Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula

I just love roasted beets.  I love the color.  I love the sweetness.  I love that my kids love them!  This salad is another wonderful way to serve them.  It is filled with great texture from the soft beets, creamy avocado and goat cheese, chewy dried cranberries, and crunchy roasted walnuts.  For me, salads should have lots of varying textures.  It makes them fun and interesting.  This salad is a new favorite in my house, and so good that I am planning on incorporating it into holiday meals!  You know you've found a winner when it meets "holiday" standards.  ;)

Ingredients

1/8 C balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 1/2 tsp honey
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch red beets, roasted and cut into 1 inch pieces
7 oz baby arugula
1/4 C toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/8 C dried cranberries
1/2 avocado, cut into cubes
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine the vinegar, shallots, and honey into a small bowl.  Whisk together.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper. 
3. Place the beets into a bowl and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to evenly coat.  Transfer the beets to a prepared baking sheet and roast until they begin to caramelize, about 12 minutes.  Stir occasionally while roasting.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
4. Toss the arugula, walnuts, and cranberries with remaining dressing, then distribute onto plates.  Top each salad with the avocado, beets, and goat cheese and serve.

Adapted from Everyday Italian

Fourth Birthday Party!

A few weeks ago, my oldest baby turned 4.  I can't believe how fast time flies!  Given our love of food and cooking, we decided to have a pizza-making party at my local Young Chef's Academy.  It was our first time visiting this establishment, and I was so impressed!  

The kitchen was bright and colorful, adding to the fun for the kids.  They were all set up when we arrived and I took a quick look around.

We set up the food for the adults.  We brought in sandwiches, fruit, veggies, biscotti, and mini desserts. 

The prep counter was set up with chef hats and crayons for the kids to decorate with.  Each of them had a great time drawing and customizing their own hat.

The various pizza toppings were all set out and ready for the hungry kids to add to their pizzas.

After some fun and silliness, the cooking began!  Each child got to help measure the ingredients for the pizza dough - and I didn't have to worry about cleaning up the mess!  :)

They used "magic" to skip the rising step of the dough making, and allowed the kids to get right to work.  Each child got an equal-sized portion and began kneading away.

The chef instructors went around and shaped the dough into a variety fun shapes like mermaids, butterflies, bunnies, snakes, cars, etc.  The kids LOVED that part!

Next, the toppings came out and the kids were let loose to top however they wanted.  

 While the pizzas were baking, it was time to decorate the cupcakes.  In lieu of a sheet cake, we opted to let each child decorate their own dessert.  

The kids all devoured their hard work.  :)

The finished desserts!  Everyone sang to the birthday girl, and they all enjoyed their creations.  The adults were able to relax and have fun watching their kids cook.  It was such a great experience.  I hope to find an activity just as fun for her next birthday!

Weekly Menu

I'm back friends!!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and start to the new year.  We have been busy trying to stay healthy this flu season and hosting my daughter's 4th birthday party (post to come later this week).  It has been a long time, but the farm has finally re-opened!  I can't tell you how excited I was to get fresh, local veggies!  The store-bought stuff was just not cutting it anymore.  And to top off my excitement...the strawberries are here!!!  Along with a double batch of strawberries, I picked up some romaine, kale, carrots, purple cauliflower, and beets.  With this lovely assortment, I will be making the following dinners this week:

• Red Robin - Style Chicken Tender Salad
• using the romaine

• Kale and Mushroom Quesadillas with a Beet, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Salad
• using the kale, and beets

• Western-Style Falafel and Rustic Cauliflower Bake
• using the cauliflower and romaine

• Pumpkin Pizza with Crispy Sage
• using the last of my frozen pumpkin puree

• The carrots are for my oldest daughter's lunches and will also be roasted for finger foods for my toddler.  We will be enjoying the strawberries for dessert and with oatmeal in the morning.  The rest of the kale with be used for my Kale-slaw lunches.  

On a personal note, I have struggled trying to balance this blog and my family time, so please be patient as I try and figure out the best balance for me.  The number of posts may vary each week.  I will do my best, but my family must come first.  I hope you understand and will stick with me during this time.  I appreciate all of you who come and visit.  Thanks for going on this journey with me!

Happy Holidays!

