I saw this recipe in a Sunset magazine a few months ago and thought it looked delicious. I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to make it for lunch. I adapted it a bit by adding red onion, grape tomatoes, and low fat feta cheese. It was a quick and simple recipe that was hearty and tasty. My son loved it too (except the red onions). Simple ingredients make the best recipes.
Mediterranean Salad:
Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original Recipe from Sunset Magazine, August 2009
- 1/4 cup of cooked orzo
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
- 1 handful of grape tomatoes
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 7-8 kalamata olives, halved
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
- 1 tbsp low fat feta cheese
- 1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Cook orzo per instructions; drain and set aside. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts (dry - no oil) for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine spinach, tomatoes, pine nuts, olives, basil, feta cheese, orzo, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss until evenly coated and serve immediately. Enjoy.
My daughter LOVES soup. I bought her a thermos for her lunch bag so she could take soup to school for lunch. She was hoping I would make some this week so I decided to make a beef vegetable noodle soup. It's very similar to beef stew (her VERY favorite meal) but instead of adding potatoes I add spaghetti noodles as well as fresh green beans. The soup was a delicious dinner that we all enjoyed. My daughter was very happy to eat the leftovers in her brand new thermos the next day at school. I served this meal with my
House Salad and fresh bread.
Vegetable Beef Noodle Soup:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
- 1 lb bottom round beef, cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 sweet yellow onion chopped into large pieces
- 6 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1-2 tsp dried thyme
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups of beef stock
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into thirds
- 1/4 lb spaghetti noodles broken into pieces
Preheat oven to 300 degrees (you can also use stove top or crock-pot). Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add stew meat and onion then cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding tomatoes, seasonings and beef broth. Cover and cook in the oven for at least 3-4 hours, checking occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid. Remove pot from oven place on stove top over medium low heat.
Add carrot, green beans and celery to the stew and add more beef broth if low. Taste and re-season if needed. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti noodles and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
I had an acorn squash in the refrigerator that I needed to use up. I usually cook them with butter, cinnamon and nutmeg but this time I decided to try maple syrup and brown sugar. It was so delicious! I love the flavor of the maple syrup with the creamy and delicious squash. It not only looks really pretty but it tastes wonderful too. I was shocked that my kids didn't care for this dish since they love maple syrup, I think it may be the texture. My husband and I both really loved it.
Maple and Brown Sugar Acorn Squash:Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
- 1 acorn squash
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice each squash lengthwise in half. Scrape out the seeds and rinse.
Spread the butter all over each half of the squash. Sprinkle with brown sugar then drizzle with maple syrup. In a deep baking dish, add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. Place the squash facing up in the dish.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Take off the tin foil and turn the oven to broil so you can brown the tops of each squash - watch carefully so it doesn't burn. You can slice into chunks or scoop out the flesh and eat it like mashed potatoes - whatever suits your fancy. Enjoy.
I saw this recipe in a Sunset magazine a few months ago and thought it looked delicious. I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to make it for lunch. I adapted it a bit by adding red onion, grape tomatoes, and low fat feta cheese. It was a quick and simple recipe that was hearty and tasty. My son loved it too (except the red onions). Simple ingredients make the best recipes.
