Recipe of the Week: White Chocolate Persimmon Cookies

Before I moved to California, I had never even heard of a persimmon before. Now that I live in California's Central San Joaquin Valley I find the robust orange fruit everywhere in the winter. Inevitably, someone graces our family with a bag of persimmons during the Christmas season. There are two types: The "fuyu" persimmon is like an orange, squatty tomato and firm when ripe. These are great in place of apples or pears in your fave dishes. The "hachiya" persimmon is the acorn-shaped variety that becomes mushy to the touch when ripe and can be squeezed out to use in smoothies or for baked goods like cookies and breads.

Below is our newest recipe for Persimmon Cookies with a new twist. The white chocolate chunks and dried cranberries give these cookies added depth. We picked up the white chocolate chunks at Whole Foods. Of course, you can put chocolate chips of any kind in this recipe. They are wonderful served with a cup of hot cocoa or tea. Check out these other persimmon recipes, or feel free to share your own uses for the persimmon. We have an abundance this week!

White Chocolate Persimmon Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, organic softened

3/4 cup honey or 2/3 cup organic brown sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or other flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup persimmon pulp (2-3 soft & peeled)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup white chocolate chunks


Directions:
1. Cream together butter & honey/brown sugar.

2. Beat in egg.

3. Sift dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.

4. Stir in nuts, cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

5. Lightly grease cookie sheet and drop tablespoons full onto sheet.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Recipe of the Week: Winter Spiced Quinoa

Can I get some Quin-what? Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was discovered by the Inca Indians high in the Peruvian mountains.  The name itself literally means "mother grain."  The Q-stuff has the highest protein content out of all the grains.  Quinoa is considered a "complete protein," which means it has all nine amino acids that the body must get from food.  But that's not all - Quinoa also contains iron which increases the oxygen in the blood.  Numerous studies have shown that lack of iron in the blood causes fatigue. In other words, this is a great grain to kickstart your day.

A few weeks ago we did The Great Pantry Challenge. One of the items we had in our pantry was a bulk bag of quinoa from a friend. That inspired us to think of a lot of creative ways we could employ this wonder grain. We normally use quinoa much like we would rice or pasta for dinner. Recently, I've been seeing some breakfast quinoa recipes like this one. The Food Network's Ellie Krieger also has a breakfast quinoa in her new So Easy cookbook. Here's a new twist on breakfast. Think oatmeal minus the mushy. Bon appetit!

Winter Spiced Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 small pear, cut into small cubes (or apple)
1/4 dried cranberries (or blueberries or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup raw milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:
1. Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, cooking for 15 additional minutes until water is evaporated.
2. Meanwhile toast pecans in the toaster oven or on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. (Feel free to skip this step if it's a busy morning!)
3. Add pears, dried cranberries and pecans. Stir into quinoa.
4. Add milk and cinnamon and stir.
5. Serve in bowls and drizzle with maple syrup.

Serves 3-4.

Recipe of the Week: Split Pea & Chicken Sausage Soup

I'm the kid who hated peas when I was little. The mushy texture and green color just turned me off. But just because I hated them as a kid doesn't mean I have to hate them now. Our taste buds change multiple times throughout our lives so it's good to keep trying foods.

My friend Stacie made a batch of Split Pea Soup a few weeks ago for our Playgroup. She did it in the crockpot and it turned out fabulous. She threw in diced potatoes and some other fresh produce she had on hand. I couldn't stop eating that stuff! Yes, that's right, the pea-hating me was hogging all the Pea Soup. I decided it was time to do some experiementing on my own. The following recipe was the result. My daughter and hubby were fighting me for the last bowl.

I made this version on the stove top but you could try it in the crockpot if that's easier for you. I just needed mine done in a hurry. Do you have a spin on Split Pea Soup? Please share in the comment section.

Split Pea & Chicken Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
32 oz. cage-free, organic chicken broth
2 cups dried green split peas
32 oz. water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 12-oz. package chicken sausage, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I chose a Spicy Andouille Sausage from Trader Joe's but you can decide what variety suits your taste.)

Serves: 4-6

Directions:
1. Add olive oil to small pot/saucepan and turn to medium-high heat.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic and ginger in olive oil until onions turn translucent and celery is softened.
3. Add chicken broth, split peas, cumin, basil, salt and water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
4. Lower heat to simmer soup for 30 minutes until most of the liquid is gone. Meanwhile, saute chopped chicken sausage in a separate frying pan.
5. When soup is desired consistency (add water if too thick), stir in sausage. Serve.

