sunday in the kitchen

It's Halloween tomorrow - in case you forgot. I've had little chance to forget as Finn has been counting down the days since the first day of school. And it's here...finally! It's been a busy Sunday of costume planning, trick-or-treat route mapping and pumpkin carving. 

Oh, and making something nutritious before the sugar on-slaught begins. Of course the boys wouldn't eat it - not shocking at all! But for this mama who likes to sneak a miniature chocolate bar, or two, or three, out of the boys' Halloween bags, this salad hits the spot! Happy Halloween everyone!

Carrot Salad

4 carrots grated

Sliced red onion - about 1/4 onion, or to taste

1/4 C roasted pumpkin seeds

3-4 leaves of kale shredded

Dressing

1/3 C olive oil

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp sea vegetable flakes or sea salt

Mix together dressing and toss into salad. Tastes great eaten right away, but even better the next day!

What's for dinner?

Dinner time is a pretty important time of day in our house. Mornings are so hectic as we run around trying to get ourselves ready and out the door on time while trying to maintain our sanity! But it is at supper time that we can reconnect and share our day's experiences over a nutritious meal. It is our family time and enjoying it over wholesome food, well, what could be better? 

I'm sure for most of us out there, cooking at the end of a long work day is a dreaded task. It is easier to grab for the pre-packaged convenience food, and there are many nights when I wish I could go this route. But, as I've mentioned before, with the food allergies in our house, this just isn't possible. So I have a rotation of quick and easy meals that I thought I would regularly share through this space - hopefully to inspire homecooking on a weeknight! The following recipe came together as a mix of the fresh peppers and onions we had in the garden, the homemade salsa that I just can't seem to get enough of, and the bags of tortillas we found stuck to the bottom of our freezer. This dish was made pretty quickly and was perfect served with a garden salad. In no time at all, you will have a nutritious and delicious dinner that I hope your family will love! 

So here's the recipe for this yet-unnamed-dish:

1 chicken breast

1 can of black beans

1 onion

1 green or red pepper

2-3 cloves of garlic

cilantro to taste
18-20 tortillas (corn or flour)
1-2 cups of salsa
Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut chicken into strips and fry in a little olive oil until no longer pink. Add sliced onions and peppers, and minced garlic. Fry until soft and add rinsed black beans. Line baking dish with a thin layer of salsa and one layer of tortillas. Top with half of the chicken and veggie mixture, and enough salsa to cover. Add another layer of tortillas and top with remaining chicken and veggie mixture and salsa. Add one more layer of tortillas and top with salsa to cover and cheese if allowed. Bake about 15 mins. If baking without cheese, cheese can be added individually afterwards for those in your family who are able to eat dairy. Top with yogurt, if allowed.

Zoet alors! Can you believe how quickly summer has passed us by? It seems that we haven't had nearly enough beach time this summer for that to be so! But the kids are breaking in their new backpacks and trying on their back-to-school outfits in preparation for the first day of school on Tuesday. (Already??!!)

While it has been far too many years since I can even remember getting a new backpack for a new school year, September always brings out in me a desire to start something new - whether it's signing up for a new art class, joining a new group, or starting this blog! I have been wanting to start this blog for some time now, but I wasn't sure how to start or what the focus would be. I had originally intended to focus on our family's struggles with food allergies, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that these food allergies (although a challenge in the beginning) have turned out to be anything but a struggle. They have been an inspiration! Having to do all of our own baking and cooking has shaped our family from one that easily relied on the conveniences of our modern lives to one that has come to rely on the gifts of our own hands. Using these gifts in the kitchen has spilled over into the rest of our lives and it is here that I will chronicle our journey as a handmade home.

I must first explain the name I have given this blog, Zoet (zoot) alors!: I'm sure most of us remember learning our first French expletive - zut alors! Well, sometimes life needs an expletive or two, and with a family name of Zoethout, well, the play on words seemed perfect!

I'm going to leave you with a recipe that will be a perfect treat to add to a back-to-school lunch! This recipe saved our lives so many years ago when our son Nate was diagnosed with severe dairy and egg allergies. In fact, the entire book, The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies, where this recipe came from, saved our lives! But it was this recipe that helped us to realize that yes, we can make safe, yummy alternatives for our son. Warning - these cookies do not last long!!

World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C margarine

1/2 C white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 C flour (spelt and rice flours work equally well in this recipe if you are trying to keep wheat out of your diet)

Mix together in a small bowl before adding to dough:

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp water

1/2 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together margarine and sugar. Add vanilla, baking soda and flour. Mix in baking powder mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheets and bake about 10-12 mins. or until golden.