Mom's easy summer salads

When we were at the farmhouse, my mom made these two simple and DELICIOUS salads. EVERYONE was raving about them and not one morsel went uneaten.

When I went to the grocery store last, I made sure to get all of the ingredients to make them. They're great to have on hand for supplementing a meal with veggies.

Here they are and the recipes to make them - both sent to me by my mama! I hope you'll try them and enjoy them as much as I do!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

NOTE: If you plan to make this and keep it for a few days, I would add the avocado at each serving so it doesn't get mushy and brown. And I didn't use hot sauce in the dressing, just salt and pepper with the red wine vinaigrette. 

Tomato Cucumber Salad

PS: Follow me on Instagram! :) @mrshammel

easy peasy green smoothie (and stuff)

Hello friends. Well, I'm running on fumes here... getting adjusted to the new work schedule in conjunction with my childrens' night time antics is most definitely leaving me wanting for sleep. Last night both Noah and Shiloh ended up in our bed, and when it's both of them, I have about a 2'x5' area to sleep in and no blankets. Good times. Add to that a late bed time -- I was a bit wired from the late afternoon coffee pre-work shift and stayed up to read the employee handbook for my new job, drink a glass of wine and try to wind down. Not wise in the end. I should have just taken a melatonin and hit the lights. Alas, I did not, and now I am very, very tired. 

I have to say - on a totally and completely random note - I now understand why women used to - or still - get their hair done and don't wash it for days and it stays remarkably intact and lovely. I did my hair on Friday and put it up with lots of hairspray, and haven't had to touch it since. Really. Might have to do this more often. It's been great for work.

So now on to the subject of this blog post. Thought you might like to know how I make my green smoothies. Green smoothies made with spinach are heavy on the micronutrients and easy on the average blender... for those of that don't have a Vitamix. They're good for me because I find that I have less cravings in general... my body looking for something but doesn't quite know what. Usually, it's looking for the minerals and schtuff that can be found in dark, leafy greens. Adding two big handfuls of spinach to any smoothie will not dramatically affect the taste and will drastically improve the nutritional value of said smoothie.

So, without further ado, an easy peasy green smoothie recipe.

Raspberry/Banana/Spinach Smoothie

2 handfuls baby spinach

1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

1 banana

1 - 1 1/2 cups almond milk

agave nectar or stevia to taste

Add the spinach first... blend until smooth!

 

That's all for now... I have so much to do... lots of stuff to post on Etsy, as well as inventory to track down. Trying to figure out how to get it all done is a bit overwhelming. I need to make some meals that my husband can cook on the nights I am at work. Anyone got any good resources for recipes? I don't have a lot of time to search the net for stuff like this so any links or tips would be appreciated... looking for some one-pot wonders or things I can do in the crock pot that my hubby can cook. 

On yet another note, check out this precious post by Tia on her blog, Two Birds on a Wire, about my vintage shop. She is so sweet! 

Alright, I'll stop the randomness now. Hope you all enjoy the smoothie if you try it! I'll talk atcha later. 

mama eats # 3: artichoke almond pate with fresh vegetables and pita chips

Welcome to the third installment of this little series called "Mama Eats"... if you're reading this, and you're a mama, with babies and whatnot, and you struggle like I do to be intentional about what you feed yourself, then this series is for you. In fact, just doing these posts forces me be more intentional about feeding myself well during the day. I rarely eat breakfast, and seldom eat much more than snacks and leftovers from the baby's high chair tray... which means I don't eat very healthily most of the time. And I know better. So now, you're like me - you have no excuses but to take FIVE MINUTES to prepare something for yourself to eat... and it should only take just that - about FIVE MINUTES. :o)

Today's recipe... one that is easy to prepare, and will keep you coming back for more...

