Steel-Cut Oats with Bananas, Strawberries and Brown Sugar

Steel-Cut Banana and Strawberry Oats with Brown Sugar

I love oatmeal for breakfast. This morning we were out of rolled oats, which left the steel-cut ones I leave in the refrigerator and usually use for overnight oats. After a quick online search, I came across a recipe on Food Network's website for banana and strawberry steal cut oats. They were really good.

My mom is in town for a visit and this made way too much for the two of us so we put the rest in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. I guess steel-cut oats reheat well. We'll try it out and let you know. This recipe could be used with any kind of fruit, so it will be fun to try it again with different combinations. In the comments someone mentioned using lemon curd and raspberries in place of the the strawberries... now that sounds divine!

Here's the recipe:

Steel-Cut Oats with Bananas and Strawberries

Recipe courtesy of Jamie Deen. Total Time: 50 min, Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 cups strawberries

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats and toast, while stirring, until they smell nice and nutty, about 3 minutes.

Add 3 cups water, the milk, brown sugar and salt. Turn up the heat, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the lid and stir in the banana. Cover again and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring on occasion, until the oats are soft and creamy. Stir in the berries right before serving.

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Word of Mouth... Best Restaurant in Salem, OR?

Plate O Love

So, Dr. Fuhrman's plan is out the window. Or at least on hold. Mom, Avery and I stopped by one of my favorite places to eat in Salem, Word of Mouth Bistro. The place is set up in a house and the decor is quirky. The wait is long and they are only open Wednesday through Sunday until 3pm, but the food is worth it. Last time we were here there was a book in the waiting area that was all about hash (not the marijuana  kind). It was older, had a simple tan hardcover binding. It had a bunch of interesting recipes and I remember thinking, how long till this just walks out the door with someone. Well, it wasn't in the stack of books this time.

I usually get the Plate O' Love which has Crème Brûlée French Toast and a veggie hash with eggs made to order (over medium, please). The Heavenly Veggie Hash (as it's called on the menu) is made up of fresh veggies, (broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, caramelized onion, bell pepper, spinach, carrot) and spices chopped together with baby Yukon Gold potatoes, pan-fried, and topped with diced Roma tomatoes, grilled artichoke hearts and grilled baby Portobello mushrooms.

Veggie Hash with Fruit and Toast

My mom got the veggie hash with seasonal fruit and fresh baked breakfast bread with Mother Teresa's Strawberry Freezer Jam.

Cinnamon Roll Pancake with Cream Cheese Icing

My daughter got a single cinnamon roll pancake glazed with cream cheese icing that was as big as her head, seasonal fruit and some fresh squeezed orange juice. We were all very happy!

Veggie Patty our server gave us as a "Random Act of Yum-ness"

We got a random act of yum-ness from our server, which was a nice surprise. It was a house made veggie burger made with chopped broccoli, julienne zucchini, quinoa, sunflower seeds, carrots, artichoke hearts, black beans, parmesan cheese, fresh spinach, Portobello mushrooms and spices, topped with Hollansaise sauce and chopped Roma tomatoes. It lived up to it's yum-ness label :)

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Okonomiyaki at Mom's

Mom's Okonomiyaki (Osaka Style)

My daughter Avery and I are up visiting my parents for a bit. The plan was to continue Dr. Fuhrman's 10 in 20. However, best laid plans, and all that...

So, we made okonomiyaki for dinner. It was yummy. There are several ways to make these Japanese cabbage pancakes. In fact, I believe okonomiyaki means "how you like it". Talk about adaptable. We talked about trying them two ways, chopped (Kansai or Osaka style) and layered (Hiroshima style). This didn't happen. My mom usually makes them with a whole bunch of veggies chopped up in a batter (Osaka style), so that's what we did. I tried to snap a quick picture of them cooking away on the skillet, but failed miserably and got this blurry mess of a picture:

My parents have been to Japan and enjoyed the okonomiyaki there. My little bro lived in Tokyo for a few years (as a missionary) and he loves these as well. I don't think my mom put bacon in these, and I know she didn't use any bacon grease, but that's in the recipe she gave me when I asked for it. Either way they were good.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups dashi or low-sodium chicken stock

4 eggs, beaten

8 cups finely chopped cabbage

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

1 medium zucchini, grated

8 scallions, sliced, divided (sliced tops saved for garnish)

Kosher salt, to taste

4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (reserve grease)

Olive oil

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Okonomi sauce

Pickled ginger

Directions:

Combine first set of ingredients.  Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or reserved bacon grease) in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add some of the batter, gently pushing the batter down with a spatula until flattened. Cook until underside is browned, about 4 minutes, Gently flip the pancake and cook about 5 more minutes, or until the cooked through. Serve immediately with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, pickled ginger, and scallion greens. Repeat with remaining pancakes.

