Food Lush

Welcome, Pumpkin Season

by Jen L.

A part of me feels like we should just rename Fall "Pumpkin Season." Does anyone else consider it officially Fall when you can start buying pumpkin spice lattes? Today at work, a colleague and I were discussing our love of pumpkin, but how that love can sometimes turn to hate if our favorite giant squash is not used correctly.  So far, here's what I'm excited to make with pumpkin this Fall:

PUMPKIN PIE CHEESE BALL.  I don't even know how I know about this. Someone must have described it and I must have made a mental note.  You mix a can of pumpkin with 8 oz. of softened cream cheese, then roll it into a ball.  Coat the entire ball with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, then dive in with some ginger snaps.

PUMPKIN DIP.  This dip from Carolina Charm looks like a winner.

and especially...

PUMPKIN PIE POP TARTS.  Because, wow. It's about time THIS happened.

What pumpkin items are you excited about this Fall?

Image credit:  MrBreakfast

What My Child Agreed to Eat: Chicken Wontons

By Julie

My daughter is becoming a pickier eater by the day. No matter how I prepare chicken, it just doesn’t measure up to her standards (read: pre-made nuggets only). Forget pork chops. And seafood doesn’t exist until it is in stick form. All of this gives me headaches. Repeatedly.

So on a recent trip through Costco, I was somewhat surprised to see her eagerness to try CJ mini chicken wontons. I say slightly because it was a free sample, and since she’s my child, it’s highly unlikely that she would turn it down. But I digress. She happily ate the morsel and deemed it “yummy.”

Now, I am not so easily convinced and did not take her little culinary adventure as a sign that the pickiness was abated. Oh no, I’d seen this before.  Many times, she would taste something, promise to eat it, and then wouldn’t come near it once the food of note was actually on the table. I wasn’t going to be suckered so quickly this time. And then, the sample lady got involved: “I’ll bet if she eats another one, she’ll be sure to eat them at home.” Gee, thanks, Sample Lady.

Well, lo and behold, she did eat the second one and declared it as good as the first. And so a bag of chicken and cilantro mini wontons came home with us. They jury is still out as to whether the house 4 year old will actually eat them in a mean, but that’s OK, because I had a sample, too, and they are mighty tasty. I’m not the biggest fan of cilantro, particularly as a major flavor, but the taste was quite subtle and complimentary to the whole bite. As a bonus, they’re only 50 calories a serving and they’re made from all natural ingredients. I’ll call this a win win situation.

{Photo Credit: cjfoods.com}

Pacifico: Favorite Beer #24740

By Jennie

My favorite beers are well-documented on Food Lush (perhaps this is why I subconciously created Food Lush!) and beer in general is well-documented by the rest of the group (my kind of ladies!). So, I'd like to toss another one into the ring: Pacifico.

(I clearly did not launch a food blog to showcase my awesome photography skills.)

I bought a single at World Market the other day and loved it. It's definitely more of a summery, beach beer, but I'm an equal opportunist. I won't say no this fall or, heck, any time of year.

Cheers!

Easy, Delicious, Impressive Meal Accompaniment: Grilled Pineapple

by Caitlin

A great thing about being forced into an allergy diet is that you're also forced into creativty. When you've got very limited options you've just gotta figure out different ways of putting things together, and it's a great excuse to attempt some things I've always wanted to try. So! Maybe this grilled pineapple isn't impressive to YOU, but I was certainly impressed with myself upon first pulling this off successfully! 

It's perfect alongside your favorite meat dish, atop a salad, or mixed in with your favorite grain. It would also be a delicious, fun dessert with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. And it's super healthy: the only ingredient is pineapple. You can add oil, salt, and pepper if you want, but I think it's totally unecessary.

I quarter the pineapple using the technique my husband (the chef and former Hawaii resident!) taught me, which you can see in this video from about minute 1:15 to about 2:05.

 

I like them in big quarters because they're easier to monitor on the grill, won't slip through the slats, and there's just something satisfying about cutting into a big ole pineapple steak.

