Hearty Fall Salad

With the kids all back in school and fall right around the corner, our menu is beginning to change. A few soups and chillies have already crept in on cooler days and I've been thinking more and more about my crockpot.

The other day Lyla and I went out to the garden to harvest what we needed for one of my favorite fall salads.

I came back inside with broccoli, red and green Winterbor kale, and red and green cabbage. Just about any cole crop will work, including thinly sliced Brussels sprouts.

Wash everything up and make sure it's good and dry.

The trick to a good salad with these robust veggies is to cut them up really small.

Set the vegetables aside and start making the walnut-pumpkin seed clusters.

Combine the following in a non-stick pan:
2 cups walnuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Stir often over medium heat until the liquid is just absorbed. The nuts should still look sticky, not dry. It's a quick few seconds between perfection and a tad overdone.

Pour out mixture onto greased wax paper, breaking up any large clusters with a spatula.

At this point I remind all my children NOT to touch the nuts. They are crazy hot. I allow them to cool a bit and then remind them AGAIN not to touch the nuts. Seriously, I've made these before around 4 PM and by 5 PM had hardly any left to go with our dinner salad. Buzzard children (head shaking).

Speaking of buzzard children...these Craisins WERE in a bowl, waiting to be the finishing touch for our colorful salad.

I've been lazy lately. No homemade dressing here.

All that's left is tossing it all together.

I served this the other day with grilled tuna on rye, but it goes so well with salmon. Not only do the flavors work well together, but the rich color of a good Alaskan salmon combines with the bold colors of the salad to create an incredible feast for the eyes.

Hmmm...I think I need to buy some salmon for later this week...

Hearty Fall Salad

Cut or tear in small pieces any combination of the following:
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

Set aside.

In a non-stick pan, combine the following:
2 cups walnuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Stir often over medium heat until the liquid is mostly gone. Pour nut-mixture onto greased wax paper, breaking up any large chunks with a spatula. Allow to cool.

To assemble, toss leaves with walnut-pumpkin seed clusters and Craisins. Dress with poppyseed dressing.

Sliced Asian pears make a yummy addition, too.

Swimming Rama

We like just about anything with peanut butter in it, including Swimming Rama.  Haven't heard of it?  I hadn't either until about a year ago.  Don't get me wrong, I am no stranger to Thai food.  I LOVE Thai food.  It's just that whenever we go out to eat, I always order the same thing.  At our favorite Chinese restaurant, I order the walnut shrimp and something called "volcano rice."  Every time.  At Panera Bread, I order a bowl of chicken noodle soup, with a toasted sesame seed bagel on the side.  Every time.
But one day, I got brave.  I passed over the usual Pad Thai on the menu and ordered something called Swimming Rama.  Where has this been all my life?!

So, I went home and did what any good home economist does- figured out how to make it on my own.  I tried several recipes, but finally settled on a version of the Thai Peanut Sauce recipe that came with my BlendTec blender.  The original recipe is great.  And really, besides doubling the recipe and omitting the hot pepper sauce, I've only made minor changes to fit our family's pantry.  Here's how I make it-

1/2 cup Lite coconut milk

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or bottled, if you don't have fresh)

2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

2 TBSP honey OR agave nectar

2 tsp chopped garlic

2 TBSP gingerroot

2/3 cup peanut butter

Throw all of the above ingredients in the blender.  

For some reason, I pulled out the honey for this photo, which is what the original recipe calls for, but I usually use agave nectar.  Either one works fine.

Blend.  That's it!  Sauce done.  I know, complicated, huh?

Now chop up 4 chicken breasts.  The day I learned that chopping partially frozen meat was so much easier than fully thawed, my whole world became a much better place.

Cook the chicken in a bit of oil.  I usually use canola oil for this.

Note:  it's advisable to clean up the stove from the previous night's dinner, before posting a photo of what you're currently making for dinner on your blog.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in the complicated sauce.  Barely warm it through.  Like for 30 seconds- maybe.  Too long and the sauce gets yucky.

Set out some sliced peaches and open a bag or box of spinach.

My littlest kids still need some convincing when it comes to fresh spinach, so I serve it separately.  That way they can opt for a smaller handful.

But for Wes, my oldest kids, and me...

bring on the fresh spinach!

My Kids' Favorite Smoothie

Monster juice.  Shrek smoothie.  Green smoothie.  Call it what you will, every time I try to switch things up a bit and make a different smoothie, my kids ask why I'm not making this one-

A spread of good ingredients on a clean countertop always makes me smile.

Ingredient List:

Kale

Almond milk

Frozen strawberries (semi-defrosted)

Frozen bananas (semi-defrosted)

Chocolate protein powder (we use about 1/4 cup)

Peanut butter

Ice (optional)

Sorry.  No exact amounts on this one.  

Also, a word about frozen bananas-  I chuck all of my mushy bananas in the freezer.  Yep, as is. Seriously, just stand back and throw (still in the peel, obviously).  No bag needed.

Add all of the solid ingredients first.  Then, poor in enough milk to get the consistency you want. Sometimes we want something thicker that requires a spoon.  Sometimes we are more in a sipping mood.  Adjust the amount of milk for what you're up to that day.

Then, of course, blend.

Call all the kids...

...because you will want to compare mustaches.

Green Egg Breakfast Burritos

Get ready to make breakfast burritos!  Pretty flowers and (apparently) shirts are optional.

Crack 18 eggs into a bowl and whisk, whisk, whisk.
Then, pack about a pound of spinach into the blender.  You could use less spinach, if you your kids are really afraid of green.  Add JUST enough water to puree.
Add the bright green spinach puree into the well-whisked eggs.  Sometimes I add a splash of milk.

Using a non-stick pan, scramble the eggs on medium-low heat.  Continue to move the spatula back and forth and around the sides until the eggs are just set.

 Cook the sausage.  Three pounds of it!  But remember you will be making a ton of burritos.

Cook the hash browns according to the package directions.

Next, find some helpers.  Short ones will do.

Assemble and wrap!  A couple of pointers-
1.  If you plan on freezing them don't make them too big, or they will not warm all the way through in the microwave.
2.  Wrap the tortillas as tightly as you can.  A grab-and-go breakfast is not supposed to fall out all over your lap in the car.

I flash freeze the burritos on a cookie sheet for several hours, and then drop them into freezer bags.
To reheat a frozen burrito, wrap it in a damp paper towel and place it on a microwave-safe plate.  Microwave for about 2 minutes.  The time really depends on how big or small your little helpers made the burrito.

Ingredient List for Green Egg Breakfast Burritos:

3 dozen flour tortillas

1 pound fresh spinach

18 eggs

1.5-30 ounce bags frozen hash browns

24 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

3 pounds natural sausage

These measurements are all estimates.  Depending on my helpers, I have leftovers of one ingredient one time and another ingredient the next time.  My kids are always happy to grab spoons and finish them off, though- especially the green eggs!