Have you ever cooked farro or teff?  What about amaranth or barley? For the lowdown on every grain under the sun, visit the Whole Grains Council website, a fabulous resource for everything whole grains … or tune into this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast.  During the show, we dish about whole grains and all the easy ways to add them to your family’s diet.

Giveaway News: For fresh ideas on whole grains, our friends at Bob’s Red Mill are sponsoring a giveaway for our readers.  To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post with your favorite way to incorporate whole grains into your family’s diet or share a recipe using whole grains. Three lucky winners will receive an assortment of whole grain products from Bob’s Red Mill — things like Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix, 13-Bean Soup Mix, 10-Grain Hot Cereal, Quinoa, and more.  Winners will be selected randomly using random.org, and the giveaway ends at noon on June 25th.

Several weeks ago, Janice had the pleasure of touring Bob’s Red Mill while in the Portland, Oregon during the annual meeting of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  Bob Moore founded Bob’s Red Mill over 30 years ago to preserve the ancient craft of stone milling and to grind whole grains for the local community.  Now, with over 200 employees, the company offers 400 wholesome products including ground flaxseed, quinoa, teff, whole wheat pastry flour, millet, whole grain pancake mix, gluten-free all-purpose baking flour, and apple blueberry granola (over 100 of them are gluten free too). You name it … if it’s a whole grain, they grind it, mill it, mix it, and sell it!

After touring the facility and seeing the whole grains being crushed and ground, Janice went to the store and feasted on a breakfast burrito wrapped in a whole grain flour tortilla with grits and fresh fruit on the side.  There, she met Bob and asked if he wanted to be a guest on our podcast.  To her delight, he said yes, and he invited his program director, Lori Sobelson to join the conversation too.  Lori runs all the culinary classes and programs offered to the community, and she shared two of her favorite kid-friendly recipes including Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies and Hazelnut Quinoa Salad (see below).  These two charming folks spent close to an hour chatting with Janice about everything from how the company was started to how to get kids to eat more whole grains.

Breakfast Burrito and Fruit Salad at Bob’s Red Mill

Bob and Janice take a spin in his 1931 Ford

Bob’s Red Mill Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 24 Cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (we used 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

2. In a bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter (or butter and canola oil if using both) and sugar until creamy and smooth about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.  Add the flour, baking soda, salt and old-fashioned oats.  Beat until well incorporated.  Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

3. For small cookies place about 1 tablespoon of batter on the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  For larger cookies, use an ice cream scoop or about two and one half tablespoons of batter per cookie.  If your batter is too soft, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm it up before baking the cookies.  Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand and bake cookies about 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 13 to 14 minutes for larger cookies, or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cookies cool about 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

A recipe from Bob’s Red Mill Bakery, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

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As we mentioned in the podcast, on Bob’s 81st birthday he gave the company to his employees. He said, “I didn’t want it to be acquired by a competitor who would take it to pieces and fire everyone.  I couldn’t let that happen.”

Hazelnut Quinoa Salad

Makes 4 Servings (courtesy, Lori Sobelson)

• 2 cups quinoa, cooked
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup red seedless grapes cut in half

• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup strawberry fruit spread
• 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon silken tofu
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. To cook quinoa:  In a saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups water to boil.  Add 1 cup quinoa grain and ½ teaspoon salt.  Reduce heat and cook covered for 12 minutes.  Quinoa will be done when grain has absorbed all of the liquid.  Place quinoa on cookie sheet to cool.

2. In a medium size bowl combine cooled quinoa, hazelnuts, green onions and grapes.  Serve at room temperature or chill for 2 hours before adding dressing.

3. In a food processor or blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients.  Blend for about 1 minute or until smooth. Set aside until main salad ingredients are ready to serve.  Just before serving pour dressing over quinoa mixture.  Pour slowly as you will have more than you need.

* If you don’t like the dressing recipe listed above a low-fat raspberry vinaigrette may also be used.

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Good luck on the giveaway. We can’t wait to read about all of your ideas!

> The Novel Reader: Moms like Sandi G. read cookbooks cover to cover — “I read cookbooks like a novel. They are by my bedside,  in the car, and I read them at work on break.”

