I made this dish a few months ago. I guess I found the recipe for the crepes on Pinterest or something. and then came up with the filling on my own. I thought it tasted really good. If I remember right, my boys weren't really into it. But I took the leftovers for lunch when I volunteered in Childwatch at the Y. My friend whom I work with thought it was pretty tasty. I had forgotten all about this dish, until she mentioned it a couple days ago. I was happily surprised to see that I actually managed to write down the ingredients and include the link for the crepes!
Filling:
Assorted Greens from garden (sweet potato leaves, mustard greens, kale)
2 Tbs each, minced parsley and basil
1/2 large onion
2 garlic cloves
Two chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken, diced
salt and pepper to taste
So, I'm pretty sure that I sauted the onion and then the garlic until soft. Then added the greens and herbs and sauted for a couple minutes, then added the chicken until warmed through, and seasoned it.
I think I then made a sauce (either a white sauce with a roux, or thickened with corn starch) and infused with rosemary. I remember the rosemary was too strong, but everything else was pretty good.
Buckwheat Crepes
Monday, February 22, 2016
Thoughts on cooking this week
Okay, so it's been over a year since I've posted any new recipes. I've been busy with everything else in life. When I last posted, we had recently moved back to the States. A few months later, we moved house again, I had my fourth child, and ever since then I've been so busy with baby and older boys and all their activities, that I barely seem to have time to cook, let alone come up with, remember, write down, and post new recipes. I think I need to try to get back into it though, because I feel out of touch with my cooking these days. I've been in a rut, not knowing what to cook, and then I feel like I'm always cooking the same things. I've also resorted to a lot more ready meals or fast food than I would like.
A few months ago, I thought about trying to get a menu figured out for at least a week. I spent a while looking through Pinterest and my cookbooks. When I was finished, I didn't really have anything to show for it. I asked my husband to help think of ideas of meals to make. He didn't think I was serious. He told me that I've been doing this for the past 10 or 11 years, how could it be so difficult now to come up with ideas for what to cook. I lost it! I'm sure I was sleep deprived with an infant, and overwhelmed with everything else I had to do. I told him to try figuring out what to cook for our family every day for 10 years and see how he does! Until he did that, he couldn't understand! Okay, now I realize that I overreacted, but that's how I felt at the time. I have mommy brain: sleep-deprived-distracted-scattered-in-every-direction mommy brain. I have three boys and a husband who all have different tastes, and dislikes and desires for dinner food. I have to find a way to feed my family healthy, well-balanced meals that they will actually want to eat! That is not an easy task, and it gets more difficult as my boys get older and are more influenced by their peers at school (who apparently all eat packaged junk).
I look back fondly and longingly to the days when I could prep for a meal while my babies took their naps, and then quickly finish it up at dinner time. I think I had more time to plan and prepare. My boys weren't so picky, maybe the ingredients I had on hand were easier to use. I just had more time I think. Now I have school drop off, playgroups and volunteering, school pick-up, sports and scouts. My boys are getting to bed later now as well, so I don't even have as much time in the evening to plan and prepare. The list goes on. I know it sounds like I am complaining, whinging as they say in England. I guess I kind of am, but really I'm just trying to figure out why I struggle now, when before it seemed much easier. Things change, and I have to adjust. The past few months have been more difficult an adjustment than I anticipated I think.
I've discovered Pinterest a few months ago, and my clipboards are mostly food related. The last board I made is entitled "Weekly Menu." The idea is to change the contents weekly, to put recipes on it that I want to make for each week. I put a few recipes on there, and then I got sick, so I only used one or two that first week. I used a couple more this week too. It would be nice if I could keep up with this idea, but we'll see.
This past week, I managed to use my crock-pot once, on my really busy day: Thursday. I got all the ingredients together out on the counter the night before, and managed to get it into the slow-cooker before leaving the house at 7:15! It was a vegetarian sweet potato and quinoa chili. My boys all ate it, and didn't really complain about it. They don't even normally like sweet potato or quinoa, so I consider that a success. I figured if I cut the sweet potato small enough, they won't really notice what it is, and it worked.
