Word Woman, aka Kate the Great, was not here for me to ask how to spell "omelet" and so I looked it up on dictionary.com and got:

omelet–noun
eggs beaten until frothy, often combined with other ingredients, as herbs, chopped ham, cheese, or jelly, and cooked until set

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 eggs, beaten until frothy, with a bit of water added
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach
Fresh basil, torn
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup marinated tomatoes

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in omelet pan over medium high heat.  Add the eggs to both sides of the omelet pan.  Distribute the spinach and basil evenly on both sides, followed by the bacon, feta, and tomatoes.  The feta cheese is slightly salty, and the bacon has a smoked character to it, so I didn’t add any salt or pepper, but you are welcome to season to your liking.  Once the eggs are set, close the omelet pan and continue cooking until omelet is done.  Serve with toast and your favorite jam, and of course, hot coffee!

I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures, other than the aftermath photo below, to share with you.  I was juggling making this meal for Mom and chasing after a running toddler who is into EVERYTHING these days.

But I am excited that I am no longer a risotto virgin!  I have been intimidated in the past to make this Italian wonder, but last night, I overcame the fear and the results were positive.  I got rave reviews from both Mom and Zoe.

I used Jamie Oliver's recipe, which you can find here.  I served the risotto with grilled chicken-basil sausages from Whole Foods and spinach sauteed with garlic and (eek!) a little bacon fat.

Andy and I took our honeymoon to Greece and Italy, and fell in love with the varied cuisines of both countries.  One of our favorite discoveries was the Bolognese sauce, which traditionally is made with all kinds of rich ingredients, including butter, liver, and cream. 

I can't remember where I first found a lower-fat recipe, but I've been refining my version of Bolognese for 5 years now.  This recipe freezes very well, so make a double batch. 

It's tempting to try and save time, but take it from me, every step is crucial for a hearty sauce.  Set aside an afternoon to make this sauce, and enjoy the process!

Ingredients:
1 T. EVOO
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
(If I have some uncooked zucchini, I’ll throw in finely chopped pieces as well)
1 cup dry white wine
12 oz. ground meat – I use a combo of pork, turkey and beef
1 oz. prosciutto, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 28-oz. can imported peeled plum tomatoes, with their juices, finely chopped
3 T. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 fresh basil leaves, or ½ tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
1 cup chicken broth or milk

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan.  Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. 

Add half of the wine to the vegetable mix, and bring to boil over medium high heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until the wine is completely absorbed.  Repeat this process with the second half of the wine.

Meanwhile, brown the meat and proscuitto in a nonstick skillet.  Be patient, this is where the big flavors start to develop.

Add the meat mixture and the tomato paste to your veg mixture.

Add half of the evaporated milk, and bring to boil over medium high heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until the milk is completely absorbed.  Repeat this process with the second half of the milk.  Don't rush this step!

Pulse the tomatoes, parsley, and basil leaves together.  Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and nutmeg to the pot.

Cook over medium low heat until richly reduced, at least 40 minutes.  If the sauce seems to thicken too much, you can add chicken broth or milk to thin.

I served the pasta with a side salad with homemade croutons.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon dried granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dried basil and/or oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 loaf white bread, cut into cubes

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 225 degrees F.  Mix the melted butter with the garlic, dried herbs, and salt.  Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add the seasoned butter and quickly toss to coat the cubes evenly. Spread the buttered cubes on a baking sheet and bake until they are golden brown on the outside and crisp throughout, about 1 hour.  This keeps in the fridge for about 4 days.

Little Zoe is teething.  I've been making some healthy popsicle snacks to both sooth her pain and get a little extra nutrition in her.  She loves them!

I make the purees in the food processor, freeze them in mini ice cube trays, and then pop into the Munchkin Fresh Food self-feeders.  In addition to the recipes below, she also grooves on her old stand-by, frozen bananas.

Blueberry Carrot Popsicles

2 parts blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 parts cooked carrots
1 part goat's milk vanilla yogurt

Peach Cucumber Mint Popsicles

2 parts peaches, fresh or frozen
1 part cucumber
Fresh mint or basil to taste

Banana Spinanch Popsicles
1 part banana
1 part pineapple
1 part spinach
Favorite liquid in case need to thin (breast milk, formula, almond milk, cow's milk)

My sweet mama called yesterday and asked if I would post some non-cheese sauce suggestions for vegetables.  It's HARD to cook for one, but by making these sauces all at once on a Sunday afternoon, you can have plenty for the week ahead of healthy eating.

For broccoli, try this Yogurt Spice Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tsp each: cumin, cinnamon
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Zest and juice of 1/3 lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:  Mix all in small bowl.  Drizzle over steamed broccoli.

For asparagus, try this Lemon Aioli recipe:

Ingredients:
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
Pinch of white pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions:  Combine yolks, lemon juice, garlic, salt, zest, and pepper in a blender. With blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil, and blend until an emulsion forms. The aioli may be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day in a covered container.

