Seems appropriate to blog about my love for this carrot soup with Valentine's Day just around the corner. Sure, roses are nice. Chocolates are even better. But to win me over, just make me this Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crispy Chickpeas by Smitten Kitchen. It's a perfect Pantry dinner (I bet you have all these ingredients readily available in your pantry). It comes together quickly. And the combination of flavors and textures are simply sublime. And my boys could not get enough of these chickpeas. So this Valentine's Day, skip the overpriced V-Day menu and make this soup with your loved one. And maybe with a bouquet of carrots.

Click here for the recipe!

We're in our first full week of hurried mornings, afternoon schlepping, and scrambling evening dinners. So I'm determined to get back to meal planning to keep my sanity and make sure the boys are getting a home cooked dinner at the end of a long day. One of the things I try to stick to is making a meatless dish one night a week. The kids have embraced #meatlessmondays (and they're always up for Taco Tuesday). Plus I always feel better when I can get more veggies in their diet.

Looking for some easy and satisfying Meatless Monday meals? Here are links to 3 of our favorites that are in regular rotation at our house.

Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Garlic and Bread Crumbs (by Mark Bittman) - this dish whips up in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I love the simplicity of this dish. And the kids don't even mind the bitterness of Broccoli Rabe. Sometimes I switch it up and use broccolini instead (call me crazy!).

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry (by ChopChop Magazine) - I'm slowly converting my kids to fans of Indian cuisine all thanks to this dish. I love it as it is mostly made from pantry staples. They love it because it's not too spicy. And it's served over rice.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai (by The Kitchn) - I've tried getting my kids on the zoodles train and anything spiralized, but no luck. They're on to me. But then I came across this recipe from The Kitchn marrying Spaghetti Squash and Pad Thai and it was a slam dunk.

Have a great week!

Ginger scallion noodles w. quick pickles, roasted cauliflower and nori

"Koreans are notorious noodle eaters. I am no exception." 

This is David Chang's opening words in his best-selling cookbook, "Momofuku." For those unfamiliar with this James Beard award-winning chef, Chang came onto the NYC restaurant scene back on 2004 and hasn't looked back since. He has catapulted to celebrity chef status, with 11 locations world-wide, and a media empire of his own.

"Momofuku" is the story behind his culinary empire. Oh yes, there happens to be some recipes too. And not just your typical recipes for the home cook, but also some scare-you-out-of-your-pants recipes that require a blowtorch and procuring transglutaminase. It the kind of cookbook that you can’t put down, not only for the photographs, story (and profanity), but the sense for Chang’s love of good food.

So when I read the first sentence, I did two things: 1) corrected him by adding the Chinese are also notorious noodle eaters and 2) found the one noodle recipe that I can make easily and have my boys scoff up quickly.

Momofuku’s Ginger Scallion Noodles are insanely easy to make. All you need is a ton of scallions and ginger (duh), some oil, soy, vinegar and salt. Combine it with some good Chinese egg noodles and you too will be joining the ranks of Koreans and the Chinese as notorious noodle eaters. Don’t forget some hoisin to finish – this is key!

Click here for the recipe. 

photo credit: Oxfam America

We've been hearing a lot about percentages this year as we lead up to Election Day. The one percentage I don't think we'll hear the candidates discuss is the 18%. Did you know that livestock is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions? And nearly 8% of global human water use goes to grow food for cattle alone. As my boys like to say, "Holy cow!"

I'm not suggesting we start an Occupy Cattle Ranch anytime soon. But if we all made one meatless meal once a week, we can really make an impact on the environment (and on our health and wallets). For example, it takes 6,810 liters of water to produce one 1lb package of ground beef. That's equivalent to my family drinking over 4 1/2 liters of water EVERY DAY for a YEAR!

Less Meat

"Rearing animals for food means a lot more greenhouse gas emissions, more water consumed, and more land required, compared to growing food crops. If we eat a little less meat and a little less dairy we will dramatically reduce the impact of our diets on the environment." 