Artichoke Almond Pate with Fresh Vegetables and Pita Chips 

(adapted from the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook)

YOU NEED:

7 minutes or less

Food processor with an "S" blade

1 cup of almonds - I used roasted/salted, but you can also use raw almonds soaked overnight (to sprout them)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 TBSP capers

1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/4 of a medium onion)

1-2 garlic cloves

baby carrots

celery 

romaine lettuce or red cabbage for wraps

pita chips or some other whole grain cracker... anything will do, really!

HOW:
1. dump the drained artichoke hearts, almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, capers and onion into the food processor and process until smooth

2. wash and cut celery to desired length
3. cut cabbage in half and peel back leaves, wash and set aside - or if you're using romaine leaves, wash and set aside
4. take the pate out of the food processor, put it in a serving bowl, and surround it with baby carrots, celery, cabbage and/romaine, and pita chips or crackers... and you're done!!

The good news about this yummy pate is that it's super healthy, super FILLING, full of fiber, protein and you can come back to it at least twice (unless you're me) and snack or just enjoy a light lunch. I made this last night and ate it for dinner, and for lunch today.

Nutrition curious? (info obtained from caloriecount.about.com in the recipe analyzer based on the recipe above)

• By dividing this up into four servings, you're benefiting from 23 grams of mono and polyunsaturated fats, which are super important for women, almost 9 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein in each serving! Also each serving only contains 20 grams of carbohydrates! 
• This recipe is also vegan, gluten free and dairy free when served with gluten free crackers or chips!
• Add the nutritional benefit to your snack (or lunch/dinner) of nutrient dense carrots, the fiber content (and low calories) of celery, cabbage and romaine lettuce. 
• Selecting a whole grain cracker to eat with this pate will add to the fiber and protein content of your meal and lower the glycemic index.
• This is great served as an hors d'oeuvres as well!

mama eats: quesadilla w/ avocado, salsa and cilantro

The last few days I've found myself doing really well in the feeding myself department... something I have been lazy about in recent months with all the craziness going on. Perhaps like many of you, I rarely sit down to eat, even dinner. I don't usually eat breakfast. I just graze and snack and eat of my kids' plates... and I find myself eating a lot more carbs and processed foods like crackers and things than I should. I have a lot of knowledge on how to eat well, and I just need to do it.

I have been keeping a good stock of stuff that's easy to throw together very quickly, and have found my creative side coming out in the kitchen again when cooking for myself. So, I thought I would share with you guys some of the meals I've come up with that literally take FIVE MINUTES to prepare, and are easy to eat on the go, with toddlers and babies at your heels. 

Maybe this will be a little series... We will see!! I have a few ideas at least to get us started.

YOU NEED:
five minutes
a microwave or skillet
tortillas of any kind (I prefer whole grain, but used flour for the photo)
cheese - preferably monterey jack
1 whole avocado
fresh salsa
cilantro

HOW:
1. make a quesadilla (cheese between two tortillas)... nuke it 30 seconds each side or in the skillet both sides with some oil until melted - takes about 2-3 minutes in a preheated skillet
2. meanwhile, peel, pit and slice your avocado and chop the cilantro
3. when the quesadilla is done, top with the avocado, spoon salsa over all of it and top with fresh cilantro.
4. eat it with a fork and knife... :)

That's it! Totally yummy, healthy and filling. I eat this for breakfast sometimes!

Nutrition curious?

• Avocados are one of natures most nutrient dense foods, full of healthy fats which every woman needs.
• Cheese is a good source of protein!
• Whole grain tortillas used in place of flour or corn tortillas provide added fiber, protein and a lower glycemic index, important for regulating blood sugar. 
• This can be easily made gluten free with use of a corn tortilla!
• This recipe provides about 550 calories, 20 grams of protein, 31 grams of poly and monounsaturated fats, 16 grams of fiber, along with the many minerals and nutrients found in avocados!
• I found that if I ate this around 9 AM I was not hungry again until after noon or 1:00, which is a rare thing for me! 

Let me know what you think!

