CurrentMom

Easy and Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Meal Monday

For dinner tonight I made stove-top chicken parmesan. This easy recipe is healthy and quick, and most importantly, it's delicious. I like to serve it with an arugula salad to set off the richness of the chicken and cheese. To make it really satisfying, I add a bit of rice or pasta to sop up the sauce.

Most chicken parmesan recipes want you to fry the chicken then bake it in sauce. Some even start with breading the chicken before frying. These steps add calories and extra time, neither of which I need on a busy weeknight. 

High Fiber, Low Fat, No Kidding! Recipe for 15 Bean Soup

Meal Monday

Despite the appalling wastefulness, I nearly threw them out – the three bags of Hambeen's Cajun 15 Bean Soup that my toddler had snuck into our grocery cart. You can picture them – they have an "As Seen On TV"-like star on the bag that says "High Fiber, Low  Fat." I love beans, I love soup, and as I’ve said before, I love one-pot dishes. But I was certain I could do nothing with these, intimidated as I was by a bad experience with a dried bean recipe and, well, the Cajun flavor packet. Really, it was the flavor packet. It scared me and made me feel boxed in at the same time, making me feel as if I had to use it (which of course I didn't!), and when I did, was going to tell my foodie friends that I didn’t know how to make a Cajun soup and so used this nasty dried excuse for flavor instead.

(It should be noted that this soup is actually one of their best sellers, according to the company's blog.)

And then the beans became the only dinner option we had after six days of homebound, grocery-store-free living during Snowpocalypse. Knowing I'd never cook them, my husband took over while I slipped to the local coffee shop to work a bit. And I came home to one of the best one-post meals I have had in ages.

It was loaded with nutrition (it really does have FIFTEEN different kinds of beans in it, including garbanzo and peas), had more layers of flavor than most one-pot dishes, and was surprisingly rich.

Potato, Cannelini Bean and Kale Soup in Only 15 Minutes

Meal Monday

This will my final blog for a while. New obligations have come up in my life that won't allow me to keep blogging and get my requisite amount of sleep each night. Thanks to all the friends and strangers who have taken interest in my posts. It really does give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
 
I'll be back when the spirit takes me, though. Maybe when I come up with a recipe that's just too good not to share, or I have a corporate food rant that needs venting.

In any case, today I want to share a super simple winter soup recipe that I whipped up last week. I've been a little slack about menu planning lately, so I've had to come up with some quick meals on the fly. This one turned out to be a big success.
 
Italian in origins, this soup combines potatoes, cannelini (white kidney) beans and kale in one pot. Some dried herbs and canned tomatoes add flavor. It's a nutritional powerhouse (my first Currentmom blog ever was on the wonders of kale) and literally takes only fifteen minutes to make.
 
You know how they say you are either a rice, pasta or potato person? Well, I have definitely always been a rice person, with pasta and then potatoes a distant second and third. But potatoes, I've learned, are really delicious and easy to prepare, especially in soup, and pack a healthy does of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. And they give this soup a good heartiness, while their starches thicken it up a bit.
 
So, give this one a try. Serve it was some yummy bread to soak up broth and don't be afraid to make it your own. You can use regular kidney beans instead of cannelini, although the effect isn't quite the same. And any kind of dark, leafy greens would do. 
 
Potato, Kale and Cannelini Soup (Serves 4)
 
What you need:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
Dried or fresh rosemary and thyme, to taste
3 medium potatoes (not baking), chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 15 oz can cannelini beans, not drained
1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes, not drained
1 bunch kale, stripped from stems and chopped
1-3 c vegetable broth or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of Tabasco (optional)
 
What to do:
 
Saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and dried herbs and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add potatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute.
 
Dump in beans, tomatoes and chopped kale. Add vegetable broth and water to reach desired thickness. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste.
 
Simmer until potatoes are tender, about ten minutes. Serve with bread.
 
Buon appetito!
 

 

Thai Curry Made Simple: An Irresistible Weeknight Recipe

Meal Monday
 
Spicy, sweet, salty, complex. Yes, these words describe me (ha!), but they're also what makes the cuisine of Thailand so utterly irresistible. I don't know what combination of ecological and cultural factors came together over the milennia to gift the world such delicious eats, but I'm sure glad it did.
 
