This recipe is packed with high-quality protein and lots of good-for-you calories, so when Josh has it for breakfast, I feel good just knowing he’s starting the day off right. Janice and I promised to share this super-easy recipe with all of you a few weeks back … so here goes!

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

Makes 3 Servings

• 1 cup quinoa (I rinse it well in a mesh strainer)
• 2 cups water or milk of any kind
• 1 apple, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup almonds or walnuts, ground
• 1 tablespoon ghee (I used unsalted butter)
• Sweetener options: Maple syrup, honey, agave, or stevia

1. Combine quinoa and water or milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add apple, coconut, cinnamon, nuts, and ghee. Lower heat, cover pot and simmer about 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

2. Serve with the sweetener of your choice. Note from Debra: Try adding raisins, dates, rosewater, cardamom, or whatever variation floats your boat.

Print Recipe

Quinoa is perfect for people following gluten-free diets or for anyone looking to add interesting, fiber-filled, protein-rich grains to their diet. If you have a favorite quinoa recipe, feel free to share!

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

Print Recipe

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.

Print Recipe

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

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.

Print Recipe

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.

Print Recipe

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

Ah, but what if you want to make our recipe but don’t own a waffle maker? No worries because our latest blog giveaway features a fabulous Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker. To enter, all you have to do is post a comment telling us about your favorite waffle recipe or why you want to win the giveaway.

Our Banana Brownie Waffles blow the doors off frozen waffles because they’re made with good-for-you ingredients — things like whole wheat flour, wheat germ, bananas, and omega-3 eggs — and they’re so delicious your family will request them again and again. The recipe makes eight waffles (or more depending on the type of waffle maker you use), and they freeze really well. We suggest you cook up a batch, freeze a bunch, and then reheat whenever the waffle  mood strikes!

Banana Brownie Waffles

Makes Eight 4 ½ x 4 ½-inch Waffles

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups 1% milk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 2 large eggs, beaten (we like to use Eggland’s Best eggs)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, bananas, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

4. Coat the hot waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (about 2 cups or according to your waffle iron) and cook on medium-high setting.  Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve with sliced bananas or strawberries on top and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 waffle):  310 calories, 12g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.8g omega-3), 300mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 10g protein, 20% calcium, 15% iron

Print Recipe

To Enter our Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker Giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite homemade waffle recipe, your favorite brand of frozen waffles, or why you want to win the waffle maker. Sharing a link to your favorite recipe would also be great.

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 or tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.

> Become a Facebook Fan.

> Add one of our buttons/widgets to your blog or website. They are located in the upper left sidebar of our blog. We have three to choose from: Our blog post widget, our Recipe badge, and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen badge.

Our giveaway ends on Monday, February 22, 2010 at noon. As always, we’ll use Random.org to choose the winner. By the way, in case you’re wondering, we do not work for Cuisinart. They’ve just been incredibly generous, and we thank them!

We’ve also cooked up a steamy new recipe for Piping-Hot Peanut Butter Soup. This soup is a huge hit with our kids. Something magical happens when the flavors of the peanut butter and all those seasonings — cumin, curry, cinnamon — hit the taste buds. This soup has big-time kid appeal, so we hope you’ll give it a try.

Piping-Hot Peanut Butter Soup

Makes 7 Servings

The inspiration for this recipe came from Janice’s sister Lori who got the recipe from Apollo’s Pasta & Pizza restaurant in Olympia, WA. Her husband and kids absolutely love the soup which motivated us to give it a try. After a few Meal Makeover Mom tweaks, we created a soup that your family will gobble up, and that’s a promise.

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
• 1 large orange or red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 ¼ cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• One 32-ounce container all-natural chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken (we cut the meat into ¼-inch pieces)
• 3/4 cup instant brown rice
• 2/3 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
• Unsalted, roasted peanuts, chopped, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers soften, an additional 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, curry powder, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, celery salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes.

3. Whisk in the chicken, rice, and peanut butter until the peanut butter melts into the soup. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is done, about 10 minutes.

4. Serve in individual bowls and top with peanuts as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 generous cup): 280 calories, 16g fat (3g saturated, 0.2 omega-3), 790 mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 15g protein, 30% vitamin A, 70% vitamin C

Print Recipe

To Enter our Cuisinart 5 QT Round Covered Casserole Giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us about your family’s favorite soup recipe. The more details on the ingredients and preparation the better! A link to your favorite recipe would also be great.

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 or tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.

> Become a Facebook Fan.