Pumpkin-Pecan Whole Grain Waffles

Yesterday my hubby woke up and asked if we could have Pumpkin Waffles. I thought that was a funny request since I've never made Pumpkin Waffles before. We do pumpkin pancakes quite often. Of course, I'm always up for the culinary challenge so I made a face at him and set to work.

In case you haven't noticed, this time of year we throw pumpkin into everything so I figured, why not? If you're looking for something a little different to grace your breakfast table, try these. We made a double batch and froze some for another breakfast. You could always skip the pecans if you're not a fan or even substitute with walnuts or almonds. Pumpkin is a great source of fiber and it's full of carotenoids, which are antioxidants. Since it's cold and flu season, we're always looking for ways to incorporate antioxidants into our meals.

Did you know that an ounce (9 grams) of pumpkin seeds has the same amount of protein as an ounce of meat? (Check out The Doctors Book of Food Rememdies). You could even throw some toasted pumpkin seeds on top of the waffles.


Pumpkin-Pecan Whole Grain Waffles


½ cup butter, melted

1 cup pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 ½ cups raw milk

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup wheat germ

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chopped pecans

Maple syrup


Directions:

1. Using a mixer, beat eggs and raw milk. Add pumpkin and butter.

2. Add flour, wheat germ and baking powder. Mix.

3. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sea salt. Mix.

4. Add chopped pecans.

5. Follow instructions on waffle maker. Serve drizzled with real maple syrup.

Our 2009 Thanksgiving Menu

We'll be dining at 4:30 p.m. today with my parents, Ericlee's parents, and of course, our cutie little girls. Meilani is so excited to have "that bird" she named Sally!

Here's our menu:

Baked Brie with Cranberries & Pecans with Trader Joe's Everything Crackers

Butternut Squash Soup

Nana's Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

Herbed Roasted Turkey

Whole Wheat Stuffing

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Nama's Armenian Pilaf

Pumpkin Pie & Blueberry Pie with Whole Wheat Orange Crust

Nana's Pizzelle cookies

Spiced Apple Cider

Thanksgiving Makeover: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate & Mint

Our family loves all the Thanksgiving traditions. We love food, football and family. We love a chance to contemplate our country's beginnings and an opportunity to share our abundance with others. However, we have discovered through the years that we don't really like the comatose state that follows the Big Turkey Meal. The last couple of years we have been on a journey to find more locally-focused, healthy-inspired versions of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. One stipulation is we were not willing to compromise on taste. We believe that feasting once in a while is not only good it's Biblical. Celebration with family and community is important to us. We just want our food choices to reflect our lifestyle.

Tomorrow morning we will be running the Annual Turkey Trot in Fresno. This is a family tradition we've continued for many years to start out our big Turkey Day with exercise and celebrating community. This year I will be running the 5k with my dad and Ericlee and the girls will be cheering us on with Nana Maria. After our meal we also take a family walk through the neighborhood and say hello to friends. We indulge in the color show presented by the fall leaves.

When it comes to holiday foods, it's all about baby steps. The first year we tried this we added a homemade Green Bean Casserole to our Thanksgiving and tried out our Banana Pumpkin Muffin recipe, which can be used for a bread or a dessert at the meal. Last year we wrote all about that experience.

This year we are sharing the cooking duties with my mom and mother-in-law. For dinner, our family is contributing our traditional Butternut Squash Soup, Green Bean Casserole and a shazam appetizer we made in our Cooking Club a few years back - Baked Brie with Dried Cranberries and Pecans with Whole Grain Crackers. We even convinced Ericlee's mom to make the stuffing with whole wheat bread - major milestone!

Our poll at the right suggests some of you are interested in a "makeover" version of sweet potatoes. We're actually ditching sweet potatoes this year as we minimized the number of dishes are serving for 6 adults and 2 kids. However, this is a dish I make throughout the winter months when sweet potatoes are ripe in the garden or at the market. You won't find marshmallows and brown sugar in this one but you will find some other secret ingredients to wow your guests. Buon Appetito!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate & Mint

Ingredients:
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (arils)
Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, olive oil and salt.
3. Put cut potatoes into a 3-quart baking dish or 9x13 dish. Pour maple syrup mixture over the potatoes. Toss to coat.
4. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
5. Uncover potatoes and stir. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top with chopped mint. Serve.

Turkey Leftovers: So Many Options, So Many Choices

The big Turkey Day is coming and it's time to rev up those menus. I've been perusing food magazines and recipe files for weeks for new healthy spins on the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. But to be honest my fave part of this holiday is not the Thanksgiving meal at all; it's what I get to create with all the lovely leftovers. Since some of you will probably be shopping and making your menus in the next few days, consider a few extra ingredients for these "Luscious Leftover" dishes.

