Mommie Cooks!

Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious

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West Indian Rotis

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And no, I’m not talking about the rare and invasive tropical skin disease that starts at your toes and turns your entire body Pink within hours of catching it (wait, isn’t that what happened to Pinkalicious when she ate too many pink cupcakes?  Was she in the tropics or am I reading too many children’s books for my own good?), I’m talking about an amazingly delicious vegetarian recipe I cooked up the other night from one of my all time favorite vegetarian cookbooks; Beyond the Moon by Ginny Callon.

No I am not a vegetarian, nor do I plan to become one; I just love a hunk of dead animal on my plate that much, but I have tried to incorporate vegetarian cuisine into our family meal night because, despite the fact that I love animal protein, it just feels healthier to me to take a break every now and then from meat and enjoy a good plant based meal.  And trust me when I tell you, you won’t miss it in this recipe.  Or in any of her recipes for that matter.  I have worn through this cookbook and the majority of her meals are A.mazing.  There’s a smoked mozzarella, tomato, basil pasta that is To.Die.For.  You should see how messy that page is in the book.  And I always say, a messed up cookbook is a true sign that it’s worth the money you spent on it.

But let’s get back to the topic at hand.  The rotis.  She suggests this meal be used as a filling for tortillas or scooped up with some Indian Naan bread.  We had neither of these in our house the night I made it, so we used some homemade sourdough starter french bread that I had concocted the night before.  Everyone scooped and shoveled until there was nothing left to show for it except a smile and a bigger belly. This meal was a hit in our home and I’m sure it will be in yours as well! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own batch of this vegetarian goodness.

Ingredients Needed:

2 Cups of Dried Lentils (I used Precooked Lentils)
2 Cups of Cubed Unpeeled Potatoes
2 Tbsp of Canola Oil
1 Large Onion, Chopped
5 Large Garlic Cloves, Minced
11/2 Tbsp of Fresh Ginger, Minced
1 Cup of Diced Carrots
1/2 tsp of Cumin
11/2 tsp of Salt
2 tsp of Curry Powder
1 tsp of Ground Coriander
1/8 to 1/4 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
1 Medium Tomato, Chopped (I used halved grape tomatoes)
1 Cup of Fresh or Frozen Peas (I used Edamame)
2 Cups (8 Oz) of Grated Cheddar Cheese<
Flat Bread of Tortillas for scooping and rolling

Optional: Plain Yogurt or Chutney for Garnish

Start off by cooking up your lentils.  If you are using dried lentils, add them to your pan along with 4 cups of water, bring your water to a boil and then add the lentils, reduce your heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes, add in your potatoes and cook until the lentils and potatoes are tender and the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes more.

If you are using cooked lentils like I did you’ll add both the potatoes and the lentils to the pan along with 1 cup of water.  Cook them covered on medium high temperature for 5 minutes and then uncovered for 5 minutes more or until the water is evaporated and the potatoes are cooked through.

In a separate pan, heat up your oil over medium heat.  Saute your onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, and cumin until the onion is tender; about 3 to 4 minutes.

Yep, I realize that picture is missing the carrot, so here’s another with it all cooking up deliciously, carrot not to be left out this time.

Next you’ll want to stir in the salt, curry powder, coriander and cayenne. See the picture above once more for reference.  The dish doesn’t claim to be pretty, but trust me, your kitchen should be smelling delicious right about now.

Stir it all up and cook for a couple minutes to incorporate the spices and then reduce your heat to low and add in your tomatoes, peas/edamame, cheddar, and the potato/lentil mixture.

Stir the whole pile of goodness up and give it a few minutes to let the cheese melt and the dinner heat up.

And that’s all there is to it!  Serve it up with tortillas for rolling or bread for scooping and you’ve got yourself a delicious, filling vegetarian dish that even my kids ate with reckless abandon.  In honesty, I will tell you that when they first saw it they were a touch afraid of the crazy dish mommy had concocted for them.  But once I bribed them to try a bite, they discovered they shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover and Alex even made it all the way to dessert by cleaning his plate entirely.