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Best Vegetarian Chili? If Not, Still Really Yummy

Over the weekend we traveled up to Andrew's parent's house to film a family movie. His family has been making just-for-fun home movies for a long time. In the 6 years that we've been married, this will be the second movie that we've filmed. It's hard to get everyone together, come up with ideas, plan a script, do make-up and costumes, then film and edit a movie that ends up being silly and only for the immediate family's enjoyment. We decided to make a big pot of chili on Saturday during filming since it doesn't require a ton of kitchen time and because there is still snow on the ground.

CI's Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe Using Bulgar, Walnuts, and Mushrooms

A few months back Andrew made a really good vegetarian chili when I wasn't feeling well. We couldn't find/remember the recipe he used, so we decided to turn to the wonderful cooks over at America's Test Kitchen. The December 2012 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine had a recipe titled "Best Vegetarian Chili," but it looked time and labor intensive. Eventually we might try this one, but not for the first time at a family gathering. We ended up making a different vegetarian chili by them that called for more veggies and a lot less work. After making it, Andrew's mom said that it was a lot like (and maybe even better than) her Cowboy Stew. Since I don't know what that is, I cannot compare the two, but I can tell you that this was some dang good chili.

We doubled the recipe, but didn't follow it to the letter. We used a few bottles of  diced tomatoes that were canned from the Curtis family's garden this past summer (instead of store bought ones). We didn't run them through a food processor, we liked the chunkiness. We didn't use the slow-cooker. Yeah, I know it's right there in the recipe title, but we didn't want to haul it out. Instead, we started with a large pot, sauteed the onions, garlic and seasonings in the bottom (per step number one), then kept everything in that same pot for step number two. We let everything simmer while we were out filming and it was ready by the time we were. The chili had a nice depth of flavor and just enough kick. We did serve it with avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips on the side.

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Bean Chili

adapted from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated / America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8

2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, minced
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons)
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
Salt
2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto, drained and rinsed
2 (15.5-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1-3 tablespoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
Ground black pepper

1 – Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses; set aside. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the processed tomatoes.

2 – Transfer the onion and tomato mixture to the slow cooker insert and stir in the beans, chipotles, and sugar until evenly combined. Cover and cook on low until the chili is flavorful, 7 to 8 hours.

3 – Stir in the corn and cilantro, cover, and continue to cook until the corn is heated through, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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Mom's Visit Day 7 - Corn Butter, Hemp Milk, Kara's Raw Class, Naturally Leavened Bread, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

This was a big day for mom and me (as far as food is concerned). We started off the morning making corn butter (scroll down in link to find the recipe). Okay, pretzel rolls and corn butter may not be a typical breakfast, but it was actually pretty good. You could definitely taste the corn meal, but the texture was a lot like a spreadable tub of butter.

Next, we tried our hand at making hemp milk. I know what you're thinking, hemp? really? When you first try it, the hemp taste is very apparent. The more we drank it the more we liked it. It was very creamy and slightly nutty. I don't think I'd make this just to pour myself a glass, but I think it would be great in things. We'll both make this again.

When mom and I were at Goodearth, I picked up the free health magazines by the door. In their Delicious Living magazine, there's an article titled "Bring Back Hemp". When we saw it, we'd been debating on whether or not to make hemp milk. It seemed like a crazy coincidence! Here's the text from the article:

Despite its patriotic beginnings as an American farm staple (even Washington and Jefferson grew it), industrial hemp labors under a federal ban that equates it with its cousin, marijuana—making hemp the only plant that’s illegal to grow but legal to import, process, and use in the United States. June 4–10 marks the third annual Hemp History Week, a campaign to restore the plant’s historic reputation. Learn more about hemp’s impressive qualities, including these, at votehemp.com.