Last year, we turned our leftover turkey and veggies into Turkey-Lime Tortilla Soup. Don't throw that turkey carcass away. I know, I know, some of you are flinching because I just said the word carcass. Making turkey stock isn't as hard as you think. It's basically throwing all the bones from the turkey carving into a pot and adding a few spices. This is a great money-saving tip as well. If the turkey-lime flavors are not your style, you can use the turkey stock for any of your favorite soups.

This year I want to try out a Turkey Pot Pie and a White Bean Turkey Chili. Both of these are great opportunities to use leftover turkey and fresh vegetables with a healthy twist. I've been working up this pot pie recipe for a few weeks now. I love homemade crust. This whole wheat crust is great during winter when oranges are in season. If you want to save time, pick up some ready-made pie crusts from the freezer section at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. The key to this pie is using the vegetables and ingredients that are in season. For winter, broccoli, potatoes and carrots are a great choice. In summer, try corn or zuchinni. In spring, break out the fresh peas or asparagus.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Crust: (Best if made ahead; should be enough for two pie crusts or the top & bottom of an 8x8 Pyrex dish for pot pie)
-2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup + 1/2 tablespoon organic butter
-2 teaspoons grated orange peel
-1/4 cup cold orange juice
-1 tablespoon cold water

Filling:
-1/3 cup organic butter
-1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon paprika
-1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or chili powder or red pepper flakes, depending on how much spice you desire)
-1 teaspoon parsley
-1 3/4 cups organic cage-free chicken broth
-2/3 cup raw milk
-1/2 cup onions, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 cups turkey or chicken, shredded and cooked
-1 cup carrots (or diced potatoes or corn), chopped
-1 cup broccoli, chopped (or peas)
-1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Prepare pie crusts. If making the homemade crust, measure out flour and salt. Cut butter into dry mixture and use pastry blender or large fork to blend until forms pea-sized balls.
2. Add orange peel, water and orange juice and mix together until dough can be formed into two large discs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Chop and prepare all vegetables.
4. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
5. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in paprika, chipotle pepper and parsley. Cook until mixture bubbles (approximately 2-3 minutes).
6. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling and stir continuously for one minute.
7. Stir in turkey, cheese and vegetables. Remove from heat.
8. Roll out pie crusts into shape of your pot pie dish. (I like to use an 8x8 pyrex but you can use a round, deep pie dish or double the recipe and use a 9x13 for a larger family or leftovers.)
9. Ease pastry into dish and line edges. Pour in filling.
10. Top with second pie crust and turn edges of pastry under or flute. (Hint: Even if your pie crust is crumbly or doesn't lay perfectly on top you can still use it. Just dump all the crust & crumbs on top of your pie.)
11. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Recipe of the Week: Maple-Pecan Chicken Wonton Cups

Many of you have been asking me for this recipe so I thought this would be a good week to share my fave appetizer. This is a great show-stopper and, outside of "wonton wrappers," it doesn't require tons of special ingredients. You can follow the recipe or make your own version of chicken salad to fill the cups. A variation of this recipe recently won first prize in the Hidden V*lley R*nch recipe contest at the Big Fresno Fair.

The judges write their comments on the entries for the contest.

Maple-Pecan Chicken Wonton Cups

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (12 ounces)
1 cup water
24 wonton skins
Olive oil spray
3 tablespoons maple syrup
24 whole pecans
2 carrots or 1 red pepper (1 cup), finely chopped
1 small zucchini (1 cup), finely chopped
¼ cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup mayonnaise (Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

Directions:
1. Add water and chicken breasts to a small pot. Cover and boil on medium-high heat approximately 20 minutes. Set aside chicken to cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with olive oil. Place wonton skin in each muffin hole. Using fingers, gently push skin down into muffin hole shape. Spray each skin with olive oil spray.
3. Bake in oven for 8 minutes until wontons are hard and golden brown. (Do not overcook.) Remove and set on a platter.
4. In a small frying pan, add maple syrup and pecans. Heat on medium-low. Stir pecans to coat until maple syrup begins to bubble. Cool.
5. Assemble chicken salad. Dice chicken into small pieces. Mix with carrots (or red pepper), zucchini, green onions and dried cranberries. Add ranch dressing, mayonnaise, salt and fresh basil.
6. Use a tablespoon to add heaping spoonful of chicken salad to each wonton cup. Top with a whole maple-pecan. Serve.