Before I close out this post, I want to mention that I’ll be camping in the mountains of North Carolina with the family this weekend so you won’t be seeing a new post up until Tuesday.  Have no fear though, I’m guest blogging this weekend over at Stephanie’s site; The Scoop on Poop

Be sure to stop by and check it out.  Spend a little time surfing around her site while you’re at it.  I’m pretty sure you’ll like what you see.  Have a great holiday weekend all!

I’m linking this recipe up to Cookbook Sundays over at Brenda’s Canadian Kitchen.

The “Quick, I Need a Healthy Dinner Now!” Quesadilla

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I don’t know about all of you other mother’s out there, but I’m still coming down from my fabulous Mother’s Day weekend high.  I like to refer to it as the Mother’s Day hangover.  You get me, right?  You’ve been pampered all weekend; cooked for, picked up for, massaged.  Basically you’ve been treated like the queen you are and you’re not quite ready to get back to the realities of resuming your full time mom job.

Ok, who am I kidding, I still had to cook a meal or two and pick up for myself.  I don’t think I remember a massage in there either.  I also had to deal with my oldest son drawing me a lovely work of art on his bedroom ceiling (ahhh, no my love, we don’t color on walls, just paper please.) but I did get a really nice dinner paid for by my parents on Friday and an amazing brunch served by one of our top local eateries on Sunday (I had a spinach, artichoke and goat cheese omelette – OH YEA it was good.), so all in all, it was another successful Hallmark Holiday.

That being said, I just don’t feel quite ready to jump into the swing of full on, messy kitchen, dinner just yet.  And THAT’s where the quick and healthy quesadilla comes into play.   I love quesadillas.  They are easy, they’re tasty, and they can be made any infinite number of ways to accommodate the specific taste a person may be craving.

The quesadilla I will be showing you today is vegetarian, healthy, and very tasty!  The idea was given to me by my sister-in law who always serves up the most amazing vegetarian dishes.  I never turn down an invitation for a meal at her house (love ya Connie!)  The fillings we use are sweet potato, cheese, and spinach.  I also love to throw some black beans in there for protein, although I didn’t put them in the one below.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients Needed:

8 Flour Tortillas
2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 to 3 Handfuls of Spinach, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Potato, Cooked
Chili Powder and Cumin to Taste

If you’re thinking this recipe is pretty self explanatory, you’d be right.  We’ll go through it regardless so I can shamelessly post pictures (yes, I’m almost as addicted to my camera as I am to my kitchen; almost.).

First up, grab your cooked sweet potato (I usually cook mine up in the microwave.  It’s just faster that way, but feel free to bake it as well), cut off a quarter of it, scoop it out and slather it onto one of your tortillas.

Now, go ahead and sprinkle on your chili powder and cumin.  I don’t really have a measurement for this.  I just kind of like to get good coverage across the entire tortilla like this:

Feel free to sprinkle some cayenne as well if you like things a little bit spicier.  Finally sprinkle on your chopped spinach and cheese (and beans if you’re adding them).

Put the top onto your quesadilla and throw it in a large skillet with the temperature set to medium high.  The skillet should have a tsp or so of melted butter swirled around in it.  Let your quesadilla cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then flip it over letting the other side cook for 2-3 minutes as well.  Pull it out, cut it into triangles and serve it up.   I like to serve it with guacamole and carrot sticks.

And that’s all there is to it!  I simple, quick, and healthy post Mothers Day meal that won’t have you drowning in the kitchen but will still make your family smile.  Because mom’s deserve more than one day a year of being honored right?  I hope all you moms had an amazing Mothers Day weekend!

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"The Quick I Need a Healthy Dinner Now!" Quesadilla

Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

8 Flour Tortillas
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 to 3 Handfuls Spinach, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Potato, Cooked
Chili Powder and Cumin to Taste

Directions:

Grab your cooked sweet potato, cut off a quarter of it, scoop it out and slather it onto one of your tortillas.

Sprinkle on a little chili powder and cumin. Feel free to sprinkle some cayenne as well if you like things a little bit spicier.

Add on your chopped spinach and cheese (and beans if you're adding them).

