Turkey, Potato and Rosemary Frittata

So my friend Lizzie does this challenge every February. It's called Run Swim Bike Cook, or Ironman meets Iron Chef. The challenge is to do the equivalent of an Ironman (run 26.2 miles, swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles) spread out through the month, plus a weekly cooking challenge. 

I read about it last week and thought, "Maybe this year will be the year I participate, but just the running and cooking, maybe a little biking." And then I forgot about it until yesterday, so last night I planned my breakfast dish with rosemary (the first cooking challenge).

This was my first time making a frittata. It was not hard, and it was faster to cook up than I expected. On Sunday I cooked a turkey dinner, so I decided to use some of the leftovers. And what goes better with turkey than potatoes?

I didn't think I would have time to make this before Carlos left for work, because I really wanted to get a 3 mile run in this morning (so now this month I've run 5 miles). Luckily, he was still asleep when I got back from my run . As I started cooking, Allen kept asking for a cookie and George was furious that I was not making French toast for breakfast. I kept Allen at bay with craisins and gogurt. But George was not to be calmed. When it was done, he refused to sit with us. It wasn't until after Carlos left for work (and after much crying and yelling and knocking chairs over) that George calmed down and I asked him if he wanted to open up a new box of cereal from the pantry. He did, so I prepared him a big bowl of cereal. He started eating it, and I noticed there was a small piece of frittata left on Allen's plate, so I offered it to George. Surprisingly he took it.

This is a direct quote from George after his first bite: "Cook some more tomorrow." After his second bite, he said, "It's super, super good." Then to make sure I had heard him, "Mom, it's super, super good!"

I thought it was good, but not THAT good. I forgot to season the potatoes while they were cooking, and I was going to add some garlic too. I probably could've put more rosemary in as well, and of course I'm sure it would've tasted much better with fresh rosemary. I just don't really have much space near a window to grow herbs indoors. Also, my frittata deflated quite a bit as it cooled. It turned out quite thin, but still tasty. I think next time I'd up the proportion of filling to eggs. Still, not bad for my first try.

Turkey, Potato and Rosemary Frittata
Serves 4-6

olive oil
1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
5 eggs
1/2 t. salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1/2 c. chopped cooked turkey

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, spread in a thin layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat until golden and crisp on the bottom. Turn and cook until the second side is golden. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

Preheat the broiler. Beat the eggs and spices together until smooth. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat another 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Spread out the potatoes and turkey in the skillet, then quickly pour egg mixture over it. Reduce heat to low and cook until the bottom is set. Sprinkle a little more rosemary on top, then place under broiler for 30 - 90 seconds until the top is finished cooking. Cut into triangles and serve, with a squeeze of fresh lemon on top if desired.

No sugar Oat Drops

Another desert recipe for the family health blog!  Ha!  These are basically nuts and fruit and oats, though.  My kids lovem (we do too). Here's the link to the original recipe.

And here's my version (sorry no pic - they get eaten too fast):

No Sugar Oat Drops

1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats (I chopped in food processer but recipe doesn’t call for that)
1 cup coconut flakes (I’ve omitted this before with good results)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (the recipe calls for allspice)
1/4 cup of almond meal (process in food processor)
1/2 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped (hazelnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, whatever)
1 cup dried fruit (could use craisins, dates, raisins)

3 ripe bananas, mashed OR  (?)½ c. pumpkin puree (still need to try this variation)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or whatever oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (almond extract was really good in its place)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts and coconut flakes. Stir in spices. Add dried fruit and stir until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit does not stick together in big clumps.
In another bowl, combine oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined (I let the batter sit an hour or however long I want to let the oats absorb the liquids).

I put packed tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet, but the recipe says:  Take a large cookie cutter and press spoonfuls of the batter into it. Remove cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Peanut Butter Lentil Bars

I tried these Peanut Butter Lentil Bars that are protein packed.  The kids liked them mostly for the raisins.  We didnt have vanilla so I substituted almond extract which gave a pleasant cherry taste to the dried fruit.  Very filling.  I plan on making them again.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Lentil Granola Bars

Makes 10 granola bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried red lentils
1-3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter, such as almond butter)
1/2 cup finely chopped dates (or other dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nut, such as pecans or peanuts)
1 tablespoon honey (or other sweetener, such as agave or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract)

Directions:

Pick through lentils to remove any debris, then place in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly in cold running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 1 to 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the water has absorbed and lentils are cooked through. Transfer lentils to a bowl and mash with a fork (they may already be slightly mushy as red lentils don’t hold their shape as well when cooked). Let cool slightly.

Add oats, peanut butter, dates, almonds, honey, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix thoroughly until well combined (you may find it easier to use your hands). If you like sweeter granola bars, you may wish to taste the mixture and add more sweetener if desired.

Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Transfer lentil mixture to the pan and press with your hands into an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then slice into bars (cut in half, then cut each half into 5 bars). Keep bars wrapped in the refrigerator.

Happy Birthdayt to ME!

For my birthday I made a cake that I had wanted to make for Will's birthday but it didnt happen because it was a little intimidating and time consuming.  Will said he had tried making one before but the flan didnt set for some reason.  We both had this kind of cake on our missions.  Will remembered it with chocolate cake, but I remembered it with yellow, so I made it this way.  The cook in my first area was from Brazil, so kudos to Brazil for the amazing flan cake - it stays super moist.  Behold - I give you- the flan cake!

Flan Cake

• 1 yellow cake mix (prepared according to directions on the box – check to see if you need extra eggs or oil for this.)
• 1/4 cup caramel topping (Cajeta de Leche if you can find it at a Mexican market)
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract 
• Ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.put your bain marie vessel in the oven while it is preheating.

2. Grease and flour a large Bundt pan.

3. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

4. Pour the caramel topping around the bottom of the Bundt pan.

5. Pour cake mix over caramel.

6. In a blender, mix together well: eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract.

7. Pour the flan mix gently down one side of the pan.The flan will go to the bottom and the cake mix will raise up a bit as the flan mixture fills the bottom of the pan.

8. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

9. Place your cake in the bain marie pan (i used a 9×13 pan) and add hot water about 1 to 1 1/2 inches up the side of the Bundt pan.

10. Bake (in the water bath) 45 min, then cover with foil and bake about 20 min more.. It should be slightly golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

11. Remove from water bath and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

12. Invert onto a cake plate. The caramel will still be runny – it’s supposed to be to melt over the cake, so be careful when inverting! Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

I tried to make my own carmel sauce but it turned into candy so my cake had no carmel, but was plenty sweet and tasty.  

Veggie Plates, Cornbread, and Brussels Sprouts

I need to make up veggie plates like this more often. They really are a lifesaver for those last few minutes when I'm making dinner, and the boys are bugging me because they're ready to eat RIGHT NOW! We got some purple carrots and mini sweet peppers in our Bountiful Basket the other week, the boys loved them. As well as the grape tomatoes that were on sale at the store. They grab handfuls of them and stuff their cheeks.

I adapted Mom's Sweetest Cornbread recipe to make it 100% whole grain. I also reduced the sugar a little. The cornbread was a little darker and a little denser, but other than that I could hardly tell the difference. I'll probably keep tweaking it to see how little sugar and oil I can get away with.

SWheatest Cornbread

Combine in medium bowl:
3/4 c. corn meal
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine in small bowl:
1/3 c. oil
3 Tbl. melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk

Combine all above ingredients.
Pour into greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.

For muffins: Spoon batter into 18 to 20 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.
Fill 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes.

We also got Brussels sprouts in our Bountiful Basket. I've tried roasting them before, and we didn't care for it. This time I roasted with bacon, because everything tastes better with bacon! It did taste better, but still not good enough to convince me to buy Brussels sprouts again. Anyone have any tips for preparing Brussels sprouts or a favorite way to cook them?

Roasted cabbage with pears

Made this tonight to go along with leftovers that needed to be eaten up. I think this could stand alone as a main dish pretty well though. It's all that George ate for dinner. Mainly he ate the pear, but I made him take bites of cabbage each time before he got more pear. I thought the cabbage was just as good, a nice savory complement to the sweet pear.

Roasted cabbage with pears (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, October 2012)

1 small head cabbage

3-4 pears

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon juice

handful of walnuts, chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 400F. Core cabbage and cut into wedges; core and quarter pears. Place on a baking sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of walnuts. 

Serves 4-6 as a side, probably 2 if main dish.

Honeydew, Blueberry, and Mango Salad

I made this fruit salad (photo and recipe from melskitchencafe.com) to go with our Thanksgiving meal. So delicious! The lime-ginger dressing takes a little bit of time to make, but it is so good! It does have a strong flavor, so I didn't add all of the dressing because I didn't want George and Allen's taste buds to be overwhelmed. I did use most of it, just maybe a tablespoon less. This is more expensive to make in the winter when things are not in season, but that makes it a great holiday treat.

1 tablespoon grated lime zest from 4 limes (zest limes before juicing)
1 cup fresh lime juice (from the 4 grated limes and an additional 3-4 limes as needed)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch table salt
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 small honeydew melon, seeds and rinds removed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 pint fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
In a small, heavy-bottomed non-reactive saucepan, simmer the lime juice, sugar, and salt medium-high heat until syrupy, honey-colored, and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lime zest, ginger, and lemon juice. Let the mixture sit and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer. Combine the honeydew, mangoes and blueberries in a medium bowl; pour the warm dressing over and toss. Serve immediately at room temperature or cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate up to 4 hours, and serve chilled.