Heart Shaped Scones for your Valentine

My friend Jessica taunted me by only TELLING me about some delicious cranberry and hazelnut scones that she made at her house (which I can't get to because of the snow!), AND she wouldn't even give me the recipe because she wants me to try them first. So, it got me thinking about scones and I wanted to make some as equally delicious as the ones Jess described. I searched on my epicurious app and well, I happened to have all the ingredients to make Glazed Raspberry Heart Scones. When you only have slightly less than 1/3 cup sugar, it is hard to find any baked good to make. (I was also out of raspberry jam and substituted with strawberry.) These were fabulous and pretty. Once they came out of the oven I forgot completely about the glaze, but now I figure it was a few less calories I needed to consume this morning. With the jam and the sugar already in the dough, they are plenty sweet without the glaze, but I'm sure the glaze would have made them so much prettier. I also froze half the dough. Since it is only Micah and I eating them, I figured we didn't need to each consume a few tablespoons of butter and half cup each of whipping cream! With the dough I was freezing, I added about 1/4-1/2 tsp. almond extract. I wish I had thought of it before I baked the first half, but alas, I did not. So, the almond is added to the next batch, and I did taste that dough - and WOW, it is going to be amazing! These are reasonably simple to make but they look so complex (in a fancy, delicate way), and they are absolutely delicious. Please note that never once do I say they are healthy. This is a far cry from my raw desserts.

Glazed Raspberry Heart Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/3 cup (about) raspberry jam (do not use seedless)

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon rose water (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Gradually add 1 cup cream, mixing until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto sheet of foil; pat to 1/2-inch thickness. Using 3-inch heart-shaped or round cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps; pat to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out additional scones. Using floured knife, start at point of each heart and cut horizontally halfway through scones; fill with 1 generous teaspoon jam (jam will show at edges). Transfer to baking sheet. Bake scones until brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool scones until slightly warm.
Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons cream, and rose water in bowl to blend. Spread glaze over scones. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Bon Appétit
February 2005

The Snowpocolypse

Oklahoma has been hit by a snow storm that apparently is so severe we haven't seen one like it in 100 years! The proof is my backyard. The railroad tie you see peeking out is about my waist level, and the snow is almost there! It does make for a wonderful week of being snowed in with my husband and baby though. Daisy is quite enjoying snow for her snacks.

And this all brings me to my "fancy find" I want to share. There is a good chance you already know about the iphone and ipad app, Epicurious, but if you don't, well, you need to download it. The app is free and it has tons of recipes and is updated often so it fits with holiday planning or specialialty categories like cocktails even. For valentines day they have sinful desserts and chocolate dessert categories as well as romantic dinner recipes. Since we were anticipating the great snow, I did have to meal plan and grocery shop yesterday and here is my menu for the next week + (the snow is expected to last one week):

Winter Vegetable Soup and Artisan bread

Roast Turkey and Winter Vegetables

Tuscan Turkey Soupy Noodles

Black Beans and Rice

Chicken with balsamic roasted brussell sprouts

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Curried Lentil Soup

Braised Chicken with Dates and Morrocon Spices

Homemade Hummus

Roasted tomatoes with mozzerella

Can you tell I love my veggies roasted? I am sure if they are amazing I will share the full recipe here, but until then, download Epicurious!

I bet you wish you worked with me

I realize how late this is, but I think I should save my breath on apologizing for the delays between postings because, well, I just get to it when I can and who needs more guilt in their life? So, with that said, I do think after reading this, you will wish you worked with me and here is why... I made peppermint patties for our co-worker's Christmas gifts. The recipe is from the November issue of Family Fun - a magazine I found in my doctor's office.

Ingredients:
2 tblspn plus 1 teaspoon water
1 tblspn light corn syrup
1 tspn fresh lemon juice
1 tspn peppermint extract
1 1lb box confectioner's sugar (3 3/4 cup)
1 tblspn shortening
10-12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
6 hard mint candies crushed in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the water, corn syrup, lemon juice, and extract. Then sift in half the sugar. Add the shortening and beat on medium, then slowly sift in the remaining sugar until the mix is well combined.

