Spring Casserole

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 / ktbuchs87

It’s been a struggle, but I think spring is almost here. Every time I say that we slip back into 30 degree temperatures with a chance of flurries in the forecast. But I’m going to be optimistic and say the worst is passed and sunshine and warmth is right on the horizon.

One of the ways I’m able to stay so optimistic is that spring produce is starting to hit the shelves. Things like asparagus, peas, leeks, and mushrooms are all emerging and signaling the end of a long winter. When new fruits and vegetables come to the grocery store I always get excited to try new recipes and come up with some delicious meals.

I can’t take all the credit for this dish though. It was largely influenced by Keepin’ It Kind’s Pumpkin Seed Pesto Rice Casserole. I really liked the idea of using a pesto as the sauce in a casserole. I changed a few things up and loaded it with a lot of yummy spring vegetables. I brought it along with me to my families Easter brunch and they seemed to enjoy it. It’s great to feed a crowd and really simple to put together, plus the leftovers are delicious!

Spring Casserole

Slightly adapted from Keepin’ It Kind’s Pumpkin Seed Pesto Rice Casserole

Pesto Sauce

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup spinach (I used frozen but if you use fresh add another cup)
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spring Casserole

1 cup chopped asparagus
1 package mushrooms, sliced (any variety, I used baby bella)
1 cup peas
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste

Bread crumb topping

This topping is totally optional but adds a nice crunch. If you’re gluten-free use your favorite gluten free bread.

2-3 slices bread, dried out
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt

1. Start by making your bread crumbs. Place everything in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until you have a crumb consistency. Set aside.

Bread Crumb Topping

2. Make your pesto next. Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender until you reach desired consistency.

Spinach Pesto

3. Next, heat a large pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion and leeks until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add in the mushrooms and cook until their size reduces by half. Then add in the peas, asparagus, rice, beans, and seasonings and heat through for another 5 to 8 minutes. Place this mixture into a large bowl.

4. Preheat oven to 375. Scoop the pesto into the large bowl and combine everything really well. You don’t want any large chunks of pesto hanging out in the mix. Then pour the mixture into a lightly oiled casserole dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs across the top. Place in the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

And that’s it! A simple spring casserole that is easy to make and tasty to eat!

What are some of your favorite spring vegetables and how do you like to eat them?

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend!

Big Batch Cooking

April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 / ktbuchs87

While I’m working on coming up with a new video series for the blog (totally open to suggestions of what YOU want to see) I thought I would use the Wednesday post to share a few of the things that I do during the week to help make eating and being healthy easier.

Big batch cooking is one of the best ways that I save time and brain power when it comes to making healthy meals. It’s exactly what it sounds like; I cook a lot of food all at once. That simple. I do this with vegetables and grains/legumes. Sunday and Monday I will spend time washing, cutting, and prepping all the vegetables that I bought on Friday.

Parsnips cut and ready to be roasted

Then it’s time to cook it all.

My favorite way to cook my vegetables is to roast them. It tastes great and it’s an easy way to cook a lot of vegetables at one time. I roast sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, cabbage, and green beans. I also saute a big batch of broccoli and sometimes throw a few carrots into the mix.

Broccoli cooked and ready to be added to meals!

While my vegetables are roasting I cook up quinoa, brown rice, and whatever beans I have on hand like black beans or garbanzo beans. I cook these on the stovetop. I know a lot of people like to use canned beans for the convenience, but I like to use dried beans because it’s cheaper than buying the cans. It takes a little bit of planning since you have to soak the beans before you cook them but other than that you just boil and simmer them on the stove for 20-40 minutes.

Once everything is done cooking, I put them into large glass containers, let them cool, and stick them in the fridge. Now I don’t have to worry about cooking them on a busy weeknight. I can just pull out the container warm them up, throw them into whatever dish I have planned for that night and get dinner on the table in a timely manner.

You can do this with other things as well. You can cook up big batches of chicken or pork, you can hard boil a bunch of eggs, or you can wash, dry and cut up leafy greens to be used for salads throughout the week.

Batch of my chickpea tofu ready to be added to stir fry

Cooking a whole lot of things all at once and having them ready when you want to eat takes the work out of planning a healthy meal. How many times have you come home from a long day at work and realized if you want to eat a healthy dinner you’re going to have to spend at least 40 minutes in the kitchen getting it ready? At that points it becomes much more tempting to just grab something at a drive through or get a frozen dinner from the grocery store, neither of which are that healthy of an option.

Do yourself a favor and give big batch cooking a try. I bet you’ll find that it saves you a bunch of time and helps you stick to your healthy lifestyle!

Keep It Simple Series: One Skillet Meal

March 4, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Everyone is looking for a quick and easy meal. Rachael Ray got her start with 30 minute meals and googling quick meals will give you thousands of recipes. Today’s video is my favorite quick and healthy meal and it uses just one pan. I make this at least once a week and it is always a big hit, plus it never gets boring because you can always change things up just a little bit to keep it interesting. So let’s get to it!

Hopefully this video will give you some ideas on how to make your own one skillet meal, just make sure that you are using cooked grains/legumes and meat. Other than that go crazy with your version of this delicious and healthy meal!

