Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

I love to roast vegetables! So simple, and a great way to concentrate the flavor. All you need to do is cut your veggies (I find thin slices work best, they cook faster!) place them on a rimmed cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, toss to get all veggies coated, then spread them out into a single layer. Bake in a 400 F oven until tender and starting to brown (about 40 min).

Earlier this week I made a yummy sandwich with a variation of the above recipe. My husband said that this sandwich tasted like it came from a fancy restaurant - and it's so easy!

The basics

First I thinly sliced a butternut squash, red onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper (you can use what ever fresh veggies you have on hand; eggplant and zucchini squash would be delicious) and followed the instructions above.

The veggies sliced and tossed with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

While the veggies were roasting I split a ciabatta loaf, brushed with olive oil and toasted it. Then I spread a thin layer of herbed goat cheese on both sides.

The little pieces to the side are Aidan's, he doesn't like a lot of cheese so I only put it on half.

When the veggies were almost done (about 35 min), I drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and returned them to the oven to finish. The vinegar will reduce to create a flavorful syrup that adds an extra level of flavor to the sandwich.

The roasted vegetables after the balsamic vinegar reduced

All that's left is to assemble the sandwich! Layer the veggies on the bread and top with some fresh baby spinach. Enjoy!

The end product (sorry the pic is blurry, I was too close for the camera focus)

Labor Day 2009

Today is traditionally a day of rest in the United States. A day for workers to enjoy the end of the summer. One of my favorite activities for labor day is the family barbecue. We actually grilled last night, under threat of rain - though did not see more than a sprinkle. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of BBQ chicken, stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos, fresh sweet corn on the cob and roasted asparagus. Even the kids enjoyed the meal (minus the jalapeno!) with Logan wolfing down a pureed version of the feast.

The chicken was done by pounding three chicken breasts with a mallet until there were an even thickness. Seasoned with salt and pepper then grilled until cooked through. Then they were coated with BBQ sauce on both sides and and grilled until the sauce started to brown and get crispy in places.

The jalapenos were sliced in half and the seeds and ribs scrapped out (you might want to wear gloves - hubby didn't and ended up having his hands burn). They were then filled with a cream cheese spiced with Armadillo Rub (Texas steak rub - basically paprika, garlic, onion, and various pepper powders mixed together). The peppers were then reassembled, wrapped with bacon and secured with a toothpick (make sure you soak the toothpicks so they don't burn on the grill!). Grill until the bacon is crispy and the pepper is soften and slightly charred on the outside.

The asparagus was done one of my favorite ways. Wash the asparagus then pat them dry. Snap or cut the woody ends off, then peel the outer skin off the bottom section. If your cooking with kids you could have then help with the snapping of the stems (Aidan was too busy playing Wii to want to cook with me!) Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. I actually cooked mine in my Foreman Grill but you can do them under the broiler or in a vegetable basket on the grill. Cook until bright green and softened.

The corn was done simply by boiling for about 6 min in a lightly sugar seasoned water. Another good place for kiddos to help is with the shucking of the corn - though you might want to check them over for silk strands if your dealing with young kids.

We are using this day to get caught up on some of our household projects. This morning I finished planting a small garden we added to the side of the house and my husband is outside currently moving a few plants around in our front garden and mulching. I am hoping to get started on building our compost bin this afternoon - a segment a will photo blog and share with all of you!

Well, I am off to labor on this labor day. I hope you enjoy your Labor Day festivities (or rest as you should!)

Baby & Kids Food Resource

Shortly after the birth of my first son, I received the revised (2004) edition of Annabel Karmel's First Meals. This has been a go to book for cooking for my children, and some family meals as well. She has some great baby food flavors and creative ways to entice young children into eating healthy meals. Granted, my son was not often fooled by the healthy food shaped as faces. There are sections for different aged children, family meals, weekly menu ideas, along with information of weaning your child and ways to introduce new foods.

I recently discovered (while researching for this post) that the author has a website with a lot of recipes freely given on the internet! She is from the UK, so the recipes will be in grams and indredient names might be a little funny, but it's still a great resource. There might be a way to switch it over to the English system of measurement by the "select country" but that was not working for me. If you would like to check out what she has to offer, go to her website here. You can purchase her books through amazon (where the image on this post is from) , or at most other books stores.

