Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal

So after trying out that key lime oatmeal, I decided I could try to be a little more creative on my own. We had strawberries in the fridge and I thought of strawberry shortcake. This is what I came up with:

Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal

3 lg strawberries, sliced, and separated
1 Tbs. strawberry jam
1 Tbs. honey
2/3 c. oatmeal
2/3 c. milk
1/2-1 tsp. vanilla


Mix all of the ingredients (except one of the strawberries) together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 min. Stir, microwave for another minute. Garnish with leftover strawberries.

Oriental Cabbage Salad

Like I have mentioned earlier, we are trying to eat less meat, and this is one salad that I love! I love the crunchiness of the cabbage, paired with the sweetness of the fruit, and the spiciness of the dressing.  If you want, you can add chicken to the mix. I have tried several dressings to go over it, but this one I came up with, and I like it the best...duh! :) Once again...sorry no picture.

Oriental Cabbage Salad

1/2 large head of cabbage
craisins, to taste
mandarine oranges, to taste
nuts, to taste
1 pkg. ramen noodles, crushed
green onions, chopped, and to taste

Dressing:

1/4 c. oil
2 1/2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sugar
ramen seasoning packet
dash of salt
cayenne pepper, to taste
fresh grated ginger, to taste

Mix the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller container mix the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix well. Serve!

S'mores Ice Cream

This ice cream is delicious! We loved it. The recipe says that it is a soft and creamy ice cream, but we preferred it after it had been in the freezer for a while.

S'mores Ice Cream
Makes about 6 cups.

1/2 c. cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
pinch salt
2/3 c. whole milk (you can use another kind, you will just need to freeze it longer)
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. marshmallow cream
2 sheets of graham crackers
2 oz. milk chocolate (1/3 c. chocolate chips), melted and at room temperature


In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, and salt. Add the milk and beat until the sugars are dissolved. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight. Freeze according to manufactures directions. About five minutes before the ice cream is done, add the marshmallow cream one scoop at a time, then add the chocolate and graham crackers, one at a time, and let mix in completely. Serve right away, or put it in the freezer for later.

Key Lime Pie Oatmeal

I need some inspiration for oatmeal, I get bored real quick with just plain old oatmeal, so when I saw this on Super Healthy Kids, I just had to try it. It was great! The whole family loved it, and we will have it again soon. 

Also, I am really sorry about the lack of photos lately. I would blame it on the kids, or something like that, but really it's just because I am either one of two things lately (when it come to food photography). 1) forgetful (I often forget about the picture, until I am half way through the dish), or 2) just plain lazy.

Key Lime Pie Oatmeal

1 c. quick oats
1c. milk (or coconut milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. lime juice
1-2 tsp. honey (or other sweetener)

Combine all ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 min. Stir. Cook for one more minute. For toppings add: crushed graham crackers, coconut, lime zest, and nuts.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

I have been wanting to try this recipe for forever! It is great, and the best part is: it's as easy as throwing it in the crock pot!

Black Bean Soup
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small green bell pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cans (15½ oz.) black beans (just did pre-soaked dry beans, mashed it lightly with a potato masher at the end, and it turned out fine. Obviously, I added a bit more water)
2 cups water
2 chicken boullions cubes
1 cup cooked smoked ham, cubed
1 cup carrots, diced
4 dashes?? (or more) cayenne pepper
4 drops Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste
Sour cream


Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper in oil.Puree contents of 2 cans of black beans and add to sauteed vegetables in crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients except sour cream. Be sure to break up the boullion cubes.Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. After serving, add dollop of sour cream to each bowl.

Flan

For Cinco de Mayo we had Cafe Rio Chicken Salad, Mango pico de gallo, and flan. Doesn't sound like much, but it was A LOT of work. I didn't feel like cooking for a week after that.

Flan
1 c. sugar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (15 oz) can evaporated milk
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. In med. saucepan melt sugar until light brown and syrupy. Pour into 9in round baking pan. Set aside. Beat eggs, and milks until smooth. Pour into pan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 60 mins. Let cool completely, tip over on a serving platter, and serve.

It was really good, and turned out better than I thought it would. It was WAY sweet though. After I had already made it, I had two suggestions to not use the sugar, and use dulce de leche in it's place. I am sure that would have been great as well!

Oven-Fried Potato Wedges: Our favorite homemade fries

These are by FAR our favorite homemade fries. If we have hamburgers, we have these fries. They are delicious (and relatively healthy)!

Oven-Fried Potato Wedges
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 med unpeeled Idaho or russet baking potatoes
Cooking spray

Heat oven to 425°F. In small bowl, mix everything but the potatoes and cooking spray.

Gently scrub potatoes, but do not peel. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4 wedges. Place potato wedges, skin side down, in ungreased 13x9 pan.

Spray potatoes with cooking spray until lightly coated. Sprinkle with salt mixture.

Bake uncovered 25-30 mins. or until potatotes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Gazpacho Pasta Salad with Tomato-Lime Dressing

We have been trying to eat less meat lately, and I came across this salad. I thought it would be worth a try,  it was a hit! It was nice and refreshing. (Sorry, no picture.)

Tomato-Lime Dressing
1/4 c. tomato juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Salad
1 pkg. farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 large tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sm. cucumber
1 sm. bell pepper, coarsely chopped
4 med. green onions, sliced
1/2 green Anaheim chili, seeded and chopped
1 can (2 1/4 oz), drained
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

In tightly covered container, shake all dressing ingredients.

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

In large bowl, mix pasta and remaining salad ingredients. Pour dressing over mixture, toss. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving.

Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook

Spicy Chicken in Peanut Sauce

We loved this! It was really nice for me, because I could just stick it in the crock pot and not think about it (except that it smelled really good) again until dinner time. I had forgotten how crazy it is to cook with a newborn. It's like they have this sense (...maybe the sense of smell?) that mom needs to be busy cooking now, so now I need to cry my lungs out. Actually, it's not just my kids. Apparently, the hour from about 5-6 is called "the bewitching hour." Anyway...so make a long story short, it was great! We loved it, and I will be making it again.

Spicy Chicken in Peanut Sauce

1 Tbs. olive or vegetable oil
abt. 3 lbs chicken (breasts, thighs, whatever...)
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 (14.5)cans diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. peanut butter (the recipe called for creamy, but I think crunchy would be good too, especially if you don't have peanuts on hand)
2 c. hot cooked couscous, or rice

Heat oil over med-hi heat. Cook chicken about 4 mins, until brown.

In 4-5qt. slow cooker mix onion, tomato, jalapeno, honey, cumin, and cinnamon. Add chicken. Spoon tomato mix over chicken.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 7-8 hours (I don't think it needed quite that long.)

Stir in peanut butter until melted and well blended. Serve chicken and sauce over rice or couscous. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.

Source: Adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.