Eating Spring

The weather has been gorgeous lately, and I'm loving it. I just have one teenie tiny problem with this weather: it's making my appetite wacky. I'm hungry...this girl is always hungry...but here's the short list of things I feel like eating: cereal, ice cream, salad, and hot dogs. Not necessarily the most well-rounded diet.

In an effort to inspire myself to stay in the kitchen for longer than it takes to pour a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats, I came up with a list of easy and delicious warm weather meals.

So, what about you? What is your favorite springtime food? I need some ideas before the husband and Danny stage a protest.

Overnight Oats with Berries (I love it when breakfast makes itself while I sleep!)

Strawberry and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Glaze (This is a salad--Refreshing! Healthy!--but it's also piled high with creamy blue cheese and salty bacon. It's what would happen if Homer Simpson went on a diet.)

Healthier Fried Rice (Bathing suit season is frighteningly close. Yikes.)

Dill Tuna Salad (Leftover pasta + a can of tuna = dinner. Also, dill is just so Spring-y.)

Lamb Kabobs (The husband loves an opportunity to fire up the barbecue. I love an opportunity to read People magazine while he cooks dinner.)

Pasta with Light Lemon Yogurt Sauce (Greek yogurt isn't just for breakfast. Stir it into pasta for a light and creamy sauce.)

Sesame Asparagus (Asparagus tastes like Spring. That's all I have to say about that.)

Healthier Morning Glory Muffins (I love these muffins. And I have some carrots to use up in my crisper. Guess I know what I'm doing today!)

Grilled Wedge Salad with Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing

Last month my sister, Kate, shared with us about her fave local haunt, Flour + Wine. One of their specialties is a Grilled Wedge Salad. Well, I had to make one for myself.

Crunchy Romaine lettuce with a smokey char from the grill. Juicy slices of tomato. Bites of salty bacon. Rich and creamy (yet low fat!!) blue cheese dressing. Come on, now. How can you not make this tonight?

Let's grill some lettuce.
--Erin

Grilled Wedge Salad with Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing
Dressing from America's Test Kitchen
Serves: 4

For the dressing:
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Smoosh the crumbled blue cheese and buttermilk together in a bowl. Whisk in the remaining ingredients until well combined, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. (You'll probably have extra dressing leftover.)

For the salad:
2 heads Romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 very large tomato, sliced in wedges
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Pepper

Preheat your grill (or grill pan if you're cooking indoors) to medium-high. Cut each head of Romaine in half lengthwise, leaving the stems intact to hold the leaves together. Brush the cut sides of Romaine with oil. Grill the Romaine, cut side down, for about 2 minutes, just until grill marks appear.

Place the grilled Romaine on a serving platter. Top with tomato slices, bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle with low-fat blue cheese dressing and sprinkle with pepper.

Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food

My son, Danny, is 7 months old, and he eats food. Let me tell you, there's not much more adorable than a baby schmeared with his dinner. Melt my heart.

Some of the time, I make Danny's baby food. And before I go on, pay very careful attention to this next statement: If you choose to feed your baby food from a jar, don't feel guilty about it. Hear me? This is an order: DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. There are ridiculous standards for moms and dads these days...Make your baby's food from vegetables you grew in your all-organic backyard garden! Plan a $40,000 first birthday party with DIY balloon banners! Paint a storybook mural in baby's nursery! Sew your baby's clothes and matching hair accessories! I make Danny's food because I enjoy being in the kitchen; it's fun for me. If it's not fun for you, then don't do it. End of story.

If you do want to give baby food a whirl, start with something simple. Like a banana. Here's how you make it: 1.) Buy a ripe banana. 2.) Peel banana. 3.) Mash banana with a fork. Done. Same with avocado. Just moosh it up and feed it to your kid. Get more adventurous with sweet potatoes. This one is slightly more complicated because it requires actual cooking. Pierce a sweet potato with a fork so it doesn't explode, then microwave it for 10ish minutes until it's soft. Peel the sweet potato then mash it with a fork.

When it was time to introduce Danny to meat, it wasn't quite as simple. The idea of pureeing meat in the blender grossed me out. I figured I'd disguise the blended meat with another vegetable that Danny already liked to trick both of us into thinking pureed chicken wasn't weird. And it worked! If your kid doesn't like sweet potatoes, try it with carrots or parsnips or squash. I bet it would be just as delicious.

Also, I should mention that I don't have a super-power blender. So at our house, Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food has very, very tiny bits of chicken in it. This bit of texture doesn't bother Danny at all, but keep your eyes peeled for that when you make it. We don't want anyone to choke.

Let's make baby food!
--Erin

Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food

2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2" chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 cups water

Place chicken and sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, place them in a blender. (You don't want to over-fill the blender, so you might need to do this in batches.) Add some of the cooking liquid so you can easily blend into a smooth mixture. Turn on the blender and whiz everything together. You may need to stop and stir a couple times or add more cooking liquid until it's smooth. (I ended up using all the cooking liquid.)

