mexican lucky burrito babies

Mexican Lucky Burrito Groovin

now that i've got you in the mood to make some burrito babies, here is how we made em real nice!

mexican lucky burritos
(i try to use organic ingredients whenever my budget allows)

1 pint cherry tomatoes (or about 2 cups blended tomatoes of any sort)
3 c mushrooms finely chopped
3 c kale finely chopped (spinach or chard would rock here too)
1 onion finely chopped
1 T ghee
1 can/box black beans
2 c leftover quinoa (or brown rice would be nice)
1 T chili pepper
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp oregano
2 T coconut palm sugar (sucanat or brown sugar would work well too!)
1/2 c nutritional yeast (add more to taste - this gives it a zesty cheesy flavor)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 package paleo wraps (or whatever type of tortilla floats your boat.  paleo wraps=coconut meat/coconut water and they don't taste like coconuts!!!! YES!!!!)
grated imported sheep's cheese (omit this if you want dairy free)

toppings:
whole plain sheep's milk yogurt (plain yogurt=best sour cream e.v.e.r)
diced avocado
salsa
go crazy cuz your gonna get lucky.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. melt ghee and sauté onion until translucent.  add mushrooms and cook until moisture has released and begins to brown/carmelize.  add kale and cook down until wilted.  puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender and add to pan.  drain and rinse black beans - add to pan.  mix in s&p, spices, sugar and nutritional yeast - i actually eyeballed all of these ingredients to taste, so feel free to do the same... it's so fun to do it that way!   wrap up your "burrito babies" and place in your casserole.  pour enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with grated cheese.  place uncovered into the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubbly.

thanks for the inspo daft punk!!

i hope it makes your mexican lucky day:)

xoxo

chimmie recipes: enchiladas and fritters

as promised from monday's post, here are the dishes i whipped together when my chimmie was here... read em and weep!   they were so so so so good.  no recipe books were out for these guys, i am getting better at this gumption thing if i'll do it with company around!!

no guts no glory.

the mullies gluten free, organic chicken enchiladas

1 container of prepared enchilada sauce (i used wildtree organics.  oh.my.word.good)
1 package brown rice tortillas (i used 5 tortillas)
2 lg organic chicken breasts shredded optional
1 lg organic zucchini diced
1 lg organic yellow squash zucchini diced
1 organic onion diced
2 organic carrots diced
2 equal handful fulls of fresh parsley & cilantro finely minced
1 c imported sheep's milk cheese grated (cacao de roma from whole foods) optional
2 T organic aroma free coconut oil 
s&p

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  boil the chicken in water until they are no longer pink inside (about 10-15 min).  remove and shred with two forks.  in a large saute pan melt the coconut oil over med high heat.  throw all the diced veggies in together and season with s&p.  mix occasionally until the veggies are soft and perhaps browning a bit.  pour in the enchilada sauce and stir until well mixed and heated through.  grab your casserole dish and start layering in the following order:  sauce - tortilla - sauce - shredded chicken -  a little more sauce - a little cheese & repeat until you have enough layers to reach the top of your dish.  the last layer:  tortilla - sauce - cheese.  *i used just a sprinkling of cheese on each layer and saved the most for the top.  cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and browning a bit.



the mullies gluten free, organic zucchini, squash and sweet potato fritters

1 organic sweet potato grated
1 lg organic zucchini grated
1 lg organic yellow zucchini squash grated
3/4 c gf flour
3 organic, pastured eggs (vegan?  try an egg sub here and tell me if it works!!!)
1/2 c homemade ranch
3 equal bunches (about 2 T each) of fresh dill, parsley and mint
splashes of light coconut milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper
2 T organic aroma free coconut oil
1 T ghee

homemade gluten free, dairy free ranch (inspired from it's all good by gwyneth paltrow)
about 1 c vegenaise (i eyeball this in a lidded jar... so who knows!)
juice from 1 organic lemon
1 T penzeys mural of flavor (here is link to recreate it.  or find the real deal here)
2 T dried chives (fresh would be lovely, but i never have it on hand)
1/2 c sheep's milk yogurt (go probiotics go)

mix everything up in a large bowl.  add splashes of light coconut milk until the consistency resembles lumpy pancake batter.  melt the oils together in a large saute pan (i eyeballed the oil until i had a thin layer).  spoon little patties onto the oil and fry away.  it takes about 3-4 minutes per side.  once cooked, let cool on a paper towels (i layer them over cooling racks).  serve warm, sprinkle with a little more s&p if desired and pour some homemade ranch over the top.

yea baby yea.

xoxo

gluten free sweet potato gnocchi - take 1

this is my first try at making homemade gluten free gnocchi.  the best part is that they are about to get a super fab makeover when my girlfriend and fellow food ambassador briana gets ahold of my flour and puts her recipe to the test.  she's kinda of a big deal.  i don't even know if i can contain myself.  i can't wait for take 2!!!!  this gnocchi is just going to get better with some simmering sass.  

last time we cooked together, i laughed so hard i snorted... twice.  it's a hoot i tell ya.  

i brought them over to laura's house for a saturday night cooking fest.  once you pop the little balls into boiling water, it only takes a few minutes to cook.  how do you know when they are done?  well, they simply float to the top!!!  not one gnocchi was left and i doubt even a double batch would have made it to leftover status.  even tommy wanted more:)

and then of course was the homemade strawberry shortcake with coconut whipped cream (darn it's blurry).  oh the lovely summer days are here!!

my recipe inspo:
sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter and sage & here's another more complicated
strawberry shortcake & coconut whipped cream

mullies notes:
gnocchi: i used the first link and equally subbed the gf-flour blend (i sub arrowroot for corn starch) and sheep's milk yogurt for the greek stuff.  i did not have fresh sage leaves, so i cheated and used dried sage.  lame.  the sauce was too watery for my liking and that needs to be tweaked.  the rest i followed to a T.

(the second recipe link is the first one i found.  all i did was add "yogurt" to my search and found the first super simple link from saucy little dish... i love easy recipies!!!)

xoxo

it's all uncharted

i want uncharted.

my girlfriend asked me yesterday, "what do you say to someone when they ask about your opinion between food and ADHD?"  well, here's where i am at:  i'm not a dr or a nutritionist.  i don't know if an elimination diet of some sort will help every child.  nobody knows.  that's the kicker.  it's somewhat uncharted.  we have no lovely conclusive research out there to draw upon.  just little studies here and there and the feingold organization who has been doing this since the 70's - there is a good chart for ya.  that was enough for me along with the fact that two mom's i know successfully tweaked their food and conquered symptoms years ago with their sons.  i had nothing to lose by working with a nutritionist and looking at our food first.  if it didn't work, well, we'd be onto the next...

so in a nutty, uncharted shell, this is what i tell the brave souls who ask:

1. find, borrow and fake the confidence to find your own pace & make real food tweaks for your family.  my favorite saying as a coach is, "fake it until you make it!!!"  yes please. i did and still do everyday.
2. find a nutritionist or doctor who supports you and kick out the fake food from your kitchen.
3. get a hot new apron.
4. play awesome music in your kitchen every night.
5. keep a diary & take advantage of the amazing food tube... lessons in a half shell.  the internet rocks my kitchen.
6. adjust your budget to allow for better quality food (i hate and love my cash diet all at the same time).
7. laugh at yourself a lot.

there is nothing to lose.
have no regrets.
7 is my lucky number.
go after what you want baby.

we found our own course and that is what i am so very excited about.  you don't have to have a child with issues to gain BIG from focusing more on real food and cooking more often from scratch.  you don't even need to have kids for that matter!  we have the power and the freedom to chart our own map at the pace we can handle.  i drew mine different from my girlfriends who sketched it out before me.  and yours will be different than mine.  variety is the spice of life people!!

this whole cooking from scratch thang has me fascinated and wanting to stuff my cheeks.  not only with great quality food, but with the HOW.  school lets out in less than two weeks and my hot mamas and i are going to be lighting it up in our kitchens and all around.  the mullies is going on foodie field trips to local farms, cooking classes and all sorts of fun stuff.  then we're gonna get busy in the schools.  with the inception of our new district 76 wellness committee, there's going to be lots to do:)  ...oh, but then that would mean summer is over and i don't want to talk about that right now...

i want to learn how to cook like a rock star.  period.  all i want is for my kids to say, " i like your food mommy!"  they will eat tons of veggies when i cook them right.  i want my kids to learn how to cook better than i do... to be foodies for life.  it's my freakin mission to pick every brain, visit any kitchen i can to figure out how to make amazing food from scratch and pass it along to them and whoever is looney enough to come along with me for the ride.  i have some experience charting under my belt.  my first round was pitching and softball... after i figured out how to pitch well, i struck out 21 batters in a row, threw 3 perfect games in a row and got to wear northwestern purple for 4 years.  round 2 is cooking and my kids... hmmm what kind of fun will i have with this one?!

