hamburger bowl

Here's just a quick creation I came up with, with what we had on hand for lunch today. Not amazing, but not bad.
Cook hamburger with no-salt organic seasoning i get from Costco.
Cook rice noodles (I used macaroni shape, but anything would work).
Add in peas and some Daiya cheddar cheese shreds.  (The "cheese" is a new product since I was last dairy and soy free. It seems really good so far).
That's it. Not fancy, but I ate lunch today, which seems to be quite an accomplishment some days.

another diet

Well Baby #2 is having tummy problems now (at 2 1/2 weeks old), so at least that means more recipe ideas coming. We're starting by eliminating dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, wheat, and fish.

green chip cookies

We wanted to make something a little green, so we came up with pistachio cookies today. They're yummy--like a nutty sugar cookie.

2 sticks (1 c.) butter (or 1 cup vegetable oil or shortening)

1 cup sugar

1/2 t. baking soda

1 egg (or Ener-G egg replacer)

1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. flour (any grain should work)

1 c. crushed pistachios (or any nut or seed)

1/2 t. salt if nuts aren't salted

Mix. Bake at 375 for about 9 minutes.

We also made Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies and are hoping they'll turn nice and green by tomorrow. In trying to come up with other green foods, we came across http://www.cookingwithcolor.com/green_foods/ and these yummies: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/03/are-you-eating-something-green/. And for anyone wanting to make St. Patrick's Day about more than wearing green and pinching people, here's what we're celebrating http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick.

kefir

We love this stuff! I find it at Whole Foods. Kefir is like yogurt but thinner and full of more good bacterias.

http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/Coconut_Kefir_Vanilla.html

Strawberry Cake

Joshua loves strawberry cake, so for Valentine's Day we'll be making a delicious heart-shaped cake.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups white ultragrain flour (or just unbleached white wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
• 1 3/4 cups fair-trade sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup coconut milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3/4 cup organic strawberries chopped
• Frosting for after the cake bakes
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup strawberry coconut milk keifer
• Mix the cake. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

raspberry chocolate chip cookies

The Valentine's cooking has begun. I love Valentine's Day! I took a favorite cookie recipe from my stepmom and altered it a bit.

original recipe

1 C. butter softened

1 C. powdered sugar

1/8 t. salt

2 t. maraschino cherry liquid

1/4 t almond extract

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 c. chopped maraschino cherries

sugar for rolling

48 milk chocolate stars

Heat oven to 325. Beat butter for 30 seconds on high. Add powdered sugar and salt. Beat. Add cherry liquid and almond extract. Add flour. Stir in cherries with a spoon. Roll into 1 in. balls. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 14 minutes. Add chocolate.

My recipe

(of course i didn't actually measure, so these are my estimates)

1/2 c. non-hydrogenated shortening

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. non-dairy margarine

1 1/4 C. powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 C. raspberries (or cherries for purple cookies with cherry flavor)

1 C. 365 dark chocolate mini chunks or Giradelli semisweet chips

food-dye-free raspberry sugar sprinkles

Heat oven to 325.

Beat shortening, margarine, and oil.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat.

Mix in flour.

Mix in raspberries.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon onto baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until they just barely start to brown.

I suppose if you don't like the seeds, you could use raspberry seedless smashed fruit (like jelly). You could also shape the cookies into hearts, but I'm too lazy to spend that much time on something that's going into my mouth.

Curry Chicken

Mmmmm, i love indian food. Here's what we make at our house.

Start a pot of brown rice.

Cook chicken pieces.

Add curry powder (we like yellow curry). Put in maybe a few tablespoons, depending on how spicy/curried you want.

Add maybe about a cup of coconut milk.

Add chunks of potatoes, sliced carrots, chopped onion, red bell peppers, cauliflower, peas, and shredded unsweetened coconut. You can either boil the potatoes and carrots some before to soften them, or start them in first until their softened, and then add the rest.

Add raisins.

Dish up with the rice.