Just wanted to hop on here quickly to share my new favorite lunch! I often make chickpea salad sandwiches when hummus gets boring. This latest variation is a real keeper! Especially if you are as addicted to chipotle Vegenaise as I am. We put it on everything!
It's a happy morning here at the (never home)maker household. No, it's not the guacamole you see above -- that's been food history since Saturday afternoon. It's even better . . . we've reached 1,000 subscribers (1,026 to be exact -- via Feedburner)! This is the milestone we've been hoping to reach for a LONG time. Now that it's here, we're just ecstatic! Thanks to all of you who have been reading us from the beginning. Thanks to all of you who are new. If you have suggestions on how we can give you more of the good stuff you're looking for -- just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.
But enough about us! This guacamole recipe is one of our favorites. We probably eat too many avocados. Most of them plain. When we're feeling especially hungry, we make this guac. Much like all other recipes we post, this one is incredibly simple.
See?
What you'll need . . .
2 ripe avocados (taken out of their shells, of course)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
Bunch of cilantro, torn up (if you don't like it, skip it)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon (2 cap-fuls) lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Method . . .
Put all ingredients in a bowl (except the salt).
Then, mix with a KNIFE! It's a tip I learned from a writing professor (Marlene) back in college. It keeps the guac chunky. Just cut through all ingredients and x-cross until well incorporated.
Then add the salt -- not too much. And serve immediately.
Picking out the best avocado can be tricky. Here's some info I found online that may help you choose:
You’re better off picking slightly unripe ones and letting them ripen on the counter with your bananas. Ideal avocados to purchase are dark green and hard, and they brown slightly and become slightly soft to thumb pressure as they ripen. Remove the flesh by cutting the fruit in half lengthwise. If you twist it open from here, the large pit easily comes out of one side, and all you have to do is twist it out of the other side with a knife. (source)
Remember way back last week when we wrote about our lavish weekend dinner in? We made roasted pears with brie and a tasty cashew chili noodle stir-fry. But we needed something else, so we quickly whipped up this soup with ingredients from the other dishes and some stray mushrooms we had in the refrigerator. The key word is quickly, because this soup is as easy as chopping, plopping, heating, and stirring.
It's ready in no time at all!
It's vegan, too. So, that's always a plus. The coconut milk gives the soup a creamy texture and decadent flavor. And for those of you who don't like cilantro (sorry! lately that seems to be many of you!), this dish may not be your favorite. To make the broth aromatic, we used a pack of Thai spices, which included a hefty serving of cilantro, as well as lemongrass, Thai basil, and extra garlic.
What you'll need . . . (for two healthy bowlfuls)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounce) of light coconut milk (regular would work, too -- we're just watching the fat content)
1 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small green chili pepper, minced (and de-seeded)
1 pack of Thai herbs (or just a handful of chopped cilantro, some lemongrass, and Thai basil)
1-1/4 cup chopped white mushrooms
Method . . .
Pour a bit of olive oil into a medium pot and heat over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms, as well as the minced garlic, chili pepper, and ginger. Stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Toss in the herbs. Stir.
Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, until the flavors have time to mingle.
If you've ever wanted to make your own hummus, this post is definitely for you. In our quest to spend less at the grocery store, we've been indulging in simple things. Like canned chickpeas. What better way to eat them than processed into hummus?
And who says you can't put cilantro into a smoothie? Well, I guess no one really SAID you can't, but it's certainly not something I had ever thought to do. Again, since we've been spending less at the store, we've also been trying to waste less. That means that bunch of droopy cilantro we just didn't have a use for got dumped into the blender.
I assure you, my feelings were mixed as I put glass to mouth to take my first sip of this brown concoction. Blame it on the heat, but I enjoyed it immensely. Even made a video to prove it's not all that bad! (Also: This girl can finish half a large pizza herself. And that tiny plate of fresh veggies, Wasa "bread," and hummus took me forever to eat! Filling and healthy . . . give it a try!)
10 large frozen strawberries (I think this figures to be about 1 cup)
1 large bunch fresh cilantro
1 large Granny Smith apple (though I imagine any tart apple will do), chopped
1-1/2 cups water
Method . . .
Put everything in a blender.
Blend and enjoy.
Here are the other recipes I've promised to share with you. You'll notice a recurring theme here. They're all so easy a 2-year-old could make them. No kidding! And that's what we like about spring and summer foods. They often require little prep, and they make use of fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Basic Hummus
What you'll need . . .
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 cup water
Method . . .
All you have to do is dump everything into a food processor.
Blend.
Season as desired. My favorite is just adding a teaspoon or so of paprika.
Stephen's Tuna-Avocado Salad
What you'll need . . .
1 can tuna, drained
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
Small bunch of cilantro
Method . . .
Simple toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
The question: Do you guys have any good recommendations for prepare-in-advance and/or crock pot meals? I often have some free time in the morning and less in the evening, so I'm all about getting dinner ready in advance!
We love our crock pot. Especially when we were training for the marathon, we used it to make soups and other meals at least once a week. Here's my original post (from the METHOD archives) about this juicy, slow cooker vegetable curry.
This week has indeed been an experiment of how to get the most variety of healthy foods into my diet. I've found that using our slow cooker has (tremendously) helped me achieve success with this quest. It all started on Sunday, after I ran my weekly long run. I mused for those 2+ hours about how I'll ever be able to run 26.2 miles. I wasn't concerned cardiovascular-ly, really, because I'm devoting so much of my time and energy to that aspect. More nutritionally, I'm lacking these days. My diet has consisted mostly of white bread and cheese because I've become incredibly lazy (OK, and busy with work, tired with aforementioned running, etc.). So, Monday morning, I took charge -- throwing a rainbow of vegetables into the slow-cooker pot . . . seasoned it all with some spices and vegetable stock to make a soup that has lasted for lunches all week.
Tuesday, I made the vegetable curry (above) . . . and it stretched out to two dinner for us!
I've also discovered through all this veggie-love that I heart cauliflower. I don't know why exactly -- I always figured the white stuff was devoid of nutrition. But I was wrong, and if you'd like more information on why you should be eating cauliflower, just click here.
And here's what you'll need . . .
Slow cooker/crock pot
2 medium-large sweet potatoes, skinned and cubed
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1-1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
1 package veggie Chik'n Strips (optional, but highly recommended)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk (I used light)]
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
Bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
Soy milk (optional, see below)
Method . . .
Place the cubed sweet potatoes, chopped cauliflower, and peas in the slow cooker.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the vegetable stock, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, turmeric and curry powders.
Pour this mixture over the veggies and mix around a bit to coat.
Turn the slow-cooker on the LOW setting and cook for 4 to 5 hours. If you're in a pinch and would rather wait only 2 to 3 hours, you may use the HIGH setting. However, I've read that that makes it all a bit more mushy.
You may find that you want more liquid in the pot. If so, feel free to add splashes of soy milk as desired. However, note that the veggies will cook down.
If you plan to eat the meal the day you make it -- once it is ready, add the Chik'n Strips and heat until they are warm. I decided to add these last so they didn't get too soft. And, actually, we ate ours the next day . . . so I poured the vegetable curry into a big pot, heated it up again (on the stove) and THEN added the Chik'n strips.
Hello + welcome // I'm Ashley -- work-at-home mama to three lovely girls, Ada + Eloise + Eden. In this space, you'll find thoughts on family life, frugal vegetarian + vegan recipes, and ideas for how to create a natural, healthy home. READ MORE!
