sliced almonds
pear, cut into small chunks
feta cheese, optional

Toss together, amounts to taste.

**Dressing:

1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. oil
4 T. sugar
4 T. cider vinegar

Mix well and pour over salad when ready to serve.

(**I usually use less oil and sugar and more vinegar. But this is good, too.)

Green Salad with Autum Fruit

We had Green Salad with Autumn Fruit** for dinner alongside Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta. I had thirds on the salad. :) It's yummers!

I'd never tried the salad before, but decided to after the recipe came in my Simply in Season email. If you want a new recipe each week, sign up!

**I assume the link will only contain this recipe for a few more days?? Not sure.

Red Peppers, Broccoli, & Changing My Menus

I keep changing my mind.

I'm so happy when I make a weekly meal plan, but lately it seems fruitless...or perhaps fruit-filled veggie-filled????

I make the menu based on what's generally in season. But then when I go to the garden and find something either growing in huge abundance or at absolute peak, well, then...all plans go out the window. I'm changing my weekly menu to include the gorgeous, new lettuce growing at my parents' home. I need a couple more fixes of taco salad before winter. I definitely won't be buying lettuce then.



Gardening today? Red pepper and broccoli harvest. I left the green peppers to let them continue growing, but picked the red so they wouldn't get overripe. I've never had such an abundance of red peppers before. One was bigger than a softball.

Did you know that red peppers are just green peppers left to further ripen on the vine? I didn't until I started growing them. It's also the reason I've had trouble growing them...sometimes they rot before they turn all the way red. Or they don't have time to get fully ripe before the weather turns cold, which has NOT been a problem this year. If it stays this warm, I'll wish I'd planted a second garden. Here are the peppers ready for the freezer. I just slice and bag for pizza toppings, stirfry, etc.


With the broccoli, I cut into stalks and blanch (immerse in boiling water) for 3 minutes. Then plunge in cold water, drain, and spread on a towel to get a little more moisture off before bagging for the freezer. Great for stirfry or a quick side veggie.
Yesterday I planted one of our raised beds with lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, and bok choy, hoping that it grows all winter under glass. Still need to add kale, but ran out of seeds.

I came to a realization today. I have almost no recreational activities of my own. I occasionally read. I write my blog. But other than that, I think kids and gardening/food preservation are my recreation. A time for everything... :)

Garden Tomato Soup

After three canner loads of tomatoes, I still had a bowl left so I tried this recipe. I will definitely be making it again. Anakin's initial reaction was that it tasted bland. It probably is when compared to the highly processed, sodium-rich canned stuff from the store. That was my first reaction as well. But then I got seconds. And thirds. And made more today for lunch. If anyone knows a similar recipe that has been tested as safe for canning, I'd love to make some. Most of the on-line recipes I found for tomato soup look suspiciously unsafe and not up to current food safety standards.

GARDEN TOMATO SOUP

8 lg. vine ripened tomatoes
2 slices onion
1/2 bay leaf
2 c. water
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 whole cloves
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated

Immerse tomatoes in boiling hot water so skins can be easily removed. Cut in half, hold cut side down over strainer and squeeze gently to remove seeds. Chop tomatoes. Melt butter in deep heavy saucepan. Add onion, cook until soft; stir in cornstarch. Cook until it bubbles. Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaf and cloves; simmer until tomato is soft. Add water and salt. Cook 20 minutes. Force through strainer or food mill. Serve topped with cheese.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Green peppers are at a peak in my garden. Here's a yummy recipe from my mom...


Stuffed Green Peppers

5 peppers
Cut off tops and remove seeds & pulp. (My kids gather to eat strips left over from the raw tops.) Cook the pepper "shells" in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. (Recipe says 5 minutes...but I want them barely cooked and thought that was a bit long.)

1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 T. celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb hamburger
Cook these ingredients together.

1 c. cooked rice
1, 8oz can tomato sauce
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1 T. Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning (I subbed with pizza seasoning & dh LOVED it)
1/4 t. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Add this mixture to the hamburger mixture above. Stir til combined.

Fill peppers and place upright in baking dish. Cover only the bottom of the dish with boiling water. Bake 30-40 minutes until heated through.

Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

At this time of the year, I use Simply in Season almost exclusively. Last year, a friend pointed out a recipe I'd overlooked that has become a family favorite. Tonight they all ate so fast I had to fight my way to the bowl. I made a recipe and a half and it's almost gone.


Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

4 large cloves garlic, minced (I used garlic powder as my cloves were gone)
2 lbs tomatoes (chopped, seeded, and drained)
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. salt

Combine and let stand at room temperature, 1-2 hours.


