at home with ann

We've never met a taco around here we didn't like.  These fish tacos were no exception.  The last time we had fish tacos , I broiled the fish.  Our oven is in even worse shape than it was a few days ago, and needs to be pulled out from the wall to access some sort of wires in the back to install the new heating element.  Needless to say, no broiling was happening last night.  The cover of this month's Cooking Light has a picture of fish tacos, which look amazingly good, and inspired this dinner.  Fish Tacos recipe inspired by Cooking Light 3/4-1 pound tilapia 1 Tablespoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 garlic clove, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 Tablespoon canola oil 8 tortillas, flour or corn Toppings: 1 mango, chopped Guacamole: 2 avocados, 2 Tablespoons finely diced red pepper, juice of 1 lime, 1/4 teaspoon salt Pickled jalapeno slices 1-2 chopped green onions Hot sauce Heat...

We brought back the crock pot this weekend.  After the great crock pot bender of March, it took a brief hiatus.  What better way to bring it back than to make good old pulled pork barbecue?  Pulled pork in the crock pot is one of the easiest recipes of all time.  After some very quick prep, you let it cook all day until your house smells like barbecue and the meat is tender and shredded.  A light vinegar slaw is the perfect accompaniment for some slightly sweet, slightly sour, crunch.  Crock Pot Pulled Pork 3 lb. boneless pork butt (you can get any size you want, as long as it fits in your crock pot) Canola oil 1/2 sweet onion, thickly sliced 3 Tablespoons pork rub (optional) 1 bottle barbecue sauce (I used about 3/4 bottle of Stubb's Spicy) In a large pan or pot, heat canola oil over medium high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until a brown crust starts to form, a few minutes each side. Place onion slices in the bottom of the crock pot. Tran...

Look! I made a smoothie that isn't green!  It does still have vegetables in it, however, so you can count it as healthy. As I've mentioned before, carrot cake is my favorite cake.  I've taken to buying bags of baby carrots for us to snack on throughout the week, and at one point we had three bags (two opened, how does that happen...) in the fridge.  This was the perfect use for a couple carrots. Carrot Cake Smoothie Based on Oh She Glows 1 banana (frozen works best, but fresh is fine) 1/2-1 cup almond milk (any milk will do) 1 carrot, grated (or 4 baby carrots) A few shakes of Cinnamon Dash of Nutmeg A few drops Vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon chia seeds 1 Tablespoon flaked coconut Ice cubes Combine all ingredients in a blend and run until smooth. If you have a fancy, high speed blender like the Vitamix, you could put the carrots in in chunks, but for a regular blender I would recommend grating first. At some point I'll to try adding spinach for ext...

There's a problem with the oven.  A problem that means it takes an hour to preheat to a temperature that is no where near the one set, and randomly cools down while it's cooking.  This meant that after "roasting" in a 425 degree oven for nearly 2 hours , the pan came out cool enough to touch and the vegetables were lightly cooked and lukewarm.   Needless to say, Jon's to-do list for this weekend includes fixing the oven or buying a new one.  This meal was inspired by yet another Pinterest find.  This one , to be specific.  I strayed quite a bit from the original recipe, but really it just put the idea into my head to do a roasted vegetable couscous.  Also, the website is British, so it says things like aubergine instead of eggplant, courgettes instead of zucchini, and shallow tin instead of baking sheet.  That's fun.  Roasted Vegetable Couscous 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 r...

We went to New Hampshire to celebrate my Mom's birthday this past weekend.  The plan was for everyone to help with cleaning up their yard, pruning, weeding, and planting for the summer.  Everyone else worked very hard and I stood around chatting with my sister and held the baby.  I did do some cooking, though.  We had salmon for dinner, and I brought along this Spring Vegetable Quinoa.  I'm not even sure if mushrooms are Spring vegetables.  I have absolutely no idea when mushrooms are in season, but, as you know, I've been on a mushroom kick lately, so in they went. Spring Vegetable Quinoa Ingredients: 2 cups quinoa, rinsed 4 cups vegetable broth (I think you could cut this down to 3 1/2 cups, mine was a little soupier than I wanted.) 3 small shallots, sliced 1 small onion, chopped Olive oil 16 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 1-2 inch pieces 1 cup fresh spring peas (or 1 cup frozen peas, thawed) 3 green onions, sli...

