What's Cooking?

Green Orange Julius Smoothie

2011-04-11T21:39:00.001+02:00

Green Orange Julius Smoothie - Or Shrek's Orange Juice - whatever you need to call it to get your kids to drink it :)

Few handfuls of rinsed Organic spinach (up to 3 cup line?)
Rice milk or Coconut milk up to 3 cup line
OJ Concentrate 1/3 of a can + water up to the 4 cup line
1 T. Vanilla Extract
2 navel oranges (just the guts, no pith or peels)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop protein powder (plain)
1T. Flax meal
1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot cut into 1 inch chunks

Blend on smoothie button

Then add:

2 ripe bananas
2 cups of ice

Blender should be almost scary full :) Blend on smoothie button again until totally smooth

Pour into glasses for kiddos to drink along with their breakfast and pint jars for after school snack. Pour me a big glass for breakfast and mid morning snack.

THEN:

I usually have about 3 cups leftover after this, SO, I add half a bag of frozen blueberries from
Trader Joe's - My favorite are the organic ones in the white bag. They are little, turn the smoothie completely purple and most importantly take the "green" taste out of smoothies.

Blend on Smoothie button and then pour into more pint jars for after school.

If you want to have a sorbet like consistency to eat right away - add lots of frozen blueberries and ice. Blend on ice cream button. My girls love it.

Mom, "would you like a green orange Julius smoothie or a blueberry orange Julius to drink with
your snack?"

These stay good in the fridge for a few days. Our usually do not last that long.

Tuesday night dinners are what's cooking!

2010-05-05T16:30:00.004+02:00

Well, yesterday was Tuesday and you know what that means?

Let me tell you. For the entire two years we were in Switzerland. Oh, ya, we moved to the Seattle area back in the good old U S of A, in case you did not get my email stating this fact. Where was I? Tuesdays! My husband, commonly called "the Engineer" had video conference meetings with the rest of his group in Cali EVERY Tuesday night. Where is this little story going?

The Engineer HATES sweet potatoes. I L.O.V.E. love them. So, we started having sweet potatoes every Tuesday night for dinner, as well as other yummy food too.

That is my next reason why I love Tuesday dinners. Every Monday night I would clean out all the leftover food and sad veggies from our fridge because Tuesday morning can only mean one thing - Farmer's Market with Tanya. So Tuesday in Switzerland meant sweet potatoes and yummy, often new vegetables to try.

Last night the Engineer was in Oregon and it was Tuesday. I have 6 lovely organic sweet potatoes in my kitchen but I was not feeling the love. So, this is what I came up with.

Sauteed green beans with onions, garlic and sun dried tomatoes.
Acorn squash roasted with EVOO, S&P
Black beans and rice medley with lime and cilantro.

Yes, it was good. I gave it all thumbs up. The girls on the other hand did not appreciate the ease of this quick dinner and the freshness. m m m . . . just thinking about it makes me hungry.

En Guete!

* I know it is May and this blog did not even have one post in April. Moving will do that to you. You know what else will do that? Not having your shipment from Switzerland. Or receiving it 3 weeks late. I think it will make you plain grouchy - at least it has for me - it is arriving tomorrow. Glory Glory Hallelujah ! ! !

* * The Farmer's Market opens TODAY and it is Cinco de Mayo - what a fun day!

Arizona eating is what we are loving!

2010-03-31T17:30:00.002+02:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted on my food blog. Moving across the ocean will do that to you!

We are in Arizona gathering the rest of our belongings, giving My Mother in Law her living room back by clearing out some of my furniture, loving on family and friends and of course eating food we can ONLY get in AZ.

Here is our list of where we have been or plan on this trip:

In-n-out
Someburros
Joe's BBQ
Matta's
Tia Rosa's
Cafe Rio
Oregano's
Joe's Farm Grill

But of course there are not enough hours in the day or meals in the day to make it everywhere, so next trip:

CARRABBA'S

Of course I wish you were all here to eat with me so we could say
En Guete!

Green Smoothie Girls are what we have at this house!

2010-02-15T07:36:00.005+01:00

It is no secret that I love green smoothies and I LOVE my blendtec.

I am most inspired to eat green smoothies and get tons of ideas, recipes and support from Robyn aka Green Smoothie Girl.

I sent Robyn a picture of Miss M and Miss L with their green smoothies and she posted a little something on her blog. This is what she said:

Check out GSG reader Jenna’s daughters, with their green smoothie mustaches! They’re beautiful! (The girls more than the green on their faces!)

Jenna is a beautiful redhead living in Switzerland (an expat, I think), and this is part of her email to me:

“Thank you for inspiring me to eat healthier. I have recently made the change in our home to a plant based diet. We were already eating pretty healthy before but have now completely eliminated dairy and animal meats. Not easy to do in a country that is filled with cheese and meat. I am finding my way. My husband is completely supportive of this lifestyle change and I could not be more pleased.”

Miss M and Miss L

Jenna here again, hello!

No one is ever perfect in eating. I try my best to make the foods I feel will nourish my family. I ordered the most awesome Green Smoothie Recipe Collection last year. The best part for me was that it was a downloadable purchase - so nice when I want to try a new smoothie right away. Robyn also has awesome you tube videos that the girls love to watch. I think I feel another post in the works with my favorite raw ice cream and smoothie recipes . . . mmm . . . I am craving a smoothie.

En Guete!

Onion goggles are what we are Lovin'

2010-02-11T15:50:00.005+01:00

I love onions.

I slice a lot of onions in my kitchen.

I have heard many tips to help me not cry while cutting them.

* light a candle and put it between you and the cutting board where the onion is being cut?

* put a fan blowing the air in between you and the onion?

* cut dairy from your diet and you will not cry when cutting onions?

* use a sharp knife?

* refrigerate the onion before cutting?

* slice the onion correctly and you would not have a problem with tearing?

* slice faster and you wouldn't cry?

I am not a professional chef. I am a Mother who has a lot to do on my list when I am cooking for my family. So, last year I decided to make my life a little easier.

In my Christmas stocking I received a pair of these hot things.
Yes, these are official "onion goggles."
I saw a bubble gum pink pair at my cousin's house but did not get a chance to try them.

I know, they are so hot!

Who cares?

Because, you know what?

THEY WORK!

I put my goggles on, start slicing the onion, smell the onion, but no tears.
Guess what, by the fourth onion I am still not crying.
It was a Christmas miracle.
It makes me happy every time I chop onions.
So, basically every night!

One of the engineer's favorite geek websites ThinkGeek now sells them.

I believe Mrs. Claus ordered them from Amazon.

Cindy's Salsa is what we are loving ! ! !

2010-02-02T18:35:00.004+01:00

My friend Cindy and I got this recipe from a friend, Stephanie. One of the reasons why people call it "Cindy's Salsa" is because she makes it every Christmas and gives it to friends. She is so awesome.

We all love the salsa and we all LOVE Cindy.

Bren, Cindy and Heidi - 2009 Race for the Cure

Cindy's Salsa

2 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes

1/2 of an onion chopped

1 whole green pepper chopped

1/2 of a lime squeezed

1 bunch of cilantro (leaves only)

2 T. Vinegar

salt to taste

Add one can of tomatoes in a blender with all the other ingredients. Blend for a few seconds. Add 2nd can of tomatoes and blend to make as chunky or smooth as you want.

Note: I use regular cans of diced tomatoes because the Mexican ones here are hard to find and really expensive. I am a wimp, so instead of a green pepper I open and plunk in a can of mild green chilies. I use balsamic vinegar because I like the flavor. I add sliced green onions to the last blend if I have them.

ENJOY!

Artificial Sweeteners are what we are NOT eating or drinking!

2009-12-09T06:59:00.006+01:00

One of my favorite health, food and life blogs is called Making Love in the Kitchen. Get your mind out of the gutter, people.

Meghan is a Certified Nutritionist and Holistic Lifestyle Consultant. Click here to read her best post ever. If you only read one post from one blog today Please make it THIS ONE!

Promise?

I will wait right here until you are done.

