Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Makes 6 to 8 servings (it made WAY more than that)

Ingredients:

3 cups orzo or bow tie pasta
2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil
½ cup (125 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon peel
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) pepper
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch (1 cm) thick strips
2 yellow peppers, quartered (I used red)
3 large ears of corn, husked and wrapped in tinfoil
1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 ½ cups (375 mL) feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup (125 mL) toasted pine nuts
½ cup (125 mL) basil leaves, torn

Directions
1. In a large pot, bring about 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and rinse under cold water. Let orzo sit in colander to drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with about 2 tsp (5 ml) olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

3. Preheat a barbeque or grill to medium-high heat. Brush zucchini strips and yellow pepper with a little olive oil. Place these, along with corn, on barbeque and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and vegetables are tender. Remove and set aside on a baking tray to cool. Once cool, cut the kernels off of the corn husks (there should be about 2 cups) and chop the zucchini and yellow peppers into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.

4. To the orzo pasta, add the zucchini, yellow pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, feta and pine nuts. Drizzle over lemon vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves.

5. In a hurry? Chop zucchini and yellow pepper into ½-inch dice. Place in large bowl along with cherry tomatoes and 1 cup corn (canned). Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature and then toss with orzo salad as above.

Recipe from Today's Parent.

Sweet Cereal Mix

Inspired by: http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-snacksweet-cereal-mix.html

(cereal measurements are approximate)

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup syrup (I used 1/2 light corn syrup & 1/2 maple syrup as it was what I had in the cupboard)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 box Crispix
1/3 box Corn Bran Squares
2 cups mini pretzels
1/2 box cheerios

Preheat 250 degrees. Grease a deep roasting pan. Mix all the cereal and pretzels. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the syrup and brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the cereal and mix to coat well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Spread cereal onto GREASED waxed paper to separate and cool.

Another blog to check out

A friend of mine just sent me the link to her new food blog....it looks like there are some yummy recipes on there, too.

www.dollopofcream.com

Danika

Turkey Chimichangas

This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I've been using for years. Mark loves them as does Jacob!

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray (or 1 tsp vegetable oil)
1/2 pound(s) lean ground turkey
16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup(s) shredded cheddar
8 large burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) salsa
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream

Instructions
* Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

* Add turkey to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa and chili powder. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

* Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; adding grated cheese; fold in sides and roll up.

* Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.

From WeightWatchers.ca

Lentil Soup with Lemon

Yum ... yum ... yum!!

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com while searching for an easy lentil soup recipe! It's easy and really, really good! Instead of carrots, I used 1 smallish sized yam and diced it. I also scooped Jacob's serving out before I added the lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 
  
• 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1 pinch chili powder

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

From AllRecipes.com

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos

I found this recipe originally on a site called RedKitchen.net. I don't think it's updated anymore.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans
3 medium yams
2 tablespoons soy sauce
8 large tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Microwave sweet potatoes so they are cooked all the way through (or you can roast them … depends on your time). Remove from skins and mash, season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan and saute onions and garlic until soft. Gradually stir in black beans (including all of their liquid). Add soy sauce and seasonings to taste. Simmer until liquid is reduced and beans aren't runny.

Layer sweet potato, beans, and shredded cheddar in tortillas and roll up as burritos.

Bake for 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Burritos can be individually wrapped and frozen.

Souvlaki Salad

I originally found this recipe in a magazine, Canadian House & Home, I think. But I can't find it on-line to link it!

Ingredients

2 lb chicken (or lamb), cut into bite-sized pieces

Marinade (if I don’t have a lot of time I just use the Kraft Feta & Oregano Salad Dressing)
½ cup chopped sweet onion
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 bay leaves, crushed
1 Tbsp dried oregano (or ¼ cup fresh)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary (1 Tbsp fresh)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Olive oil for drizzling
6 pita breads
5 or 6 tomatoes (cute into bite-sized pieces)
1 cucumber (sliced & halved)
feta cheese, crumbled

Tzatziki Dressing (you can make this from scratch … or just buy it like I do!)

Directions
1. Marinade lamb / chicken. Recipe calls for overnight … I rarely have time to do it overnight!

2. Grill lamb / chicken

3. Brush pita breads with olive oil. Lightly grill, and then chop up roughly (I use kitchen shears).

4. Drizzle olive oil on plate, place chopped up pita on plate.

5. Top with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, grilled lamb/chicken, feta and tzatziki.

Serve immediately!

For a kid friendly version I make a little rice and serve the chicken, whatever vegetable he is willing to eat and the feta!