Avo Arugula and Egg on Toast.

Yes, another post about food. That's really the only excitement around here. 

One of these days I will start feeling a desire to be creative again...

In the meantime-- Let us talk some more about food :)

Arugula is my favorite green. So versatile and fresh and pretty! Plus, it has a very unique flavor.

My lazy girl lunch is a fried egg sandwich, something I grew up on. It was always what we would eat when either my mom was in a hurry or we had no other food.

But it is one of my favorites to this day.  

It used to be served on a toasted piece of bread with mayo and ketchup. 

Nowadays I enjoy it a little bit different: 

Avocado smashed on a piece of whole wheat toast 

pile on arugula, 

then a fried egg on top. 

Dash it with a little salt and cracked pepper. 

Such a treat.

NACHO mother's nachos.

Definitely none of that fake orange gelatinous gooey stuff!!!

Nachos usually make their way to the Saturday lunchtime table at our house. 

Mostly because they are quick, easy, hearty and I can load them with lots of healthy add-ons!

Plus, all you really have to have is chips and cheese and you can make them however you want. 

Here is my so-called recipe (if you can call it a recipe):

NACHOS

Chips

Cheese

1 can black beans, drained

Genereous handful green onions

Sliced olives

1 cup frozen corn (or canned)

Diced tomatoes

Cilantro

Avocado

Salsa

Sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

S/P

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Fill a 9x13 pan with your favorite tortilla chips.

Cover chips with a couple handfuls of cheese. 

Evenly distribute green onions, olives, corn and black beans.

Add a little bit more cheese.

Put in oven and bake until cheese melts, about15 minutes.

Slather with sour cream and salsa, then top with remaining fresh ingredients. 

Serve like you would a casserole, but no eating utensils aloud...

Only lots of napkins!

Station 22.

 

We stopped in at Station 22 a few weeks ago for some delicious grub.

They just reopened their doors, and it is new and improved. 

Gourmet comfort food at its finest. (is that redundant?)

 It is evident that they use fresh, quality ingredients. 

Be sure to order the Poutine! So delicious, and definitely not healthy ;) 

As good as the food, is the creative interior! They didn't leave out any details.

In Historic Downtown Provo, it fits right in. 

I'll put it on my short list of faves, for sure. 

Pizzadilla.

My attempts to blog here on Lula have been pretty lame lately, I admit. We are still cooking & eating, still working on house projects, in fact I have so many half-finished projects sitting around the house that I have lost track, still crafting and organizing... but three kids is kind of rocking my world, so documenting my very many silly projects has taken the back-burner. I keep hoping that one day I will just wake up and have it all figured out.

Anyway, one summer day I had a pretty empty fridge and something resembling Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, so I was desperate for a yummy lunch for my hungry kids (who were craving pizza). With a little creativity, we came up with something we like to call The Pizza-dilla.
Definitely not fancy by any means (in fact, the opposite), but yummy enough (to them!) that they have asked for it again and again...

 

I feel goofy giving a "recipe".

Two tortillas, slap on some spaghetti sauce, mozarella, your favorite pizza toppings. 

Put both sides together and cook like a quesadilla. Dip in ranch. 

Kids love it. 

And the kids love to help, too....

 

  My daughter loves to help in her underwear at noon. 

(I told you I haven't figured this out yet!)

PBJ Crackers.

There is nothing groundbreaking about this at all. But the other day as I was thinking about what to make for an afternoon snack for the kids (with a Mother-Hubbard status pantry), I remembered this staple snack my roommates and I used to eat in college. We seriously lived on this stuff. It's cheap, right? I have since forgotten about it, but now the kids want it everyday.
No complaints from me :) Yum.

Irish Soda Bread and green cake.

(We aren't even Irish.)

I do realize that I totally missed the St Pats post by like two weeks, but I had to share Ina's Irish soda bread recipe because it was just so delicious. Anything Ina creates is a keeper in my book.

The bread is crunchy on the outside, soft and dense on the inside and made perfectly unhealthy with a generous helping of softened butter spread on top.

It would be a great complement to a Sunday roast, not just for that green day in March.

 

 Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup dried currants*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

*I used craisins instead of currants.  

 ...and while I'm at it, a photo of our [wannabe] Irish spread.

 I roasted the cabbage this year instead of cooking it in the meat juice. Thumbs up all around. 

...and an easy dessert. 