Nutritional star
Gluten-free, low-carb hemp is nutritionally dense, packed with fiber, protein, ten essential amino acids, and an ideal 1:3 balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. It tastes great, too: nutty and mild. What can hemp not do? Get you high: It contains little to no THC, marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient.

Versatile
Smart body care companies incorporate hemp oil as an outstanding moisturizer. With a smaller carbon footprint than cotton, hemp turns heads as an eco-chic fabric. Alt-energy pioneers tout it as a biofuel. And when it comes to food and beverage—cereals, nondairy milk, raw seeds, bars, powders, cooking oil, and more—the sky’s the limit.

Eco champion
Needing no pesticides, herbicides, or GMO interference, hemp grows like, yes, a weed. Farmers love it because, in addition to being a low-cost, sustainable crop with myriad applications, hemp enriches the soil in which it grows and requires about half the water that other crops do.

Try: Dr. Bronner's Hemp Peppermint Castille Soap; Food Should Taste good Hemp Chips; Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts; Nature's Path Organic Instant Hot Oatmeal Hemp Plus; Navitas Naturals Blueberry Hemp Superfood Power Snack; Nutiva Organic Hemp Oil; Vega Shake & Go Bodacious Berry.  

We had a raw food class lined up with Kara (my friend Kendra's sister-in-law) in the afternoon. It was a lot of fun! Kara was an excellent teacher and nice enough to give us any of her recipes that we asked for.

Here's what we learned to make at the class:

Veggie Springrolls with a Thai Nut Dipping Sauce,

Coconut Cream Pie using the meat and water from fresh young coconuts, Pumpkin Pie without any pumpkin,

and finally, Zesty Kale Chips. They're covered in a raw cheesy non-dairy dip that Kara showed us how to make. I guess her kids like to eat the Cheesy Dip with fresh veggies too. Sounds yummy! The kale chips that Kara had going in her oven (on the dehydrator setting) weren't quite crispy yet, so we took home the batch that we'd made during the class and put it in our oven, with the door propped open a bit, on the lowest setting. They turned out very good. The only problem I had, was that we'd put too much cheesy sauce on the kale, so I couldn't eat very many kale chips at one time... just a little too zesty.

Our next class was in the evening at Dr. Matt McClean's Chiropractic office in Provo. It was all about natural leavening. Here's his website about naturally leavened bread. He and his wife, Amy, both taught the class. It was really interesting, but we learned so much over the course of two hours so I think I'll just talk about it in a separate post.

Right after our Natural Leavening class was over we drove down to the Water Gardens movie theater in Spanish Fork to catch the 9:15pm showing of Salmon Fishing In the Yemen. It was a good movie. Ewen McGregor and Emily Blunt did a wonderful job making the characters and emotions seem real. It was a great story (based on true events, I guess) and had some great cinematography. There was something that bothered me about it, though. I don't like love stories where one (or both) of the characters is already married... no matter how bad their marriage may be.

Kara's Raw Recipes:

Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake

Filling

4 c. cashews

2 c. agave

2 c. carrot juice

about ½ c. pumpkin pie spice (start with this and adjust to taste)

Blend to a smooth batter

Crust

1 c. pecans

1 c. almonds

1 T. agave

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Process to mall chunk flour

Add 1 T. (or more) coconut oil until crust comes together in the right consistency to press into a pie tin or springform pan

Press crust. Pour filling on top. Place in freezer until firm. Do not leave out or it will turn runny again.

Raw Coconut Cream Pie

Crust

¾ c. hazelnuts, ½ c. pecans, 1 c. almonds

½ c. fine coconut

½ tsp. salt

large spoonful coconut oil

½ c. soaked date pieces

Process nuts until chunk  flour, add other ingredients, press into 2 pie pans.

Filling

¼ c. coconut yogurt

1 c. coconut water

2 T. coconut oil

1 c. agave

¾ c. soaked cashews

meat from 2 young coconuts (2cups)

½ tsp. vanilla

Blend.  Put in crusts. Put flaked coconut on top.  Freeze until set up.

Raw Corn Casserole

any vegetable except greens, some ideas…

corn

broccoli

cauliflower

bell pepper (2 different)

green onions 

radishes

Sauce 

1 avocado

1 c. almonds

lemon juice

Spike (or other season mix)

salt and pepper

water to desired consistency

Raw Pea Casserole

any veggie except greens, some ideas…

 peas

cauliflower (small pieces pulsed in Cuisinart)

celery

green onion

red bell pepper

mushrooms?

avocado?

