Basic Red Sauce

We've been so busy these past few weeks I haven't had the chance to sit down and blog.  The girls have had so much fun dancing, performing, auditioning, and acting. It's been fun watching them having the time of their lives.

The other day I was in the mood for some spaghetti with red sauce.  Something as basic like this is so easy to make even from (almost) scratch.  I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up my basic ingredients and it was so good!

makes about 7 cups

2 tbsps refined coconut oil
1 onion cut into 1/4 inch dice
8-10 minced garlic cloves
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tbsps finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp agave nectar

heat the coconut oil in a 6 qt stockpot over medium-low heat.
add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6-8 minutes.
add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste, increasing the heat to high and bring to a boil.
remove from the heat.
stir in the rest of the ingredients.
use immediately or cover and refrigerate or freezer for later.

Adapted from the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch cookbook.

Pad Thai

Re-posting.
I blogged about this delicious meal.  I made it a few days ago and I think it was much better the second time around.  I tried to cut down on the spiciness for my tween and it was still aroi.  That is Thai for delicious.


6 oz rice stick noodles
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup mirin
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsps lime juice
1 tbsp sriracha or other chili sauce
2 tbsps refined coconut oil
14 to 16 ozs extra-firm tofu, cubed
1/2 red onion cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic minced (if you find yourself cooking w/ lots of garlic, go ahead and cheat! buy that jar of minced garlic. It will save you time)
3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
4 to 8 lime wedges ( I did not use lime wedges. I felt that it was just to make the dish pretty. At then end I have no regrets)


cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the agave, mirin, ketchup, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, and sriracha, set aside.
heat the coconut oil in a 12 to 14 inch wok or skillet over high. add the tofu and stir-fry for 4 minutes. add the red onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds. add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. add the noodles and agave nectar mixture and stir-fry until the noodles are softened and evenly coated w/ sauce. add the scallions, bean sprouts, and carrots and stir-fry until all the ingredients are well combined and heated through.
serve and garnish w. cilantro or mint, peanuts and lime wedges.


I did use a pot instead of a wok or skillet because 
1. I do not have a wok and 
2. the skillet wasn't big enough.
I do have a wok now but mostly to stir-fry veggies.  Still used the big pot.


This recipe is from the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I love this cookbook. The recipes are easy enough and quick enough for this busy bitch.

My Search for the Craziest Nail Polish

The other day a friend of my daughter took a picture of her nails.  My daughter should it to me and told me it looked so cool.  I already had in my mind what kooky thing are they doing now.
I fell in love.
So yesterday morning after breakfast we headed out.  We had to go to the library anyway to drop off some books and movies.  We headed out to one place that sells makeup but didn't find what we wanted.  After stopping for yogurt and coffee when I decided to check out our local beauty store.
It looked harmless enough.  There are 7 colors but I opted to buy one now (black) and another later (silver).  It is a bit pricey so I didn't feel to bad buying it.  It is very stylish and I felt like such a young girl sporting my new nail polish .
It's called Shatter by Opi.  You start off by applying 2 coats of a base color so that it pops. When it dries you apply one coat of Shatter.  You have a 2 texture look.  It looks so cool!
My daughters are wearing black shatter with silver moon but I think I will do their nails again with a another color so that it can pop.

Yesterday I was hungry for some mac and cheese.  I have a hard time finding whole wheat macaroni pasta so I decided to have it with  rigatoni.  This is from the Skinny Bitch Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil, melted, or safflower oil, plus more for the casserole dish
• About 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• 1 pound whole-wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash (I could never find this so I just use the canned butternut squash found in the aisle next to the pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 cups soy or rice milk
• 4 ounces vegan Cheddar cheese, shredded (daiya is the best for this)
• 2 ounces vegan Jack cheese, shredded  (daiya is the best for this)
• 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) vegan cream cheese (Follow your heart is the best vegan cream cheese out there)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside
2. In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the squash and milk, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon until the squash is defrosted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Cheddar, Jack, cream cheese, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of salt.
5. When the pasta is done, drain it, then return the pasta to the pot. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni. Transfer the entire mixture to the prepared baking pan.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
7. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned

hey mambo mambo italiano

My daughter loves that song. She was introduced to it when hubby popped in the soundtrack to Mad Men into the car. She loves that and pretty much all types of music. She is in love with Frank Sinatra's music and tries to imitate his style of singing.
Last night I made something easy and quick.