We've made a version of these before , but I have to say I like this one better.  Even without the cheese.  I never thought I would say that. The filling is chock full of vegetables and spices, and the chopped avocado on top gives it the perfect creamy finish.  Jon topped his with sour cream, but I didn't miss it.  Some of the dishes I've made in the last few months have left me staring wistfully at Jon's plate saying things like, "How is it with cheese?  Goat cheese is my favorite.  I bet it's good.  Mine is good, but not as good as yours.  I hope you appreciate how good yours is." Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas - Vegan Inspired by Oh She Glows Ingredients: olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeno, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped and cooked (I roasted mine at 375 for 45 minutes, you can also steam or bake) A...

I've tried to convince you to drink green smoothies before, and I'm not giving up!  They taste bright and refreshing, and on the mornings after a particularly rough night in baby land, they give me energy.  This mix gets it's tropical taste from the combination of banana and coconut oil, as well as the usual suspects of spinach, almond milk, and a handful of ice.  It would also be delicious with the addition of pineapple or mango. Let's go back to the coconut oil, though.  According to Organic Facts.com: The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, ...

Due in part to the large amounts of hummus (this week's flavor was roasted red pepper) we consume on a weekly basis, we also eat a good amount of pita bread.  Usually the stuff from the market does the trick, but since it was also the accompaniment to the Vegetable Chickpea Curry , I wanted to try something a little bit better.  This isn't a difficult recipe, but it does take a few hours for rising time, so I'd recommend it for a weekend.  In my case I needed to wait until I had help at home, because invariably every time I got my hands covered with flour and dough the baby wanted something, and I drop enough crumbs on him as it is.  Thicker and fluffier than store-bought pitas, these were the perfect doughy scoop along with the curry. Mine didn't puff into pockets, but they were easy enough to separate the layers if you want to make a sandwich.  Whole Wheat Pita Bread recipe from Epicurious Ingredients: 1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast ...

If, like me, you ate far too many jelly beans or peanut butter eggs this weekend, you might also be ready for a healthy, filling, and very nutritious dinner.  This is one of those meals that I love making because once you've done the prep chopping, it's easy, delicious and even better the next day.  You can certainly customize it based on whatever vegetables you like or are quietly sitting in your produce drawer on their last legs.  Vegetable Chickpea Curry Serves 6 Ingredients: Olive oil 2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice 1/2 small can tomato paste (about 1/3 cup) 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) 1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces A few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves 2 teaspoons coriander 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated...

Also known as Sloppy Josephines, or Sloppy Joe's thinner, vegan sister.  By replacing the meat with lentils, we upped the nutrition and cut the fat.  This is a far cry from the Sloppy Joes of the lunchrooms of yore.  I can't say I ever actually saw Sloppy Joes in a school lunch, but they are sort of iconic in that way. I ended up eating mine with a fork, but you can certainly go full out sloppy.  Just have extra napkins on hand. In other news, I am on a major roasted sweet potato fry bender.  We've eaten them three nights this week and I just stocked up again.  When sweet potatoes go on sale for 59 cents a pound, I take full advantage.  If I start to turn orange, you'll know why. Skinny Sloppy Joes Based on Peas and Thank You Makes 6 large servings Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups dried lentils 3 cups vegetable broth or water 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons oregano 1...

This weekend I went to a bridal shower for my brother-in-law's fiancee.  I volunteered to bring some desserts.  My mother-in-law suggested something in the chocolate family, but said that the most important thing to bring is her grandson.  Colin was all ready to visit, so I got to baking.  I couldn't decide between two brownie recipes, so I made them both.  The first are vegan low-fat brownies that are more cake-like, and also more conducive to wearing formal gowns in a few weeks.  The others are extra fudgy, extra chocolatey, bites of heaven. Double Chocolate Single Chin Brownies recipe from Peas and Thank You 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegan if you are strict) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda...