5-Minute Picnic Pie

I think we’ve all been there. Either hosting a party or bringing something tasty to one at a friend’s house. And then we forget or run out of time. Yesterday we had our good friends over for Memorial Day, and I needed dessert -- in a flash. This pie is perfect for the summer season ahead.

It’s fast (5 minutes to make).
It’s semi-healthy (protein!).

And it’s delicious . . .

5-MINUTE PICNIC PIE

What you’ll need . . .

• Graham cracker pie crust
• 2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Cool Whip
• Extra Cool Whip for topping
• Strawberries + sugar and lemon juice (optional)

Method . . . 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cool whip.
2. Pour mixture into your prepared crust. Spread evenly. 
3. Then let chill in the fridge. If you don’t have time, it’s OK to skip this step.
4. Top with Cool Whip and serve with the sliced fruit.

Notes:

• I used a store-bought crust. But you can make a graham cracker crust easily at home if you have the right ingredients.
• I used natural peanut butter, but the kind you don’t need to stir. I’m sure you could use any other nut butter or spread.
• I’m sure honey or agave could substitute for the maple syrup -- just taste test for the right amount.
• You don’t have to use Cool Whip. In fact, you can omit it from the pie if you’d rather a denser texture. Or you can use whipped cream or even whipped coconut cream. I’ve just always had a thing for Cool Whip at summer parties.
• If you’re doing berries, try tossing halved strawberries in a couple tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice a few hours before serving.

Enjoy!

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Spinach + Cheddar “Buttermilk” Biscuits

You guys know I’m a biscuit fiend. (What gave it away? These 10,000 biscuit recipes?) I made this delicious slow cooker soup yesterday (I’ll post that recipe soon, too), and I always serve soup with biscuits, cornbread, or some other bready bread bread on the side. It’s just, like, a requirement. An essential part of the meal. Not to be skipped. Ever.

Especially now!

SPINACH + CHEDDAR “BUTTERMILK” BISCUITS

What you’ll need . . . 

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance (or salted butter)
• 1-1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1-3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach (I used baby spinach)*
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

* I think basil or any other “soft” greens would work great too!


Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Cut in your Earth Balance or butter -- I simply used my hands to blend until the mixture resembled coarse meal.
4. Toss in the Greek yogurt, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Mix with a spatula (or your hands) until everything is moistened. You may need to add another couple tablespoons of water so everything sticks together (but isn’t sticky).
5. Then flour a work surface and take your ball of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand. It should be around 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
6. Take the ring of a Ball jar (standard size) and cut out your biscuits. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in your fridge for several days.

FYI: This recipe makes 12-15 of these guys.

RELATED RECIPES

• Whole Wheat "Buttermilk" Biscuits
• Vegan Chocolate Biscuits
• Black Pepper + Basil Biscuits
• Yogurt Drop Biscuits
• Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
• Back Pocket Biscuits
• Cheesy Beer Biscuits
• Cheesy Old Bay Biscuits
• Spiced Applesauce Biscuits

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10-Minute Ground Cherry Jam

Do you have those gorgeous golden ground cherries in your CSA basket? Do you have absolutely no idea what to do with them? We chop them into our salads and Ada eats them up by the pint-ful. But if you want to do something bit special, try this quick jam recipe.

It would go perfectly in place of blueberry in Brie Grilled Cheese!

GROUND CHERRY JAM
Makes what you see above -- in just 10 minutes!

What you'll need . . .

1 pint ground cherries, husks off
1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Splash lemon juice

// Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot. Heat on medium until ground cherries plump. Then squash them down with a spatula, lower heat, and keep stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.


What's your favorite way to use ground cherries?

// MOMMY + ME MEALS

If you don't regularly check out Writing Chapter Three, I've introduced a new series I call: Mommy + Me Meals. They're quick to prepare, tasty, and healthy meals that adults and kids can enjoy -- just presented in different ways.

First up: (Deconstructed) Kale Salad. Just wait till you see the colors in this mix! I also gave some tips for getting kids to eat tricker ingredients like, well, kale.

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Weeknight Pizza Tricks

As you guys know, one of our weeknight staples is pizza. I'd say we eat pizza at least twice or three times a week. So, I guess you could say somewhere in those 130 or so pies we make at home each year, we've picked up a few tricks.

Here are the top 5 for busy weeknights.

#1. Use Cornmeal

We usually make our pumpkin garlic knots crust or substitute all water for the pumpkin puree, depending on what we have in the pantry. But a trick we picked up over the years is to always roll out our dough with cornmeal. Not only does it help with transferring the dough to the pizza stone (another necessity!), but it always give the crust a nice crunch.

#2. Fold It Up

From there, transferring the dough to the pizza stone is made easy -- even without a pizza peel -- by gently folding the rolled out dough in half and then in half again. We simply place the quarter down on the stone and then unfold and reposition quickly.

#3: Get Saucy 

Since it's not tomato season, I usually cook up some type of homemade sauce using canned tomatoes. On busy weeknights when I just don't have the time, I improvise. My favorite makeshift sauce these days? A mix of half salsa and half barbecue sauce. Certainly has a nice zing to it!

#4. Top Heavily

Along with a generous heap of roasted veggies, we like topping all our homemade pizzas with cold avocado slices. Not only do the vegetables and avocado add lots of good-for-you nutrients, but they also help us justify eating pizza more often. This particular example isn't teeming with as many toppings as we usually enjoy, so if you'd like to see a better example of a loaded pizza, check out this lightened up recipe.

#5. Garnish Wisely

And with all those toppings, you need more sauce. We always have a bottle of hot sauce nearby, whether it's standard Frank's Red Hot (have you guys tried our Vegan Tofu Wings?) or spicy Sriracha.  I also like ranch dressing or even a quick side of this 5-minute tomato sauce.

// MORE TIPS + RECIPES

Brie-Stuffed Pumpkin Garlic Rolls
Pumpkin Deep Dish Pizza
Pesto Pizza Dough
Veggie-Topped Pizza, Lightened Up
Cornmeal + Flax GF Pizza Crust
Pumpkin Pesto Rolls

Pesto Garlic Knots
Ring-O-Fire Garlic Knots
Baked Flatbread w/ Sweet Onions, Collards, and Brie
Garbanzo Garlic Knots
Chickpea-Carrot Pizza Crust*
Brie Stuffed-Crust Pizza
Veggie Stromboli
Pizza Rustica
BEETza Pizza
Pumpkin Garlic Knots
Gluten-Free Pizza Experiment
Deep Dish Veggie Tart/Pizza
Grilled Pizza Basics

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Roasted Carrot Soup + White Miso

I've been digging simple soups and dishes recently for a variety of reasons. They are usually inexpensive. They typically mix together quickly and require little effort. They don't make for much cleanup either. And simple foods can be super flavorful -- just take this carrot soup, for example.

5 core ingredients = dynamite.

ROASTED CARROT SOUP with WHITE MISO
Vegan. Makes 4-6 servings.

What you'll need . . . 

• 8-9 large carrots, scrubbed + chopped
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt + pepper
• 32 ounces vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup white miso

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Chop your carrots and onions and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and spindle with salt and pepper. Then roast for 20 minutes, toss, and roast another 20-30 minutes -- until browned and soft.
3. Place roasted veggies in a blender along with the veggie stock and miso. Pulse until well incorporated (but I left mine a bit chunky). 
4. Return to stove and heat until carrots have fully softened, if necessary/desired. Season more with salt and pepper to taste.

I added the miso in this recipe for flavor, as you guys taught me (via the Sweet Potato + Broccoli Miso Soup) the nutritional benefits can be lost with over-cooking. So, if you're into this recipe for the healthy miso stuff, you may wish to add it once the soup has cooled a bit. And actually, I tried the soup cold, and it's quite good that way.

You may also remember our Carrot Soup with a Kick recipe. It's one of my favorites and DEFINITELY similar to this one, but isn't roasted + has lots of spices at play. However you eat 'em, carrots are a great food to add to your diet.

// COMING UP

Another tasty carrot recipe headed your way this week! It's sort of like these healthy Carrot Brownie Bites meet these Red Velvet Black Bean Brownies. And they have a protein-rich, vegan baby.

Hope you all great a great weekend! Thanks again for all your help with our $550 kitchen refresh. Our open house went well -- but still no offers. We'll see what happens this week, but we're glad we did it now versus waiting much longer.

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Oh She Glows Cookbook // Chana Masala + #giveaway

I'm thrilled for today's post, everyone! First of all, HAPPY FRIDAY! And now: I have been excited for The Oh She Glows Cookbook even before there was a cookbook to be excited about.

