It's All Good

 
I'm of the opinion that cookbooks are something you develop a lifelong relationship with. Food is such a big part of our family life - every occasion deserves a special meal shared together - and we go back to the same recipes again and again when we cook. My Mom's timeworn copies of the Canadian Living Cookbook, Anne Lindsay's Light Kitchen and the Silver Palate Cookbook remind me of the meals of my childhood and Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa series, Fresh by John Bishop and In My Mother's Kitchen by Trish Magwood are the cookbooks Chris and I return to again and again. The more food splatters on the pages, the better.

With summer's arrival, appearances in summer weddings and this baby weight, Chris and I are eager to trim our meals in order to help our waistlines. I have been seeking mealtime inspiration to help make this happen and since a new cookbook would mean committing to something forever, I need to try it before I buy it. Thank goodness for the library.

{indigo}

It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen was first on my list. This beautiful cookbook is filled with recipes that are free of wheat, dairy, sugar, processed foods and more, so naturally I thought it would be free of flavour too. Boy was I wrong. So far everything we've made from this cookbook has been delicious, flavourful and easy to prepare. A phenomenal Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley was so good we made it twice last week and last night's Mexican Chopped Salad with Mexican Green Goddess dressing was absolutely delicious. Chris and I are addicted to dessert so naturally we went right to the dessert section to see what we could find. The Banana 'Ice Cream' with Sweet & Salty Almonds is made from freezing banana slices then blitzing in the food processor with almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract and the result tasted just like banana soft serve. Yum. Yo go Gwynnie.

Although we're not about to cut 100% of the "good stuff" (you know, bread, sugar, alcohol) from our diets I have noticed that too much wheat and dairy don't make me feel super hot and make Spencer super fussy, so this cookbook has come along at the perfect time. And if we happen to slim down a little in the process then it really is all good.

{Disclaimer: I wrote this post while eating a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. Definitely not wheat or sugar free, definitely delicious. Sorry Gwyneth.}

Hot Fudge Cake

Many, many years ago I found a recipe for a Hot Fudge Cake in Cooking Light Magazine. It's turned out to be one of my go to's for instant gratification dessert and is so quick and easy to make that I can whip one up any night of the week. Or weekend. Chris fell asleep while putting Eloise down tonight so I thought I'd prep a surprise before I go wake him up to watch a movie. What a good wife, right?

Forget that this dessert is low in fat, it is decadent, delicious and sweet (my Mom would say too sweet, but I love it). Top with vanilla or maybe caramel ice cream and try not to have more than one helping!

Hot Fudge Cake

1 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I use almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix together and stir in milk and vanilla. Spoon this mixture into an 8x8" glass baking pan.

In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. Pour over flour mixture and spread to evenly cover. Top everything with hot water and do not stir.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

*Originally from Cooking Light.

What is a Cake Pop?

I've always been a little confused by cake pops. They are so pretty to look at, but I've never understood what exactly they are made of. Raw dough covered with icing? Lollipop shaped cake?

Molly is obsessed with the trendy treat (what seven year old wouldn't be?) and since she was staying with us this weekend I promised her we'd try our hands at making them. In the process I discovered they are not uncooked dough (thank goodness) and actually quite simple to make. I cheated and used a boxed cake mix and jarred frosting, but I imagine they would be a billion times more delicious with my Mom's chocolate wacky cake and homemade chocolate butter cream as the base. Ingredients aside, this is how we made our cake pops:

13 x 9" sheet cake (as I mentioned, I made these with Molly and she chose Betty Crocker rainbow chips cake mix. Obviously)
Frosting (we used vanilla to match the cake)
1 lb melting chocolates
Mini rainbow chocolate chips

Bake the cake as directed, using a 13 x 9" pan. Once completely cool, crumble the entire cake (minus a few nibblies, oops!) into a bowl. Add about a cup of frosting to the cake crumbs and mix everything well. The mixture should be dough-like in texture and simple to shape into a ball. If it is too crumbly, add more frosting. Form the mixture into balls freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a double boiler to melt chocolate. Once cake balls have frozen, stab each one with a lollipop stick and dip into the chocolate, covering completely. We (messily) rolled our cake pops in mini rainbow chocolate chips but you could go au natural. Let the chocolate harden by poking the lollipop sticks into the holes of a colander (genius!). Or, if you're lazy like me and bored with the project already just set the cake pops back onto the parchment. I assure you, a flat bottom cake pop tastes exactly the same.

*WARNING: Do not feed to two year olds. Eloise was up until 10:30.

This is what we ended up with. Not great, but Molly was happy so I was too.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Eloise loves muffins and I don't blame her. They're yummy, sweet and a quick bite when you're on the go, which she always is. And since Eloise sometimes refuses to eat anything else I have been packing my muffins with veggies and have found that sweet potato (actually, it's yam, but yam just doesn't sound as nice) muffins are particularly popular with her.

Sweet potatoes (and yam) are rich in beta carotene, vitamins C & E and have close to seven grams of fibre per serving. Perfect for a growing babe.