Love, 

Brooke

twice baked and stuffed mexican potatoes (and Pearl Jam ear candy)

Welp, this was tonight's dinner experiment. I gotta say, blogging is a good motivator for me to actually cook dinner. Is that like, so sad, or what? No, really, I do love to cook. And I have a lot of stuff that I need to use up... like the bunch of cilantro in my "crisper" (I really don't want that to go bad), and the avocado in my fruit basket. Kind of a no brainer, pairing the two... but anyway, here's the way I used up the rest of my potatoes (which we don't use often), cilantro, avocado, and leftover red beans from the crockpot.

While I am typing this blog post, we're watching a GPB special on Pearl Jam... got chills all over, listening to Eddie Vedder sing 'Release Me', a song I used to listen to on repeat from the Ten album (one of the albums (among many) of my generation). I think I wore out that album. Listen and enjoy.

Twice Baked & Stuffed Mexican Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 medium russet potatoes
2/3 cups sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar or colby jack cheese, plus 3/4 cup for sprinkling on top
1/2 tsp garlic salt
black beans or red beans (I used leftover red beans I'd cooked in the crock pot last week)
We used leftover Mojo Roasted Pork from Publix (on sale this week), you can add chicken, steak, or keep it veggie!
avocado (diced, with lemon or lime juice and salt)
cilantro
sour cream
salsa

Step 1: Bake yer taters. Wash 'em, pop them in a 425 degree oven for 40 minutes. I had one explode in my oven tonight. Don't ask me how that happened!?
Step 2: Take them out of the oven and let them cool. I baked them before I had to leave to pick Dakota up from school. They probably cooled for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Step 3: Gut them. I used a melon baller, but a spoon will be fine. Don't go all the way to the skin, leave a layer of potato or your skins will fall apart. Put the potato guts into a bowl.

Step 4: Combine the sour cream, cheese and garlic salt with the potato innerds.

Step 5: Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top with the bean and meat of your choice (or not). Sprinkle cheese on top. Put the potatoes into a preheated oven at 400 degrees.

Step 6: Take them out of the oven... cheese should be melted well. I left them in there about 20 minutes.

Step 7: Serve with sour cream, salsa, avocado, and chopped cilantro. And just because it's so pretty, here's the pic again. Don't you love my paper plates? What can I say, the dishwasher was full.

I'll post more deep thoughts tomorrow. But today is all about food!

Much love and enjoy the Pearl Jam.

quick post: if you have {this}, then you can make {this}... ANOTHER soup recipe!

Okay, what is my problem? Can I just say that I am stretching every dang little bit of food we have these days as far as a I possibly can, and for some reason, the almighty soup is the solution to that problem. I am sure most of you know that once you reach beyond the planned meals into the recesses of your pantry you find yourself caught up in that blank stare moment... the moment when you MUST make a decision about dinner, yet all your good ideas have fallen to the floor for lack of this or that, and you're left staring at the backside of your cabinets, the bag of flour and rolled up bag of cereal that has merely a handful left in it, but that you could not bear to throw away because "someone just might eat that".

I have not had any meat of any kind to cook with this week, and I've been pulling from every which way I can to produce some kind of dinner for the family that is not only tasty but healthy. I've found that those walks down the freezer aisle to stock up on frozen vegetables and fruits have really saved me in the past few days. Do not underestimate the power of the frozen peas, people! Or the can of beans! Diversify your beans and rice selection and you will never be without a meal. Ha!

I plan to share with you some of what I do to properly stocking my pantry (fridge and freezer too) with versatile staples that with a little creativity you can work with to create a great meal. This helps to avoid impulse fast food buys or purchasing pre-made processed foods at the grocery store.

Okay, so here's the divine soup manifestation of the day... made for lunch with my dear friend - served with a green salad it was a seriously vegetable-y healthy meal :). Even if it is soup... AGAIN.

