Overnight Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Honey

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jackie Mack

With the change in seasons I still want to offer my family breakfast with whole grains but sometimes it may be too lovely outside and muggy inside to crank up the stove. So, I found many recipes for refrigerator overnight oatmeal and adapted this one from The Yummy Life to feed a family of four a healthy breakfast with oats or your choice of mixed whole grains, yogurt, milk and chia seeds if you’d like.  I did add cinnamon and a little honey for sweetness but you can choose to leave those out and add a little spice and sweet in the morning.  This is a really flexible recipe for toppings.  Add your own choice of fruit topping or maybe a bit of your favorite granola for crunch. It’s a cool healthy hearty breakfast for a muggy morning during the warm spring and summer months.

Overnight Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Honey

  • 1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats or a whole grains combination (such as rye, barley, oats and wheat)
  • 1-1/3 cup milk (I used 1 cup 2% milk and 1/3 cup half and half) or Almond, Coconut, Hemp, Soy)
  • 1 cup whole plain yogurt or whole plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional – Dr. Andrew Weil’s Chia for Health)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon honey

In a glass quart sized container add all ingredients and stir well.  Cover with lid and refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold in the morning with your favorite fruit, dried fruit, a little granola or sliced nuts. Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from The Yummy Life.

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Spinach Artichoke Melt with Multi Grain Bread

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jackie Mack

Just out of the kitchen on a hot day in May, I must share a new lunch treat I made. Thanks to A Couple Cooks  blog I’ve got a new sandwich in my repertoire. It took about 10 minutes to put together and turned into a dreamy combination of melted cheese with garlic flavored spinach artichoke….kind of like a grilled cheese sandwich with artichoke spinach dip inside. So here are the ingredients and the recipe. Make this for a lunch or quick dinner. Add a salad or fresh veggies and fruit as sides and enjoy.

Spinach Artichoke Melt with Multi Grain Bread

  • fresh baby spinach  – 3 big handfuls
  • canned artichokes – about 4 (about 1/2 of 14 oz can)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mozzarella, monterey and cheddar combination)
  • 4 pieces of multi grain or your choice of crusty bread
  • sea salt
  • butter

Dice the cloves of garlic. Drain and chop the artichokes. Wash and dry spinach (I left stems on).

Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and then the garlic. Sauté garlic for about 1 minute then add the spinach. Sauté for a short time until spinach is cooked down. Then add artichokes and sauté for a bit longer until heated through. Mix in 3 tablespoons sour cream and sea salt to taste.

Cut 4 slices of bread and spread one side of each pair with butter. Heat a griddle or non-stick pan to medium heat and add two slices of bread butter side down. Sprinkle each piece of bread with 1/4 cup cheese (or guess like I did), spoon 1/2 of the spinach mixture onto each sandwich then add a little more cheese. Top each sandwich with the second piece of bread and butter the top of both pieces. Cook until each side is golden brown and cheese is nicely melted. Serve immediately. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Source: Adapted from A Couple Cooks .

Posted in Lunches, Quick Dinners, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Banana Berry Smoothie

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Jackie Mack

We’re ramping up for a great weekend of sunshine in Portland and an ice cold smoothie is always refreshing. I’m going to throw a curve ball to some of you and add greens to this smoothie…but don’t tell the kids or even your significant other. If you have a great blender, who needs to know? It’s best to tell them after the fact. I’m not one to keep secrets but I’ve been known to sneak in healthy ingredients and inform later. I know you’ve heard about greens in a smoothie and really it’s a great place to get your greens.  You can see the green flecks in my smoothie but I personally don’t taste them. The smoothie is banana berry flavored and complimented by the coconut milk and maybe a tiny hint of greens.  So be adventurous, if you haven’t before and throw in some greens in your next smoothie.  Here’s a recipe for a warm weekend treat and a green nutritional bonus.

Banana Berry Smoothie

  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or almond, hemp or your favorite milk)
  • 3 large romaine lettuce leaves or big handful of spinach
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen berries (I used blueberry/blackberry/strawberry/raspberry combo)

Optional adds: 1 tbsp chia seed gel (1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water – gel for 30 minutes, refrigerate), 1 tbsp flax seed meal or 1 tbsp wheat germ, 1 tbsp flax seed oil

Wash lettuce or spinach. Add all ingredients to blender and mix well.  Serves 2.

Source: Jackie Mack, Lingonberry Lane

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Mother’s Day Menu

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Jackie Mack

We all have a special Mother in our lives and maybe that’s you, the reader of this blog.  Or perhaps you have a mother or grandmother that you like to spoil on Mother’s Day. If you are a mom, I sincerely hope the special people in your life treat you like a Queen on Sunday and cook for you. I’d like to help you or your special people out with menu ideas for the big day.