When I started blogging way back when, Oh She Glows was one of the very first healthy living blogs I followed. Angela taught me the way of the green smoothie, and her vegan recipes inspired my own kitchen creations from nut butter parsnip fries to baked oat squares to green monster oats.

Beyond her delicious vegan recipes, I've really enjoyed watching Angela's food photography evolve over the years. She's always been a great photographer, but I can't believe how gorgeous and well composed the pictures in her NEW book are. The word incredible comes to mind, which we all know rhymes with edible.

So, yeah. Talk about feasting your eyes!


Photo Credit: Angela Liddon. I know we get readers from all over, so it's good to know that The Oh She Glows Cookbook has 2 different covers for Canada and US. The first photo is the American and the second being the Canadian cover. 

The content in both books is the same.


// QUICK + EASY CHANA MASALA
Serves 4, PREP: 15-20 Minutes, COOK: 20 Minutes
gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, sugar-free, grain free option

I chose to share this recipe because it's a simple weeknight dish you guys can make in a hurry. As Angela notes in the book, dishes like Chana Masala can seem intimidating with long ingredient lists. But once you get all the spices on hand, they last forever, and the rest is really quite easy.

In fact, even on our extremely limited grocery budget, I had most everything I needed. I simply swapped a green pepper for the chile pepper, a white onion for the yellow, and some ginger powder for fresh.

No one would know it only takes 35-40 minutes from prep to finish. We've made variations on this sort of dish (our Curried Chickpea Mash with 5-Minute Naan, for example) in the past, but I really like the proportions and flavor this particular recipe packs.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) coconut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) cumin seeds
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 green serrano chile pepper, seeded, if preferred, and minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon (4 mL) fine-grain sea salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 (28-ounce/793-g) can whole peeled or diced tomatoes, with their juices*
• 1 (28-ounce/793-g) can chickpeas, or 3 cups (750 mL) cooked chickpeas
• 1 cup (250 mL) dry/uncooked basmati rice, for serving**
• fresh lemon juice, for serving
• fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving

NOTES:

* I actually diced my own tomatoes because I had some that were getting soft. I then added some leftover tomato sauce for moisture. It worked wonderfully -- so fresh is always an option, too.

** Instead of rice, we opted to make naan. I used our Greek Yogurt Naan recipe, but I used all whole wheat flour instead of a mix.


Method . . .

1. In a large wok or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles upon hitting the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and add the cumin seeds. Stir and toast the seeds for a minute or two until golden and fragrant, watching carefully to avoid burning.
2. Raise the heat to medium and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano. Cook for a few minutes or so, then stir in the garam masala, coriander, turmeric, salt, and cayenne (if using, but you SHOULD use it!), and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices and break them apart with a wooden spoon (skip if using diced tomatoes or my fresh option). You can leave some chunks of tomatoes for texture.
4. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to develop.
5. Serve over cooked basmati rice (or 5-Minute Naan), if desired, and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some chopped cilantro just before serving.

Recipe reprinted by arrangement with AVERY, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © GLO BAKERY CORPORATION, 2014


// GIVEAWAY

If you'd like to win a copy The Oh She Glows Cookbook, please leave a comment below with the words "GLOW ME!" -- and tell me which of the following recipes makes you salivate most just thinking about it:

• Apple Pie Oatmeal
• Perfected Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Summer Harvest Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Vegetable Curry
• Pan-Seared Garlic Tofu
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

Make sure to leave some way to contact you in your comment.

The giveaway ends on Tuesday, March 11th at 11PM EST. The winner will be contacted via email.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

Thanks again to Angela for including me in her cookbook review group.

I hope you guys enjoyed getting a glimpse into this long-awaited treasure for vegan cooking!

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Pesto + Avocado Sauce // Cooking Video

Sauces can make or break a dish, am I right? For example, we've been making a lot of quesadillas with beans, peppers, onions, zucchini, etc. -- but without the salsa and Greek yogurt (which we use instead of buying additional sour cream to save $), it's just not as interesting.

I think you've gathered by now that pesto is my all-time favorite spread. Plus, it's so easy to make. I used to go with more complicated recipes, but over the years, I've discovered that the simpler the better.

I gave you guys a similar recipe for pesto in our Lentil + Quinoa Burgers post, except that time I had used baby kale versus spinach. Today I wanted to simplify it even more -- seriously, this recipe takes just 5 minutes to mix together and will spice up a variety of meals from burgers to pizza to pasta.