Some of Logan's favorite foods from this book are:

Chicken with grapes and sweet potatoes

Cheesy Leeks with Sweet Potato and Cauliflower

Mixed Berry Puree

As I have discovered, making your own babyfood doesn't take a lot of time. There are added benefits too: you are assured that there are no artifical ingredients, you control the consistency, and best of all - you save money! It usually only takes me about 15-20 minute. start to finish, to make a large batch of any given vegetable for Logan. And a lot of it I am able to do along with our normal dinner! I will make extra sweet potato, peas or squash and puree it up for him in the hand grinder or blender then spoon it into an ice cube tray. Once it's frozen I just put all the cubes of the same food into a labelled freezer bag until I need them.

So, instead of reaching into the pantry for an expensive jar of prepared baby food - give making your own a whirl!

Easy Weeknight Smokey Chicken Quesadillas

Looking for a quick and easy meal? Well, I have one for you!

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, sliced into thin bite size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 jarred roasted red pepper, rinsed and diced
1 chipolte chili in adobo sauce, finely diced (remove all or some of the seeds to control heat)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 c shredded Mexican cheese mix
10 flour tortillas (8")

Directions:
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned chicken and onion to the skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through and onions are softened, 5-6 min - stirring occasionally. Stir in the paprika and parsley, cooking about 1 minute. Remove skillet contents into a bowl and stir in the red pepper and chili. Assembly the quesadillas by spooning about 2 Tbsp of the chicken mix over a tortilla, covering it with cheese, then top with a second tortilla. Wipe out the original skillet and return to medium heat. Cook one quesadilla at a time, about 3 minutes per side (or until lightly browned and cheese is melted). I served these with a side of fruit, but you could go with the more traditional (and usually fatty) side of rice and beans.

Makes about 5 quesadillas, depending on how much filling you use.

My older son doesn't care for red peppers, so I reserved a couple tablespoons of the chicken and onion mixture before adding the pepper for his.

Also, if you don't have jarred red peppers you could use fresh in a small dice - just cook it along with the chicken and onions. For the same flavor without the canned chilis in adobo, add 1/2 tsp dried chipolte chili along with the paprika and parsley.

Enjoy!

The Best Chicken Salad

Last week I roasted two chickens for several meals we would be having (plus making chicken broth for soups this week). I had some of the roasted chicken and a few other ingredients from other recipes left over. What I ended of creating for our Saturday lunch was a totally delicious accident.

Now, I didn't measure any of the ingredients so the following are my estimates of how much I used.
1 1/2 c. roasted chicken, shredded
1 oz. salami, diced
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

I mixed all of the ingredients for the dressing first then added the meat, peppers and raisins. It makes a wonderfully flavorful chicken salad with a nice fusion between Italian and Indian flavors. Try it for yourself and tell me what you think!

But I Don't Like Broccoli!

My older son has a love hate relationship with food. He loves to eat but hates to eat his veggies. I am determined to get Aidan eating his veggies and making cute little scenes with his food just isn't cutting it! I decided to make spaghetti the other night and had lots of yummy veggies in the crisper. I sauteed some red and green bell peppers and broccoli in olive oil until they were softened and tender then pureed them in the food processor (had it out to make baby food anyway!) I then added the pureed veggies to the spaghetti sauce mixed them together well and heated it up. I plated the spaghetti with a generous portion of the sauce, sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese over the top and served it - anxiously awaiting the verdict. Our picky eater gobbled it up and asked for seconds....if only he knew!

Cloth Diaper Wipes Revisited and Cloth Wipe Solution

So I washed and dried my newly made cloth wipes and discovered that the stitch I used wasn't quite close enough to prevent fraying as I had hoped.

So I am currently in the process of putting a narrow hem on the edge by folding the fabric twice (almost a rolled edge) then running a straight stitch down its length.

Sewing the hem on the wipes

"wrong" side of the finished wipe

"right" side of the finished wipe

Now that none of the raw cut edge is showing, they should hold up to the frequent washing they will undergo.

When I posted yesterday I meant to include a spiel about the wipes solution, so here it is:

Homemade Baby Wipes Solution

1 cup water

1/2 tsp Baby Wash (I have tons of Johnson's Baby Wash from gifts, so I'm using that)

1-2 drops Tea Tree Oil (pure essential oil)

I am keeping my wipes dry until they are needed, then I can control how wet the wipe is and have dry ones available to dry his bottom before putting the new diaper on. In reality, all you need is a wet wipe - the soap is a little overkill unless you have a poopy diaper area to clean up. Most of the recipes I saw online listed a mixture of water, soap, and oil. The reasoning for the oil would be to replace the natural oils that are stripped away from the skin by the soap. My inner chemist screamed. Everyone knows that water and oil don't mix. When you add soap in, all your doing is creating micelles (a drop of oil surrounded by the soap) to disperse the oil through the water - creating a colloid. The oil is not going to be available to the babies bum to replace what was stripped away - it is essentially locked in the soap your using to clean with. If your worried about drying your babies bum by stripping the oils - don't use soap unless the diaper is messy. What I do to prevent dry skin on my baby is to apply lotion or oil after his baths (usually accompanied by a mini massage.)