Set your grill to medium hot, and throw the pineaple right on. If you have the patience, do it low and slow for 20-30 minutes. You want to make sure that the sugar gets nice and caramelized, and that it's cooked all the way through. You'll likely end up flipping it a few times to check the progress: it's good to move them around to make sure they're cooked evenly, all the way through. Sometimes hot spots can trip you up, so just keep an eye on them. 

When they're done, they'll look like this: Deeeelicious!

Served here with carne asada, cilantro lime quinoa, grilled asparagus, and cabbage. (Photo by me.)

Have you ever grilled pineapple?

Vegetable barley soup

by Elsha

This recipe is originally from an old Weight Watchers Cookbook (the point system has been revised since I bought this one, but I use it all the time anyway.) We've made it several times now and this is the version we make:

3/4 cup quick-cooking barley

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen lima beans

1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 

(Do you like our Halloween placemats? My 4 year old thought we should go ahead and get those out.)

The cookbook calls for this to be made in a slow cooker, but when you're using quick-cook barley it's just as easy to do it on the stove. Just throw everything in! It only has to cook long enough for the vegetables to soften. (We thought things got a little mushy in the crock pot.) Sadly, this is one soup that we don't like better the next day, because everything gets a little too mushy. It's excellent fresh though! With some fresh bread of course. Yummy.

Do you have a favorite fall soup recipe?

 

My Favorite Halloween Candy

By Tara C.

(photo from: realsimple.com)

An alternative title to this post could be: Candy I Should Absolutely, Under No Circumstances Buy a Month Before Halloween. As I'm sure you've noticed, Halloween is already in full swing at all the stores. I for one will not be buying any candy for trick-or-treaters until much closer to Halloween. And when I do, it will probably be candy that holds no appeal for me. This mostly includes anything of the hard, lollipop, sour, or gummy variety. But a nice piece of chocolate is a different story.

When I was a kid, there was some hysteria about Halloween candy being tampered with, poisoned, or filled with razor blades. As a result, I remember my dad inspecting our Halloween candy before we were allowed to eat it. He would check that none of the wrappers were torn or otherwise suspicious. And he would also eat some to "make sure it wasn't poisonous." At the time I wasn't suspicious of his motives. But eating something to check for poison? Really? I think maybe he just wanted some of our candy. And you know what, Dad? I totally get it.

On Halloween I get to dress my children in adorable costumes AND they arrive home with a bucketful of candy. This has got to be one of the biggest perks of parenthood, as far as I'm concerned. You know, after the whole unconditional love thing.

So here are the top three candies I'm secretly (well I guess the secret is out) hoping my kids will bring home on Halloween. Now you all know what I'll be doing around 8:30pm on October 31. Pilfering candy from children.

1. Take 5 candy bar is without a doubt my favorite. You guys, if I could find a way to eat these every single day and still fit into my pants, I totally would. It's a combination of pretzels, caramel, peanuts and peanut butter, all wrapped up in chocolate. I don't see these candy bars in the stores very often, but I recently saw bags of the minis for sale in the Halloween aisle of the grocery store and they are calling to me. I'm tempted to write sonnets and haikus about them.

(photo from: kandkkandies.com)

2. Mounds and Almond Joy are my second favorites. Maybe they should be separate, but why bother? They're the fraternal twins of coconut-chocolate candy bars. With or without almonds, they're like a mini-vacation for your mouth.

(photo from: realsimple.com)

This Real Simple article suggests it would be healthy to eat an "old fashioned coconut macaroon" than a Mounds or Almond Joy. Sadly, my children have yet to bring home old fashioned coconut macaroons in their Halloween baskets. They did however, bring home some Fiber One bars last year. I would love to know which neighbors were giving Fiber One bars to trick-or-treaters. Not funny, neighbors! Okay, kind of hilarious.

3. Reese's peanut-butter cups come in third on my list. Like number 1, this one is a winner for it's sweet and salty qualities. By the way, I'm talking about classic Reese's classic peanut-butter cups here. Not the minis, not the white chocolate. Let's stick with the classics, okay?

