As a kid and young adult I didn’t care for rice pudding. Actually, I didn’t like the sound of it, so I never even tried it. But this recipe I have tried…and I like it (I love having a grown-up palette!). My main reason for giving it a try is because I have removed gluten, dairy, and sugar from my diet (to help with my Crohn's disease). This has become a nice, not-too-sweet, treat to have anytime of the day.

It’s a fairly large recipe, 6 servings, and since there are only two of us, mom and I refrigerated the leftovers

I’m sure we all have a favorite dish from a local restaurant. One we crave and go back for over and over again. Have you tried to recreate it at home? Did it work out? Well, this salad is just such an dish and boy did it work out. There is a well known, local café here in Encinitas called The Pannikin; it’s been around since 1964. You know the type of place…every kid in town has worked there (that would be me and my sister), patrons continue to visit after they’ve moved away, and regular customers are like family.

Butterfly Chicken with Summer Vegetable Salad

This recipe is so super easy and fast we considered calling the post, Super Easy and Fast Chicken in Less than 20 Minutes, but decided to tantalize you with ingredients instead.

If you don’t already know how to butterfly a chicken breast, have no fear, we’ve added a video below.

The recipe is for 1 serving and it’s perfect for either lunch or dinner. We had it a few weeks ago with a side of broccolini sautéed with a bit of balsamic vinegar. I took it to the store for lunch - yum-mee.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast butterflied

Polenta with Mushrooms

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil 1TB, 15mL
• shallot, minced 1 large, 36 grams
• garlic, minced 1 tsp, 6 grams
• mushrooms, diced 4 cups, 400 grams (we used
• button and crimini)
• polenta / corn meal / corn grits 1 cup, 148 grams
• chicken stock (low sodium) 4.5 cups, 922mL
• parmesan cheese, freshly grated for garnish 4TB, 14 grams
• salt + pepper

makes 4 servings

Preparation

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan to medium heat; add shallots and garlic, sauté for at least 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes, salt + pepper as needed. The mushrooms will give off a

m•o•m is back in the kitchen!

We’re so happy to be cooking again and we’re eager to share new recipes and ingredients with you.

This time around we’ve given ourselves a mission. All recipe ingredients will be purchased from a standard neighborhood store. No farmers markets, no specialty gourmet stores. We’re going to shop where most of America shops, the name brand grocery store on the corner. We’ll show that gorgeous, healthy meals, made with great ingredients, are available to all. Let’s get cooking.

Our first recipe utilizes a wok, if you don’t have one, don’t sweat it. You can use a large

Tuesday was full of chicken questions. Deeishealthy commented on chicken tenders and how she didn't know they were an actual piece of the chicken. She thought they were just a deep fried creation of fast food restaurants.

Then Munkstir had us all rolling on the floor in laughter with her chicken boobie quandary. "Is half a chicken boob, half of a half?"

Well get out your pencils, you're gonna want to take notes -there will be a test. M.O.M has the 411 on the humble chicken breast -with pictures! (and a visual tutorial on chicken tenders to boot).

Lesson 1: behold a whole

This recipe is easy-peasy (hehe, I couldn't help it). You will love it at lunch, with snacks, at dinner, and heck if you eat eggs have it with them too.

The taste is fresh, the sundried tomatoes and garlic give it a kick, so a little goes a long way. If you've been looking for a new way to get iron -this is it.

Ingredients

• Sundried tomatoes (not in oil), 2 ounces (59 mL)
• Frozen peas (thawed), 16 ounces (454 grams)
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1 TB (15 mL)

Preparation

Rehydrate the sundried tomatoes in hot water, for about 20 minutes.

Do any of you visit ethnic markets in your town? They are fascinating and full of aromas and ingredients that might be new to you.

I haven’t visited an Indian market in our town yet –not sure where one is actually. But we do make trips to the Japanese and Chinese markets and there are Mexican markets everywhere. We get a kick out of visiting these places and always come away with some new “thing” to try. Sometimes it’s food, other times it’s a kitchen gadget, and in the case of the Japanese market there is almost always a fashion

There are a gazillion uses for this tapenade. Yes, I said gazillion.

Here are a few suggestions:

On mom's final trip to the market Easter Sunday, she noticed the good looking blackberries (and they were priced right), so she grabbed a pack; she also picked up a cantaloupe and a lime. She told me that while at the market she didn't have anything in particular in mind for the fruit -they just looked good.

At home mom tasted the cantaloupe and it was perfection -great, it can be left alone.

The blackberries on the other hand... yowza! they were tart. Gotta come up with some way to mellow them out.

Honey will do the trick! A small amount (1

We went to one of our local farmers markets recently. There is so much to see and take in. The aisles are brimming with colors and fragrances from flowers, produce, and freshly prepared foods.

Does your town have a farmers market? There is a website called localharvest.org which allows you to enter your zip code and request information on everything from farmers markets to farms, CSA's, grocery/co-ops, plus more. The Local Harvest website says: "The best organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably

This is PrePak's go-to sweet treat for any and all office celebrations...the humble Angel Food cake; although this version is chocolate.

We made this cake last week knowing it would be welcome at any Easter celebration. And with nearly zero fat, zero cholesterol, low sodium, and low calories, it will be a hit wherever you take it. So enjoy a slice.

Ingredients

• Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup + 1 TB (28 grams)
• Water, 1/4 cup (60 grams)
• Vanilla extract, 2 tsp (8 grams)
• Sugar, 1 3/4 cup (350 grams)
• Cake flour, 1 cup (100 grams) -sifted
• Salt, 1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
• Egg whites, 16 (480 grams)
• Cream of

Ingredients

• Yellow peppers, 2 (288 grams) -cut
• Red peppers, 2 (310 grams) -cut
• Purple onions, 2 (484 grams) cut
• New potatoes, 10 small (332 grams) -sliced in half
• Garlic, 1 whole head (68

Have you ever had a Salad Nicoise? If not, get ready for a new favorite.

This is our version of the classic French meal, which is rich in fiber, protein, iron, plus vitamins A and C; this salad can certainly help out your day.

A few things to note: the hard boiled egg is certainly optional –if your body can’t afford the cholesterol, leave it out (the egg is included in the nutrition label). The balsamic vinaigrette is made with extra virgin olive oil, which some of you may have recently learned from Mr Ray’s post is considered

M.O.M doesn't generally tout low-fat packaged foods. We tend to go for the real thing and simply eat less of it. But sometimes there is a low-fat product that actually has real flavor. Because for us taste, flavor, and enjoying food is what eating is all about.

These organic, dairy-free Creamy Fudge Bars are just the thing to get you through a sweet tooth attack. And at only 90 calories (and 45mg sodium) they can certainly be a once-in-a-while snack.