If you have...
...a can of beans or two (or two different kinds of beans, even better - for me it was garbanzos and black beans - make sure you drain and rinse them!!)
...one or two cartons of chicken or vegetable broth or bouillon (you want about 8 cups of broth)
...frozen peas, frozen corn, fresh carrots and tomato
...garlic, salt/pepper, rosemary and parsley to taste (don't skimp on the seasonings or it'll be boring - I had one Lipton Vegetable soup packet which really did the trick for me - though it did have MSG in it :( )

You can make this... not only is it vegetarian AND vegan (if you use vegetable broth), but it is gluten free as well if you don't use the soup packet! Made about 6 or so servings.

Just throw it all into the pot and simmer till the root vegetables are soft... and voila! I like vegetable soups topped with parmesan cheese, though this was great without it!

Hope that's just a little helpful. More later today! <3

Love y'all.

Brooke

easy peasy and super healthy kale and root vegetable stew

I think we're due for a recipe around here... something warming, healthy, and Mommy friendly.

Normally I plan meals loosely and have staples ready in the freezer/pantry to throw something together. Often though lately I am being forced to improvise with what I have. We're on food stamps right now, ( :( ) which is a huge benefit to us for now, but our budget is extremely limited, so I find myself stretching what we have even more as the month winds down. A lot of times I find I've purchased an ingredient for one purpose but end up using it for something completely different later. This was the case for last night's dinner.

I bought like ten pounds of carrots and three pounds of kale with the intention to juice them, and have yet to get to that part... and there were sweet potatoes in the fruit basket that had been begging to be cooked for a couple weeks... good thing about root vegetables, they keep for a good while... couple that with my stock pile of canned beans (thank you WIC)... I had something delish in mind.

I've made this "stew" before... it's really an elaboration on one of my favorite meals, beans and greens (usually butter beans or field peas and collards). It's hearty, extremely healthy and - to top it off - great for "picking from" to feed a self-feeding infant! I tend to choose meals so that I don't have to prepare something completely different for Noah. Top it off with the fact that every meal I cook should be at least gluten free and ideally both gluten free AND casein free for Dakota... well, I have a lot of factors to consider. This pretty much covers them all.

Kale and Root Vegetable Stew (original recipe by Brooke Hammel)

Ingredients:
2 - 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (1 1/2 inches minimum)
4 large whole carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 or 5 big handfuls of chopped kale (I recommend prewashed, prepackaged kale - kale has lots of pesticides and is hard to clean unless you want to buy organic, and that is even better!)
1/3 to half a 6-qt soup pot full of water (3 qts seems like a lot... so lean towards 2 qts or 8 - 9 cups)
two packets of Wiley's Greens Seasoning (available in the produce section, otherwise click on link and order)
1 can of black eyed peas, unseasoned and drained
1 can of Great Northern beans, unseasoned and drained
a little garlic

Directions: This recipe couldn't be easier and is ready to eat as soon as your root vegetables are soft. You don't want to overcook them because the sweet potatoes will break down and become mushy.

Chop the root vegetables into 1 - 1/2 in chunks. Fill your soup pot about 1/3 to 1/2 full of water. Add the Wiley's seasoning packets. Kick the heat up to high to get the water hot and ready for wilting the kale. Add the cans of beans and chopped kale. Bring to a boil and then a hearty simmer until your root vegetables are soft, but not too soft, and the kale is wilted, about 20 minutes.

I served mine with sprouted Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast (gluten free bread by Udi's for Dakota) and real butter.

The best part is this is totally baby friendly! I just fished out chunks of sweet potato, carrots, beans and kale and they were perfectly soft, and perfectly ready for my little baby boy to eat!

Yes that is a fairy wand he is holding... don't ask.

Everyone enjoyed it... well, almost everyone - Shiloh won't eat much of anything these days that looks "weird"... the hubs ate two bowls of it. And there's at least four servings remaining in the fridge. This should serve up to 8 people I reckon and give us leftovers for tonight.

Enjoy it! Bless y'all!