Sauce

1-2 c. cashews

lemon juice

salt

water

(raw sour cream)

(seasonings, if desired)

Spring Rolls

Asian rice paper wraps , soaked in warm water until pliable

spring garden mix

micro greens or sunflower greens

sprouts (any variety)

avocado

zucchini strips 

basil leaves

green onion

red bell pepper

Wrap veggies in rice paper and serve with Thai Nut Sauce

Thai Nut Sauce

1 c. cashews, soaked for ½-1 hour

½ c. olive oil

½ c. tamari or Baggs Liquid Aminos

½ c. + 1 T. agave (to taste)

4 cloves garlic

1 T. lemon juice

Blend until smooth

Raw Cheesy Sauce

1 c. raw cashews

1-2 bell peppers

4 garlic cloves

1 c. nutritional yeast

6 T. lemon juice

Seasoning to taste  (smoke, taco seasoning, seasoning salt, etc.)

Salt

For dip – combine and blend in vita mix. For sauce – add water to desired consistency.

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Mom's Visit Day 6 - Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers, Jicama Cilantro Fiesta Slaw, Vegan Mayo, and The Banana Leaf

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

For lunch we made Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers. The recipe was very flexible. The place we got the recipe from recommends using whatever seasoning you like. We tried it with Cajun, but couldn't really taste it. Whatever seasoning we use in the future, we'll add more of. We coated the burgers with plain panko. Maybe mixing some seasoning into the panko might help with the under seasoned flavor... Overall the Sweet Potato Burger was good. My little brother tried it and said that it was good, but didn't taste like much. I think this would be a great veggie burger recipe to keep around (with increased seasoning of course). The versatility and texture (creamy and slightly crunchy) make it a winner.

Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise (all ingredients pictured except salt)

In order to have something to spread on our burger buns, we made some vegan mayonnaise. I don't have much experience with Vegenaise, Nayonaise, or similar products, but Mom has tried them before. The blog that we got the recipe from talks about her search for a good tasting, less oil filled, vegan mayo (click the link on the photo caption above). Even without really knowing what the alternatives taste like, I know that I like this recipe and will make it again. When I first put everything in the Vitamix to blend I'd forgotten to add salt. We tasted it, added salt, and it was even better. The salt brought out the mustard (we used spicy brown). The mayo was tangy and good.

Cilantro Jicama Fiesta Slaw

We made some beautiful slaw to accompany our Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers. Not only were the colors gorgeous, but it tasted great too. When following the recipe, we decided to use pumpkin seeds and to sub the apple cider vinegar with fresh lime juice. We tried it without mayo first, then added some of our vegan Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise that we made earlier. Both ways were good, but the creamy version cut the tahini taste a bit. The only thing I would do differently is add less onion. Mom said that she added a little extra because it was a Vidalia sweet onion, but it wasn't very sweet raw.

Banana Leaf  - Sri Lankan Shrimp Kothu (Top) Pa'an (Middle Left) Rice (other middle left)
Ceylon Chicken Tikki Masala (bottom left) and Mango Chicken Sautee (bottom right)

For dinner we went out to eat with Andrew. We decided to try the Banana Leaf in Provo, a Sri Lankan and Singaporean restaurant. Mom and I decided to loosely follow the Engine 2 diet a little over a month ago. Since that time, we've talked a lot about what we'd do after we'd tried it for four weeks. We both decided that we didn't want to be vegan the rest of our lives, but we do want to incorporate a lot of vegan and vegetarian alternatives into our diet, focus more on a plant (and fruit) based diet and keep meat and dairy to a minimum. I think it's about finding the right balance that works for you individually.

With all of that being said, we did something out of our (recent) character, we ate meat. Not a lot of meat. When we asked the server at the Banana Leaf what she recommended, she told us that the Ceylon Chicken Tikki Masala was the customer favorite and that she liked the Chicken Coconut Curry, Sri Lankan Shrimp Kothu, Singapore sizzlin' Garlic Shrimp, and Mango Chicken Sautee. 