welcome to my new, self-imposed, uncharted mullies kitchen klass adventures without the tuition i can't afford (the kids need braces man), a strict scheduled curriculum or an official degree... just me bugging somebody to teach me something.  hmmm, perhaps i should get my hands on an outline of what one does learn in culinary school...  this will be some fun times.  i'm getting all tingly thinking about it.

the mullies is going to get hot & saucy this summer.  believe it.

i signed up for two FREE cooking classes with chef michael maddox at the fremont library yesterday:

summer french pastries on wed, june 12 @ 7pm & knife skills: from purchasing to sharpening and handeling on wed, july 31 @ 7pm.

oh yea baby, here we GO!!!!!  and always remember, "uncharted rhymes with farted".

uncharted by sara bareilles

now showing: homemade gumption "butter" and food revolution long grove is here!

today is the happy ending post from yesterday's loss of fake butter.  i'm literally typing as fast as i can to post this morning and sing it to the mullies.  

you might have noticed i like sara bareilles' music.  well, she just happens to be in chicago tonight at the Park West and well of course there's a song to play of hers for my post today.  i just listened to this in the car and i thought, oh this is perfect... getting over my margarine habit... perfect.  THEN, i looked up the video and realized that somebody is having some fun with me right now because this is how i imagine real food taking over the world.  our drops hitting people behind sara, jamie o, all the food ambassadors out there with me and our new ambassador teammate, briana cardone.  yup that's right, i'm crazy.  and now i have someone to have a brave food fight with.  

food revolution long grove is here baby!  i can't wait to introduce you to briana.  she'll be helping to put our food revolution community picnic event together on may 17th and it's going to be even bigger and better with her on board.  whoop whoop!

please enjoy this oh so perfect food revolution video.  i hope that sara doesn't mind me calling it that, but then i think it's the point of her sweet video.  i sure wish i could dance with her tonight.  so put your earbuds in and start dancing in your seat, around your kitchen or wherever you are and join our little party that's getting started.  

briana, let's make a video someday:)  i hope you can dance girl.  my favorite part is the ending... make sure you watch the whole kit and kaboodle.

sara bareilles - gonna get over you

here's what happened after lunch yesterday.

my dad and i called earth balance and were reassured that they were in the process of getting non-gmo certified   the customer service rep did not know about the article and said, "you can't believe everything you read on the internet."  whether the article's claims are true or false, i will no longer be buying margarine (i am over it) and i was still thinking about what i would find to replace it.  dad and i went through the comments of the article together and what did we find at the very end?  

the holy grail of butter.

the easiest, most delicious homemade-raw-vegan-butter recipe you'll ever make... infinite periods.  notes:  i subbed pink himalayan sea salt.  

all hardened up just like buttah.  this recipe makes the equivalent to two sticks.

last night, i cooked with gumption (meaning no recipe books) and the ghee made its first debut.

now i know why it's called clarified butter... it's really lovely melted in the pan.  i was in the zone and completely forgot to take pictures as i went.  so here is the finished plate, my too toasty garlic bread and all.

i know i know, lemons are not good to eat, but i just couldn't resist.  abbie and mac cleaned their plates.  we had to cheer tommy on, eventually he cleared his plate minus a few scallop bites (which chris and i happily ate).  i am so happy.  can you tell?  i only have a small leftover container of green beans.  they've all tried scallops before, but didn't remember them.  the kids actually took a bite without fearing a lightening strike.  i'm going to remember this night to get me through the next night of whines...

ghee is my new best friend.  it's a cooking dreamboat.

scallops sautéed in ghee
2 T ghee melted in pan
1lb large wild caught scallops
s&p
tequila lime seasoning (optional)

heat oil on med high and place scallops to sear on one side for 1-2 minutes.  flip and cook on the other side.  watch super careful to not overcook.  just before they were done, i took a teansy bit of s&p and tequila lime seasoning and sprinkled the tops.

steamed green beans with homemade butter and garlic salt
frozen organic green beans
1/4 c water
1 T homemade butter
garlic salt

place water and beans in a covered pot and steam for about 5-6 minutes.  toss occasionally.  season with 1 T of butter and a sprinkling of garlic salt.

easy roasted new potatoes 
1/2 bag organic new potatoes
2 T organic evoo
herbes de provence
s&p

preheat oven to 400 degrees. clean and dice up potatoes.  place on pan and toss with evoo, herbes, s&p.  eyeball everything.  cook for 20 min and toss.  cook additional 15 minutes or until starting to crisp up.  (btw, i have stopped using aluminum foil thanks to briana.  she is a chef and does not cook with it as it leeches the darn metal into your food and then your body... hello, gonzos!!  so now i use my silpat.  who cares about another pan to clean?  thanks girl.)

