I could never be a chef. I don't plate. I just slam everything on the table (sometimes still in the pot, sometimes in a serving dish, sometimes on a plate--depends on how many witnesses there are) and say "Dinnnnneeeeeer". Then the pitter patter of feet find their way into the kitchen, or dining room, as the case may be, and they eat. Sometimes they like it. Sometimes they don't. Backup plans include Cheerios with milk, yogurt, cheese sticks and fruit. I do NOT cook two meals, even if the first one is a disaster. And since I have my share of disasters, I have decided to actually practice what I want to cook on Thanksgiving.
This involves something called "planning ahead". Oi. What a concept!
This whole planning thing is kind of a pain in the neck on Sunday mornings but let me tell you what a great feeling it is on Wednesday. All I have to do on Wednesday morning is look at my weekly plan and know exactly what I'm gonna cook and eat for the day. It's like a to-do list, but the to-do list involves puttering in the kitchen on autopilot. It's sort of like not having to make any decisions, ever, because you already made them on Sunday. To quote En Vogue: "Free your mind...and the rest will follow!"
This completely batty planning thing also means that I can eat my foods in new and unusual combinations. I don't necessarily have to eat vegetables from the nightshade family just because it's turkey day. I might just throw caution to the wind and eat something from the mustard family on turkey day. Take THAT rotation diet!
Anyway, since by the old plan's rules, broccoli, cabbage, and garlic were only eaten on pork/lamb day, I could never have made this recipe. But the new liberated me actually put broccoli in this chicken recipe, which felt a little like breaking Biblical dietary laws. But it's amazing how fast you can get used to heretical food. And it doesn't take a generation, it only takes a day and a half. Now I completely understand why Christians don't keep Kosher. Once you go rogue, the rules change permanently.
Gluten-free Chicken Meatballs on a Veggie Nest
1 lb. ground chicken
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
1 large or 2-3 small cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 t. salt
white pepper to taste
1 egg
1/4 c. coconut flour
2 T sunflower oil
1/2 lb. peapods
1 small bag of chopped broccoli slaw from the produce dep't at your local grocer
Now, please don't misunderstand. I do not plan to make chicken meatballs on Thanksgiving. But moving the vegetables of the lettuce family to pork day so I could practice Belgian Endive au Gratin with Prosciutto in preparation for Thanksgiving paved the way for the cabbage family to land on chicken day.
Okay, ready?
Drop the ground chicken in a large bowl. Put in the ginger and the garlic. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over everything. Make a well in the chicken with your fist and crack in the egg. Toss in the coconut flour. Take off your wedding ring and use your hands to mix and mash it all together.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make meatballs about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and toss them onto the cookie sheets. Put them in the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, heat the sunflower oil in a large saute pan. Reduce heat to medium high and add the peapods to the pan. After 3 to 4 minutes, add the broccoli slaw and continue cooking another 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover until the meatballs are done.
Take the meatballs out of the oven and serve over clumps of pretty veggie "nests" with Tamari soy sauce as a condiment.
Voila. They look plated, don't they?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Rat-a-tat-touille with Roasted Chickpeas
When I was a kid, my favorite summer snack was a big honkin' beefsteak tomato plucked off the windowsill on a hot day. I'd sit down with a paper towel, a salt shaker and my tomato. Then I'd salt a spot, take a bite, wipe the drips and repeat, until all that was left was that pesky stem end and tomato juice on my elbows. Tomatoes just scream summer!
Now that I'm a grownup (Stop laughing!), I'll cook tomatoes just about any way I can. So this recipe is really just an excuse to eat a tomato. As soon as the weather gets nice (and I think mid-90s in May counts as nice), I start to think about ratatouille. I do not like eggplant, except when it is turned into ratatouille. But when zucchini is huge and cheap at the end of the summer, you don't even need the eggplant. Honestly, I can't decide if I like this recipe better with or without it. All I know if that I'm glad my kids don't eat it, because I get it all to myself.
Rat-a-tat-touille
1/4 c olive oil (sounds excessive, but the oil helps your body use the lycopene in the tomatoes, and this is a meatless dish)
2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia, halved and sliced
4 uglyripe or heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, quartered and seeded. (If you have more, by all means use 6)
1 eggplant, sliced thinly into half-rounds
4 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4" rounds (or 6 to 8 zucchini, if you omit the eggplant)
3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced (I prefer red)
2 + garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 bunch of basil or flat leaf parsely, coarsely chopped.
sea salt
Heat half the oil in a dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed cook pot that will accommodate all the veggies. Cook the onions over med-low heat until soft and golden. Then add the eggplant and peppers and cook for a few minutes. Drop in the rest of the oil and salt the veggies liberally. The zucchini and tomatoes then jump in with the garlic. (To seed the tomatoes, just squeeze them as you chop them and wipe the seeds away with a spoon.). Cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes. At the last minute, stir in the basil and/or parsley and adjust the seasoning. Tastes great cooled to room temp alongside roasted chickpeas.
Roasted Chickpeas
Short of eating canned soup, this just might be the easiest recipe ever.
2 t dried rosemary or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 t sea salt
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 to 2 T olive oil
Crush the dried rosemary, or chop the fresh rosemary and mix it into the salt in a little ramekin or monkey dish. Toss the chickpeas with the oil and seasonings and spread on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Now, if you are feeling really adventurous, you can toss the chickpeas into the ratatatouille for a little change of texture, but that's only if you have gone completely garbanzo or want to really fly your culinary freak flag. (Thanks, guys--you know who you are.)
Now that I'm a grownup (Stop laughing!), I'll cook tomatoes just about any way I can. So this recipe is really just an excuse to eat a tomato. As soon as the weather gets nice (and I think mid-90s in May counts as nice), I start to think about ratatouille. I do not like eggplant, except when it is turned into ratatouille. But when zucchini is huge and cheap at the end of the summer, you don't even need the eggplant. Honestly, I can't decide if I like this recipe better with or without it. All I know if that I'm glad my kids don't eat it, because I get it all to myself.
Rat-a-tat-touille
1/4 c olive oil (sounds excessive, but the oil helps your body use the lycopene in the tomatoes, and this is a meatless dish)
2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia, halved and sliced
4 uglyripe or heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, quartered and seeded. (If you have more, by all means use 6)
1 eggplant, sliced thinly into half-rounds
4 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4" rounds (or 6 to 8 zucchini, if you omit the eggplant)
3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced (I prefer red)
2 + garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 bunch of basil or flat leaf parsely, coarsely chopped.
sea salt
Heat half the oil in a dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed cook pot that will accommodate all the veggies. Cook the onions over med-low heat until soft and golden. Then add the eggplant and peppers and cook for a few minutes. Drop in the rest of the oil and salt the veggies liberally. The zucchini and tomatoes then jump in with the garlic. (To seed the tomatoes, just squeeze them as you chop them and wipe the seeds away with a spoon.). Cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes. At the last minute, stir in the basil and/or parsley and adjust the seasoning. Tastes great cooled to room temp alongside roasted chickpeas.
Roasted Chickpeas
Short of eating canned soup, this just might be the easiest recipe ever.
2 t dried rosemary or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 t sea salt
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 to 2 T olive oil
Crush the dried rosemary, or chop the fresh rosemary and mix it into the salt in a little ramekin or monkey dish. Toss the chickpeas with the oil and seasonings and spread on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Now, if you are feeling really adventurous, you can toss the chickpeas into the ratatatouille for a little change of texture, but that's only if you have gone completely garbanzo or want to really fly your culinary freak flag. (Thanks, guys--you know who you are.)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Giancarlo Flanagan Sushi
I've been looking for an appetizer or snack or salad I can eat on Pork and Lamb day. This is the day of my rotation plan when I can eat pork or lamb, and have any vegetable in the mustard family--cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or mustard greens. Other than yogurt and blueberries, there isn't a whole lot else on the list. Just rosemary, vanilla and wintergreen. And I can't even eat ham or bacon or other cured meats as the vast majority of them are cured with a combination of sugar and nitrates/nitrites.
But thanks to a new grocery store discover and a variation of good old coleslaw--I have finally found one! A snack for Day Three of my inconvenient diet. (Now there's a name for a movie, "An Inconvenient Diet".)
Now, you may ask, what the heck is this dish? Is it fish? No. Is it Irish? No. Is it Italian? Not remotely. But it's good. And its two primary ingredients are cabbage and prosciutto. Cabbage and Prosciutto Wrap just doesn't sound all that appetizing. But if Anthony Bourdain tasted this mad marriage of flavors, I am sure he'd want to have my baby. So to increase the chances of him trying it, I bring you the world-famous:
Giancarlo Flanagan Sushi
1/2 head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 4-oz. pkge (8 slices) of prosciutto (I recommend Citerrio Tutto Naturale Prosciutto. The only ingredients are pork and salt)
juice of 1 lime (I'm not supposed to have lime on Day 3, but Jeesh!)
2 drops lemon or orange liquid stevia extract (I used Sweetleaf Valencia Orange.)
1 6-oz. container of plain Greek yogurt
1/2 t salt
Juice the lime into a bowl and put the stevia and salt in the lime juice. Stir to combine evenly. Mix in the yogurt.
Carefully separate the prosciutto slices, allowing two per person. If you are at your laptop while you make this and your children are otherwise occupied with Tom and Jerry, then just make them one at a time as you eat them until all eight are gone.
Anyway, on a normal day, you would allow two slices per person. On each slice of prosciutto lay about 1/4 cup of cabbage slices across the center of the prosciutto. Put one dollop (about 2 tablespoons) of the yogurt mixture on top of the cabbage. Roll the prosciutto around the cabbage and yogurt. Refrigerate until ready to serve and eat this the same day you make it. Remember, there's a good reason God said "Don't eat pork", if you leave it out in the hot sun, it can kill ya!
The crunch of the cabbage, the creaminess of the yogurt and the sweet, salty, tender proscuitto combine to create a happy, happy palate.
But, seriously, if you actually know anyone named Giancarlo Flanagan--and you might, if you're from the Boston area--then just call these little morsels Cabbage and Prosciutto Wraps.
