edamame

Ed - ah - what did you say?

Edamame.  Soy beans.  Young soy beans.

There is a simple "recipe" to enjoy this delish little snack:
- edamame (found in the frozen food section)
- sea salt

Aldi sells these bags for $1.49 a bag!
Our local sushi joint sells a (small) bowl of this stuff for $5 or $6!

1. boil water according to package directions

2. add edamame according to package directions - it is something like 5 minutes

 

 

 

 

 3. strain edamame

4. put edamame into a bowl, and add sea salt (or the salt of your choosing) to your taste.  I add the salt when the pods are still warm.

 

 

 

 5. enjoy!  From boiling to table, it only take a couple minutes.  Basically, these little beans "pop" out of the pod...you can get them out by biting them, or just using your finger to push them out.  Just eat the beans, don't eat the pod.  I like biting the pod out since you get the salt taste.   Be sure to eat them warm...I like them best this way.

As for nutritional value, I have read that there is some controversy regarding soy.  In my "balance all things in life" attitude, since edamame is the original form of this legume, I will continue to eat it and all it's God given nutrients.

Smacznego!

Quinoa - two ways

In summer, I like to cook simple and light.  With high temperatures, who wants hot and heavy food?  Here are two ways to make quinoa: kids friendly, and not as kid friendly.  Make a big bowl of this and eat out of it all day.


Quinoa with:
tomatoes, parsley, sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice

I always start with one cup of quinoa, prepared as the box/bag says.  Next add: tomatoes, sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice...all to taste.




The other way I prepare quinoa is a little more for the adult palate. 
Quinoa with:
parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt. 

Again, start out with one cup of quinoa and then add the above ingredients to taste. 

Both of these meal ideas are very easy and quite nutritious.  Easy simple summer cooking!



Smacznego!

Super Easy Couscous Salad

This is all you need, for this easy summer salad:

- couscous

- tomatoes

- summer squash

- onions

- salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. prepare your couscous, per the directions on the box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. chop up onions, and sauté with olive oil

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. after a couple minutes, the onions will soften up.  Then add the squash, and sauté for another couple minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. as the onion and squash are finishing up, chop up a couple tomatoes

 

 

 

5. final step: place prepared couscous into bowl, top of onions and squash, and then top with tomatoes. Season to taste.

 

 

 

It is that easy! 

 

 

 

 

Smacznego!

 

Lentils & Barley with salsa

Up until now, I only really used lentils here and there in soups/stews/chili.  But, a friend on facebook posted this recipe, and of course I had to make it. 

As I was eating my delicious meal, I thought to myself "this is my next recipe for the blog!"


Ingredients:
- small onion, chopped
- garlic, 3 cloves chopped
- 1 1/2 cups lentils (I used red lentils this time round)
- 1/2 cup barley
- 24 oz salsa
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 3 tablespoons flax seed
- spice suggestions: cayenne pepper, cinnamon, black pepper, paprika...all to your taste

** feel free to top this dish with sunflower seeds...totally what I am going to do next time!

Directions:
1. sauté onion in olive oil

2. add garlic, and sauté that a bit too

3. add the rest of the ingredients into the onion/garlic, and give it a good stir

4. cook on medium heat until the lentil and barley is soft, which is about 45 minutes or so.

Make sure to stir often enough so the bottom does burn.  So, it takes 45 minutes to prepare...but, the prep time was so minimal that is why I consider this a minute meal.

Friends, making this nutrient packed dinner takes hardly any time so there is no excuse for not trying this.  And yes, both my kids ate it up! 

*****

Let's talk lentils.  Here is a link to the lentil write up on my favorite nutrition site, world's healthiest foods.  These little guys are quite powerful.  The do everything from lower cholesterol to fill you with tons of fiber (insoluble and soluble!) to making your heart healthy.  Not to mention, certain types of lentils have a good amount in iron in them. 