Butternut Mushroom Risotto

February 20, 2015 / ktbuchs87

The first time that I made risotto did not go well. I found a recipe online and did everything that it said. What I was left with was watery and still slightly crunchy. This was not the “creamy” risotto I had heard so much about. I pushed the recipe to the bottom of my stack and went on my merry risotto-less way.

Flash forward a few years and I decided to try it again. This time went much better and I ended up with a tasty and comforting dish. The only problem was that it took quite some time to get the risotto ready. Now I don’t mind recipes that take a lot of time, usually on the weekends I specifically choose meals that will take a few hours because I like cooking. What I don’t like are recipes that take a long time and are kind of boring. If you’ve ever made risotto you know that it takes a lot of stirring. A LOT of stirring. While I liked the taste and texture of risotto I did not like the process of making it.

Join me in the present and I have found a way to make risotto that isn’t totally boring. The slow cooker. How I didn’t think of this idea before I have no idea because I am in love with my slow cooker! This recipe has all the deliciousness of risotto with about half of the stirring. That is a wonderful thing!

Butternut Mushroom Risotto

1 tbsp roasted garlic or 3 to 4 cloves minced
2 leeks, dark green parts trimmed off and white parts sliced thin (save the stalks to make homemade broth!)
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz package of mushrooms, sliced (you can use any variety like button or cremini)
3/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 cups short grain brown rice
1 tsp salt
5 cups vegetable broths
2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp parsley
1 cup pureed butternut squash

1. In a large pan heat a little olive oil and saute the leeks, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. You want the mushrooms to reduce in size and the leeks and onions to have a little brown around the edges. Place all the vegetables into your slow cooker.

2. Using the same pan, add in the 3/4 cup of white wine or broth and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom.

3. Add the 2 cups of brown rice to the pan and cook over medium high heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Constantly stir the rice. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Add the rice, 5 cups of broth, marjoram, parsley, and salt to the slow cooker with the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours.

5. The risotto is done once all the liquid has been absorbed. At the end of the cook time stir in the pureed butternut squash. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

I made this last weekend and it was awesome. It’s a really comforting meal and with the ridiculously cold weather coming this weekend this is the perfect dish to warm up with. It also takes minimal effort and yields a creamy rich risotto. This is also a good recipe to make a big batch of so you have leftovers for lunch for the work week.

Have a great weekend and make sure that you stay warm!

Making a Healthier Weekend

February 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Everyone looks forward to the weekend. Two days to relax, destress from the work week and spend time doing the things we love. The weekend is also a great time to set yourself up for success when it comes to your health.

I have talked about meal prepping before on the blog. I believe that it is one of the most important parts of eating healthier. If you have a plan and are prepared, making better decisions become like second nature.

I’m going to share a few of the things that I do over the weekend to help my meals during the week go quickly, smoothly, and healthfully.

Make bigger meals

This might not sound like a healthy tip, but it is. On the weekends I have a little more time on my hands. What I do with that extra time is come up with new recipes for the blog as well as make big meals. I might do chili or other slow cooker meals. I might make different kinds of casseroles or soups or stews. Whatever I do, I make sure that I make extra. The leftovers then become lunch for the rest of the week. You can portion out the leftovers into individual containers that way you can just grab them in the morning and go. If you have healthy food in your fridge that is easily accessible, that’s what you’re going to eat. Spend a little extra time over the weekend and plan out a few big meals so you have your lunch ready to go!

Think about snacks

Snacks are another area that you can work on over the weekend. Healthy snacks are really easy to make and again having extra time on the weekend is the perfect opportunity to set yourself up with some tasty snacks. I like to make hard boiled eggs, spiced almonds, snack bars, and roasted seeds. These are all simple snacks that last a while and are good to grab and go. Pick out a few snacks that sound good to you and prep them over the weekend.

Cut it up

Buying whole fruits and vegetables are a lot easier on your wallet but can be a pain to prepare for eating. Set aside some time to cut up your fruit and vegetables and portion out into containers or bags. I like to cut up my broccoli and store it in big gallon zip top bags so I can just pull them out and cook them come dinner time. Again, if you have healthy food ready in your fridge that is what you’re going to eat.

Get saucey

Yeah, that was a horrible pun. Get over it! I am a huge fan of sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads. These things are simple ways to add a ton of flavor and pizzaz to your meal. Over the weekend I will make a few different sauces to use for my dinners over the week. I know that store bought can seem like the easier choice, but the “simplicity” comes at a cost to your health. It is just as easy and so much better for you to make your own sauces. Some of my favorites to make in big batches over the weekend are cashew sour cream, hummus, and tomato sauce. I also like to make a few marinades for Adam’s fish and my chickpea tofu. Think about making one or two sauces or dressing on the weekend and then use them throughout the week in your meals.

These are just a few of the things that I take the time to do over the weekend. I know it might seem like a lot of time spent in the kitchen, but it isn’t. Break it up over a few sessions and it will be done in no time. Or if you’re like me and like being in the kitchen pick one day and knock out all of your healthy prepping. Once you’re done you will feel like you have accomplished a lot and you will be ready to face the week full of healthy food!

What are some of your weekend kitchen habits? Are there any simple tips you use?