Vegetable Fried Rice

This is one of my husband's favorites. I love all the fresh vegetables!

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon white wine or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon peanut or olive oil
2 carrots, cut into matchstick-size strips
2 cups snow peas, cut into thirds
2 cups bean sprouts
4 scallions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions

1
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and ginger; set aside.
2
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas, bean sprouts, and 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry until the vegetables are almost tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3
Return skillet to medium heat and add the remaining sauce mixture, the rice, and scallions. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.
4
Make a large space in the center of the rice and pour the eggs into it. Scramble the eggs with a spatula until set. Stir the eggs into the rice. Transfer the rice mixture to individual plates and top with the vegetables.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Does anyone post on this blog anymore but me? Does anyone even READ this blog anymore?

Anyway, tonight I had the inspiration to make these. Breakfast for dinner is the best! And they were very yummy and I thought I would share. P.S. I actually got this recipe off the Tasty Kitchen blog. If you haven't seen it, check it out!

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each of ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 whole eggs
1-2 cups shredded carrot
1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients, down to the spices. Then add in the brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Fold in the carrot and walnuts. Cook on a greased griddle.

*I didn't add as much carrot as the original recipe called for, and I added the walnuts. I served mine with maple syrup and whipped cream but some cream cheese frosting would've been divine as well! These made about 12 small pancakes when I used my 1/4-cup measuring cup to pour them on the griddle.

Spinach Pasta Salad

I had this at a church activity in my old ward and ate about 4 plates of it. It is definitely a "girl's salad", great for bridal or baby showers, bookclubs, or any other activities where guys aren't in attendance. This recipe is halved, which feeds about 6-8 people, but for bigger crowds, double it for 12-16 people.

1 bag (10 oz) spinach
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 C. fresh parsley
3 oz. craisins (1/3 C.)
3 oz. honey roasted peanuts (about 1/3 c.--I used honey roasted cashews)
1-2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 C. cooked, cut-up chicken (about 2 large breasts)
1/2 box (12-16 oz) bow tie pasta (about 4 cups cooked pasta)

Dressing:
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/3 C. Teriyaki Sauce
1/3 C. Rice Vinegar (Nakano original seasonal brand)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Prepare dressing ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. Mix all salad ingredients together and add dressing just before serving.

oatmeal cake

this is my favorite cake in the world. and this recipe is mainly for me because i didnt bring my "cookbook" out to illinios with me... i hope you all enjoy it. honestly i cant think of anything better....

i like it warm, and i ice it while warm too...

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• In a bowl, pour boiling water over oats; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the oat mixture until combined.
• Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat; stir in coconut, nuts and vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Cool completely. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Jen's Power Smoothie

My friend Jen introduced me to these smoothies. She calls them green smoothies, but my sister and I have tweaked the recipe a little bit, and our's are more purple (which to me look more appetizing to eat than the green.) These smoothies have so many vitamins and nutrients in them, if you eat one in the morning, your fruits and veggies are taken care of, along with so many other good things like omega-3 and fiber, etc. These measurements are appoximations, so you can play with it to your taste and liking.

1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2-1 cup orange juice
1-2 ripe bananas
about 1 cup frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, or a combination of all)
1-2 Tbsp. flax seed (whole or ground meal)
huge handful of baby spinach
2-3 large kale leaves, removed from the hard stalk
2-3 large collard greens, removed from the hard stalk
large cup of ice
agave nectar or honey to sweeten

My friend Jen doesn't use yogurt or orange juice, but I feel like it just makes it taste better. Plus the yogurt and o.j. adds protein and vitamin C. I also add a few more berries than she does, and agave nectar because if it doesn't look or taste good, my kids won't drink it! She also adds a scoop of protein powder, and you can do this if you want, but I found it makes it taste grittier or chalkier and it brings out the taste of the greens, which you're trying to mask.

The key is to blend this really really really well so the greens are blended and hidden. Also, another key is the bananas because it makes it smooth and sweet. But you can play with this recipe to your liking, I have a ton of friends who eat this smoothie now and it seems like we all have our own version. But it is really tasty and so good for you, and makes me feel like I'm giving my kids some great nutrition!