> The Recipe Flagger: Danielle P. looks at the recipes to see what catches her eye — “I flip through them over and over and over again. I mark the pages I like with Post-Its, write notes on those I’ve tried and go through them again every few months to see if there are some that interest me this time around. Sometimes a recipe will jump out at me that didn’t before.”

> The Index User: Molly P. relies on the index — “When I get a new cookbook, I flip through it first checking out photos, reading recipes and generally checking out what sounds good. When I want to make something I look for what I have on hand in the index and then go from there.”

As for favorite cookbooks, it ran the gamut from The Joy of Cooking to America’s Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 to Junior League and church cookbooks.  Recently, we received three new cookbooks for review, and for this month’s giveaway, we’re sending them to three lucky winners:  SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue (St. Martin’s Griffin – $17.99) by Aviva Goldfarb, Blue Ribbon Edition ($21.95) by Debra Stark, and Slim & Scrumptious (William Morrow Cookbooks – $24.99) by Today Show nutrition editor, Joy Bauer.

To enter to win (U.S. residents only, please), leave a comment on this post and tell us about your favorite cookbooks. You can also tell us about your cookbook reading habits and whether you have a favorite cookbook recipe of all time. We’ll enter you a second time if you Tweet the giveaway (just leave a separate comment).  The giveaway ends on Friday, June 4th at noon EST, and we will use Random.org to pick our three winners.

We decided to cook up a few recipes from each of the books. For Joy Bauer’s book, check out Liz’s review on our blog from May 10, 2010.

Janice and 10-year old Leah took a crack at SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue and had a hard time deciding what to cook (Leah went a little crazy with all her sticky notes). They finally decided on the Vegetarian Enchiladas (see below).  The book’s subtitle sums up the spirit of the book: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. The recipes are presented by season, and there are lots of sidebars woven throughout:  tips for stocking your pantry, composting, eating more whole grains, eating on a budget, and packing healthy school lunches.  The author, Aviva Goldfarb is the creator and publisher of the family-friendly weekly menu planner, The Six O’Clock Scramble, so be sure to visit her site.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Makes 6 Servings (from SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue)

• 1 can (15 ounces) enchilada sauce, mild or spicy
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 1/2 red or yellow onion, diced
• 2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 4 strips, and diced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 10 to 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or use Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
• 1 cup nonfat or low-fat sour cream for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and spray the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread about one-fourth of the can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.

2. In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds, and then add the onions and zucchini.  Season them with the cumin, chili powder, and salt (optional).  Sauté the mixture, stirring it occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.

3. Wrap the tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat them in the microwave oven for about 1 minute until they are soft.  (Alternatively, warm each tortilla over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 20 seconds per side, or until soft).

4. On a plate, fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture, and about 1 tablespoon of cheese.  Roll it and place it in the pan.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas until all the filling is used.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top of the tortillas, and top them with any remaining cheese.  Bake the enchiladas, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly.  (Meanwhile, make the guacamole, if you are serving it.)

5. Serve the enchiladas hot, topped with the sour cream, if desired.  (Alternatively, let them cool, cover tightly, and freeze them for up to 3 months).

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Liz and the boys tested a few recipes from Debra Stark’s book, Blue Ribbon Edition: From Our Kitchen to Yours. Debra is the owner Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA, so the book draws upon the amazing array of locally-sourced and organic ingredients available at her store. Liz made a few recipes from the book including Quinoa Breakfast Cereal (which we’ll share in a later post) and Zucchini Orzo Pudding, but the one her boys loved the most was The Best Cookie Ever. Josh and Simon have actually dubbed this cookie, The Best Cookie in the World!

The Best Cookie Ever

Makes 8 – 12 Servings (from Blue Ribbon Edition)

• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie plate or 8×8-inch brownie pan.

2. In a small bowl, beat together the sugar, egg and vanilla with a wooden spoon until “liquidy.” Mix in flour and salt. Add walnuts and mix well. Batter will be sticky and hard to mix. Good exercise for flabby arms! Spoon batter into pie plate or pan. Pat out (easier to do with wet hands).

3. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown and edges slightly pull away from the sides of the pie plate. Remove pie plate from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes. While cookies are still warm, cut into pie wedges. Cut while still warm or you won’t be able to cut at all. (These cookies are best eaten the day they are made, but they freeze beautifully.)