 

[green] Pistachio Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 box instant pistachio pudding

4 eggs

1 1/2 c water

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 tsp almond extract

green food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan. 

In a large bowl mix together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, water, oil, almond extract and green food coloring. Blend ingredients, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. 

Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Enjoy.

Tomato Pie.

I've been meaning to post this for roughly forever... And now summer and gardening are officially over.
BUT if you are like me, you still have a handful of green tomatoes ripening on the counter.
This southern specialty--tomato pie (yes, pie)-- right here is going to be the best way to use them, trust me. It is the perfect way to bridge the gap between summer and fall.

A dear friend of mine made something similar for us a few summers ago. Ben about died when he had it and we haven't forgotten about it since. SO so good.
I tried to recreate it here, and I think it turned out pretty dang delish (if you ask me).

Tomato Pie. 

1 recipe favorite pie crust

3 T grated parmesean

1 medium onion, sliced thin

5-6 ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices

12 basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Garlic powder, to taste

S/P to taste

1/3 c mayo

1/3 c sour cream

1/4 c grated parmesean

8 slices fresh mozarella

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll pie crust into dish and poke holes in the bottom with a fork. Top with 3T cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

While crust is cooking (then cooling), saute onion with butter until caramelized, set aside.

Reset oven for 350.

Sandwich salted, sliced tomatoes between two paper towels to absorb some of the juice for 3 minutes or so (otherwise pie will be really watery) then put in a mixing bowl.

Add basil, parsley, garlic powder, S/P and onions to the tomatoes to coat.

Layer tomato in cooled crust.

In a seperate bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, parmesean and a touch of S/P. Spread over tomatoes, then top with mozarella slices and parsley.

Bake 350 for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

My mouth is watering.

Apple Cupcakes.

So I know it looks weird.

That's because my kids made it.
BUT, its actually quite delicious
AND you can bank on half of an apple sittin' pretty
in a tiny tummy in no time flat (thanks to Nutella!).
I'm always looking for healthy and easy snacks around here; this one's the latest.
Cha-ching! Success.

Apple "Cupcakes"
(makes 2)
Wash and core an apple.
Slice it in half, horizontally.
Then put a thin layer of almond butter or PB then Nutella for flavor and deceit (I learned that from Jessica Seinfeld).
Let the kids go to town with sprinkles, granola, peanuts, raisins, M&Ms, whatever.
Last, call it a cupcake, and they are bound to at least try it.
But they won't stop because how can you stop eating anything
smothered in Nutella and sprinkles?

I told you they liked 'em.

Tabbouleh.

Have I shared this before? Forgive me if I have.
This is a great salad. I am fully aware that winter is still very much upon us. But I have been craving salads, things that are FRESH and COLD. So naturally (or unnaturally) the "fresh" ingredients in this recipe aren't ripe or in season, but sometimes you just have to go with your cravings. Plus, it's just pretty.

Tabbouleh

1 cup bulghur wheat*
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup feta cheese

Directions

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and the pepper; mix well. Add cheese. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

*You can find bulghar in the bulk section at most health food stores, and most stores carry Bob's Red Mill products, which is also a great option.

So, maybe tuck this one away in your summertime file when you can use ripe garden tomatoes and cucumbers. Or substitute those veggies with others that actually taste good right now. This is literally like making a salad, it's so fast and easy, and it keeps great in the fridge for up to a week. In fact, it gets better as it marinades! So make a double batch (I do) and you've got lunch for the whole week!

{PS}
Here's a thought if you have trouble getting your toddler to eat good food. Something amazing happens when you let your kids cook with you, right? It is so much harder, and most of the time I have to try really really hard not to get frustrated at the unnecessary messes that are made, but they try raw vegetables and other food that they probably wouldn't try in another setting. Here, they were snacking on cucumbers and tomatoes, last night- whole almonds and snowpeas. They feel a sense of pride that they made what's on the table, so there is a greater incentive to eat it... even at such a young age (like my almost-2-year-old). I notice a huge difference when I let the kids help. I value food, probably more than I should, and tend to get passionate about it. But it is so rewarding and fulfilling when my kids (and my husband) have full bellies of healthy food. I see feeding my family as one of my biggest responsibilities so I take it seriously. That being said, I wish I could say we ate healthy 24-7 (It's probably quite evident that I am also passionate about sweets). We don't, but we sure do try.

I'll step off the soap box now. Sorry :/