Love B

soul cooking 9/6/2011: butternut squash soup w/ asiago cheese toast

Dinner last night was a breeze, super healthy and awesomely yummy. I had lots of errands to run yesterday including picking up a prescription at Publix, and while I was there I stocked up on some frozen vegetables... I find them to be one of the best "staple" items (if you can call them that) to have on hand when cooking on the fly, aka soul cooking. I do a lot of that. Not one to take the time to "follow directions" - much to my mother's dismay, I generally know what works together and what flavors compliment each other. So this works for me. Thus, translating this into a recipe for you readers may or may not yield the same result. I do encourage you though to trust your instincts as you'll find that you can dig down deep and create something unique and awesome that your family will love.

Soups are great for busy Moms provided they are ingredient simple because they can be thrown together and left to simmer until supper time. This one fits that bill as yesterday was a whirlwind for me. It was also perfectly warming given the cooler temps post Tropical Depression Lee... thank you Jesus!

Butternut Squash Soup (feeds 4-6 comfortably) original by Brooke Hammel 
PS - this is also gluten free! :)


Ingredients for Soup:
3 packages frozen cooked squash (I believe they are 12 oz each... only one size)
2 cans natural beef broth (NO MSG or chicken broth - I accidentally grabbed beef, but it added a depth of flavor I enjoyed)
agave nectar
1/2 and 1/2 or heavy cream
cinnamon
cumin
nutmeg
garlic salt (or fresh garlic - about 2 cloves and 1-2 tsp salt)
onion powder
grated Asiago cheese for garnish, sea salt and pepper

Ingredients for Toast:
crusty bread
butter
Asiago cheese, grated

Directions:
Let your squash sit out on the counter for about an hour to soften enough to get out of the package. In a stock pot, put all three packages of squash. Pour in one can of beef broth. Turn up the heat to medium high, checking occasionally and stirring as squash defrosts. After squash melts or defrosts, break out the whisk and smooth out the soup. Add the 2nd can of broth. Add garlic salt to taste, and maybe 1/2 - 1 tsp onion powder. Start with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp nutmeg... add more to taste of any spice. 1/4 - 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream, 1/4 cup agave nectar... simmer on medium heat to reduce a little and thicken... stirring occasionally until ready to serve.

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Slice your bread and butter it. Grate up about a cup of Asiago cheese - if you don't have this Parmesan will work too. Pop the bread in the oven, toast about 5- 10 minutes until crisp and brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle on Asiago, return to oven for 3-5 minutes.

Ladel your soup into bowls, garnish with Asiago, drizzle with agave nectar, sprinkle on some sea salt and crushed black pepper. Serve with crusty Asiago toast and a nice salad. Enjoy!

If you try it, let me know what you think!!

Love B

check this out: Nature's Garden Delivered!

Friends, I must share with all of you the wonderful Nature's Garden Delivered ) (link is also under my "other web goodness" gadget...

This is a delivery service of ORGANIC, LOCAL produce! I have done CSAs before, and they are only a bit cheaper but you do have to run out and pick up the food yourself. The CSA I was part of was about $21 a box for a 10 week season and it was less than half the size of what I get in my box.

My sister Lori found out about them from CNN - she works for Turner and ... well... here's our IM exchange about it from a few weeks back (thank you gmail for saving our chat):

10:54 AM me: woo hoo!
digging that Nature's Garden
10:55 AM Lori: are you loving nature's garden delivered???
me: yes
I am so going to do this
10:56 AM Lori: they are so good. they called me this morning to follow up on my order last night. awesome. i asked him about co-ops and if they were cheaper. he said they were cheaper but require you to go pick up your food at the co-op pick up site...not as flexible as delivery. so, you can always ask them if there is a co-op in your area and if it is cheaper....
so excited!!!
10:57 AM me: so they deliver to your house???
Lori: the menu for this weekend delivery comes out today around 10am. i will forward it to you.
yes- they deliver to your house!!!
me: oh my gosh.
I am so excited!
how did you hear about this
10:58 AM Lori: i was reading some testimonials of people surviving the economy and the guy who runs this in atlanta left a testimonial. i googled the company and signed up. i love the no commitment part. it's worth a try, you know?
his testimonial was on cnn.com.
me: awesome
10:59 AM me: thank you so much for sharing
Lori: i thought of you the minute i read it. i will show it to mom too. she might like it....
me: yeah!