Put the top onto your quesadilla and throw it in a large skillet with the temperature set to medium high. The skillet should have a tsp or so of melted butter swirled around in it.

Let your quesadilla cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then flip it over letting the other side cook for 2-3 minutes as well. Pull it out, cut it into triangles and serve it up.

Broccoli, Cheesy, Potato Soup with Homemade Buttery Garlic Breadsticks

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I apologize for getting this posted so late in the day.  The stomach bug seems to have made residence in our house and messed everything up.  Blah to a one year old barely able to hold down his water.  This day calls for comfort food; a bowl of soup and a homemade breadstick.  And I have to say, that these breadsticks are some of the best bread I have ever had the privilege to put my mouth on (and the soup’s not half shabby either).  Yummy!  Ok, soup first.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients Needed:

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp of Butter
2 Cloves of Garlic
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 Cups of Water
3 heaping tsps of Chicken Base*
1 Large head of broccoli, cut into pieces
3 Cups of Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

*If you don’t have chicken base, you can use 5 cups of chicken broth instead.  You can also make this vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth or vegetable base.  Isn’t a versatile recipe great?!

Start by sauteing the onion and garlic in a large pan with your butter.  Cook onions for about 3-5 minutes and then add your cubed potatoes, water, and chicken base.  Bring mixture to a boil and then turn down heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, dump your broccoli into the pot, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Now, if you have an emulsifier this would be the time to get it out.  If you don’t have one, bring out your blender and when dinner’s over, run out to the store and get yourself an emulsifier.  They’re indispensable!    Using your emulsifier, puree the soup in the pot until smooth.  If you don’t have an emulsifier, place your soup in batches into the blender and process until smooth.  Make sure you don’t fill the blender more than 1/3 full at a time and hold on TIGHT to the top.  Believe me, I learned the hard way.  Once your soup is pureed, with the heat on low, add in your cheese and stir to combine until melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  And that’s it!

But, of course, what’s soup without a delicious warm bread stick to dip into it?  Am I right?  Here’s what you’ll need to complete the meal:

Ingredients Needed:

1 Package of Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup of sugar, divided
1 Cup of warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
2 1/4 Cups Bread Flour
3/4 Cups Bread Flour
1/4 Cup (half a stick) of butter, softened
1 Tbsp of Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp of Garlic Powder

In a medium sized bowl, dissolve your yeast in 1 Tbsp of the 1/4 cup of sugar and the warm water.  To the yeast mixture add your oil, egg, the 2 1/4 cups of flour, and the remaining sugar.  Combine to form a dough.  Continue to add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until you have a nice, smooth, elastic dough.  It shouldn’t be sticky.  If it is, then add more flour.  You may not need the entire additional 3/4 cups.  Once you get your dough the correct consistency, knead it by hand on a floured surface for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Grease up your bowl, place the dough in it to get the top of the ball greased and then turn it over so the bottom gets greased.  Cover your dough and set it in a warm place to rise for about 50 minutes.  I like to turn my oven on for about a minute and then turn it off.  Make sure you can touch your hand to the side of the oven.  If you can’t, it’s too hot.  Let it cool until you can and then place your bread in to rise.  Once it’s risen, pull it out to shape the breadsticks.  It should look like this:

Let’s make some sticks!  Punch down the dough, turn it onto a floured surface and start to roll them out.  I just grabbed a handful of dough, floured it up and rolled it back and forth on the counter with my hands until I had the desired length; about 8-10 inches per stick.  Place them on a greased baking sheet and cover them again, letting them rise for another 25 minutes or so.  I again just placed them in my oven, still warm from the first rise.  After about 25 minutes, remove the cover and turn your oven on to 400 degrees.  I didn’t even remove my breadsticks.  I just left them in to cook as the oven preheated.   Cook them for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  While they’re cooking (and making your entire kitchen smell delicious!) mix together the butter, parm cheese, and garlic powder.  When the breadsticks are done, pull them out of the oven and spread the butter mixture on the sticks while they’re still hot.  And that’s it!  You have a yummy comfort food meal of soup and breadsticks.  Your husband will love you, your kids will love you and heck, you will love yourself for making such a great meal.