I made a couple of other meals like that this week, where I basically hide veggies and other "undesirables" into something they usually like to eat, and they will eat it. I put veggies and tofu into my taco meat mixture. My husband didn't even seem to notice the tofu, so that was a success. Today I made mini meat loaves, where at least half of the volume was not even meat, but a mixture of veggies (including bell pepper and zucchini.) Every body ate it, and enjoyed it! Success number two. I don't really remember what else I made this week, although one day we did have frozen fish sticks, but that's okay. All in all, this week went pretty well. My cooking wasn't perfect. I made some mistakes here and there, but I didn't burn anything! Hopefully I can remember what I've made that works, and find some new recipes to add to my artillery. Hopefully I can start using this blog more often, to help me remember all this, and someday I will have this cooking thing down to a science (at least for a little while).
A few months ago, I thought about trying to get a menu figured out for at least a week. I spent a while looking through Pinterest and my cookbooks. When I was finished, I didn't really have anything to show for it. I asked my husband to help think of ideas of meals to make. He didn't think I was serious. He told me that I've been doing this for the past 10 or 11 years, how could it be so difficult now to come up with ideas for what to cook. I lost it! I'm sure I was sleep deprived with an infant, and overwhelmed with everything else I had to do. I told him to try figuring out what to cook for our family every day for 10 years and see how he does! Until he did that, he couldn't understand! Okay, now I realize that I overreacted, but that's how I felt at the time. I have mommy brain: sleep-deprived-distracted-scattered-in-every-direction mommy brain. I have three boys and a husband who all have different tastes, and dislikes and desires for dinner food. I have to find a way to feed my family healthy, well-balanced meals that they will actually want to eat! That is not an easy task, and it gets more difficult as my boys get older and are more influenced by their peers at school (who apparently all eat packaged junk).
I look back fondly and longingly to the days when I could prep for a meal while my babies took their naps, and then quickly finish it up at dinner time. I think I had more time to plan and prepare. My boys weren't so picky, maybe the ingredients I had on hand were easier to use. I just had more time I think. Now I have school drop off, playgroups and volunteering, school pick-up, sports and scouts. My boys are getting to bed later now as well, so I don't even have as much time in the evening to plan and prepare. The list goes on. I know it sounds like I am complaining, whinging as they say in England. I guess I kind of am, but really I'm just trying to figure out why I struggle now, when before it seemed much easier. Things change, and I have to adjust. The past few months have been more difficult an adjustment than I anticipated I think.
I've discovered Pinterest a few months ago, and my clipboards are mostly food related. The last board I made is entitled "Weekly Menu." The idea is to change the contents weekly, to put recipes on it that I want to make for each week. I put a few recipes on there, and then I got sick, so I only used one or two that first week. I used a couple more this week too. It would be nice if I could keep up with this idea, but we'll see.
This past week, I managed to use my crock-pot once, on my really busy day: Thursday. I got all the ingredients together out on the counter the night before, and managed to get it into the slow-cooker before leaving the house at 7:15! It was a vegetarian sweet potato and quinoa chili. My boys all ate it, and didn't really complain about it. They don't even normally like sweet potato or quinoa, so I consider that a success. I figured if I cut the sweet potato small enough, they won't really notice what it is, and it worked.
I made a couple of other meals like that this week, where I basically hide veggies and other "undesirables" into something they usually like to eat, and they will eat it. I put veggies and tofu into my taco meat mixture. My husband didn't even seem to notice the tofu, so that was a success. Today I made mini meat loaves, where at least half of the volume was not even meat, but a mixture of veggies (including bell pepper and zucchini.) Every body ate it, and enjoyed it! Success number two. I don't really remember what else I made this week, although one day we did have frozen fish sticks, but that's okay. All in all, this week went pretty well. My cooking wasn't perfect. I made some mistakes here and there, but I didn't burn anything! Hopefully I can remember what I've made that works, and find some new recipes to add to my artillery. Hopefully I can start using this blog more often, to help me remember all this, and someday I will have this cooking thing down to a science (at least for a little while).
