Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Lego Bionicles

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

October - Lego Bionicles Cookies, Kopaka and Lewa
2 dozen vanilla sugar cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Owls and Paint Palettes

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

September - Owl Cookies for a 2nd Birthday
5 dozen vanilla sugar cookies


September - A Colorful 4th Birthday with Paint Palette Cookies
1.5 dozen confetti sugar cookies, 1.5 dozen chocolate cookies

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Thank-you Minis, Dr. Seuss

Playing catch-up. If you'd like to see my latest cookie creations, please visit my Facebook page: A Random Act of Cookie.  

August - Last-day-of-preschool mini cookies for teachers
5 dozen vanilla sugar cookies, 5 dozen chocolate sugar cookies




August - A Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday, 5" favor-size cookies
3 dozen vanilla sugar cookies

Curried Lentils and Chickpeas

It's Meatless Monday.  I've fallen into a rut lately (just life and stuff) and have been resorting to old favorites like Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos, Frittatas, Lentil and Pasta Soup, and even just scrambled eggs with toast (GF crackers for me) for Monday dinners.  Today I was feeling a bit feisty, so I thought I'd make something new.  Well, new to me.  I was jonesing for something curry, and this totally hit the spot.  And it's easy, too.  Yay!

Curried Lentils and Chickpeas


Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 3/4 cup dried lentils
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste
• hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Rinse chickpeas and lentils in running water, then soak in separate bowls overnight.
• In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic in coconut oil over medium heat for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.
• Drain the chickpeas and lentils and add to the pot.  Add the curry and cumin powders.  Stir over medium heat for a minute.
• Add the water and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the chickpeas and lentils are tender. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, and add hot pepper sauce (optional).  Serve over brown rice (or with whole wheat naan if you're not gluten-free).

Tonight I served this with a side of simple roasted cauliflower.  I'm a happy camper.

Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Tomatoes

A meatless Monday meal.  This actually got two thumbs up from the hubs.

Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Tomatoes


Ingredients:

• 1/4 stick butter
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 medium-large spaghetti squash, cooked and de-seeded
• 1 large bunch lacinato kale, washed, dried and chopped 
• large handful of grape tomatoes, halved
• pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
• shredded parmesan
• diced avocado
• salted, roasted pepitas

Directions:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir until soft and fragrant, about 45 seconds.  Add in the cooked spaghetti squash strands and toss until coated with garlic butter.  Add the kale and cook for a few minutes until wilted.  Add in the tomatoes and salt to taste.  Stir until the tomatoes are heated through.
• Plate and top with parmesan, avocado and pepitas.  Serve warm.

Today I served it over some leftover brown rice and beans.

Dill Gazpacho with Grilled Mahi Mahi and Shrimp

It's been HOT all week so far.  Highs in the mid-80s.  I'm glad it's not snow, but I'd love it to cool down a little bit.  My ideal is high-60s to low-70s.  I think that's in the forecast for this weekend, so yay!

Last night I made a hot soup (Lentil and White Bean Soup with Arugula) for dinner and we were all sweating bullets.  DUH.  So tonight we're having cold soup.

I don't think dill is typical of gazpacho, is it?  All the gazpacho I've had to date have typically been with parsley or basil.  Or herbless.  But I love love love how dill complements seafood, so that's what I used here.

Dill Gazpacho with Grilled Mahi Mahi and Shrimp


Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 2 persian cucumbers, chopped and divided
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound grilled mahi mahi, cubed
• 1/2 pound grilled shrimp

 Garnish:

• diced avocado
• roasted and salted pepitas 
• chopped fresh dill 
• extra virgin olive oil
• Tabasco sauce

Directions:

• In a blender, pulse the crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, half the cucumbers, garlic, onion, dill, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper until almost smooth.  Or chunky.  Or however you like it.  I added about 1 teaspoon of Pink Himalayan Salt, but how much you add will depend on how sweet/tart your tomatoes are, what type of salt you use, and your taste preference.
• Add in the other half of the chopped cucumbers and buzz for another split-second (the newly-added cukes should still be slightly chunky).
• Pour into a lidded container and refrigerate to chill for at least a couple of hours.
• When ready to serve, ladle cold soup into 4 bowls and add in some warm grilled mahi mahi and shrimp.  I like the warmth of the fish and shrimp in contrast with the cold soup, but you can certainly use cold fish and shrimp.  Top with diced avocado, pepitas, fresh dill and a drizzle of olive oil.  Add a dash of Tabasco if you're feeling frisky.

I like to use persian cucumbers because they're firmer than regular or hothouse cukes, and this gives the soup a little more texture.