Allow baby food to cool completely in the fridge. Spoon it into ice cube trays and then freeze until solid. Place the baby food ice cubes in a plastic freezer bag that you've labeled with the date and type of food. Defrost baby food as needed for meals.

Crockpot Oatmeal

I'm a creature of habit. For breakfast I eat oatmeal. For lunch I eat peanut butter and jelly. For dessert I eat ice cream. (Usually cookie dough or fudge tracks.) Dinner is where things get crazy. But if I didn't have the husband to think about, I'd probably just eat PB&J for dinner, too. True confessions.

Sometimes it feels overwhelming to stir up a pot of porridge every morning. Mornings are hard. There's so much waking up to do. So much day to think about. So much time before bed. That's why it pays to plan ahead for breakfast.

Take 5 minutes on Sunday afternoon to throw a few ingredients in your slow cooker. Turn that baby on low for a few hours, until the oatmeal has absorbed most of the water. Store the oatmeal in the fridge and scoop out a bowl when you're hungry in the morning. It's creamy and nutty and filling; the perfect breakfast.

One parting thought about using your crockpot to make oatmeal: cooking time varies depending on your particular appliance. I read several recipes that say to cook it on low for 8 hours. This would be perfect if you want your oatmeal piping hot for breakfast, but give it a test run while you're awake first. My crockpot tends to run a little hot. If I left oatmeal in there without stirring for 8 hours, I'd be chiseling it off the sides of my crock for days.

Crockpot Oatmeal
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups steel cut oats*
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
Your favorite oatmeal toppings (raisins, more brown sugar, milk, fruit, maple syrup, etc.)

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Add oats, water, salt, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook on low for about 6 hours, stirring a few times if it looks like the edges are starting to burn. Serve oatmeal with your favorite toppings.

If you're reheating the oatmeal, stir in a bit of water or milk before reheating in the microwave.

*Make sure you use steel cut oats (a.k.a. Irish oatmeal). If you use old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats, it will get really mushy.

Beef Paprikash with Egg Noodles

This dish isn't exactly seasonally appropriate. But you see, sirloin steak was on sale. And, fortuitously, I found a page I'd torn from Real Simple magazine with this recipe on it. The stars aligned, and I had to make Beef Paprikash. It was out of my control, really.

When I first read the recipe I was a bit nervous about the amount of onion. The husband tends to be a bit onion-averse. But when he took a tentative bite, dubiously eyeing the slivers of onion, he exclaimed, "This doesn't taste onion-y!" That's a high compliment, people.

So if you're feeling in the mood for a relatively cozy dish on this fine Spring day, give Beef Paprikash with Egg Noodles a chance. It doesn't taste onion-y. In fact, it tastes quite good.

Let's make dinner.
--Erin

Beef Paprikash with Egg Noodles
Serves: 4
Adapted from Real Simple magazine

3/4 pound egg noodles
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled, halved, and sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons paprika
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup sour cream, plus extra for serving
Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Cook the egg noodles in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cut steak into 1" chunks and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add steak and cook until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove steak from the skillet and set aside.

Add sliced onions and paprika to the skillet and cook until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes.

Return steak to the skillet. Stir in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until thickened, about 12 minutes.

Off the heat stir in 2/3 cup sour cream. Serve beef paprikash over egg noodles. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a dollop of sour cream.

Broccoli Slaw

This colorful slaw is coated with a light and tangy dressing. It's crunchy and refreshing, studded with tart dried cranberries and salty sunflower seeds. Seems like the perfect salad for barbecue season, don't you think?


P.S. Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!!

Skinny Broccoli Slaw
Adapted from Eating Well and Add a Pinch

1 12-ounce bag broccoli slaw
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper

Place broccoli slaw, cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, and sugar. Stir dressing into slaw mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Baked Honey Dijon Salmon

The husband is a salmon purist. He likes it with lemon pepper and butter. So when I told him that I was making salmon with Dijon mustard and honey, he was dubious.

When he took a tentative bite of his dinner, he looked at me with surprise. Good surprise. And he took another bite. "This is good! Really good!" And he polished off every last crumb.

By the way, do you know what else Baked Honey Dijon Salmon is besides really good? Really easy.

Let's make dinner.
--Erin

Baked Honey Dijon Salmon
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Serves: 4

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1.5 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup very finely chopped pecans
Salt and pepper
4 salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together butter, honey, and mustard. In a separate bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and salt and pepper.

Place salmon in prepared baking dish and evenly divide mustard mixture among the fillets. Use a spoon to spread the mustard mixture to the edges of the fillets so they're totally covered. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the salmon.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.