Baby Smashed Potatoes

I’m starting to think that just about every vegetable should be roasted at 400F for 30-60 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. This is now my third recipe in a row that follows this logic. You’d have to really hate potatoes to not like these. I liked these so much I made them for Christmas dinner last year – there wasn’t a single one left over!. They also provide a lot more nutrients than a lot of potato dishes because you leave the skins on. They take a little bit more time than some methods, because they are boiled and then baked but the result is amazing. If you want, you can boil and smash the potatoes ahead of time just refrigerate until you are ready to use them.

Baby Smashed Potatoes Recipe
2-2.5 lbs baby potatoes
2 TBSP oilve oil
salt, pepper and rosemary (I use dried but I’m sure fresh would be lovely)
2 garlic cloves minced (shortcut – buy pre-minced, look in the refrigerated section by the salads as they are much better than the shelf stable variety you get by the spices)

Cooking with the Kids

Like most oven recipes, this is a great recipe for the kids to help with because all of the work is done before it hits the heat. Squishing the potatoes is also pretty fun.
The kids can:

• put the potatoes in the pot 
• squash the cooled potatoes 
• .paint the potatoes with olive oil
• flip the potatoes
• sprinkle the salt, pepper and rosemary

Directions
1. Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. When the potatoes are tender, drain the pot and let the potatoes cool (if you are in a hurry you can grab the potatoes with a tea towel and smash them while they are still hot).
3.Preheat the oven to 400F
4.Get a (clean!) tea towel and put it on the counter. Place the potato on top. Fold the tea towel over and press down on the potato with your palm.
5. Place the smashed potatoes on a baking tray.
6. Brush each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Flip the potatoes and repeat on the other side.
8. Add a couple pieces of minced garlic to each potato and sprinkle with rosemary.
9. Put the tray in the over and flip the potatoes after 15 minutes. Continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more. When they are done the skins of the potatoes will be brown and crispy but the centre will be soft.

Leftovers can be eaten cold straight from the fridge or reheated in the oven or toaster oven.

Per serving (3 potatoes): Calories – 78, Carbs – 11g, Fat – 4g, Protein 1, Fibre – 2.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I took another crack at the butternut squash today. It turned out quite a bit better than the last time. I think the problem before was that the squash wasn’t as fresh as it needed to be. Not that it was bad, it just didn’t have the right consistency anymore – it was a little too mushy around the edges. So if you (like I usually do) buy pre-cut cubes (Costco’s are great) make sure you get the furthest away best before date and check to make sure they are nice and firm when you go to cook them. If they’re not, maybe make soup instead.
This isn’t the lowest calorie vegetable dish you can make but it’s a crowd pleaser and makes a nice side dish for special occasion dinners (or just for snacking!) Unless your kids are going through a really picky stage, they’ll like this dish. And you will like making it! The prep work is minimal and once it’s in the oven you don’t have to do a thing.
Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Recipe (based on this recipe)
2 lbs butternut squash cubes (shortcut – buy pre-cubed)
2 TBSP oilve oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (or white cheese blend)
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves minced and 2 Tbsp parsley chopped (both optional)

Cooking with the Kids

This is a great recipe for the kids to help with because all of the work is done before it hits the heat.
The kids can:

• put the squash cubes in the bag
• measure and pour
• mix the ingredients in the bag (even the littlest kids can do this).

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Put all ingredients into a large resealable plastic bag and combine (you can also mix in a bowl).
3. Spread evenly on a single layer on a shallow baking dish. I've found that lining a cookie tray with parchment paper works really well. The cubes pop right off. Whatever you do, don't put them directly on the cookie tray – trust me it will never be the same. 
4. Cook for 40-50 minutes. The edges should be carmelized and golden. You can flip one of the cubes over to check the bottom, but otherwise leave them alone.

I completely forgot the garlic, but they were still great. Adding the parsley makes for a nicer presentation, but I was all out.

If you have leftovers, you can mash up the cooked squash with some pasta water to thin it out and use it as a pasta sauce.
Per serving (1/8 of the recipe): Calories – 94, Carbs – 13g, Fat – 5g, Protein 2, Fibre – 2.

Making Icky Food Good: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

My mother-in-law is a big fan of Brussels sprouts and they are chalk full of vitamins but she wasn’t making any converts at home. I figure that just about anything can be appealing if you cook it the right way, so I set out to find something that everyone would enjoy. This is what I came up with.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe
1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts (shortcut - buy prewashed and bagged)
1.5 tablespoons oilve oil
1 teaspoon  salt (do not skip the salt, you need it to counteract the bitterness of the sprouts)
0.5 teaspoon pepper

Cooking with the Kids

This is a great recipe for the kids to help with because all of the work is done before it hits the heat.
The kids can:

• put the cut sprouts in the bag
• measure and pour
• mix the ingredients in the bag (even the littlest kids can do this).