So what is the Tea Tree Oil in there for?

Tea Tree Oil (from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia) has long been used in alternative medicine for its' antiseptic and antifungal properties. By putting it in the solution it will slow down mildew formation on the wipes if they sit wet for a long time and it *could*, theoretically, help with diaper rash on your babies bottom.

Barley Cereal Revisited and Cauliflower

Yesterday was trial day #1 for the "semi-chunky" barley cereal with Logan, he gave me some weird looks at first but is doing fine with it now. He has caught onto the chewing action quite quickly as well. I have been mixing it with some of the acorn squash or pumpkin, warming it slightly and thinning with a little breast milk.

I attempted another preparation method for the barley that failed miserably. I thought I could pulverize the dry barley in the food processor then I could just cook what I need for the day and be done - wrong! The barley was barely changed after several aggressive attempts, a mortar and pestle might work but I don't have one in my kitchen and frankly that's too complicated for me. If you are looking to make a smooth cereal from pearled barley I would suggest my original method then push it through a medium sieve to get the big chunks out.

Pureed Cauliflower
I prefer cauliflower to broccoli as a first food as its taste is milder. Logan has turned his nose up at carrots due to their strong flavor so I've been going with the milder vegetables.

Preparation:
Cut one head of cauliflower into medium sized florets and wash thoroughly. Place the washed florets into a microwave safe bowl, add water to coat the bottom of the dish and cover. Microwave on high for 10 min or until a fork inserted into the stem meets no resistance. Scoop the florets into the bowl of a food processor, add water until it reaches 1/4 to 1/3 of the side and puree (depending on the texture you desire). Portion into an ice cube tray and freeze then move to a storage container (I use freezer bags) until use.

Barley Cereal and Acorn Squash

I have a love-hate relationship with the prepackaged baby cereals. They come as dehydrated flakes that have no resemblance to their original food and they are only found in the most common grains - rice, oatmeal, wheat and mixed grain ( the other three together). Logan has had the rice and absolutely hates the oatmeal, so I want to try Barley. I bought some organic pearled barley from the bulk food section of my local grocery store and attempted to make cereal from it last night. I boiled 3 c water and added 1 c barley, simmered for a little over an hour then blended in the food processor. The first batch I blended was very chunky and gluey - like overcooked oatmeal. The second batch, which I blended with a lot more liquid turned out a bit smoother but was still a little on the chunky side. I haven't attempted to feed Logan the slightly chunky cereal yet - so the verdict it still out over the consistency. I'm going to start giving him foods with a bit of texture as he has been doing quite well with the smooth solids and has very little extrusion reflex (not to mention the 7 teeth!)

I'm going to try processing the barley before cooking it next time to try and get a smoother consistency...I'll let you know how it goes!

Here's a successful baby food recipe that yields the equivalent of ~8 first food jars for a fraction of the cost:

Pureed Acorn Squash

Directions:
Cut 1 acorn squash length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Place in a large microwave safe bowl with lid and add 1/2 c water to the bowl. Cover loosely and microwave for 10 min on high power, or until tender. Carefully remove the hot squash from the bowl and let cool until able to handle on a plate or cutting board. Scoop the squash off the skin using a large spoon and place in a food processor. Blend with some of the steaming liquid until the desired consistency has been reached. Scoop into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove from the tray into a labelled freezer bag. When ready to use, remove the desired amount and thaw in the microwave or fridge.

Cheese Tortellini with Squash and Browned Butter Sage Sauce

I have a love for squash and pasta, so I made a tasty (and quick!) dinner combining them.

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen winter squash, prepared according the pkg directions
1 pkg refrigerated cheese tortellini, prepared according to pkg directions
4-5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1-2 tsp dried sage (fresh is better if available)

Directions:
Add the butter to a small skillet over medium heat and melt while swirling the pan. Once melted, add the sage and stir constantly. You will see the butter foam up then start to form brown specks as it clarifies, about 2 minutes (careful not to burn it!). Mix the butter sauce with the squash, add 1/2 cup pasta water to thin the squash if desired. Toss with the pasta and serve.

Alternative: You could substitute 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp Nutmeg and 1 Tbsp Brown sugar for the sage to create a sweet dish. Simply melt the butter and bloom the spices in it, once the foaming subsides add the sugar. Stir to dissolve and remove from heat.