Here's how it's made -- no cooking or roasting, just blending:


// 5-MINUTE SPINACH PESTO

Combine the following ingredients in your food processor until smooth.

• 2 (heaping) handfuls fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons water
• salt + pepper, to taste

// CREAMY AVOCADO PESTO SAUCE

Then I took half of that pesto and blended it even more with the flesh of one avocado and a few more tablespoons water until I made this creamy, alfredo-like sauce. It's great spread onto some toast or on the side with homemade quesadillas (I literally just licked some off my fingers before typing this post).

Or you can just coat a bit of pasta in it.

Maybe serve with a fried egg.

Definitely some salsa.

And Sriracha?


// GREEN PASTA WITH EGG

• Cook pasta to the package directions. These shells boiled for 30 minutes. Then I drained and rinsed them so they cooled off a bit.
• Then scoop a couple tablespoons of your green sauce onto them and mix around until well coated.
• Fry an egg (or make it any style you like best) and place atop the pasta.
• Top with salsa and Sriracha sauce, or whatever other condiments you want on there.
• Enjoy!

Basically, this Avocado + Pesto mix is your new favorite sauce.

Period.

If you'd like to make the pesto first -- I'd even freeze half of it (so 1/2 cup of pesto for later use) by either placing it in a plastic bag and freezing flat or even putting it in an ice cube tray for smaller chunks.

OTHER PESTO RECIPES

Pumpkin Pesto Rolls
Garlic Scape + Swiss Chard Pesto, 2 Ways
Steamed Pesto Dumplings
Pesto Pizza Dough
Baby Kale Pesto
Walnut Basil Pesto
Basil-Pesto French Toast
Pesto French Toast, II -- with Avocado Butter
Pesto Quiche with Oatmeal Crust
Pesto Garlic Knots
Pesto Portabella Sandwiches
(Pesto) Smothered Mother

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Lunch "Calzone" for One

Finding time to make a substantial lunch is getting harder and harder these days. I had these notions that being home with Ada would mean lots of time to fiddle around in the kitchen. Lots of time in general, really. But as Ada's mobility has picked up speed, my ability to keep the house clean, feed myself, and maintain order otherwise has lessened.

 Halted? Well, maybe not that bad. But I'm still getting used to it all.

So, at least for now, lunches (any everything else) require a bit of planning. Being smart. Keeping convenient sources of healthy nutrients on hand. Actually, it reminds me quite a bit of when I was working full-time. Imagine that!

LUNCH "CALZONE" FOR ONE

What you'll need . . .

• 1 whole wheat tortilla 
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 
• 1 fresh tomato or a few canned, peeled tomatoes, sliced 
• 1/2 cup fresh greens, like baby spinach 
• Black pepper, to taste 
• Spritz of olive oil

Method . . .

1. Take your tortilla and spread your ricotta evenly. You may use more or less ricotta depending on what you'd like to eat, of course. There's no right or wrong way. 
2. Spritz a fry pan with some olive oil and blaze some medium-high heat underneath. Then place your ricotta-topped tortilla inside, ricotta side up, of course. Let cook for a couple minutes. Then sprinkle some pepper and arrange your slices of tomato. Top with greens. Cook for another couple minutes until the bottom of your "calzone" has browned nicely. 
3. Then fold in half with a spatula and let cool for a couple minutes. 
4. Cut into slices, if you wish, and enjoy. 

It's quite a messy lunch, but well worth it! Of course, it isn't much like a real calzone. It's lighter -- so perfect for a mid-day meal. I served mine with what I call "race day oranges" which is just my dorky way of saying quartered oranges. It's my favorite way to eat the fruit.


Breastfeeding combined with running is really kicking my butt. I am starving almost constantly. So, I eat whenever Ada eats. This means I'm not sitting down for three large meals a day. Instead, I nosh on medium-sized meals, like this one, throughout. It's working well for me, but incorporating more protein, with eggs, cheese, yogurt, nuts, tofu, etc., as many of your have suggested, has been key.

How do you make time for lunch? If you're working, do you pack the night before? If you're home, do you have some go-to meals you stick with? I'd love to hear your methods!

And today on Writing Chapter Three, I wrote about Me, Myself, and Ada. How to retain a sense of my identity as a stay-at-home mom. Harder than I thought.

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Olive Oil Skillet Cornbread

There are so many different ways to make, well, EVERYTHING. And just when we think we've found our favorite method, texture, taste . . . we discover a new twist. Cornbread is definitely one of those foods that lends itself well to experimentation.