2. Knead the mixture into a ball (it will be very stiff, add 1/2 tspn water to make workable if necessary). Use the bottom of a glass pie plate to apply firm even pressure to flatten the ball between sheets of waxed paper into a circle about 9 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Lay the waxed paper- covered disk on a cookie sheet and freeze until it's firm - about 15 minutes.

3. Place the frozen disk on a cutting surface and remove and reserve the waxed paper. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment. With a small round cutter, cut out circles from the disk, then place them on the cookie sheet. Gather the scraps into a ball and use the pie plate and waxed paper to flatten it again and cut more circles until the entire disk is used up. Freeze the circles for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt, the chocolate in the top of a double broiler over barely simmering water. Coat the patties one at a time; balance each on a form and dip it, then shake off any excess chocolate before returning the coated patty to the parchment. Sprinkle each patty with a bit of crushed mint candy. Add more chocolate to the double boiler as necessary until all the patties are coated.

5. Harden the finished patties in the fridge for at least an hour, and preferably overnight. Store them in an airtight container int he fridge, layered between sheets of waxed paper, for up to one month. Makes 5 dozen (approx, depends on the size circle you cut).

Tip - I used two cookie sheets and would rotate them in and out of the freezer during the chocolate dipping stage. If they would get too warm or room temp, they would tend to fall apart a bit in the chocolate. So, I tried to only dip them if they were still pretty cold from the freezer.

Greyere, Caramelized Onions and Apple Pizzas

I know, sounds terrible right? Wrong! It is delicious. When I saw this recipe (where? I don't remember) I thought it was either going to be wonderful or horrible and I am glad to say it is wonderful. I am also glad the author did not include "beans" in the recipe title or I probably would have skipped it over completely. So, since I do think it is wonderful, I am sharing the recipe with you. I tore this out of a magazine but don't remember which one so I can't cite the author- my apologies to the chef.

4 tsp olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 medium red apples, halved, cored and thinly sliced
2 cans white beans (I used great northern), drained and rinsed
2 tbspn fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled (or 2 tsp fresh)
4 whole wheat tortillas (8-in)
2 cups shredded Gruyere (or Swiss if you can't find Gruyere)
1/4 c chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 450
2. In a large skillet, warm 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add onions and toss to coat. Add 3/4 cup water, bring to a boil, and cook 5 min. longer.
3. Add apple slices and cook until apples are crisp-tender, onions are golden, and liquid has evaporated, 7-10 min.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mash beans with remaining oil (I didn't do that), lemon juice, salt, rosemary, and 3 tblspn water (I also didn't add the water)
5. place tortillas on 2 large baking sheets. Spread bean paste evenly over tortillas. Top with the onion-apple mixture, cheese and then pecans.
6. Bake about 5 min. until pizzas are piping hot and cheese has melted. Serve hot.

per pizza - 648 cal, 24 g fat, 36 g protein, 14 g fiber

Fancy that for dinner tonight!

Gluten Free! Why? Because Life Isn't Complicated Enough.

So, I thought on my next grocery rendezvous that I would try some gluten free recipes for the next couple weeks, just to see if it made a difference in how I felt or possibly Daisy (more in how Daisy's diapers smelled to be honest). Notice, I don't mention Micah because he is not eating at home right now because he is filming a movie. Notice also that I am doing this experiment while Micah is not eating what I am making at home!

I have heard many a time that gluten free baked goods are akin to rubber. Well, my first gluten free baked good was actually quite delicious and Micah happened to sample it and never knew it was gluten free. The taste of the batter on these Pumpkin Spice Muffins was quite gross and tasted like flax seed, but baked, they were great. So, I thought I would share the recipe with you! I got the base of the recipe from Glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com but some of the ingredients were too expensive to purchase for just a trial run at this, so I made a few modifications. So, here is what I did:

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan w/ paper liners.

2 & 1/3 c gluten free baking mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground flax seed
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I ended up adding a dash more at the end, along with the ginger)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix the above till combined
Add in
1 & 1/3 c. packed brown sugar (I didn't say this was completely healthy)
1 cup pumpkin puree (or most of the can like I did)
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon juice
mix all together

Then add 1/2 cup almond milk (I ended up adding a little more than 1/2 cup)

Beat until incorporated. You can stir in nuts, raisins, chocolates...I did none of those. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack to keep the bottoms from getting soggy. You can wrap and freeze to keep for later but they do take a while to defrost or re-heat if you do that. I prefer the method of cook as many as you will eat that day and then save the batter. Hope you enjoy!

