Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pretty Food


If you know anything about me at all, it's that I love pretty food.  Half the battle is making it look good, in my opinion.  Plus, the more colorful your food (as long as the color is natural made!) the more nutritious.



 I love plating salad for special occasions.  This was our Easter salad.  Nothing amazingly special right? Just some Spring Mix, a few cucumbers, baby carrots, bell peppers, and a halved grape tomato.

But so pretty no?



This was the salad we served at our church's Vision Luncheon a few weeks ago.  Super easy, fairly cheap, and fantastically fancy looking.









Dress up your salad!

The Lunch Lady

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Roasted Cauliflower Medley


Here's another recipe I threw together for my last minute Easter lunch.  Roasted Cauliflower Medley.

I did a vegetable recon and located a head of cauliflower, some carrots, an onion and got to work.


Wash, peel, and chop up the cauliflower, onion, and carrots and toss into a baking dish.



I like to cut the onion in half and then slice it up very thinly.


Sprinkle the veggies generously with black pepper, sea salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.



Bake at 400 degrees (F) for 35-45 minutes till the vegetables are fork tender, carmelized, and browned a bit.


The flavors mingle so nicely when vegetables are roasted together.

Serve with scalloped potatoes and a nice crunchy salad.

Use what you have.
The Lunch Lady

Monday, April 30, 2012

Starbella Scarves


My sister and her beautiful daughters are selling these scarves.

Check out this website for more information






They are handmade and come in a zillion colors.


$18 for long
$10 for short

Scalloped Potatoes

 Yes, I'm finally back.  I've been accumulating pictures and ideas for several months while I've been in the throes of getting my house on the market. What a job! It's finally on and now we are playing the "waiting game" and the "keep everything perfect game."  So far so good.

This is a dish that I made on Easter, very last minute.

Originally, we were going to attend our church's potluck but I didn't make it to church that morning.  I'd been battling with a flu/cold bug for a few days and just couldn't pull myself together. I think it was my first Easter ever that I didn't make it to church.

I still needed to feed my family something.  I took inventory of my fridge and kitchen.  I had a bag of red potatoes, a cauliflower, some carrots, onions, and a nice big tub of lettuce.

Here's the first dish I pulled "out of my hat."


Here's the deal.  You either have to have a lotta patience and a very sharp knife or one of those Mandolin do dads.  I have a cheapo mandolin that works great for me.

Wash the potatoes and slice them thinly without chopping off any of your fingers.

I like to arrange them in a circular pattern in a greased dish.


Layer them round and round.


Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil as you layer.





Dot the top with butter.


Bake in a 400 degree (F) oven for 45 minutes or so.



I put the dish under the broiler for a bit (too long) to brown it.

I love the crispy parts the best!!


Enjoy!

Scalloped Potatoes
Washed unpeeled potatoes
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Garlic Powder


1. Slice potatoes thinly and layer in a greased baking dish.
2. Alternate layers with seasonings and butter pieces.
3. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for 45 minutes or till fork tender. Broil for a few minutes till browned and crispy.


The Lunch Lady

Sunday, January 29, 2012

No-Sew Scarf


Here's another one of those Pinterest inspirations. (SO SORRY for the bad pics. It's dark, flash, and using my IPhone.)

You take an old T shirt. Cut it up, wrap it around your fingers into loops, tie them together, and you have a really cute scarf!

Here are the directions: Click Here.

I gave this one to my mom-in-law.  It's from an old long sleeve light heather blue tee.  It's super soft and she loved it.


I love the stripes on this one.



I made a bracelet from the sleeves. (The top one in the picture.)



So far, I've made six (6!) scarves (in 2 days)!


My uh...9 year old (boy) really really really wanted one, so I made him a red and blue one from 2 different Old Navy Flag tees from years ago.  I alternated red and blue and made it with about 8 strips instead of 16 or so.  He loves it. It's kinda more manly, I guess.

I think it might have to do with his European blood.

Or something.

The Lunch Lady

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cauliflower Crust Pizza


I'm SO totally into  Pinterest all of the sudden.  It's like reading a magazine, loving an idea, virtually cutting on the picture, and pinning on a virtual bulletin board. The link is there for when you go back to it.

It's awesomeness.

It's addicting. But really, I can do it for 5 minutes, taking a coffee break, and get SO inspired!