> Add one of our buttons/widgets to your blog or website. They are located in the upper left sidebar of our blog. We have three to choose from: Our blog post widget, our Recipe badge, and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen badge.

Our giveaway ends on Friday, February 5, 2010 at noon. As always, we’ll use Random.org to choose the winner. Good luck!

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

Print Recipe

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.

Our first recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza Pies uses whole wheat English muffins as the base. For the topping, we sauté diced chicken and finely diced bell peppers and then toss with hot & spicy buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing. Part-skim mozzarella cheese is the final topping.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Pies

Makes 6 Servings

• One 12-ounce package whole wheat English muffins (6 muffins)
• 1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 ¼ cups)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 1 tablespoon Buffalo sauce
• 1 tablespoon blue cheese dressing
• 1 to 1 ½ cups preshredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Slice the English muffins in half and place on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. While the English muffins are cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the pasta sauce, Buffalo sauce, and blue cheese dressing and mix well.

5. To assemble the pizzas, top each muffin half evenly with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of each.

6. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  300 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated), 530mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 24g protein, 25% vitamin A, 70% vitamin C, 25% calcium

Print Recipe

Our second recipe for Sausage, Mushroom & Cannellini Pesto Pizza is a recipe that was featured in the October issue of Kiwi magazine! It’s packed with great flavor, and the “sauce” will surely surprise you.

Sausage, Mushroom & Cannellini Pesto Pizza

Makes 10 Servings

• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• One 12-ounce package chicken sausage (use your favorite flavor), casings removed and the meat crumbled
• Two 12-inch pre-made pizza crusts
• 2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

1. Place the beans, pesto, lemon juice, and water in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 450°F (or the temperature indicated on your prepared pizza crust package).

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the crumbled sausage and continue to cook until heated through and completely cooked, an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Spread the bean puree evenly over the two pizza crusts. Top each with the mushroom and sausage mixture. Top with the cheese (1 cup per pizza crust).

5. Bake according to package directions. Cut each pizza into 5 slices and serve.

Tip: The bean puree and mushroom/sausage mixture can be refrigerated or frozen for later use if you only want to make one pizza at a time

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 slice): 320 calories, 12g fat (4.5g saturated), 600mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 20g protein, 25% calcium, 15% iron

Print Recipe

We hope you’ll tune in to our show for lots of pizza trivia and our brand new, super-yummy recipes.

It’s often been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reasons: Research shows that children who eat the morning meal have higher achievement scores, lower rates of absence from school, and increased concentration in the classroom.  Eating breakfast is also associated with a healthier body weight.   But according to the American Dietetic Association, more than half of all teens don’t eat breakfast on a regular basis.

To entice your children to the breakfast table (or back to the table if they’ve been skipping it), check out two of our newest recipe creations. The first – Blueberry Breakfast Parfait – is a fun change of pace from the usual bowl of cereal.  Our second recipe for Berry Good French Toast features a naturally sweet, super healthy topping alternative to maple syrup. You can find that recipe under the Recipe section of our website.  If your  kids are into dipping, cut the French toast into strips and let them dip in the strawberry sauce.

Blueberry Breakfast Parfait
Makes 1 Serving

• 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt (your choice)
• 1/3 cup granola cereal
• 1/3 cup blueberries

1. Make the parfait by placing half the yogurt in the bottom of a parfait glass, bowl, or drinking glass. Top with half the cereal and half the blueberries. Repeat with the remaining yogurt, cereal and berries.

*For younger kids, use 1/3 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup cereal, 1/4 cup berries.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  240 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated), 80mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 9g protein, 15% vitamin C, 20% calcium

Next week’s show is all about gluten-free diets, so stay tuned.

The original Oatmeal Bake called for half a stick of butter, half a cup of sugar, an egg, 2 cups of milk,  and 1 ½ cups of oatmeal.  Kelly typically added a chopped apple.  “I wanted to cut back on the butter and sugar but I was afraid the recipe wouldn’t come out right if I changed it.”  So Kelly, who recently discovered our Cooking with the Moms podcast on iTunes and heard us talk about our Recipe Rescue blog series, decided to send us her family’s favorite breakfast dish in hopes we’d give it a healthy makeover.

When we got her email, the recipe definitely got our mouths watering, but we agreed it could benefit from less fat and sugar, and we also felt it needed something more. In the end, we trimmed the butter from 4 tablespoons down to 2 and cut the sugar from half a cup to a third. We kept Kelly’s apple (we suggest you don’t peel it to get extra fiber and nutrients) and added half a cup of finely chopped pecans for heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and great quality protein.