Some of our favorite meatless meals

Try whipping up a meatless meal at least once a week. We do a Meatless Monday here because all the cool kids are doing it. Here are some of our favorite meatless recipes: Mom's Granola, Monkey Bread French Toast, Vegetable Noodle Stir-Fry with Tofu, Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayo, Stuffed Tomatoes with Grilled Corn, and Greek Pasta Salad. We are trying to cut back on how much milk we drink too. For example, we have started using soy milk in our cereal. I know this may not be easy, especially with young children that need the protein and vitamins and allergies, so make sure you consult your doctor.

I can always count on the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living for simple yet delicious recipes that my whole family will love. So when it comes to meal planning tools, I knew I had to try "Grocery Bag" meal plans by Everyday Food.

In each month of Everyday Food and online at www.marthastewart.com, there is a feature called Grocery Bag. Grocery Bag is a set of five weeknight menus with a ready to print or tear grocery list. The Grocery Bag meal plan promises one trip to the grocery store at the start of the week resulting in a week's worth of dinners. I've seen meal plans like this before, but never have I followed one so faithfully as I done had last week. I decided I would follow the meal plan exactly as it appeared, using the shopping list and recipes to help me "sail through dinner from Monday all the way to Friday with our editors' time-tested strategies for ease." So was it smooth sailing?

Dining out with kids is always an experiment. So we thought it was appropriate to take our pickiest eater to Clover Food Lab.

Clover Food Lab is Food-Truck-Turned-Restaurant located in Harvard Square. Labeled "food lab" for its constantly evolving menu, Clover is known for its fresh, high-quality, vegetarian breakfast and lunch options. I had been hearing about their “amazing veggie sandwiches” for some time. I was excited to check it out and hopefully get some veggies in my two year old with the "white-carbs-only" diet. So we headed over to 7 Holyoke Street on a Wednesday just before noon.

Entrance to the "food lab"

In true Harvard/MIT fashion, you are greeted at the door by "new-school-meets-old-school" -- Clover staff equipped with an iPod Touch, takes your order, emails it to the kitchen, and makes change using a good old apron/change counter.

Order-taker taking orders via iPod Touch and credit card machines tucked behind sandwich boards

The menu changes daily, which is smartly captured with these electronic sandwich boards. Besides just looking cool, want to know what the best thing is about these sandwich boards? The wait-time for each item is listed next to the menu item and gets updated in real-time based on how busy the kitchen becomes. How long will it take to get the BBQ seitan sandwich? 2.8 minutes. When you have hungry kids pulling on your clothes asking when the food will be ready, this is huge.

Electronic sandwich board with up-to-the-minute menu items

Open kitchen kinda looks like a lab

Coffee by Melittas

No plates, just paper.

Vegetarians do not stand a chance in our house. We love meat. My family loves burgers (see Wild Willy's restaurant review). So why would I even attempt making homemade veggie burgers?

There was a time in my distant memory when my oldest son loved Gardenburger veggie burgers. The youngest has yet to try one. I can appreciate a good veggie burger now and then. One with tons of flavor, meaty texture and good dose of much needed fiber. So when I came across this recipe on Epicurious, I had to give it a shot.

Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayonnaise
Adapted from Gourmet, June 2008

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 2 slices multi-grain flatbread, halved

DIRECTIONS:

It was a perfect storm - the little one had decided on going on a "pasta only" diet. Fridge was nearly empty with one lone eggplant hanging out in the crisper. Afternoon thunderstorms were in the forecast. It was time to try Rainy Day Rigatoni.

I came across this dish on one of my favorite websites, www.thekitchn.com. The recipe actually comes from Apron Anxiety, blog from Alyssa Shelasky. I absolutely love her writing style and the site's design is simple yet sophisticated. Thanks kitchn for introducing me to yet another gem.


This dish is very easy to make using ingredients you probably have on hand. I made some modifications to the recipe based on what we had in the house (Penne instead of rigatoni, diced tomatoes v. crushed, oregano instead of basil, red onion and garlic).

The family chowed just as the storm blew through. The look on umdaddy's face told me this was a winner. And just as my son finished the last morsel of eggplant, the sun was shining. And was there a rainbow at the end of our meal? Maybe. I was too busy to notice as I was squirreling away the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

Adapted from Apron Anxiety's Rainy Day Rigatoni
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS: