On Fridays Miss Leyba and I try to do something new with just the two of us.
Today we made fruit crumble (based loosely on this gluten-free recipe). It just came out of the oven and smells heavenly.
Once Miss Leyba finishes reading to her baby doll, it’s tea party time!
Have a great weekend!
All super tasty, healthy and simple, most of them whipped up from random ingredients found in the fridge, but none of them perfect enough to post a recipe (yet).
Quinoa pasta with (leftover) grilled zucchini, chickpeas and garlic (ingredients assembled, ready to go in the sauté pan):
Salad with assorted veggies and grilled figs, purple potatoes, and grilled king salmon (definitely a meal fixed with leftovers, but the salmon was INCREDIBLE and we love grilled figs!):
Gluten-free pizza with pineapple and red onion for Mama / plain cheese for Miss Leyba (tastes SO much better on the grill; we probably won’t make this in the oven again):
Double potato frittata with arugula (too much potato, not enough arugula, garlic and cheese):
And, finally, here are the BEST recipes of the past week, both of which I’m looking forward to refining.
Salad of grilled figs, goat cheese, roasted almonds, and balsamic vinegar (a great example of using simple, high quality ingredients to create a phenomenal dish):
Chilled noodle salad with mango (recipe here, from Vegetarian Times. I have plans for making a more simple, fast and protein packed version. While delicious, it took me a full 45 minutes to put this one together… and, yes, I did have a toddler distracting me. You may be able to cook it in less.):
Yum, yum!
I’m a sucker for food that’s easy, tasty and healthy. We tried the Swiss Chard with Chickpeas recipe and, oh boy, did it fit those categories and, wow, did we love it! I almost threatened to arm wrestle David over who got to eat the leftovers for lunch today. (I gave in; he took them to work. Yes, I sound like quite the doting, loving wife, but really it meant I didn’t need to whip up something else for him to bring in!)
Here’s our adaptation of Real Simple’s recipe for you to try and enjoy:
Swiss Chard With Chickpeas, Pine Nuts, and Quinoa Pasta
Ingredients
1 8-ounce box quinoa pasta
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon to cover pasta after its cooked
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup raisins (dark or golden)
2 bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed and cut in thirds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Cook pasta according to manufacturers directions. Toss with a light coating of olive oil and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or stockpot, over low heat, toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Return skillet or stockpot to medium heat, add the oil, and heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and raisins and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chard, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Top the pasta, divided amongst four plates, with the chard and sprinkle with the pine nuts.
And for the kiddos adverse to wilted leafy green vegetables, you can serve them pasta with chickpeas (and a strip of nori on the side). “Yum, yum, delicious!” says Miss Leyba. Can’t argue with that!
I’m so looking forward to making this dish again. Here are some variations I’m excited to try: using spinach or kale instead of chard, almonds or walnuts instead of pine nuts, and substitute the quinoa pasta with cooked millet, rice, quinoa, or (as the original recipe suggests) couscous.
Last month I added up how much we spent on eating out, screamed, fainted dead away, and promptly set up a monthly “eating out budget,” which of course we blew by July 9th. It’s going to be a long month spent slaving away in the kitchen…
Although last night I felt burnt out from cooking after an elaborate breakfast and lunch, so we dined on fish sticks, leftover polenta pizza, cheese and crackers.
Clearly we can do better.
This is an opportunity to enjoying some delicious home-cooked meals!
Here are some quick, vegetarian, gluten-free and (mostly) figure friendly recipes I’d like to try this month:
– Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
– Spinach, Apple, and Walnut Salad
– Swiss Chard With Chickpeas & Couscous (substituting quinoa for the couscous to be gluten-free)
– Thai Spiced Tofu
– Honey-Balsamic Bean Salad
– Wild Seaweed Salad Recipe
– Skinny Omelette Recipe
– Arugula Salad with Strawberries
– Blueberry Corn Salad
– Crunchy Peanut Slaw
We will also probably cook up these familiar standbys:
– Make your own burrito bar (pictured above)
– Potato and spinach frittata
– Vegetable coconut curry
– Golden spice rice with chickpeas
– Split pea soup
– Tempeh reubens
– Pasta tossed with veggies and cheese (see top photo)
– Grilled veggies, tempeh, burgers, fruit, pizza…
For those days when I just can’t come up with any cooking ideas on my own, I have this master list of recipes that we enjoy, as well as a binder full of recipes with gorgeous glossy photos ripped from magazines and printed from the internet. For inspiration. For reference. For quick and easy suggestions.
Nevertheless, every now and then we have peanut butter and jam sandwiches (on rice cakes) cause it’s just one of those days… we are trying so hard to resist the temptation to head out to grab a quick bite at a neighborhood restaurant (like we used to do all the time). So far, we’re doing good.
(By the way, I wrote this yesterday before Amanda’s kitchen post. Great minds think alike! In this one instance I am glad that I only have time to blog during Miss Leyba’s naps and couldn’t post it until today.)
I love coming up with a great excuse to bake with Miss Leyba. Today’s reason for throwing caution to the wind and eating some processed (but oh so delicious) sugar? Our favorite gluten-free chocolate brownie mix
We’re all about the ultimate fudge brownie. And licking the spoon. After all, it’s terribly important to taste test while baking to ensure your treat is turning out right… just ask Miss Leyba!