But thanks to a new grocery store discover and a variation of good old coleslaw--I have finally found one! A snack for Day Three of my inconvenient diet. (Now there's a name for a movie, "An Inconvenient Diet".)
Now, you may ask, what the heck is this dish? Is it fish? No. Is it Irish? No. Is it Italian? Not remotely. But it's good. And its two primary ingredients are cabbage and prosciutto. Cabbage and Prosciutto Wrap just doesn't sound all that appetizing. But if Anthony Bourdain tasted this mad marriage of flavors, I am sure he'd want to have my baby. So to increase the chances of him trying it, I bring you the world-famous:
Giancarlo Flanagan Sushi
1/2 head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 4-oz. pkge (8 slices) of prosciutto (I recommend Citerrio Tutto Naturale Prosciutto. The only ingredients are pork and salt)
juice of 1 lime (I'm not supposed to have lime on Day 3, but Jeesh!)
2 drops lemon or orange liquid stevia extract (I used Sweetleaf Valencia Orange.)
1 6-oz. container of plain Greek yogurt
1/2 t salt
Juice the lime into a bowl and put the stevia and salt in the lime juice. Stir to combine evenly. Mix in the yogurt.
Carefully separate the prosciutto slices, allowing two per person. If you are at your laptop while you make this and your children are otherwise occupied with Tom and Jerry, then just make them one at a time as you eat them until all eight are gone.
Anyway, on a normal day, you would allow two slices per person. On each slice of prosciutto lay about 1/4 cup of cabbage slices across the center of the prosciutto. Put one dollop (about 2 tablespoons) of the yogurt mixture on top of the cabbage. Roll the prosciutto around the cabbage and yogurt. Refrigerate until ready to serve and eat this the same day you make it. Remember, there's a good reason God said "Don't eat pork", if you leave it out in the hot sun, it can kill ya!
The crunch of the cabbage, the creaminess of the yogurt and the sweet, salty, tender proscuitto combine to create a happy, happy palate.
But, seriously, if you actually know anyone named Giancarlo Flanagan--and you might, if you're from the Boston area--then just call these little morsels Cabbage and Prosciutto Wraps.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Turkey with Rosemary and White Beans
I'm getting sick of chili. This is sad because I love chili. But I make it almost every fourth day, because on Day 4 of my crazy rotational diet plan I am allowed to have turkey, beans, and peppers. So turkey chili is the natural choice.
I had to invent a replacement quickly, because I really don't want to not like chili. And here it is:
Turkey with Rosemary and White Beans
1 T canola oil
2 large turkey tenderloins (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips (I like to use 1 green and 1 orange just to make this dish less beige)
2 cans of any kind of white beans, drained and rinsed. (I like Goya's Small White Beans, but you can use Great Northern or Canellini beans if you prefer.)
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1 c. water
salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil and brown the turkey on high heat in a large saucepan just big enough for both pieces, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the turkey to a plate and reserve.
Reduce the heat to medium and put in the celery and peppers and cook until softened and the celery is golden. If you like, you could also add two cloves of minced garlic and 1 small chopped onion into the veggie mix, but I can't. I get to have onion on Day 1. This recipe is for Day 4. Capeci?
Stir the beans into the veggies and add the water and seasoning. Top with the browned turkey tenderloins and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour and a half or so to steam the turkey into tenderness. You can also put it all into a slow cooker on low for 3 to 4 hours.
This makes two enormous servings. If you don't want to eat 3/4 of a lb of meat, feel free to slice each tenderloin lengthwise before browning and serve 4 people a more reasonable, but still generous portions.
You might even trick your kids into eating this if you tell them it's chicken. If you don't want to lie to your kids, you can just use chicken in the first place. You could also stir in some chopped tomato, or Italian dressing. And, as usual, I use an additional crisp, raw bell pepper and cut it into strips to use as my children's side dish, because they won't touch cooked vegetables.
As always, whatever you add or omit....Make it work people!
I had to invent a replacement quickly, because I really don't want to not like chili. And here it is:
Turkey with Rosemary and White Beans
1 T canola oil
2 large turkey tenderloins (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips (I like to use 1 green and 1 orange just to make this dish less beige)
2 cans of any kind of white beans, drained and rinsed. (I like Goya's Small White Beans, but you can use Great Northern or Canellini beans if you prefer.)
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1 c. water
salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil and brown the turkey on high heat in a large saucepan just big enough for both pieces, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the turkey to a plate and reserve.
Reduce the heat to medium and put in the celery and peppers and cook until softened and the celery is golden. If you like, you could also add two cloves of minced garlic and 1 small chopped onion into the veggie mix, but I can't. I get to have onion on Day 1. This recipe is for Day 4. Capeci?
Stir the beans into the veggies and add the water and seasoning. Top with the browned turkey tenderloins and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour and a half or so to steam the turkey into tenderness. You can also put it all into a slow cooker on low for 3 to 4 hours.
This makes two enormous servings. If you don't want to eat 3/4 of a lb of meat, feel free to slice each tenderloin lengthwise before browning and serve 4 people a more reasonable, but still generous portions.
You might even trick your kids into eating this if you tell them it's chicken. If you don't want to lie to your kids, you can just use chicken in the first place. You could also stir in some chopped tomato, or Italian dressing. And, as usual, I use an additional crisp, raw bell pepper and cut it into strips to use as my children's side dish, because they won't touch cooked vegetables.
As always, whatever you add or omit....Make it work people!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Puzzles Lovers' Delight
Remember those logic games in the back of Yankee magazine? "Mr. Black does not live next door to Mr. Green. The man with a pet skunk does not ride a bicycle to work. Mr. Blue has only one neighbor, who takes public transportation. Mr. White does not own a dog. Etc... " And you have to figure out who lives next door to whom, what kind of pet they have, and how they get to work? Well, that's kind of how my menu planning is going for tomorrow.
My husband's new band mates are coming over for a rehearsal tomorrow. Now, normally, I don't really feed the band. They can have chips and beer. But these are new bandmates, who are making a two hour trek to our house for rehearsal. And one of them is female. I need to feed them, don't you think?
So I was thinking of making something that can be ready whenever everyone is ready to eat. I mean, they might play for two hours, then break for food. Or they may play straight through until evening. Or they may decide to eat when they get out of the car after their two-hour drive. So pot roast works! I can make an oven pot roast with garlic and onions and make oven roasted potatoes and carrots on the side. Everything stays warm in the oven until they are ready for grub. I can't eat the potatoes, but I can have pot roast and make some roasted zucchini as well for me. Right?
No, not right, because I just remembered the guitar player is a vegetarian.
Okay. Start over. I can still make the pot roast, but instead of the potatoes and carrots, I'll make a vegetarian side dish that works with pot roast, and works as a main dish. How about grilled veggies with warm bulgur salad? Eggplant works as a main course layered with the bulgur and tomatoes and zucchini, and the bulgur will soak up the juices of the pot roast and make a nice bed for the meat. Yum. Except for one thing. I can't eat bulgur. It's a grain. So I'm back to just pot roast and zucchini for me.
Okay, how about a side dish I can eat, that the guitar player (we'll call him Dave) can eat as well? It will still act as a main course, but as a side dish for the rest of the band. Ooh! Got it! Lentils layered with zucchini and tomatoes and baked like a lasagna with mozzarella on top. Yum, yum, double yum. Imagine that with the juicy pot roast layered on top. Then I can just make a green salad as side. Dave and I get a decent meal with lentils and cheesy deliciousness full of veggies and herbs. The other guys get pot roast layered over a lentil bake. And everyone gets a salad.
What? The singer is a vegan? Oh. Okay.
Well, faux-lentil-lasagna will not be good without cheese. It won't be lasagna at all. And without a cheese topper, it will dry out if the band isn't ready to eat when it's done.So, how about a lentil salad with shallots, plum tomatoes and a vinaigrette as a main course? And two veggie sides. (The vinaigrette will have to be on the side, because I can't have it.)
And I still have an entire drawer full of carrots and beets from my winter CSA shares from the farm. And two huge bowls of potatoes, which I can't eat and my kids won't eat.
Enough with minimizing the dishes. Let's just making a little of everything so everybody's full and happy. We're starting over...Here's the menu. Stop me when you're full.
Oh, that's right. We're having chili tonight, better get started on that. I need run to the store to pick up some peppers.
My husband's new band mates are coming over for a rehearsal tomorrow. Now, normally, I don't really feed the band. They can have chips and beer. But these are new bandmates, who are making a two hour trek to our house for rehearsal. And one of them is female. I need to feed them, don't you think?
So I was thinking of making something that can be ready whenever everyone is ready to eat. I mean, they might play for two hours, then break for food. Or they may play straight through until evening. Or they may decide to eat when they get out of the car after their two-hour drive. So pot roast works! I can make an oven pot roast with garlic and onions and make oven roasted potatoes and carrots on the side. Everything stays warm in the oven until they are ready for grub. I can't eat the potatoes, but I can have pot roast and make some roasted zucchini as well for me. Right?
No, not right, because I just remembered the guitar player is a vegetarian.
Okay. Start over. I can still make the pot roast, but instead of the potatoes and carrots, I'll make a vegetarian side dish that works with pot roast, and works as a main dish. How about grilled veggies with warm bulgur salad? Eggplant works as a main course layered with the bulgur and tomatoes and zucchini, and the bulgur will soak up the juices of the pot roast and make a nice bed for the meat. Yum. Except for one thing. I can't eat bulgur. It's a grain. So I'm back to just pot roast and zucchini for me.
Okay, how about a side dish I can eat, that the guitar player (we'll call him Dave) can eat as well? It will still act as a main course, but as a side dish for the rest of the band. Ooh! Got it! Lentils layered with zucchini and tomatoes and baked like a lasagna with mozzarella on top. Yum, yum, double yum. Imagine that with the juicy pot roast layered on top. Then I can just make a green salad as side. Dave and I get a decent meal with lentils and cheesy deliciousness full of veggies and herbs. The other guys get pot roast layered over a lentil bake. And everyone gets a salad.