* Liz didn’t have coconut sugar on hand (but she plans to get some the next time she’s at Debra’s store!) so she used 2/3 cup granulated sugar. She also added 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for a fun variation.

We can’t wait to read your comments and hear all about your cookbook faves!

]]> http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2010/05/27/our-favorite-cookbooks-a-cookbook-giveaway-and-a-few-new-recipes-podcast-105/feed/ 135 http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2010/05/19/soy-story-and-a-recipe-for-a-tropical-soymilk-smoothie-podcast-104/ http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2010/05/19/soy-story-and-a-recipe-for-a-tropical-soymilk-smoothie-podcast-104/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 00:07:58 +0000 The Meal Makeover Moms http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/?p=9162

This week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast is all about soy.  Soybeans are a type of legume native to Southest Asia. They may be tiny, but soybeans are the most widely grown legume in the world with about 210 million tons cultivated annually.  That’s a lot of beans!  Foods made from soy include tofu, soymilk, edamame, soynuts, miso (soy paste), tempeh, soy burgers and soynut butter.

To explain how soy foods can fit into a healthy family diet we invited pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene, to be a guest on the show.  Dr. Greene is the author of several books including Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green, and he has an award-winning website, DrGreene.com, cited by the American Medical Association as “the pioneer physician Web site” on the Internet.  Soy foods often find their way on to Dr. Greene’s dinner table (he has four kids), so we asked him to weigh in on the health benefits of soy, the difference between whole and processed soy, and the role soy may play in heart disease and cancer prevention.

Here at Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen we’ve developed a bunch of recipes that feature soy including Mommy’s Edamame,  Vegetable Garden Tofu Pie, and Tasty Tofu Nuggets. For the show we thought it would be fun to whip up a new recipe using soy milk, so we hope you give our Tropical Soymilk Smoothie a try!

Tropical Soymilk Smoothie

Makes 3 Servings

• 1 ½ cups light vanilla soymilk (we like Silk soymilk because it’s made with whole soybeans and is non-GMO)
• 1 medium ripe banana
• 2/3 cup frozen mango (4 ounces)
• 2/3 cup frozen strawberries (4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. Place the soy milk, banana, mango, strawberries, and honey in a blender, and blend until well combined.

2. Pour into individual glasses and serve with a straw.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cup): 150 calories, 1g fat (0g saturated), 35mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 3g protein, 10% vitamin A, 40% vitamin C, 15% calcium

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If you have a favorite tofu or soy recipe feel free to share it by leaving a comment.  As always, we love hearing from you.

But before we share Joe’s strategies, we have to tell you about our latest giveaway. To help you eat a healthier diet packed with delicious, seasonal meals, one lucky blog reader (or podcast listener or Facebook fan) will win a copy of Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. This beautiful cookbook was written by spa founder, Deborah Szekely, and it features a bounty of delicious-sounding recipes — Corn, Cilantro, & Arugula Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Lasagna Azteca, and Chocolate Banana Bread. We have cooked quite a few recipes from the book including Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry and Mexican Red Rice, which you’ll find further down in this post.

To enter our Cooking with the Seasons cookbook giveaway all you have to do is post a comment on this blog post or on our Facebook fan page with your best tip for how you squash stress, relax, or fit fitness and nutrition into your day. The giveaway ends on Friday, March 5 at noon.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter.
> Tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.
> Become a Facebook Fan.

We hope many of you will enter the giveaway and listen to this week’s podcast, and we certainly hope you’ll read on for Joe Sweeney’s realistic tips … that really do work.

Address Your Stress:
> Schedule at least 10 minutes of relaxation daily.
> When you’re in stressful situations, breathe deeply to calm yourself down.
> Worry for 10 minutes every day. After 10 minutes, no more worrying permitted.
> Look for the humor in life. Begin by taking yourself more lightly.
> Exercise to relax: stretching, yoga, birdwatching, easy walking, easy bicycling.

Make Time for Exercise:
> Make exercise fun. Select activities you enjoy, and frequently vary your workouts.
> Start small and build gradually to at least 30 minutes of exercise every other day.
> Plan to move. Schedule your exercise for the upcoming week by adding it to your calendar in red ink.
> Take active vacations such as spas, walk or bike tours, raft trips, or environmental vacations.
> Make exercise a priority by committing to it for 30 days. After that, it will become a habit.

