M&M Butter Cookies

One of my friends has a group on Facebook for folks to share what they're cooking, spurred on by COVID-19 quarantine. He typically asks a food-based question every day. A few months ago the question was about your favorite cookie. He mentioned that his were the chocolate chip cookies from the Original Cookie Company in the local mall. I had completely forgotten about this place, but the suggestion immediately brought back memories of my favorite childhood cookie - their M&M butter cookie. Warm and soft with great vanilla flavor, dotted with multi-color M&Ms (no blue M&Ms in the 80s!)  

So, like any respectable self-proclaimed cookie monster, I now wanted one of these cookies. A quick Google search found a recipe claiming to taste exactly like the ones from the Original Cookie Company, but it, of course, contained wheat flour. A little bit of research on flour blends and I decided which flour and starches to use. My son and I made the cookies and loved them, though we decided a bit more vanilla and salt may make them better. Also, the crumb wasn't quite soft enough, so we wanted to try again and increase the xanthum gum. Second time around was perfection! Everyone loves them and says they don't taste gluten free - which I consider quite a complement in a cookie! 

Here's an article I found on Original Cookie Company. The third image is like the store I visited as a kid.

(Note that this cookie is not just a chocolate chip cookie with M&Ms instead of chips. A classic chocolate chip cookie has brown sugar and this cookie is purposefully lacking that flavor component.)

M&M Butter Cookies

makes about 48, 3" cookies

• 1-1/2 c white rice flour
• 3/4 c tapioca starch
• 3/4 c potato starch
• 2 tsp xanthum gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 c butter, softened
• 1-1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large bag of M&Ms (the 38 oz "party size" leaves you with a nice amount of leftovers)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with silpat or parchment.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a whisk. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing between additions.
5. Add vanilla and mix well.
6. Add half the mixed dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
7. For best results, chill for about 10 minutes while you clean up the kitchen. (I also store the dough in the fridge anytime I'm not actively scooping cookies.)
8. Pour M&Ms into a small bowl (like a large custard dish) so you don't waste any M&Ms. (I wouldn't eat M&Ms that had raw cookie dough rolled in them.)
9. Scoop a heaping cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp) and roll into a ball. Roll the top half in M&Ms (as pictured.) They spread quite a bit, so make sure to leave plenty of space. I fit 8 on my standard-size cookie sheets.
10. Bake for about 11 minutes, depending on your oven. (My oven cooks unevenly, so I rotate the cookie sheet after 5 minutes). You want to take them out when they're puffy, undercooked, and just a bit golden on the edges. Allow them to rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a rack.

Hiatus

It's been a long time since I've posted, mainly because the energy drain of pregnancy was taking up my blogging time! Now I have a beautiful 1 month old little girl and have even less time to blog. I anticipate that the blog will continue to be on hiatus for a while. I do occasionally post on Facebook and I'm an active pinner on Pinterest, so feel free to follow me on one of those sites.

The Week Ahead... 6/17/13

What a weekend! We had my son's 3rd birthday party on Saturday and Father's Day on Sunday. The birthday party was construction-themed, fitting for my little "Engineer Junior". I hope to do a post about all the food later this week.  Meanwhile, here's what's on deck for this week.


Menu for the Week of June 17th

Monday: neighbor's graduation party

Tuesday: Make-ahead Layered Salad using leftover pork tenderloin

Wednesday: grilled veggies

Thursday: salad with grilled chicken

Friday: pizza
Saturday: sausage and veggies

My Thoughts on Laundry and The Week Ahead... 6/10/13

Laundry is the gift that keeps on giving. Problem is, it's a gift I (and most others I know) don't want. Wouldn't it be great if laundry just did itself, particularly the folding part? We are so bad about folding laundry that we have four laundry baskets and an expandable "back-up" basket. I know...pathetic.

Menu for the Week of June 10, 2013

Monday: rice & beans, tomato

Tuesday: grilled pork tenderloin, potato salad, salad

Wednesday: grilled tequila lime butter chicken, sweet potato sweetie packs 

Thursday: beet salad

Friday: ?

Grilled Eggplant Stacks

In my last post I noted that I'm trying to grill more as it get warmer. Although, with Tropical Storm Andrea swinging past close enough to make it a yucky, rainy day today, I think I'll skip on tonight's planned grilling session.

