simple meals

Cauliflower Couscous

/ ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable.  You can turn it into a ton of different things such as sauces, mashed potato substitute, and “rice”.  That’s a lot for one little vegetable!  I decided to use cauliflower to make a sort of couscous and it makes a really great, light summer meal that is fairly easy to put together.

Cauliflower Couscous

photo (35)

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • juice and zest of one lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped, toasted almonds

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add in your chopped almonds.  Stir frequently until the are lightly browned and just starting to smell fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.

2. Chop your cauliflower into florets, trying to leave as much of the stem behind as you can.  Put the florets into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until the cauliflower is finely chopped and looks like couscous.  Make sure not to pulverize it , you want it to have some texture

3. Using the same skillet from your almonds, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add in your cauliflower couscous.  Cook the couscous for about 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat.  Add in all your spices, the lemon juice and zest, and the toasted almonds.  Stir to combine and let the couscous sit for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.

This is a really versatile recipe.  You can use whatever spices you feel like adding to the couscous.  You can use walnuts or cashews instead of almonds and you could even add meat to the dish.  Get creative and enjoy using cauliflower in a new and fun way!

Sunbutter Sauce

/ ktbuchs87

I am a firm believer in sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads.  They are super simple to put together, totally customizable to your tastes, and they can make a meal taste ten times better.  Many of my meals are planned around some type of sauce.  For me it’s kind of the best part of the meal!  This sauce came about because I had bought a jar of sunbutter (sunflower butter) and still had yet to really use it.  So I looked in my pantry/fridge and put this together.  I poured it over leftover brown rice noodles and vegetables I stir fried.  You can put it on whatever you want.  You can even eat it by itself, I won’t judge!

Sunbutter Sauce

photo (31)

  • 1/3 cup sunbutter (or peanut butter, but I like the sunbutter better with this sauce)
  • 1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil (don’t sub in olive oil, the flavor will be off)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, minced

This is going to be really simple.  Put all ingredients in a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until fully combined.  Yup, that’s it.  If you like a thinner sauce you can use it right away, but it you want it a little thicker put it in the fridge for about an hour or so.  This tastes fantastic with noodles and shredded carrots.  I’ve also used it on stir fried green peppers, onions, zucchini, summer squash, and cabbage.  Like I said before, put it on anything your little heart desires and enjoy!

Lentil Meatballs

/ ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

There are probably a ton of different variations of burgers/meatballs/meatloaf/any meat-type meal out there that use lentils.  I have tried my hand at a few of these, but my burgers never quite came out just right.  The taste/texture was always just slightly off.  That is NOT the case with these meatballs.  I was leery at first because of my previous meat/lentil failures, but I gave it a shot.  I was not let down this time and my husband said that they tasted both delicious and like actual meatballs.  Success!! This meal can be prepped in the morning and then all you have to do when you get home from work is just pop them in the oven.  Wonderful!

Lentil Meatballs

photo (30)

  • 1 cup cooked lentils
  • 1 package of white mushrooms, sliced (shredded carrots could also work)
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (you can also use old-fashioned oats, dry)
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce, or tamari
  • 2 eggs

1.  Place mushrooms, quinoa, lentils and all spices into a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is combined but not too mushy.

2. In a big skillet heat some olive oil and saute the onion until it is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Then add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add in your lentil mix and cook until it starts to brown.  You want to have a little bit of a crust on your mixture so make sure you cook it long enough

3.  Add in the vegetable broth and soy sauce and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.  Take your skillet off the heat and place into a large bowl and let it cool.  Once it’s cool enough to handle (aka not boiling lava hot) add the 2 eggs, whisked, to the bowl.  Mix everything together and form into balls.  Place on a baking tray and bake the meatballs at 425 for about 30 minutes.

You can serve these just like any other meatballs, over pasta, or rice, or even on their own.  Top with some tomato sauce and eat up!  Again, like pretty much every meal I make, these are good leftovers, so cook up extras!

The Kitchen: Not so Scary

/ ktbuchs87

I have talked a few times about cooking.  Clearly, I love all aspects of food.  I love the buying, prepping, cooking, eating, and nutrition that food gives me.  I probably wouldn’t write this blog if I wasn’t passionate about food and all that it entails.  I want to talk about the kitchen yet again and make a simple, yet important plea: Get back in your kitchens people!

This past week, I read about how Dr. Mark Hyman worked with a family that had major health issues due to obesity.  In short, this family relied on packaged, processed meals or fast food for the majority of their diet.  They admitted that they really didn’t know what to do in the kitchen and it was so much easier to just open a package than to cook their own food.  I have heard a lot of excuses about why people do not cook their meals:  too busy, don’t like to cook, too long, they’re bad at cooking, etc.  I have even heard that people really don’t know what to do in the kitchen, so this article didn’t totally shock me. Then I really started thinking about it.  As we rely more and more on packaged food or restaurants, there is an entire generation that is missing out on learning how to cook.  Children know how to work the microwave like a pro, but can’t boil water and make pasta.