What? The singer is a vegan? Oh. Okay.
Well, faux-lentil-lasagna will not be good without cheese. It won't be lasagna at all. And without a cheese topper, it will dry out if the band isn't ready to eat when it's done.So, how about a lentil salad with shallots, plum tomatoes and a vinaigrette as a main course? And two veggie sides. (The vinaigrette will have to be on the side, because I can't have it.)
And I still have an entire drawer full of carrots and beets from my winter CSA shares from the farm. And two huge bowls of potatoes, which I can't eat and my kids won't eat.
Enough with minimizing the dishes. Let's just making a little of everything so everybody's full and happy. We're starting over...Here's the menu. Stop me when you're full.
- Oven pot roast cooked with onions and garlic in a coffee-based brown sauce.
- Lentil salad with vinaigrette on the side.
- Potatoes roasted in oil and herbs.
- Carrot and beet gratin using vegetable broth and soy cheese.
- Zucchini and summer squash saute.
- And just in case I don't feel like cooking on another day ( I can't imagine why), while the oven is on, I'll make a meatloaf stuffed with zucchini and spinach to save for another day.
Oh, that's right. We're having chili tonight, better get started on that. I need run to the store to pick up some peppers.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
For My Breadless Friends
These recipes are not mine. They are adapted from George Stella's "Real Food Real Easy", which I highly recommend for people on anti-fungal, low carb, or GF diets. Most of his recipes are familiar flavor combinations, but he has some great ideas for using soy flour for substitutes if you can't have grain. Here are two, adapted somewhat:
Waffles
You can use these waffles as waffles, with butter and fruit and cream as toppings. Or, you can use them as bread for sandwiches, either for breakfast, or lunch. Bread, remember bread? Here's your substitute.
1/2 c. soy flour
1/4 c. bulk sugar substitute (such as Splenda)
1/2 t. baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 t. vanilla
Spray a waffle iron with canola oil spray and preheat it while you combine all of the ingredients. If it is too thick, add a little water or milk to thin it out.
Use 1/4 c to 1/3 c batter (depending on the size of your waffle iron), for each waffle. Cook 5 to 6 minutes per waffle. Don't peek! You can freeze these and warm them in your toaster oven on a low setting when you are ready to eat them.
Blueberry Cheese Coffee Cake
Cake Batter
3/4 c. soy flour
1/2 c. plus 1 T bulk sugar substitute (such as Splenda)
2 t baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 c. blueberries
Cheese Layer
1 egg
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese
1/4 to 1/2 c. blueberries
Crumb Topping
3 T butter
1/4 c. bulk sugar substitute
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
1/2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8 inch round pan. Sprinkle 1 T of sugar substitute over the bottom of the pan. Combine dry cake ingredients and then beat in eggs and vanilla. Gently add blueberries. Pour batter into the pan.
Now combine the cheese topping ingredients and pour over the cake batter.
Finally, make the crumb topping by cutting the Splenda into the butter and mixing it with the coconut and cinnamon. (The original recipe calls for almond flour in place of the coconut, so if you can tolerate nuts, go nuts!)
Bake about 35 to 45 minutes and let cool slightly before cutting.
Enjoy, my breadless friends!
Waffles
You can use these waffles as waffles, with butter and fruit and cream as toppings. Or, you can use them as bread for sandwiches, either for breakfast, or lunch. Bread, remember bread? Here's your substitute.
1/2 c. soy flour
1/4 c. bulk sugar substitute (such as Splenda)
1/2 t. baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 t. vanilla
Spray a waffle iron with canola oil spray and preheat it while you combine all of the ingredients. If it is too thick, add a little water or milk to thin it out.
Use 1/4 c to 1/3 c batter (depending on the size of your waffle iron), for each waffle. Cook 5 to 6 minutes per waffle. Don't peek! You can freeze these and warm them in your toaster oven on a low setting when you are ready to eat them.
Blueberry Cheese Coffee Cake
Cake Batter
3/4 c. soy flour
1/2 c. plus 1 T bulk sugar substitute (such as Splenda)
2 t baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 c. blueberries
Cheese Layer
1 egg
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese
1/4 to 1/2 c. blueberries
Crumb Topping
3 T butter
1/4 c. bulk sugar substitute
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
1/2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8 inch round pan. Sprinkle 1 T of sugar substitute over the bottom of the pan. Combine dry cake ingredients and then beat in eggs and vanilla. Gently add blueberries. Pour batter into the pan.
Now combine the cheese topping ingredients and pour over the cake batter.
Finally, make the crumb topping by cutting the Splenda into the butter and mixing it with the coconut and cinnamon. (The original recipe calls for almond flour in place of the coconut, so if you can tolerate nuts, go nuts!)
Bake about 35 to 45 minutes and let cool slightly before cutting.
Enjoy, my breadless friends!
Dessert or Decadence?
When you want something sweet, you want something sweet. So, if you can't have sweets, here's a little sweetness for you. You can have this for breakfast or after dinner. Or brunch. After lunch. Whenever.
Blackberries and Cream
1 cup frozen blackberries
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 6-oz. container plain Greek yogurt or 3/4 cup regular plain yogurt. (The Greek kind has more protein.)
2 drops vanilla creme stevia extract, or to taste
Let the blackberries sit at room temp in a bowl for a few minutes to defrost them a little bit. Whisk together the heavy cream, yogurt, and stevia. Spoon over the blackberries. Eat. Look over your shoulder to make sure your physician isn't about to take your cholesterol levels. Kidding! You used lowfat yogurt right?
Blueberry Smoothy
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
1 cup yogurt
2 drops lemon stevia extract, or to taste
heavy cream, optional
Put everything in a blender and puree until blueberries are all broken up. For dessert, spoon it into a sundae dish and lace with heavy cream. For breakfast, put it in a covered tumbler and drink it with a straw on the way to work. Once you park the car, take the cover off and drink all the stuff that stayed on the bottom.
For a little added kick, garnish either of these with cacao nibs--chocolate-covered cacao nibs if you can!
Hot Chocolate
1 mug full of milk
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 to 3 drops vanilla creme stevia extract
Heat the milk in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on how powerful it is. It needs to be pretty warm, but not scalding. Stir in the stevia first, then the coca powder. If you put in the cocoa first, the stevia will cling to the powder and you may end up with sweet spots and bland spots if the mixture isn't completely homogenous. I like to put extra cocoa and let it settle to the bottom to dig out with a spoon later. But I don't recommend this unless you like seriously dark, bitter chocolate.
And don't forget the mock cheesecake from April's post "Who Ate All the Mascarpone?", which you can make with any flavor stevia extract, with or without the flaxseed. You can drizzle a little heavy cream over that, too! Heavy cream is just plain good.
Blackberries and Cream
1 cup frozen blackberries
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 6-oz. container plain Greek yogurt or 3/4 cup regular plain yogurt. (The Greek kind has more protein.)
2 drops vanilla creme stevia extract, or to taste
Let the blackberries sit at room temp in a bowl for a few minutes to defrost them a little bit. Whisk together the heavy cream, yogurt, and stevia. Spoon over the blackberries. Eat. Look over your shoulder to make sure your physician isn't about to take your cholesterol levels. Kidding! You used lowfat yogurt right?
Blueberry Smoothy
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
1 cup yogurt
2 drops lemon stevia extract, or to taste
heavy cream, optional
Put everything in a blender and puree until blueberries are all broken up. For dessert, spoon it into a sundae dish and lace with heavy cream. For breakfast, put it in a covered tumbler and drink it with a straw on the way to work. Once you park the car, take the cover off and drink all the stuff that stayed on the bottom.
For a little added kick, garnish either of these with cacao nibs--chocolate-covered cacao nibs if you can!
Hot Chocolate
1 mug full of milk
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 to 3 drops vanilla creme stevia extract
Heat the milk in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on how powerful it is. It needs to be pretty warm, but not scalding. Stir in the stevia first, then the coca powder. If you put in the cocoa first, the stevia will cling to the powder and you may end up with sweet spots and bland spots if the mixture isn't completely homogenous. I like to put extra cocoa and let it settle to the bottom to dig out with a spoon later. But I don't recommend this unless you like seriously dark, bitter chocolate.
And don't forget the mock cheesecake from April's post "Who Ate All the Mascarpone?", which you can make with any flavor stevia extract, with or without the flaxseed. You can drizzle a little heavy cream over that, too! Heavy cream is just plain good.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Condimental Health
I'm not a big ketchup person, so I'll eat anything called ketchup in small amounts and I don't see a big difference between brands. And If we run out, we run out. My stepson however, loves ketchup.
Anyway, I made some oven fries to go with our rib-eyes one day when he was about fifteen. As I was setting the table, I realized there was no more ketchup. I froze, vamped for a minute, and decided to just play it off. If it's not on the table and I don't say anything, it won't be missed. No one's going to get up and look for additional condiments once they are sitting down. Right? Wrong!
My stepson said politely, "May I please have some ketchup?" Oops. Beat. Pause. Pregnant pause. Crap, I thought. I felt like I forgot to pass in my homework.
"Oh, sure. No problem. Be right back." I went into the kitchen, feeling like I needed to throw together a missing essay and made some ketchup.
Here's how it went: Panic. Grab tomato paste. Open fridge and stare morosely into it in the hopes that aforementioned missing ketchup will appear. Panic. Open cupboard. Grab garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, vinegar. Panic. Mix haphazard ingredients together in a ramekin. Taste it with my finger. Deep breath.
Ninety seconds later I returned with a cute little bowl of ketchup and set it down by his place setting. I don't remember if he liked it. But he did ask me what kind it was. And I fessed up that I made it. Then I just remember a confused silence.
Now normally I do not recommend making homemade condiments for teenagers unless your whole family wears Birkenstocks, vacations at all-ages nudist colonies, and thinks of muesli as sugary cereal. BUT, if you are on a diet that does not allow sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, black pepper, hard cheeses, fermented soy sauce, or eggs, you better make something to go on your food. Or you will require large amounts of antidepressants before each meal. There are a thousand and one different kinds of salt available nowadays to season your foods, but they really don't taste all that different from Morton's.