This past Tuesday was gorgeous: mid-70s and dry! My son and I played on the deck while I grilled dinner and then we ate on the deck. My Girl Scout troop meeting was even held on the deck! We had eggplant stacks and they were amazing. You can't go wrong with prosciutto and fresh, smoked mozzarella cheese.

Some people would argue that anything with eggplant is wrong, but I think it's an acquired taste. I started out with a variety called graffiti that I get at our farm market. The skin seems to be thinner than some other varieties. I have since graduated to normal, grocery store varieties, such as these pictured here. The first key to preparing eggplant is to salt it and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This removes some of the moisture and makes it less rubbery when you cook it. I press kosher salt into both sides of each slice and place it in a colander over the sink. Make certain to rinse each piece before cooking!

I top each stack with a red pepper spread, which I cheat and purchase from Trader Joe's. I use it on so many different things from sweet potato to fried egg sandwiches to this recipe. My father-in-law enjoys it on ham or turkey sandwiches.

Grilled Eggplant Stacks

• eggplant, sliced 1/4" thick
• course kosher salt
• olive oil (I use my Misto for this recipe)
• smoked mozzarella, sliced 1/4" thick
• prosciutto, slice each piece in half to fit eggplant
• roasted red pepper spread

1. Salt eggplant as described above. Preheat grill with all burners on high.
2. Rinse and dry eggplant and spray or brush on olive oil. Place on grill over medium heat. (I place the food over my two center burners, which are turned off. The two outer burners are on medium-high heat.) Grill for about 5 minutes or until you get good grill marks and the eggplant has softened some.
3. Flip eggplant over and place a piece of prosciutto and mozzarella on each eggplant slice. Grill for about 5 minutes more.
4. Remove from grill, top with red pepper spread, and serve!

This recipe has been shared on Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays and Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays.

The Week Ahead... 6/3/2013

Now that the summer heat is upon us, I'm turning to grilling a bit more to avoid the oven and adding heat to the house. This does require me to re-tool my meal planning, though, and find new, grill-able standards.


Menu for the Week of June 3, 2013

Monday: leftover rice and beans

Tuesday: grilled eggplant with prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, and roasted red pepper sauce

Wednesday: baked beans with chicken sausage and chard

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: grilled bison steak, grilled veggies, potato salad

Sweet Potato Sweetie Packs (for campfire, grill, or oven)

I love sweet potatoes. They are, hands down, one of my most favorite foods. I will even eat them for breakfast. I could go on Bubba-style (think Forrest Gump) about the many ways I eat them, but I'll spare you!

Last week I was considering food my three year old would likely eat for our camping trip and arrived at an old favorite: grilled ham steak, pineapples, and yams. My grocery store doesn't sell a lot of canned vegetables, which overall is a good thing, but annoying when you want canned yams. Then I remembered that I had two large sweet potatoes in the pantry and also remembered how good my last batch of grilled sweet potatoes was... this would mean that I would not have to go to a second grocery score... score!

I used the same method as before and they tasted AMAZING! They work on the campfire, grill, or in the oven. When we camp I prepare the pack before we leave and put it in a gallon zip bag in the cooler; that way all I have to do is throw it on the coals.


Sweet Potato Sweetie Packs

• sweet potatoes, sliced (however many you need for your group) - I used two HUGE ones
• butter (I use Earth Balance spread) - I used about 2 Tbsp.
• honey (coconut palm sugar or sweetener of choice if vegan) - I used about 1 Tbsp.
• cinnamon - I used about 1/2 tsp.
• heavy duty aluminum foil (don't even think about skimping on this!)

1. Set out a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. For two huge sweet potatoes I used a piece that was about 2' long. I also use the wider (18") heavy duty aluminum foil for foil packets.
2. Smear butter on the aluminum foil, where the potatoes will go.
3. Place half the potatoes on the foil. Drizzle honey over potatoes, scatter a few pats of butter, and shake on some cinnamon.
4. Add the remaining potatoes on top.
5. Gather the long sides of the foil and roll to close. Roll in each short side to form a packet. If I'm camping I put this packet in another sheet of foil to create a second packet around the first.
6. Cook and enjoy!

