Artichokes

While we're on the subject of food, I just had to share this.  Most kids cry and whine for candy at grocery stores.  (By the way, whoever thought of putting that stuff at the checkouts was NOT a mom.)  But my kids beg for....are you ready....artichokes*!  No, I'm not kidding.  They love them.

I got sick of them eating mine so the other day I bought them their very own artichokes.  You'd have thought it was their birthday.

They ate the entire thing!

Ahh, makes a momma proud, like maybe I'm doing something right afterall.

(*Full disclosure:  My kids beg for candy at the checkouts too.)

Orange Coffee Cake

If my last post wasn't your style, maybe this one is. It's perfect for a mother's day brunch, or Easter, or a bridal shower. It was super scrumptious!

Orange Coffee Cake

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup orange juice
1 orange, zested - (I don't zest oranges.  But Super Target sells dried orange zest in its spice area.  You simply replace the fresh with the spice kind.  For this recipe, I used 4 tsp of Archer Farms orange zest.  They sell lemon zest too!)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch round cake pan.

2.In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 tablespoon melted butter.

3.In a large bowl, mix the 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the 1/2 cup melted butter, orange juice, orange zest, and eggs. Stir the melted butter mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Transfer to the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture.

4.Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meat Hater

I took a bite out of the kids' hot, juicy grilled hamburger yesterday and had to spit it out.  Same thing happened when I tried to eat a spoonful of taco meat last week.  It's getting worse...my dislike of red meat.

Then there's cheese. Unless it's ricotta or cottage (which I like), to me cheese is like eating the gristle and fat which is cut off of a T-bone or sirloin steak.  Same texture in my mind.

I tolerate chicken and turkey but would rather choose whole grains, beans, or veggies.  And peanut butter, OH HEAVEN!  If they don't have PB in heaven I don't want in.  Well, not really, but you get my point.  I eat it several times throughout the day.
 
All this made me start thinking about whether or not I'm getting enough protein in my diet.  So I did some reading and learned that I am getting way more protein that I ever though possible!  My love of whole grains, beans, veggies, and PB in combinations make whole proteins.  Yee-haw!  I am going to continue to learn about vegetarian eating even though I'm NOT a vegetarian, just to be sure I've got my i's dotted and t's crossed.
 
While reading I discovered a "new" ancient grain called quinoa.  It's an interesting food that contains enough amino acids to make a complete protein in and of itself.  I decided to try it out.  The result:  loved it!  So far I've tried two recipes using it and I enjoyed both.  Here's one:
 
 

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional for garnish)

Directions
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and saute until lightly browned.
Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with chicken broth.  Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir frozen corn and black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through.
 
Well, I burned the onions and left out the garlic too.  I didn't bother with cilantro.  But even despite my horrible cooking, I really liked it!