Fettuccini Alfredo

3 quarts water
about 4 3/4 tsps fine sea salt
8 ozs whole wheat or brown rice fettuccini
1/4 cup refined coconut oil
1/2 cup vegan creamer
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups fresh peas, cooked, or frozen peas, thawed (optional) but please throw them in anyway. I used sweet peas to make the natives happy.

in a 4-6 quart stockpot over high heat, combine the water with about 1 1/2 tbsp salt. bring the water to a boil, add the fettuccini, about 7 minutes.
meanwhile, in a 1-2 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. When it's almost melted, whisk in the creamer, increase the heat to medium high, and bring to a simmer. whisk in the Parmesan, pepper, and the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt. cover and set aside.
when the pasta is done, drain it. return the pasta to the pot and stir in the sauce (re-whisk if it separated) and peas. if it seems too dry, add 1/4 to 1/2 of water.
enjoy!
My kids liked it very much.

toot toot

Have been so busy packing and throwing things away. We are finally moving to a bigger place but I still found time to cook a full meal. I am going to start posting recipes and hopefully I don't get into trouble. BTW, persistance works! My picky eater now likes brown rice. Yay mom!!!!!

Last night I made this yummy chili. I did make a small portion w/o the spices because my picky eater cannot handle it.

Cha Cha Chile (serves 6-8) good to freeze some or leftover lunch or weekends

2 cups dry red kidney beans (I used black beans more fiber) you can use canned beans but I buy dry beans because it is much cheaper buying a 5lb bag and storing it in an air tight container.

1 tablespoon refined coconut oil

2 onions, cut into 1/4 in. dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chili powder

1/2 tbsp fine sea slt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch cayenne pepper

1 (14 oz can) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup medium-grain brown rice

1 red, green or yellow bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 carrot shredded

chopped red onion

shredded vegan cheddar cheese (I omitted this because I didn't have any block cheese and it was still yummilicious)

vegan sour cream (also omitted because I just didn't have any and again no reason. it doesn't make the meal)

In a 4 or 6 quart stockpot, combine the beans and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

drain the beans, return them to the stockpot and cover w/ water by 1 inch. place the pot over high heat, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

meanwhile, in an 8-10 inch skillet over medium, heat the oil. add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano, sage, cumin, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. add the onion mixture to the beans, alon with the tomatoes and rice. cook for 30 minutes.

add the bell pepper and cook for 15 minutes. add the carrot and cook about 5 minutes until the beans and rice are tender.

serve w/ red onions, shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

You can make some corn bread to go w/ this. My father used to make chili and pour it in a pan and in a mixing bowl he mixed together boxed cornbread and pour it on top of the chili. It was enough to cover the chili a bit and baked in the oven until it was golden brown.

The recipe was taken from the cookbook Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.

busy busy busy

school and gymnastics kept us busy but I did make time to make our healthy dinner. Brown basmati rice with curried pumpkin and potatoes. It was delish! This is also came from the book Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Dinner was a little late but worth the wait!

September already

Summer is almost over! Still time to go to the beach and enjoy the summer weather. Fire season started early here although I do believe it is more year round than a season. Here in the North East section of Glendale it is smokey and yucky out. We have not been able to enjoy our walks in the mall or our regular one mile walks to the Y or the library. Today I am making for dinner Japanese Soba w/ tofu and steamed vegetables. It is quite yummy. I will give more info and recipe later on. Or you can go ahead and look it up. It is a recipe I snatched from my Skinny Bitch in the Kitch cookbook. One of my faves.