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is great over zucchini or summer squash.

Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/4 pounds (4 large or 6 medium) red peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
1 fresh basil sprig
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

Instructions:
Roast the peppers.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the peppers on the foil, and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, using tongs to turn the peppers every 10 minutes. The peppers are done when their skins are brown and puffed. The skins won’t be black, as they are when grilled.  Transfer the peppers to a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or with plastic, and let sit for 30 minutes until cool.  Carefully remove the skins. Holding the peppers over the bowl so no juice escapes, separate into halves or quarters, and remove the stems, seeds and membranes. Cut into strips if desired, and place in another bowl. Strain in the juice. If storing for more than a day, toss with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use. If you wish, toss with the optional ingredients shortly before serving.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wide saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the peppers, salt, basil sprig and chili flakes. Pour in the juice that you set aside, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer the mixture over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes until the peppers are very tender and the mixture is thick and soft. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, uncover and turn up the heat. Cook until most of the liquid boils off. Remove the basil sprig, adjust seasonings and remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks if you pour a film of olive oil over the top.

For many steamed vegetables, I like this Asian Sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Korean rice vinegar (or any vinegar will do, actually)
1 tablespoon pure roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tsp. dried ginger
4 cloves fresh garlic, smashed or minced

Instructions:  Mix all in small bowl.  Drizzle over steamed veggies.

One of our home's favorite recipes is beef stew.  I make Tyler Florence's version, but because our friend and frequent dinner guest, Kate, is sensitive to citrus, I omit the orange zest, and instead, add 1 tsp. nutmeg.  In the rare case that we have leftover stew, we make turnovers.

I use one sheet of the puff pastry cut into 6 rectangles.  Because we like our stew chunky, I put the stew in the food processor for a few pulses to make the mixture a bit more homogenized. 

Seal the turnovers with your fingers, run a fork around the edges, brush with melted butter, and then bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before eating. 

It’s Clean-out-the-Fridge Friday, and I found two kinds of tortillas, gouda and mixed cheddar cheeses, a browning avocado, a tiny bit of cucumber slices, homemade salsa and chicken breasts.  It’s been a while since I’ve made flautas, I thought, and they would make a great dinner for movie night.   (Yeah, Fantastic Mr. Fox!)

Flautas are super easy to make.  I grated the gouda and mixed with the other grated cheese and salsa.  I steamed 3 chicken breasts and then cut into bite-sized cubes.  In a large bowl, I mixed all together with a ¼ teaspoon ground cumin.   The chicken mixture is spooned onto the tortillas and wrapped tightly, then secured with a toothpick.

Most flauta recipes suggest heating vegetable oil in skillet, and dipping both sides of the tortilla in the oil.  That method DOES make a super flaky flauta, but I’ve found it is almost as good and definitely less fattening to brush the rolled flautas with a melted butter / olive oil mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the tortillas are a little crispy and golden brown.

I served this with a guacamole dipping sauce, made from plain yogurt, salt, garlic, cumin (remember?  I found 3 jars in my latest kitchen organization), the leftover cucumber slices, and the avocado.  Here’s the result – super tasty with the flautas.

Our family loves Chick-fil-a, I confess.  I wanted to try to make a healthier version of those irresistible chicken nuggets, and so I Frankensteined this experiment from several different cookbooks.  

I marinated cut chicken pieces in yogurt overnight.  In my case, I had a bit of plain and a bit of vanilla yogurt left in the newly organized fridge, so I mixed them together with a bit of salt.

The coating was made from one sleeve of whole wheat saltines, 2/3 cup of sliced almonds (toasted in a pan for a few minutes) and ¼ cup of corn flakes that were all that were remaining of a box in my pantry.  I used my food processor to grind up the ingredients for the coating.  I refrigerated the coated chicken for 30 minutes, and then baked on a wire rack at 425 for 20 minutes.   

Next, need to have some yummo honey mustard dipping sauce.  I love this flavor with my nuggets, but the Chick-fil-a sauce is a little too sweet for me.  Could I make my own version that was less cloying?  Success!  Adding a little salt and cumin did the trick.

I was in danger of losing a bowl of fruit, so we had a fruit salad with our meal.   We have TONS of basil to use up, so I made a quick syrup from ¼ cup water, 2T. honey, and 4 basil leaves.  Microwaved for 30 seconds, let steep, and then poured over fruit with a fine-mesh sieve. 

Topped off the meal with the brown rice with olive oil and butter.

Oh, how I love our local farmer’s market, and in season right now are all colors of small tomatoes. 

Bruschetta is one of my favorite ways to use marinated tomatoes.  Marinated tomato recipe below.   

My cousin Adam, who has twin boys, and I love making these tasty treats for our toddlers.  Zoe can’t get enough of them.  Thanks to Weelicious for this wonderful recipe.  Since Zoe's school is a peanut free zone, I use cashews instead to make my own cashew butter.