Ok, good! Now that you have read it we can chat about what a wonderful article it is.

Miss M and Miss L will tell you that aspartame is rat poison. Yes, I told them that. If it makes them stop and think before they drink something with horrid chemicals in it then so be it.

My absolute favorite part in Meghan's article is, 

"I don’t need to see proof that something man-made in a lab won’t kill me, for me to eat it. I want proof that something man-made will heal."

Think about that!

SO, after fully reading her article, please stop drinking Diet Coke and baking using artificial sweeteners and giving it to your children.

So, let's sum up Meghan's article for today:

Artificial Sweeteners are bad!
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal)
Sucralose (Splenda)
D-Tagatose (Sugaree)
Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low)

Natural Sweeteners are good! More on that to come!

Än Guetä the good stuff! - Jenna

Scrumptious Banana Nut muffins are what's baking!

2009-09-25T15:28:00.005+02:00

We love banana nut muffins at our house.

Well, the engineer can't stand them but the rest of us love them. I have tried a few egg substitutions in the last little while with my regular recipe. No luck - the muffins were like bricks.

I googled vegan banana nut muffin and I was pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful comments below the recipe, so I had to print and try!

Can you tell which one is my new favorite recipe?
on the left, old recipe (aka brick)-on the right fabulous new muffin

Delightful Banana Nut Muffins
posted by happyfoody.com
Cookbook: The Garden of Vegan
By Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup dry sweetener (I like rapadura or turbinado)
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
¾ cup ground flaxseed (or oat bran)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 t vanilla extract
2/3 cup soy, rice, or almond milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax or oat bran, and walnuts. In a small bowl, combine the bananas, oil, vanilla and soy milk. Pour the liquid ingredients with the dry and mix together gently until “just mixed”. Spoon into a lightly oiled muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.

I followed the recipe exactly as it was written and the muffins turned out amazing. I usually make a batch of blueberry and a banana nut batch weekly! It is exciting to find a yummy new banana nut recipe.


Än Guetä

Chickpea Dinner is what's cooking!

2009-09-15T16:31:00.008+02:00

I have found out one of the best things about eating healthy is the fabulous support system that is just trying to do the same thing I am - eat healthy. Some do it for health reasons, whatever the reason it is so nice to have friends that also enjoy good food that can be modified to please plenty of people.

Chickpea curry with apricots
(I am not sure why this is called a curry, we renamed it simply Chickpea dinner)

Source: Nica, from “Gesund Essen: Säure-Basen-Kochbuch: Genuss im Gleichgewicht Leben” by Elisabeth Tischer

Translated and adapted by Tanya of expatchow

Loved by Jenna

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat

3 TB olive oil

Saute until golden, about 5 minutes:

1 onion, diced

Add and cook about 1 minute:

2 garlic cloves, minced

Chili powder

Dried oregano

Salt & pepper

Add and cook for a 6 minutes:

15oz can chickpeas

80 g dried apricots, chopped (mmm, I double and put in lots)

15oz can chopped tomatoes

Add and cook until apricots are very soft:

200mL veggie broth

Take off heat and stir in:

1 TB fresh lemon juice

2 TB parsley, fresh is preferred, chopped

Serve over rice.

Optional - serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, sour cream or drizzled with a bit more fresh lemon juice for a tangy finishing touch.

This is such an easy, fast recipe for me to make. I could definitely add it to my weekly list of foods to eat. The engineer and I thoroughly enjoy this dish. The girls on the other hand do not love it like us. They love the chickpeas and pick them all out to eat. How does Miss L who is my tomato lover not like cooked tomatoes? Crazy girl!

Än Guetä

Jenna's Hummus is what's blending!

2009-09-08T14:32:00.006+02:00

I posted earlier about Mediterranean night and a hummus recipe. It was one from Everyday food. I found my recipe - it was on the back cover of one of my cookbooks. A great "safe" place to put one of my favorite recipes. This is my double batch recipe.

Jenna's Hummus

2- 3 cloves of garlic (I mince mine first, if you are not a huge garlic fan, use 1 clove)

2 cans chickpeas (1st can, pour in everything, 2nd can, drain, keep liquid)

3 T. Lemon juice (fresh is best, lemon juice from a plastic lemon is fine)

2 T. Tahini

1 t. cumin

1 t. sea salt

1/8 t. cayenne (or to taste)

1/2 t. paprika

Put all ingredients except for the extra liquid from the 2nd chickpea can in the blender or food processor. Blend. Scrape down sides of blender if necessary. Add liquid from 2nd chickpea can until smooth. Olive oil is also a great liquid to use for a smooth hummus. Blend until smooth. Season to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of EVOO, a dash or two of paprika, maybe a kalamata olive or 10?

Of course sun dried tomatoes or roasted bell peppers can be added. Pour out half of the plain hummus from the blender and add tomatoes or peppers. mmm . . .

Enjoy with pita chips, veggies, wraps, etc.

Än Guetä

Booja Booja is what we are loving!

2009-09-07T08:53:00.008+02:00

Booja Booja is a dairy free delight I grabbed at the reformhaus Müller's last week.

It looked awesome and sounded amazingly good so I bought it.
It. was. not. cheap!
This little pint size container was 14 francs.

Basically nothing is cheap here in Zürich. So I thought I would get a little treat for our family. I also got some dark chocolate pops that the girls are in love with but this was something exciting and new. Let me tell you that container of booja booja is worth every rappen (Swiss penny).

I love how the packaging is in ENGLISH. On one part it addresses their friends in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in German. So cute!

The cool thing is; it is so good and simple. 4 ingredients.

water. agave syrup. cashews. vanilla oil.

I am looking forward to trying some of their other flavors. It is so creamy you would think it had dairy in it. Booja booja is amazing.

The girls L.O.V.E.D. it and were loving their sundaes I made with it!

ps . This last weekend I was feeling crappy. Thanks for the comments on my last post and on Facebook - YoU GuYs RoCk! I was feeling so much better Saturday that I decided to make a little sundae for the girls and I, the engineer was not feeling like a sundae at the time. I made three little sundaes. I am still working on my chocolate sauce recipe. The sundae was really good but not what my body needed. Even though it is awesome for you and RAW I still did not need the agave or the cold perhaps? I learned my lesson and will wait until I feel 100% better to make another treat for me with our little indulgence named booja booja.

Building my immune system is what I am doing!

2009-09-04T09:10:00.004+02:00

Do you feel like when the season's change that your body kind of freaks out? Am I the only one? I know stress has a major part of my immune system wanting to crash sometimes.

I woke up with a scratchy sore throat and then by the end of the day I felt achy and gross. I have a list of what I do to try to fight this. Sometimes it feels like as much as I try to fight it I still get a sinus infection that moves into my chest every 6 months. I end up back at my amazing Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. She is awesome but does that mean I want to feel sick and go see her? NO!

Here is my list of powerful supplements or ideas to knock this, whatever it is, on it's butt:

- LOTS of water

- Grapefruit seed extract in water/juice 25 drops

- capsule with Essential Oils -
oregano - 5 drops
rosemary - 5 drops
Spice of Life - 5 drops

- Oxypure in Water

- Vitamin C - lots of it

- Vitaspray - B Vitamin Spray

- Eucalyptus oil on my back, chest and feet

- ADRENergize

- Green Smoothies with very little fruit

Of course, lots of rest, I am going back to bed.

Do you have any ideas that you want to share? I will definitely try them if I can locate them here in Zürich.

I will be healthy . I will be healthy . I will be healthy ! ! !

Aunt Karlee's Chili is what's cooking!

2009-09-03T13:45:00.005+02:00

My cousin Karlee has a fabulous Chili Recipe. My family loves it. I especially love it because it is so easy. The main word I have eliminated from the title is Chicken. Add it if you want. I personally do not think it is necessary. A few months ago I made it, how I always have, with chicken, and told the engineer, "If only it did not have chicken in it, it is really ruining the taste." That meal was the 1st premonition of food for me.

Onto the recipe - luckily this week, in Zürich, we have had a little more "Fall" weather with rain and a nice morning and evening chill in the air! It feels like the perfect time to try out all my new recipes and everyone knows that comfort food tastes so much better when it is cold outside.