Seared Tuna Steaks with Wasabi Butter Sauce

Yes, that was dinner the other night. MMM, it was so delicious with capital "m's". I salt and peppered the raw steaks, and then using a cast-iron grill pan, I seared the tuna on both sides, about 2 min. total per side (I like them nice and rare in the middle). The recipe for the Wasabi-Butter sauce can be found here. I served it alongside a bitter green salad of baby arugula and romain with mango, sesame seeds and chives. It was delicious! In case you make this at home and you don't think it was as good as I claim, you may have to forgive me because it was my first meal coming off a week-long diet cleanse! This was a surprisingly simple dinner but it looks oh-so-fancy! Bon apetite!

Valentine's Day

Micah is working on a feature film at the moment, so our time together is about 1.5 hours each evening until we both collapse in bed around 10:00pm. (I know, we are party animals!) So, knowing he wouldn't want a full dinner and that we would be too tired for much, and that we didn't have a babysitter, we had a small celebration of our big love, and no, not big love as in multiple wives. There is just me, and I am pretty sure he would say that I am plenty to handle. Micah had flowers delivered for Daisy and I on Saturday, and on Valentine's evening I tried surprising him with heart shaped brownies with raspberry whipping cream (so it would be pink), steamed artichoke and sparkling French limonade. I say "tried" because I didn't have it all ready when he walked in because it happened to coincide with bath, dinner and bed-time for Daisy, so it was still sitting on the counter when he came home. Oh well, it was the effort that night! After, Daisy was finally alseep, I served it candlelight picnic style to step-up the romance a bit. It was a small celebration, but still a wonderful evening and a good nod in a busy schedule to something so incredibly important - Love. I do love my husband very much.

Everytime I have tried (4 times) to include pictures on this post, it crashes, so since it is already so far after Valentine's Day, this is going up without the pics of our picnic or heart-shaped brownies.

To make the heart shaped brownies, I made them in a pan, then cut out a square portion and stamped the square with the cookie cutter. For the raspberry whipping cream, I added some of the Torani Raspberry Flavored syrup and a little sugar to whipping cream. It was really delicious and I don't usually like fruit and chocolate together (unless it is strawberries)! However, If you have never tried a steamed artichoke, I would highly recommend you make that, serve alongside some lemon butter for dipping- mmmm I think I want celebrate Valentine's all over again!

Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup

Tonight's dinner was a Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup and it was delicous! So, I thought I should share the recipe! (click here) It really does only serve two so if you are feeding more than 2 people, or even just one of my brother Jordan, and you want more, you will need to double this recipe. The first time I made this, I served it alongside smoked gouda grilled cheese sandwiches. I probably wouldn't do Gouda next time, but grilled cheese of any sort is delicious with this. This soup has alot of texture, and you can really taste all the layers from the wine, to the cream, to the tomatoes of course. Hope you like it!

I forgot to Drain the Grease!

I was once again inspired to make a delicious dish by The Pioneer Woman- coq-au-vin. This was going to be my come back dish- my come back from, "I just had a baby I shouldn't have to cook anything fancy for a few weeks." The flavor of this dish is truly exquisite and I would highly recommend anyone making this dish (I did use baby portabello mushrooms instead of white). I didn't take pictures of how mine turned out and I wish I would have just for you readers because well, I forgot to drain the grease. So, I had to let the dish settle and cool, and then drain as much of the grease as I could before we could eat it! When done properly, the picture above shows you what it should look like, and here is the recipe. Like I said, you should make this one, just remember that all important step of draining the grease!

Also, in all fairness to my "come back", I am not all the way back. Micah is almost home from work and I have not done anything for dinner but am instead blogging and he will be leaving to play softball. Guess it is a fancy powerbar for dinner tonight!