Ketchup
1/4 c tomato paste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1 drop plain stevia extract OR 1/2 T honey
Beat all the ingredients together with a fork and serve as if you've eaten this all your life.
Cocktail sauce
Use ketchup recipe, but use the juice of a whole lemon and add cayenne pepper to taste. If still too thick, you can thin it with a little water.
Faux Mayo
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 T canola or sunflower oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne
If you don't do dairy, you can substitute 1/4 cup silken tofu for the yogurt. This is particularly good in chicken salad.
For a mustard-y flavor. Mix 1 t ground mustard and crush 1 T mustard seeds and mix them with the lemon juice before mixing up the faux mayo.
Clear Coleslaw
This makes a great "condiment" for sandwiches or wraps, as well as a great year-round side dish. COoler than cooked dishes in the summer, and heartier than a salad in the winter.
1 small head of cabbage, red or green (not savoy) OR 1/2 large head of cabbage, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
2 T honey
2 T canola or sunflower oil
1 t dried dill
1 t caraway seeds
1 t salt
Mix the lime, honey, oil, dill, caraway and salt. Toss with shredded cabbage.
White Coleslaw
Alternately, you can toss 1 small head of shredded cabbage with faux mayo, mixed with 1 T honey.
Hummus
If you can't have tahini due to a sesame allergy, and you need to rotate your oils, here's an easy hummus recipe.
! can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
3 T unsweetened sunflower butter
1 garlic clove
1 T sunflower or canola oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
Run the garlic through your garlic press (minced won't cut it) and put everything in a blender or food processor. If too thick, add oil. If to thin, add sunflower butter.
If you are on a low-carb or an anti-fungal diet, use endive leaves or celery for dipping. This is also great on sandwiches or with grilled veggies.
Salad Dressings
You know what a Lover's Salad is, right? Lettuce alone without dressing.
Funny, but not very tasty. Here are some ideas for dressing those naked greens.
All you need is acid, oil, and some sort of seasoning to flavor-up your salad. When avoiding vinegar, citrus becomes the obvious choice for acid. Coffee is a great acid for cooking meat---braising and stewing with coffee, for instance-- but I have yet to figure out how to make a decent salad dressing with it. I'll keep you posted. For now, you need citrus.
Lemon dressing--squeeze the juice of one lemon, add oil in a 2 to 1 ration, and add salt with whatever seasoning you like. Just remember to let it sit for 30 minutes or so to maximize the flavor. You can add chopped ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme, or herbes de Provence, whatever flavor will complement your main course. Or use lime instead and put in chopped cilantro. Use herb- or chili-infused oil and drizzle away.
White dressing--start with the faux mayo or mustard-y mayo, and thin with oil to your preferred consistency.
Hummus dressing--thin the hummus recipe above with oil until smooth and pourable.
These recipes are not meant to be made ahead of time. They are meant to be made the same day they are served. In small doses. The upside? They have no preservatives. The downside? They have no preservatives.
I sincerely hope that you don't absolutely have to avoid store-bought condiments, because it can be sort of a pain in the patooty. But it's a hoot to whip up some ketchup at a cookout and watch the look on your guests faces. It's a little like going to a playground in cocktail attire. It's fun, but if you do it too much your friends will start to call you a show-off.
Anyway, I made some oven fries to go with our rib-eyes one day when he was about fifteen. As I was setting the table, I realized there was no more ketchup. I froze, vamped for a minute, and decided to just play it off. If it's not on the table and I don't say anything, it won't be missed. No one's going to get up and look for additional condiments once they are sitting down. Right? Wrong!
My stepson said politely, "May I please have some ketchup?" Oops. Beat. Pause. Pregnant pause. Crap, I thought. I felt like I forgot to pass in my homework.
"Oh, sure. No problem. Be right back." I went into the kitchen, feeling like I needed to throw together a missing essay and made some ketchup.
Here's how it went: Panic. Grab tomato paste. Open fridge and stare morosely into it in the hopes that aforementioned missing ketchup will appear. Panic. Open cupboard. Grab garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, vinegar. Panic. Mix haphazard ingredients together in a ramekin. Taste it with my finger. Deep breath.
Ninety seconds later I returned with a cute little bowl of ketchup and set it down by his place setting. I don't remember if he liked it. But he did ask me what kind it was. And I fessed up that I made it. Then I just remember a confused silence.
Now normally I do not recommend making homemade condiments for teenagers unless your whole family wears Birkenstocks, vacations at all-ages nudist colonies, and thinks of muesli as sugary cereal. BUT, if you are on a diet that does not allow sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, black pepper, hard cheeses, fermented soy sauce, or eggs, you better make something to go on your food. Or you will require large amounts of antidepressants before each meal. There are a thousand and one different kinds of salt available nowadays to season your foods, but they really don't taste all that different from Morton's.
Ketchup
1/4 c tomato paste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1 drop plain stevia extract OR 1/2 T honey
Beat all the ingredients together with a fork and serve as if you've eaten this all your life.
Cocktail sauce
Use ketchup recipe, but use the juice of a whole lemon and add cayenne pepper to taste. If still too thick, you can thin it with a little water.
Faux Mayo
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 T canola or sunflower oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne
If you don't do dairy, you can substitute 1/4 cup silken tofu for the yogurt. This is particularly good in chicken salad.
For a mustard-y flavor. Mix 1 t ground mustard and crush 1 T mustard seeds and mix them with the lemon juice before mixing up the faux mayo.
Clear Coleslaw
This makes a great "condiment" for sandwiches or wraps, as well as a great year-round side dish. COoler than cooked dishes in the summer, and heartier than a salad in the winter.
1 small head of cabbage, red or green (not savoy) OR 1/2 large head of cabbage, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
2 T honey
2 T canola or sunflower oil
1 t dried dill
1 t caraway seeds
1 t salt
Mix the lime, honey, oil, dill, caraway and salt. Toss with shredded cabbage.
White Coleslaw
Alternately, you can toss 1 small head of shredded cabbage with faux mayo, mixed with 1 T honey.
Hummus
If you can't have tahini due to a sesame allergy, and you need to rotate your oils, here's an easy hummus recipe.
! can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
3 T unsweetened sunflower butter
1 garlic clove
1 T sunflower or canola oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
Run the garlic through your garlic press (minced won't cut it) and put everything in a blender or food processor. If too thick, add oil. If to thin, add sunflower butter.
If you are on a low-carb or an anti-fungal diet, use endive leaves or celery for dipping. This is also great on sandwiches or with grilled veggies.
Salad Dressings
You know what a Lover's Salad is, right? Lettuce alone without dressing.
Funny, but not very tasty. Here are some ideas for dressing those naked greens.
All you need is acid, oil, and some sort of seasoning to flavor-up your salad. When avoiding vinegar, citrus becomes the obvious choice for acid. Coffee is a great acid for cooking meat---braising and stewing with coffee, for instance-- but I have yet to figure out how to make a decent salad dressing with it. I'll keep you posted. For now, you need citrus.
Lemon dressing--squeeze the juice of one lemon, add oil in a 2 to 1 ration, and add salt with whatever seasoning you like. Just remember to let it sit for 30 minutes or so to maximize the flavor. You can add chopped ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme, or herbes de Provence, whatever flavor will complement your main course. Or use lime instead and put in chopped cilantro. Use herb- or chili-infused oil and drizzle away.
White dressing--start with the faux mayo or mustard-y mayo, and thin with oil to your preferred consistency.
Hummus dressing--thin the hummus recipe above with oil until smooth and pourable.
These recipes are not meant to be made ahead of time. They are meant to be made the same day they are served. In small doses. The upside? They have no preservatives. The downside? They have no preservatives.
I sincerely hope that you don't absolutely have to avoid store-bought condiments, because it can be sort of a pain in the patooty. But it's a hoot to whip up some ketchup at a cookout and watch the look on your guests faces. It's a little like going to a playground in cocktail attire. It's fun, but if you do it too much your friends will start to call you a show-off.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Coconut Lime Chicken Soup
This is an actual recipe without comedy. My comic tone just can't compete with you humming "Put the Lime in the Coconut" while you are reading the instructions. And my friend Carolyn won't be able to stop thinking about using coconut oil as a massage oil and/or "personal lubricant" (not recommended). Let's keep your mind in the game, girl!
Coconut Lime Chicken Soup
4 to 6 cups of chicken broth (I use whatever I've got enough of a carcass to make)
Juice of 1 lime
6 small scallions or 4 chunky ones, white and light green parts, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried lemongrass
Thumb sized piece of ginger, finely minced
Red pepper flakes to taste, 1/2 teaspoon to as much as 2 teaspoons
1 to 2 cups of leftover chicken (I like to use leftover roasted chicken picked from last night's dinner)
1/2 large head of bok choy, chopped into 1" chunks. If it's a skimpy head, throw it all in.
1/4 cup coconut butter
Unsweetened shaved coconut or cilantro--optional
Put the lime juice, broth, scallions, lemongrass, ginger, and red pepper flakes into a pot over high heat.
When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and bok choy. Stir in the coconut butter.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or soy and serve garnished with fresh shaved coconut or cilantro. Serve as soup or over a bed of brown rice. If you want to bump up the protein and make it more filling, you can also add 1 drained can of garbanzo or cannelini beans with the chicken and bok choy.
Coconut Lime Chicken Soup
4 to 6 cups of chicken broth (I use whatever I've got enough of a carcass to make)
Juice of 1 lime
6 small scallions or 4 chunky ones, white and light green parts, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried lemongrass
Thumb sized piece of ginger, finely minced
Red pepper flakes to taste, 1/2 teaspoon to as much as 2 teaspoons
1 to 2 cups of leftover chicken (I like to use leftover roasted chicken picked from last night's dinner)
1/2 large head of bok choy, chopped into 1" chunks. If it's a skimpy head, throw it all in.
1/4 cup coconut butter
Unsweetened shaved coconut or cilantro--optional
Put the lime juice, broth, scallions, lemongrass, ginger, and red pepper flakes into a pot over high heat.
