vegetables

 

after roasting some beets I discovered that you can also cook with the stems and leaves

I steamed the beet stems to soften them up

threw the steamed stems onto some brown rice w/other veggies and a salad

I have heard the stems are supposed to be a bit sweeter than the beet

but I couldn't get past the fibrous texture of the stems to notice

next time I'll need to cook them longer to soften them up some more

in the spirit of trying new things, I made some baked radish chips

steamed the slices for 5min in the microwave, then stirred in some spices

baked on 350 degrees, 10min on each side

these didn't turn out as chip-like as I was hoping, but they made for a light, flavorful snack

root vegetable pie

 

I wanted to make a savory pie in celebration of national pie day

and to cook with some veggies that I hadn't utilized before

so I took some ideas from the daily garnish and made a root vegetable pie

for the crust I used a weight watcher friendly - low calorie recipe

pie crust

1c. whole wheat flour

2tsp splenda

3TBSP chilled margarine, cubed

2-4TBSP cold water

combine splenda and flour in the food processor

add margarine and process until mixture is crumbly

mix in water a TBSP as a time until dough has formed

flatten out dough with a rolling pin and press dough into the pie pan

chopped up some beets, turnips, parsnips, carrots and red potatoes

tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, then spread out on a baking sheet

baked for about 30min at 375 degrees, stirring half way through

then I cut up a few sweet potatoes and steamed them for about 20min until soft

first time using my new mixer!

added in some skim milk and margarine, then whipped it up 'til smooth

to assemble, I threw the root vegetables into the crust

then spread the mashed sweet potatoes over those

and baked at 400 degrees for about 25-30min

about halfway through I took it out and sprinkled with almonds and cinnamon

deliciously healthy and filling root vegetable pie

happy national pie day!

quinoa salad & poached pears

after receiving a whole grain cookbook from Chad & Lauren for Christmas

I combined a few of the ideas and made a spinach & quinoa salad

prepared poached pears in red wine for dessert

ever since Kelly made these for the mystery dinner I have wanted to try making them

started out with some red wine

then added in the juice of an orange and orange zest

and finally some sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves

while that simmered, I peeled the pears and cut off the bottoms so they could stand up

then placed them in the liquid for about a half hour

once the pears were cooked, I took them out and heated the liquid until syrupy

then poured that back over the pears and chilled them for a few hours

this dessert is very tasty and relatively healthy

good option if you are having friends over for dinner and dessert

meatloaf muffins

after discovering that a meatloaf bakery existed, I got the urge to make some at home

this recipe came from Rachael Ray and had a bbq/salsa mix for the sauce

this was a pretty quick and easy meal

and Peter claims it is the best meatloaf he's ever had

I'd highly recommend trying these

international dinner

 there were a lot of contributors to this year's international dinner

I tried getting everyone to explain the dishes they brought

but no one seemed to care once the food coma set in

so pictures will have to do this time

I displayed the Scottish treats on my new cupcake stand

some light appetizers

marble bread and Norwegian snacks (including brown cheese)

Greek eggplant dip and cardamom squares (Indian maybe?)

homemade pretzels with spicy mustards

Korean short ribs, shepard's pie, and two kinds of enchiladas 

(one with delicious homemade mole sauce)

dig in

didn't get a close up, but on the right side of the table in this picture

there is Russian soup (w/noodles & veggies) and a Thai rice dish (w/pineapple, cashews, spices)

making Mexican flag shots

Mexican Flag Shot

1oz grenadine

1oz green creme de menthe

1oz tequila

for dessert we had apple cakes

and deep fried ice cream! (thanks to the kleins)

they were made up of vanilla ice cream balls brushed with egg and coated w/corn flakes

dipping them (for only about 8 sec) in the fry daddy

and they're done

but what to do with the rest of the fryer oil?

mix up some quick pancake batter and fry anything within arms reach

hooray!

string cheese, oreos, marshmallows

small pickles

this mallow was left in too long and it shot out from the batter

cardamom bar

chocolate chip cookie

great success!