My Foodie Call

Monthly Archives: October 2013

• 

  Curried Bulgur with Pumpkin

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 11th
  

  Whole grains….

  It takes a while to build a well-stocked, whole grain pantry. When starting to pay attention to whole grains, people tend to stick with safe bets such as brown rice and rolled oats….

  Eventually the person may venture out and buy quinoa. Baby steps.

  While quinoa is fab and full of nutrients,  variety is key to a healthy diet. Two weeks of quinoa recipes will have the family screaming for mercy.

  At least mine would….

  At some point people need to get out of their quinoa bubble and  try some other grains.

  Millet, Amaranth, Bulgur….

  Today we focus on Bulgur.

  Curried Bulgur with Pumpkin

  Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 can pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 3/4 cup bulgur, uncooked
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

  Directions:

  1. Warm coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, pumpkin, and spices. Cook, until onion is tender. Maybe 4-5 minutes? (Stir constantly so that nothing sticks to the pan.)
  2. Add bulgur and stir to mix. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
  3. Add vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. When mixture starts to bubble,  reduce heat to low and cover your saucepan.
  4. Cook for an additional 10 minutes (or until liquid has been absorbed.)
  5. Fluff before serving.

  

  Vegan comfort food.

  

  Just a hint of sweetness…

  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged pumpkin, whole grain
• 

  5 surprising sources of sodium

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 10th

  Na.

  Sodium. Our diets are loaded. I am convinced.

  Obviously if you walk around munching broccoli stalks all day you need not worry, but who does that?

  We all need packaged food to an extent.

  Here is the deal. Shoot for the calories on your label to be about the same as the sodium percentage. 1:1.

  So 100 calories in one serving? Shoot for about 100 mg, 120 mg, maybe even 150…..

  Here are 5 surprising sources of Sodium.

  1) Cheese

  

  Cheese is your thing right?

  

  Not 1:1. Cheese definitely has more sodium than people think. This mozzarella’s sodium level is conservative compared to some others.

  2) Marinara Sauce

  

  Ok, thought I was good going organic. Not so much.

  

  Might as well have just punched me in the stomach. Yikes. I can’t even type those numbers. Ouch.

  3) Almond Milk

  

  Silk Almond Milk- 60 Calorie

  

  Hmm….never thought of putting salt in my cereal. 60 calories: 180 mg.

  4) Silver Dollar Pancakes

  

  Trader Joe’s brand. The 10-year-old My Foodie Call member loves these.

  

  430 mg? C’mon already! Back to oatmeal it is…..

  5) Lite Soy Sauce

  

  Don’t let that label fool you.

  

  Condiments can be the worst offenders. “Lite?”  550 mg? In this case, Lite means Low-ER sodium. Don’t let that green cap fool you. Yes it is better than the red cap soy sauce, but not by much.

  Does this family eat salt and sodium?

  Um…yes. Kind of have to.

  Are we aware?

  Yes. And we are a work in progress.

  Lesson to be learned:

  Flip that package, check your label, and make yourself more aware of what you are consuming.

  ***Task for the day.***

  Take a peak in your kitchen. Anything surprisingly high in sodium??
  Posted in Random stuff, Small changes
• 

  5 Ingredient Lentil-Stuffed Delicata Squash

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 9th
  

  Do you know what these crazy things are?

  

  Delicata squash. Fancy name, fancy taste.

  

  5 ingredients. Seriously.

  5 Ingredients, 5 Steps

  Ingredient 1

  

  Delicata squash.

  Ingredient 2

  

  Package of lentils. (If I were more ambitious I would cook my own lentils. But…I’m not. Maybe when my kids are off in college. Sigh…..)

  Ingredient 3

  

  Marinara.

  Ingredient 4

  

  Bread crumbs.
  

  Ingredient 5

  

  Vegan “parmesan”.

  Step 1

  

  Slice in half.

  Step 2

  

  Scoop seeds out.

  Step 3

  

  Roast.

  Step 4

  

  Mix your lentils, sauce, and vegan parm.

  Step 5

  

  Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake!

