I'm Just Sayin'.......

It isn't easy preparing meals and cooking meals daily. Whether you are a SAHM or work outside of your home or have no kids at home or too many kids you can do it. It takes a bit of planning and shopping ahead of time to make it all come together. A really good idea is planning your meals one week at a time. I bought this really cute magnetic pad that has one side the days of the week where you write each dish per day and on the other side the shopping list. I picked one up at Michaels and there are 30 sheets per pad. That's 30 weeks! Take that shopping list and buy everything you need. I like to buy in bulk so diced tomatoes, tomato paste, commonly used seasonings, etc. I buy at Smart and Final. It is just like Costco except it is smaller, no membership fees, and they only sell things you use in your kitchen and cleaning supplies. So you are not tempted by all the extra stuff you don't REALLY need. The rest of my shopping list I go to Whole Foods. It isn't really all that expensive. I do not buy name brands unless I have no choice. Sticking to their brand is the way to go. They also sell some veggies already diced and minced for you which, let's be honest, when you are busy and don't want to spend alot of time in the kitchen, saves alot of time. For example, I picked up chunks of butternut squash for dinner to be used today. Easy and convenient and although it is cheating, you are still saving money in the long run because you are not eating out. Lots of the veggies you can prepare on the weekends and keep refrigerated and when you are ready to begin dinner you just take out of the refrigerator and are almost done! You can also make sauces over the weekend and refrigerate or freeze until you need it.

At the end, you will have yummy meals for you and your family. It doesn't have to be difficult. Just delicious.

konnichiha!

Be warned. Although this was a very good and hearty meal, those who are not willing to try new things might not like the taste of buckwheat soba noodles.

Japanese Soba Noodles w/ Steamed Vegetables and Tofu

2 tbsps mirin (it is a Japanese rice wine used for cooking. I bought mine at whole foods but you might be able to find it in other stores or look for an Asian market)

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tsps sesame oil

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (use lite less sugar and salt)

1/2 lbs globe eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes or Chinese or Japanese eggplant cut into 1/4 inch slices

about 4 3/4 tsps fine sea salt

8 ozs firm or extra firm tofu cut into 1/4 inch cubes (I actually used the whole container of tofu for more protein

1 cut cut into matchsticks ( I used a peeler)

8 ozs buckwheat soba noodles (I had no problem finding this in the Asian section of whole foods)

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp gomasio (this is a seasoning w/ seaweed and sea salt and sesame seeds. it is very good and it does complete the meal so don't skip it. also found in the Asian section.

in a large bowl, whisk together the mirin, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, and 1 tsp of the sesame oil. set aside.

in a pot fitted with a steamer insert, bring 1 inch of water and 2 tbsps of the rice vinegar to a boil. arrange the eggplant in the insert, sprinkle w/ 1/4 tsp salt, cover, and steam for 7 minutes. add the carrot and steam for 5-8 minutes. add the tofu and steam for 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the tofu is heated through.

meanwhile in a 4-6 quart stockpot, combine 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 tbsps salt. bring to a boil over high heat, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. drain, rinse, in cold water, drain again and return the noodles to the pot. toss with the remaining 1 tsp of sesame oil and cover. when the vegetable mixture is cooked, add it to the bowl with the mirin mixture tossing gently.

to serve place the noodles on plates or a platter and top w/ the vegetable mixture, scallions and gomasio.

or to save time and space I just mixed everything in the pot where I cooked the noodles and mixed everything except the gomasio. You should add that to your liking.

I am the International Bitch

I think I was Greek and Italian in another life. I love Greek and Italian cuisine and really try to make it at home as often as possible.

Falafel

1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons panko or whole wheat bread crumbs

2 tbsps chickpea (garbanzo) flour

2 tbsps coursely chopped italian parsley

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp pepper

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

about 2 tbsps refined coconut oil melted

1 lemon

6 tbsps tahini

1/4 cup water

3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp paprika

6 pita breads (I use whole wheat because it is healthier but grab what you want)

1/4 head inceberg, romaine, green leaf, or red leaf lettuce, coarsely shredded (I actually use spinach cause I need dark green and more nutritional value than others)

1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch slices

12 - 18 slices dill pickles (I did not use pickles because it is just so yucky It was yummy w/o)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

in a food processor (if you don't have one go get one or ask for one on craigslist or freecycle) combine the garbanzo beans, onion, panko, flour, parsley, cumin, coriander, pepper, 2 cloves of the garlic, and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Pulse, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, to form a course paste. shape the paste into 12 golf ball sized rounds. flatten the balls to about 3/4 inch thick and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. brush both sides of each ball with the coconut oil and bake for 45 minutes, turning halfway through, until nicely browned. set aside to cool. meanwhile, juice the lemon. in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, olive oil, paprika, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted tahini). press or finely mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and whisk into the tahini sauce. set aside until ready to serve or refrigerate for up to a week. to assemble the sandwiches, cut about 1 inch off the top of each pita, forming a pocket. add falafel, spinach or lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and pickle, dividing evenly. drizzle each sandwich with about a tbsp of tahini.

It is so delicious. I even assembled one for lunch today. You can make your own hummus and add on to it. Better to make your own because after having my homemade hummus, the store brought kind isn't so good.

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.

the things you discover when you read the ingredients

worchestire (sp?) sauce has corn syrup and anchovies!!!!!!!!!!!