Let me be perfectly clear, this recipe is not a chili cook off contender - it is not meant to be!
It is simply a good easy chili that of course can be made into a chili bar where everyone gets to add their own toppings. Are you seeing a pattern here? I really like for everyone to customize their own meal at the end with toppings. I find it is an easy way to make everyone happy and full. In my opinion this chili is not finished without the toppings.

Karlee's Chili Recipe
adapted by Jenna

2 8 oz. cans stewed or diced tomatoes
2 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can mild green chilies (imported from AZ, of course)
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put everything in a medium size saucepan on the stove, heat and stir. Or combine everything in a slow cooker and simmer on low all day.

recipe tips:

- use whatever amount or combination of beans you have or prefer

- if you like your chili super thick, strain beans and tomatoes, if you like a soupy chili, drain everything well

Toppings can include but are not limited to:

- green onions or finely minced onion
- guacamole or diced avocado
- sour cream (soy?)
- cheese - optional(I have not been able to find soy cheese here yet?)
- diced chicken (if you are trying to please a meat eater, try this as a topping)

There are a couple ways we enjoy this chili:

A big bowl of Tortilla Chips on the table to dip chili with! This is always the girls #1 choice.

Served over rice or quinoa.

I have had it both ways many times and I think both options are delicious. After writing this recipe maybe I should change the title to 9 can chili?

Please recycle!

Än Guetä

Willpower is not what's happening ?

2009-09-02T12:34:00.002+02:00

I often have people ask me why I try to not eat sugar and lately dairy or meat?

My answer in a really simplified shortened response is - I have NO willpower, none. My post was inspired by Heather of Heather Eats Almond Butter, she is awesome!

If I love something I. eat. it. - a lot of it. 

MMM . . .  goat cheese feta sprinkled on a salad? um, ya, that sounds great but I would also like to eat it in slices out of the package until the package is empty.

- 1 little popsicle, no thanks I am really craving one and I think 3 would quench that craving.

- potato chip and butter baked fresh fish? not good as leftovers, I will eat two fillets now.

- popcorn? it sounds so good I will pop a whirly pop full and eat the entire thing in 1 sitting.

- smoothie? Yes, Please! I think I will drink the rest of the blendtec container right now?

- Italian figs fresh from the market? you betcha! I will take two containers full! what? those blackberries are on sale 2 for 3 I will take 4 containers!

You get my point.

If I am going to eat I might as well be eating healthy - besides the fact that I do not have enough room in my little fridge for everything that looks great at the market.

I love the saying "you are what you eat" - you know the one you hear all growing up whenever health was talked about in school? I never really believed it until I was in my 20's. I am still trying to learn to listen to my body, sometimes I feel like I know when I am full and sometimes I love the taste of what I am eating and regret it later - kind of like Thanksgiving dinner, you know?

I am trying to instill in my children the desire to be healthy at their young age. I hope to teach them to listen to their bodies and feel whether they are full and whether or not they really need that 5th cookie to feel good?

What tips do you have for getting kids to learn willpower? Do you have any little helps or reminders for you?

Fast and Easy Lunches are what's cooking!

2009-09-01T15:17:00.007+02:00

I like to have lunches that are fast and filling.

It has been hot and humid off and on here in Zürich, some days I do not feel like turning on the oven at all. I was craving nachos, my solution to this was 7 layered bean dip.

I took a oven safe plate and added:

- a couple spoonfuls of vegetarian refried beans

- a sprinkle of black beans

I put the plate in the toaster oven and warmed the plate of beans. When it was done I carefully removed the hot plate and finished my lunch plate by adding:

- avocado chunks

- diced grape tomatoes

- chopped black olives

- diced green onions (purple variety)

- soy sour cream

I ate the 7 layer bean dip platter with tortilla chips. It hit the spot and I was ready to finish the day.

I was so thrilled to find soy sour cream here in Zürich at Müller Reformhaus. It is really thick but I thinned it out with a little bit of soy milk. The soy sour cream is a perfect addition for Mexican meals and cravings.

What quick healthy lunches are you eating?

Än Guetä

Banana Nut Smoothie is what I'm Loving!

2009-08-31T10:28:00.007+02:00

I love one of my new recipe books. I ordered it online (that always helps with International Shipping charges), downloaded it and printed it. Surprise, surprise, it is Green Smoothie Recipes by Green Smoothie Girl

There are tons of amazing recipes to try and I have not even made a dent in the 230 recipes included.

This is one of my new favorites adapted from Lori M. from the GSG collection.

Banana Nut Smoothie

1 cup rice milk

1 cup coconut milk

1 - 2 cups spinach

2 bananas

1 - 2 T. almond butter

2 T. cocoa powder

1 cup ice

Blend and enjoy! This made about 3 cups or three 1 cup servings. These can be made into popsicles too - they are a little on the icy side but the girls love them.

Än Guetä

Washing Greens step by step is what's happening!

2009-08-28T14:13:00.013+02:00

I think really wet lettuce in a salad is annoying.

I have a little procedure I now follow to make sure my salad greens are ready to soak up a yummy dressing. As well as not leaving a puddle of water in my salad bowl or chomping on sand or bugs - don't laugh - this is a real problem with "fresh" produce in Switzerland. Of course produce from the Farmer's Markets is fresh and occasionally has bugs. My girls love playing with the inch worms that have made their home in our broccoli or greens.

Anywho,

I wash my greens the day before or up until 20 minutes before we eat. It may seem like a lot of work but I find that it is worth it to start a salad with clean and relatively dry greens.

Step by step instructions of how I wash greens:

1 - Cut up the greens.

2 - Put greens in colander.

3 - Rinse really well. If greens are really sandy or dirty or have tons of bugs, soak and swish them in cold water in a large bowl first and then do the same rinsing in the colander.

4 - Check to make sure the greens are clean. Re-rinse until they look good.

5 - Squeeze all the water out with your hands.

Of course, the best thing to do would be to spin in a salad spinner but mine is melting in a storage facility in Arizona, so I squeeze.

6 - Put greens in a paper towel lined bowl.

I usually have more than 1 type of green in my salad, so my greens are layered with paper towels in between them.

green leaf lettuce 1st . . . red leaf lettuce . . .

. . . and spinach.

7 - Finish by putting another paper towel on top.

8 - Put in the fridge until ready to toss salad.

When we are ready to eat I pull all the layers of paper towels out and toss the greens. I usually make a large bowl of greens that we will eat for dinner and then lunch the next day. As long as they have the paper towel on them in the fridge my greens stay moist and unwilted. Thanks Jack for the inspiration for my storage procedure.

Some of my favorite salad greens:

~ baby spinach

~ Swiss chard

(little leaves that look like spinach but have red veins)

~ red leaf lettuce

~ green leaf lettuce

~ romaine lettuce

~ butter lettuce

~ arugula

(bitter but once you try it, you might get hooked and love it?)

Än Guetä

White Bean and Spinach Pasta is What's Cooking!

2009-08-27T13:09:00.000+02:00

There are tons of great blogs and websites that have healthy recipes. Miss L loves looking at them and thumbing through recipes I have printed out. Miss L really likes to look at vegandad.blogspot.com, she loves the label cloud on his sidebar. Last week, she wanted Italian and this is what she chose.

Click Here for the original recipe from vegandad himself.

White Bean and Greens Pasta

adapted from vegandad.blogspot.com

250 grams whole wheat pasta*

2 T. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup marsala or red wine (veggie broth would work great)

1 15 oz. can canelloni beans

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (juice and all)

basil (fresh or dried) to taste

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups baby spinach

1. Cook pasta in salted water until just about done (leave it a bit underdone so it can suck up the sauce).

2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion for 5-7 mins, until translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 min more.

3. Add wine and beans and mix well. Let bubble and reduce for a few mins. Add tomatoes and mix well. Season to taste with basil and salt and pepper.