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Chocolate Zucchini (Courgette) Cake (Egg-Free, Dairy Free)
The title pretty much says it all. This is a great tasting, not too sweet, cake that is egg-free and dairy-free making it allergy friendly (for some), and vegan as well. Also, you only need one mixing bowl, and it's super easy to make.
Chocolate Courgette Cake
(Dairy Free, Egg Free)
Ingredients
4 fl. oz./ 100 ml oil
1 cup / 200g caster sugar
2 cups / approximately 300-330g grated courgette
6 fl. oz. / 150 ml water
2 tsp vanilla
1tsp salt
2 1/2 cups / 335g plain flour
1/3 cup / 35 g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs / 1 fl. oz. / 1/8 cup vinegar (distilled white)
Preheat over to 185 C.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl combine the first six ingredients.
Sift in the dry ingredients.
Fold in until well combined.
Add the vinegar last, stirring until well incorporated.
Bake in prepared pan for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer tested in the center comes out clean.
Chocolate Courgette Cake
(Dairy Free, Egg Free)
Ingredients
4 fl. oz./ 100 ml oil
1 cup / 200g caster sugar
2 cups / approximately 300-330g grated courgette
6 fl. oz. / 150 ml water
2 tsp vanilla
1tsp salt
2 1/2 cups / 335g plain flour
1/3 cup / 35 g cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs / 1 fl. oz. / 1/8 cup vinegar (distilled white)
Preheat over to 185 C.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl combine the first six ingredients.
Sift in the dry ingredients.
Fold in until well combined.
Add the vinegar last, stirring until well incorporated.
Bake in prepared pan for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer tested in the center comes out clean.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Banana Oat Bars
What do you do with all those bananas that are too ripe and soft to just eat on their own? There's always banana bread, but it's usually loaded with fat and sugar, and simple carbs, and takes a long time to cook. I wanted to be able to make a quick and simple, healthy snack for my boys. These Banana oat bars fit the bill. My boys love them, and they make a great breakfast-on-the-run, or an after school snack. They make a great anytime snack really. These are also egg- and dairy-free which is great for those with food allergies. If you used gluten free oats, they would also be gluten free.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it's so forgiving. Add a little more oats if it seems too wet, try adding nuts, or seeds for more crunch. If you don't have ground flax seed/linseed, then you can use an egg. If you don't like raisins, add chopped dates or apricots instead, or just leave them out. Try different things. You'll find that after a few times, you won't even need to measure the ingredients out, just mix things together, spread it out on a pan, and bake! I doubled my recipe today, and baked it in a large baking tray with 1" sides.
Banana Oat Bars
2 Medium very ripe bananas
1 Tbs ground flax seed/linseed
3 Tbs water
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey or other sweetener (optional)
2 cups rolled or quick oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1/4 cup ground almonds (or more ground flax seed)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dessicated coconut (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13 pan, or small baking sheet. In a small bowl mix the ground flax seed with the water and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the bananas then add the vanilla and honey. When the flax seed mixture is similar in consistency to a beaten egg, add it to the banana, and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Spread the mixture evenly on prepared baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy.
The other great thing about this recipe is that it's so forgiving. Add a little more oats if it seems too wet, try adding nuts, or seeds for more crunch. If you don't have ground flax seed/linseed, then you can use an egg. If you don't like raisins, add chopped dates or apricots instead, or just leave them out. Try different things. You'll find that after a few times, you won't even need to measure the ingredients out, just mix things together, spread it out on a pan, and bake! I doubled my recipe today, and baked it in a large baking tray with 1" sides.
Banana Oat Bars
2 Medium very ripe bananas
1 Tbs ground flax seed/linseed
3 Tbs water
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey or other sweetener (optional)
2 cups rolled or quick oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1/4 cup ground almonds (or more ground flax seed)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dessicated coconut (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13 pan, or small baking sheet. In a small bowl mix the ground flax seed with the water and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the bananas then add the vanilla and honey. When the flax seed mixture is similar in consistency to a beaten egg, add it to the banana, and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Spread the mixture evenly on prepared baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Angry Bird Party
For my son's 6th birthday we had an Angry Bird party. I had seen some of my friends' posts about Angry Bird parties they did, and thought it would be pretty simple. As with the alien party, I tried to get my boys as involved as much as possible. They sampled sandwiches, helped make the Bomb bird, and made another poster with drawings of angry birds, and angry bird levels.
