Couscous & Lentil Salad

On the weekends, the last thing you want to do is spend so much time in the kitchen making a full meal. I do this during the week and usually we eat out on the weekend, but that gets really expensive really quick. Plus who doesn't have the usual argument about where do we go? What do we eat? I don't know you pick, what do you crave? I'm sure you all have been there.

We had leftover couscous and lentil that I made during the week and decided that I would somehow make that a quick and painless full lunch. This dish is usually made with wheat and lentil, but I couldn't find the wheat at the store and haven't made a run to the Middle Eastern store lately.

Here's the original recipe for that, just replace the wheat with couscous as they are cooked the same or you can use wheat!

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You'll need:

Cracked wheat #1 or #2- You can get this at a Middle Eastern store or at any grocery store you'll find boxes to make Tabbouleh, just use the wheat in the box and not the spice packet.

Green lentils
Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
1 Clove of garlic

You cook the lentils in water with the clove of garlic and a little salt for about 10 minutes or until almost done. In a large deep pan, add a little bit of water and the wheat, add the lentils with a little bit of the lentil water, salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Taste it, it should be soft but not mushy. You'll love it! I also make a cucumber, tomato, cilantro salad with lime, salt and plain yogurt. It's the perfect combination! The creaminess of the salad with the wheat. 
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For this salad you'll need:

Cucumber
Tomato
Red onion
Mint
Cilantro
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

I was craving some sort of hearty salad, so I peeled and sliced a cucumber very thinly, diced a tomato, sliced a red onion and added mint and cilantro along with the juice of a lime, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can even add some Feta cheese and olives! It was so filling and so delicious that it was the perfect lunch. We have been trying to avoid eating meats too much, and this one was perfect for that. Super healthy too!

Let's conquer Monday friends!

Super Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs.

This dish is a 30 Minute Meal a la Rachael Ray with a little from Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade. Being a mama on the go most of the time, I've mentioned that quick and easy meals are a must.

The meatballs I make from scratch because I promise they're so easy to make and a hundred times better and healthier than anything else. You need-

1 pack of ground turkey (I get the 85/15)
Onion- diced finely
Cilantro
Garlic- I chop one clove finely
6 saltines- throw these in your blender for a few seconds to blend them into powder, this holds the meatballs together nicely
1 Egg (optional)
Garlic salt
Salt & pepper
1 box of spaghetti to feed about 5 mouths, Jack, Elliot and I and two next day lunches. :)

Preheat your oven to 345 degrees. Put all ingredients in a bowl with the ground turkey and mix well with your hands. Make sure your toddler isn't wanting you to pick him up constantly because nobody wants raw meat on them. :) I usually put a blanket down on the kitchen floor and a few toys to keep Elliot distracted since Jack is usually helping me.

After you mix the ingredients, wrap a cookie sheet with foil and throw some olive oil on it. Just a bit, you don't need very much just enough to have a little under the meatballs so they don't stick. Roll the meatballs and lay on the sheet. I always, always, always make these first while I have a pot of water on the stove getting ready for the spaghetti. You have to multitask here if you want this to be quick!

Put the meatballs in the oven for about 30 minutes- as long as it takes you to get everything else ready.



For the spaghetti-

Salt the pot of water, it will also make it boil quicker! I think it was Bobby Flay who told me that, or it might have been Rachael Ray. ;) Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and time it. I learned this from Jack, I used to just let it boil forever causing it to overcook and become super soft. Jack likes it al dente so I make sure I time it and taste when it's getting close to being ready. Drain it and NEVER rinse it with cold water. This will cause it to stick! Besides, the sauce needs to stick. Put back in the pot with a tiny bit of the water. We use regular spaghetti as opposed to whole wheat. I've never been a fan of it because the sauce doesn't take to it as it does with the regular one besides, when you compare the fats and carbs and all those things there's not a huge difference and doesn't taste great. Pastas are better than spaghetti when it comes to whole wheat in my opinion.

I save a little bit of the water (another trick learned) and add it to the sauce. I use a store bought one. I used to make it when I had the time and it was a super simple boiling of whole tomatoes, garlic and a little slice of onion, throw them in the blender, throw the sauce back in the pot, add oregano, salt and pepper and let it hang out for a while. No time for that now, so after trying a few brands, I went with this organic one. I also like Emeril's, they both contain all natural ingredients and stuff you can actually read on the label. I put this in a pot to simmer once my pasta and meatballs are close to being done and once simmering, I add the meatballs to it just to flavor everything and make everything yummy.