4. Drain pasta and return to pot. Return pot to medium heat. Add in sauce and spinach. Bring to bubbling and let cook for 8-10 mins, or until pasta and spinach has fully cooked and sauce has reduced. Enjoy!
* This original recipe made way too much or our family of four. Even for leftovers it was a crazy amount.I halved the amount of pasta for the recipe so it is more manageable. You could make the entire 500g bag and use half for another meal.
I love garlic and onions
- most of my meals start with those two ingredients in the saucepan.
Sauteed until golden brown = yummm!

red wine added and boiling away.

cans of tomatoes added.

I added swiss chard - so beautiful - but my girls said they would prefer spinach. It was a tad bit stringy. Smaller pieces next time. check.

I put the lid on and stirred it a few times. Yes, it really does cook all the way down to this.

My pans were not big enough to mix everything together, so I poured half of the noodles into a large mixing bowl and 2 cans of drained barlotti beans (why do I see a can of white beans daily until I need it?) I LOVED the taste of the beans in with the pasta and greens.

The recipe made a lot of food.

We have always done a little system with our girls. If they love something it is 2 thumbs up. If they think it is ok, 2 thumbs sideways, if they do not want me to make it ever again it is 2 thumbs down. From now on, I will be adding the girls reviews to each recipe.

I find that our little system gets them to at least take one bite if they are unsure of a new food. It works for us, give it a try!

Än Guetä - Jenna!

Random Hummus Wraps are what I am eating!

2009-08-26T09:00:00.000+02:00

The other night I was cleaning out the freezer in our cellar. I found 2 little American steaks from Germany, a package of bacon with nitrates - how did that get in there?, a cervelat for grilling on field trips from last school year, a package of Nürnburger sausages and two packages of chicken.

As we are eliminating these such products from our home - more on that later - I decided to thaw out the steaks and grill 'em up for the engineer. Not really grill, more like broil. My girls usually love a random steak too so I thought they might enjoy this last one from my kitchen :)

I on the other hand was craving something light and healthy.

My creation - the random hummus wrap!

I love hummus. Maybe a little too much sometimes, perhaps?

We already had the hummus on the table with veggies and pita chips.

I took a tortilla, smeared hummus on it, then opened the fridge and added a few items to my wrap.

Random Hummus Wrap

base - tortilla wrap

sauce - hummus

toppings -

sliced cucumbers

diced avocado

chopped arugula

chopped grape tomatoes

quinoa pilaf (or Spanish rice would be great too)

If I had not just run out of tahini the day before making the hummus I would have made a tahini sauce to drizzle all over the wrap. It was still fabulous and Miss M ended up eating some and loving it.

After I took the picture below I added a spoon full of quinoa pilaf to my wrap and wrapped it up. In case you are not a professional wrap maker or burrito wrapper or an Arizona native (this means you should know how to fold a burrito?) let me give you a hint . . . I had twice as much filling as I should have had.

It was a tad messy but oh so good.

I was eating my random hummus wrap and my family was eating steak, green beans and quinoa pilaf. Miss M said to the engineer that she could not chew through the steak because her teeth would not chew it. He only replied, "that is music to Mommy's ears."

Hummus wraps could definitely be built like a salad bar - everyone gets to choose what toppings they want - think of all the yummy possibilities.

Än Guetä

Homemade Croutons are What's Cooking!

2009-08-25T09:00:00.005+02:00

I love to make homemade croutons. When I make them at home basically from scratch they are fresh and I know exactly what goes in them. And if you forget, like I do, about a loaf of bread that is going stale, this is the recipe for you.

Miss M will eat a bowl full of croutons if I let her.

Yes, they are that good!

Jenna's Croutons

1 loaf french bread (I prefer the whole wheat loaf)

4 T. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) optional 1/2 EVOO, 1/2 butter

1 t. sea salt

1 T. dried parsley

2 cloves minced garlic or 1 t. garlic powder

1 T. grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Mix all ingredients except for the bread in a medium bowl. Cut the loaf of bread into big dices or chunks. Stir the bread pieces into oil mixture until the bread is coated. This is the time to taste the coated bread to taste the seasonings. Add more salt or garlic if needed.

Pour the coated bread onto a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Bake at 300 degrees F or 150 C for 10 minutes. Stir croutons and cook for 10 more minutes. If they are crunchy after the combined 20 minutes of cooking, you are good to go. If not, stir again and bake for 10 more minutes. Once croutons are crunchy take out of oven and let cool in pan. After croutons cool completely, store in an air tight container.

Ours never last longer than a few days but my Better Homes and Garden cookbook says their recipe lasts up to 1 week. My recipe is very loosely based on BH&G cookbook - you know the old school red and white plaid one? I open it up quite often to get cooking temps and times.

We eat croutons on salads and soups. This just happens to be the same oil recipe I use to make garlic bread. I broil the bread quickly instead of baking for so long. Of course, being extra cautious as to not burn the garlic toast to a blackened crisp.

Än guetä

Luxemburgerli's are a sweet treat!

2009-08-24T14:56:00.007+02:00

Now that healthy week is over I am onto sweets . . .

at least for today and this one post!

I was in Zürich this morning on Bahnhofstrasse and was craving a Mövenpick gelato cone - yogurt flavored was not present I was eyeing the caramelita. It was after 11 am after all. I had my wallet out and everything. When it was my turn to order my tram pulled up and I said, "Nein, Danke," and ran to the tram. I was so proud of myself for not getting a gelato when I totally could have gotten a cone and waited for the next tram arrival only 7 minutes later.

The next tram stop was Sprüngli, so I decided to reward myself with a different sweet.

These are the 5 flavors that made it home on the tram.

Espresso Chocolate(for the engineer)Seasonal Cherry Caramel Citron(lemon)

If you are ever in Zürich, Switzerland I highly recommend stopping by Sprüngli and trying a Luxemburgerli. We call them little hamburgers at our house and they are definitely quite the sweet treat for us.

I love the little note that comes with the box - it says,

"to enjoy as soon as possible" - is there any other way?

ps - thanks tram 13 - I heart U!

Salad Bar is What's cooking!

2009-08-21T07:40:00.001+02:00

We love salads at our house!

Always have.

always will!

My favorite dinner, especially in the heat of the summer is . . .

you guessed it, to make a salad bar for dinner.

#1 -I start out with a bed of lettuce and spinach.

Swiss chard is also good to add. Arugula a.k.a. Rocket is one of my favorite spicy greens.

#2 -Then come the toppings.

This is the best part for the girls and the engineer because they get to choose exactly what goes on their dinner plate.

Toppings can include but are not limited to:

veggies -

diced beets

diced bell peppers

purple onions - sliced thin

green onions

shredded carrots

cucumbers

cherry tomatoes

raw or sauteed zucchini

caramelized white or purple onions

fruits-

avocados

dried cranberries

fresh pineapples

sliced strawberries

mandarin oranges

other-

corn

black beans

kidney beans

white beans

pinto beans

croutons

pecans

walnuts

sunflower seeds

slivered almonds

sun dried tomatoes

artichoke hearts

olives

pickles

roasted bell peppers (coop sells a jar of fabulous ones)

Spanish rice

salsa

crushed tortilla chips

You get the idea, the options are practically endless. Whatever is in my fridge that I think someone might eat on a salad, it goes in the salad bar.

#3 -Then the dressing arrives.

My first post of this blog was my favorite two dressing recipes, well, hate to tell you but the ranch has been replaced with a new dressing. Yep, a new dressing recipe.

I found the recipe in finecooking.com magazine. It was included with a recipe for a cobb salad with fresh herbs. I have never tried the cobb part of the recipe but Miss M and I could eat my version of the dressing with a spoon. I have altered their recipe a bit, they call it vinaigrette -

here is my version, I call it . . .

Miss M's Lemon Mustard Dressing

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

zest & juice from 1 large lemon - about 1/4 juice

1 T. agave syrup

2 cloves minced garlic

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. sea salt

1/4 t. pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and blend with the stick blender until combined and creamy. Season to taste. Drizzle lightly over salad and enjoy.

* Cook's Note - the engineer did not like this dressing plain but LOVES it on a salad - it is a tad bit strong alone.

