We’ve been in a vortex of sickness for the past couple of weeks. Well, a combination of sickness and traveling. Today Indira’s ear infection has finally eased and she’s feeling better so we decided to bake!

This bread came out delicious but next time I’ll try it with all applesauce (no butter) and I think it might be better as muffins or in smaller loaf pans. It was delicious though!

Strawberry Bread Recipe:

• 3 cups flour (I used half all purpose and half white whole wheat but next time would probably do all whole wheat pastry or whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt (I used a little under this amount since I was using salted butter in the recipe)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp flaxseed (I’ll use more, at least 6 Tbsp next time but mine was a little past the date so I was concerned about flavor)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs (beaten)
• 1 cup(ish) moisture (I used a stick of butter and 1/2 cup of applesauce plus a tbsp or so, some recipes use oil, next time I’ll use a cup and a tbsp or two of applesauce)
• 1 lb of strawberries cut into small pieces (I probably had a little under 1 lb)

Topping (optional)

• 1 or 2 tbsp of cold butter
• 1/4 cup (?) brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. Add butter/applesauce/oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Stir with a spoon (stir until just combined, don’t overmix).
5. Add in strawberries and fold/mix in gently.
6. Spoon into 2 greased loaf pans
7. For topping: pulse in food processor until mixed and sprinkle onto top of loaves
8. Cook for 45 – 55 minutes.
9. Enjoy!

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My friend, Kerilyn posted this quote today and I have to share it because it’s pretty amazingly perfect.

~E.J. Malinowski

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Wow, it’s been a while, old friend. I had forgotten you, but I’m back and happy to be here.

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I’ve been on a broccoli kick lately. I am just loving it. Mmm! And, Dave has been on a pasta kick (his entire life) so I figured I’d try something new. We eat cavatelli and broccoli now and then but it’s new food week! I searched the internet for recipes and decided to combine the healthy and the not-so-healthy into a moderately healthy (?) version. Here goes!

Pasta con Broccoli

• 1lb pasta of your choice (we had 1/2 semolina and 1/2 whole wheat penne)
• 2 full heads of broccoli
• Spaghetti sauce (only about 1/4 cup is my guess)
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream (not sure if milk would work here but we had heavy cream in the fridge)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (approximate)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water from cooked pasta
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves of garlic (sliced, more would be great too!)

Bring a large pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Bring a second smaller pot of water to boiling for broccoli.

Chop broccoli and slice garlic. When small pot is boiling add broccoli and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain broccoli and set aside. Using that pot, heat olive oil over medium/low heat and add garlic slices. Cook for a few minutes until starting to brown, being careful not to burn them. In the meantime, cook pasta to al dente.

Once garlic is ready, add heavy cream and sauce. I’m not exactly sure of amounts here, I just added. I didn’t want it very heavy on the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until it starts to thicken. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water from boiling pasta. I did this little by little because I didn’t want the sauce to be very watery. Keep boiling then add reserved broccoli and cook in sauce for a few more minutes until broccoli is to your liking. At this point I added 1 tbsp of butter for some creaminess and extra flavor.

Mix saucy broccoli with pasta in the big pot and enjoy! I topped it with crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese. Delicious!

And, yes, we’ve been drinking the Rossi. Hey, it’s Reserve.

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Quinoa Salad with Mango and Avocado

I combined a few different recipes that I found online for this one, the main ones being from On My Menu and two peas & their pod (thank you!). I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve never LOVED quinoa. I can take it or leave it. I like that it’s easy and super nutritious, but that’s where my interest wanes. While I was pregnant I overdose on it a bit and then had an aversion to it for at least a year. That’s neither here nor there. This rocked! It was so fresh and delicious (despite the fact that half of a mango that I used was a little under ripe and that one of the avocados was a little brown and slightly stringy)! I will definitely be making this again. Probably often enough to kickstart another period of quinoa aversion, but hopefully not. In the future, I’ll make a few changes. I didn’t have a tomato or any red bell peppers and maybe I’ll try one of those next time. I didn’t put black beans in since Dave is allergic but maybe I’ll mix them in on the side in the future. And, I’m picturing this with either blueberries or strawberries (or both!) as a new addition. I’m DEFINITELY trying that. So here’s the recipe:

• 1 cup quinoa (I’m sure any variety would work) rinsed and cooked with 2 cups of water (I cooked mine in a rice cooker)
• 1 lime
• 1 – 2 mangos
• 2 avocados
• green onions
• olive oil
• white balsamic vinegar
• cilantro (fresh would be great but I used dried)
• salt
• pepper

Cook quinoa according to instructions (I used a rice cooker but it’s quick and easy to cook in a pot as well). Once cooked, fluff with fork and let cool a bit while you make your dressing. Squeeze the juice of a lime into a small bowl and add olive oil (I used about 1 tbsp) and white balsamic (I also used about 1 tbsp but I think 2tbsp would be better) and mix together with the lime juice (I used an old fashioned citrus juicer to really get all of the juice out of the lime) and a bit of salt and pepper. Pour onto quinoa and mix. Sprinkle some cilantro on and mix. I let this sit for a while because I was busy doing other things but I’m sure you can add the rest while the quinoa is still warm and it would be equally delicious. Add chopped avocado, mango, and onions, lightly mix with a fork, and enjoy!

Next time, strawberries will definitely be added!

Miss the first new recipe? Check out this delicious beet pizza!

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