Just a little trouble at home this week. I walked into the couch and broke my toe - just like that. Can you believe that's even possible? A broken toe just from stubbing it. I've been stuck at home on crutches since Tuesday and I've probably got another week and a half before I can start putting weight on my foot. It's not so bad really, but it is an inconvenience.
Trying to keep up with an energetic two year old on a hurt foot is laughably ridiculous. Thankfully I have had my wonderful husband with me more than usual this week, and my little helper has been very understanding that I can't play with her as much as we regularly do.
My broken bone has actually been completely worth the discomfort. I have some time off of work, during a time of year that is so slow for us that I wouldn't be doing much anyway, and I have gotten to spend a lot more time with my family. I've been quite productive in the kitchen, which is always fun for me, and I have been getting to do something I normally only can enjoy about once a week - sitting down to dinner with my husband and daughter - all together. I know I need to get back to work soon, but for now this is perfect.
In my extra free time I discovered the most wonderful cooking blog called that makes me feel really excited over healthy vegetarian cooking again. I have been hobbling around the kitchen trying out their recipes and stuffing my face and loving it. I have to say, the little one is loving it too, especially the little pumpkin seed "cookies".
From the left we have Spinach muffins, Nut crackers, my own white bean hummus (recipe below), and Pumpkin seed cakes.
The spinach muffins didn't turn out anything like I expected them to, but they're delicious - slightly sour from the yogurt, and filled with tasty veggies. The nut crackers are so toasty good, with a sandy texture, and they are a perfect vessel for some thick hummus. The pumpkin seed cakes are my favorite from this site, with only two ingredients and no oven. They are great with plain yogurt and honey, but next time I make them I will definitely try out the chocolate-avocado mousse that is posted with the recipe.
Check out their blog. It's just amazing to me that this couple comes up with so many unique and interesting recipes that are so consistently awesome. And while you're at it, make some of my yummy hummus!
White Bean Hummus
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
2 Tbsp capers
1 large clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
chipotle powder to taste (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
Add beans, lemon juice and zest, capers, and garlic to food processor. Blend for 20 seconds. Taste and add seasonings, blending well. When seasoned as you like, start blending and add olive oil in a slow steady stream until hummus comes together in a thick smooth mixture, being careful not to over-mix as this can cause the oil to develop a bitter flavor. Serve topped with olive oil and a sprinkling of chipotle powder.
Kids love burgers, Kirah loves burgers. As she said yesterday "Burgers are a special treat"!
As I may have mentioned once or twice, we are vegetarian. There are a lot of good veggie burger options out there. I am a big fan of Gardenburger's Portabella burger, and while they're not technically burgers, I'm crazy about Morningstar Farms' breakfast patties. While those are great every once in a while, there's nothing better than a homemade burger, and it's a sneaky way for us to get some more veggies into our little one's meals.
You can put whatever veggies you want into veggie burgers, but you're going to need something sticky to hold it all together. Mashed beans and potatoes are perfect, and this recipe uses both!
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers
My recipe is tweaked from this Cooking Books post.
We eat ours with a fork, but if you really want them to hold up on a bun you can use mashed sweet potato instead of grated. They also hold together better when they're slider sized, so this recipe will give you about 16 mini-burgers.
1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded with a box grater
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 4.5 oz can mild Hatch chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
breadcrumbs
In a large skillet heat a small amount of oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes without allowing to brown. Add sweet potato and a little bit of water to keep it from sticking. Cook for 5-7 minutes until sweet potato has softened.
In a large bowl mash black beans, leaving about 1/3 of them whole for texture. Add the rest of the ingredients, adjusting breadcrumbs as necessary to form a mixture that holds together, but is not dry. Roughly 2 to 2 1/2 slices of bread, run through a chopper and toasted slightly.
Form into small patties and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Heat your broiler to 450°F and cook for 7 minutes on each side, flipping carefully.
Kirah is crazy about salsa too, so we serve our burgers with a side of salsa verdé.
This past weekend I talked my husband into driving over the mountains to Wenatchee to a u-pick apple farm. I had to bribe him with homemade soft pretzels, but he agreed, and we had a great trip!
With a make-shift clipboard for her coloring pages, little one did wonderfully on the long car ride, and she slept most of the way back. While we were there she had a blast helping pick out the tastiest looking apples, chasing assorted farm animals, and uhh.... digging in the dirt with sticks. :)
It was a long trip for something we could have easily bought in the grocery store near home, and the slight cost difference hardly made up for what we spent in gas, but ohmigosh, these apples are amazing. Right off the tree they taste like straight apple juice - sugary and tart and SO GOOD. Besides that, any chance to show Kirah where her food comes from - to have her meet the people growing her snacks, to see the fruit on the trees, to touch the leaves and hear the noise of the chickens that fertilize the plants - well, it's priceless.
Ooh, it just makes me want to buy a farm and move to the middle of nowhere!
Stutzman Ranch in Wenatchee, WA