(photo from: wikipedia)

Please tell me that I'm not the only one looking forward to Halloween candy. What are your favorites? Any other Take 5 fans out there? Or will you be handing out Fiber One bars?

Reworked Italian Chicken

By Ariel

I think most people have made Italian chicken.  Marinade chicken breasts in Italian dressing and the bake or grill and serve.  It's an easy and delicious meal not too many will turn down.

I found a spin on Italian chicken via Pinterest the other day and adapted it over the weekend with what I had on hand.  It was a really great spin on the classic, and bonus?  You can make it in the CROCK POT!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken (Serves 2)
2 Chicken breasts
1 Packet (3 oz) dry Italian seasoning
1 Can Cream of mushroom soup
1 Cup (I just measure with the soup can to be honest...) chicken broth
8 oz. Cream cheese

Mix the seasonig, soup, broth, and cream cheese together in a crock pot.  Add the chicken and coat.  I used frozen chicken and cooked on high for about four hours, low would be perfect for a workday.  Serve the chicken and sauce over some whole-wheat noodles.

[Photo by me]

 

Tis the season for slow cookers!  What are you cooking this week?

Homemade multigrain sandwich bread

by Katie

I used to be really intimidated by homemade bread. Still am, sometimes. But Cooks Illustrated has never steered me wrong. Their recipes are always impeccable, and perfectly explained so that they feel impossible to screw up. So when they said this sandwich bread was easy, and soft, and delicious (and had no white flour at all  [edited: oops! That's not true! Uses both white and wheat flour!] and was sweetened only with honey)? I decided to try it.

Photo from: me

That was several years ago, and I have seen no reason to make any other bread since. This is divine. It makes good sandwiches. It makes good toast. It is exceptionally tasty just sliced and eaten as is (maybe with a thin smear of butter.) And, thanks to the trick of using hot cereal as the base, you can make a truly multigrain bread without having to go out and buy a half dozen specialty flours. It really IS easy- just takes a while to wait out the several rises. But so, so worth it. I highly recommend.

 

Grocery List App

by Tara

I am a meal-planning person. If I don't plan my family's meals, then plan my grocery list according to the ingredients we need, then add the random things we need above that (dog food, deodorant, goldfish crackers, almond milk), we wind up throwing out a LOT of food, and it's really frustrating. I have always had a list-making system, and for years I've organized my lists according to the aisles at my store(s) of choice. I used to write out my list of needed items, then make a new list going by aisle and crossing out the old list, so I knew I got everything. Minimum 2 pieces of paper. Then I did it on the computer, and printed it out. But I would often lose or forget the list and then be SOL at the store.

For years now I've used the Grocery IQ app. The coolest thing about this app is (in my limited opinion) is the fact that I can add things from the Internet as well as from my phone. So if I'm thinking about something we need I can add it from my phone, but when I meal plan on my laptop Sunday evenings I can make my list of recipes and groceries on my computer and then add the items to my Grocery IQ list and it will update the list on my phone.

Screen shot from the computer.

Screen shot from my phone's app.

Grocery IQ lets you organize your aisles in your store, and make several lists at once with drop-downs. I can add things I need at Target, the butcher shop, and the produce I buy at a separate grocery store, all in one go, without worrying about several paper lists or wasting paper. You can scan items to store and budget, download electronic coupons, and favorite items you regularly buy. Plus, BONUS, the app is free. SCORE!

What's your favorite way to make grocery lists?

Earth Balance Coconut Spread

By Jessica

I regularly use Earth Balance spreads but on a recent trip to the grocery store, I noticed they had acoconut offering right next to all their other butter-type spreads. It definitely has a noticeable coconut flavor so I've only used it in baking, thus far, in place of my regular Soy Free Earth Balance Spread. I figured the added coconut would be a great compliment to my favorite vegan banana bread and I'd be thrilled with this product but I've tried it twice and both times it's made my banana bread more chewy and given it a harder crust. 

So, I figure my next attempt has to be in some sort of stir fry or curry, where the coconut flavor would be a compliment but where I'm not so much concerned with attaining right crumb texture of bread. 

Have you tried it?  

(Photo credit: Earth Balance)