Servings: 12 (2 cups each)

Cooking Club enjoys ethnic food lesson from Ethiopian friends

Our Cooking Club celebrated the arrival of our friend Stacie's adopted son from Ethiopia with an Ethiopian Cooking lesson. Stacie's friends, Emebet and Desta, who are from Ethiopia, came over to teach us some traditional dishes. In the photo, Desta (far left) with daughter (in red) pose next to Stacie, Nathanael, me, Cori, Mary (holding Samuel) and Emebet is front and center showing off our "raw materials" before the cooking began.

Emebet and Desta first showed us how to make a garlic-ginger mixture that is used in the majority of Ethiopian dishes. They make this in large quantities so it is fresh and ready for cooking.

**To make ginger-garlic spice mixture: Cut tops off two heads of garlic. Separate cloves and peel. Chop cloves finely. Peel ginger, slice and chop finely. Add garlic and ginger together with 2 tablespoons sea salt. Use rolling pin to smash garlic and ginger together. (Used as a fresh spice for all types of Ethiopian cooking.)

Next we got to work on chopping all the vegetables and making our various dishes. This spiced red lentil dish quickly heated up the kitchen with its rich aroma. The Ethiopians use a spice mix called "berbere," which gives this lentil dish its complex flavor and spicy kick.

Split Red Lentils (Key Wot)


Ingredients:
2 red onions
5 tablespoons berbere (Ethiopian chili powder)
2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1 can tomato paste
3 teaspoons ginger-garlic mixture**
2 1/2 cups red lentils
2 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cardamom

1. Finely chop red onions.

2. Put large pot over high heat with 1 1/2 cup olive oil to coat red onions. Sauté until very tender.

3. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons salt over red onions. Stir onions as they cook to soften.

4. Stir frequently but keep pot covered in between.

5. Reduce heat to medium.

6. Add berbere spice to pot.

7. Add 3 teaspoons of ginger-garlic spice mixture (prepared ahead of time) to pot. Stir in. You want it to be emulsified.

8. Cook approximately 5 minutes.

9. Add one can tomato paste to pot and stir vigorously to blend in. This will look like a tomato-onion paste.

10. Add ¾ cup water to pot. Cook 5 minutes until water simmers off.

11. Add 3-4 cups water to pot.

12. Add additional ½ cup of water at a time to see how the consistency looks & lentils are soft. Lentils will continue to absorb water. (You want watery split pea soup.)

13. Add heaping tablespoon of ginger-garlic mixture to pot. Add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon ground cardamom.

**See recipe above. Used as a fresh spice for all types of Ethiopian cooking.

 This yellow split pea dish is inexpensive to make and very flavorful. Turmeric is added to the peas to give it a spiced flavor and deepen the color. Turmeric is supposed to be good for combatting Alzheimer's Disease and has many other healing qualities.

Alicha (Ater Keke)

Ingredients:

1 white onion

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 cups yellow split peas

1 teaspoon turmeric


Directions:

1. Boil 2 cups yellow split peas with 6 cups water until water is fully absorbed. Set aside.

2. Heat 6 cups of water in a kettle or pot.

3. Peel and slice 1 large white onion.

4. Put large pot on high heat with ½ cup olive oil to coat white onions.

5. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons salt over onions.

6. Cover pot and continue to stir frequently.

7. Reduce heat to medium.

8. Add 1 ¼ teaspoon turmeric to the pot.

9. Add cooked yellow split peas to the pot.

10. Add 5 cups hot water from kettle.

11. Add 1 heaping tablespoon garlic-ginger spice mixture* to pot & blend in. Add additional ¾ tablespoon of salt to dish (to taste).

12. Add additional teaspoon of garlic-ginger to mixture (to taste). **(Recipe above.)

This yummy vegetable dish called Gomen is made a variety of ways. Emebet explained that she likes hers plain without a lot of other spices but some Ethiopians add turmeric, which gives it a bright yellow color.

Gomen (Cabbage)


Ingredients:

1 large head green cabbage

1 large white onion

2 red potatoes

8 carrots

4 teaspoons

1 tablespoon garlic-ginger

*1 whole jalapeno (don’t open, put in whole pepper for flavor and remove after cooking) or ¾ green pepper, coarsely chopped (remove after cooking)



1. Peel off outer layers of cabbage. Wash leaves. Coarsely chop whole cabbage head.

2. Peel and slice 1 large white onion.

3. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.

4. Peel carrots, quarter them lengthwise then cut into 2-inch wedges. Put into a small saucepan.

5. Turn pot on high heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Saute onions in olive oil until tender.

6. Add chopped cabbage to pot and cover.

7. Add potatoes when cabbage is wilted and stir together. Cover pot.

8. Stirring frequently, cover pot, then turn down to medium heat.

9. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoon salt over onions.