Cook 1 pound pasta according to package directions. Combine hot pasta and sauce. Top with parmesan cheese. We also add cooked, chopped chicken. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Casserole (...or "Ketchup Toast for Lunch??")

Worked outside the home the past two days. Unusual. And exhausting for everyone. Lizzi and Anakin tackled babysitting duty, reporting on GG's unusual lunch on day 1:

*1/2 piece toast spread with Ranch dressing

*1/2 piece toast spread with peanut sauce

*1/2 piece toast spread with ketchup

...and a few leftover eggs from breakfast. He ate it all up. I can tell...you're drooling all over your computer screen just thinking about how tasty it sounds. ;)

Anyway, if we're going to succeed with our food budget this month, I need to think about cooking. Today we're starting out with:

Breakfast:
baked oatmeal w/ fresh peaches & milk

Lunch:
baked potatoes (from my parents' garden, thanks!)
broccoli (garden)
corn (garden)
chili (blah, out of a can, but I worked yesterday, OK?)
grated cheese

Dinner (made by Lizzi):
zucchini casserole (see below)
peaches
cherry tomatoes
sliced green peppers


Zucchini Casserole

6 c. sliced (and perhaps quartered) zucchini
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (warning: this is not g/f*)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded carrot
1 (8oz) pkg. seasoned stuffing mix (not g/f*)
1-2 c. chopped, cooked chicken

Cook squash and carrots briefly on stovetop or microwave with a little water, enough to lightly soften. Drain. Combine soup, sour cream, chicken and fold in veggie mixture. Place 1/2 stuffing mix on bottom of 12x7 pan. Spoon chicken/veg mix on top, covered by remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

G/F* note: LilDude is still largely g/f, but he doesn't seem to be doing badly on a limited amount, so we're sometimes having a meal or two with some gluten. However, you could easily modify this recipe to make it g/f.

Asian Chicken Salad

August is probably our best month of the year for eating "in season." Our dinner tonight? Corn-on-the-cob, Asian Chicken Salad, sliced tomatoes, broccoli, and peaches. The kids love Asian Chicken Salad. If you want to make it gluten-free, leave out the ramen noodles and flavor packet.


Asian Chicken Salad
1-2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
2 T. sesame seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 head cabbage
sliced green onions, optional
1 pkg. top ramen (chicken), crush noodles

Toss first five ingredients together.

Dressing
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. vinegar
1/2 c. oil (I use half canola, half olive)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
flavor pkg from top ramen

Blend dressing. Crush noodles and add with dressing to salad just before serving.

Zucchini Garden Chowder-favorite summer soup!

First, the flu. I have no answers. Anakin had a fever between 103-104 for seven days and was sick for nine. He was not tested for flu but eventually was diagnosed with pneumonia, which they later changed to bronchitis. A week later I got "it." I was put on an anti-viral after two days of fever. I had a fever for seven days. But the flu test came back a week later...negative. So I have no idea what we had. But it wasn't fun. We're both still coughing.

But, what was fun? Kids cooking when I was sick. They made this soup twice that week. It is my ALL TIME FAVORITE summer soup. The recipe comes from Simply in Season.

Zucchini Garden Chowder

2 T. butter or margarine (I use coconut oil and my dh says it gives extra flavor)
Melt in soup pot over medium heat.

2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped; or 1 t. dried)
Add and saute until tender.

1/3 c. flour (I use rice flour)
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. water
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. lemon juice.
Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk (I use rice milk; it's less thick, but tasty)
2 c. corn
Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender.

2 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (grated)
Just before serving add and stir until melted.


We LOVE this soup. It's best when the zucchini is just barely cooked (don't cook it to mush!) and the corn is slightly crunchy.

I have frozen the vegetable ingredients to make it in the winter. It's okay, but can't compare with the summer version...mostly because the zucchini gets mushy upon freezing.

Zucchini Tomato Yum

Picked the first zucchini of the season today. And made my favorite zucchini recipe. "Recipe?" Not really. But it's what my dad always did with new zucchini when I was growing up. I loved it as a kid and still love it today. It's easy. And YUM.



You need:

sliced zucchini
can of tomato sauce
your choice of cooking oil

Lightly saute the zucchini in a bit of olive oil. If you like, add some chopped, fresh basil. After sauteing, add tomato sauce to taste and heat. Parmesan cheese, optional.

Sausage and Greens Soup

You know it's a winner when EVERYBODY asks for seconds! (Except GG...but he ate "firsts"...which was a first for anything GREEN...so it counts!)