When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and bok choy. Stir in the coconut butter.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or soy and serve garnished with fresh shaved coconut or cilantro. Serve as soup or over a bed of brown rice. If you want to bump up the protein and make it more filling, you can also add 1 drained can of garbanzo or cannelini beans with the chicken and bok choy.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Spaghetti Squash "Lo Mein"
Going low carb? Tired of pasta night? Want something the kids might possibly attempt to eat that does not involve the word "nugget" or "smile" in it? Well, then you might try this. My kids will eat the meatballs and the peas as long as they're still frozen. Everything else, not so much. But you can try.
The Squash
1 spaghetti squash
Canola oil or sunflower oil
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Don't bother taking out the seeds yet. It's easier once it's cooked. Place it, seed side down, in a large baking dish that's been coated with a little oil and cover it with foil. Pop it in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Then forget about it. And I mean that. I often make the squash the night before when I am watching some juicy television show like House or Real Housewives of NYC or even American Greed: Scams, and then I forget to take it out of the oven until after coffee the next day. Really.
The next morning, or when it cools, whichever comes first, take it out of the oven. Scoop the seeds out with a soup spoon. Then use a fork to shred all the strands of squash into a bowl and put it aside until everything else is done.
The Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken (you can use turkey, but the chicken meatballs come out lighter)
1 egg
2 cups of rice krispies (which you can find behind the Cheerios leftover in the cupboard from that time last summer when you let the kids make rice krispie treats)
2 scallions, chopped
white pepper
ground coriander
chili powder
dried lemongrass
2 T tamari (I use San-J Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce. Use what you like.)
Canola or sunflower oil
This is great to make if you've had a lousy day. You get to use your hands to mash up the ground chicken mixture, and you get to use a rolling pin to bash the rice krispies into submission.
Put the cereal in a large ziploc bag and bash it (or roll it gently) with a rolling pin until it looks like matzoh meal. Or you can just use matzoh meal.
Mash all the ingredients together with your hands (don't forget to take your rings off) in a large bowl until it is well mixed. For the spices, I don't measure, I just sprinkle. Probably 1/2 teaspoon per spice, if you must know. If you don't have one of them because, honestly, how often are you gonna use dried lemongrass? ...just omit it. You really only need to use the soy sauce and the white pepper. Yes, you can use black. If you don't have chili powder (which I think is just wrong), you can use a little paprika for color.
Roll them into a zillion 1 inch balls and bake them on an oiled baking pan at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
While these are baking you can make the:
The Veggies and Sauce
Canola oil or sunflower oil
1 sliced red bell pepper
1/2 bag of frozen peas (If your kids are like mine, save some uncooked peas for them as a side dish)
3 garlic cloves, run through a garlic press or grated
thumb-sized piece of ginger, very finely minced or grated
1/4 cup tamari (use whatever you used in the meatballs)
1 10 oz. bag of baby spinach or 1/2 head of bok choy
chopped hemp hearts (optional)
Heat a little oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan. Add everything except the tamari and spinach, if you are using it. If you are using bok choy, add it now. Saute over medium high heat for about 4 minutes.
Add the spinach and the soy sauce.
When spinach is wilted add back in the Spaghetti Squash and toss over the heat for about a minute to coat it with the sauce. Serve it with the Meatballs. Garnish with hemp hearts if you like.
Note about feeding your kids: I am completely incapable of making the right amount of spaghetti. There is always too much. So, whenever I have leftover spaghetti, I toss it with a little oil and freeze it in a Ziploc. When my kids are hungry and I forgot to cook, I dump it in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, just like fresh pasta. It comes in handy when I make spaghetti squash because they won't touch the squash. They get meatballs, which they gobble up, even my "dairy-tarian" daughter. Then they get plain spaghetti with a little sprinkle cheese on it and a side of still-frozen peas.
Anyone know how to say "Bon Appetit" in mandarin?
The Squash
1 spaghetti squash
Canola oil or sunflower oil
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Don't bother taking out the seeds yet. It's easier once it's cooked. Place it, seed side down, in a large baking dish that's been coated with a little oil and cover it with foil. Pop it in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Then forget about it. And I mean that. I often make the squash the night before when I am watching some juicy television show like House or Real Housewives of NYC or even American Greed: Scams, and then I forget to take it out of the oven until after coffee the next day. Really.
The next morning, or when it cools, whichever comes first, take it out of the oven. Scoop the seeds out with a soup spoon. Then use a fork to shred all the strands of squash into a bowl and put it aside until everything else is done.
The Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken (you can use turkey, but the chicken meatballs come out lighter)
1 egg
2 cups of rice krispies (which you can find behind the Cheerios leftover in the cupboard from that time last summer when you let the kids make rice krispie treats)
2 scallions, chopped
white pepper
ground coriander
chili powder
dried lemongrass
2 T tamari (I use San-J Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce. Use what you like.)
Canola or sunflower oil
This is great to make if you've had a lousy day. You get to use your hands to mash up the ground chicken mixture, and you get to use a rolling pin to bash the rice krispies into submission.
Put the cereal in a large ziploc bag and bash it (or roll it gently) with a rolling pin until it looks like matzoh meal. Or you can just use matzoh meal.
Mash all the ingredients together with your hands (don't forget to take your rings off) in a large bowl until it is well mixed. For the spices, I don't measure, I just sprinkle. Probably 1/2 teaspoon per spice, if you must know. If you don't have one of them because, honestly, how often are you gonna use dried lemongrass? ...just omit it. You really only need to use the soy sauce and the white pepper. Yes, you can use black. If you don't have chili powder (which I think is just wrong), you can use a little paprika for color.
Roll them into a zillion 1 inch balls and bake them on an oiled baking pan at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
While these are baking you can make the:
The Veggies and Sauce
Canola oil or sunflower oil
1 sliced red bell pepper
1/2 bag of frozen peas (If your kids are like mine, save some uncooked peas for them as a side dish)
3 garlic cloves, run through a garlic press or grated
thumb-sized piece of ginger, very finely minced or grated
1/4 cup tamari (use whatever you used in the meatballs)
1 10 oz. bag of baby spinach or 1/2 head of bok choy
chopped hemp hearts (optional)
Heat a little oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan. Add everything except the tamari and spinach, if you are using it. If you are using bok choy, add it now. Saute over medium high heat for about 4 minutes.
Add the spinach and the soy sauce.
When spinach is wilted add back in the Spaghetti Squash and toss over the heat for about a minute to coat it with the sauce. Serve it with the Meatballs. Garnish with hemp hearts if you like.
Note about feeding your kids: I am completely incapable of making the right amount of spaghetti. There is always too much. So, whenever I have leftover spaghetti, I toss it with a little oil and freeze it in a Ziploc. When my kids are hungry and I forgot to cook, I dump it in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, just like fresh pasta. It comes in handy when I make spaghetti squash because they won't touch the squash. They get meatballs, which they gobble up, even my "dairy-tarian" daughter. Then they get plain spaghetti with a little sprinkle cheese on it and a side of still-frozen peas.
Anyone know how to say "Bon Appetit" in mandarin?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Shameless Promotions
Many of my loyal readers have asked what type of stevia I use. I do not use the types that are mixed with other additives (dextrose, sugar, xylitol, etc) to make them into a powdered form. I use this stevia extract from Sweet Leaf. It is the best. The sampler is the best value if you want to have different flavors on hand. And it goes a REALLY long way! You only need one drop per two ounces of whatever you're putting it in.
Here's how I use the different flavors:
Vanilla Creme: Use three drops in 8 oz. of warm milk with 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa to make supreme hot chocolate. It comes out bittersweet like real dark chocolate. If you like it sweeter add a 4th drop, but be careful. It is very powerful stuff.
Chocolate Raspberry: Use one drop per two oz. of mascarpone, two tablespoons of milk and two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa to make chocolate mousse.
Lemon: Use two drops with 1 cup of plain yogurt (I like Stonyfield.)Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook
Then add 1 cup of frozen blueberries. Puree it all in the blender for a delicious breakfast.
Orange: Add two or three drops to my pumpkin/ricotta hot "cereal" recipe that I posted previously. Or add it to yogurt with some canned pumpkin or leftover butternut squash. (I know it sounds crazy, but it's good.)
My other new favorite "superfood" is cacoa nibs. but I get the 8 ounce package at A Market in Manchester and it is NOT this expensive. You can sprinkle them on yogurt or a smoothie (or a sundae, if you are feeling decadent), to add a little kick and a little crunch.
And for all you crazy, healthy people who have asked me about hemp hearts, which are fabulous to dress a salad or hot cereal....
Dese are dem. They pack quite a punch. They are so nutritionally dense, that they give you a kick without the normal accompanying crash later. Eat them early in the day. And not at all if you are sedentary. You won't know what to do with yourself.
I truly hope that someone nearby starts carrying more of these items (especially the Stevia sampler), but for now, I'll be doing more grocery shopping online....
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Un-Gumbo
I don't like okra. It's okay in gumbo but, if I'm going to go through the trouble to make gumbo, I'm not going to add stuff I don't particularly care for. However, my dad recently clued me in to the fact that "gumbo" means "okra". So if your gumbo doesn't have okra in it, it isn't gumbo. Ergo, the recipe for un-gumbo.
Un-Gumbo
2 T sunflower oil (you can use any oil you like)
4 links of chicken/turkey sausage, about 1 lb. (I use Applegate Farms Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage)
1 large leek, cleaned and chopped. Use two if they are skimpy (you can substitute a sweet onion, like Vidalia)
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
couple of dashes of thyme or one sprig of fresh
2 cups chicken broth* (or 1 can)
2 cups cooked whole tomatoes**, or 1-14.5 oz. can of diced or plum tomatoes
salt to taste
cayenne to taste
*I cannot use commercial chicken broth, so whenever I cook a bone-in chicken, whether it's whole or just the leg quarters, I save the bones and skin and leftover bits in the freezer and boil that carcass into broth when I need it. It only takes about 30 minutes, and you know what's in it.
