Cauliflower Sauce, by Cheryl

So I'm not sure about this. The reviews for this recipe were great so I decided to give it a try. My thought was that it would be a creamy Alfredo-like sauce that would be a healthy option to put over our whole wheat pasta while getting a veggie in there, but it didn't quite turn out that way. Now I will say that I added cheese to my sauce and while the original recipe said that I could do that to enhance flavor, I'm pretty sure that's what made it clump up beyond repair. The taste was there.. it was flavorful and I'm glad I added the Gruyere cheese to it. But it was basically like pasta with clumpy cauliflower and cheese. I think I'll try it again without mixing the cheese in since it was sauce-like before I did that (and maybe just added shredded Gruyere or Parmesan on top). We'll see. Yum?!

Ingredients:

8 large cloves garlic, minced (I used 4)
2 tablespoons butter
5-6 cups cauliflower florets (I used almost one whole)
6-7 cups broth (this seemed like WAY too much.. didn't use it all)
1 tsp salt (plus more to taste... we needed more)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1) Saute the minced garlic with the butter until fragrant. Set aside.

2) Cook the cauliflower until fork tender (either by boiling or by steaming - I steamed).

3) Puree the cauliflower, milk, 1 cup broth, and garlic in a food processor. Mix with pasta.

Banana-Zucchini Bread, by Cheryl

Photo from here

Julia and I wanted had a baking day last Tuesday since we were once again stuck inside due to this never-ending rain!!! I decided to make some bread to bring in for her preschool class to have at snack time. This bread was a big hit with the two and three year olds (and their teachers), and was an easy way to sneak some veggies in. I made a few adjustments from the original recipe. I omitted the walnuts because they are a nut-free school. I substituted the dried cranberries with dark chocolate chips. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour since that's what I had on hand. I cut the original recipe in half. I also, mistakenly, baked the bread at 350 instead of 325, but everything turned out fine! I loved this bread warmed up in the microwave. Yum!

Ingredients (modified):

1 egg
1/2 cup apple sauce (or 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 grated zucchini
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.75 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Beat egg in a large bowl. Add apple sauce (or oil), sugars, zucchini, banana, and vanilla and mix together. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan.

3) Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until toothpick is placed in the center and comes out clean.

Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs, by Cheryl

Wow, this was good! The sauce had such a nice taste to it... I couldn't stop tasting it when it was cooking. This was pretty easy and quick to make and was a big hit, though it may have been a little too spicy for Julia. The original recipe didn't include breadcrumbs, but I just couldn't get the meatballs to form right without them, so I added them in. I would have liked the meatballs to be a little more tender, but they were still good. I served this over cauliflower rice for me and brown rice for Jon. Yum!

Ingredients (modified from original recipe):

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground basil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1.5 cans coconut milk
1/3 cup chopped basil

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375.

2) Mix the curry powder, basil, ginger, garlic powder, almond flour, and bread crumbs together in a bowl. Add in the meat and incorporate well. Finally, add in the egg and form meatballs. Place on large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

3) While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add coconut oil, onion, garlic, peppers, and ginger. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add curry paste then all of the coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes until coconut paste is mixed into the sauce.

4) Add meatballs to the sauce and cook for an additional five minutes. Finish off with fresh basil.

Carrot Soup, by Cheryl

*This was written in March so it's a little outdated!

My poor girl is in a leg cast due to a funny fall off a slide at my partner in crime Diane's playground. Her favorite show is Peppa Pig and she kept talking about the carrot soup they had at lunch time and how she wanted it. So this mama made some carrot soup for the patient. It was good! Tasted almost like some butternut squash soup I've made before. I'm not gonna say she devoured it, but she ate half of her bowl and thought it was pretty cool that she was eating what Peppa Pig was eating. Yum!

Ingredients:

1-lb carrots, peeled, and cut into thirds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large rib celery, cut
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper

Ingredients:

1) Heat oven to 375. Place onions on a baking sheet, tossed with oil. Roast for about 45 minutes.

2) Melt the butter and saute the onions until soft. Add the celery and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes.

3) Add the roasted carrots, chicken broth, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.

4) Puree the soup using an immersion blender.

Cajun Meatloaf, by Diane

Supremely unattractive photo but I had to cut it in the center to see if it was done!

I've been missing some cajun-style food since coming back from NOLA a few months ago. I saw this recipe and decided to try it, since I'm also a huge fan of meatloaf for a quick and easy meal that lasts for days! It was pretty spicy, and very juicy! I didn't make it with the cajun-style potatoes as suggested but I think that would have complimented the spice well. I also modified the recipe from mini loaves to one big one, hence me cutting it in the center to see if it was done and ruining my photo! Modified recipe posted below-


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon EVOO

5 Andouille sausage links, casing removed 
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 poblano or small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 rib celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons granulated onion
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2- 1 teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup light lager or chicken stock (I would omit this next time because it was too wet)
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 cup chili sauce

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a large meatloaf pan or broiler pan and set aside.

 

2. Over medium high heat, add EVOO to a large saucepan. Add in sausage, onion, pepper, celery, garlic, and thyme. Crumble sausage and mix until cooked through. Let cool slightly.

 

3. While sausage mixture is cooking, add remaining ingredients except chili sauce into a large bowl.  

 

4. Add the sausage mixture to the bowl and mix lightly until just combined.

 

5. Form into an even loaf and baste with chili sauce.

 

6. Cook for 50-55 minutes, or until done in center.