Tonight I tried "Sausage and Greens Soup" from the "Spring" section (pp. 38) of Simply in Season. I doubled the recipe. It was a hit. The only request was for more "bulk" next time with the suggestion that I add more potatoes. That's easy enough. :)


Sausage and Greens Soup (serves 4)

1/2 lb. bulk sausage
Brown in a soup pot and drain all but a spoonful of fat. Remove meat.

1 c. onion, green onions, or chives, chopped
Saute in reserved fat until soft. Return sausage to soup pot.

4 c. chicken or veg broth
1 c. potatoes, diced
salt/pepper to taste
Add, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft, 10-15 mins.

1 1/2 c. evaporated milk**
1-3 c. fresh, tender greens (I used spinach), chopped
Add and cook until tender (really brief for spinach). Garnish with grated Parmesan.


**This is where I thought I'd get in trouble. I used all kinds of milk odds and ends. A little rice milk, a little leftover (freezer) goat milk, a little leftover (freezer) evaporated milk, a little 2%. I could taste the strange combination of milks, but apparently no one else could. [Grin.]

Kids Cook! #2 (Green Beans/Pasta, Strawberry Yum)-Anakin

My meal included Green Beans and Sausage and for dessert I made a dressing for the strawberries that I cut. Everyone enjoyed the meal and it was a great success.

We made the strawberry dressing by mixing together:
1 cup sour cream
a heaping 1/4 cup of brown sugar
a dash of vanilla
~Anakin

Compost Pile Eatin' (Mustard Greens)

Imagine my surprise to return from China and find gorgeous mustard greens growing on top of my compost pile. I'm not sure how it happened. I recently composted some mustard that had gone to seed, but I'm shocked and slightly doubtful that it would grow this quickly.

We ate it for dinner in a family favorite recipe. The original recipe (which I found on the internet, and now seems to have disappeared) calls for kale. I love kale in it, but we seem to be able to grow mustard a lot easier!

Kale or Mustard Green Salad

Barely cook the greens (approx. 3-5 mins.) by boiling a small amount of water in a pot filled with greens. (This basically wilts them.) Drain/squeeze out the water. Cut greens into bite sized pieces. Add about 1 1/2 T. soy sauce and 1 T. sesame oil for 12 oz greens. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Kids Cook! #1 (Lemon Asparagus Pasta)-Lizzi

Introductory note from Mom:
This summer, both Lizzi and Anakin are cooking one meal/week. Here is Lizzi's first...



I found this recipe in Simply in Season a while back, and always wanted to try it. When Mommy told Anakin and I that we would each be cooking one meal a week this summer, I decided to make it. The whole family declared it a success. The menu consisted of this pasta, Chef Salad (lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, ham, green onions and poppy-seed dressing), and fresh strawberries for dessert. We used a little less dried dill, and still found it fairly strong. Overall, VERY delicious. ~Lizzi



Lemon Asparagus Pasta
from Simply in Season

8 ounces angel hair pasta (**see gluten-free note below)
2 1/2 cups asparagus (cut into 1" pieces)

Cook pasta in boiling water 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 2 minutes longer or until tender. Drain.

1 T. butter
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1 1/2 t. lemon peel, grated
3 T. lemon juice

While pasta cooks, melt butter in large frypan over medium heat. Add green onions and lemon peel and saute 1 minute. Add lemon juice and cook until liquid is almost evaporated.

3/4 c. milk (I used rice milk in the gluten-free portion. Worked great.)
2 eggs

Beat together. Add with pasta and asparagus to pan with green onions. Cook over low heat until milk mixture is slightly thick, about 4 minutes. Do not boil.

1 T. fresh dill (chopped, or 1 t. dried)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground nutmeg.

Stir in. Serve immediately.




** Gluten-Free: We did a double recipe with half being gluten free. We tried a new kind of spaghetti pasta, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, Spaghetti Style, Supergrain, containing organic corn flour and organic quinoa flour. This was by FAR the BEST gluten-free pasta we've tried. Not slimy or gummy like many of the rice pastas. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between this and regular wheat pasta. So, so good. And it held up great through all the cooking.

Mom's notes:
This meal was AWESOME! So proud of Lizzi's first attempt in the kitchen. While she cooked, Anakin brought his copy of Simply in Season to the kitchen (they each have their own copies) and started looking for a seasonal recipe that he could make on Thursday. Since they each have their own cookbook, they have ownership in planning & preparation. And since the recipe book is seasonally based, they know where to turn to find recipes with ingredients that we can easily find in the garden or at the farmer's market. I'm having them both make notes in their own cookbooks about the recipes they try.

Swiss Chard YUM!

I don't think I'd ever tasted Swiss chard til a year or so ago when I tried it in a new recipe and failed. I am so, so glad that we tried it again...in a NEW, FAVORITE RECIPE!