**I do use canned tomatoes quite often. At the end of each summer, however, I buy a ton of second-quality tomatoes for cheap at the local farm stand and spend a day (usually labor day weekend) making a ton of tomato sauce and cooked tomatoes. Since I do not know how to can and am fearful that any canning experiment may result in poisoning my whole family with botulism, I freeze the cooked tomatoes in 2-cup bags in my freezer. By March, I've used it all up in braising, soups, stews, and pasta sauce.
Okay, this is a one pot dish, but you will dirty one additional bowl--oh pity--after you brown the sausage. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds and brown it in the oil--about 3 minutes per side. Spoon out the sausage and reserve.
Put the chopped leeks, green pepper, celery, garlic and thyme in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until golden and very tender, about 15 or as long as 20 minutes.
Add the sausage back in and pour in the broth and tomatoes. Add salt and a few dashes of cayenne. Heat to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
You can serve this over quinoa, brown rice, or on it's own. Even by itself, the mix of flavors fools your palate and your belly into thinking you just ate a LOT more food than you did.
Warning: if you are on a food rotation diet, this breaks every rule, unless you are allowed to eat food from the lily family, the nightshade family, and the celery/carrot family all in one day. But, hey, you only live once, right?
I still think it's gumbo.
Un-Gumbo
2 T sunflower oil (you can use any oil you like)
4 links of chicken/turkey sausage, about 1 lb. (I use Applegate Farms Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage)
1 large leek, cleaned and chopped. Use two if they are skimpy (you can substitute a sweet onion, like Vidalia)
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
couple of dashes of thyme or one sprig of fresh
2 cups chicken broth* (or 1 can)
2 cups cooked whole tomatoes**, or 1-14.5 oz. can of diced or plum tomatoes
salt to taste
cayenne to taste
*I cannot use commercial chicken broth, so whenever I cook a bone-in chicken, whether it's whole or just the leg quarters, I save the bones and skin and leftover bits in the freezer and boil that carcass into broth when I need it. It only takes about 30 minutes, and you know what's in it.
**I do use canned tomatoes quite often. At the end of each summer, however, I buy a ton of second-quality tomatoes for cheap at the local farm stand and spend a day (usually labor day weekend) making a ton of tomato sauce and cooked tomatoes. Since I do not know how to can and am fearful that any canning experiment may result in poisoning my whole family with botulism, I freeze the cooked tomatoes in 2-cup bags in my freezer. By March, I've used it all up in braising, soups, stews, and pasta sauce.
Okay, this is a one pot dish, but you will dirty one additional bowl--oh pity--after you brown the sausage. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds and brown it in the oil--about 3 minutes per side. Spoon out the sausage and reserve.
Put the chopped leeks, green pepper, celery, garlic and thyme in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until golden and very tender, about 15 or as long as 20 minutes.
Add the sausage back in and pour in the broth and tomatoes. Add salt and a few dashes of cayenne. Heat to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
You can serve this over quinoa, brown rice, or on it's own. Even by itself, the mix of flavors fools your palate and your belly into thinking you just ate a LOT more food than you did.
Warning: if you are on a food rotation diet, this breaks every rule, unless you are allowed to eat food from the lily family, the nightshade family, and the celery/carrot family all in one day. But, hey, you only live once, right?
I still think it's gumbo.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Fiber, Montezuma, and Canned Goods
Fiber seems to be right up there with protein in the healthy eating buzzword list. Every diet has a recommendation for fiiber intake-- 25, 30, even 40 grams of fiber per day. And that would be phenomenal, but before you run out to stock up on Benefiber or Psyllium supplements, consider this: If you were just starting to exercise, would you start with the Boston Marathon? No, you would work up to it. S-l-o-w-l-y. Same with fiber.
Suddenly jumping up from an average American diet of 15 grams of fiber to 40 grams of fiber a day is akin to scrubbing your colon with an SOS pad and packing it with explosives. Build up to your target number a little at a time, unless you live alone and have a home office. If you move too fast, your spouse will move to the guest room, your kids will call you out in public, and your cubicle neighbors will request a transfer.To Colorado.
Having said that, here is a low fat, high fiber, healthy, vegan way to enjoy Mexican food. I have no name for it, so we'll just call it the:
Really Yummy Colon-Cleansing Taco
start with two of these tortillas:
Chick Pea Flour Tortilla
2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
1/2 cup chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 c. water
Whisk the flour, salt and water together to make a thin batter. Heat the pan and coat with olive oil. Pour the batter into the pan and roll it around to coat like you are making a giant pancake. Cover and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes, then flip it over. Cook another 5 minutes on the other side.Keep one warm in a 200 degree oven while you make the second one.
Now heat:
1 can of Amy's brand Organic Refried Black Beans (Some of you may find this disappointing. Canned refried beans? But do not waste your time going through all of the monotonous steps of making refried beans yourself. First of all, do you want to spend two days soaking, cooking and re-cooking beans just to make a taco? And do you want to risk the outcome, knowing that this brand of beans has no added sugar, no lard, no animal fat at all, and tastes good? No, you don't. You want to make a taco.)
In a separate bowl, mix:
1 14-oz. can petite cut diced tomatoes (Ditto with the canned thing, but canned tomatoes are one of the BEST things you can keep in your pantry.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
To assemble the taco, spread half the refried beans on one half of each tortilla. Top with tomato mixture. And finish with:
a handful of baby greens, such as arugula, chicory, or mesclun salad mix. I don't recommend baby spinach, because you want something with a little more bite to it.
1 mashed avocado
If you have any beans and tomatoes left over, mix them together and stick the mixture in the fridge. You can throw it in a skillet or the microwave for a quick breakfast tomorrow.
I am not a dietitian. I have not done the math. I cannot tell you how many grams of fiber this dish has. But it has a lot. Eating these too frequently may cause ...um...secondary symptoms related to better health. Look on the bright side. Your family might give you a little more alone time and you just might get that corner office you've always wanted.
Let me reiterate my fiber warning in a way that's easy to remember. Several years ago in Cancun, a friend of mine bought an antacid to counter the effects of too much tequila. She subsequently ended up with a week-long case of Montezuma's revenge. On the very last day of our vacation, she realized she had not been taking an antacid. She had been taking a laxative.
There is no earthly reason the laxatives should even be legal in Mexico.
Suddenly jumping up from an average American diet of 15 grams of fiber to 40 grams of fiber a day is akin to scrubbing your colon with an SOS pad and packing it with explosives. Build up to your target number a little at a time, unless you live alone and have a home office. If you move too fast, your spouse will move to the guest room, your kids will call you out in public, and your cubicle neighbors will request a transfer.To Colorado.
Having said that, here is a low fat, high fiber, healthy, vegan way to enjoy Mexican food. I have no name for it, so we'll just call it the:
Really Yummy Colon-Cleansing Taco
start with two of these tortillas:
Chick Pea Flour Tortilla
2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
1/2 cup chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 c. water
Whisk the flour, salt and water together to make a thin batter. Heat the pan and coat with olive oil. Pour the batter into the pan and roll it around to coat like you are making a giant pancake. Cover and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes, then flip it over. Cook another 5 minutes on the other side.Keep one warm in a 200 degree oven while you make the second one.
Now heat:
1 can of Amy's brand Organic Refried Black Beans (Some of you may find this disappointing. Canned refried beans? But do not waste your time going through all of the monotonous steps of making refried beans yourself. First of all, do you want to spend two days soaking, cooking and re-cooking beans just to make a taco? And do you want to risk the outcome, knowing that this brand of beans has no added sugar, no lard, no animal fat at all, and tastes good? No, you don't. You want to make a taco.)
In a separate bowl, mix:
1 14-oz. can petite cut diced tomatoes (Ditto with the canned thing, but canned tomatoes are one of the BEST things you can keep in your pantry.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
To assemble the taco, spread half the refried beans on one half of each tortilla. Top with tomato mixture. And finish with:
a handful of baby greens, such as arugula, chicory, or mesclun salad mix. I don't recommend baby spinach, because you want something with a little more bite to it.
1 mashed avocado
If you have any beans and tomatoes left over, mix them together and stick the mixture in the fridge. You can throw it in a skillet or the microwave for a quick breakfast tomorrow.
I am not a dietitian. I have not done the math. I cannot tell you how many grams of fiber this dish has. But it has a lot. Eating these too frequently may cause ...um...secondary symptoms related to better health. Look on the bright side. Your family might give you a little more alone time and you just might get that corner office you've always wanted.
Let me reiterate my fiber warning in a way that's easy to remember. Several years ago in Cancun, a friend of mine bought an antacid to counter the effects of too much tequila. She subsequently ended up with a week-long case of Montezuma's revenge. On the very last day of our vacation, she realized she had not been taking an antacid. She had been taking a laxative.
There is no earthly reason the laxatives should even be legal in Mexico.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Nice Rack and other Proteins
In my immense frustration at my seeming lack of coordination with bean flours, with the possible exception of my good friend chick pea flour, I have turned back to meat. Last night, I had a hankering for pork, which has thankfully returned to my list of acceptable foods. Pork is good.
Now, everyone has had their share of dried out pork roasts and pork chops, unless you grew up where they are smothered in country gravy or slathered in barbecue sauce. My advice to you is try it again with a piece of Fred Flinstonesque bone-in "frenched" rack of pork. Yes, just like rack of lamb. Put two of them together and you get crown roast. That's the roast you see on Tom and Jerry wearing those cute little white hats on every bone. This recipe is for half of that. It is easy, juicy and makes killer pan drippings to put over mashed potatoes or sauteed swiss chard.
Okay, so this isn't the healthiest recipe I've posted, but it's still better than the BK whopper you were thinking about getting on the way home.
Roast Rack of Pork
Paprika, smoked or hot
Coarse salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the rack in a large ceramic baking dish, FAT SIDE UP. You can use Pyrex, but ceramic holds the heat better. Slice each garlic clove into 4 lengthwise slices. Make 16 small but deep slits in the fat-covered roast. Plunge the garlic slices down into the meat. Rub the whole top of the roast with paprika and coarse salt. Put the roast in the oven. Do NOT cover it. After 50 minutes at 425, turn the heat down to 350 and cook for another hour and ten minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before carving with a sharp boning knife between the chops.
