Recipe Success!

Love when that happens, as more often than not...it doesn't. (user error, usually)

A few days ago I came across this: "Cheesy" chickpea quinoa and spinach

So I thought "that looks good!" and pinned it on Pinterest. (where recipes go to die)  but no!  I actually MADE this one!  I'm officially no longer a Pinterest recipe poser.  ;)

I did tweak our version due to..well...I forgot some stuff at the store.  Happens.  A lot.  But mine did end up looking like this: (crappy cell phone picture mind you)
 

 

When my husband saw the recipe, I think he started planning what cereal he'd eat after dinner to replace the dinner he was going to fake eating.  But, he's a trooper so he feigned interest, and even threw out a "looks good" when it was time to eat. 

I'll have you know this got the ever coveted "This is actaully pretty good!" award from Eddie Cupp.  From the guy who'd rather eat ding dongs, bacon and mountain dew, this is high praise!

I did "double" the recipe, and used 5 cups of water + 3 chicken boullion cubes because I'd forgotten vegetable broth.  No onion so I threw in a tsp? of onion powder, a tsp of oregano, a bit of garlic salt, and some spanish paprika because...well I don't like chili powder and it was red.  I know. Weird. But it worked!

I DID manage to get the nutritional yeast, and by golly, it DOES taste kinda cheesy!  I'm impressed.

Of course Zach wasn't a fan of the cooked spinach (just FYI...there is a very fine line between "wilted" and "cooked" I perhaps crossed that line) but I convinced him to take a bite of spinach with the chickpeas/quinoa and he wouldn't taste it.  It worked, amazingly.  

A recipe that is HEALTHY and got a thumbs up from a junk food junkie and 2 kids?  Wonderful! :)

I should probably proof-read this post before I hit 'publish' but wee babe is screaming with dad, so here it is suckers!  Grammar errors and all! (let's face it, I have grammar errors even when I proof-read!)  Go make this! Now!

...ok tomorrow.

Our Gluten-Free Trial

And a trial by fire of sorts.  Long story, involving...well...poop.  But we're trying Lilly (2) on a gluten-free diet for a couple of weeks.  There have been too many conversations in our house as of late about diapers, and realizing it's been MONTHS now, and after calling her dr. and getting IT tested (look ma! no parasites!) I resorted to my ever trusty resource...GOOGLE!  God Bless the interwebs. =P

Essentially, I found nothing "scientific", but did find a handful of message board posts from moms with toddlers with the exact same situation, almost word for word what I'd googled.  Almost all of them...ended up being gluten/wheat related. (a couple were dairy)  Technically, I don't buy into the whole gluten free craze going on right now.  I think it's a marketing gimmick that people have bought into.  I *do* think there could be something to it, that benefits people. But I'm not convinced it's GLUTEN.  Wheat, processing of wheat, GMO crops, the pesticides used on wheat crops?  I dunno, that's my two-bit theory.  But I'm willing to give it a shot, WHATEVER the direct cause might be. 

So will it help?  Who knows, but it can't hurt to try.  Especially when I find recipes like this: Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Parfait  
(minus the oat crumble) thank you pinterest!

...I know, right?

So on that note, if you happen to have any gluten-free recipes that you really like, send 'em my way! 

I'll keep you updated on if it works...without details ;)