Amazing Coconut Refrigerator Cake

This is for a couple of friends who requested the recipe. We made it for Easter dinner this year and joked that it was a "true" Easter cake because it's best if you leave it in the fridge up to 3 days. But the longer the better!

Cake:
1 package white cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Coconut frosting:
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream (16-oz. container)
3 1/2 cups grated coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour two 9-in. round cake pans. Place the cake mix, water, oil and eggs in mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute; stop and scrape the bowl and then mix on medium speed 2 minutes more. The batter should look well-blended. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown, about 27 to 29 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by combining the sugar, sour cream and coconut in a bowl, and let the mixture rest in the refrigerator until the sugar dissolves, about 1 hour. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges and invert onto a rack and let cool another 30 minutes. When the cake is cooled, carefully slice the cake layers in half horizontally using a long serrated bread knife or a long piece of unflavored dental floss. You will have four layers. Assemble the cake by spreading some frosting on the bottom half, topping with another half, and so on until the four layers are assembled. Frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Chill the cake, uncovered, until the frosting is firm, about 1 hour.

You can store the cake, covered with wax paper in the fridge for up to one week. The whole eggs in the batter and the sour cream frosting soaks down into the cake, making it improve as the cake chills. The coconut flavor also increases daily.

Red Lentil Curry

A recipe from my friend Stephanie. It was really good, and again, my kids ate it! Success!

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. grated ginger root (or 1 t. powdered)
1 1/2 c. red lentils, cleaned and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 c. chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
2 t. curry powder
1 t. turmeric
salt to taste
hot cooked rice (my favorite is Jasmine)
cilantro, for garnish (optional)
plain yogurt (optional)

Start rice cooking. Heat oil in skillet, add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger. Cook until onion is soft, then add broth, lentils, garbanzo beans, coconut milk, curry powder, and turmeric. Cook until lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes. Taste for salt, add more if necessary. Serve over hot cooked rice. Could also make into soup by adding more liquid and either eliminating rice or adding a little with the lentils. If you want to add cooked cubed chicken, it would probably be good too. This could also be a side dish if you didn't want to eat it as a main dish.

A warning: If you're kind of a clean freak like me, I wouldn't give this to babies or toddlers who spill or messy with their food. Curry can stain really bad, and is hard to get out, so eat with caution (if you care!)

Black Beans and Polenta

I found this recipe on the back of a Westbrae Natural Organic Black Bean can. The great thing about it is that it's so easy and you probably have everything in your pantry already!

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 can black beans
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
Polenta (or cornbread, rice or couscous)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add everything except the beans and tomatoes. Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans and heat until bubbly. Serve over slices of pan-grilled polenta (or cornbread or rice.)

Note: I didn't have any dried coriander so I used fresh cilantro instead (which is what coriander is.) I also served it with couscous because my daughter loves it. You can also season it a bit more to taste. So yummy and healthy!

Soft and Chewy Caramel Popcorn

This caramel popcorn is my new obsession! It took me a few tries to get it down right, but now that I can make it as well as my friend who introduced it to me, I'm probably going to put on a few pounds. This makes a ton so be prepared to share it, or spend the next 3 days eating caramel popcorn (that's what I do!).

1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup corn syrup
2 2/3 cup brown sugar
4-5 bags microwave popcorn (I like to use plain, or light butter) popped with kernals removed

Put popped popcorn in a LARGE bowl and set aside
Combine all other ingredients in a large pot and melt together. Once melted bring to a full boil, stirring constantly and let boil for about 1 minute. You should see the texture and color change a little bit. Turn off heat a pour over popcorn. Mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl to evenly coat your popcorn. Store in tupperware, or in ziplock bags. YUMMY!

Seriously good Salsa :)

Does anyone even get on here anymore? If you do, leave a comment on this post so I know that this recipe blog is still alive! Anyway, this salsa is comparable to Chili's salsa, and in my opinion, just as good! And, it's super easy so that's a definite plus!

2 cans MEXICAN stewed tomatoes
1 or half bunch cilantro
1 small can Herdez green salsa
2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp minced dried garlic)

Put one can tomatoes and cilantro in processor/blender and blend for like 20-30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until garlic is no longer in big chunks.

This makes ALOT, but it will stay good in your fridge for about 5 days. Enjoy!