as for my new "butter", it passed the garlic bread test with flying colors (except i didn't pass it with my broiling skills... seriously, you'd think i could time it right with out burning my house down! argh!) and it also passed the breakfast toast test this morning.

this butter stuff is for real.  now go make some already!

xoxo

gathering some gumption - a stuffed pepper to soup adventure

one of my new year's resolutions was to muster more cooking gumption in the kitchen.  gumption to make things from scratch with or without recipes in front of me.  

i finally lit it up.

i cooked a meal from scratch with only a red lentil recipe for inspiration.  hee hee! 

... have i told you i cook to this soundtrack practically every night?  i hope you like "gumption" too.

the holiday soundtrack - gumption

this meal went a looooooooooong way for us.  i ended up turning all of the leftovers into one of the best soups e.v.e.r.  how do i know?  i had a huge amount left over and it didn't last very long.  two dinners and four lunches of food...not bad there babycakes!

it was a genius decision to combine quinoa (which i always prepare plain jane) and red lentils.  pat pat pat.

a most excellent stuffed pepper to soup adventure

1. halve 4 red peppers, clean the seeds out and place them cut side down in a pan with water.  cook and steam for about 10 minutes.  remove and set aside in a bowl.

"come as your are" countertop ingredients.  no staging permitted in my kitchen.

these mini bottles give great portion control when cooking.  i hate to waste my best wine and open a bottle that may not be enjoyed that night!  cheers!

red lentils and quinoa 

1 c red split lentils (trader joe's)

1 c organic quinoa (costco)

1.5 T organic coconut oil 

4 c organic vegetable stock

1/2 c red wine

1.5 tsp penzey's mural of flavor (or any all purpose seasoning you want)

melt the oil and toss the quinoa and lentils until coated.  dump the rest in and bring to a boil.  reduce to low and cover for 30-40 min or until liquid has cooked off and you are left with fluffy deliciousness.  i didn't know it at the time, but this makes waaaaay more than you need for 8 stuffed peppers.  that's how the soup was born...out of a miscalculation.  how sweet is that!?

while the quinoa and lentils are cooking, raid your fridge for the plethora of organic veggies.  i had no idea what i was going to use until i opened the crisper.  that is living on the edge for me.  chop chop chop em all into similar sized pieces & mince the garlic.  

1 fennel bulb + fronds

1 lg yellow carrot

3 celery ribs

1 bunch rainbow chard (stems removed and diced)

1 zucchini

2 cloves garlic

cook up the turkey bacon first and set aside (optional).  using the same pan, melt about 2 T of coconut oil and add the chopped veggies.  cook until soft.  we've been cutting waaaaay back on meat...i used to cook it every night.  now, 1-2 nights a week tops.  i'm really excited and proud of how we're cutting back as it's saving us $$$ and i am relying more on nutrient dense vegetables as a main nutritional component.  now if my kids would only say, more please!  baby steps...

add the chopped chard, fronds and minced garlic last.

dice up the bacon strips and toss them into the mix.

add two cups of the quinoa and red lentil mix.  season with pink himalayan salt (love this stuff) and fresh ground pepper to taste.  this is where i started dancing a little bit with glee... NOTE: you will have mega leftovers of the stuffing.  i divided this amount and put one bag in the freezer for a later date and another in the fridge to use for the soup later in the week.

ladle a thin layer of tomato sauce (i used some leftover from the night before) in a baking dish.  stuff the peppers with the veggie mix.  top each guy off with a little sauce and grated cheese (i used aged italian sheep's milk cheese from Whole Foods).  i'm in love with the stuff. 

verdict:  

i loved them to pieces.  

chris: "punt" (this is what i deal with...)

abbie:  struggled but ate about half of her plate.

mac: ate one bite of the red peppers, but loved the rest.

tommy: finished his plate (i had to help spoon bites in his mouth at first though).

leftover stuffed pepper soup

remaining stuffed peppers

1.5 c leftover veggie/quinoa/lentil stuffing

2 cans organic diced tomatoes

2 c organic vegetable or chicken stock

s&p to taste and whatever seasoning you'd like to kick it up a notch.  

verdict:

i double loved the soup.

chris: "it was gooooood".

kids:  didn't try it cuz i wanted it all to myself and didn't feel like offering it them.  HA!   i'm very selfish sometimes with my food:)

gumption baby gumption.

xoxo