
Wishing you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving! Hope it’s filled with family, friends and some time to relax.
Wishing you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving! Hope it’s filled with family, friends and some time to relax.
I like roasted seeds and nuts (do I sound like a squirrel?), but have never tried sweet roasted pumpkin seeds. When we were scooping pumpkins and saving the seeds for our two preschool classes, my co-teacher Hannah said she loved the seeds with cinnamon. Mind blown! What planet am I living on? How did I not know about these? Hon, here’s a healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, kosher recipe from Joy Food Sunshine that I must try!
Happy carving, scooping and baking!
Tips Before Roasting Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds must dry completely before roasting. Remove the seeds from pumpkins and rinse thoroughly, discarding any stringy orange pieces. Drain seeds by lining a large baking pan with paper towels, spreading seeds evenly in a layer, and letting sit for 24 hours. At the 12 hour mark, change damp paper towels for dry ones, stir to air out pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Yield: 3 cups
Store pumpkin seeds in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
One of my daughters loves to cook and another loves to bake. The third’s in college so she gets a pass until she lives on her own–lol! My son, also a self-declared chef, tells me about the dishes he puts together. When I requested he make dinner for hubby and me, he said, “When I come home, you cook!”
Morgan, the one who whips up delicious, healthy meals, introduced us to farro. I love its texture and taste and the way it forms a healthy base for an endless variety of additions. Mixing with roasted veggies are my favorite way to dress up this grain.
“Crispy roasted root vegetables like parsnips and celery root add an earthy, caramelized depth to this simple grain salad made with tender, chewy farro. Resist the urge to stir the vegetables during cooking to help the them develop the most color,” says Maria Sinskey for Food & Wine, whose recipe is shared here.
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F. Bring 3 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Stir in farro. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until farro is tender and water is mostly absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
Step 2
While farro cooks, toss together carrots, parsnips, onion, celery root, 1/4 cup oil, and 2 teaspoons salt on a rimmed baking sheet; spread in an even layer. Roast in preheated oven until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 3
Drain any excess water from farro. Stir together farro, chopped parsley, vinegar, pepper, roasted vegetables and any residual oil from roasting pan, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. If chilled, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
Step 4
Just before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Garnish with parsley leaves.
Farro and vegetables may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days. Buy pearled farro for this recipe; it cooks more quickly than whole-grain.
I love good veggie burgers but, often, one bite in and they fall apart. There I am making a mess, while attempting to use a fork and knife to eat a crumbling burger. No more with my new favorite Black Bean Burger recipe thanks to Sally’s Baking Addiction. SBA advises partially drying out the black beans to cook “big, thick, hearty, and flavorful” burgers that can be grilled or baked. Whether they’re eaten on a bun, plain, or on a salad, these delicious veggie burgers are “easy, healthy, satisfying, juicy, spicy and NOT MUSHY!” They were a winner with my family and friends.
Happy cooking, hon!
Yield: 6 to 7 burgers
Shout out to my daughter Morgan and her new cookbook Eating Out Loud, Bold Middle Eastern Flavors for All Day, Every Day by Eden Grinshpan. I love it when Morgan cooks dinner!
Of the cauliflower– ‘Its deep, roast-y deliciousness is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet, herbaceous date-parsley gremolata. You are going to be blown away by how much brightness you get from the preserved lemon and how the dates balance the tartness with their dense texture.”Of the cauliflower– “Its deep, roast-y deliciousness is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet, herbaceous date-parsley gremolata. You are going to be blown away by how much brightness you get from the preserved lemon* and how the dates balance the tartness with their dense texture.’
Eating Out Loud by Eden Grinshpan
Roasted Cauliflower
Gremolata
Cold Weather Comfort Food
I’ve made Beef Stew before, but wanted to change it up. Researching other recipes, I found some that simmered in a crockpot and some that baked in an oven. (Yes, you read right. Who knew?). I decided to use a crockpot, combining recipes for Ina Garten’s “Ultimate Beef Stew” (Food Network) and Chungah’s “Slow Cooker Beef Stew” (Damn Delicious). The only addition needed? A loaf of bread. This combination requires a bit of prep time, but it’s now my go-to Beef Stew recipe because it was hearty, healthy, savory, and delicious! Plus, there was enough leftover for future meals. Yay!
Hon, hope you find your own comfort during this strangest of holiday seasons.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes:
–The original recipes call for less meat, but I used 3 pounds so that there’d be enough for now and later.
–If, like me, you’ve never cut fennel before, click here to watch Melissa Clark’s video. Now I know!
Yield: Approximately 8-10 servings.
Thanksgiving’s around the corner, which means lots of baking and cooking! This year will be significantly different as we plan to host the holiday meal outside. Hubby’s installed heaters, created a plastic barrier for a corner of the porch, and we’re altering the meal with ease of serving in mind. There will be less of us as no one’s visiting from out of town, but leftovers are welcome!
I usually serve Velvety Vegetable Soup, but wanted to change it up. Taste of Home’s recipe for Roasted Autumn Vegetable Soup is a winner! It’s easy to follow, hearty, savory, and my new favorite!
Happy cooking, hon!
12 servings (4 quarts)
This recipe pawed its’ way to the top!
Kids in my K-2 “Wags-n-Whiskers” After-School-Enrichment class loved making toys and treats for their pets. These dog biscuits are easy to make, healthy and yummy (just ask Lucy).
Happy baking, hon!
Yield: depends on the size of the cookie cutters, I got about 3 dozen with medium sized cookie cutters.
According to the my source Simmer Till Done, http://simmertilldone.com/2009/10/07/retriever-retriever-pumpkin-eater, brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes good dog digestion.
Related Posts: Decoupage Pet Picture Frames, Tug of War Dog Toy
Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad is a perfect summer dish! Add grilled, sliced chicken, salmon or steak for protein, and dinner’s served. Going on a picnic? Pack it for lunch. Kids can cut up the veggies (with adult supervision), measure ingredients and mix it all up, making this a contender in the Easy DIY Kids Crafts & Recipes category. Not into pasta? How about mixing brown rice with the grilled veggies and tossing it all with the yummy balsamic dressing? Hon…guess what I’ll be serving later this week?
Tip: Add grilled chicken breast, steak or salmon for protein.
Yield: 4 servings
Source: Better Homes & Gardens