Since I was measuring and all today, I decided to measure my brown dressing recipe and write it down WITH measurements also, here it is;

Miss L's brown dressing recipe

6 oz. EVOO

4 oz. Balsamic Vinegar

2 oz. water

1 T. 21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joe's) Trocomare would work as well, any seasoning blend that you like will work great.
1 T. Agave Syrup or Honey

1/2 t. sea salt (omit this if your seasoning blend has salt)

Put all ingredients into a bowl and blend with the stick blender. Season to taste. That stick blender is amazing and makes all my dressings so smooth and creamy. This dressing is also great to dip pizza crusts or breadsticks in or drizzle over plain WW pasta.

** Both salad dressings are good in the fridge for at least two weeks. After that amount of time the quantities are running low anyways and it is time for another batch to be made.

Än Guetä! - Jenna

update: sweetener added to Miss L's recipe - sorry that was omitted!

Shopping with kids is what's cooking!

2009-08-20T10:04:00.007+02:00

I know this is not an eye opening revelation to getting kids to eat healthy BUT "Healthy Week" continues with the theory that shopping with kids opens their eyes to healthy foods.

As much as I enjoy my alone time at the grocery store or Farmer's Market (FM), I can definitely see the value of taking my girls with me. Tuesday I went to the market with Tanya from expat chow. We are kind of market buddies you could say. Jess came too! I like Burkliplatz FM but the Helvitiaplatz FM has become a fast favorite. Jack not only has a list on his website of most of the markets in CH (click on the side of his page) but a list of what's in season that changes monthly. Awesome info!

As I was unpacking my three full bags I thought everything was so pretty and vibrant I had to snap a photo. I also went by Coop to get some random items for our week of food. Some of the food was not put away when the girls came home for lunch. They loved looking over my finds from the market and figuring out what we could have for dinner with our lovely array of food.

When I take my girls to the Farmer's Market or grocery store we spend a lot of time in the veggie section. They get to choose new foods or old favorites.

Miss L always wants tomatoes, artichokes and bananas

Miss M is a little more random but ALWAYS wants avocados

Usually they are getting ready to go to school when I make my list of what I need. If they are unable to shop with me that day I ask them what they need from the store or market. This not only gets their minds thinking but really makes them feel like they have a decision in what they eat and what our family eats.

My next goal is to have Miss L cook for our family once a week. She wants so desperately to do this, the question is, if I am ready to hand over the control of my kitchen to my 9 year old.

The most important part for me is to make my daughters realize what amazing foods there are and how good they are for our bodies. Even though we do not always eat the perfect meal, we are all trying and that is the most important part.

Än Guetä! - Jenna

Steel Cut Oats are what's cooking!

2009-08-19T08:00:00.002+02:00

My favorite, healthy, really easy, breakfast for me and the girls is you guessed it . . . oatmeal. Here in Zürich I find steel cut oats in a teal bag by the name of porridge. My husband (the engineer) eats breakfast at work, he does enjoy a good bowl of oatmeal every now and then, maybe on a Holiday?

I start the oatmeal as soon as I wake up and it is done about 35 minutes later.

photo - courtesy of nienie

I make oatmeal 5 days a week - Monday through Friday.

Rarely, I will hear, "oatmeal?, I did not want oatmeal for breakfast!"

I nicely reply, "would you like walnuts, bananas, blueberries or maple syrup on top of yours?"

or "did you want your smoothie or your oatmeal first?"

Easy Oatmeal

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup water (I tried 1 cup water and 1/2 cup apple juice - I thought it was fabulous, the girls hated it, just try it once)

dash of salt

Put all three ingredients in a medium saucepan. Turn stove to high and bring to boil. Once oatmeal comes to a rolling boil, put lid on and turn the heat to low for 10 minutes. After timer goes off, turn off the stove and leave the pan where it is with the lid still on.

Set the timer for 20 more minutes. After your 2nd timer beeps, stir and ENJOY! This makes enough for two small portions for the girls and a good size portion for me.

Some toppings that would be healthy and yummy:

Maple syrup - usually this is all my girls eat on theirs.

Fresh Blueberries

Fresh Raspberries

Sliced Bananas

Chopped Walnuts

Chopped Almonds

Ground Flax Seeds

Flax oil drizzled a bit

Honey

Cinnamon

* I took nienie's recipe for oatmeal and revised it. I like the proportions of water to oatmeal - it tastes really creamy.

En Guete! - Jenna

Veggie Plates are What's Cooking!

2009-08-18T08:00:00.005+02:00

It does not matter what we are having for lunch or dinner there is usually a plate of veggies on the table. The first thing I do when I start to make any meal is put a veggie tray on the table. Not only does it give the girls something to snack on, they are not asking me for an hour what they can eat or telling me how hungry they are while I am finishing a meal.

My girls munch on veggies without even thinking because they are there. I am sure if I put chips or pretzels they would eat those as well. Why not put healthy food out for a little appe"teaser"?

I do not put any ranch on our veggie plate. If anything I will make a hummus to dip veggies in. The vegetables taste so good here in Switzerland, ranch dip is really not necessary.

Än Guetä! - Jenna

Green Smoothies are what's cooking!

2009-08-17T11:32:00.005+02:00

One of my favorite things to make in the morning is a Green Smoothie. My favorite website about them of course is greensmoothiegirl.com. Robyn not only has tons of information on her blog she also has a lot of youtube videos where I have gotten great ideas and new recipes. She has one where she explains to her kids about white flour - so great!

I have tried a lot of recipes from all different blogs and websites, GSG being my fave. My conclusion is - I think all kids are different. If your kids are used to tons of sugar they are not going to automatically love a green smoothie. When I first started making them, they tasted too "green" for my girls. They have gotten used to them and I have gradually put more greens in.

This is a picture of an old recipe but you get the idea of what goes in the blender.

Here is my new favorite recipe:

Jenna's favorite Green Smoothie

Put ingredients in blender in order:

2 cups Water

1 - 2 big handfuls of spinach

2 apples (cut into fourths and seeds removed, sweet apples)

1/2 lemon (I have found it is too bitter to include the peel, I cut out the flesh and only throw it in)

2 carrots (scrubbed and cut into 2 inch pieces)

4 inches of a cucumber (cut in half)

1 scoop protein powder

Put lid on - Blend on whole juice cycle!

It looks kind of gross after that cycle!

Then add:

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 cold bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

sweetener (stevia or agave syrup)

Ice - I have teeny tiny trays here in Switzerland - maybe 1 cup?

Blend on Smoothie Setting!

This fills up the entire blender 64 oz. Container. That is the normal size that comes with the blendtec.

Voila! This makes enough for my girls and I to each have 1 serving in the morning and 1 serving in the afternoon.

My girls love their green smoothies with straws.

It is fun to throw in extra stuff or whatever fun fruits or veggies are in my fridge or freezer.

Variations are limitless but here is what we sometimes add:

yogurt

any fresh berries

frozen mangoes

frozen raspberries (I put these in the with the whole juice cycle so the seeds get pulverized)

coconut milk or coconut meat

Swiss chard or kale

frozen spinach if I run out of fresh

flax meal or flax oil

* Lemon helps cover up the green taste. Blueberries make it a pretty color.

Another fabulous thing to do with green smoothies is to freeze them and make popsicles out of them. My girls and even visitors love them. SHHHH - no one needs to know they have veggies in them.

En Guete! - Jenna

Healthy week is What's Cooking!

2009-08-17T11:08:00.003+02:00

Sometimes I get friends and strangers asking how I get my girls to eat healthy. When my girls are at a party and get a huge plate of bell peppers and a little bit of sweets, some people are shocked. It is not because I am Mother of the Year or anything like that. Though they are engraving and shining the trophy as I type this.

I am really lucky, I have girls that will try a lot of healthy foods. My girls have also been introduced to all kinds of veggies since they were babies.

I love it when a friend goes home and tells his Mom that he ate spinach at my house (in a popsicle) it makes my heart happy!

This week I will be posting about the foods that I make for my family to keep us healthy.

One of my favorite quotes:

Feeding SOULS, not filling Holes.

