Baking bread, real bread, can be a challenge. Â There’s yeast and proofing and rising and time – lots of time. Â It’s not super practical if you work out of the home with regular 9 to 5 hours. Â Which is why I don’t make bread anymore. Â I used to make challah and round peasant loaves and the occasional cinnamon-raisin bread. Â In fact, I used to bake bread in high school and then in college. Â (Another possible reason my college boyfriend married me.)
St. Patrick’s Day is approaching and IÂ am here to tell you that you do not need to make corned beef and cabbage to be in the spirit. Â Make anything green — spinach risotto, kale salad, a mint chip smoothie — and you’re good in my book. Â I actually discovered recently that split pea soup can have Irish roots. Â Who knew? Â So this might be a nice way to have a healthy and delicious St. Patrick’s Day dinner without a lot of fuss.
I do not want to open a restaurant, but if I did it would be called “He Said, She Said.” Â I would have a big chalkboard menu with two sides, one for dude food and one for lady food. Â That way, my husband and I would always agree on a place where we could both get what we wanted. Â French Dip sandwich for him and a kale salad with wild salmon or quinoa for moi.
I’m that girl who makes an effort to encourage all the food on her plate to touch. In fact, I’m so weird that I’ll set the table for my family with a plate at everyone’s place and a shallow bowl for me. It looks odd, but I love eating out of a bowl as you know. All my food gets nice and cozy together, which is basically Mr. Picky’s NIGHTMARE. So what could be better in my eyes than a one pot or a one pan meal? Not only is everything all co-mingled, but it’s so easy!
I can’t think of anything more comforting than a bowl of soup. Â Warm, filling, and nourishing, homemade soup feels like a big hug. Â My husband and my kids (especially Mr. Picky) all love soup and I love making it because it’s easy, flexible and soup makes great leftovers.
To anyone who might be offended that I am liberally calling these kebabs “kibbeh,” I apologize in advance. Â I know I am taking some liberties with this recipe and there are many who might think there’s not enough of one spice or another, or that they should be fried or made with lamb, but if I called these kebabs something else, then a whole other group of people would be offended. Â So let me start out by saying that I am in no way an expert in Middle Eastern cuisine, Â but I am an expert in what my family likes and they could eat these kebabs several times a week if I made them. So I think you should know about this recipe, whatever you decide to call it.
Most days I am a cheerleader for plant foods in their simplest form.  I believe kale’s hype and I think too much turmeric is a good thing.  But I warned you that this was coming.  We are going to take a brief break from carrots and millet to celebrate the day of chocolate.  I mean the day of love for chocolate.  I mean the day of love.  Which should include chocolate.
I recently received a copy of  Bowls of Plenty: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Whole Grain Meals by Carolynn Carreño. It’s no secret I’m a cookbook junkie.  I even have a Pinterest board labeled just that.  And it’s no secret I am obsessed with meals in bowls.  Often I will set the dinner table with a bowl for me and a plate for everyone else.  Silly, but I really love eating all my food together and having all the flavors in one bite.  As opposed to Mr. Picky who couldn’t imagine anything worse!