Last year I planted a bunch of new stuff "to try." Some didn't come up. Others didn't come up at the time but came up this spring when I wasn't paying much attention. The Swiss chard was so beautiful I almost hesitated to eat it. But I've been wanting to try more recipes from Simply in Season, so I looked up Swiss chard in the index and settled on "Chard Cheese Bake." It was scrumptious! 'LilDude had three or four helpings. Big ones. I lost count at some point. We also had locally grown asparagus and a rhubarb/blueberry crumble made from our new rhubarb and blueberries from the freezer. I'm thrilled that it's finally SPRING! ;)

Have you ever washed anything so gorgeous???


And the final product:


Chard Cheese Bake
from Simply in Season

1 lb Swiss chard or spinach (chopped)
Cook and thoroughly drain. (In the front of the book it has cooking tips for each vegetable. I cut the stems into chunks and then rolled the leaves together and cut the roll crosswise in each direction. I boiled the stem chunks for 8 minutes, adding the leaves for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. They were perfect.)

4 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk (I used rice milk)
1 c. cheese (I used cheddar)
1 c. cubed bread (I used gf rice bread & thought it particularly good in this)
1/2 c. green onions, sliced (I used 2 T. that I'd frozen)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients and pour into greased 2-qt dish. Cover and bake in preheated 375 oven for 25-30 minutes, until set. (It took mine at least 40 minutes.)

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Muffins (gluten/casein free)

During the past WEEK of illness, I've made several batches of these muffins for the sickies. They've been very appreciative! I found the original recipe in Dr. Sears' Parenting Newsletter, but I can't locate the recipe on-line and I've changed it a LOT. So blame my experimentation if you hate it! ;)

Pumpkin Muffins*

(*gluten & casein free...assumes you will buy ingredients that contain no gluten or milk products)

Makes: 24 regular or 48 mini muffins (they freeze well for snacks/breakfast)

Mix together dry ingredients:

3 c. brown rice flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 t. sea salt (or regular)
4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. brown sugar


Mix together wet ingredients:

4 beaten eggs
3/4 c. thawed orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. 100% maple syrup
2 T. agave nectar or honey
4 t. vanilla
2 c. cooked, mashed butternut squash or pumpkin

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (gf/cf) or raisins.

Put batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 350. About 15 minutes for mini muffins, about 20 minutes for regular...but watch them so they don't overbake.

P.S. I would never, ever guess these were gluten free muffins. They taste like the real thing! :)

Day 46: Sweet Vegetables Using Butternut Squash (93...Free!)

My favorite international recipes generally come from Extending the Table...A World Community Cookbook. I recently tried one from Indonesia called "Sweet Vegetables." This sweet, creamy vegetable sidedish tasted exotic...and yummy! Coconut milk isn't cheap, but all the vegetables are from home. I'm on a mission to use butternut squash! ;) Here's my version of the dish...

Sweet Vegetables (Indonesia)
from Extending the Table

In a saucepan, bring to boil:

2 c. coconut milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. onion, diced
1 t. ginger root, minced
1/2 t. ground turmeric
2 t. salt
diced jalapeno, to taste

When boiling, add 3 c. cubed butternut squash. You may substitute up to half the squash with green beans. (I used beans directly from the freezer.) Simmer until squash is tender.

Day 38, Cabbage Salad (93...Free!)

In my effort to eat in season, I've been on the lookout for cabbage salad recipes. I want a fall/winter alternative to the traditional green salad since lettuce isn't a winter crop in our area. (Although I'm currently trying to push the limits in my covered, raised bed...I'll let ya know if it works.)

My family is big on Asian flavors so when I saw a recipe on Owlhaven for Asian Salad dressing recommended for use with cabbage, I gave it a try.

I made it yesterday afternoon. 'LilDude and Anakin cruised through the kitchen (this was about an hour before dinner), hoping for something to eat. I popped a piece of cabbage in each of their mouths. They grinned and each sat down to "snack" on a bowlful of this salad. I cut one small cabbage into thin shreds for the recipe and it was gone today. Needless to say, it was a hit.

Please visit Owlhaven to see the original recipe. I tweaked it slightly...

Asian Salad Dressing

* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root (I used 1 t. ground ginger)
* 1/3 cup olive oil (or sesame oil is even better) (I put several large glugs of sesame oil at the bottom of a 1/3c. and then added olive oil til full)
* 1/3 cup white vinegar
* 1/3 cup soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons honey (I used 2 T. agave)
* 1/3 cup water

Mix well in a covered container. Heat slightly in a glass container in the microwave (w/out lid) in order to mix in the honey. I didn't heat it as much as recommended in the original recipe because the agave blended in pretty well without much heat.