Other Tips from Joe:
> Switch your weight loss obsession to healthy habits.
> The worst thing for weight loss is to try to lose weight. Instead, focus on gaining health (we really LOVE this tip).
> Don’t give up your favorite foods. Instead, eat less of them.
> Location, location, location: Pack healthy snacks and plan ahead.
> Write down specific and realistic health goals, find a friend to do the same thing (a “goalmate” if you will), and touch base every two weeks to offer support and encouragement.

Below, are two recipes from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. We consider these recipes more on the adult friendly side than kid friendly (especially the soup since it’s got a bit of heat from the Thai curry paste). Let us know what you think.

Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

Makes 6 Servings

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (we used 1 tablespoon)
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes (we used a 1 pound, pre-peeled/sliced squash)
• 1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced
• 2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons thai red curry paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, or more to taste (we used 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
• Thinly sliced chives
• Thin strips of orange zest, optional

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the squah, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown (this took about 15 minutes). Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

2. Cool for 30 minutes, then in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, puree until absolutely smooth.

3. Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and the orange zest, if desired.

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Mexican Red Rice

Makes 6 Servings

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 small white onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1/2 cup
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 small green bell pepper or anaheim chile, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (we used half a red bell pepper)
• 1/2 cup minced carrots
• 1 teaspoon ground California chili (we used chili powder)
• 1 cup long-grain brown rice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (we used kosher salt)
• 1 medium tomato pureed with 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cooked green peas or cooked edamame, optional

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, green pepper, and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the rice, chili powder, and salt and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomato puree to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

3. Remove from heat. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the peas or edamame if desired. Replace the lid and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.

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For all of our Rancho La Puerta photos, visit our flickr page.

Very Veggie Chili

Makes 6 Servings (1 generous cup per serving)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large carrot, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• One 15-ounce can black eye peas, drained and rinsed (about 1 ¾ cups)
• 1 cup all-natural vegetable broth
• One 8-ounce package cubed super firm tofu (we like Nasoya), drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• One 7-ounce package Veggie Shreds Cheddar Flavor (we like Galaxy)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper as desired and cook an additional 2 minutes.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, beans, broth, tofu, and corn and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

4. Remove the cover, add 1 cup of the cheese, and stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and top with the remaining cheese.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 320 calories, 9g fat (0.5g saturated), 680mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate, 10g fiber, 21g protein, 130% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 40% calcium, 30% iron

Print Recipe

For our next recipe, no one has to know it’s made with tofu, unless, of course, you choose to divulge that information. Janice’s girls and Liz’s boys request this dessert all the time … and they are all fully aware there is tofu in the recipe.

As you can see, we call for a prepared pie crust for this luscious yet light dessert. There are a few brands we like including Wholly Wholesome and Arrowhead Mills, and we just heard about another crust made by Heartland that we’re itching to try. You can certainly make your pie crust from scratch. For a healthier version, check out the crust we created for our Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie.

Silky Chocolate Caramel Pie

Makes 10 Servings

• One package Dark Chocolate Silken Style Creations (we like Nasoya)
• One 8-ounce package 30%-reduced-fat cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• One 9-inch prepared chocolate (or plain) Graham Cracker pie crust (look for an all-natural, trans fat-free brand)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. To make the filling, place the tofu, cream cheese, cornstarch, and caramel sauce in a large bowl, and use a hand mixer to combine until smooth and creamy (you can also use a food processor). Scrape down the sides as necessary.

3. Pour the tofu mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 1 hour until set. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours, uncovered, until cooled completely. Slice and serve.

Tip: Serve with a small dollop of whipped cream, an extra drizzle of caramel sauce, and/or some fresh raspberries on top.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 210 calories, 8g fat, (4g saturated), 220mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 4g protein

Print Recipe

If you have a favorite vegetarian or vegan recipe you’d like to share, or if you get a chance to try these new recipes, let us know what you think.

Having returned late the night before from a family ski trip to New Hampshire, I didn’t have too many ingredients to work with. Luckily, the simple recipe I created — inspired by my 11-year old’s plea for broccoli soup (he loves the Cheesy Broccoli Soup recipe from our cookbook on page 116) and a recipe from Eating Well magazine for Broccoli, Cannellini Bean & Cheddar Soup, our meal was on the table in a matter of minutes.