Don't be afraid of the lentil.  They are very easy to prepare, and they pick up the flavor of what you are cooking with.  They are as easy to prepare as rice, and are loaded with good-for-you stuff. 

As for the barley, that is good for you too!  Barley also has a ton of fiber.  Plus, it gives this dish a bit of a bounce with each chew, so that makes it a bit interesting. 


Smacznego! 

Split Pea Soup



When it comes to quick meals, I don't think you can get any quicker than heating up a bowl of soup which you made the previous day.  I make soups often.  Maybe it is the Polish in me, or maybe it is just because I know how busy the evening can get and how quickly soup can make a meal.

There is my recipe for split pea soup:

Ingredients:
- 16 oz dried split peas (make sure to rinse them)
- 8 cups of water
- 2 medium sized potatoes (cubed)
- 3 carrots (peeled and diced) (yes, I know I only have two in the picture...)
- 4 cubes of chicken bouillon
** optional - ham.  I used ham this time around, since I had a good amount left over from Easter.  This soup is just as good without ham, for my vegetarians friends.


This recipe couldn't be easier:
1.  add everything into a dutch oven. 

2. bring to a boil

3.  reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 1 1/2 hours.  Yes, this takes a decent amount of time to cook, but it takes all of 5 minutes to prep.  So, just make sure to make it one evening at 7pm, and you have dinner ready the next day. 

You will know the soup is done when the peas turn really creamy and thick and don't really hold their shape anymore. 

Man, this stuff is good!!!!!  Ben had two bowls!



Smacznego!

Foil wrapped fish fillet

I don't know where I picked up the technique to wrap a fish fillet in foil, but I have been doing it for as long as I can remember...and it is such an easy way to prepare fish.  It cooks quickly, keeps the fish nice and moist, and it is basically fool proof. 


This particular evening, I was serving flounder. 

Basically, all you need to do is place a fillet of fish onto a sheet of foil.  In this case, I didn't even defrost the frozen fish (shhhhh...):

I always add lemon to white fish.  (If you are doing salmon, perhaps you could add some soy and brown sugar).  Usually, I would add actual lemon slices, but I didn't have any on hand so I just poured some lemon juice over the fillet:

Fold up the sides, and fold the top of the foil to create a little packet.  I always make sure to keep a little hole on top to let some of the steam escape.

Place the fish on a baking sheet. 
Bake at 350 degrees, for about 10 minutes. 

About 20 minutes before I added the fish to the oven, I placed my veggies in the oven.  I had some broccoli and sweet potatoes roasting, both with olive oil, salt & pepper.

Folks, it really was that easy to prepare this meal. 

Smacznego!

Avocado Salad, with corn, black beans, tomatoes and salsa

With just a couple of ingredients, you make this avocado salad.

To make things easy, here is a picture of all the ingredients:

- 3 avocados (make sure they are ripe!  They should give gently when squeezed)
- 1 can corn, rinsed
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- handful of tomatoes
- 1/4 cup salsa
- salt to taste
- cumin to taste.

1. To prepare the avocado, slice it in half all the way around the pit.  Open the fruit, and hit your knife blade against the pit.  Turn the knife slightly, and the pit will release.  Then pull the peel away.  The most nutrients are right between the peel and the fruit, so you want to keep as much fruit as possible.  Then dice the fruit, and place into bowl.

2.  Add corn.

3. Add tomatoes.

4. Add black beans.

5. Add salsa. I say 1/4 cup in the ingredient list, but feel free to add more and less to your liking. 

6.  Add salt and cumin to taste.

Give it a good mix to incorporate everything.  Remember, the more you mix it the creamier it will get.

I served this salad with flour tortillas and fruit.  If you want to keep tortillas out of the picture, you could use cucumber or bell pepper slices. 

** Remember, my little ones are 5 and 3, so I need to be mindful of the heat level.  It would be fantastic with some red onion and jalapenos! 

Smacznego!