10. Add carrots to pot. Add cabbage on top of carrots.

11. Sprinkle 3/4 tablespoon salt over cabbage. Cook 10 minutes.

12. Add heaping tablespoon of garlic-ginger mixture** (Recipe above.) to pot.

13. Reduce heat to low and keep covered. Cook additional 10 minutes.

 

After our meal was cooked, we served it up on Ethiopian bread called "injera," which is like a giant pancake/crepe. These were made homemade by a woman in Fresno. It's a 3-day process to make the bread so we bought it from her. Ethiopian food is then eaten with the hands and scooped up with the injera bread. We added a fresh fruit salad to cool some of the flavors. 

 We were all stuffed by the end of this fabulous vegetarian feast!

Saturday Pantry Challenge: Grand Finale Harvest Pumpkin Chili

What's for Breakfast:
Pumpkin Pancakes

Snacks:
Pretzels
Almonds
Dried Fruit
Zookies

What's for Lunch:
Leftover Italian Wedding Soup
Spiced Egg Salad Sandwiches
Organic Applesauce

What's for Dinner:
Harvest Pumpkin Chili (Recipe below)
Whole Wheat Toast
Toasted pumpkin seeds

Today was Day 6, our grand finale to this crazy Great Pantry Challenge. We are pretty excited to have made it through this week. The goal was to save money and reflect on what it is like to use what we have (not what we buy or import) like so many others in the world are forced to do on a regular basis. The result was eating pretty creatively and learning some great lessons in the process.

Lessons we Learned this Week:
1. Monday: Cooking extra servings or batches makes an easy meal for another night.
2. Tuesday: The key to good eats is living in community.
3. Wednesday: Be creative with what you have.
4. Thursday: You save more if you stay out of the store.
5. Friday:  Fresh fruits and veggies are a must.
6. Saturday: The more you save, the more you have to give away.

The best part of this challenge was doing it with friends. I know several friends including Brandy, AnnMarie, Jen, Katie, Sandra and Susan were joining us. I gained a lot from walking the journey with them, reading their blogs and hearing their comments and encouragement along the way.

Our family has decided to start a new challenge as a result of what we've learned this week. Our friends inspired us to do this one. We plan to eat rice and beans every Monday night from now until Christmas. In a small way, this will force us to eat simply like many of our friends in Haiti and across the globe. Sure, we will save money in the process. Beyond that, we also hope this meal will serve as a time for meditation and prayer for those who have less than we do.

Today is Halloween, which we don't really celebrate, but we do feel the effects of lots of candy and treats being around. We struck a deal with our daughter Meilani that if she trades in all the candy people give her(the yucky stuff full of high fructose corn syrup and harmful dyes) than she can pick out a toy or other treat. Last year she picked a coloring book and trip to Jamba Juice. When I asked Meilani today what she wanted, she asked if I could buy her this T-shirt. Our friends are adopting two kids from Ethiopia and the proceeds go to the Phillips family adoption and an orphanage in Ethiopia. I did not prompt her to ask for this. She saw me admiring the T-shirts online the other day and remembered. Sure, $15 is a little more than I planned to spend on this trade but how could I pass up such a cause - especially when we just saved a load of money on our Pantry Challenge.

I challenge you to think about ways you and your family can share your abundance with others. Maybe it's inviting a neighbor to a meal. Maybe it's sponsoring a child in an orphanage. Maybe it's having your kids pick out a Christmas gift from the World Vision catalog or Compassion International that they can give to someone across the globe this year. Maybe it's packing sack lunches for the homeless and dropping them off throughout the season when you run into someone hungry on the street. These are just a few ideas of things our family has done in the past. We would love to hear your ideas for other ways to share.

Sometimes this little voice inside me asks, why did I just work so hard to save money on something like a Pantry Challenge when I'm going to give it all away. Seems a little backwards. In reality, it's forwards. Some call it a "Pay It Forward" principle. Others call it "The Treasure Principle." In our family, we have learned that the more generous we are with the food and resources we have, the more blessing we experience in our own home. Pass it on.

Today's meals included Pumpkin Pancakes, a regular on our meal list at this time of year. My hubby loves big breakfasts and we can always use an excuse to throw pumpkin and cinnamon in something. (Ericlee tells me that speaks love to him.) Lunch was a smorgasboard of leftovers - egg salad and Italian Wedding Soup from earlier in the week. Then we assembled our Grand Finale Dinner: Harvest Pumpkin Chili. I keep hearing people talk about "pumpkin chili." I've never had it before. I read a bunch of recipes and took a look at what was left in the pantry. Voila! This new recipe was created. We made it mostly vegetarian because of our lack of meat by the end of the week but next time I might saute up some ground turkey or beef to add to the pot.