June What's in Season is what's Cooking!

2009-07-10T09:23:00.004+02:00

I had the opportunity to go to another What's in Season Class with Jack and Silvia from Laughing Lemon in June.

We, of course, were able to sample all of the season's tomatoes that local Zürich farmer's markets have to offer.

We made zucchini flowers - they were so good I could have eaten the entire plate.

This is the pan that held the most important ingredients for ratatouille. After it was prepared we ate it with baked polenta rounds. Oh my goodness - my mouth is watering - maybe I will make this for dinner tonight.

Here is Jack holding the finished Cherry clafouti - a dessert that originates from central France.

We ate it with roasted apricots and vanilla ice cream - the apricots were my favorite.

We also made our own spiced salad vinegar for us to take home and stare at until it is ready - about 2- 3 months. We had some vinegar on our salad that was 2 years old - so amazing!

Elisa Tanya Jack Silvia Jenna Meike

Thanks Jack and Silvia for another wonderful class !

Healthy Chocolate Fondue is what's cooking!

2009-07-08T13:23:00.005+02:00

I put this picture first for a reason!

If I had put this one first would you really want to try out this chocolate fondue recipe?

I did not think so.

I was inspired by the Jessica Seinfeld book Deceptively Delicious.

Jessica's recipe:

1 Tablespoon margarine

1/2 cup avocado puree

1/4 cup carrot puree

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Jenna's Healthy Chocolate Fondue

2 bars of Lindt Chocolate (we prefer 50 - 60%)

2 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup avocado puree

1/4 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine purees with butter or oil. If making your purees fresh, put puree through sieve to get out major chunks. In a saucepan - double boiler - melt the chocolate, when chocolate is completely melted mix with puree mixture and then add then powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined and smooth-ish. Serve warm with fruit, graham crackers, pretzels, marshmallows, etc.

~ note, When you have Lindt Chocolate why would you use cocoa powder? That is another reason why I was inspired by Jessica's recipe but altered it. That and I don't use margarine, EVER. And I am trying to scale down the sugar intake at this house. I used half as much powdered sugar because the chocolate already has sugar in it - add more sugar to your family's taste. I used sweet potatoes instead of carrots because that is what I already had pureed. It turned out great and no one ever guessed it was full of good stuff.

Just an idea of what your fruit platter can look like. . .

. . . and what it might look like after a 2 year old eats and devours her fondue.

En Guete! - Jenna

Market Food is what's cooking!

2009-05-19T10:02:00.006+02:00

One of the best part about living in Zürich, Switzerland is the farmer's markets. Local, Fresh food 6 days a week. In different areas of the city of course but if you are willing to walk down the hill, or hop on a tram or train, fresh food is available.

I have a friend Tanya, she has an amazing food blog called EXPAT CHOW. She is a truly an inspiring cook. She will replicate food she loved and try so many new things I would not have the patience to try. I love being one of her taste testers, she is so daring!

Tanya and I are huge fans of Laughing Lemon. We went to a What's in Season cooking class last year with Jack and Silvia and we are looking forward to another one next week. Jack was kind enough to take us on a tour of his favorite Wednesday market, Oerlikon. He not only showed us the good vendors but explained to us how to find good vendors in whatever market we are at.

These beauties, AKA sugar snap peas tasted just as fabulous as they look. They are only available for a few weeks in the spring and oh, what a treat.

Cherries are a favorite in our house. My grandparents have cherry trees in Arizona and every spring we would get a delivery from my Grandpa of a box of cherries. This little bag of cherries did not last long between 3 cherry lovers.

I am trying to branch out and try new things. ASPARAGUS! I had never made it before last week. It is so easy to make. Jack instructed me how to prepare it. It was quite a hit at our house, even 5 year old, Miss M, ate it right up! I guess it was a good thing that my husband had dinner with colleagues, we were not sharing at all.

Such a simple, yet satisfying meal.
Fresh asparagus blanched with homemade mayo, quinoa pilaf and baked sweet potatoes.

Thanks Jack for the tour and info!

Nana's Cashew Chicken with Broccoli is what's cooking!

2009-04-20T19:30:00.002+02:00

So, I am still alive and still cooking, eating and loving food.

This recipe is one of the staples in our home that my husband and girls LOVE. It is fast and easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

I serve it over a rice mixture of 1/2 brown, 1/2 basmati rice. I mix them in the same saucepan, bring to a boil with water and salt (following the package instructions - if they happen to be in a language I can read), put lid on and turn to low and let simmer for 20 minutes and viola - healthier rice for my family. Thanks Amy for the fabulous tip!

To bring out the fabulous flavor of the cashews an option is to toast raw cashews in oil (EVOO) before adding them to the dish. Not all of us can get a gigantic can of cashews from Costco already toasted. Also a great plus is you know exactly how much oil and salt and what kind of oil is being toasted with the nuts.

Cashew Chicken with Broccoli

2 t. oil
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 – 2 cups broccoli flowerets (fresh or frozen)
1 cup chicken broth (no MSG)
2 T. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
1 cup cashews (or a little more :)

Saute onion and garlic about 2 minutes. Add chicken, sauté until golden brown. Add broccoli, broth and soy sauce. Simmer covered 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup water, stir into skillet. Simmer, stirring over medium heat until thickened. Boil 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup cashews. Serve over rice.

Guten Appetit - Jenna

Turkey a la king is what's cooking!

2009-01-12T09:17:00.008+01:00

Hello, I am here!

When I first started this food blog, I had major dreams about it! What I would post, how awesome I would be at posting every food picture I took. Well, reality is different. I love to cook but I don't measure everything. I have been trying to be better about measuring and writing down recipes and the changes that I make. How can I post a recipe if I don't know exactly how I made it? It also helps when my husband says, " what did you do different this time?" I wish I knew. I do take a lot of pictures that I see every time I open iphoto, waiting for me to edit and post.

I also love healthy cooking so I substitute natural sweeteners for white refined sugar and ground whole white wheat for white flour as much as I can. I am a sugar addict so the easiest way I can make little changes is in substituting. I also have lots of other little quirks about food but that is an entirely different post.

Let's get on with the food.

My last post was about what amazing sweets to make for turkey day. This post is about what to do with the freezer bag full of leftover turkey - if you still have any left.

Turkey a la King

Saute on medium heat:

White onions diced - 1 medium
Mushrooms - 5 small white
Red bell pepper - 1/2 BP diced
Butter (I throw a little olive oil in so the butter does not brown, maybe a tablespoon of each)
Salt and Pepper

After those are softened and glistening, I add:

1/4 cup flour
chicken broth packet (no MSG)

I stir that around a bit to get the flour taste out of it, then I add:

1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth if you don't have the fancy packets from Trader Joes
1 cup milk

After that starts to bubble a little, I add:

Cooked, shredded or chunked turkey or chicken (that would make it Chicken a la King)
frozen peas (1/2 bag, whole bag? whatever your kids will eat)

After the turkey and peas are warm, you are good to go! Taste it and season a little more with S&P if needed. If it is too thick I add a little bit of water to make it pourable over the cute little pastry cups I got at the store. If your nearest store does not have any fabulous pastry cups, this recipe is great over biscuits.

See what I mean about not measuring a lot. Sorry! Throw in as many veggies as your family will eat. It is also really great the next day as leftovers.

Guten Appetit - Jenna

Pumpkin Bars are what's cooking!

2008-11-26T09:32:00.005+01:00

For Halloween I made the most amazing pumpkin bars. I plan on making them for our Saturday Thanksgiving feast, they are that good! I am not bragging, I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. How good were they? They were so good I forgot to take a picture. Do you really think that my pumpkin bars would have that little amount of walnuts on top? No!

*photo also by allrecipes

Paul's Pumpkin Bars (Paul is my new BFF)

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (me - 2 cups fresh cooked)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.