Broccoli, Bean & Cheddar Cheese Soup

Makes 6 Servings (6 cups total)

The beans add a “creamy” consistency to the soup … along with fiber and antioxidants!

• One 32-ounce container all-natural vegetable broth
• One 16-ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli
• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Croutons, optional

1. Place the broth in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the broccoli, beans, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper, cover, and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until cooked, about 8 minutes.

2. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup or let cool slightly, transfer to a blender, and puree in batches (puree VERY WELL so there aren’t any lumps in the soup). Place the soup back in the saucepan over low heat. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with croutons as desired.

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If I make this soup again, which I probably will, I may toss in a shredded carrot for a hint of sweetness and some extra nutrition. But then again, with two veggies already — broccoli and beans — this soup is already packed with great nutrition. As for my boys’ reaction, they said they’d definitely eat it again (which I consider a mealtime success).

Interestingly, quinoa is often referred to as a “grain,” but it’s actually the seed of a plant related to beets, chard, and spinach. When cooked, the seeds expand to three to four times their original size, become translucent, and the white germ partially detaches itself — it looks like a white-spiraled pig’s tail! When fully cooked, quinoa becomes fluffy and a bit crunchy.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we don’t have a lot of experience cooking with quinoa which is why we we posted a plea on our Facebook page asking fans for their favorite quinoa recipes and ideas — and boy, did they come flooding in. Teresa S. suggested we try a recipe for Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash from Fat Free Vegan (which we ended up trying and then tweaking … see recipe below), Katie C. serves her family a “make-your-own grain salad” meal by laying out bowls filled with cooked quinoa, beans, veggies, cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette, and Leora T. told us she likes quinoa when topped with flaked cooked salmon, lime juice, cilantro, fresh peas, and toasted pine nuts. All that inspiration led to three family-friendly quinoa recipes and episode 86 of Cooking with the Moms!

Crunchy Quinoa with Almonds & Apricots

Makes 6 Side Dish Servings (or 4 Main Dish)

We got the idea for this simple side dish from Debra Stark’s recipe for Quinoa with Pine Nuts and Apricots. Debra is a cookbook author and owner of Debra’s Natural Gourmet in Concord, MA.

• 1 cup quinoa (cooked with all-natural vegetable broth as suggested on package *)
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper (cut into ¼-inch dice)
• 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped (7 to 8 apricots)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, optional
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Freshly ground black pepper

* The amount of broth needed will depend on your quinoa product. Read package directions for the suggested amount of liquid (it may range from 1 ¼ cups to the more likely 2 cups liquid per 1 cup quinoa). The cooking time may also vary depending on the brand you select. As a rule of thumb, the suggested time will range from 10 to 15 minutes with an instruction to let stand 5 to 10 minutes until the quinoa fully absorbs all the liquid. When fully cooked, the quinoa will “sprout.”

1. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse very well several times in cold water. Drain well and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, for the time suggested on the package. Turn off the heat and let quinoa remain in the covered saucepan until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer quinoa to a salad bowl and fluff slightly with a fork every few minutes until the grains cool.

4. Gently stir in the bell pepper, almonds, apricots, scallions as desired, salt, cumin, and coriander until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Stir into the quinoa mixture until the grains are well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Information per Serving (total yield 3 ¼ cups): 200 calories, 7g fat (0.5g saturated), 210mg sodium, 30g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 6g protein, 15% vitamin A, 30% vitamin C, 15% iron

Print Recipe

Quinoa contains a natural, bitter coating called saponin. In nature, saponins come in handy because birds hate the taste, so the plant needs minimal protection. Lucky for us, most quinoa sold commercially has been processed to remove the soapy coating, but it’s still a good idea to wash it really well by placing the tiny seeds in a fine-meshed strainer and running under cold water while gently rubbing the seeds together with your fingers.

Lemony Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash

Makes 6 Side Dish Servings (or 4 Main Dish)

This recipe was adapted from Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

• 12 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 ½ cups)
• 1 cup red quinoa (cooked with all-natural vegetable broth as suggested on package *)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts

* The amount of broth needed will depend on your quinoa product. Read package directions for the suggested amount of liquid (it may range from 1 ¼ cups to the more likely 2 cups liquid per 1 cup quinoa). The cooking time may also vary depending on the brand you select. As a rule of thumb, the suggested time will range from 10 to 15 minutes with an instruction to let stand 5 to 10 minutes until the quinoa fully absorbs all the liquid. When fully cooked, the quinoa will “sprout.” If you can’t find red quinoa for this recipe, just use the regular beige variety.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl, toss the squash with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir halfway through.

2. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse very well several times in cold water. Drain well and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat to low if the garlic starts to brown.

4. Add the vegetable broth and the thyme and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, for the time suggested on the package. Turn off the heat and let quinoa remain in the covered saucepan until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Gently stir in the cooked squash, lemon juice and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the toasted pine nuts on the side.

Nutrition Information per Serving (total yield 3 ¼ cups): 200 calories, 8g fat (0.5g saturated), 105mg sodium, 28g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 6g protein, 110% vitamin A, 15% vitamin C, 15% iron

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Last but not least, we received an email from Rose T. of Santa Barbara, CA suggesting we try this Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese. It turned out to be super yummy.  In fact, all four of our kids really liked the dish, though Liz’s 14-year old son, Josh, said it would have been better without the red bell pepper. Humph!!

Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese

Makes 4 to 6 Servings (Adapted from Mark Bittman’s book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled if you like, and cut lengthwise into wedges
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Salt
• ¾ cup quinoa
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup scallion, sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup)
• Hot red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste
• 4 ounces reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese (1 cup)
• ¼ cup minced parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F . Grease an 8 x 10 inch (or 9 x 9 inch) roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Put the potato wedges and garlic into a large pot with water to cover, salt it, and turn the heat to high. When the water begins to boil, stir in the quinoa. Adjust the heat so that the water boils assertively and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 5 minutes.

3. Drain the quinoa, garlic, and potatoes in a strainer, but leave them fairly wet. Spread them into the prepared pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and gently toss with a spatula. Spread them out again. Roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Gently toss again, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender on the inside and golden on the outside.

4. Add the scallion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes and toss everything one last time. Taste and adjust the seasoning, keeping in mind that the cheese will add some saltiness. Spread the cheese over all and return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Print Recipe

Feel free to share additional quinoa ideas by posting a comment to the blog.

Nothing about that conversation was unusual until Liz’s cell phone rang an hour later.  On the other end was a fan of our cookbook who needed help.  After getting over the shock that she had actually gotten one of The Meal Makeover Moms on the phone, this mom of two shared how she just left her copy of The Moms’ Guide to Makeovers in her shopping cart after buying the ingredients for our Easy Enchilada Casserole. She needed us to fax or read her the recipe so she could make it for dinner! If that wasn’t strange enough, it turns out that she grew up in New Rochelle, NY … the same town where Liz grew up.  It’s a small world after all.

Since the Easy Enchilada Casserole recipe wasn’t on our website (not all of the recipes from the cookbook are on the site), we decided to add it under our Recipes section and to include it in this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast on Brunch.  We really like this recipe because it’s perfect when you’re feeding a crowd, and it’s versatile — you can easily swap the meat-free crumbles for ground beef, chicken, or turkey. And it tastes great (if you don’t believe us, just ask Diane or our new friend from New York)!

Easy Enchilada Casserole
Makes 8 Servings

• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• One 16-ounce bag frozen mixed bell pepper strips, thawed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• One 12- or 16-ounce bag meat-free or soy crumbles
• One 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 cups preshredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• One 2 1/4-ounce can sliced olives, drained, optional
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Lightly oil or coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of the crushed tomatoes evenly over the bottom of the pan and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and cook until the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the remaining crushed tomatoes, the meat-free crumbles, and beans and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom of the baking pan, allowing them to overlap. Top evenly with half the bean mixture and 1 cup of cheese. Arrange the remaining tortillas over the cheese. Top with the remaining bean mixture, cheese, and olives if desired.

6. Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the casserole is heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 320 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated), 560mg sodium, 43 carbohydrate, 10g fiber, 23g protein

The other recipe in the show is our Raspberry Breakfast Cake which we shared right here back in early September. It’s one of those recipes that everyone seems to love. In fact, we were first inspired to make it after reading the June issue of Gourmet magazine, and we noticed that we weren’t the only ones. Two Peas and Their Pod made a gorgeous version of this recipe with plums and nectarines, Smitten Kitchen also baked it up, and the photos alone will convince you it’s a must-make recipe, and Pinch My Salt posted a version made with a combo of half a cup each of blueberries and strawberries. We got a huge kick when we saw that Maris over at In Good Taste tried our healthy interpretation and posted the recipe to her blog.