We make our own garlic bread, we are carb eaters and not sorry! So we need to do it in a healthier way. This is a whole wheat french bread, we slice it, put it on a cookie sheet with foil, drizzle a little olive oil and in the oven they go for about 5-7 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take them out and rub the crunchier side with a whole garlic clove. You should have nothing left after you're done! It's the best garlic bread and not so bad for you.



Yum!!

Another thing Jack likes is adding his own sauce instead of me mixing everything together. I get a plate and use tongs to grab the spaghetti onto the plate. Add sauce and meatballs and a slice of garlic bread. Nothing new here just an easier way of making things that works for us! Enjoy!

It's Jack's birthday today and I'm excited to show him his gifts! We are having a small cookout with a couple of friends and we can't wait for the fun to begin. :) Happy Friday!

Chicken & Couscous Recipe.

Here it is friends! The recipe for the dish I posted on my Instagram (@shadiabrown) a few days ago. This takes about twenty to thirty minutes to make, a complete win in my book.

I don't think Jack was so sure at first when I showed him the recipe and told him that's what we were going to have for dinner one of the week nights. I've mentioned before that we do all of the meal planning and shopping on Sundays to make it easier on ourselves during the week. Sometimes we would forget what we were making and so now after we are done grocery shopping, I stick the meal plan to the fridge for reference. I don't know if it's because we are always so tired but we would end up making a different dish and using ingredients from all meals planned and we would end up with having nothing to make on one of the days. Eating out is so expensive and it just gets so old, besides the fact that there are very few healthy options out there.

I have a few cook books with lots of healthy recipes that I've been collecting over the last couple of years and I go through them to find new meal ideas for the week. This is one of them.

I first eat with my eyes (who doesn't) and flip through the pages until I find something that looks good. Then I look at the ingredients and make sure my grocery store carries that stuff and if it will take me more than thirty minutes to prepare. I usually go for the books that have quick, easy, delicious and healthy meals which is no easy task but I find them!



Here's the recipe for 4 servings, two for dinner, two for lunch. ;)

1-2 saffron strands
1 3/4oz (50g), dry weight, couscous
2 tsp golden raisins
1/2 cup boiling hot chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable stock)

For the dressing
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp olive oil

Approximately 2 chicken breasts cut into strips (I used a rotisserie chicken and it saved me an insanely amount of time)
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 tsp pine nuts
about 15 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths or halves
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

1. Put the saffron, couscous, and golden raisins in a heatproof bowl and pour over the hot stock. Stir once and let it sit for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Brown the chicken strips on all sides in a preheated nonstick skillet over high heat for about 4 minutes, or if you're doing it my way, pull apart the entire rotisserie chicken into strips and heat up in skillet. :)
4. Reduce heat to medium, add corn and pine nuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. A little trick- roast the pine nuts first for a couple of minutes before adding the to the chicken. The recipe tells otherwise but they are so good roasted!
5. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add to the skilled with the tomatoes, dressing and scallions. Heat for 1 minute, or until warmed through, stirring gently.
6. Spoon onto a plate, then top with the chicken and garnish with cilantro.
Don't stir this dish too much, kind of fold it over.

I promise this is so quick and so good!

Enjoy! :)

Taco Bowl Night.

Working all day and coming home to make dinner is not something I jump through hoops over excitement. I'm exhausted and still have a thousand other things to do. I know I've said before that I am always in search of easy, ingredient friendly, healthy meals for my family and something I can whip up in thirty to forty-five minutes. Eating out really isn't an option for us unless we have something we need to take care of that day and we pick something up on the way home.

Now I have to turn into Flash Woman since Elliot is walking and goes everywhere and gets into everything. Literally. Just the other day I went into my closet for a good second to grab a sweater and by the time I peeked my head out to check on him, he had his hands in the toilet bowl playing with the water (gross!) and was slowly lifting his hand up to his mouth to lick it, he does that when I give him a bath so I immediately saw that coming. I dropped whatever I had in my hand, ran like a madwoman, picked him up and washed his hands about a million times. Now we always keep the lid down or the bathroom door closed altogether. No access and peace of mind. Lesson learned.

This taco bowl recipe is the easiest in the world and I can get it done in about thirty minutes. That's about how long I can keep this boy entertained somehow by bribing him with fruit, crackers, a smoothie or cucumber, his new favorite. It takes him about 1.7 seconds to finish whatever I give to him so I have to resort to healthier alternatives although he does get the occasional banana or sweet potato cookie.