For me, Mother’s Day is about not cooking myself. It’s my day off and I have to admit we do have breakfast at home but we usually go out for dinner. My favorite Mother’s Day is a family trip to Cannon Beach, an hour and a half drive from Portland. Every single time we go to Cannon Beach for the day we go to Pizza Feta and we all order their amazing 3 cheese pizza. There’s something quite special about Pizza Feta’s sauce and their crust and their cheese combination. Years later we still rave every time we eat it. We used to just get one big old piece each but now we’ve learned it’s best to get a whole pizza and bring the extra home. Then we head right across the street to Osburns Ice Creamery for a sweet treat before heading back to reality. Cannon Beach is a wonderful Cape Cod like escape for Oregonians. We love it.

Mother’s Day Menu

Breakfast: Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries, Bacon and Fresh Fruit

Dinner: Honey Curry Chicken (grilled or oven baked) with baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes.

Dessert: Hot Fudge Sundaes with Fresh Berries

 

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Fresh Green and Veggie Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Jackie Mack

Just in time for a spring celebration or BBQ here is a fresh salad with tangy lime cilantro dressing to spice up a meal with Southwestern flare. This is great served with a Mexican style meal. The dressing is adapted from a very yummy For the Love of Cooking salad.

Fresh Green and Veggie Salad

  • romaine lettuce, 1 head
  • cherry tomatoes
  • orange and yellow pepper
  • 1 avocado

Chop romaine lettuce and add to large salad bowl. Slice orange and yellow peppers and add on top of greens as well as cherry tomatoes. Just before serving cut the avocado and add to salad. Immediately prior to serving, dress the salad with lime cilantro vinaigrette and mix well.

Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tbsp or the juice of one lime
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Use an immersion blender (or just blender) to blend dressing.  Let flavors mingle at least 30 minutes before serving.

Source: Vinaigrette adapted from For the Love of Cooking.

Posted in Salads, Spring Season, Summer Season | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Broccoli Cheddar Omelette

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Jackie Mack

As my daughter was eating her broccoli cheddar omelette some 3 weeks or so ago, she said ‘you’re going to put this omelette on the blog aren’t you? It’s so good.’ Perhaps the reason it’s so good is because I’m liberal with the butter but those words from your 13 year old daughter’s mouth are blissful when you’re a nutrition nut like me. They are especially welcome knowing that when she started eating the newly served broccoli cheddar omelettes the excitement was minimal. She didn’t like having greens in the morning. But isn’t there a saying that it takes 21 days to change a habit? Broccoli is wonderfully nutritious – refer to WHFoods for an outline of it’s amazing benefits – like 1 cup = 135% of our daily Vitamin C and 115% of Vitamin K and it’s excellent for detoxification.  Singing the praises of broccoli! One of the reasons I love broccoli is my mother called it ‘gold’ just like the Inca’s called quinoa gold. So, new this year, the cold cereal boxes rarely come out on school mornings. I must say I could branch out beyond oatmeal and mixed grain hot cereal with heavy cream, cinnamon and raisins, poached eggs and omelettes but it’s a start in a higher protein, less processed foods direction. So here you are, the 21 day broccoli cheddar omelette – simple but yummy.

Broccoli Cheddar Omelette

  • 1 pat butter (size of your choice)
  • handful of broccoli spears (4-5), cut into smaller spears and rinsed
  • 2 good quality eggs
  • handful of shredded cheddar or cheese of your choice
  • pepper

Using a small omelette pan, add pat of butter to pan and melt.  Add small rinsed broccoli spears to the pan.  Cook broccoli on low to medium for a few minutes until broccoli is bright green stirring with a spatula a few times to cook evenly. Move broccoli to one half of the pan with spatula. Break eggs into bowl and beat with a fork until blended. Add eggs to the pan and pick up pan and angle it to spread the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Add handful of cheese on top of eggs and pepper. Cook until the eggs are firm to your personal preference and cheese is melted. With a spatula, take one side of the omelette and fold over to form a half fold traditional omelette. Serve warm. Serves 1.

Options: add mushrooms, red pepper, onions…endless opportunity.

Source: Jackie Mack, Lingonberry Lane

 

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Baja Quinoa

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Jackie Mack

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner and spring in the air here’s a recipe with a little kick for you. Quinoa (keen-wah) is a protein rich grain the Inca’s considered ‘gold’, according to WHFoods. Quinoa is nutty flavored and a complete protein meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids needed for the human diet.

I’ve adapted a recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen. I’d recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time to allow it time to cool.  I made this as a quick dinner and had to put the quinoa on a plate in the refrigerator to cool enough to make the salad. We had just the salad for dinner and it was light but satisfying and most importantly carried us through a 3+ hour 3D showing of the Titanic (huge hit with our daughter!). This would be a great side dish for a Cinco de Mayo buffet or serve the quinoa with a green salad for a complete meal. Double the recipe for the quinoa and dressing and send to school or work for a shake up in the lunch department.  Add a little extra dressing to the Baja Quinoa after it’s been refrigerated overnight – it keeps well.

Baja Quinoa

  • 3/4 cup quinoa (rinse if needed and cook ahead to allow cooling time)
  • 1 1/2 cups water (add more if needed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup green onions, sliced

Toppings options

  • fresh cilantro
  • slices of fresh lime for squeezing
  • fresh sliced avacados

Baja Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 small cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Check quinoa package directions and rinse as directed. In medium saucepan, combine quinoa, water and salt and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.  If the quinoa isn’t tender enough to your liking, add a little more water and cook longer. Fluff the quinoa and let cool, using the quinoa on a plate in the refrigerator method if needed.