Apple-icious Oatmeal Bake
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 medium red apple, unpeeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• ½ cup pecans, coarsely or finely chopped (your choice)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly oil or coat an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the butter until well combined.  Whisk in the egg until creamy and then whisk in the milk and vanilla.

3.  Stir in the oatmeal, apple, pecans, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Place the mixture evenly in the pan, sprinkle with additional cinnamon, and bake about 30 minutes, until the top turns golden and the oatmeal is set.  Scoop out and serve warm.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  240 calories, 12g fat (3g saturated, 4.5g monounsaturated), 300mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 16g sugar, 3g fiber, 7g protein, 15% calcium

Original Recipe per Serving:  240 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated, 2.4g monounsaturated), 300mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 21g sugar, 2g fiber, 6g protein, 15% calcium

Even though our rescued recipe has slightly more total fat, the bad-for-you saturated fat is lower and the good monounsaturated fat is higher. We also have less sugar and more fiber. Kelly and her family loved the new recipe.  “I thought it was great,” said Kelly.  “Now I’m eating something a little bit healthier with the nuts and apples and less butter and sugar.”  As a third grade teacher, Kelly told us it’s important to be a good role model for her students, and in turn, she’s now more conscious of what she serves her family. Ten-year old Julia actually suggested her mom add more apples the next time she makes the recipe!

Getting her girls to eat breakfast can sometimes be a challenge given everyone’s early morning schedules during the school year.  “This recipe is so easy …Claudette could make this herself the night before and then heat up a serving before school in the morning.”

So the next time your kids say, “I’m not hungry,” or, “I don’t have time to eat breakfast,” just make this yummy oatmeal bake and perhaps they’ll change their minds!

]]> http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/06/19/recipe-rescue-oatmeal-bake/feed/ 14 http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/06/09/podcast-59-underweight-kids/ http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2009/06/09/podcast-59-underweight-kids/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:54:36 +0000 The Meal Makeover Moms http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/?p=5815

Last week, Liz went on a field trip with Simon and his class to the Peabody Museum and Museum of Natural History at Harvard – very cool museums with dinosaur bones, Maya artifacts, a 1,642 pound amethyst geode, and a whole lot more. While eating lunch with a bunch of kids, one of Simon’s 10-year old friends announced, “I have to eat junk food because I’m too skinny.”

Wow, did Liz’s ears ever perk up.  While this 4^th grade boy was definitely thin, by no means was he “underweight.”  There are two common misconceptions we often hear bantered about: (1) If you’re skinny, you must be “underweight,” and (2) Skinny kids should eat junk food in order to gain weight.

To set the record straight, we decided to devote this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast to the issue of underweight kids.  We begin with the fact that being “underweight” is different from being thin or slender.  While some kids are naturally slight — and they maintain their weight by being physically active and eating a healthful diet – unless their BMI (body mass index) for age and gender is less than the 5^th percentile, they are not technically underweight.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a BMI calculator on their website, so if you’re concerned about your child’s weight (underweight, overweight, or obese) you can certainly check that out.

Underweight: Less than the 5th percentile
Healthy weight: 5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
Overweight: 85th to less than the 95th percentile
Obese: Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile

For the few kids who really do need to gain weight (by the way, you should always talk to your doctor and dietitian first to identify any possible medical problem), we recommend they do it by eating a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet … not a diet filled with ice cream frappes, gobs of butter, or bags of junk food.  During the show, we share tips for adding good-quality calories to a child’s diet, and we serve up two great recipes, perfect for any kid.  The first, Ham & Cheesy Breakfast Sandwich, is an easy one to whip up any morning of the week. The second is a new one we just created for Krispy PB & Chocolate Treats featuring multigrain Rice Krispies, peanut butter, ground flaxseed, and one of our favorite ingredients, chocolate.  This recipe does double duty as a snack or a dessert.

Krispy PB & Chocolate Treats
Makes 15 Servings

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 4 cups Jumbo Multi-Grain Krispies

1. Coat a 7×11-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Heat the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until the chips melt.  Remove from heat and stir in the ground flaxseed.

3. Add the cereal and stir until coated evenly with the peanut butter mixture.  Place in the prepared pan.  Flatten gently with the back of a spoon or spatula.  Cover and place in refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 150 calories, 10g fat, (3g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 105mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 4g protein, 10% iron

If you are trying to help your child gain weight, feel free to share your tips and ideas on the blog.  And, if you get a chance to try our recipes, let us know what your family thinks of them.