A couple of months ago I shared a recipe for Tilapia with Southeast Asian Flavor. This week I want to share another meal standard from my kitchen, Thai Green Curry. This meal is simpler (although it requires more chopping), more flexible and creates many fewer dirty dishes. The combination of spicy complex curry paste, sweet coconut milk and brown sugar and salty fish sauce make it equally addictive, however.
 
The ingredients list looks kind of long, but it's mostly veggies and you can never have too many of those! However, they are also completely flexible. You can add or exclude them as you see fit.
 
You might have to make an effort on the sauce ingredients the first time around, but I promise you you will be using them repeatedly once you find a curry paste you like and get over the smell of fish sauce. They should be available in any grocery store with a well-stocked international foods section. But if not, it's worth the trouble to find your local small Asian grocer. Yummy foods, low prices, and always a fascinating cultural experience. 
 
Finding the perfect curry paste has posed a challenge for me. In fact, I have yet to find a store bought curry paste I adore. The Whole Foods brand green curry paste had good flavor but no heat (this could easily be remedied with the addition of a hot pepper or two--have I mentioned that I froze my summer bounty of hot peppers and am still using them! They are so much easier to chop frozen-for real!) I've also tried a couple Asian market brands (Mae Ploy and Maersi). They're adequate, but not spectacular. I'm thinking about trying to make my own,  which I could freeze in ice cube trays.
 
In any case, every cook's repertoire should include a tasty curry dish, so I hope you like this one.  ขอให้เจริญอาหาร! (koh hai cha-roen ar-harn)!
 

Breakfast for Dinner: A Recipe for A Busy Family and a Time-Crunched Cook

Meal Monday

I had planned to take a break from my Work Wednesday blog this week and write luscious words about delectable meals for CurrentMom's Meal Monday feature. Sort of a tryout for a food writer fantasy. But I realized, as I started to write about "mouth-watering" macaroni and cheese and "tempting" turkey hot dogs, that our family food repertoire doesn't lend itself to blogging reverence.

Frustrated, I decided to follow an elemental (although oft-ignored) rule of writing. Write what you know.

So, I'm blogging about . . . breakfast for dinner.

Now, before you get the idea that I'm a complete culinary deadbeat, you should know that I love to cook. I can saute, simmer, and sizzle with savvy - and produce better-than-subsistence-level results. (I do, however, loathe baking.)

I've been known to whip up savory dinners for two from pantry supplies and fancy food spreads for forty with gourmet ingredients. And I love to think and read about food, too: I'm an avid cookbook, food magazine, and food blog consumer.  On the web, I often rely on Epicurious and Eating Well for recipes and sample beautifully-produced food blogs like Orangette, 101 Cookbooks (vegetarian), Chocolate & Zucchini, and Smitten Kitchen for inspiration.

But with the combined challenges of my children's picky palates, my vegetarian husband's food needs, and the working mom's constant dinner-time crunch, a real dinner can sometimes be daunting.

Hence, breakfast for dinner. Around once a month. Usually when the fridge is empty, I haven't managed to defrost leftovers, and I can't muster the energy or enthusiasm to resort to the microwave, let alone cook a real meal.

Now, I do have culinary standards even for breakfast for dinner. So, cereal with milk doesn't cut it in my kitchen. But neither does an omelette, frittata, or strata. If you're going to do this supper swap, you should keep it extremely simple and stick to comfort food. Breakfast for dinner in my house turns on two fool-proof pillars - pancakes and protein.

Smart Snacking: Simple Ways to Slash Sugar from Your Kids' Diets

Meal Monday

 

My son is not normal. At 2 and a half years old, there is pretty much nothing that he won't eat, with the exception of spicy foods. He may not always want more grapefruit or black bean soup, but he's always willing to try things. He likes a remarkable variety of foods, including olives, mushrooms, fish, walnuts, carrots and asparagus.

 

It is not my intention here to taunt the parents of "normal" toddlers and kids who have more selective taste buds than my own child. My point is that, despite his open-mindedness in regards to food choices, making sure he eats snacks that are actually nutritious and not just tasty and filling is a challenge.

 

I think there are a few reasons for this. First, snack foods have to be convenient. They have to be available on demand and easily stuffed into a pocket or backpack. Second, most of the foods marketed to us (and our kids!) as "snack foods" are highly processed, nutritionally void, overpriced junk. And, third, sometimes we are led to believe that certain foods are super healthy for our kids, when, in fact, they leave a lot to be desired.