That is straight from one of my favorite websites, allrecipes! I love allrecipes because it has temperatures in Celsius as well as Farenheit. I also love allrecipes because people can make comments and add their own ideas of what works and what does not. I only roll my eyes to this fabulous system when some lovely commenters add things like:

"this turned out horrible! I did not have baking soda, so I doubled the powder I had and I did not have bread flour so I doubled the whole wheat flour, oh ya, I only had 1 egg and it called for 4, so I just added extra milk, what a dumb recipe, thanks a lot, Gary!"

Or whoever the recipe contributor's name might be. If you do not make a recipe how they say to and it turns out like crap I do not think you have the right to comment. It is that simple. I am not kidding with the crazy changes people think are ok to try and comment about like it is the contributors fault! The funny thing about Paul's bars that were submitted by Deb Martin (thanks Deb) some commenters were saying they were too cakey? Cakey and delicious is all I have to add to that.

So, let me just add that to Paul's amazing recipe, the only thing I changed was canned pumpkin to fresh pumpkin. Seeing that in Switzerland if you can find a can of overpriced pumpkin it is rare, it just seemed easier for me to use fresh. Oh, and I added TONS of walnuts to half of the pan. And I used an entire 8 oz. cream cheese container with the obvious larger increments of other ingredients to make the cream cheese frosting marvelous. And that is it, I promise. So, instead of pumpkin pie tomorrow or maybe in addition to, why not try my favorite pumpkin bars.

Happy Thanksgiving America!

Guten Appetit! - Jenna

Vampire pizza for Halloween is What's Cooking!

2008-11-07T09:45:00.005+01:00

Halloween came and went quickly when we live in a place that does not celebrate the fun Holiday! I decided to make a "vampire" pizza for lunch. Salami was the hair and eyebrows. The eyes were purple onions and black olives. The nose and teeth were bell peppers and the lips were grape tomatoes. My kids loved it and thought it was fun to eat part of the vampire on Halloween.

I think the possibilities are endless with the fun people-art that can be put on a pizza. This was a surprise when they walked in the door for lunch but usually my kids love to make their own pizza and choose their own toppings.

before and after - I also added some Italian seasoning to the top before baking - vampire with bad skin?

What post would be complete without a recipe. Here is my pizza dough recipe. My Mom has used it for years. I love to double it and make two pizzas. I love it because it is simple. Here is the original for 1 pizza.

Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water

3 T. yeast

2 T. oil (I use EVOO)

2-3 cups flour

Put water, yeast and oil in mixer bowl. Mix slightly. Add flour by starting with 2 cups and add 1/4 cup more at a time until dough is not too sticky. Let rise until double (I put a warm damp towel over the bowl and put it in the warmest part of the house) You can use a little more flour when rolling out so it does not stick to your stone or pan.

* If you do not have a mixer or it happens to be the wrong voltage,

you can use the old school way with a bowl and a wooden spoon - it works just as good. Use a whisk to mix the water, yeast and oil and the 1st cup of flour and then a wooden spoon for the rest.

* I play around with what types of flour I use every time. For a single batch I have been putting about 100 grams of white wheat flour and 325 grams of white flour. It gives a little more texture to a very white pizza crust.

* You can also add seasoning in the dough already mixed in with the flour. Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese or crushed garlic gives it tons of extra flavor.

Guten Appetit - Jenna

My fabulous pancake recipe is what's cooking!

2008-11-05T09:42:00.009+01:00

We love pancakes at our house!

I found this recipe in a magazine about 7 years ago and have been playing with it ever since.

What is so fabulous about them? They are fresh! They are not out of a box that begins with the letter B. They have texture! They are real pancakes!

You can eat them with maple syrup or you can get crazy and throw some bananas and crushed walnuts on top with the maple syrup! My kids love them with syrup or jam. Or our newest love is PB & J - yep, adding some yummy protein in the morning and smearing Peanut butter on the first pancake and jam on the top. m m m .

Jenna's fabulous pancakes!

1 cup red wheat flour

1 cup white wheat flour (any combination of flour you want)
2 T. Flax meal
1 cup quick oats
1 cup rolled oats
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a hole in center,

then add:

2 cups Milk rice, almond, cow, whatever kind of milk you like

1 cup water

1/4 cup oil (replacing the entire 1/4 c. with applesauce works great)
1/4 cup honey (maple syrup is yummy too)

After adding the liquids to the center, combine with whisk. Add a little more water if the batter is too thick. Spray griddle then cook on medium heat until the bubbles appear on the first side and then they are not burned on the second. You know what I mean.

*Can be cooked, stuck in the fridge and then reheated in a toaster oven. I have also had ladies tell me that they leave the batter in the fridge and make them fresh every morning. I have made a batch the night before, parked them in the fridge overnight and they are sooo divine the next morning.

Guten Appetit - Jenna

ps. I added salt to the original recipe - yes, it needed it.

pps. Yesterday I used Bob's Red Mill Whole wheat pastry flour for the entire two cups and it was good! You know? Trying to get rid of so much "white" at our house.

Cooking class with Jack, Silvia and Tanya at Laughing Lemon was amazing!

2008-10-29T12:12:00.004+01:00

I have an amazing friend in Zürich - Tanya - she has an awesome food blog. She likes to eat good food as much as I do. She loves to cook and bake it even more than I do and she will see something and try it. I started looking at expat chow and my mouth was watering at her blog 6 months before we moved here. She is my inspiration for my food blog.

Tanya and I were lucky enough to book a cooking class at Laughing Lemon with Jack and Silvia. We had to be bloggers and ask for a picture with the wonderful duo! It was such a great class. I can not wait for our next one. We went to October's What's in Season. We learned all about all the gems that are available at the farmer's markets here. We chopped, sampled, cooked, felt and at the end ate all the fabulous foods we had learned about. I am addicted to their pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds) - even though they have cayenne my kids love them too!

Tanya did a post on her blog about it. Next time I am taking my camera too! Thanks Tanya and her husband Tyler for suggesting such a wonderful class.

Tonight I am making Laughing Lemon pumpkin and yellow tomato soup!

Good thing they sent us home with a cookbook.

Homemade tortillas & green chili enchilada sauce are what's cooking!

2008-09-29T17:45:00.010+02:00

We love Mexican food at this house! With authentic tortillas not within easy reach I have started making my own. I have a friend here who makes corn (Tanya) and a friend here who makes flour (Megan). Thank you ladies for inspiring me!

I don't have a tortilla press - I think they are more trouble than they are worth. I use a rolling pin. My kids love to roll them out with their rolling pins. Now those are some pretty shaped "circle" tortillas!

Since we had leftovers from last night - I made them into enchiladas. Now that they are cooking I can post this!

Tortilla Recipe

2 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

about 1 1/4 cup HOT water

2 T. oil (EVOO)

Stir all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a nice little hole in the middle and add the HOT water and oil. (The secret is the water has to be hot)

Knead for one minute and let rest for 5 minutes! Another secret is to LET IT REST! Go ahead and just try to use it right after you mix it. You will only try it once.

After it has rested for 5 minutes or longer separate into balls (about the size of a golf ball) Roll each ball into a thin circle (mine are never a perfect circle) Use extra flour so it does not stick to your already floured counter.

Cook on a medium hot DRY griddle for about 30 seconds on each side until bubbly. A fabulous trick my friend Tanya taught me is to put them on a plate and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep them moist. All these important secrets and tricks mainly come from hard tortillas and making and learning!

Last night I was rolling and my hubby was cooking! I think it is easier to have someone helping!

Lovely shapes!

Notice the towel that will shortly be covering the tortilla!

While the tortillas were being rolled out and cooked our fillings for our burritos were being cooked too!

Green Chili Enchilada Sauce before meat was added!

After meat was added! Adding meat is totally optional!

My aunt Judy put together a cookbook for her a group of ladies (West Jordan RS) and I was a happy recipient of one! THANK YOU! I love cookbooks that I can write in and alter some recipes and make them mine or just get inspired!

What started out as my Aunt Judy's red enchilada sauce that my husband said tasted like Taco Bell or frozen dinner sauce - He loved it! I prefer green to red sauce so I came up with this one!

