My new favorite salad dressing

It's so simple, it doesn't even require a blender:

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Sweet Sesame Dressing

Whisk in a small bowl: 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup tahini, 2 Tbsp 100% fruit jam (any flavor), 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
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This makes about 3 or 4 servings.

French Minted Pea Soup

Made this yesterday, with a couple of changes from the recipe in the book.  Here's what I did:

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French Minted Pea Soup (Serves 5)

In a soup pot, simmer 4 1/2 cups of water, 16 oz frozen peas, 1 1/2 small chopped onions, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 Tbsp dried mint, 2 Tbsp no-salt seasoning (I used Perfect Pinch Garlic and Herb), 1 Tbsp dried chives, 2 tsp Spike or Nu-Salt and 1 cup cashews for about 7 minutes.

Pour pea mixture into blender (make sure you have a glass pitcher on the blender, not a plastic one -- the soup will be hot!) and add 5 dates and 2 Tbsp lemon juice (I had to do this in 2 batches, since my blender wasn't big enough).  Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour soup back into the pot and add 6 handfuls of spinach.  Let the spinach wilt in the hot liquid for several minutes before serving.

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Cooking for company :)

Ashley and Cari have been with us this weekend.  We went to the Ionia Free Fair, church, the zoo, and cooled off by playing in the sprinklers in the backyard.  Their parents will be here to pick them up any minute, and I've been cooking all afternoon.  I've made hot dogs, mixed vegetables, and Baked Basil French Fries for the girls; Spiced Tilapia and steamed artichokes with a dipping sauce for the grown ups, with a Peach-Mango Compote for dessert.  Everything smells wonderful and I'm very proud of myself!

I'm back :)

Move finally finished.  New house is wonderful.  This is a kitchen I would actually ENJOY being in all day long.

This morning I made a very yummy stew:

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Chunky Sweet Potato Stew (serves 4)

1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Cut 2 onions into thick slices and add to pot, cooking about 5 minutes, until softened.  Chop 4 cloves garlic and add to pot, cooking 1 minute.

2. Peel 2 large sweet potatoes and chop them into bite-size cubes.  Mix into the pot 2 14-oz cans of stewed tomatoes, the cubed sweet potatoes, 1 cup of canned and rinsed garbanzo beans, and 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Cover and cook 5 minutes.  Cut 2 medium zucchini into bite-size cubes and add them to the pot.  Add 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp no-salt seasoning (I used McCormick's Perfect Pinch Garlic and Herb).  Cover and cook another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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For lunch today I had a big bowl of this stew, a small salad, and a peach.  And that was enough.  The stew is very filling.

Unexpectedly Delicious

The end of the month is upon us, which means we're trying to use up the food we have.  The less we have to move to the new house, the better.  Plus, our Bridge benefits for the month are used up until July 3.  So yesterday I was hunting for something healthy I could make for breakfast and I stumbled on this:

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Banana Wraps

6 leaves of lettuce (romaine or similar)
1 banana, thinly sliced
nut butter (I used almond butter on some and peanut butter on others, since my almond butter was nearly gone)

Spread a thin layer of nut butter on the inside spine of each lettuce leaf, place banana pieces on top of the nut butter, then wrap up the leaf.

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I found this to be surprisingly satisfying and yummy.

Where Have I Been?

Packing.

Give it a couple of weeks.  Sorry.

Eggplant Hummus

This morning I made a yummy hummus with eggplant :)  First I cut an eggplant in half, then baked it at 350 for 45 minutes.  After it cooled, I peeled it and popped it into the blender with all the other regular hummus ingredients:  chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and onion.  I've discovered I like the taste of baked eggplant quite a lot.  So far the only real difference between this and regular hummus is that it seems to be more solid after being stored in the refrigerator for several hours.  I might have to add just a hint of NuSalt or something, though -- it seems to lack just the hint of saltiness I've grown used to in my veggie dips.

Carly sick today.  Went to sleep on the couch right after dinner, and when I carried her to her room just now she was burning up.  I'm going to check on her now.