Strawberry-Spinach Couscous Salad

I really enjoy my daily newspaper reading.

Growing up we always subscribed to the daily paper and I enjoyed flipping through it as I ate breakfast. Ok let’s be honest – I only looked at the ads and comics. When I went to college a daily paper subscription was a splurge so it didn’t happen. Later, when I could afford the splurge I realized that everything was online anyway and it was easier to just read it there so again – no newspaper subscription. Recently however I noted that I was spending less and less time online and even less time watching tv so I was WAY out of touch with what was going on in the world. A few months ago I decided to try getting the daily paper and now I’m really enjoying it. It usually takes me all day to read it through, but I feel like I’m more aware of events in my community, state and nation. Oh, and of course the ads and comics.

I don’t normally look to the paper as a source for recipes and cooking ideas. In fact, I admit I’m a bit skeptical of newspaper recipes (why is that I wonder?) But back in June I spotted this recipe in the newspaper and realized that #1: it sounded deliciously refreshing and #2: I had all of the necessary ingredients. We ate it for dinner that night, as a side to our grilled chicken.

Here’s what I liked about it: I love that it has spinach in it. I’m always looking for ways to incorporate some of the spinach from my garden into our meals. The inclusion of almonds was fantastic. I love the crunchy almonds with the soft sweet strawberries. The orange vinaigrette was a citrusy delight. Over all this salad is great, however I felt there was something wrong with the ratio of couscous to spinach. I think I was expecting more spinach and less couscous, so the end result of this salad kind of threw me off. Next time I think I’ll cut the amount of couscous in half and double the spinach. Some fresh squeezed lemon juice added to the couscous while it cooks might be nice as well.

I found the recipe online for you and it even has a print-page option. (It’s on the Denver Post site but don’t worry, it’s the same exact recipe.) Enjoy!

Strawberry-Spinach Couscous Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Date Bran Muffins

Once upon a time I had a job as an aide at a Jr High School. During that same year my friend and roommate worked at a High School. You know what’s great about that? When the kids get out of school for spring break, so do the aides. My friend decided to spend that one delightful week at her parent’s house in California and invited me to join her. I have to admit that many of my memories of that road trip are food related (what’s wrong with me?)

One morning my friend pulled a bowl out of the refrigerator and began scooping some brown goop into some foil muffin liners. Um, I’ll pass on breakfast, thank you. As these things baked however, I changed my tune. They smelled like heaven itself. We ate them hot from the oven, sliced in half with a bit of butter on each. I believe by the second bite I was asking for the recipe.

There are several great things about these muffins (besides the taste.) First of all these are refrigerator muffins. You mix up the batter and can keep it in the fridge for a week or so. Each morning you bake just enough muffins for that one day so (and here’s the second great thing:) you always get to eat hot fresh baked muffins. Wowza. Great-thing #3: this recipe makes a huge batch so it will last you for awhile. If you’re lucky. This last batch lasted our family only 5 days. The kids LOVE them, and Mr Dinner’s on Me took half of the mix up to work and baked fresh muffins each morning in the office toaster oven. I’m not kidding.

I’ll add the recipe below as well as a printer-friendly version. First, some important details. The recipe calls for either butter or shortening. I use regular salted butter. I have used shortening before and cannot tell a difference. For the flour I grind my own wheat flour and use that, but in the past I used all-purpose flour. The kids can’t tell when I use wheat flour and when I don’t. For the dates I use these:

If you really have to you can substitute raisins, but the results are not the same. I prefer the dates, hands down. For mixing the muffins you will need a large bowl. LARGE. To store the muffins you will need a large lidded container (or two medium sized lidded containers.) A half-recipe will fit in here:

see…it has a cool lid too:

To bake the muffins I use foil muffin liners. The muffins will stick more to the paper ones, but will come out nice and clean from the foil liners. Plus they’re shiny.

If you’re not sure you’re ready to commit to a big batch of these you can cut the recipe in half. Hey, I’ll even do the math for you. That’s how much I want you to try these.