A Note from our Nutrition Guy (aka my hubby Ericlee):
Pretty colors on your plate are not only a feast for your eyes but also for your heart.  The pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright hues are called carotenoids.  The most carotenoid rich foods are the yellow, orange, and red vegetables like pumkins.  These carotenoids are similar to an antioxidant.  They neutralize free radicals (oxygen molecules that cause havoc in the cells) by offering up their own electrons. Thus it helps to prevent your cells from being damaged.  If you want to stay away from cancer, then enjoy this Fall season by eating pumkins in all varieties.  There is actually a higher concentration of carotenoids in canned pumkins than in a raw whole pumkin. 



Harvest Pumpkin Chili

*As is, this is a vegetarian chili because that's what we had in the pantry. I would add 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef or ground turkey for a meat-eater's version.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups butternut squash, 1/2-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can organic tomato sauce
1 6-oz. can organic tomato paste
2 cups pumpkin puree (We halved and cooked a small sugar pumpkin for one hour at 250 degrees & then scooped out the flesh for our puree. You could use canned puree as well.)
2 cups organic chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chives, dried or freshly chopped
2 cups black beans (canned or soaked & cooked until tender)
2 cups frozen or fresh corn
*Garnish: Fry up 3 slices turkey bacon and crumble on top or finely chop a small bunch of green onions and put on top chili with sour cream.

1. Heat butter or olive oil a large stock pot. Add chopped onion, carrots, green pepper and garlic and sweat until soft.
2. Add chili powder, chipotle, cinnamon, salt and chives. Stir in and let simmer 15 minutes so flavors meld.
3. Stir in cooked beans and corn. Cook additional 10 minutes.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped cooked turkey bacon or green onions.

Friday Pantry Challenge: Egg Salad Three Different Ways

What's for Breakfast:
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Trader O's
Banana
Juice

What's for Lunch:
Egg salad sandwiches
Grapes
Dried fruit

What's for Dinner:
Black Olive, Green Pepper & Basil Pizza
Baked Sweet Potato Fries & Spiced Aioli Sauce
Zookies



Admittedly, Day 5 has been the hardest because we were used to the challenge but the refrigerator was looking more and more depressing. My eldest daughter also came down with a runny nose. Usually I would work to cure that with a tall smoothie and a bowl of berries or other antioxidants. My choices were slim since we have no more fruit and no freezer stash either. I poured a cup of raw milk, found an Airborne tablet in the cabinet and added that to a glass of water and hoped for the best. In many ways, we could probably go a few more weeks on this challenge but in the fresh fruit department we would be compromising our health if I don't head to the farmer's market this weekend! Lesson learned.
I was still determined to be creative and have a good attitude today about eating what we have. After all, people in the Developing World have maybe one or two - if any - choices a day. My whining would be embarassing.

My creativity today included my own "Pumpkin Oatmeal" by adding 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree along with 1 tablespoon organic raisins to a bowl of oatmeal. I sprinkled the top with cinnamon and the result was a yummy different flavor. (If you want to sweeten it, try a drizzle of a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup and throw in some nuts for good omega-3s.) My hubby is the type who could eat the same granola for breakfast and the identical sandwich for lunch day after day. Not me. I need variety and so does my daughter.

This afternoon I realized that are usual stash of fruit, veggies and whole grain bars that we use for snacks was seriously depleted so Meilani and I used the last zucchini to make Zookies. This is a recipe we got from a friend and it incorporates healthy plus yummy (chocolate!) all into one great little cookie. Our friend's daughter calls them "Vegetable Cookies" because you can see the shredded zucchini inside but that didn't deter us. They taste like a chocolate-chip macaroon with the extra zest of zucchini flavor.

For lunch, I decided to be creative with Egg Salad. Now I know most people hear "egg salad" and think boring, blah and maybe even barf. But when I'm looking at a nearly-empy refrigerator with more than a dozen eggs left I'm thinking Egg Salad = Extra Special. My first version of Egg Salad earlier this week was a twist on my Curried Chicken Salad, a regular on our lunch menu. My classic version of Egg Salad is an Italian Egg Salad. Must be my roots but I tend to gravitate toward oregano, basil and bay leaves when it comes to the spice department. Our Classic Egg Salad includes those things. The new "snazzy" egg salad we made today used the rest of yesterday's "spiced aioli sauce" from our Baked Sweet Potato Fries. The result was a new salad with incredible nuances of flavor. Meilani and I gobbled ours down. (Recipes below.)