• Campfire: Cook right on top of hot coals for about 40 minutes, flipping and turning about every 10 minutes.
• Grill: Grill over hot, indirect heat for about 25 minutes.
• Oven: I've never done it, but I would cook it in a 400°F oven for about 30 minutes.

Mmmm... butter AND honey AND cinnamon!

On the grill (along with a chicken)!

Yummy perfection!

This recipe has been shared on Diet, Dessert, and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, and Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays.

The Week Ahead... 5/20/2013

It's yet another crazy week. I have a few evening meetings, my mother is having surgery on Thursday, and we leave for a camping trip with friends on Saturday morning, which is why I already know what we're eating next weekend.

We are going to the same campground the moms went to last fall. It will be the same moms, along with their families, as well as another family. I believe the total count is 10 adults and 9 kids, so it should be tons of fun. If all goes well with the food I'll be blogging on the trip later.


Menu for the Week of May 20th

Monday: Cuban-style black beans (source) with brown rice and tomatoes
Tuesday: Halloumi Quinoa (we didn't get to it last week)
Wednesday: Beet Salad
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: ham steak, grilled pineapple, foil sweet potatoes, s'mores!
Sunday: chicken foil packets with potato, bacon, apple, and onion, s'mores!

Mother's Day and The Week Ahead... 5/13/2013

Sometimes I look at my son and am so surprised. The whole biology of it is awe-inspiring. I see so much of both my husband and myself in him, yet he is truly unique. And, I love him so much... more than I ever thought I could (yes, it's cliche, but true.)

It's funny the things you live for when you're a parent, like the fact that I hate leaving for work if he hasn't woken up yet because I don't get to hear, "bye, Mommy" as I walk out the door. Or, the way he runs to me every afternoon when I pick him up at daycare. Or, a request to go look at the tower cranes.

When I was pregnant we referred to my son as "little man". About a year after he was born I heard a song by Eddie From Ohio called "Hey Little Man" and it brought me tears. As a stereotypical engineer, I do have a hard time putting my thoughts and emotions into words, but this song nailed it for me. Here's my favorite line, and my hope for my son as well:

"May luck be by your side and the spirit be your guide,
And may you know the blessing, and may you know the joy,
And may you know the love of a true friend"

I wish a happy mother's day to all the moms out there!


Menu for the Week of May 13th
I'm out of town Tuesday and won't be back in time for dinner on Wednesday, but the fridge is stocked with leftovers!

Monday: Curried Spinach and Chickpeas with rice (sweet potato for me)

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: hot dogs, baked beans, raw veggies

Friday: Halloumi Quinoa

Saturday: farmer's market find! (bison steaks, asparagus?????)

The Week Ahead... 5/6/13

This week's calendar is kind of crazy, so I tried to keep the menu rather simple. There was a request from a certain 3 year old for Sloppy Joes, even though we had them last week. Since they taste amazing and are easy, I agreed. We did not get to the beet salad last week, so I've moved it to this week since I already had the beets.

Tonight's dinner is another favorite of the 3 year old... Cuban-style Beans. The recipe is from my wonderful nutritionist and is super easy, but it does take a while to cook the beans. I made the beans last night and will throw some brown rice in the rice cooker when I get home. I'm not actually eating beans these days as I'm essentially on a paleo diet while my nutritionist gets my thyroid perked up. Beans are perfect for tonight, though, as I'm going to yoga and won't be eating dinner. I used to do yoga a lot but haven't done it in about 4 years. Swimming is making my muscles tighter, so I figured I needed to counteract that with yoga. And, the bonus with the beans is that I can freeze the leftovers and the family can eat them as I'll be away a few nights in the coming weeks. Hopefully that will make the next few weeks not as crazy as they look on the calendar!


Menu for the Week of May 6, 2013

Monday: Cuban-style Beans (source) and rice with avocado and tomato

• prep salad

Tuesday: Make-ahead Layered Salad

• prep Sloppy Joes and bake Scrumptious Sandwich Bread (source)

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes with raw veggies

• cook beets

Thursday: Beet Salad

• cut veggies and chicken

Friday: chicken stir fry over quinoa

Swimming Update and Chard (or Kale) with Dates

I have to admit that I'm very proud of myself because I swam at least two times every week for the month of April. This is the best I've ever done with exercising and there are two reasons for my success: (1) I don't hate swimming so its not too much of a chore; (2) I'm trying to be a good role model for my son and show that regular exercise is just something we should incorporate into our lives. Clearly the latter reason is the most important and the one that really keeps my motivated to get up at 5 AM and get in the pool!