So I've been doing this now for two weeks and I think I am going to switch to every other week because we get so much in the small box. Like I said - I get a small box (boxes come in tiny, small, medium or large) for $38 and it has TONS of BEAUTIFUL produce in it. And it's beautiful and fresh and a wonderful treat for the senses. Jason and I have been eating the heck out of the golden delicious apples and the oranges - absolutely the best oranges I've ever had.

Today I spent our post-house cleaning hours washing, sorting and cutting up the lion's share of our delivery, plus what was leftover from last week.

This week we got:
- Probably the biggest butternut squash I have ever seen
- TONS of sweet potatoes - I have so many sweet potatoes, y'all, I am gonna have to do something fancy with them!
- 4 golden delicious apples
- 4 YUMMY oranges (2 already gone!)
- 3 grapefruit
- 2 head of broccoli
- 1 head of green leaf lettuce (BEAUTIFUL)
- 4 bananas
- 1 head celery
- 2 lemons
- 1 box strawberries
- 4 or 5 roma tomatoes

Woohoo! I love fresh organic and LOCALLY GROWN food!

yeehaw for muffins (two recipes)

Since we've been on a super tight budget over the last month I've learned to really stretch a dollar and when it comes to the food front, it's easy to do when you're not eating out. I love to cook - it's one of my favorite things to do, so making things from scratch, while extremely economical, is always pleasurable.

I have this "Essential Vegetarian" cook book by Diana Shaw (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Guide-Foods/dp/051788268X) that I use from time to time. It has an excellent reference for use in cooking of the basic staples of the vegetarian diet (grains, beans, etc) as well as a guide to the many types of grains and vegetables and how to cook them. I love how hearty each dish is - so pure and simple but so good and warming to the soul. Anyway, she has a great muffin recipe in there that I've modified a little bit. I've been making these muffins each week, changing them up each time to keep it interesting. Of course, a hot muffin with butter and a cup of coffee (decaf in my case, since I'm nursing) is hard to beat, especially with the cooler morning temps rolling in with the change of the seasons (come on, Fall!).

So here it is... with my modifications:

Heat oven to 500 degrees... grease a muffin tin. I prefer not to use paper cups because I like how the muffins look when they come out without the paper.

2 cups whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill is the best) or 1 cup whole wheat + 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup flaxseed oil
1 cup buttermilk or whole milk or even plain yogurt
1/3 cup raw sugar, honey or agave nectar (you don't have to use as much honey)
fruit and/or nuts or your choosing (I've used fresh peaches, frozen blueberries, and dried fruit as well as pecans and walnuts - I like roasted nuts best and frozen fruit best)

As simple as it gets: mix the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients including the fruit if you choose to add fruit. DO NOT OVER-MIX... you only want the wet and dry to be barely moistened.

Fill muffin cups almost to full. Pop in the oven and after closing the door, drop oven temp to 400 degrees - this gives the muffins a nice lofty top. Cook for 28 - 30 minutes. Allow to cool in tins for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from tins. Makes about 9 muffins or so.

Today I tried a new recipe because I just went grocery shopping and bought mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries) and wanted to just try some oats and yogurt in a recipe. So I found one online and modified it again to see how it would taste. They turned out pretty good - didn't get the nice muffin top but still delish.

Again, oven @ 500... grease muffin tin...

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups WHOLE oats
1/2 cup raw sugar, agave nectar or honey
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup yogurt - I used full fat organic yogurt from Stonyfield Farms
4 TBSP flaxseed oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1+ cups frozen berries

Mix wet, mix dry... put em in your muffin tins and in oven. Drop oven temp to 400 after putting the muffins in the oven. Bake for 28 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Yummy!