Green Enchilada Sauce

3 T. butter

1 large diced onion

2 garlic cloves chopped

3 T. flour

2 cans mild green chillies

1 packet veggie broth

3 Cups water

S & P to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the diced onion and chopped garlic. Saute until clear. Then add the flour and let it cook for a couple minutes. Add the chillies, veggie broth, water and S & P. Let this boil and then simmer on low.

Use for enchiladas, burritos or just dip fresh tortillas in it. The longer it simmers the tastier and thicker it gets!

* I use Trade Joe's veggie or chicken broth packets that I had shipped over to Switzerland. If you are using a can of broth just make sure your total liquid is 3 cups!

Last night I added some ground beef! Do you want to know my secret for eating less meat? When I was sauteing the ground beef in onions and garlic I food choppered tons of mushrooms so they were the size of the diced onions. I could not even taste anything different. SHHH! I sauteed a big pan of my meat mushroom combo and then froze half of it. It was so easy to throw the defrosted cooked "meat" into the sauce.

Refried Beans

This is what we do for refried beans over here where they are around $4 A CAN! I take 1 can of refried beans (preferably one from Costco's 8 pack) and 1 can of pinto beans from Migros! Drain the water if you would like. I like them kind of saucy, so I don't always drain!

It makes a lot but you can add them to enchiladas the next day or make them into bean dip by adding sour cream, salsa, cheese, and garlic salt just to eat with tortilla chips!

* Aldi has the best tortilla chips that don't cost SFR 10! Look for the green bag!

Guten Appetit - Jenna!

Mediterranean Platters are what's cooking!

2008-09-11T10:11:00.006+02:00

One thing I can always find in the store here in Zürich is canned chickpeas. You know what that means? Hummus!

I have tried so many recipes for hummus, here is a basic one from Everyday Food:

Hummus

2 cans drained chickpeas (reserve 1/4 cup liquid)

Place chickpeas and 1/4 cup of reserved liquid in a food processor (aka blendtec at my house)

Add :

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini (well stirred)

2 garlic cloves chopped (I just garlic press them into the blender)

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 1/4 t. coarse salt

Process until smooth. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

My kids think the garlic tastes "spicy" so I usually use 1 clove!

I love a basic recipe because I can add different things to it.

The picture below is Roasted bell pepper hummus. I added a couple peppers from a jar.

My husband likes the sun dried tomato hummus better. You guessed it, I added some sun dried tomatoes straight out of the jar marinating in oil.

I know it looks like pureed baby food but is is simply delicious!

What does your Mediterranean Platter look like?

Some days our table looks like this.

Other days it looks like this!

I think my family is getting sick of hummus.

It is so quick and easy - I love it!

Guten Appetit - Jenna

Spätzle is so easy to make and is what's cooking!

2008-09-02T10:16:00.007+02:00

What is this you may ask? A spaetzle maker! I know it may seem wrong to import a spaetzle maker from the U.S. to Switzerland. It was actually bought in Munich Germany a long time ago by an LDS missionary. I just inherited it and thought I would try it out!

It does not look like a lot but holy moley!

It made a lot!

I have always heard horror stories about making spaetzle over boiling water. It was so easy!

Here is the finished product with Speck gravy (bacon gravy basically)

There is a website with a really cool maker called the Spaetzle Wizard or in Deutsch Spaetzle Hex! My Mom sent me the recipe from their website!

Spaetzle (Spätzle) Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used flour just for spaetzle) next time I will do 1/2 spaetzle flour and 1/2 all purpose

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

Stir together the flour and salt. Combine eggs and milk; stir into the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the Spätzle Hex and place it on the lip of a large saucepan or pot (with a diameter of at least 20 cm or 8 in) of boiling, salted water. Turn the crank with one hand, keeping the Spätzle Hex gently in place with the other.

Take care to let the extruded pieces of dough (the Spätzle) fall into the slightly bubbling water and let them cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. Generally, Spätzle swimming on the surface are sufficiently cooked and may be gathered with a large slotted spoon, drained and placed into a serving dish. Stir in some melted butter to keep the Spätzle from sticking together and garnish with some bread crumbs. Makes about 4 cups of Spätzle, which is sufficient as a side dish for 2-3 people.

Serve with nearly any meat dish. Spätzle is great with gravy, sauces or just plain.

I also read on one of the websites I was looking that it also has really great flavor if you boil it in chicken or veggie broth. Jarrod said he did not know what 2-3 people that fed as a side dish but it made a lot! Oh ya, I doubled the recipe because I always make way too much gravy!

It can also be used in a mac & cheese recipe. I have had it with sauteed onions and cheese as a side dish. Yummy! Chicken Spaetzle soup? The options are endless.

Guten Appetit - Jenna

Strasbourg, France has amazing food, no cooking!

2008-08-21T08:21:00.006+02:00

My husband (the engineer) and I were fortunate to get a weekend getaway in Strasbourg, France. On Saturday they have an amazing farmer's market. Check out this vendor's spices. Fresh and freshly dried spices are so amazing and add tons of flavor.

We ate at a fabulous restaurant right between the canals and small streets. My husband had a pork shoulder roast with potatoes and onions in this little French dish that is very common in the Alsace area.

I had the most wonderful salad. It was full of tender chicken, tomatoes, corn (a new delight for me in salads) white onions, cucumbers, pickles, hard boiled eggs, lettuce - I promise it is in there and the best tasting tangy vinagrette I have had yet. We would drive back to Strasbourg for date night for another one of these salads.

I also ventured into some VERY French food. My husband thought I was crazy but I had to try some escargot in France. Don't laugh but here is why: In high school my girlfriends and I would go to Olive Garden. They had an appetizer of escargot and we had to try it so we could see if it was really as gross as we thought. Well, the escargot at Olive Garden was stuffed in to mushrooms and very tame.

The escargot at Chez Yvonne was real French food! The garlic butter sauce was divine and was the best part of the dish! They were a little too chewy for me!

In Strasbourg, like the rest of Europe in the summer time there is a lot of gelato shops and little stands out on almost every corner. We were there for 3 days and had 6 cones from all round the city and the Italian shop was my favorite. They make "flower cones" that have tons of flavors on them. You pick your first flavor, flop into the middle of the cone and then the next layers are thick slivers of gelato.

I learned your favorite flavor has to be chosen first because it is what you get the most of. In this picture above I started out with yogurt (my favorite gelato flavor) mocha, lemon, coconut, strawberry and raspberry and then they plop a little extra waffle cone on top. On some of the other "flower cones" we had there was red grapefruit, pineapple and a lot of flavors I did not know how to pronounce, all kinds of scrumdidliumptious flavors. My husband got one with 5 petals of all chocolate. There are 3, 5 and 7 petal flowers. We learned quickly that the petals start dripping and you have to eat fast and then your cone is gone. Then another meal and then another flower cone. A never ending delightful circle in Strasbourg.

I love the city and the food of Strasbourg!

Guten Appetit - Jenna

1st post for my new cooking and eating website!

2008-08-13T06:39:00.004+02:00

In celebration of my new blog I decided to post my two favorite salad dressing recipes!

~ Ranch

I got this from allrecipes and have worked it to get this concoction

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 T. dried chives
1 T. dried parlsey
1/2 T. dried dill
1 t. garlic powder (sometimes I will crush fresh garlic to give it a bite ;-)
1 t. onion powder
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. pepper

Mix together for veggie dip, for salad dressing add some milk. I don't measure I just pour in until it looks good. Switch it up any way you would like, this is just how we like it!

~ Italian (Brown Dressing)

- I started making this because I got sick of running out of the Good Season packets.

* Start with the carafe that you can buy with the packets, I bet you already have one.

* Fill to the V line with balsamic vinegar. I prefer the Kirkland brand in the big bottle. It is dark and tangy!

* Fill with water to the W line

* Add a Tablespoon or two of 21 seasoning salute (Trader Joe's)

*Add a Tablespoon or two of agave syrup or honey, put the lid on and shake

*Add Olive oil to the O line, then add more vinegar almost to fill the bottle.

* Shake and enjoy!

- Like the first recipe I eye this everytime. If I have a shaker clean it might be a little more exact.

Guten Appetit! - Jenna