Our dinner tonight was a mainstay for Friday nights - pizza! There's something about Friday that just makes me crave pizza. It's also a great chance to use some of the extras from the week for creative ingredients. Since we've been doing The Great Pantry Challenge this week there wasn't much left in our produce drawers in the fridge. We did find green peppers and basil. We also opened our last can of sliced black olives to top off our Veggie Pizza. And, thank you, God, we had just enough cheese. Tomorrow is our grand finale day - we will see what it holds.

A Note from our Nutrition Guy (aka my Hubby)

A lot of people have misconceptions about the healthiness of eggs. Several years back Americans got all up in arms about eggs causing high cholesterol. The truth of it is that God created eggs as a perfect protein. Usually people who have cholesterol issues do not have it because of their consumption of eggs. Not only have studies shown that eggs do not significantly affect cholesterol levels, but the latest research suggests that eating whole eggs (both whites and yolks) may actually result in improvement in a person's blood lipids (cholesterol) profile.
When we buy eggs, we want the freshest eggs possible. The A Choice would be to buy from a local farm. In Fresno, we get our eggs from Simonian Farms in the Valley. There's also a new egg vendor at the Vineyard Farmer's Market on Shaw & Blackstone. These are fresh eggs laid by cage-free chickens who have been fed organic food. The B Choice would be to buy cage-free organic eggs from a grocery store like Trader Joe's or Costco. The difference is these eggs are from a bigger operation where the stress on the chickens could be more. Stressed out chickens do not lay healthy eggs.


Curried Egg Salad

6  hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder (I use the Frontier Indian Curry powder from Whole Foods, which is a salt-free, all-natural blend)
1 small zucchini, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
3 tablespoons dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

1. Boil eggs. Meanwhile, chop zucchini and combine with salt, pepper, curry, parsley, cranberries and pecans.
2. Chop eggs.
3. Blend eggs with mayonnaise and add spice-vegetable mixture. Serve on your favorite bread.



Italian Egg Salad

6 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil (dried or fresh)
1 teaspoon chopped bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1. Boil eggs. Meanwhile, chop celery and combine with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, bay leaf and parsley.

2. Chop eggs.
3. Blend eggs with mayonnaise and add spice-celery mixture. Serve on your favorite bread.

 
Spiced Egg Salad

6 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon cilantro or fresh basil, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

1. Boil eggs. Meanwhile, chop celery and combine with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and cilantro.

2. Chop eggs.
3. Blend eggs with mayonnaise and add spice mixture. Serve on your favorite bread.

Thursday Pantry Challenge: Sweet Potato Fries

What's for Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with green peppers and feta cheese
Cranberry-walnut bread
Fruit Smoothie

What's for Lunch:
Butternut Squash Soup (from Trader Joe's by Stacie)
Sweet Potato Fries with Spiced Aioli Sauce (recipe below)
Plantain Chips (from Trader Joe's by Cori)
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Made by Mary)
Popcorn

What's for Dinner:
Italian Wedding Soup
Honey-Whole Wheat Bread
Baby Greens Salad with Goat cheese, sunflower seeds and raisins
Sauteed Cinnamon Apples



Is it really Thursday? It's hard to believe how quickly the week is flying by. I'm over the "hump" of the week and the halfway mark of this challenge. I'm already starting to think about next week - and not just because I have permission to go to the grocery store. I've actually been contemplating what lessons I've learned from The Great Pantry Challenge and how I can apply them to my future eating, spending, saving and giving habits.

One of the biggest "money-saving tips" I've learned - or at least been reminded of this week - is that you save more if you stay out of the store. In other words, less time shopping equals less time spending. Seems obvious but more so since I've been practicing. I have not walked into a store - any store - since October 19 when I left Trader Joe's with my normal groceries. At the time, I didn't realize I would be doing this crazy challenge. Somehow this moratorium on grocery shopping has extended beyond the grocery store. I haven't had the desire to shop for anything else. I secretly challenged myself to use the toiletries we have (one roll of toilet paper left and counting!) as well as be content with the clothes I'm wearing, the craft supplies I have in my closet, and even go without other entertainment spending.

The revelation: my life is not boring. Each day has been ripe and full of good food, priceless people and a long list of reasons to be grateful for what I have.

In the process of this challenge, I've found some great resources and blogs that have really inspired me. I started this whole challenge because of a post I read by Money Saving Mom. MoneySavingMom.com is an encouraging blog dedicated to helping you find great deals, stretch your hard-earned dollars, and live on less than you make so you can save more and give more. Another mama blogs about her Menu Planning every Monday and shares tips and recipes, not to mention a host of great ideas on how to organize your home, your pantry and your life. I definitely need that.