I'm definitely getting stronger and gaining stamina. I'm swimming about a 1/2 mile in 30 minutes. My abs, inner thighs, and arms are getting stronger. I just feel all around better. So, yay me!


Chard (or Kale) with Dates

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 bunch chard or kale, washed, de-stemmed, and roughly chopped (I prefer chard)
• 4 dates, chopped
• salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet. I use a 12" skillet.
2. Sauté shallot until translucent.
3. Add chard or kale and stir occasionally until beginning to wilt.
4. Add in dates and stir occasionally until the greens have wilted.
5. Finish with salt and pepper, as needed.

This recipe has been shared on Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, and Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays.

The Week Ahead... 4/29/2013

Menu for the Week of April 29th

Monday:  Curried Spinach and Chickpeas with rice (sweet potato for me)

• prep quinoa gratin

Tuesday:  quinoa gratin

• prep Sloppy Joes

Wednesday:  Sloppy Joes, raw veggies

• prep beets

Thursday:  Beet Salad

Friday:  Kale Salad over quinoa

Mister Rogers and Broccoli Apple Slaw

Between Boston and West, Texas there have been a lot of prayers lifted to those in need. There have been a lot of positive things said on social media, many accredited to Mister Rogers.  The quote I've seen the most is, "When I was a boy and would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" I find it interesting that, even after his death, Mister Rogers can help children and adults alike deal with our feelings. I'm glad to part of the Mister Rogers generation.

***

This recipe was inspired by a kohlrabi-apple slaw in Nourishing Meals. My grocery store did not have kohlrabi, so I used broccoli. I've changed the flavor profile of the dressing to accommodate the broccoli and dried cranberries.


Broccoli Apple Slaw
This holds for a few days in the refrigerator.

• 2 crowns broccoli, cut into small pieces (I do this ahead of time)
• 2 apples, cut into small pieces (I like Fiji)
• ~1/4 c dried cranberries

Dressing (can be made ahead of time)

• 6 oz plain yogurt (any type - I use goat)
• 1 tbsp honey (or agave if vegan)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp orange juice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Place broccoli, apples, and dried cranberries in a bowl.
3. Pour dressing over slaw and stir. It's best if you let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe has been shared on Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays, and The Daily Dietribe's 5-Ingredient Mondays.

The Week Ahead... 4/14/2013

What an amazing weekend! We had lovely weather and got a lot accomplished.

We were home tonight instead of at my mom's for dinner. The pork chops were amazing; my husband declared them company-worthy!

Menu for the Week of April 14th

Sunday: Dijon and Honey Pork Chops, kale with dates

• prep salad

Monday: Make-ahead Layered Salad

• soak quinoa

Tuesday: Halloumi Quinoa

• cut potatoes

Wednesday: Cranberry Orange Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, and pan-roasted brocolli (I typically make this with roasted green beans but the store was out of them.)

• "rice" the cauliflower
• prep the dressing

Thursday: Thai-Inspired Mango & Avocado Salad with Cilantro "Rice", from the May/June 2013 Simply Gluten Free Magazine

Friday and Saturday: trip!

Happy Half Blog-Birthday and Make-ahead Layered Salad

I made my first Engineering Dinner post 6 months ago today! There have been 43 posts since then and over 5,000 page views. True to the blog name, I've shared mostly dinners but there have been two desserts and a smoothie. And, like most bloggers, my most popular post has been a dessert.

My uncle has always brought his Farmer's Salad to family dinners. It's delicious, but I never knew how easy it was until this past Christmas when I made it myself. You layer all these ingredients together the night before and let them meld into a fantastically flavored salad. I've made it for several get-togethers since then and recently realized that there's no reason why this has to be reserved for special events. What's better than a salad that you just have to toss when you get home?

So my description thus far may have cued a memory of a mayonnaise-y salad you've had in your past. Yes, there's mayonnaise in this, and yes, it's a fair amount. If you dislike mayonnaise all I can offer is that I've served this to several professed mayonnaise haters (my husband included) and they've all enjoyed the salad. I think that mayonnaise selection is key here. In my experience, the Spectrum Organics brand Olive Oil mayo is the key to enjoyment for non-mayo eaters.