I don’t want to sit here and play the blame game on this issue.  In all honesty, blame can probably be evenly distributed to all concerned parties.  The parents, food companies and industry, eating establishments, pretty much all the usual suspects.  I’m not going to waste my time here demonizing anyone, as plenty of other people have done that for me.  What I really want to get across is the importance of bringing the slowly disappearing tradition of cooking back.  As Dr. Hyman stated in his article, it could be one of the keys to getting healthier.

When you eat a meal out or pop a store-bought dinner in the microwave, you really don’t know all the ingredients that go into that food.  That can be a very dangerous game to play.  McDonald’s recently released an ingredient list for their french fries and it wasn’t pretty.  It had 17 ingredients, with one of them being an anti-foaming agent.  Last time I checked, french fries only need about three ingredients (potatoes, oil, and salt) and none of them were an anti-foaming agent.  Yes, McDonald’s fries are like crack and taste good.  They are also really easy to obtain, but they do absolutely NOTHING good for your health.  It is really simple to make your own french fries right at home and they will be a whole heck of a lot better for you.  Plus, you will get the satisfaction of creating something with your own hands that does not contain 17 hard to pronounce, dangerous ingredients.  This can be applied to so many other meals as well.  Some of the food that you are paying other people to make for you, can easily be made at home for less money, have better health benefits, and be much tastier dishes.  Below is the ingredient list and nutrition facts for a Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Enchilada.  Another simple dish that shouldn’t have more than 5 or six ingredients, has a huge ingredient list.  Do you really want to be ingesting some of those ingredients or would you rather know exactly what is going into your food and you by making it yourself?

Ingredient list for Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Enchilada

Ingredient list for Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Enchilada

lean cuisine2

More than just eating better and healthier food, cooking at home can be valuable time spent with your family.  Kids get to spend quality time with their parents, learn new things, and create something the whole family can enjoy.  Even if you don’t have kids, cooking with your spouse can be a great time to catch up on your day while preparing a delicious meal to be shared and cooking with friends is a fun way to share stories as well as recipes.  Your kitchen can give you so much more than just good health, it can give you good memories and lift your spirits.  It is fairly simple to learn how to make quick meals and there are so many benefits that can be gained.  I’ve said it before, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel in the kitchen.  You don’t have to be creating new and fancy meals every single night or slave over a hot stove preparing dishes with exotic ingredients.  Find a few recipes (maybe one of mine, I post a new recipe each Wednesday!) that you can handle and really learn how to make those well.  Once you have those few dishes down, you can branch out to others, or tweak the recipe with new flavors or ingredients.  By just having 3 or 4 core recipes under your belt, you can improve your eating habits and your health.

The kitchen isn’t scary, it might seem intimidating, but it is just begging for you to come in and learn how to prepare delicious, healthy food.  Don’t let an entire generation grow up without learning how to make at least one meal without the help of boxed food.  Cooking is an important aspect of a healthy and happy life, and I hope that my blog helps that just a little.  Most of my recipes take less than 20 minutes to make and are made of simple ingredients that are easy to find and use.  I don’t want to intimidate you with my meals, I want to invite you to join me in the kitchen and cook up a healthier life!

julia child

Turmeric Scented Mushrooms and Brown Rice Noodles

/ ktbuchs87

This was a meal that was really easy to put together and I made it with stuff that I already had in my kitchen.  Those are pretty much the best meals ever, minimal work and minimal shopping. Not that I am lazy or anything… This dish also is packed with good for you spices and vegetables.  Turmeric is a powerhouse of good things as is spinach and mushrooms!

Turmeric Scented Mushrooms and Brown Rice Noodles

photo (19)

  • 1 package of mushrooms, sliced (you can use whatever mushrooms you would like, I used baby bella)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
  • zest and juice from 1 large lime
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp dill
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil (or more olive oil)
  • Salt

1. Prepare your brown rice noodles according to the package and set aside while you put everything else together

2.  In a large skillet or wok, heat your olive oil and sesame oil on medium high heat.  Add the turmeric and toast for about 1 minute.  Next add your mushrooms and sprinkle with a little salt.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until they are soft and brown.  Add the garlic, onion, rice vinegar, lime juice and zest and dill.  Saute for about 3 minutes, then fold in the spinach and cook until the leaves have wilted down.  Put your noodles in a bowl and cover with mushroom stir fry!

This meal was good the first time around, but it was even better as leftovers.  That extra time really let the flavors come together deliciously.  It also tastes just as good cold as it does hot, so try it both ways!  Enjoy!