We ordered a few of her favorites and the Tikki Masala. The customers were right, the Tikki Masala is good! It was Andrew's favorite. Mom thought it tied with the Shrimp Kothu (minus the shrimp) for her favorite and I agree. 

I don't think we'd get the Mango Chicken Sautee again, it was our least favorite dish and it was the most expensive thing we ordered. The sauce was more like a jelly and  was too sweet. Both mom and I tried a piece of chicken off this dish and almost spit it out. It just tasted too much like meat. Okay, that makes no sense, but the chicken tasted like biting into flesh. 

We also tried a shrimp off the Shrimp Kothu. I used to love shrimp. I don't know if it was the way the shrimp was cooked (Andrew didn't like it either), but it was bland, slightly fishy, and rubbery. We all decided that the Kothu was great. Interestingly enough, when we were ordering, I asked the server about the Vegetarian Kothu and she said that the shrimp was better. We'll definitely order the vegetarian next time.

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Mom's Visit Day 5 - Portobello Wellingtons, Cafe Rio, The Artist and Raw Peppermint Patties

 Portobello Wellington with Shiitake Duxelle, Vanilla Glazed Baby Carrots and Roasted Red Potatoes

Mom saw a recipe circulating around the blogosphere that looked intriguing... Portobello Wellingtons, why not? We decided to make it for dinner. When we went to the grocery store we couldn't find the non-alcoholic wine and we debated on using cooking wine or mixing some grape juice with red wine vinegar (which I already had at home). We decided to go with the grape-juice-red-wine-vinegar option. We realized when we got home that we didn't have any grape juice, so we crushed and strained some red grapes. Um, the reduction didn't turn out so well. It was overly sweet and too thin. This made the bottom of the Wellington turn soggy fast.

The glazed carrots were a-maze-ing. Seriously, so good. The roasted potatoes were also delicious. The wellingtons... hmmm, I don't know if it was the fact that I didn't cook off enough liquid in the duxelle, or that I added too much to each wellington, but there was something off about it. Maybe the whole problem was that glaze, not sure. Don't know if I'd go to the trouble of making these again but Mom said that she probably would. The wellingtons weren't bad and they weren't that difficult, it was just too time consuming for something that we didn't love. Perhaps I'll give them one more chance and make everything properly.

Cafe Rio Black Bean and Rice Salad 

Okay, I just skipped over lunch. The mushroom wellington was just so exciting! Mom and I went to Cafe Rio for lunch and had their veggie salad. I love Cafe Rio and so does Mom. It wasn't vegan, but it was tasty. The salad came with a fresh hand made stone ground whole wheat tortilla, green chile rice, black beans, romaine, pico, guacamole, tortilla strips, cilantro, cotija cheese, creamy tomatillo house dressing and a fresh lime wedge.

After eating our Cafe Rio Salads, we went over to Cinemark 8 (the dollar theater in the same parking lot) and watched The Artist. It was a great film, we recommend it. Well, Andrew probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as we did (there was almost no talking).

Raw Peppermint Patties

After dinner we made raw peppermint patties. The coconut we used was too large and too moist. I think that when we make these again we'll use some different coconut. The recipe said to measure the cream filling into nine patties. This made them a little too thick. I'd probably try 12 patties next time. We dipped some of the patties in the chocolate once, some twice, and some three times. The ones that were dipped only once were the best. This could be due to the chocolate we used. We didn't make her raw chocolate recipe, we cheated and mixed our dark chocolate chips with some coconut oil (to smooth and thin it out). We all agreed that this recipe is a keeper! Andrew kept talking about how we need to make these often.

Mom and I went to a digestive health seminar tonight at the Orem Good Earth store. Kiki Roesch, MPC (a natural health and supplement educator from Nutraceutical) was the speaker. When we got home, I realized that I'd thrown the flyer away, so I can't give you the actual name of the seminar, but it was in the form of a question... It was very interesting, but I'm tired and will probably post about it later. 

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Mom's Visit Day 4 - Mountain West Burrito, Salads, & Hunger Games

A&W Signature Green Smoothie 

We started our day off with a green smoothie that Andrew and I like to make a lot. I posted a recipe for it back when we were doing a green smoothie cleanse.