I chose to add pepitas because I'm gluten-free.  Otherwise you could certainly add croutons.  :-)

Grilled Ginger Salmon Skewers with Pineapple Pico de Gallo

I originally was going to make salmon skewers spaced with pineapple slices, but at the last minute I decided to make a sort of pico de gallo topping instead.  A yummy sweet and tangy accompaniment to the fresh salmon skewers.

I used my Grilled Ginger Salmon Brochettes recipe for the fish.

Grilled Ginger Salmon Skewers with Pineapple Pico de Gallo


Pineapple Pico de Gallo Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh sweet pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet red and orange peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup shallots, diced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño, minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• juice of 1/2 lime (more as needed, depending on how sweet the pineapple is)
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a bowl combine all the ingredients.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

 Grilled Ginger Salmon Skewers Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh wild salmon fillet, skinned, boned and cubed
• 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Soak some wooden skewers in water for a few minutes.  This will help prevent them from burning on the grill.
• Place cubed salmon fillets in a mixing bowl.  Add rest of the ingredients and toss.  Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Skewer the salmon onto the soaked skewers. Place onto a hot grill and cook on high for a few minutes on each side until done.  Plate the skewers, top with some pineapple pico de gallo and serve immediately.

I like to serve the skewers on a bed of brown rice and beans.  Tonight I paired it all with a massaged kale salad.  Yum!

Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa and Fish

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes of all time includes steamed white fish with glass noodles and black fungus (tastes better than it sounds, really) wrapped with lettuce and mint in rice paper.  So refreshing on a hot day.  I thought I'd mix it up a little, and here's what I came up with.

I used a nice sea bass fillet today, but you could use any firm fish (halibut, yellowtail, mahi mahi, etc.).  I also baked the fish today, but it's great grilled as well.

Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa and Fish


Ingredients:

• 1 pound sea bass fillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch strips
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 onion, chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup sweet red peppers, chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1.5 cups water
• lettuce leaves, washed and trimmed 
• avocado slices
• lemon wedges

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Rub fish with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 17 - 20 minutes until done and flaky.
• While fish is baking, melt coconut oil in a small pot and stir in onion, garlic, mushrooms and sweet pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until veggies are fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes.  Add the quinoa, water and salt to taste (I added approx. 1/2 teaspoon).  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
• Lay the lettuce leaves out on a plate.  Fill each leaf with some of the quinoa mixture, then top with some fish and avocado.  Spritz with lemon.  Enjoy!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I've seen a number of these recipes on the Internet.  Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls are so easy and so yummy.  Bonus: it's a one-pot meal.  I chopped the onion and cabbage this afternoon, then went to work out.  Came home, threw it all together and had a satisfying, hot dinner in 30 minutes.  Here's my version.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 pounds extra lean ground sirloin
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 to 2 cups water
• a few dashes of worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and stir until translucent.  Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Stir in ground beef and cook, stirring often, until nicely browned.
• Add the cabbage, diced tomatoes and lemon juice to the pot.  Add 1 cup water if you like it a little thicker.  My daughter likes to eat it like soup, so I add another cup of water to make it extra saucy.  Add the worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.  
• Bring to a boil, then put a lid on the pot and reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes until cabbage is tender.  (Don't overcook or the cabbage becomes mushy!)

We like to serve it over brown rice.

Whole Spelt Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Muffins

Baking season is just around the corner, and pumpkin season is here.  I'm kicking it off with muffins.  My young kids love these in the mini sizes.  They'll happily devour 3 or 4 mini muffins in one sitting, but won't touch a regular sized one.  It must be a size thing.

If you don't have whole spelt flour, you can substitute 1:1 with whole wheat flour.

Whole Spelt Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Muffins
Adapted from this recipe.
Yields 1 dozen muffins (4 dozen mini muffins).

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups whole spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin pan(s) with paper muffin cups.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together first 7 (dry) ingredients.
• In another mixing bowl, whisk together next 5 (wet) ingredients.
• Pour wet mix into dry mix and combine.  Do not over mix.
• Fold in the dried cranberries and walnuts.
• Divide batter evenly into the prepared pans. 
• Bake until golden, 18 - 20 minutes for regular muffins, 14 - 15 minutes for mini muffins.

These freeze really well if you don't get around to eating them all within a few days.  Or if you want to make a double batch.  My kindergartener loves the mini ones for her mid-morning snack at school. I take a couple straight out of the freezer in the morning (7:30am-ish), toss them into her lunchbag, and by the time she eats her snack (10:30am-ish) the muffins are completely thawed and good to eat.