I also try to make meals that I know I can feed Elliot or make him a separate meal with almost the same ingredients. This is perfect because I cook the ground turkey and before seasoning it I separate a little batch and mix it with veggies for him. I cook the veggies while I'm cooking the meat that way it's all done and ready to go when they're both ready and I can easily, and quietly, finish dinner for Jack and I while Elliot eats his. I then give him some fruit for dessert while we eat dinner.

Here's how I prepare them.

I use:

Taco bowls - You can get these pretty much anywhere.
Ground turkey- One pack is enough for four since I prepare lunches for the next day.
Lettuce- Finely cut.
Black olives- Yum.
Shredded cheese- Any kind you like.
Beans- We switch this up, I usually cook my own beans in my pressure cooker but we sometimes buy black beans or mild chili beans.
Sour cream- We don't always use this as we try to keep it healthy but a dollop never hurt anyone :)
Salsa- I make my own if I have the time. I toast some jalapeños, a clove of garlic, a little bit of onion and a tomato on a pan with a little olive oil, once they're nicely toasted I throw them in the blender with a tiny bit of water and salt. You're done.
You can pretty much add any veggie you want, you can add avocado or if you make guacamole!



To season the ground turkey I use paprika, cayenne pepper, pepper, oregano and garlic powder very freely. No need for salt, the spices are enough. It seriously tastes better than the packs of seasoning. I promise.

I also heat up the tortilla bowls in the oven for a couple of minutes. They're so much better that way.

Once everything is done, arrange them in a little assembly line and go to town! They're so good. The bowls usually come in fours so we eat one and save one for lunch. Jack always helps me out and that reduces our cooking time as well, he either helps me cook or entertains Elliot.

This one below was made with black beans and yesterday we tried them with chili beans, they're both so good!



I hope you enjoy them! They are so easy and quick and delicious!

Spring Rolls.

Yum. I want more already.



There isn't necessarily a recipe for these spring rolls. It's more about the fresh veggies to use along with the cutting and slicing. My mother in law has been making these for us for years and she always uses the best and freshest ingredients. The way I make them is the way she taught me and I'll tell you, Jack and I could eat them all day everyday. They are that good. They're also super healthy and crazy simple to make. There's no way to mess these up. Unless you're me and realize you forgot to cook the noodles once you prepared everything, you dipped the rice paper in the water ready to assemble and it becomes one with the plate :)

You'll need-

Rice paper- You can find them at any World Market or your local Asian store. We have a couple of Korean stores in the area that we go to.
Rice/Glass noodles- You can also find these at the same places as the rice paper. Maybe even your local market.
Romaine lettuce leaves
Carrots
Cucumber
Cilantro
Avocado
Chicken or any protein of your choice. I make them vegetarian for me and with chicken for Jack.
Siracha or a hot sauce of your choice. Siracha works great. We use one that we buy at the Korean store and has the seeds in it (it has a green lid), you can either get this one or Siracha. We also add a few drops of lemon and stir some of the sauce in a bowl.



You start by cutting everything. Tear romaine lettuce leaves whole and wash them. I used red leaf lettuce this time because the romaine wasn't the freshest. The carrots I slice them in thin little strings, almost as if you grate them but you just can't get the same effect unless you have a mandolin to do this. Use a good knife. Same goes for the cucumber, we use English cucumber because they are just so darn good but regular cucumber works just as well. It takes a while to do this cut but trust me, it just makes it taste better and looks prettier. That's the way my MIL taught me, she's crazy neat about her cooking, and I make them like this every single time. Trim the cilantro (stem and all) and set aside with the lettuce, carrots and cucumber on a plate for easy access and assembly. You can add the avocado any way you like, I slice it and take the skin off then put it on a plate fanned out.

To prepare the noodles-
Put some water in a pot and wait for it to boil. Add the noodles and cook for a few minutes, they really don't take long at all and you'll get mush if you leave them in there for too long. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking any further. Set aside in a bowl.



Rice paper-
These are a little tricky. Put some water in a deep pan, heat up but not to the point of boiling, you want it to be hot but not too hot. You'll be dipping the rice paper in it for just a few seconds. You will see it turn clear. Same rule applies to these as the noodles. If you leave the paper in the water for too long, it will get super sticky and hard to work with. I take a sheet with both hands by two fingers and kind of rotate the sheet in the water, if that makes any sense, until I've soaked it all up then I take it out and lay it on a large flat plate.

