Broccoli-Rice Bake with Coconut Curry Sauce

2 C brown rice, rinsed well
4 C water
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. curry powder
½ C chopped cilantro
2 tomatoes, chopped
1½ tsp. sea salt
Mixed vegetables - see below
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Bring the water and rice to a boil, turn down to medium low, cover, and simmer for 45 min. In a frying pan, lightly sauté harder veggies on medium high for 5 min., then add softer/smaller veggies and sauté another 2 min. In a blender, blend coconut milk, cornstarch, curry powder, and salt. Add the blend to a small pan.  Heat on medium high, stirring frequently, gradually reducing to a simmer until sauce is thickened.
Keep brown rice, veggies and curry sauce separate and let kids assemble themselves.
Garnish with the tomato, and cilantro. Serve hot. Serves 6-8.

I used 1 crown of broccoli, 1 zucchini (cut in large julienne slices), 10 baby carrots cut in sticks, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper

3 stems of broccoli (including most of stalk), cut into bite-sized pieces

8 oz. mushrooms, washed well and cut in thirds

Recipe slightly adapted from green smoothie girl.

Favorite Granola

5 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup chia / sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds / pumpkin
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup coconut flour
1cup almond meal
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts
1/2 teas salt
mix 1 cup coconut oil, 1 cup water, 1 cup honey
stir together, spread on cookie sheet, bake at 300 until it turn golden brown.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes

These pumpkin pancakes are delish. We added pecans to the adults pancakes. They were moist inside and reminded me of pumpkin pie. They are gluten free if you use gluten free oats and they don't have any dairy. We topped them with pure maple syrup.

Here is the link with the recipe. We timed it by 4, and it fed us barely. Next time I will multiply the recipe by how ever many people we have.

http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2011/09/oatmeal-pumpkin-pancakes/

Spinach Salad

This is my new favorite salad dressing. This recipe gets rave reviews at potlucks and even at my own dinner table, at least from the adults. The kids have yet to try it, but that means more for Glenn and I!

1 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup agave nectar (I use a little less)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup distilled white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2.In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm a reanch dressing girl.  This is the one dressing that I don't mind having instead of ranch, plus it has healthy fat and NO sugar. 

I put it on a bed of mixed spring salad, cilantro and red peppers. Yummo! Did I just say yummo? What's wrong with me?

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil(I like less oil so I do a bit less than 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove crushed garlic (or a teaspoon of minced in a jar)
1 teaspoon ground mustard (Or a teaspoon of prepared mustard)
1 pinch salt
ground black pepper to taste

Shake and Enjoy.