This recipe is from Pinterest Inspiration. (Follow TheNewLunchLady boards to see what inspires me. Leave me a comment if you want an invite to Pinterest.)

Here is the link: Click Here.  Now, the directions are great so I'm obviously not going to re-invent the wheel.

The beauty of is is that it's Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free, Sugar-Free, and if you are eating it in a Carb-Free meal, then it's guilt-free!

I made one for my boys with mozzarella, a little bit of sauteed mushroom and onions, and a few slices of roma tomatoes (I didn't have any marinara sauce.)

I made one for me and hubby with Manchego & Pecorino Romano Cheeses (Sheep Milk cheeses), lots of sauteed mushrooms and onions, and roma tomatoes, and some fresh basil.

Groan. Moan.  It truly is one of the BEST things I have made in a long time.  It's not terribly difficult, it takes a little while (45 minutes total time) but it's SO incredibly worth it.


My middle two sons came back for seconds.
Totally worth it.

Taken from recipegirl.com because she does it SO well! I adjusted it to my version just a tiny bit. (visit her site for lots of beautiful yummy ideas.)

CRUST:
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 1 1/2 cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese or any combination of other cheeses
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


TOPPINGS:
Whatever your heart desires.



1. Process cauliflower in food processor till crumbly. Place 1 1/2 cups of the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool. (Important or you'll cook the egg!)
2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups cauliflower crumbles with the remaining crust ingredients. Pat the "crust" into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.
3. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.
The Lunch Lady

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blueberry Coffeecake


This is a super easy coffee cake that I make in a springform pan.  I love using frozen berries because it cuts several steps when making fruit coffee cakes. No washing, slicing, peeling, or dicing involved.

I'm a cheater. I admit it.



I made this cake for our mid morning snack since we had a bit of snow yesterday and didn't shovel it.  Needless to say, my little car refused to make it up our long uphill driveway this morning and kept me and the boys home from church.

What better thing to do on my day of rest that bake? (besides go to church?)

Plus, I knew the boys would be banging down my proverbial kitchen door for something to eat. As usual.

The downside to such a yummy cake is that there aren't any leftovers.  I had to sneak a piece aside for hubby's breakfast tomorrow.



This is great for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert.

Ya can't go wrong here.


It's a great cake because it only uses 2 cups of flour and you put the fruit on top of the batter.

Less mixing.


 I like to add a butter crumb topping made with organic butter, organic brown sugar, and organic spelt flour.




It's just SO good.






Blueberry Coffeecake
2 cups organic spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk (or apple juice, cider)
3/4 cup agave nectar (or sugar, honey)
4 Tablespoons oil (or half applesauce, half oil)
2 cups frozen blueberries


Topping: 2 Tablespoons organic butter, 1/4 cup organic spelt flour, 2 Tablespoons organic brown sugar.  Mix in small bowl with fingers till crumbly.


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F)
2. Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and then mix them together till just combined.
3. Pour into a greased springform pan.
4. Top with frozen blueberries.
5. Add topping.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes till center is done.


Try not to eat it all in one sitting.


The Lunch Lady

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Quinoa Pilaf


I love quinoa (Keen-wa).  I was able to grab a big bag of organic quinoa from BJs about a month or so ago and have been making a few recipes with it here and there.  Only one of my boys likes it so it usually ends up being a lunch for just three of us.

I actually used the recipe on the bag for most of this dish with a few tweaks.  I'm a tweaker, I admit it.



It's simply sauteing a chopped onion and some carrots in a saucepan with a bit of oil. Add 2 cups of broth and one cup of quinoa, and cook for 15 minutes.



That's just a bit too boring for me so I added some garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.

Then I dumped some leftover broccoli, onions, and carrots stir fry from last night's dinner (sauteed with fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and tamari (soy sauce).


Now we're talking!

Flavor.

I love the nutty flavor of the quinoa grain.  Once the grains puff into a ball, you know they are done.



Quinoa Pilaf
1 organic onion, chopped
2 organic carrots, diced
1 cup organic quinoa
2 cups organic vegetable broth
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to taste.
extra veggies


1. Saute onion and carrots in a bit of olive oil in a sauce pan.
2. Add broth and quinoa and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Season to taste.
4. Add sauteed veggies.


Enjoy!
Be healthy!


The Lunch Lady