Veggie-filled Pancakes, Fun Salads and Some Sesame Oil

In an attempt to be more healthy, I've been adding pureed vegetables and fruit to my pancakes, and eating a lot more salads. I am of the opinion that salads should be exciting affairs, so I tend to add a plethora of different vegetables and protein. My new favorite "dressing" is good old-fashioned hummus. I prefer plain tahini flavor, but I'm sure any variety will do. If more flavor is desired, a little bit of balsamic vinegar will do the trick.

This past week I splurged and bought some Sesame Oil. It has added some amazing flavor to my Asian and Curry sauces. 

 

Sweet Potato Coconut Pancakes with Cream Cheese Cinnamon Butter

2 Servings (includes 2 servings of vegetables and fruit)

1 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup Sweet Potato, peeled, cubed, boiled and smashed

1/4 cup Coconut Flakes

Butter

Cream Cheese

Fruit of your choice

Peel, cube and boil sweet potatoes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients, beating well. Add dry ingredients and stir well.

Cook in a buttered frying pan.

Combine cream cheese, butter and cinnamon. Layer over pancakes. Serve with bananas or berries.

Healthy Sesame Chicken

1 Serving (includes 2-3 servings of vegetables)

Chicken (breast or tenderloin), cubed

Garlic

Black Pepper

Basil

Corn Starch

Olive Oil

Sesame Oil

Ginger

Honey

Plum Jam

Lemon or Orange Juice

Red Wine Vinegar

Vegetables of your choice

Rice

Cube chicken. Sprinkle with spices and corn starch. Sauté with olive oil. Add vegetables to same frying pan.

Cook rice according to package instructions.

In small sauce pan, combine sesame oil, ginger, honey, jam, juice and vinegar. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Stir in chicken. Serve with vegetables and rice.

Spinach and Anything-in-the-Frig* Salad with Hummus and Balsamic Vinegar

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Spinach

*for example:

Onion

Broccoli

Bell Pepper

Tomato

Cucumber

Green Beans

Chickpeas or other beans

Chicken

Quinoa

Couscous

Pasta

Barley

Hummus

Balsamic Vinegar

Start with spinach and add anything else you wish. Top with 1-2 Tbsp of hummus and just a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Chickpea and Veggie Curry with Barley

Multiple Servings (includes 3 servings of vegetables and fruit)

2 cups Barley

5 cups of Water

Garlic

Onion, chopped

Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed

1 can of low sodium Chickpeas

Red Bell Pepper, chopped

Fresh Basil

1 can of Coconut Milk

1 Tbsp Corn Starch

½ tsp Sesame oil

2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Coriander

1 tbsp Honey

Raisins

Cook barley according to package directions. Set HALF the cooked barley aside for another meal. Can be frozen or placed in refrigerator.

In a large frying pan, sauté garlic, onions, pepper, and sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes are almost tender, add chick peas and basil and continue to cook for a few more minutes and then remove from heat. Add cooked barley.

In a small sauce pan, combine coconut milk, corn starch, spices and honey. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens. Poor HALF the sauce over barley mixture, save the other half for another meal. Add Raisins. Serve warm or room temperature.

Barley and Chicken Curry

1 Serving (includes 2 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil

2 Chicken tenderloins, cubed

Corn Starch

Garlic

Black Pepper

Basil

Onions

Mushrooms

½ cup Barley

¼ cup Curry sauce

Sprinkle chicken with spices and corn starch. Sauté with vegetables in olive oil. When browned, add barley and continue to cook until well warmed. Pour on curry sauce.

Spice Up Your Life

It has been a busy week here in Chicago. I live in a big apartment, and this weekend was the great-roommate-switch. We lost three to grand adventures, but gained three new faces. While this was all going on, I was in the kitchen. Not cooking, but cleaning! I scrubbed every cupboard and shelf and counter top. And in doing so, discovered that we own way too many spices. The variety is marvelous, but when one has three jars of basil and four canisters of black pepper, you know you have a problem. With much ceremony, we created a box for the extras and placed it high up in a cupboard for later consumption.
So without further ado, this week's spice-filled recipes.

Barley Salad with Orange, Honey & Thyme Dressing

Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Onion

1 cup Pearl Barley

4 cups Water

Olive oil

Cumin

Paprika

Black Pepper

Garlic

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped

Broccoli

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Honey

1 Tbsp fresh Thyme, chopped

Rinse the barley and drain. In a large pot, sauté with onions until just beginning to brown. Add water and bring to a boil, rolling for about 40 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, sauté sweet potatoes and broccoli in a large skillet until just done. Add to barley.

Combine ingredients for dressing. Pour over barley mixture. Set aside to cool. Serve alone or over spinach.

Caprese Salad

1 Serving (includes 2 servings of vegetables)

Grape tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Fresh Mozzarella

Asparagus

Angel Hair Pasta

Balsamic Vinegar

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Cook asparagus, either sauté or roast.

Cut tomatoes, cheese and basil. Mix together. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Eggplant with Sweet Potato Hummus

1-3 Servings (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Eggplant

Olive oil

Black Pepper

Garlic

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Score across the flesh on a 45° angle and then repeat in the other direction to achieve a diamond pattern (this allows the steam to escape). Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and garlic and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the flesh is very soft and golden.

Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 can low sodium Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Tahini

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2 tsp Cumin

1 garlic clove, chopped

Black pepper

Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.  Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic in the food processor. Puree, about 1 minute; thin with water if necessary. Season with pepper and let cool.

Breadcrumb-less Chicken Parmesan with Asparagus

1 Serving (includes 2 servings of vegetables)

Chicken tenderloins

Water

Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh Basil

Garlic

Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Tomato Paste

Onions

Asparagus

Parmesan Cheese

In a deep bowl or container, marinate chicken in balsamic vinegar, water, basil, garlic and pepper. Let sit for about an hour, then cook chicken in an oiled frying pan. Once chicken is browned, pour in the remaining marinade and tomato paste. Cover and simmer until chicken is done. If the sauce is not wet enough, add more water.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve with Onions and Asparagus.

Masa Pancakes

2 Servings (includes as many servings of vegetables and fruit as you add)

1 cup Masa flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 egg

1 cup Milk

1 cup Water (add more if needed)

In a medium bowl, combine ingredients and stir well.  Heat frying pan. Grease pan and pour on batter. Cook until each pancake is golden brown.

Serve sweet (with butter, cinnamon, syrup and fresh fruit) or savory (chili powder and cumin, sour cream, fresh tomatoes and peppers).

Chickpea Marinara Salad

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive oil

Onions

Broccoli

Asparagus

Chick peas

Garlic

Marjoram

Basil

Paprika

Black Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Tomato Paste

Leafy Greens

Sauté vegetables and garlic in small amount of olive oil. When tender, add spices, herbs, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste and water.

Serve over leafy greens.