Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Senegalese Peanut and Tomato Soup

I have been making this soup for years and I don't know why I never thought to post it before. We make it at least once every 2 weeks since it's my husband's favorite. It's super quick, super easy, and super adaptable and uses things that I almost always have on hand. This is also a great recipe to make after poaching a whole chicken as it uses both the wonderfully flavorful broth and some of the tender chicken. You can also easily make this a vegan recipe by using vegetable broth and leaving out the chicken. Let me know if you like this soup as much as we do!


















Senegalese Peanut and Tomato Soup

- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp canola or coconut oil
- 2 tsp Madras curry powder
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, regular or fire-roasted
- 1/2 cup rice (I prefer basmati for this recipe)
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken, shredded
- 1/4 smooth peanut butter
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped


1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and saute until softened, but not browned (about 5 minutes).


2. Add curry powder and cook stirring until very fragrant (about 2 minutes). 


3. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the rice. Stir. Bring up to a boil. Cover and lower to a simmer and cook until rice is done (depending on the rice type you choose, white basmati = 18 minutes). 


4. Once rice is cooked, stir peanut butter into hot water until melted and smooth and add to soup along with cooked chicken. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes until the soup returns to temperature. 


5. Stir in chopped cilantro and serve. 


* Serves 4
* Suitable for babies over 10 months.




Monday, March 21, 2011

Savory Corn and Cheese Mini Muffins

In my return to work I have realized that it is less tiring being at work than being at home with Luc! Apparently he behaves well at day care and is 'helpful'. I need to find out what their magic is. In the short time it took me to whip these muffins together he managed to eat half a crayon, eat half a dog biscuit, pull the cat's tail, throw a tantrum and defeat the child safety lock on the dining room sideboard....all while I was in the same room and in a span of about 20 minutes. 
 
Oh well...at least the muffins are mighty tasty! I've made them before but made a couple changes this time around and now they are even better. Perfect as a snack, breakfast, or served on the side with soup, these are great at home or in a packed lunch. I adapted this recipe from Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child.Suitable for munchkins 10 months and up.






















Savory Corn and Cheese Mini Muffins

- 3/4 cup drained canned corn or thawed frozen
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- 1/4 plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn meal
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Add corn and green onions to a good processor or blender and whiz until chopped. Add yogurt, butter, maple syrup and egg and whiz again to combine.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredient and stir until just combined. Stir in the grated cheese to the mixture. 

Spoon batter into a mini muffin pan, adding about 3/4 tbsp to each cup (the picture shows the muffins with a paper liner, but having tried both, I would suggest just using a greased muffin tin without liners as the muffins stick awfully to the paper).

Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen, golden, and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan.

* Makes 10-12 mini muffins
* These keep well in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months

Friday, March 18, 2011

1st Week as a "Working" Mom

So I have now completed one week of being a working mom. It is certainly going to be huge adjustment for all of us. Luc is happy to go to day care and is visibly excited in the morning which certainly makes me feel better about this lifestyle shift. We are still working out new routines to make the best of our now even more limited time....it make take a little while.

I promised myself that I would continue to post regularly...which I've obviously not lived up to! But I am commited to continuing to post here, it's been really helpful for me to keep my ideas and recipes sorted and to keep me inspired to cook new things. What's is going to help me keep up with this blog  (once I DO get my act together) is that my son's daycare doesn't have a kitchen and I have to plan and pack all of his food for each day. I'm actually glad I still get to have so much control over what he is offered to eat, although it does take a fair amount of time out of my already packed evenings.

Long story short...bear with me while I sort out our new life :)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Banana Coconut Overnight Oatmeal

I was belatedly inspired by Tastespotting`s Month of Oatmeal. This oatmeal recipe is based on one of the commenter's recipes and boy, is it ever good! I'm not sure if I could eat oatmeal every day for a month, but this particular oatmeal makes that proposition more appetizing. This particular oatmeal, leaving out the molasses, is perfectly suitable for all munchkins over 8 months.

"You have to eat oatmeal or you'll dry up. Anybody knows that" - Eloise

Would you be able to eat oatmeal every day for a month? 
 





















Banana Coconut Overnight Oatmeal

- 1 large banana
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt (maybe homemade!)
1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- molasses, optional, to taste

Mash the banana well with a fork in a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients. Stir in the yogurt, oats, coconut, and cinnamon until well combined. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. 


In the morning, give the oatmeal a stir. Heat briefly if desired and top with a drizzle of molasses, if desired.


* Makes one adult serving, or two toddler sized servings

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Munch's New Clothes!

Munch has a new look...I hope you like it as much as I do!

Thanks to Erin at Designer Blogs for creating this new design and for being a pleasure to work with.
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