Well, since this blog is all about using locally available organic produce, I am taking a break while my local farms are closed for the holiday season.  They are scheduled to be open again on the second week in January, but that is all dependent on the weather.  Last year, it rained so much in January that they didn't open until February!  :(  I will greatly miss my fresh produce for the next few weeks, but will continue to feed my family the best food I can.  I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday with your family and friends, and I will see you in 2013!

Black Bean and Kale Quesadilla

I am so excited about this recipe!  It is a fun new way to sneak some more kale into your kid's diet.  These are so tasty, the kids won't even believe that there is any kale in them!  They are also jam-packed with black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado, making this a very hearty quesadilla (not just a big pile of melted cheese).  

Another great aspect of this meal is the fact that you can make the bean mixture and grate the cheese ahead of time.  That makes the dinnertime rush much easier to handle!  Serve these with a great side dish like Roasted Mexican String Beans or Spanish Rice, and you've got a fantastic meal for the entire family!

Ingredients

4 large handfuls of kale, stem removed and chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

15 oz cooked black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 C Restaurant Style Salsa

1/3 C chopped cilantro

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp chili powder

juice of 1 lime

6 flour tortillas

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz Greek yogurt or sour cream

3 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium fry pan over medium-high heat.  Add the kale and cook, stirring constantly until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and place into a large bowl.
2. To the kale, add the beans, salsa, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, salt, pepper, chili powder, and lime juice.  Mash with a fork until smooth.
3. Put an even layer of bean mixture onto half of a flour tortilla (about 1/3 C).  Sprinkle an even layer of cheddar cheese on top of the bean mixture.  Fold the tortilla in half.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat.  Cook the quesadillas for about 3 minutes, or until golden.  Flip and repeat on the other side.  
5. Serve topped with more salsa, yogurt or sour cream, and green onions.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Kiwi Magazine Dec. 2012

Spinach Tomato Alfredo Pizza

Boy, have I found another great pizza recipe for you!  This delicious pizza uses a base of homemade Alfredo sauce in lieu of your basic tomato.  It is pretty much everything I love about pizza and Fettuccine Alfredo all rolled into one amazing dish!  Adding a bunch of minced garlic over the sauce takes this to the next level.  The little bursts of garlic in every bite is just heavenly!

The farm fresh tomatoes and spinach give this pizza great flavor and texture.  It is a new family favorite for sure and we already can't wait to make it again.  If you are looking for an out-of-the-box pizza, give this a try.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Ingredients

For the Alfredo Sauce:
1 C heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of nutmeg

For the Pizza:
your favorite pizza crust
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz shredded mozzarella
1/2 C tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2-3 large handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Cook Alfredo Sauce: In a medium fry pan, bring the butter and cream to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add the parmesan cheese and stir until it melts completely.  Continue to simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 475 degrees with a pizza stone inside.  Evenly spread the Alfredo sauce around the pizza crust leaving a 1 inch border.  Sprinkle the garlic over the sauce.  Layer the cheese, spinach, and tomatoes evenly over the pizza.  Top with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden at the edges.  Allow to cool 3-4 minutes before cutting or else the sauce might be a little to runny.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Weekly Menu

Well, it has been an emotional few days for us all.  Thank you for understanding my choice to join many fellow bloggers and be silent yesterday.  I hope you all have taken some extra time to let those you love know just how you feel about them.  I know I have been hugging my babies a little tighter.

We did still manage to go to the farm.  This will be our last big farm run until January as our main farm closes over the holidays.  :(  There is another farm that will still be open, but our weekly haul will be much smaller since their selection is not as varied.  We will likely have to get much of our organic produce from our grocery stores for the next few weeks, but I will still be making some great food!  This week, we picked up some spinach, carrots, tomatoes (can you believe it?!?!), broccoli, kale, cilantro, and yellow wax beans.  With that delicious assortment, we will be making the following meals:

• Parmesan Chicken Sandwiches (using Gardein) with frozen Organic Veggie Medley (my daughter's favorite treat)
• not using any of the fresh veggies

• Spinach Tomato Alfredo Pizza with Italian Steamed Broccoli
• using the tomatoes, spinach, and broccoli

• Black Bean and Kale Quesadillas with my Restaurant Style Salsa, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Roasted Mexican String Beans
• using the kale, cilantro, tomatoes, and green onion from last week

• I will be steaming the carrots for finger foods for the baby.