A few weeks before the party, I asked for boxes from my local grocery store. We used them to build angry bird towers, complete with bad piggies (I hadn't planned very well how to attach them, especially with the wind, so we only had one). After building the towers, the boys took turns throwing balls at them to knock the tower down.
They especially enjoyed being the angry birds, and knocking the box towers down with their bodies.
For the cake, I made chocolate cupcakes, and turned them into angry birds using different colours of fondant icing (and dried apricots for some of the mouths). The sling-shot is made out of carrot cake, with homemade apple fruit leather for the sling. I baked the carrot cake in a 9-in x 13-in tin lined with baking paper. After removing the cake from the tin, I cut a slingshot shape from it. I had a lot of fun making this cake, and was quite pleased with how it turned out. I let each boy choose an angry bird to take home, and they loved that.
Another game we played was pin the fuse on Bomb. My boys helped design the bird and the fuses.
We also had a treasure/egg hunt. Each clue was on a piece of paper that formed part of a puzzle. on the other side of the puzzle was a picture of the locker we hid the treasure box in. I placed the party bags and some kinder eggs in the treasure box. As usual, the treasure hunt was one of the more popular activities.
A few weeks before the party, I asked for boxes from my local grocery store. We used them to build angry bird towers, complete with bad piggies (I hadn't planned very well how to attach them, especially with the wind, so we only had one). After building the towers, the boys took turns throwing balls at them to knock the tower down.
For the rest of the food, I made Matilda sandwiches. I used a round biscuit cutter that fit inside the bread. The filling was either ham or cheese, but you could use any sandwich filling really. I cut triangles out of orange cheese for the beaks. For some of the eyes, I used sliced black olives, and some had halved red grapes. I used julienned dates for the feathers. Although it worked pretty well, the dates didn't go down very well with the party guests. Most of them didn't know what they were. If I make these again, I would either just use scraps of the white bread, or make strips with brown bread for more contrast.
We also had a treasure/egg hunt. Each clue was on a piece of paper that formed part of a puzzle. on the other side of the puzzle was a picture of the locker we hid the treasure box in. I placed the party bags and some kinder eggs in the treasure box. As usual, the treasure hunt was one of the more popular activities.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Alien Party
Several months ago, I had an alien birthday party for my son, and I am finally getting around to posting about it. I don't have a fancy camera, and I am not the most artistic person around, but I found/had some fun ideas I think someone out there might want to use someday.
As my boys get older, I try to involve them as much as possible in the planning of their birthday parties. I don't really care about everything looking perfect. I'd much rather have things that my boys helped to create. My son really likes aliens, and especially loves drawing his own alien creations. So when it came to deciding what his theme would be, it was a no-brainer. We looked through cake decorating books together and found a design he liked. To decorate, my boys drew aliens and planets on a banner of paper, and then we taped black alien eyes to balloons.
For the invitations, I cut out aliens my son had drawn and pasted them to some shiny card with the party information: 4...3..2..1.. Blastoff to x's alien party.
For the food we found a tutorial on how to make alien cupcakes, and then my son helped me make and decorate them. I also made some green smoothies using this idea for a Toy Story alien milkshake.
I got the idea for the birthday cake from Gorgeous and Gruesome Cakes for Children. I changed the swamp monster into an alien eating an astronaut. The actual cake didn't turn out so well, it was quite dense, but I really liked how it looked.
For the games we did "pin the eye on the alien." My son drew the shape for the alien's body.
The best game of the day was our "Aliens in Underpants" treasure hunt. When the children first arrived, we had each one decorate his own paper underpants. When they were finished, we hung them on the line. Then when they were busy building spaceships out of junk, I took the underpants, and hid them around the house next to a party bag with another original alien pasted to the front. When we were ready for the treasure hunt, we announced that the pants had been stolen by aliens, and each child had to find his own underpants. They loved this game!