A Friendly Reminder

Micah and I have been purchasing one large piece of meat at Sam's and then cutting it into individual steaks. Well, he tends to cut them a little large for me, so I have him cook about half of mine at a time. So, with the remainder steak we had ready to be grilled one night I decided to make the classic black and blue salad. So, this is just a friendly reminder of what an incredible taste confection the following can be:

Grilled Steak
blue cheese or some other soft, pungent cheese
roasted red onions and Brussels sprouts
lettuce
tomatoes
herbs (basil in my case)
Balsamic Vinaigrette

So, my friendly reminder is to make this salad at least once this summer!

Grilled Gruyere and Zucchini Sandwiches with Smoky Pesto

From a useless amount of airline miles (useless meaning I can't get a flight out of them for years to come), I have instead used them for magazine subscriptions including Food and Wine (and my guilty pleasure- Entertainment). I recently cut out this recipe from Food and Wine and it was SO wonderful I had to share it.

1 cup packed basil leaves
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. hot smoked paprika
3 tblspns. olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt
one 8-oz zucchini, cut into 4 lengthwise slices
2 English Muffins, split
4 oz. Gruyere or Appenzeller cheese cut into 8 thin slices (I used Chevre' as I was out of Gruyere)

In a mini food processor, combine basil, garlic, and paprika and process until finely chopped. With the machine on, gradually pour in 3 tblspns. of olive oil until blended. Season the pesto with salt.

Light a grill (or use the indoor stove kind like I did). Brush the zucchini slices with olive oil and season with salt. Grill over high heat until nicely charred and just tender, about 2 minutes per side. Cute each zucchini slice in half crosswise.

Grill the English muffins, cut side down over low heat until just soft, about 30 seconds. Turn and grill until the muffins start to brown, about 1 minute. Spread the cut sides of the muffins with the pesto, then layer 2 zucchini pieces, and top with cheese. I ate open-faced, but you can close the sandwiches and grill again until the cheese melts too which is how the original recipe says to do it.

MMMM, good! It is also a fancy sandwich if you ask me; I think it would be great for picnics or when doing brunch with friends. (I served alongside a mozzarella caprice salad)

Fellafels and Salad

I randomly picked up a box of Falafel mix at the grocery store in an effort to get a couple somewhat healthy but also very quick-to-make meals. I made the baked version instead of frying them, and made a Greek yogurt sauce to accompany them and it turned out quite good. I also made a quick Greek salad to go along with it and used the same yogurt sauce as the salad dressing. So, if you need a quick meal, pick up one of the falafel boxes at the grocery store. I honestly don't remember what I put in the yogurt sauce (I think it included onions, mint, lemon and garlic), but a recipe for one was on the falafel box to get you started. So, not necessarily fancy, but still reasonably healthy and definitely quick!

Corn and Summer Vegetable Saute'

While at a recent doctor's appointment, I was leafing through their magazines and discovered a link to this - 20 fast and delicious summer meals. I wrote down a couple of the summer recipes and have enjoyed each one of them, so I thought I would share one of the new favorites with you. I happened to have my father and brother-in-law staying with us at the time too, and they both seemed to enjoy it. Especially for my brother-in-law, I think it was the most vegetables he may have eaten in the past year!

1 tblspn oil (coconut or olive is what I use)
1/2 c. chopped green onions (approx. 4)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. sliced okra (I couldn't find this at 3 stores, so I substituted with green beans)
1 c. shopped red bell pepper
1 finely chopped / seeded jalapeno
1 c. corn (2 ears)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c. cilantro
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 1 min. Add okra, saute 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add bell pepper and jalapeno; cook 5 minutes. Add corn, cook 5 minutes, stir in beans, cook 2 more minutes. Stir in cilantro, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

I added chicken to make this a little more hearty (and because some people are skeptical of calling anything a meal if it is vegetarian.). The recipe also mentions shrimp would be a good addition, but we happen to not really eat shrimp. I also served with a side of lemon-y cous-cous as I was also a little unsure about serving this to company without a grain or side-dish and I happened to have that on-hand. Enjoy!

It's a bird, a plane, a rash, a family, a firework, a pregnant lady

Our July 4th celebration was a lot of fun this year, but also a secret! Both Micah and I, as well as our dear friends, Jessica & Curtis (and their two kids) wanted a small, uncomplicated celebration. So, we combined our uncomplicated wishes, and came up with a great way to relax! We didn't tell anyone else of our plans so it could stay low-key (and because we were sneaking into Jessica's parent's house). I put on a bikini for the first time since pregnant, and we all went swimming, grilled out, and enjoyed each other's company while watching a variety of fire-works shows.

