Recipes and meal planning for busy moms.
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup acai berry juice
1 tsp wheatgerm or flaxseed
1 cup ice cubes
Put all slushie ingredients in blender, then with blender on high speed, start adding ice cubes until desired consistency. Serve immediately in tall, chilled glasses. This is a nutritious and delicious breakfast, lunch, or pick-me-up drink.
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
3 Tbsp capers, rinsed
1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
1 tsp flat leaf parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. pasta, any shape
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and pine nuts, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the pine nuts are just turning light golden brown.Add to the skillet the olives, capers, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix gently together until it’s heated through and fragrant. Remove from heat.
Cook the pasta in a large pot according to package directions, making sure the pasta remains al dente. Drain well. Add the pasta to the skillet with the pine nut and oil mixture and stir together. Turn heat on low and heat pasta and oil just until mixture is nice and hot. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on each serving.
4 dried Shiitake mushrooms
Wakame – dried seaweed – about 6 inches
6 cups of water
1 package of ramen noodles
1/2 cup of scallions, sliced
1/2 cup of bamboo shoots
1/2 cup of green peppers, cut in very thin strips
1 hard cooked egg (optional)
Begin by making the shiitake mushroom and wakame (seaweed) broth.
In large pot, soak the mushrooms and wakame in 6 cups hot water for a minimum of 1 hour.
Strain out the mushrooms and wakame. Cut the mushroom stems off and discard, then slice the mushroom caps and return to the water. Cut the wakame into thin strips and return to water.
Put pot over medium heat and bring up to just under a boil, then turn to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in separate pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil and add ramen noodles. Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Once the noodles are tender, strain and add them to the shiitake-wakame broth pot, then stir in the scallions, bamboo shoots, and green peppers. Simmer together over very low heat for 3 minutes.
Serve in large bowls. If desired, cut a hard cooked egg in half and set half on top of soup in each bowl.
There are a lot of variations for ramen noodle soup, but if you want something nice and earthy and special, the shiitake mushroom and wakame broth is the way to go.
4 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups beef stock
dash black pepper
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 to 1 Tbsp curry powder
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
3 lbs beef roast
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
Put the potatoes, carrots, onion, beef stock, and dash black pepper in the crock pot.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, curry, thyme, and oregano, then spread over beef roast.
Lay the seasoned beef roast on top of the vegetables in crock pot.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked.
Remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes, then slice thin; scoop out vegetables and lay next to meat, then cover platter with foil to keep meat and veggies warm.
Pour the juices remaining in the crock pot into a small saucepan and place on a burner over medium-high heat.
Whisk together in a bowl the water and flour, then whisk into the juices in the saucepan, bringing to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer until gravy is thickened. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
Serve the gravy with the beef and vegetables.
6 lbs. beef short ribs
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chipotle pepper sauce, plus
1/4 cup chipotle pepper sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place ribs, meaty-side up, in large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt. Brush with 2 tablespoons of chipotle sauce. Bake 30 minutes in preheated oven.
Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup chipotle pepper sauce, ketchup, and Dijon mustard. Separate into two containers, reserving 1/2 cup of sauce mixture for serving with hot ribs.
After ribs have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and brush with sauce, then slide back in oven and continue baking for 1 hour. Open oven and baste with more sauce occasionally, and flip ribs several times.
If grilling, preheat grill to high and put ribs on grilling pan. Place ribs on hot grill with meat side up. Grill 5 minutes, turn, grill 5 more minutes, brushing with sauce before flipping both times.
If you are not grilling, set ribs under broiler on high (or on grill pan on top of stove) and cook 5 minutes, turn, grill 5 more minutes, brushing with sauce before flipping both times.
Heat reserved sauce in separate pan and serve as a dipping sauce with the ribs.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water
Start by making a ‘simple syrup’ by combining the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan, heat to boiling, then turn down and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks ‘syrupy.’
Squeeze enough lemons to get 1 cup of juice (about 6 or so should do it.)
Pour the juice in a pitcher and add the syrup.
Pour in 3 cups cold water, taste and pour if more if desired.
Put in refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Transport to picnic in closed pitcher and bring ice to pour over in each glass. Bring lemon slices for garnish if you wish.
Chipotle Pepper Grilled Ribs
Cheesy Chipotle Scrambled Egg Skillet
Brewed Chipotle Salsa Beef Sandwiches – Crock Pot
Sunny Tomato Cilantro Pasta
Mexican Bean and Chicken Cilantro Skillet
Thai Cilantro Pasta with Shrimp
Island Fruit and Cilantro Shrimp Tacos
Mango Monday Meat Loaf
Italian Pine Nut Pesto with Linguine
Basil and Pine Nut Orzo
Quick Spinach and Pine Nut Skillet
Roasted Sage Acorn Squash with Pine Nuts
5 Star Pine Nut Fish Skillet
Triple Threat Italian Red Sauce
Simply Piquant Caper Cutlets
Puttin-On-The-Ritz Egg Salad
Buttery Sicilian Pine Nut and Capers Pasta
Japenese Shiitake Dashi Soup
Wakame Salad
Cucumber Wakame Salad
Creamy Wasabi Dip for Shrimp Cocktail
Wasabi and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Golden Wasabi Potato Salad
Creamy Thai Chicken Curry
Yogurt Curry Stir Fried Vegetables
Dijon Curry Roast Beef Dinner – Crockpot
Curried Yogurt Tangy Cucumber Soup
Caribbean Sunset Pork Chops
Jamaican Vacation Jerk Wings
2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup very finely chopped sweet onion
1 small garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash red pepper flakes
dash ground cloves
In a large heavy saucepan, add all ingredients, stirring to combine.
Bring to a boil and immediately turn heat to low.
Simmer, uncovered, slowly for 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces.
Stir several times during cooking time.
1 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups cornmeal
1 egg, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp shortening (melted)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 9 inch cake pan or cast iron skillet with non-stick oil.
Put pumpkin and dry ingredients in big bowl and mix until combined.
Add beaten egg and buttermilk, stirring to combine.
Add melted shortening and stir.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned around the edges.
1 1/2 pounds firm white fish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced fine
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup fish stock, chicken stock, or dry white wine
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bring up to a sizzling temperature. Salt and pepper the fish and add to the hot skillet; cooking on both sides until lightly browned. Remove fish from skillet.
In same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onion, cooking onion until just softened. Add the paprika, garlic, bread crumbs, tomatoes, and stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add browned fish on top of sauce, then ladle some of the sauce over the fish and top with pine nuts. Cover skillet and cook over low heat until fish flakes apart and becomes opaque. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
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