  5 Ingredient Lentil-Stuffed Delicata Squash

  Ingredients:

  • 3 delicata squash
  • 1 package lentils 17. 6 oz (or 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils)
  • 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup Vegan Parmesan (alternately, you could just use nutritional yeast or regular parmesan if you are not dairy-free)
  • Bread crumbs

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Unless you have really good knives, you’ll want to microwave your squash for a couple of minutes before cutting into them. I do not :(. I pierce the squash 7 or 8 times and then pop them in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes to soften a tiny bit.
  3. Slice in half.  Scoop out the seeds. Place on baking sheet and cook for 50-60 minutes or until soft.
  4. While the squash is cooking, mix lentils, sauce, and almond parmesan.
  5. When squash is done, scoop mixture into hollowed out squash. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
  6. Bake for 10 more minutes.

  

  Good stuff.

  

  So easy and effortless.
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged nutritional yeast
• 

  Make friends with…Seaweed.

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 8th

  Seaweed.

  Have you seen these flaky sheets of awesomeness?

  

  These babies are surprisingly tasty.

  The first time I picked these up I was intrigued. Of course I had eaten sushi plenty of times, but roasted seaweed? As a snack?

  

  My first try was the Trader Joe’s brand.

  But what is it?? Fishy stuff?

  Fish-like product?

  Stuff from the beach? 

  Put simply:  it is algae.

  The gunk in a pond?

  No, that’s toxic.

  This is marine algae. Or a sea vegetable.

  Yes, a vegetable.

  

  I have since graduated to Wasabi Seaweed Snacks. Love that kick!

  Benefits of consuming seaweed?

  • Very low-calorie (30 calories per serving. A whole package is 2 servings. 60 calories? Heck, have the whole pack. Go wild and have two packs. Who cares with those calorie counts)
  • Excellent source of trace minerals like Iodine (Iodine is good for a shoddy thyroid like mine.)
  • Great vitamin C source (Who knew?)
  •  Vegan (Remember, no fish here. A sea vegetable. Vegan.)

  I challenge your Wheat Thins to those stats.

  

  These show up in my kids lunch bags on a semi-regular basis. Wish the packaging was a tad smaller. Such problems….

  One caveat: Check your teeth post-consumption. Sometimes little chunks get in the old gum line. Wouldn’t want to scare away the UPS guy or any co-workers.

  Posted in Make friends with...
• 

  Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 7th

  Molasses.

  Either you love it or hate it.

  I love it and I am always looking for ways to get more calcium into the body. Did you know that blackstrap molasses has calcium?

  Never mind the calcium. These cookies have a ton of other awesome ingredients.

  Just take a look at that list. Begging to be made!

  Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or canola)
  • 2 tbl of dark molasses
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup flaxseed meal
  • 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 bag Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Whisk together the oil, molasses, honey, eggs, and vanilla.
  3. Add almond meal.
  4. Then stir in flaxseed meal, flour, ginger, and chocolate chips. Combine well.
  5. I made these babies big. Drop heaping spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet. (I use parchment, but you could grease it)
  6. Bake 18-20 minutes.
  7. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

  

  They were moist, but not crumbly.

  

  I loved these.

  

  Plenty chocolatey.

  The 10 year old My Foodie Call member did NOT like these.

  The other two My Foodie Call kids loved these. I even got a compliment..woohoo.

  Hmmmm, must be the pickiness factor.

  We all have one. Do you have one family member that seems to reject things more than the other?

  Posted in Desserts | Tagged chocolate, cookies, flaxseed, whole wheat flour

• You missed a call?

  • Make friends with…Bean Pasta.
  • Whole Wheat Flax ‘N Apple Muffins
  • Small changes…Eat what’s in season.
  • Whole Wheat Broccoli Mac N Cheese
  • What I pack my kid.

• Categories

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  • Desserts
  • Make friends with…
  • Meatless mealtime
  • Pancake Day
  • Random stuff
  • Salads, Soups, and Sides
  • Small changes
  • Snacks
  • What I pack my kid.

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