You might be asking what the title of this post has anything to do with the above description, well, here are some photos that will help fill in the gaps. (birds was just to get the quote started and I am sure there were plenty in Tulsa that day)

I had been craving some jalapeno poppers, the kind wrapped in bacon with cream cheese, and when I saw them recently published here on the Pioneer Woman blog, I knew I was making them for the 4th. Well, apparently with my super sensitive pregnant skin, cutting the jalapenos burned my poor hands and I developed this terrible rash that truly freaked me out for a couple of days until I was able to guess that most likely the burns, blisters and marks had to be from cutting over a dozen jalapenos. And here is what it still looks like, over a week later:(I have been hiding my hands in embarrassment ever since. A day later when it showed up, we were almost convinced I had preeclampsia and were on our way to the ER. Glad we didn't go after all just to be turned away for cutting a few too many jalapenos!)

While blogging, the TV is on in the background and we are half-watching a show on France and they were interviewing a photographer. He said the art of photography is , "showing life as it is, reflecting the world in which you live." If that is the case, I live in a world filled with beautiful children and families:


So, the plane part of the title comes in with this picture. I think I could double for the plane that landed in the Hudson Bay a couple months ago. Okay, just kidding, I know I am not that big, but still, wow!Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, enjoyed the freedom we have, and is grateful for our armed forces, and God's favor which has been upon America.

Lamb Burgers with feta Sauce and Cucumbers

So, the wonderful meal I made on the evening of my new embarrasing moment- Lamb burgers with feta sauce and cucumbers, it was also delicious! So, I thought I would recommend at least the dinner portion of that evening, if not the bonfire. I served this with a light summer strawberry/orange feta salad with poppyseed dressing.
1.5 lbs lamb
2 tspn. curry powder
3 scallions, thinly sliced
course salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 oz. feta cheese
2 tblspn plain yogurt
8 slices country bread, toasted if desired- yes I did desire
1 kirby cucumber, cut lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

• In a medium bowl, combine lamb, curry powder, and 2 sliced scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix gently with a fork and form into 4 oval patties to fit on the bread, and about 1 in. thick.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season patties with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and just cooked through, 4-6 min. per side. (reduce heat if browning to quickly, or grill outside over fire)
• Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix feta, yogurt, and remaining scallions, mashing cheese gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper
• Spread for slices of bread with feta mixture, top with cucumbers, lamb patties, and remaining bread.

Picture taken with my phone, so not that great! Sorry!

Sweet Onions Stuffed with Lamb

In the past year I have discovered lamb. It is healthy (at least according to Jordan Rubin), and it has it's own unique flavor. I recently found a recipe for Sweet Onions Stuffed with Spiced Lamb and had to try it. It was really good when I first made it, but I wouldn't recommend for left-overs (could be pregnant taste talking there though too). So, here is how you make it, courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine with my adjustments:
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 c. dried apricots
2 tspn. finely grated lemon zest
6 medium sweet onions, 10 oz. each, unpeeled
4 tblspns butter
1 lb ground lamb
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and pepper
6 tblspns finely chopped mint
6 tblspns finely chopped parsley
4 tblspns coarse dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. water

• Preheat oven to 400
• In a small sauce pan, combine chicken stock, apricots, and lemon zest and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the apricots are plump and the liquid is reduced to a few tablespoons - about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the top third off of each onion; reserve the tops. Using a melon baller (or a spoon like me), remove the center of each onion, leaving a two-layer shell. Coarsely chop the centers. Trim off the root ends and stand the onions upright in a medium baking dish.

Here is Micah helping me with this step (he is a big onion crier!)

• In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft, about 12 min. Add the lamb and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until the lamb is cooked through and any liquid has been evaporated- about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the apricots and the chopped mint and parsley.
• Spoon the lamb filling into the onion shells, packing it tightly and mounding it over the onions. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, and dot with the remaining butter.
• Set the onion tops beside the stuffed onions and add the water to the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 20 min. longer, until the onion shells are tender and the tops are golden.
• Let the onions rest for 10 min. then sprinkle with remaining mint and parsley. Transfer to plates and serve!

