at home with ann

Mama Pea  is a bit of a celebrity in the blog world.  A one-time lawyer, she left her job to stay home with her adorable daughters, and transitioned her family from a conventional to a vegan diet.  This is not the land of fake food, however, her recipes are varied, flavorful, filling, and satisfy everyone.  Plus, she shares awkward things like how she spends all day wearing old yoga pants.  I do too.  And she never fails to make me laugh.  She has a cookbook coming out this week, which I desperately want, but in the meantime I will keep cooking from the fantastic recipes she posts on her blog.  One such recipe is this tortilla soup.  I love tortilla soup, but do not always love dealing with chicken, so this was a perfect alternative.  I changed it very slightly just based on the veggies we had on hand, and also to add a mini cheese quesadilla for dipping, because we eat cheese around these parts. Tortilla Soup very slightly modified ...

At long last, we had Taco Night this past weekend.  As some of you know, tacos are my husband's favorite food, and he would be happy if we ate them every week.  I like tacos quite a bit myself, but we need some balance.  This makes enough to serve at least 4.  We usually eat the tacos in tortillas the first night, and taco salads for the leftovers. Ground Turkey Tacos Ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey Canola oil 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 Tablespoon each cumin and chili powder 1 teaspoon coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne or habanero pepper Tortillas Shredded lettuce Chopped tomato Shredded cheese Sour cream Hot Sauce Other topping ideas: pickled jalapenos, avocado, mango, salsa In a saute pan, or large frying pan, brown the meat.  Drain in a colander and wipe out the pan. Heat canola oil over medium heat, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute a few minutes. Re...

I thought I had a fridge full of vegetables ready to go into a stir fry.  When I actually took a look, it turned out to be mostly broccoli, but broccoli is good stuff, so broccoli stir fry it is.  As with any stir fry recipe I share with you, all the ingredients and amounts are customizable to your tastes or what you have available. It's all about creating a mixture of vegetables (and meat if you're into that), a savory sauce, and some grain to serve it over. Broccoli Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce Ingredients: 2 bunches broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups) 1/4 bell pepper, sliced (I thought I had more, but no) 1 onion, sliced 2-3 carrots, cut into matchstick slices 1-2 teaspoons canola oil any other vegetable you like - celery, mushrooms, bok choy, whatever spaghetti, soba noodles, any kind of noodle or rice Peanut Sauce 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy) 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon each sesame oil, mirin, and rice wine vinegar 1/4-1/2 teaspoon c...

If you've been reading for a few months, a form of this quinoa may look familiar to you from back in February .  For that meal, we had it as a side dish, but today I changed it up a bit, and added some protein in the form of chickpeas to make it a light meal.   Apple and Cranberry Quinoa with Chickpeas adapted from Oh She Glows Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed well 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup diced carrot 2 cups vegetable broth or water 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple, not peeled (one large apple) 1/2 cup dried cranberries black pepper, to taste Directions : Rinse your quinoa.  Don't skip this step!  For reasons I can't recall right now, it's very important. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in pan over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and carrots and sauté until the onion is translucent.  Add broth, quinoa, chickpeas, salt, pe...

I apologize for the inconsistency in my blogging lately.  I've been feeling a bit off, and as a result, my cooking isn't very adventurous or interesting.  We still need recipes for off days, though, and this soup has been my go-to all week. Minestrone Soup 1 onion, chopped 2 small zucchini, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced olive oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried parsley 2 cups chickpeas (any bean will do) 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid 28 oz. water or vegetable broth Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Chop and drop the vegetables into the pot- onion through garlic.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the spices and cook one minute more. Add in the chickpeas, diced tomatoes and water or broth. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. A quick, easy, healthy meal in no time.  If you need extra comfort, pair it with gril...

Last night was pizza night, because it was Friday, and Good Friday, and I actually had someone to eat dinner with for a change. I used the usual recipe for pizza dough , and did an assortment of vegetable toppings.  One pizza had lightly sauteed red peppers, and onions.  The other was topped with roasted broccoli, asparagus, and grape tomatoes.  The sauce on both was just crushed tomatoes, oregano and garlic.  For cheese I used freshly grated mozzarella and a few dots of ricotta.  I would highly recommend topping pizza with ricotta, it adds a whole other flavor of mild creaminess. Also, Jon would like to add that the Chimay Grande Reserve you see in the background of these pictures is excellent, and a perfect accompaniment to pizza.

This is one of those recipes I always come back to.  It's a nice change from the usual Italian or Greek flavored cold salads, and has some of my favorite ingredients (broccoli and feta).  In case you haven't noticed, I like to top almost everything with at least a little cheese. I would make an unsuccessful vegan.  Curried Couscous with Broccoli and Feta recipe from Cooking Light Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked couscous (I used whole wheat) 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (I probably used about double) 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 1/3 cup shredded carrot (I grated the carrots on my large microplane grater) 1/4 cup raisins 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar) 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed Bring 1 cup of water to a boil.  Add couscous, remove from heat, and cover for at least 5 minutes, or un...

I love seafood, especially fish, and I'm making an effort to incorporate more into my diet.  All those good omega-3s and all that.  While canned tuna can be high in mercury, canned salmon is all good.  Of course, you can use fresh if you have some leftover from dinner the night before.  I liked this salad so much I'm planning to stock up on canned salmon next time I go to BJ's.  And also the huge multi-pack of Sharpies, because those are obviously necessary. Inspired by Kath Eats and her Super Salmon Salad , this can definitely be a dish where you throw in whatever is in the fridge and strikes your fancy. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried wheat berries, cooked according to directions.  I soaked overnight, and then drained, rinsed, covered with fresh water, and simmered for 45 minutes. 1 can salmon, drained 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 Tablespoon fresh Vegetables - these are just what I had around, use whate...

It's baseball season!  That's a pretty big deal to those of us who live around Boston.  I've been to many Red Sox games, and while the quality of the ball-playing can vary greatly, the food is never very good.  Yet, for some reason, I often feel compelled to eat it because it's part of the experience.  And because by the end of the game, it's late and we've been drinking overpriced beer. In honor of the Red Sox home opener this past weekend, I made sausage grinders.  These are no street cart food, though.  Organic chicken sausage, fresh vegetables, and whole wheat buns make them better. Sausage Grinders Ingredients: 1-2 onions, thinly sliced 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 12oz. package chicken sausage.  I used Al Fresco brand Sweet Italian.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices. 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes rolls Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or frying pan.  Slice your veggies and sausage.   Saute for about ...