Construction-
After you have everything prepared, get the rice paper sheet, dip it in the water, lay it on a flat plate and get to work! I arrange the leaf of lettuce first, add the noodles, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, avocado, the protein if you're using any, and a little bit of the hot sauce. I then fold the sides and roll it like a burrito! After you eat one, you'll want to eat them all and everyday. You can also put pretty much anything you like in them. One time my MIL put apple in them and I looked at her like huh? I tried the roll and it was so good with apple. It gives it a little bit of sweetness and crunch, if you're into that kind of stuff ;)



Also, another tip I can give you is to not make them all at once. Jack and I make them as we eat them. If you want to take them for lunch the next day and want to make them in advance, wrap them in saran wrap and put in the fridge in a container. The rice paper and noodles will harden a little but they will still taste good.

Have you made these and added anything else? Let me know!

Enjoy!

Perfect Winter Veggie & Meatball Soup.

With the colder days ahead of us and finally getting highs in the 70's (yes, that's cooler weather for us) I can't help but start thinking about some Winter recipes for soups. They're so comforting and delicious and what's better than throwing everything into a pot and letting it cook? This means more time with my little and hubby!

This recipe is my mom's and came out just like hers! I always tell her how no matter how much I try to copy all her steps, my cooking is never the same as hers, but this one was a success! It's light, easy to make, filling, healthy and so so good!

You'll need:

Ground turkey (1 pack feeds two and a half with leftovers for lunch-triple win)
Unseasoned bread crumbs
Broccoli
Carrot
Celery
Red potatoes (or regular if you want)
Cilantro
Tomato bouillon
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (minced)

To make the meatballs, put the ground turkey, salt, pepper, garlic and a little bit (about two tablespoons) of the bread crumbs in a bowl. Mix everything by hand and roll the meatballs. Start a pot with water and bring to a boil then add the meatballs. The meatballs give the soup a delicious flavor. When meatballs are about done, throw in potatoes (don't peel them, the skin is one of the best parts), carrot and celery. I wait until everything is almost done then throw in the broccoli, otherwise it overcooks and gets way too soft for my taste. Besides it looses its color! The red potatoes also cook rather quickly so be careful, you don't want mush in your soup. Add a little bit of the tomato bouillon and a little more salt if needed. Let it simmer until broccoli is a little bit cooked but still bright green. I added the cilantro last for flavor and also used some as garnish. It honestly doesn't need a lot of seasoning because all the veggies and the meatballs add a ton of flavor. Serve and enjoy!

It took me about half an hour of prep-time (Jack made the meatballs) and about 30-40 minutes of cooking time.

This is also a win because I cooked a meatball and veggies in a separate pot for Elliot since I didn't add any salt or spices to his, but the meatball already makes the soup taste so good! I took the veggies and meatball out when they were done, cut them super small, threw them back in the soup and he loved it! This saved me a ton of time (and ideas) to make him his own little meal. He's now eating what we eat and it's a great time saver.

Happy Hump Day!

Recipe.

As promised, here's the recipe for the delicious fish dish I posted on my Instagram (@shadiabrown).

This is very simple yet so so good and so healthy!

You're going to need:

Any fish that you like (I used Tilapia)
A can of tomato sauce (no salt added)
2 cloves of garlic
Cilantro (Yum)
2 small tomatoes
Parsley Flakes
Paprika
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Cover a container in foil, make sure it's not too shallow otherwise it can spill and cause you a whole lot of mess and trouble in your oven. Add a little Olive Oil to the bottom. Add the Tilapia. Dice the tomatoes with some of the cilantro, the garlic, and a little more Olive Oil. Mix in a container and add to the fish. Add some of the tomato sauce to the fish as well with a little bit of water so it doesn't dry up. Sprinkle a little salt & pepper, parsley flakes & paprika. Put in the oven at 400 degrees. I know it's hot but when you need to cook things fast to get all your other shit done, trust me, you'll do the same. Besides, fish cooks pretty quickly! Check on it after about 15-20 mins. It should be juicy but cooked. I also added a couple of chilies for a little kick but this is completely up to you depending on your tolerance for heat.

For the salad all you need is baby spinach and yellow, red and orange peppers. The ones that are meant to go on a veggie tray. Slice the peppers and add lime and olive oil to the salad. Simple and quick.

I sauteed brussel sprouts and mushrooms in a little Olive Oil and some lemon pepper. We love lemon pepper around here. This is the perfect veggie side dish.

Update: Forgot to add the watermelon water! Jack took care of this one. Cube watermelon in the blender and add some water. Blend and enjoy! We never add sugar because it's naturally sweet and granted,  watermelon is not always as sweet as it should be, but it's so refreshing when it's lightly sweet.

The best part about this whole thing? Eating it!

Did you really think I would write a new post without sharing a picture of my Button? :)

Happy Wednesday!