We've made many different varieties and shared several recipes on the blog:

Spelt Cornbread
Pomegranate-Lavender Poppy Cornbread
Pumpkin Cornbread
Hot Pepper Cornbread

Today's recipe is a twist on the Spelt Cornbread -- without the spelt and made with olive oil. Baked in a cast iron skillet, it turned out to be our favorite mix so far. But, as always, that's subject to change with our next try at it.

Plus, simple is best in our book. We didn't add in anything (corn kernels, chopped peppers, etc.) for flair. Yea or nay? You can be the judge.

OLIVE OIL SKILLET CORNBREAD

What you'll need . . .

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 (to 1/3) cup olive oil
• 2 eggs (3 teaspoons Ener-G replacer with 4 tablespoons almond milk)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup bread flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup milk (or almond milk)

Method . . .

1. You'll need an 8 or 9 inch cast iron skillet. Lightly oil one with olive oil and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together maple syrup, salt, olive oil, and eggs. We substituted Ener-G egg replacer, and it worked out great!
4. Add the flours and cornmeal. Then the milk. Mix together until everything is moistened. But don't over-mix.
5. Pour into prepared skillet. Then put in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

The skillet baked this bread i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.y evenly, which is actually one of the annoying issues we commonly experience when making other types. The center of the bread -- when made in a loaf pan -- takes a while to set and usually isn't the same texture as the rest. If you have this problem, too, you may want to give this method a try.

Oh, and we never eat our cornbread naked. It goes so well with soups and stews.

This autumn stew recipe is coming soon . . .


Check out our to-do list progress today on (never home)maker, baby! . . . we're making our way, but have prioritized now that it's crunch time.

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Funky Black Magic Cookies

Almost sounds like a title Richard would give such a treat. But, no. This quick, vegan recipe is all mine. And it's another favorite from the METHOD archives. What you may not know just from looking at them is that they're extremely healthy cookies -- full of oats, blackberries, walnuts. So healthy, in fact, you may just need to make 'em twice.

(Yes. It looks like a lot of ingredients. But suck it up! Here's to your health!)

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or other butter sub.)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup wheat pastry flour
• 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup crushed walnuts
• 1/3 cup frozen blackberries

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together Earth Balance (or other butter sub.) and brown sugar until fluffy.
3. Add applesauce, ginger powder, and orange juice -- beat until well combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet -- mix until well combined.
6. Add oats 1/2 cup at a time while mixing on low speed.
7. Mix in crushed walnuts and frozen blackberries. You may wish to run the blackberries through a food processor to make the pieces a bit smaller (or not).
8. On a baking sheet (preferably prepared with a piece of wax paper) drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart.
9. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes -- rotating pan halfway through.
10. Cool and enjoy!

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Dinner in a FLASH: Veggie Stuffed Peppers

This is yet another dinner IN A FLASH post where we offer a quick and tasty recipe with HORRIBLE photography to show it off. Our last post taught y'all how to make vegetable dumplings at home! And before that, we posted a hearty vegetable soup with hubbard squash puree for some extra flavor and nutrition.

Today's recipe is one of our favorites because it's super-duper easy, oh-so very cheesy, and about as quick as you can get without simply microwaving a frozen dinner . . .


What you'll need . . . (dinner for two)

• 2 large green bell peppers
• 1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can corn (low sodium and drained)
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (diced and drained)
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Cheddar cheese (shredded and optional)

Method . . .

1. Set your oven to the broil setting and place a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie pan. Cut the green peppers in half and take the seeds out of them. Be careful to keep them as bowl-like as possible.
2. Place peppers skin-side up (you'll flip them later when you cook everything) under the broiler for about 10 minutes. Until the skins begin to display brown spots to show they're roasted.
3. While those are in the oven, in a medium saucepan, combine the beans, tomatoes, and corn. Season with the pepper and garlic powder. Cook until bubbling.
4. Take the peppers out of the oven and flip over carefully. Scoop large scoops of the bean mixture into each pepper until piled high. Top with shredded cheddar.
5. Return to oven and broil until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

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Crock Pot Meals: FAQ Response

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 . . .

1. Place the cubed sweet potatoes, chopped cauliflower, and peas in the slow cooker.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the vegetable stock, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, turmeric and curry powders.
3. Pour this mixture over the veggies and mix around a bit to coat.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Serve with naan (recipe coming later today!)
   

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