Link for full recipe	Link for half recipe

Date Bran Muffins

(full recipe)

2 cups boiling water

5 tsp baking soda

1 c butter (or shortening)

2 c granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 quart buttermilk (4 cups)

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

4 cups All-Bran cereal

2 cups 40% Bran Flakes cereal

2 cups chopped dates

1 cup chopped walnuts

Carefully add the baking soda to the hot water and let cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter. Add sugar and eggs one at a time. Carefully add buttermilk and stir to combine (buttermilk will not fully incorporate and that’s fine.) Add cooled water/baking soda mixture. In a separate LARGE bowl combine flour and salt. Mix bran cereals, nuts and dates in same bowl. Stir to coat cereals with flour mixture. Add buttermilk mixture and stir only enough to blend. Store in a lidded container in refrigerator.

To Bake: Spoon into foil muffin liners. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Date Bran Muffins

(half recipe)

1 cup boiling water

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter (or shortening)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups All-Bran cereal

1 cup 40% Bran Flakes cereal

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Carefully add the baking soda to the hot water and let cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter. Add sugar and eggs one at a time. Carefully add buttermilk and stir to combine (buttermilk will not fully incorporate and that’s fine.) Add cooled water/baking soda mixture. In a separate LARGE bowl combine flour and salt. Mix bran cereals, nuts and dates in same bowl. Stir to coat cereals with flour mixture. Add buttermilk mixture and stir only enough to blend. Store in a lidded container in refrigerator.

To Bake: Spoon into foil muffin liners. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

My New Love

I love, love, love steel cut oatmeal….. in the winter. During the summer it’s a challenge for me to invest that much time into breakfast prep. Honestly, I am normally allotted about 7.5 minutes to make and eat breakfast then my kids are off an running, ready for whatever is next. Occasionally I’ll make a quick bowl of instant oatmeal (this is my current favorite – yum!)

But lately our breakfasts have been date bran muffins and a smoothie. More on the muffins later – this post is about the smoothie. I know I did a post ages ago with some of our family’s favorite smoothie recipes, but for this new concoction I don’t really have a recipe. Usually I just make enough for myself, and I use whatever fresh fruit & yogurt I have in the fridge. Here is what I do to create my favorite: Peach-Strawberry.

Throw into the blender:

4-5 ice cubes

3-4 Tbsp plain yogurt (lowfat, nonfat, greek….doesn’t matter)

7-10 strawberries

1 peach (skins and all – just remove the pit)

blend & enjoy! If the strawberries are lacking sweetness, sometimes I’ll add a bit of apple juice or white grape juice

Menu No. 110

This is a photo of some grilled flat bread I made last week. It has nothing to do with this week’s menu. I added the photo because I know there are some of you who don’t read a thing I write – you’re only here for the photos. It’s okay, I know who you are (Gavan.)

For the rest of you, here is our menu:

Monday - gyros with tzatziki sauce

Tuesday – grilled chicken fajitas (quesadillas for the kids)

Wednesday – grilled pizzas

Thursday – salmon w/ basil butter, corn on the cob

Friday – eat out

Saturday – Mozzarella, basil & tomato panini

Sunday – grilled teriyaki chicken & vegetables w/ rice

Now that I’m looking at our food for the week, I’m realizing that we will be grilling almost every night this week. I really have no desire to stand in a hot kitchen, over a hot stove. I really wanted to make some wheat bread this week, but that’s not going to happen. Anyone else grilling like crazy lately?

Note To Self

Dear Andy,

Lunches can be a challenge. I know that. The kids do eventually get sick of PB&J. Cold cereal is NOT an option. They turn their noses up at tuna sandwiches. When that happens, be sure to have some of these refrigerator biscuits on hand.

Flatten them with your palm. Top them with some leftover spaghetti sauce, grated mozzarella and a pepperoni or two.

Bake them until cheese is melted (but don’t bake too long or the bottom will burn and DoM Jr. will make a fuss). Place them on the table and watch the kids devour them.

(I know mini pizzas are not an original idea, and they require no recipe. So you might be asking yourself what they are doing on my food blog? Well, mini pizzas are one thing that my kids love, but I always seem to forget about. So this post really IS to remind me sometime in the future to have these again for lunch.)