Eloise's Sweet Potato Muffins

1 cup quick oats
1 cup flour (I just use what I have on hand, all-purpose, spelt, whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed or pureed sweet potato
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup almond milk

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large bowl mix oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices together in a bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl mix the egg and sugar. Add the sweet potato, oil, raisins, and milk. Combine wet ingredients with the dry until just moistened. Spoon into muffin tins lined with muffin cups* and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Especially yummy with peanut butter.

*I use silicone muffin cups like these pretty pastel Silicups from Williams-Sonoma since they are reusable and go in the dishwasher.

{williams-sonoma}

Original recipe found here.

Potato Leek Soup

Tonight was a night for soup. It's rainy, foggy and there is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of soup and some crusty bread when it's nasty outside. Except maybe hot chocolate with marshmallows, but that can easily become dessert.

I made a lovely potato leek soup tonight using a very simple recipe from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home. Onions, leaks, potatoes and stock, it doesn't get much easier than that. The whole house smelled dynamite and Eloise got to be the soup sampler since Chris was working late. Unfortunately, she wouldn't eat it even though potato leek soup is one of her favourites. I try not to take personally though, she doesn't seem to want anything I make for her. I feel as though she's been influenced by The Honest Toddler. Regardless of Eloise's opinion, here is the recipe:

Potato Leek Soup

1 Tbsp each olive oil and butter
4 cups sliced leeks
1 large onion
4 cups potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups veggie or chicken stock
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Heat oil and butter. Add onion and leek and saute until softened. Add potato, stock and seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Purée or mash for a chunkier soup and serve with buttered bread. De-lish.

Crazy for Kale

Kale is one of those trendy superfoods that I can actually get behind. It's full of vitamins A, C, and E and even calcium (take that, milk!), is versatile in recipes and delicious too. Kale is hardy enough to grow in our garden over winter and when fresh, local produce is at an all time low it will be ready to eat.

Wholefoods had kale on sale last week (two bunches for $4!) so I stocked up and have been putting it in everything. Over the weekend I made my favourite kale recipe, Wilted Kale and Roasted Potato Salad, and am itching to try 10 more recipes from this month's Real Simple.

If you're wanting to introduce kale into your diet but aren't sure what to do with it, try out this salad and you'll be crazy for kale in no time too.

Wilted Kale and Roasted Potato Salad

2 lbs baby potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Pecorino-Romano, grated
1/4 cup tahini, well stired
2 tbsp water
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt 
1 lb kale, stems and ribs removed, sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 450.

Put potatoes single layer onto a roasting pan and toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring once. Add 1 clove of minced garlic and roast 10-15 minutes more or until potatoes are done. Finally, top potatoes with cheese and roast 5 minutes until cheese begins to brown.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare the kale into a large bowl and set aside. Using a food processor, blend tahini, water, lemon and salt until smooth. Pour over kale. Add roasted potatoes, plus any remaining oil, to the kale and stir well.

We serve this yummy winter salad with soup or a hunk of crusty bread and a glass of white.

*adapted from here.

A Noisy

I hate to admit it, but I have a picky eater on my hands. Sometimes she'll eat mushrooms, peppers, cauliflower and yams but most of the time tomatoes, potatoes and broccoli are the only veggies she'll consume. Her face scrunched up when I tried to feed her a delicious homemade Shepherd's Pie with yam & mashed potato topping, she will not touch sliced apple or pear and spits out meat and fish. Eloise's favourite food is still toast but we have also introduced our carb-loving child to quesadillas, muffins and gnocchetti (mini gnocchi). It's not that I don't try to serve her different things, she just refuses to eat most of it.

One thing I have had great success with is smoothies. Some kids want milk when they first wake up, mine asks for a 'noisy' (because the blender is noisy, of course). I put Eloise up on the counter and we make her smoothie together. We always start with a banana - the only way she'll eat it - then add frozen fruit, yogurt and coconut milk. I even manage to sneak in veggies like kale. Here are a few smoothie combos we've found Eloise particularly enjoys:  

Strawberry/ Blueberry Banana

1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries, or both
1/4 cup kale leaves
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup coconut milk  

Banana-Oatmeal

1 banana
1/3 cup cooked steel cut oats
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup coconut milk
pinch of cinnamon

Mango Banana

1 banana
1/2 cup frozen mango
1 orange, juiced
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup coconut milk

Our Breville blender has a 'Smoothie' setting so I can put the lid on the glass jar, press start and go get Eloise dressed while the smoothie does it's thing.

Best Banana Bread

Banana bread is a big hit around here. I love it with honey, Chris tops his with peanut butter and Eloise keeps it plain and simple. My favourite recipe* is made with yogurt so it's super moist and low in fat, though maybe not after I add a few handfuls of chocolate chips!

Best Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup liquid honey

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup 2% or 3.5% fat yogurt

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a small bowl mash bananas and add honey, sugar, vanilla, yogurt and oil. Mix well. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. If using, add chocolate chips. Combine the banana mixture with the flour and mix. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 mins.

Try to eat just one piece!

*Adapted from here.