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375F (you can do 400 if you are in a hurry but you'll need to watch it near the end)
2. Wash and trim the Brussels Sprouts if necessary. Cut each Brussels sprout in half.
3. Place the Brussels Sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal it up and mix well. (Obviously you could also use a bowl if you'd rather).
4. Put the Brussels spouts on a baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes. Turn them every 7-10 minutes so they cook evenly and don't char.
5. When they are finished they should have a nice brown color but still have some green visible. The loose leaves may be blackened but nothing else should be.

If you have leftovers you can put them in a container in the fridge and eat then reheated in the oven/toaster oven or I actually like the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge. They store best if you let them cool down to room temperature first.
1/6 of the recipe: Calories – 79, Carbs – 10g, Fat – 4g, Protein 4, Fibre – 4.
You could lighten the recipe up by using a cooking spray or olive oil mister to coat the Brussels Sprouts instead of the olive oil.

Cooking Failure: Butternut Squash

I wish I had more insight into why this turned out so poorly. It’s not my first time making Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash. Far from it. But instead of the delicious crisp caramelized edges, I have a charred mess.

Lemon Pepper Mushrooms

If you had told me a couple years ago that I would be sharing my favorite mushroom recipe, I would have said you were crazy. Mushrooms have not historically been my favorite food. And most of the time, I’d still happily do without. But one day my husband whipped up these lemon pepper mushrooms and much to my surprise, I really liked them! I like using Cremini mushrooms over white button mushrooms because they are higher in nutrients but they’ll both turn out just fine.

Lemon Pepper Mushroom Recipe

Ingredients

1-2 cups of sliced mushrooms (whatever fits nicely into your pan)
Lemon Juice
Lemon Pepper
oil or cooking spray (optional)

Cooking with the Kids

This is not the best recipe for cooking with kids because all the work is done in a hot frying pan.
Older kids can:

• slice the mushrooms 
• help sprinkle on lemon pepper
• squirt in the lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat your pan over medium-high heat. You can add oil or pam if desired but if you have a nonstick pan, it's not necessary.
2. Add your mushrooms and the juice from a lemon (or a couple squirts of your bottle of lemon juice).
3. Sprinkle with the lemon pepper. You should be able to see the pepper specks throughout, but it shouldn't coat the mushrooms. Go gently at first and try as they are cooking you can always add more.
4. Saute until mushrooms have browned on the outside and are cooked through but still firm.

A quick and easy healthy snack or side dish.

Per half cup mushrooms (assuming you don’t use any oil): Calories – 12, Carbs – 2g, Fat – 0g, Protein 1, Fibre – 1.

Wordless Wednesday

Hard Boiled/Devilled Eggs

I used to be able to cook a hard boiled egg properly. Then one day I couldn’t. I’m not sure what happened. I was using the same recipe I have used since I was 12.

Whatever the reason, after much frustration I finally figured out how to prevent them from being a disgusting ooey mess. The key was just turning up the heat a little when it was simmering.

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

1. Fill a pot with cold water to just cover the eggs. Bring to a boil. If you manage to remember that you are cooking and notice when they first start to boil you can avoid getting that grey skunge around the yolk by turning the heat down right away (make sure it is just above low).
2. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on and then run cold water over the eggs. Its best to peel them while they are still a little warm and if you roll them in your hands before you start to peel, it’s even easier to get the peel off nicely.

Since we’re talking about Hard Boiled Eggs I might as well share my Devilled Egg Recipe too. My family loves them. I’m pretty sure if I showed up to a family function without them I would be asked how long it was going to take me to go pick up the eggs that I obviously forgot at home.

Devilled Eggs

12 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp vinegar
paprika

Cooking with the Kids
This is a great recipe to make with kids because there is so much they can help with.

The kids can:

• roll the eggs to get ready to peel (peel if older)
• pop out the yolks 
• measure and pour 
• mash up the yolk mixture
• spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites
• sprinkle the paprika

Directions:

1. Scoop the yolk out of each egg and put into a bowl. Mash up with a fork.
2. Add the mayo, mustard and vinegar and mix well.
3. Put a big scoop of the egg mixture into each egg half and sprinkle with paprika.

Per Devilled Egg Half: Calories – 52, Carbs – 1g, Fat – 4g, Protein 3, Fibre – 0.

In case you were wondering, no I do not own a deviled egg tray. I own four. Seriously. I typically have to bring 3 or 4 full trays to a family party – they are that good.