Mountain West Burrito in Provo, Utah

Mom and I went out for lunch today at Mountain West Burrito. It is a casual restaurant that serves large portions for reasonable prices. They try to carry local ingredients and I like that. We ordered two roasted veggie burritos with vegan cheese (Daiya), vegan sour cream (Tofutti), and whole-wheat tortillas. If we did it again, we would probably share the giant size that comes with guacamole and (vegan) sour cream. If I got this same burrito again, I'd get the vegan sour cream, but not the cheese. Mom said she liked it with both.

Fresh fruit salad with pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries
Green salad with romaine, spinach, tomato, zucchini, and mushrooms

We had a nice light dinner after a hearty burrito lunch. I love salad. Don't know why we don't have salad as the main course for dinner more often. I am so glad that we stopped by Winco when they were having their super sale on produce (it was during Summerfest which we didn't know about at the time). We have so much fresh fruit and veggies in our fridge right now. In fact, we cut up one of the pineapples and put the chunks directly in the freezer for later smoothie use.

Hunger Games the Movie

After dinner we went to the Water Gardens Theater in Pleasant Grove to watch The Hunger Games. The movie theater wasn't very big, but I like that the tickets are $3.50, you can select your seat online, and that there is no extra cost for online ticket orders.

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Mom's Visit Day 3 - Baked Vegan Penne & Almost Raw Peanut Butter Cups

Baked Vegan Penne Pasta (based off of this recipe that Mom made 4 weeks ago) 

For a late lunch/early dinner, we decided to make some pasta. The only change we made was using panko bread crumbs in the topping. We all loved it. I was actually surprised at how much Andrew enjoyed this. He said that the cashew ricotta really tasted like cheese in the pasta. He liked it so much that he ate almost twice as much of it as Mom and I did.

The Cashew Ricotta
Can be used for other things like this, this, this, this, this, and this
We'll have to try them all!

Made a simplified version of these Raw Peanut Butter Cups

After dinner we wanted something sweet, and the raw peanut butter cup recipe that we'd seen online was calling to us. We didn't have everything on hand to make them correctly, so we decided to improvise: A jar of peanut butter (only ingredient listed is peanuts, so it can't be that bad), and a bag of chocolate chips (hey, they're dark chocolate - 63% cacao, stop judging us). We used mini cupcake liners and the size was perfect! The melted chocolate wasn't quite runny enough and the peanut butter was too runny. A lot of the peanut butter cups looked layered. If we'd used almond butter, or made some less runny peanut butter, then we probably would have liked them better.

Mom and I sat out on the patio and looked out at our view of the mountains as we waited for
the Peanut Butter Cups to set up in the fridge

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Mom's Visit Day 2 - Cousin's Wedding and Mighty Muffins

Brent and Tricia's Wedding Luncheon
Pasta Bar, Fresh Fruit, and Green Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, and Craisins

Between the Luncheon and Reception we made Engine 2 Mighty Muffins (click for link to recipe) - With Added 63% Cocoa Chocolate Chips 

Wedding Reception - Roja Salsa, Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Pico de Gallo, and Bruchetta (Chips for Salsas Not Shown)
(There was also an array of beautiful, tasty looking desserts which we ignored. Sorry, no pictures. You'll have to ignore them too)
Each Table Had a Different Terrarium As a Centerpiece
Sent the Happy Couple Off With Sparklers and Release of Balloons While the Two Andrews Hammed It Up

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Mom's Visit Day 1 - Asian Tapas at Pipa in SLC

Asian Tapas at Pipa in SLC - Asparagus Fries, Aubergine Stacks, Avocado Egg Rolls, Brava Potatoes,
Sweet and Sour Chicken Bites (for Andrew), and Garden Spring Rolls

Mom flew in today. Andrew and I picked her up from the SLC airport at 4:30pm and decided to go out to eat while we were still in Salt Lake. After discussing some vegan options like the Vertical Diner, Omar's Rawtopia, Organic Manic, Sage's Cafe, Cafe SuperNatural, and the Union Street food cart (which we were too late to go to), we decided to not go so extreme. I think Andrew was relieved, although he was too nice to say anything.

We decided to go to Pipa, an Asian tapas place. Andrew and I have been there before, but it's been a while. The atmosphere is kinda interesting. There are colored lights on the walls, paper parasols hanging from the ceiling, and TVs showing a mix of anime and sports all in a dimly lit dining area by the sake bar.

I guess in China it's called a pipa, but we'd call it a loquat
Wish that was used as an ingredient in some dishes!

The food was decent. Andrew doesn't like cucumber water (Mom and I do), which is what they serve you if you ask for water - just a heads up if you feel like Andrew about your water. Here is how we felt about each menu item we ordered:

Asparagus Fries (wonton wrapped asparagus with garlic aoli) - Yum, would get these again! The asparagus was cooked just right.


Aubergine Stacks (eggplant rounds and veggie dumplings drizzled with  savory black bean sauce) - Not as good as the last time we ate at Pipa's, but okay. They were our favorite last time.

Avocado Egg Rolls (filled with tomato, avocado, and red onions) - They were good, but not very memorable.

Brava Potatoes (potatoes topped with an Asian tomato sauce) - These were a hit we all liked them a lot!


Sweet and Sour Chicken Bites (bite sized white chicken strips) - Mom and I didn't have any, but Andrew said that they were not what he was expecting and that he could have done without them, but they weren't bad. 

Garden Springrolls (fresh rice paper rolls with mango and green papaya) - Mom and I both agreed that we could make better at home.

See a copy of the menu after the break:

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Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

Andrew's Hot Chili
without meat

I woke up Sunday morning to the sounds of chopping, mincing and dicing (they probably don't sound different now that I think about it). Andrew started to yell my name, "Willow, come and chop this! Willow are you awake? You know I can't stand onions." Yeah, good morning to you too.

Andrew was making vegetarian chili, which he refused to call vegetarian:

Andrew: It is Texas chili with beans and no meat... Oh, and extra vegetables. 

Me: So, it's not Texas chili at all really? That would be meat chili without beans. 

Andrew: Well, yeah, I guess. 

Me: It looks like vegetarian chili.  

Andrew: It is not vegetarian chili. It is chili without meat.

Regardless of what you call it, it turned out pretty good, just a bit spicy. Maybe it was the three jalapenos. It could have been the half cup of chili powder. Perhaps the heaping teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes? No, it was the teaspoon of cracked black pepper, I'm sure of it.

Well, we now have a crockpot full of chili-without-meat leftover, and let me tell you, it only gets spicier in the fridge! The flavor (beyond the heat) was tomatoey with a hint of smoke. I think we would make it again. Maybe scale it back since it is the two of us and leave out some of those jalapenos.

vegan

2

I can do it, I can do it... Can I do it?

Mom called me last week and asked if I wanted to participate in Dr. Fuhrman's Holiday Challenge with her. My first thought was of all the yummy food I would miss out on at Thanksgiving. I love pumpkin pie! Then I thought about Christmas and New Years Eve. The Challenge requirements go like this:

The 2011 Holiday Challenge

Dr. Fuhrman's Holiday Challenge is dedicated to helping you make the best choices which will allow you to achieve overall health and quality of life. Take the pledge and join us in the Holiday Challenge.

I am committed to my health and I am taking Dr. Fuhrman's Holiday Challenge! This year, as I celebrate the holidays and enjoy the company of my family and friends, I will make food choices that support my health.

For the next 6 weeks, I promise to:

      

Eat a large salad everyday

Enjoy a generous serving of steamed
greens with mushrooms and onions  

Satisfy my sweet tooth with three fruits a day

  

Have at least one fulfilling serving of beans
each day

For the next 6 weeks, I promise to:

Avoid white flour

Avoid sugars & artificial
sweeteners

Use oils sparingly

I will not allow peer pressure or tempting toxic foods to derail me from my health goals.
I will not compromise my health to please others.
I will set an example of health-mindedness for those around me.

holiday challenge

0

Kindergarten Graduation

The morning of Jeffrey's kindergarten graduation Zac got himself dressed and ready to go. We had to do a tearful wardrobe intervention.

Jeff's kindergarten class.

The proud graduate.

The kindergarten teacher.

The proud grandma.
The happy aunt.

Zac decided that fruit snacks were a stylin' kindergarten picnic snack.

He tried to force feed them to Grandma, but she resisted.

Aunt Willow helped him decide to eat them himself.

Zac loved to swing...

...and swing.

Jeff showed his strength on the monkey bars...

...and his skill on the rest of the playground equipment.

By the end of the day he was at the head of his class.

family

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