My friend Susan turned me on to the blog of another woman who takes a "No Spend Month Challenge" every July. She and her family of three live off $250 for all their groceries, gas, toiletries and extras. Her ideas and reflections were very inspiring. I'd like to figure out how to do that one. One family committed to eat rice and beans for a month not only to save money on their grocery bill but then to "pay it forward" by helping another family with their adoption fund. So humbling.

I'm a big fan of A Place Called Simplicity, a blog that has challenged me to appreciate my family and to think of creative ways I can share our abundance with those in need, especially the world's orphans.

I've also been inspired by some of my personal friends. Brandy explains her Menu Planning philosophy for her family of seven and how she keeps sane by visiting the grocery store every two weeks. Then there's AnnMarie who is bent on "shopping and saving NOT spending" and sharing how she does it. Let me tell ya, she's the coupon queen bee.

What resources have you found? What has inspired you? Leave us a comment.

***

Today's meals included a little more "on the edge" creativity. For example, we are used to making smoothies every morning for breakfast. We've skipped that several days this week simply because we did not have the fresh fruit available. (In the future, I will be stockpiling on cheap fruit when it's in season and filling up my freezer.) This morning I begged my hubby to make me a smoothie. We used a measured quantity of our juice (Hibiscus-Cranberry from Trader Joe's), raw milk, some applesauce, sweet potato, zucchini, banana and honey. It actually tasted great and we started our day with some good antioxidants for this flu and cold season.

I sent my hubby off to work with a large leftover helping of Fall Flavors Veggie Lasagna and Chicken Cacciatore from early in the week. My girls and I made up a batch of Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Spiced Aoili (recipe below) and headed to Playgroup at our friend Stacie's house. I love sweet potato fries but I've never made them from scratch before. I usually buy the flash frozen fries from Trader Joe's or order them at a favorite restaurant. Sure, it takes some time to wash, peel and cut these babies but I can afford the extra time if it's saving me money.

For Playgroup, the other mamas raided their pantries and we feasted on Butternut Squash Soup, our fries, plantain chips, popcorn and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with organic ingredients. Yum-o! Not to mention Organic Puffs for the babies...

Dinner tonight was a classic Italian meatball soup called Italian Wedding Soup with a few changes. I swapped out the spinach and swapped in three bunches of chopped bok choy from our garden. (I know, I know. I am really a black thumb but something is actually growing in those planter boxes out back. Amazing.) I also didn't have the beloved cannelini (white) beans so I used some leftover whole wheat pasta from our dinner on Monday to make this meal a little more hearty. This is feel-good food on a budget. Tonight's Italian Wedding Soup was full of mini meatballs. This will be our only beef for the week and it's all about quality, not quantity.

A Note from our Nutrition Guy (aka my hubby Ericlee)

We buy organic, grass-fed beef from Trader Joe's or our local farmer's market. Why spend 5-6 smackers per pound when you could be catching a sale for $2-$3/pound on ground beef? The answer is quality counts. Most American cows are fed corn - not just any corn but genetically-modified corn. What did God design for cows to eat? Grass. When cows eat corn, their tummies become quickly acidic and they die sooner than they should. To combat this, many ranchers pump their cows with hormones and antibiotics. They also keep them confined so they can put on weight faster and then be moved down the line to the butcher. The poopy part for those who eat this beef is that now they are consuming four times as much saturated fat, not to mention hormones, antibiotics and genetically-modified junk that wreaks havoc on the human digestive system.

We've decided to spend the same amount of money on our meat, but to buy a smaller quantity. For example, Italian Wedding Soup serves 6-8 people with one pound of organic, grass-fed ground beef fashioned into mini meatballs. You don't have to become vegetarian to be healthy, just eat quality meat in moderation.




Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Spiced Aoili

Ingredients:
-4-5 sweet potatoes
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-2 tablespoons rice flour
-1 teaspoon sea salt

Spiced Aoili Sauce:
-1 cup mayonnaise (Trader Joe's brand)
-1 teaspoon paprika
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
-1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Serves 5

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil.
2. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut into 1 by 5-inch wedges.
3. In a small bowl, drizzle olive oil over fries. Toss with rice flour.
4. Spread fries out on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes until soft. Using tongs, separate and turn.
5. Meanwhil, stir together ingredients for aioli sauce.
6. Turn on broiler. Stay close by and broil fries for 3-4 minutes until crisp on top. Be careful not to burn.
7. Cool and serve with aoili sauce.