Straying from tradition, I have engineered the flavors a little bit for this version, and the possibilities for other flavor options are endless. It's also a great way to use leftovers, as I did with the chicken! It will keep for lunch the next day, but not much further.


Make-ahead Layered Salad
Serves 4+
All measurements are approximate and some depend on the diameter of your bowl.

• 1 head romaine lettuce, cut and washed
• 1/2 lb spinach, torn into bite-sized amounts
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 c frozen peas (do not defrost)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (omit if vegan, or substitute another protein)
• ~1/3 c cooked chicken, chopped (omit if vegan, or substitute another protein)
• ~1/4 c craisins
• ~3/4 c cheese, shredded (I used goat gouda, but any kind will work)
• ~1/2 c mayo (vegannaise or another substitute is acceptable)
• ~1/4 c mustard (I used a stone ground dijon, but honey mustard would be excellent)

1. Place lettuce and spinach in the bottom of a large bowl. (I used my large mixing bowl.) You may need to press down gently to compress them.
2. Sprinkle celery over lettuce layer.
3. Sprinkle peas over celery.
4. Sprinkle bacon and chicken over peas, if using.
5. Sprinkle craisins over meat.
6. Sprinkle cheese over craisins. You want to cover the surface with cheese.
7. Mix the mayo and mustard together in a bowl. Spread over cheese to completely cover all the way to the bowl. It's critical that this mixture covers everything to seal out air and moisture. Cover bowl and place in fridge overnight.
8. Next day: I like to pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before I plan to serve it. Toss completely and serve.

Lettuce, spinach, celery, and peas

Added meats and craisins

Seal out moisture and air... seal in flavor!

Yum!

This recipe has been shared on Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, and Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays.

The Week Ahead... 4/8/2013

Menu for the Week of April 8th

Monday: layered salad with bacon and chicken

• prep veggies

Tuesday: hot dogs, baked beans, and raw veggies

• prep broccoli

Wednesday: roasted squash, broccoli apple slaw

Thursday: Beet Salad

Friday: out

Saturday: pizza with this crust, strawberry chia fluff for dessert!

Swimming, Magical Music, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower

I know this is a bizarre title but it's what I'm thinking about. Please excuse the lack of segues.

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As an update to last week's post, I have joined the YMCA! On Wednesday morning I got up at 5AM and was in the pool swimming laps at 5:30AM. It felt great! I'm planning on doing it again tomorrow morning.

****

Does anyone remember the song from the 80s called "We Belong"? It was performed by Pat Benatar, but written by one of my favorite groups, Lowen and Navarro. I bought their Broken Moon album after hearing them on NPR. I went to see them in concert a few times and purchased a few more albums. When my son was a few months old Lowen and Navarro's music became magical for our family as it would calm our fussy infant and get him to fall asleep. All of you former or currently sleep-deprived parents out there can certainly agree that this would be magical! My son continued to fall asleep to Lowen and Navarro until last year when he discovered Adele and Robbie Schaeffer, of Eddie From Ohio. His favorite music to fall asleep to now is Robbie Schaeffer's La La Love, which is an awesome song for a good cause, an organization called One Voice.

Getting back to Lowen and Navarro, they have some absolutely beautiful songs. One of my favorites is Crossing Over, from their album Pendulum. My favorite album is Live Radio, which is acoustic versions of some of their songs. Unfortunately, Eric Lowen passed away last year from ALS, but Dan Navarro is still performing. Their final album, Learning to Fall, is particularly poignant.

****

This recipe is something I threw together because my grocery store was lacking most of the veggies I was looking for, such as squash, parsnips, and turnips. So, I decided to try cauliflower because I'm starting to like it now that I know it's good roasted. It was a hit, even with the almost-3-year-old. And, it was easy! Who doesn't like that?


Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower
The cauliflower can be cut and washed the night before. The sweet potato can be peeled, cut, and stored in water until ready to use.