 

This third point is one I have been dwelling on for a while, and is what this week's blog is about; snack foods we think (wish!) are good for our kids but really aren't. My list of sneaky snacks: juice, flavored yogurt, snack bars, and crackers. Why? Sugar (and other crap)!

A Holiday Antidote: A Healthy, Easy Recipe for Beans, Corn and Tomatoes

Meal Monday

Okay, I know this is going to sound strange, but I am sick of chocolate. And eggnog. And pastries. And wintry side dishes. And I'm willing to bet that you, or at least your best jeans, are, too.
 
So, I'm going to keep it simple this week. Stove-top beans, corn, and tomatoes. Easy, inexpensive, healthy ingredients cooked in one pan, and served at your leisure. This dish has simple richness and flavor added by fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar and a little bit of cheese.
 
I've lauded the healthy perfection of beans in a previous blog. Served here with pan-roasted corn they provide a complete, low-fat and high fiber protein, with an added nutrition boost from the tomatoes and fresh parsley.
 
There is something about this dish which I find utterly addictive, I think it is the tanginess of the vinegar combined with the sweetness of the corn, the heartiness of the beans and the smoky richness of the cheese.
 
Whatever the appeal, I hope you find it as satisfying as I do. Oh, and don't forget the cornbread and maybe a simple salad served with my easy vinaigrette. Enjoy!
 

Cutting Carbohydrates? Try This Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Meal Monday                                                                                                           

I'd like to begin this Meal Monday post by saying I really like carbohydrates. In fact, Chocolate Cake and I have been the best of friends for years. She's helped me through many rough times, attended a number of my children's birthday parties and has always been there when I needed her. Unfortunately, as I've hit the eighth month of pregnancy, Ms. Cake and her carbohydrate-laden friends have suddenly become my enemies.

Struggling with gestationally-induced insulin resistance (as are nearly 5% of all pregnant women), I've had to begin keeping a closer eye on how many of these carbohydrates make their way into my home and at what time of day. But, I must admit, I miss them. I miss sitting down with a cup of tea and a friendly cookie and I miss pancakes for breakfast. So, instead of completely banishing my old friends from my life, I've had to be a little more creative, introducing myself to some of their close relatives.

One of the better recipes I've created is the following one for Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies. Before you delve right in, a quick note about one of the ingredients, Almond Meal. It's also known as Almond Flour and though it can be purchased for exorbitant amounts of money in health food stores, it's very easy to make yourself.

Techie Holidays

Image by Lyn Millett via Flickr

Technology Thursday

I really enjoy Christmas and wish I had more time to get into the spirit of the season. If I had my druthers, I'd spend loads of time baking and decorating and going to Christmas parties and such. Instead, I end up staring at the calendar with increasing horror as the days click by and I have a pile of work that just never, ever lets up on top of regular household maintenance and am trying to sort out gifts, prepare for houseguests, and keep track of my toddler. So, as in so many other areas of life, I turn to technology to help.

Now, technology doesn't help with baking cookies or Christmas parties, but it does help simplify some tasks that I otherwise might not ever get to.

Holiday Treats and the Working Mom

Work Wednesday

Last week - all in one week - I hosted an Ambassador, a Cabinet Secretary, the head of a major international organization, and a Fortune 500 CEO.

Well, that may be overstating it, a little. I did not have them over to my house. I was not responsible for wining and dining them. I did not have to accommodate their pillow preferences. But I was responsible for the logistics (and some of the content) of an international conference they attended. 

The conference was, I think, successful on the policy front. But definitely not on the personal front.

I’m not talking about the long days that blew up my less-than-full-time but not-exactly part-time mommy-friendly schedule. Or the late night preparations that might have made it easier to stay at a hotel than at home. No, I’m speaking about something even more personal.

My weight.

Between the pastries and muffins available at break time, the carrot cake at an embassy luncheon, and the post-conference drinks with foreign colleagues, I put on a few pounds. At least I think so. I haven't subjected myself to the scale yet but my favorite black skirt was just a bit tight by the week's end. A foreboding sign for the start of the seasonal festivities. In effect, the conference converted December into one continuous episode of office-based overeating.