This week’s show is filled with great brunch ideas and plenty of funny things to laugh about. We hope you’ll tune in. And if you like what you hear, please tell your friends about the show!

Today, Liz’s 10-year old, Simon, took our new Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad to school. When he got home, he said (and this is no lie), “the flavor of the bell pepper was heaven in my mouth.”

Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad
Makes 5 Servings

• 8 ounces dried bow tie pasta (3 generous cups)
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.

2. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, chicken, feta cheese, and salad dressing and stir to combine.

3. Serve in individual lunch box containers.

Moms’ Tip > Add a little bit more dressing if the pasta gets dried out the next day.
Moms’ Tip > If your kids don’t like bell peppers, add a cup of peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber instead.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 460mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate,2 g fiber, 23g protein, 20% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 10 % calcium, 15% iron

Our second recipe for this Asian-inspired noodle salad took a lot of tweaking and retooling before we gave it our Meal Makeover Moms’ seal of approval. We took a photo of Janice’s kitchen to prove how hard we worked to get it right!  Can you guess who did the dishes (hint: it wasn’t Liz)?

Squiggly Chow Mein Salad with Snow Peas & Tofu
Makes 4 Servings

• 3 tablespoons lite soy sauce, divided
• 2 tablespoons honey, divided
• 2 tablespoons tahini (also known as ground sesame seeds) or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• One 8-ounce package cubed super firm tofu (we like Nasoya), drained and patted dry with paper towels
• 4 ounces snow pea, strings removed and sliced on the diagonal into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• One 6-ounce package chow mein stir-fry noodles

1. In a large bowl, make the sauce by whisking together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, the tahini, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the ground ginger. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon ginger. Gently stir in the tofu and snow peas until well coated.

3. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and snow peas and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Cook the chow mein noodles according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again.

5. To assemble the salad, mix the noodles in with the sauce and stir well to combine (we find that tongs work well for this task). Once the noodles are well coated with the sauce, gently stir in the cooked tofu and snow peas.

6. Chill and serve in individual lunch box containers (or heat and store in a lunch box thermos).

Moms’ Tip > If you can’t find chow mein noodles, use 6 ounces of linguini or spaghetti, broken in half before cooking (we like the whole wheat blend options from Barilla Plus)

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330  calories, 12 g fat (1.5g saturated), 550mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 15g protein, 25% vitamin C, 10% iron

If you have a favorite lunch box salad, sandwich or snack recipe, feel free to share it by posting a comment to the blog.

Susan’s bars are made with 4 sticks of butter, so you can bet your bottom dollar each bite is sure to be voluptuous (and then some). While dessert recipes appear frequently on the blog, there are plenty of other recipe categories — things like seafood, pasta, casseroles, and beans. One recipe that caught our eye was Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli, her grandmother’s favorite “go to” dish.  In the post, she says it can either be a thick, stewy dish or more like a soup. Her grandmother preferred the former.

This stick-to-your ribs dish takes minutes to make. It’s kid friendly (all four of our kids gobbled it up happily) and nutritious thanks to the fiber-rich beans. For all of those reasons, Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli is the official winner of this month’s Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award.

Pasta e Fagioli (from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy)

• 1 pound dried ditalini pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups marinara sauce (fresh is best, but any good quality jar sauce will be fine)
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  When boiling, cook the ditalini until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.

3. Add marinara sauce and water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans and continue to simmer until heated through.

4. Add pasta and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out a little, if desired.  Serve in a large bowl with grated cheese and parsley sprinkled on top.

Here are a few additional cooking notes from The Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen:

> When we drained the pasta, we reserved some of the pasta water. We then added some to thin the sauce a bit.
> The next time we make this, we’ll probably sauté a finely diced large carrot with the onion.
> If you don’t have cannellini beans, you could also use Great Northern beans.
> You could serve this dish with fresh basil if you think your kids would prefer it over parsley.

We hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as ours did.  Thanks Susan for sharing it!