Roasted Broccoli

I was watching some cooking show recently (maybe the Barefoot Contessa? I don't remember). Anyway, she made roasted broccoli. So I decided to try it. My kids are pretty good vegetable eaters, but not really by choice. They will eat raw red peppers and mushrooms (Zachary) and raw carrots (Annalise) in addition to frozen peas (still frozen) til the cows come home. But they sometimes take a little coaxing to eat green veggies. So I tried this and they LOVED it!! And by loved, I mean LOVED! Zachary said, "I can't believe my LIFE! This is SO good!" Annalise said they tasted like a chip, only saltier. (They only had a sprinkling of salt, too!) Both asked for more and we actually ran out of seconds. Usually I am eating all the broccoli left in the bowl, but that night I didn't get any seconds! Last night we tried it with asparagus with equal success. It may take more vitamins out of the veggies than just steaming (I don't know), but I'm not sure how much I care at this point! And, it was SO easy! Here's all I did:

Roasted Broccoli

cut up broccoli pieces
drizzle of olive oil
sprinkling of salt
sprinkling of pepper

Put the broccoli on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir it all together to coat. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Stir or shake the pan every 7-10 minutes and remove from oven when it starts to get brown in parts. Or just taste a bit and see if you like it. It's not an exact science. (For asparagus, I cut the asparagus spears into bite size pieces and then did the same thing.) Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

It's actually chilly today! Yay! I'm even wearing jeans! Chilly weather makes me want to make soup. My friend, Kristen, is a huge fan of the crock pot. She talked about it so much that she talked me into buying one. Now I am also a loyal devotee of the crockpot. It is the best thing for those days when I have no time, especially when I am tutoring into the early evening. Today I may or may not be able to make dinner at dinner time. (You never really know with a baby, do you?) But I decided either way, a chill in the air meant soup. Here's my recipe for:

Easy, Healthy Corn Chowder

Whatever veggies you have on hand, especially those that are about to go bad (today I used carrots, broccoli, celery, red pepper) -- chopped
About 4 -5 medium potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 box container of vegetable stock
1 can of cannellini beans, undrained (just throw the whole thing in)

2 bags of frozen corn
About 1/2 to 1 cup of milk

A few slices of bacon (about one per person)

Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Throw in all the chopped veggies, onion, potatoes, veggie stock and cannellini beans. (The beans add a little substance and a little protein and you don't taste them.) Cook it all day on low or for a few hours on high.
About an hour before you are going to eat, CAREFULLY use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients into a thick soup.
Add the corn and milk. Stir it up and cook on low to heat through.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon.

Ladel into bowls, then crumble the bacon on top of each bowl. (It stays crispy this way and you get more bang for your buck.) Serve with warm bread. (Tonight we're having Trader Joe's corn bread mix. If you've never had it, it's delicious!)

By the way, my kids LOVE this. I hope yours do, too!

Mom's Granola

I made my favorite granola today. Yum!! It is my go-to snack when I'm in a hurry and my favorite breakfast, too. Because it has fat, carbs and protein, it keeps you filled up for a while. I love granola, but it is so expensive and often has questionable ingredients. By making my own I save a ton of money and I know exactly what is in it. Plus, it is really easy. This recipe is adapted from my mom's recipe from the 70's. Her recipe called for twice as much oil and honey. I've cut both of those. Also, I've substituted flax seed meal for the wheat germ. (You should probably use both, but I don't always have time to go to Whole Foods or Granny's Pantry and I can get flax seed meal at Trader Joe's.) And I need the Omega 3's from the flax seed. My brain needs all the help it can get! Here's the recipe:

Mom's Granola

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water

5 cups (or one whole container) oats

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flax seed meal
1- 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts or seeds (I use walnuts, almonds and pecans)
1/2 cup coconut

dried fruit (optional -- any kind. I like chopped dried apricots, apples and cranberries.)

Preheat oven to 350.
Wisk together the liquid ingredients.
Put oats in a big bowl and then add the liquid. Stir to conbine well.
Then add the next four ingredients and stir to combine.
Bake on a large, lipped cookie sheet or two 9 by 13" pans for 30 - 40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so and watch it closely at the end because it can burn.
Leave it on the counter to cool and get crispy.
Add dried fruit, if desired.
Store in an airtight container.
It makes enough to almost fill my 3 quart container. That's a lot of granola!

Great over yogurt with fresh fruit or just with milk. Also, here is a recipe for our new favorite dessert:

Faux Peach Cobbler

vanilla ice cream
fresh, ripe peaches
granola

Heat up a grill pan over medium heat.
Cut the peaches into quarters.
Grill the peaches, cut side down until slightly soft, turning to do the other side. (Look for the grill marks.)
Serve ice cream in a bowl. Top with peaches and granola. So tasty!!

Enjoy!