• 2-3 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2"-3/4" cubes
• cauliflower, 1/2 head, cut into florets
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg

1. Cook sweet potatoes and cauliflower together. I pressure cook them for 4 minutes with 1/2 cup of water. Boiling or steaming would also work. Depending on your cooking method, you may need to drain cooking water.
2. Mash them and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. They will be somewhat lumpy.

This recipe has been shared on Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays, and The Daily Dietribe's 5-Ingredient Mondays.

The Week Ahead... 4/1/13

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it! Just a quick menu post for today as I have 14 people for Easter dinner this afternoon.


Menu for the Week of April 1st
It's a busy week, so this is an easy menu!

Monday: leftover soup from the freezer, Salad Spring Rolls

• prep Sloppy Joes

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes, mashed veggies

Wednesday: I have an early meeting so my husband and son will likely go to Chipotle

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: fried eggs, tater tots, wilted spinach

Chocolate Feel-good Protein Smoothie

I've been trying to figure out a way to work more exercise into my life. Ok, to be honest, I should say that I've been trying to figure out a way to work exercise into my life. I can't really use the word more because I currently don't get any official exercise. Sure, there's running after a almost-3-year-old and an occasional walk, but those don't really count.

I've always enjoyed swimming but haven't taken lessons except for a week here and there at summer camp. To kick start a swimming habit I decided to take swimming lessons. I absolutely love it! I've learned so many new things in just 3 weeks and am already feeling better.

The downside to the lessons is that they're at 12:45 on Saturday afternoon which is hard because it's right around lunch time. I generally try to get a snack around 11:30 and then make a smoothie when I get home. This recipe is a smoothie I've been making for a while, but I keep improving on it and I love where it is now.

The two shining star ingredients are hemp seeds and cinnamon. I recently learned here that hemp seeds are very high in protein, have a complete amino acid profile, and are a sustainable crop! Cinnamon is a natural anti-inflammatory, among a host of other benefits, which is excellent for a person with autoimmune diseases.

One thing that I've discovered about smoothies is that yellow squash adds a creaminess without adding any flavor! I have a high-speed blender, so I'm not sure how well the yellow squash works in a regular blender.


Chocolate Feel-good Protein Smoothie

• 1 c milk (I use either almond milk or coconut milk beverage in the carton)
• 1 tbsp nut butter (I usually use almond or peanut)
• 1 tbsp cocoa or carob powder
• 1 banana
• 1/2 small yellow squash (optional)
• 1 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend on high until smooth, about 45 to 60 seconds (in a high-speed blender).

UPDATE 4/6/13: a handful of spinach also hides well in this smoothie!

This recipe has been shared on Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Wellness Weekend, Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten Free Fridays, The Daily Dietribe's 5-Ingredient Mondays, and Allergy Free Alaska's Whole Food Fridays.

Freezing Beans and The Week Ahead... 3/25/13

I used to buy canned beans but a few years ago I switched to preparing dried beans myself. I cook them in large batches and then freeze them. Beans defrost rather quickly so it's almost as convenient as canned beans, but you control the amount of salt. One might also argue that using dry beans is more environmentally friendly as you are reducing the shipping weight. I'm not sure if the carbon footprint of the dried beans is lower, but I like to believe it is.

I make 2 cups of dry beans in my pressure cooker and let them cool a bit. Then I put a ladle-full of the liquid in the bottom of a labeled quart-size freezer bag. (Note: Most ladles are 1/2 cup.)

Then I strain a few scoops of beans in a colander set over the pan, this way I retain more of the liquid. I then use the ladle to scoop measured volumes into the bag. From what I've read, most cans of beans have 1-1/2 cups of beans. After making these bags, though, I'm guessing a can of chickpeas is actually 1 cup.

Next, I add some more of the liquid and seal the bags. I spread them out flat and place them on a tray that fits nicely in the freezer.

Last, I pop them in the freezer and leave them on the tray until they're frozen flat.

I store all my beans upright in a freezer drawer.

Menu for the Week of March 25th

Monday: Curried Spinach and Chickpeas with rice (sweet potato for me)

Tuesday: leftovers

• defrost soup

Wednesday: leftover soup from the freezer and Salad Spring Rolls

• cook beets, defrost goat cheese

Thursday: Beet Salad

• soak quinoa

Friday: Halloumi Quinoa (we didn't get to it last week)

Saturday: out

Sunday: hosting Easter dinner...