Drain the beans and rinse in a colander. Let beans dry in a colander while preparing other ingredients.

Rinse and dice bell peppers and green onions into small slices. Chop cilantro, slice limes and avocado and put them on/in a separate dish for topping options.

When quinoa is cool, combine quinoa, beans, red peppers and green onions in a serving bowl. Add dressing to your liking to moisten the salad.

Serve with lime wedges, cilantro and avocado slices for toppings. Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

 

Posted in Lunches, Main Dishes, Quick Dinners, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Jackie Mack

We are so fortunate to live on the front side of a gorgeous green space in Portland and even though it doesn’t compare to the exquisite Kenai River I had in my backyard as a child, it is a beautiful backdrop in our little pocket of suburbia.  During the fall, winter and spring months when we get lots of rain our property can sound like the Kenai River is below us as a creek runs through the green space.  This photo was taken over the weekend when it was 75 and sunny…my dream summer day.  Being an Alaskan girl, I never like weather that’s too hot.  75 and sunny is just about perfect.  The temps may have peaked a little higher but the spring evenings are quite lovely and the unexpected sun was a boon for all.

Springtime brings asparagus and I’ve got an tasty no-fail recipe for you. I’ve had multiple chances to overcook asparagus in my lifetime but the directions from Simply Recipes are fantastic and produced a fresh, crunchy perfectly prepared side dish. The additions of the olive oil, lemon zest and parmesan brought out the lovely spring flavor. I ate 3 servings last night and also added the leftovers to my meal today at noon.  They were as good cold today as they were last night warm with the bits of lemon and cheese.

Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

  • 1 large bunch of medium sized asparagus
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Prepare asparagus by rinsing the spears and cut off the tougher lighter colored ends to discard.  Cut the spears diagonally into 3 pieces. Fill a medium sauce pan 1/2 full with water and bring to a boil. While water is heating zest your lemon and add to a medium sized serving bowl with the olive oil.  After boiling, turn down the heat so that water is simmering and add the asparagus to the water.  Parboil the asparagus for 2 minutes – set your timer. Drain the hot water after 2 minutes and toss the asparagus with the olive oil, lemon zest and add parmesan cheese.  4-6 servings.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Posted in Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Peanut Butter Cocoa No Bake Cookies

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Jackie Mack

On this ultra rainy day I perused the internet for a simple healthy no bake cookie.  On Food.com I found a great no bake recipe that I’ve adapted.  It was quite simple and one batch makes a dozen gooey cookies. If you’re not feeling like going through the process of baking this is a nice alternative and the recipe produced a chewy peanut butter chocolaty treat. Feel free to adapt this recipe to items you have in your kitchen. I would have used heavy cream in place of the milk if I’d had it and I’m sure a nut milk would be an excellent substitute, too.

Peanut Butter Cocoa No Bake Cookies

  • 3 tablespoons 2% milk (or heavy cream)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/3 creamy peanut butter
  • 1/8 cup wheat germ
  • 1 cup oatmeal

Heat milk and maple syrup on low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until just boiling. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and peanut butter and stir until smooth.  Then mix in the wheat germ and oatmeal until blended nicely and all oatmeal is coated.  Using a small cookie scoop or your hand, form rounded balls and place on plate.  Serve and enjoy.

Source: Adapted from Food.com.

 

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Piña Colada Smoothie

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Jackie Mack

I’ve been wanting to create a Piña Colada Smoothie for a while now and last week I remembered to pick up frozen pineapple at the store.  So I was armed with the potential ingredients this morning when my daughter was needing a boost of vitamin C  for her immune system while fighting allergies and a bug.  When I asked if the smoothie was refreshing…the feedback I got was ‘it’s refreshing AND delicious’! Keep this one around for a Cinco de Mayo treat.

Piña Colada Smoothie

  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 banana
  • Optional ingredient:  1 tablespoon Chia Gel (see below for instruction for Chia Gel)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple pieces

In blender, mix the first 3 ingredients (and chia seeds) until smooth (coconut oil may freeze in clumps if not blended before frozen pineapple are added). Then add the pineapple. Mix until desired consistency and serve immediately.  Makes 1 large serving.

What are chia seeds?  Check out Dr. Weil’s link for more information.  Dr. Andrew Weil’s, Chia for Health.  Chia seeds provide Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber all in one tiny package.  To make the gel, add 1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water and refrigerate (I used 1 tbsp Chia/9 tbsp water and refrigerated in airtight container).  Seeds will magically turn into a gel in water.  Add the gel to smoothies.  I bought Chia seeds at New Seasons Market in the spice section.  Check your local health food store for chia.

Benefits of Coconut Oil: Dr. Joseph Mercola, Coconut Oil Benefits When Fat is Good for You

Source: Jackie Mack, Lingonberry Lane; originally posted 4/16/12, updated 5/1/12.

 

Posted in Smoothies, Snacks | Tagged , | 7 Comments