As my boys get older, I try to involve them as much as possible in the planning of their birthday parties. I don't really care about everything looking perfect. I'd much rather have things that my boys helped to create. My son really likes aliens, and especially loves drawing his own alien creations. So when it came to deciding what his theme would be, it was a no-brainer. We looked through cake decorating books together and found a design he liked. To decorate, my boys drew aliens and planets on a banner of paper, and then we taped black alien eyes to balloons.
For the invitations, I cut out aliens my son had drawn and pasted them to some shiny card with the party information: 4...3..2..1.. Blastoff to x's alien party.
For the food we found a tutorial on how to make alien cupcakes, and then my son helped me make and decorate them. I also made some green smoothies using this idea for a Toy Story alien milkshake.
I got the idea for the birthday cake from Gorgeous and Gruesome Cakes for Children. I changed the swamp monster into an alien eating an astronaut. The actual cake didn't turn out so well, it was quite dense, but I really liked how it looked.
For the games we did "pin the eye on the alien." My son drew the shape for the alien's body.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free)
My youngest son has a mild allergy to cow's milk and is eczema seems to flare up with eggs as well. Since discovering this, I have been using soy milk in all my baking, and have tried several dairy free and even egg free recipes and techniques. One idea I found was to use ground linseed as a binder in place of egg. Now that I have finally invested in a spice grinder, I have been experimenting with this idea with mixed results (the pancakes didn't turn out so well). After a couple of attempts, though, I have developed a recipe for banana oat cookies that are healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or any time of day. They aren't like the normal cookies that you would make with all the butter and sugar, but they are sweet, soft and chewy. Between me and my boys, the last batch I made lasted one day.
You will need a spice grinder, or some other way of grinding the linseed into a powder first. If you don't have one, you could try using one egg in it's place. I haven't tried this yet, so I don't know how it would change the recipe, but I'm sure it would work.
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 Tbs ground linseed
3 Tbs water
2 medium sized, ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey
2 cups oats (I used porridge oats, similar to quick oats)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup soy flour (or all purpose/plain flour)
1/4 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C fan assisted. Line baking sheets with baking/parchment paper, or grease them. In a small bowl combine the ground linseed and water, stir and set aside. In a medium bowl combine mashed bananas, vanilla and honey. In a larger bowl combine the remaining (dry) ingredients. Test the linseed mixture, it should be kind of gloopy (like the consistency of a beaten egg). If it's ready, add it to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, and stir until combined.
Using a round tablespoon (or small ice-cream scoop), scoop up the cookie mixture pressing it against the side of the bowl, then tap the spoon onto the tray to release the dough. It may be useful to grease the spoon with a little oil. Using the back of the spoon, gently press the ball down in the middle to flatten the ball.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are turning brown. Cool on a cooling rack, and enjoy!
Here is a video showing how I get the shape for my cookie. I made it originally for my coconut macaroon cookies that I haven't posted yet, but the technique is still the same.
You will need a spice grinder, or some other way of grinding the linseed into a powder first. If you don't have one, you could try using one egg in it's place. I haven't tried this yet, so I don't know how it would change the recipe, but I'm sure it would work.
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 Tbs ground linseed
3 Tbs water
2 medium sized, ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey
2 cups oats (I used porridge oats, similar to quick oats)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup soy flour (or all purpose/plain flour)
1/4 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C fan assisted. Line baking sheets with baking/parchment paper, or grease them. In a small bowl combine the ground linseed and water, stir and set aside. In a medium bowl combine mashed bananas, vanilla and honey. In a larger bowl combine the remaining (dry) ingredients. Test the linseed mixture, it should be kind of gloopy (like the consistency of a beaten egg). If it's ready, add it to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture, and stir until combined.
Using a round tablespoon (or small ice-cream scoop), scoop up the cookie mixture pressing it against the side of the bowl, then tap the spoon onto the tray to release the dough. It may be useful to grease the spoon with a little oil. Using the back of the spoon, gently press the ball down in the middle to flatten the ball.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are turning brown. Cool on a cooling rack, and enjoy!
Here is a video showing how I get the shape for my cookie. I made it originally for my coconut macaroon cookies that I haven't posted yet, but the technique is still the same.
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