I made cous-cous as the side, and it was a perfect accompaniment, and the 5 min. it takes to make that, helped make up for this more labor intensive main dish. All in all, yummy and if I say so myself, quite fancy too.

Indian Dal and New Patio Furniture

I promised I would make the Indian feast posted on another blog, and I have made or eaten most of the dishes since, so I thought I would share the experience - it was delicious! We have also been looking for patio furniture so we can enjoy our backyard in the spring (although it has been raining constantly so far). So, as I made dinner, Micah set up our new patio set, poured some wine, lit a candle and set the table for us! The dinner was great, but the company and thoughtfulness of my husband was the best. The recipe for the yellow indian dal can be found here.

Breakfast

I have been so bored with breakfast lately. Mostly because I don't like to get up early in order to make something really delicious. And while Micah is a great help in the kitchen, without specific instructions, he either doesn't make it (and doesn't eat), or he makes exactly what I made the day before - which I appreciate, but this girl or rather these girls (as I currently am two), prefer a little variety. So, I was so excited to stumble upon the the Smitten Kitchen blog. And just look at this page of breakfast ideas! I still might not get up early enough to make any of these, but at least I have inspiration.

She takes great pictures too! Here is a sampling:

Raw "Baked Macaroni and Cheese"

A couple weeks ago I tried a new dinner from Mathew McKinneys book, Everyday Raw- raw macaroni and cheese. The sauce is SOOO good, but extremely rich so I give you caution on how much you put on the noodles as I put too much on at first. This is really a little more like spaghetti and cheese, since there isn't really a raw way to make thick and short macaroni noodles, that I know of anyway.

It maybe doesn't look that pretty, but I promise it tastes really good! Also, this is a really bad picture. My apologies.

Noodles:
Process 4-5 squash through spiral slicer to create long noodles, roughly chop, toss with a bit of salt and let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Cashew Cheese Sauce (blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix or high-powered blender)

• 1 3/4 cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 nutritional yeast
• 1/4 medium shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I know, I too thought that was strange)
• pinch cayenne
• pinch turmeric
• 1/2 clove garlic
• black pepper to taste

Assembly:
Make the noodles first and let sit to the side while you make the cheese sauce. Mix noodles and cashew cheese sauce in a bowl and then spread into a casserole pan. (Optional: top with finely chopped walnuts and extra chili powder or paprika). Place in bottom of dehydrator at 115 degreees for 1--2 hours to warm before serving. Serves 4

While preparing meals at home is often more nutritious (especially when raw!), and cheaper, this is the one big hazard: DISHES!

Thankfully, I have a very helpful husband. (no, these dishes are not just from the macaroni and cheese so don't be too scared)

Black-bean Tostadas with Corn Relish

I used to subscribe to Martha Stewarts, Food magazine which is where I got this recipe. It is another Micah favorite, and also overall reasonably healthy. So, here is how you make it:

In the morning:
1. Mix the juice of 2 limes with 2-3 thinly sliced scallions, 10 oz. frozen corn kernels, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt. Toss to combine and refrigerate throughout the day.
2. Mince 1 jalepeno (you can rib and seed first, depending on how spicy you like it), and mix with 1 pint of grape tomatoes that have been halved. Cover and refridgerate.

At dinnertime:
1. Preheat over to 475 F. Arrange 4 tortillas across 2 different baking sheets (they won't all fit on one, which is why there is 2). Brush both sides of the tortillas with olive oil.
2. Sprinkle the tortillas with 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained first), top with the tomato and jalapeno mix, and sprinkle approx. 2 oz. of shredded (not sliced) Monterey Jack cheese over each one.



3. Bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Rotate sheets 1/2 way through baking.
4. While baking, pit, peel and dice one avocado. Toss with the corn mixture.
5. Serve the warm tostadas topped with the corn relish and enjoy!

Ingredients list:
2 limes
2-3 scallions
1 package 10 oz. frozen corn kernels
3 tblspns olive oil
1 jalapeno
1 pint grape tomatoes
8 oz. Monterey Jack
4 tortillas (flour)
1 can black beans
1 avocado