To use up all the good drippings, saute some greens or make mashed potatoes, and drizzle the pan drippings over the meat and the greens at the table.
Serve this with people who know and love you. That way they won't be appalled when you chew on the bone at the end of the meal.
And if you can't eat more than 2 oz of meat at a meal (you know who you are), serve the meat to everyone else, and save all the pan drippings for yourself. You did all the cooking; this is your dessert.
If you just don't like the sound of "frenched rack of pork", cause it really just doesn't sound right--and it doesn't sound right to me, either, even though it's delicious--then make frenched rack of lamb, even easier.
Frenched Rack of Lamb
1 frenched rack of lamb, aaahhh... that sounds better
olive oil
salt
Yeah, I know, we didn't use oil for the pork. Do you seriously think something covered in pork fat needs oil? Okay, next question....anyone, anyone? Good, moving on....
Preheat oven to 425. Put the rack in a ceramic baking dish. You can use Pyrex, metal, yada, yada. I'm telling you ceramic works best but, by all means, use what you have.. Drizzle with salt and oil. Put in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. So good.
After they're carved, I call these chops "lambsicles", cause the only way to really enjoy them is to pick them up by the bone and dig in with your teeth.
In the mood for lighter fare? Don't have much time to cook? Then you could try...
Stovetop Turkey Tenderloins Tandoori (which I completely realize is completely unrelated to the other dishes in the post, but you have to eat something.)
1 cup plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
a handful of Tandoori seasoning which, like curry powder, is a hodge podge of different seasoning. (if you don't have it, you can mix up paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom--or use curry powder)
juice of 1 lemon
salt
4 turkey tenderloins
Sunflower oil or canola oil
Mix the yogurt, tandoori spice, lemon, and salt in a bowl just big enough for the turkey. Add the tenderloins and mix to coat. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Toss the turkey in (without the remaining marinade) and cook for 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat slightly. Cook for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve over romaine with Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup, seasoned with smoked paprika.
Now, everyone has had their share of dried out pork roasts and pork chops, unless you grew up where they are smothered in country gravy or slathered in barbecue sauce. My advice to you is try it again with a piece of Fred Flinstonesque bone-in "frenched" rack of pork. Yes, just like rack of lamb. Put two of them together and you get crown roast. That's the roast you see on Tom and Jerry wearing those cute little white hats on every bone. This recipe is for half of that. It is easy, juicy and makes killer pan drippings to put over mashed potatoes or sauteed swiss chard.
Okay, so this isn't the healthiest recipe I've posted, but it's still better than the BK whopper you were thinking about getting on the way home.
Roast Rack of Pork
4 lb. frenched rack of pork (backbone removed, meat removed from the ends of the ribs)
4 large cloves of garlicPaprika, smoked or hot
Coarse salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the rack in a large ceramic baking dish, FAT SIDE UP. You can use Pyrex, but ceramic holds the heat better. Slice each garlic clove into 4 lengthwise slices. Make 16 small but deep slits in the fat-covered roast. Plunge the garlic slices down into the meat. Rub the whole top of the roast with paprika and coarse salt. Put the roast in the oven. Do NOT cover it. After 50 minutes at 425, turn the heat down to 350 and cook for another hour and ten minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before carving with a sharp boning knife between the chops.
To use up all the good drippings, saute some greens or make mashed potatoes, and drizzle the pan drippings over the meat and the greens at the table.
Serve this with people who know and love you. That way they won't be appalled when you chew on the bone at the end of the meal.
And if you can't eat more than 2 oz of meat at a meal (you know who you are), serve the meat to everyone else, and save all the pan drippings for yourself. You did all the cooking; this is your dessert.
If you just don't like the sound of "frenched rack of pork", cause it really just doesn't sound right--and it doesn't sound right to me, either, even though it's delicious--then make frenched rack of lamb, even easier.
Frenched Rack of Lamb
1 frenched rack of lamb, aaahhh... that sounds better
olive oil
salt
Yeah, I know, we didn't use oil for the pork. Do you seriously think something covered in pork fat needs oil? Okay, next question....anyone, anyone? Good, moving on....
Preheat oven to 425. Put the rack in a ceramic baking dish. You can use Pyrex, metal, yada, yada. I'm telling you ceramic works best but, by all means, use what you have.. Drizzle with salt and oil. Put in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. So good.
After they're carved, I call these chops "lambsicles", cause the only way to really enjoy them is to pick them up by the bone and dig in with your teeth.
In the mood for lighter fare? Don't have much time to cook? Then you could try...
Stovetop Turkey Tenderloins Tandoori (which I completely realize is completely unrelated to the other dishes in the post, but you have to eat something.)
1 cup plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
a handful of Tandoori seasoning which, like curry powder, is a hodge podge of different seasoning. (if you don't have it, you can mix up paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom--or use curry powder)
juice of 1 lemon
salt
4 turkey tenderloins
Sunflower oil or canola oil
Mix the yogurt, tandoori spice, lemon, and salt in a bowl just big enough for the turkey. Add the tenderloins and mix to coat. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Toss the turkey in (without the remaining marinade) and cook for 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat slightly. Cook for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve over romaine with Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup, seasoned with smoked paprika.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hemp Hearts and Other Unlikely Ingredients
I'm not going to pain you with burdock root. However, I will pain you with hemp hearts. Can't have nuts? Can't have grain? Good. Have hemp hearts. Not only are they one of the most nutritional dense foods you can eat, they are legal! And, yes, they come from the hemp plant. They are essentially the "heart" of the seed. Tiny, nutty, slightly sweet. You can put them on everything, and I mean everything--oatmeal, cereal, salads, puddings, desserts, to top grilled chicken. But my very favorite way is to add texture to sauteed veggies. Remember when the walnut-and-craisin salad was too hip for words? That is SO five years ago.This is modern. And you'll try anything once. Won't you?
Bok choy with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 head of bok choy, cored and chopped crosswise into 1 inch chunks
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened blueberries
2 Tbsp Hemp hearts
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan over medium high heat. Toss in the bok choy and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until all the white parts of the bok choy are cooked through. Stir in the blueberries for the last two minutes--too long and they'll turn the bok choy blue, too little time and they'll stay too crunchy.
Remove from heat, toss in the remaining oil and hemp hearts and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
This is WAY better than salad with craisins. And fantabulous with a pork roast. Enjoy!
Bok choy with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 head of bok choy, cored and chopped crosswise into 1 inch chunks
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened blueberries
2 Tbsp Hemp hearts
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan over medium high heat. Toss in the bok choy and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until all the white parts of the bok choy are cooked through. Stir in the blueberries for the last two minutes--too long and they'll turn the bok choy blue, too little time and they'll stay too crunchy.
Remove from heat, toss in the remaining oil and hemp hearts and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
This is WAY better than salad with craisins. And fantabulous with a pork roast. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I Wicked Miss White Sauce (Short but Sweet)
White sauce is the ultimate in no-no. Cream, butter, and flour. Yeah, that's a nutritional void, if I ever ate one, and I have eaten many! But if you can't eat the good stuff, you have to replace it with something. Something good.
Instead of cauliflower in cream sauce or cheese sauce, this was lunch today. Evan--you're gonna like this one.
Cauliflower Tzatziki
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt (Himalayan sea salt, to be exact, but who's that picky?)
1 6 oz. container of 0% fat or low fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Take the yogurt out of the fridge, so it comes close to room temp while you prepare the cauliflower.
Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, use a garlic press to mash the garlic in all its glory into the yogurt and add a touch of salt. Mix.
When the cauliflower is done, toss it with the yogurt mixture and serve immediately.
This serves four as a side dish or one for lunch when you are distracted by facebook.
Instead of cauliflower in cream sauce or cheese sauce, this was lunch today. Evan--you're gonna like this one.
Cauliflower Tzatziki
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt (Himalayan sea salt, to be exact, but who's that picky?)
1 6 oz. container of 0% fat or low fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Take the yogurt out of the fridge, so it comes close to room temp while you prepare the cauliflower.
Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, use a garlic press to mash the garlic in all its glory into the yogurt and add a touch of salt. Mix.
When the cauliflower is done, toss it with the yogurt mixture and serve immediately.
This serves four as a side dish or one for lunch when you are distracted by facebook.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
Who needs Campbell's? Not me. Especially since my diet doesn't allow it. But some days I'm just itching to open a can of soup, specifically Campbell's tomato soup, which tastes like lunch after morning kindergarten. So I invented my own canned tomato soup, replacing the sweetness I can't add in (no sugar allowed) with the sweetness of assorted bell peppers.
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
2 T canola oil
1 green bell pepper*
1 yellow bell pepper*
1 orange bell pepper*
1 red bell pepper*
Salt to taste
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 c. water
1 c. cannellini beans, drained
Pour the oil into a large saucepan with a cover. Put the chopped peppers in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and completely overcooked. Add in the entire can of tomato puree, the water and the drained beans. Heat through.
*Because I am cheap, when colored bell peppers are on sale, I buy a bunch of them. Then I wash them, seed them, and roughly chop them. I spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and throw them in the freezer. When hard frozen, I toss them into freezer bags and have cheap bell peppers ready whenever. As a matter of fact, I throw pretty much everything into freezer bags and have cheap everything ready whenever.
Now, for the have-it-your-way part:
In the mood for Italian? Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Then serve with grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.
Want a little Andalusian flavor? Add 3 teaspoons Spanish smoked hot paprika, simmer and serve with good olives and good bread topped with sliced Serrano ham.
Mexican? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, and top with crumbled tortillas and shredded jack cheese.
French? This is totally NOT French. But you could puree it with an immersion blender, add some herbes de Provence, serve it cold, and act really pretentious.
See? Have it your way. Quick, easy, keeps great in the fridge and tastes good. You can also puree it and use it as a base for pasta sauce (add sausage) or to revive leftover meats--think yesterday's grilled chicken or leftover pot roast. As a matter of fact, you did such a great job making the soup, I say you've earned the right to act pretentious no matter what you've added to it.
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
2 T canola oil
1 green bell pepper*
1 yellow bell pepper*
1 orange bell pepper*
1 red bell pepper*
Salt to taste
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 c. water
1 c. cannellini beans, drained
Pour the oil into a large saucepan with a cover. Put the chopped peppers in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and completely overcooked. Add in the entire can of tomato puree, the water and the drained beans. Heat through.
*Because I am cheap, when colored bell peppers are on sale, I buy a bunch of them. Then I wash them, seed them, and roughly chop them. I spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and throw them in the freezer. When hard frozen, I toss them into freezer bags and have cheap bell peppers ready whenever. As a matter of fact, I throw pretty much everything into freezer bags and have cheap everything ready whenever.
Now, for the have-it-your-way part:
In the mood for Italian? Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Then serve with grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.
Want a little Andalusian flavor? Add 3 teaspoons Spanish smoked hot paprika, simmer and serve with good olives and good bread topped with sliced Serrano ham.
Mexican? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, and top with crumbled tortillas and shredded jack cheese.
French? This is totally NOT French. But you could puree it with an immersion blender, add some herbes de Provence, serve it cold, and act really pretentious.
See? Have it your way. Quick, easy, keeps great in the fridge and tastes good. You can also puree it and use it as a base for pasta sauce (add sausage) or to revive leftover meats--think yesterday's grilled chicken or leftover pot roast. As a matter of fact, you did such a great job making the soup, I say you've earned the right to act pretentious no matter what you've added to it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Overachiever
There's one in every class. You know the type. The teacher asks for a 10 page, double-spaced paper on famous scientists, and she turns in a 12 page paper with 3 pages of "works cited", along with a powerpoint slide show of the evolution of modern physics, a 3-D model showing gravity bending light, and a link to her website with (her own) new version of string theory.
Unfortunately, with a class of 28 to grade, the teacher will never get to the website, and it goes un-read by everyone but her adoring parents.
Or, in adult life, she and her husband have a brand new house built for their family of four, which has 5 1/2 bathrooms. Why put in a toilet that will never, ever be used? Perhaps she is planning for a sudden outbreak of ameobic dysentery on Thanksgiving, when Aunt Ida and Uncle Sal are in town.
At work, the overachiever is asked for a spreadsheet on next year's Grand Rapids sales goals, with a breakdown by division and customer. Instead, she provides a spreadsheet with 56 attached graphs of each customers' purchases, by product and profit margin, over the last 24 months. And exactly how much profit for which she expects to be directly responsible over the next year. And what she thinks her raise should be.
Yeah. We all know one. The mom who's kid is in 5 afterschool activities and bought belly headphones when she was pregnant, so her baby could become familiar with Wagner and Rachmaninoff before they were born.
I am not that person.
Except, lately, in the kitchen.
Two friends came for dinner the other night and this was the spread...
Hello! What is this...Thanksgiving? There is no earthly reason anyone should make this many dishes for a casual Saturday afternoon with friends.
I have become the dreaded Overachiever.
Unfortunately, with a class of 28 to grade, the teacher will never get to the website, and it goes un-read by everyone but her adoring parents.
Or, in adult life, she and her husband have a brand new house built for their family of four, which has 5 1/2 bathrooms. Why put in a toilet that will never, ever be used? Perhaps she is planning for a sudden outbreak of ameobic dysentery on Thanksgiving, when Aunt Ida and Uncle Sal are in town.
At work, the overachiever is asked for a spreadsheet on next year's Grand Rapids sales goals, with a breakdown by division and customer. Instead, she provides a spreadsheet with 56 attached graphs of each customers' purchases, by product and profit margin, over the last 24 months. And exactly how much profit for which she expects to be directly responsible over the next year. And what she thinks her raise should be.
Yeah. We all know one. The mom who's kid is in 5 afterschool activities and bought belly headphones when she was pregnant, so her baby could become familiar with Wagner and Rachmaninoff before they were born.
I am not that person.
Except, lately, in the kitchen.
Two friends came for dinner the other night and this was the spread...
- Appetizer 1: (for my husband and our company) Sliced turkey sausage, Great Hill Dairy blue cheese, Boggy Meadows Farms aged baby swiss and three kinds of crackers.
- Appetizer 2: (for me) Homemade guacamole with lentil/flax seed crackers.
- Appetizer 3: (for the kids) Sliced canteloupe and mild cheddar slices.
- Entree 1: (for my husband and our company) Porterhouse steaks with a garlic chili rub on the grill.
- Entree 2: (for me) Bison burger
- Entree 3: (for the kids) Tiny slices of Daddy's porterhouse and chicken tenderloins done on the stove so they don't get the "yucky black stuff" on them.
- Side dish 1: Black beans cooked with roasted red peppers and celeriac
- Side dish 2: Spinach salad with black radish, carrot, red onion, salad turnip with homemade lemon/tahini dressing.
- Side dish 3: Applesauce (obviously for the kids)
- Side dish 4: Cheesesticks (ditto)
- Side dish 5: Frozen peas, still frozen (my kids are weird)
- Side dish 5: Grill-roasted potatoes (for everyone but me)
- Dessert 1: Ice cream (for one kid)
- Dessert 2: Whipped cream (for the other kid)
- Dessert 3: Homemade chocolate polenta sandwich cookies with orange cream filling (for the grow-ups who aren't me)
Hello! What is this...Thanksgiving? There is no earthly reason anyone should make this many dishes for a casual Saturday afternoon with friends.
I have become the dreaded Overachiever.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Who Ate All the Mascarpone?
Ever getting a hankering for something really sweet? A room temperature Hershey kiss unwrapped and melting right in the center of your tongue, until you can't stand it anymore and munch it up? Shhh. The kids are asleep. The kitchen light is off. Go ahead. Eat the whole bag. Happy, happy mouth. Am I right? Or maybe you are the type of person that hides your Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares in the freezer next to the Haagen Daz behind the cheap generic stuff you buy for the kids.
No? Not a chocolate person? Okay, then your mother's bread pudding with sweetened condensed milk and rum sauce. Or warm butterscotch pudding with whipped cream. Maybe it's an ice cream sundae or fresh-from-the-oven pecan pie that you crave. Strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie, buttercream frosting right out of the can....
Now, imagine being on a desert island with no sweets in sight. I am on that desert island. Well, not really, I'm in New England, which is definitely not a desert, and I'm pretty sure not an island. But for the last two years, I have not eaten chocolate, or pudding, or ice cream, or pecan pie. No sirree, no sugar for me at all. And I refuse to eat that substitute stuff that masquerades as sugar. Yuck to Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck.
So, let me tell you, when I found something sweet I could eat a few weeks ago, I went hog wild. I started trying liquid Stevia extract in all kinds of crazy foods. Just to see.
The best so far is...
Mascarpone Mock Cheesecake
1 container (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
4 drops liquid stevia extract, chocolate raspberry flavor
1/4 cup flax meal, divided in 2 parts
2 tablespoons room temperature salted butter, divided (if you don't have salted butter, whip in a pinch of salt)
Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
Ok, I just had to laugh, because when I checked the mascarpone for the container size, i noticed it says "Half the calories of butter". As if! If you are stooping to eating an entire container of mascarpone, you might as well eat butter. If you are trying to count calories or cholesterol, this is not the recipe for you. If you have avoided all sweets for the last 24 months, or are trying to bulk up for the ESPN2 strong man competition, by all means, try it.
Back to work. Using a spatula, get every last morsel of cheese out of the container and put it in a good sized bowl. Put in 4 drops of liquid stevia. Mix it till you can't stand mixing anymore. Stevia is powerful stuff. If you don't mix it up well, you will alternate between impossibly sweet bites and bland ones. Not good.
Now coat the inside of two ramekins with as much of the butter as you can get to stick. Press the flax meal into the butter. Scoop equal parts of the mascarpone mixture into the ramekins and press it down to even the top. Dust with a touch of cocoa powder.
Get a spoon. Wait til everyone has gone to bed. Eat both of them. It probably keeps in the refrigerator, but I've never kept it long enough to know.
No? Not a chocolate person? Okay, then your mother's bread pudding with sweetened condensed milk and rum sauce. Or warm butterscotch pudding with whipped cream. Maybe it's an ice cream sundae or fresh-from-the-oven pecan pie that you crave. Strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie, buttercream frosting right out of the can....
Now, imagine being on a desert island with no sweets in sight. I am on that desert island. Well, not really, I'm in New England, which is definitely not a desert, and I'm pretty sure not an island. But for the last two years, I have not eaten chocolate, or pudding, or ice cream, or pecan pie. No sirree, no sugar for me at all. And I refuse to eat that substitute stuff that masquerades as sugar. Yuck to Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck.
So, let me tell you, when I found something sweet I could eat a few weeks ago, I went hog wild. I started trying liquid Stevia extract in all kinds of crazy foods. Just to see.
The best so far is...
Mascarpone Mock Cheesecake
1 container (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
4 drops liquid stevia extract, chocolate raspberry flavor
1/4 cup flax meal, divided in 2 parts
2 tablespoons room temperature salted butter, divided (if you don't have salted butter, whip in a pinch of salt)
Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
Ok, I just had to laugh, because when I checked the mascarpone for the container size, i noticed it says "Half the calories of butter". As if! If you are stooping to eating an entire container of mascarpone, you might as well eat butter. If you are trying to count calories or cholesterol, this is not the recipe for you. If you have avoided all sweets for the last 24 months, or are trying to bulk up for the ESPN2 strong man competition, by all means, try it.
Back to work. Using a spatula, get every last morsel of cheese out of the container and put it in a good sized bowl. Put in 4 drops of liquid stevia. Mix it till you can't stand mixing anymore. Stevia is powerful stuff. If you don't mix it up well, you will alternate between impossibly sweet bites and bland ones. Not good.
Now coat the inside of two ramekins with as much of the butter as you can get to stick. Press the flax meal into the butter. Scoop equal parts of the mascarpone mixture into the ramekins and press it down to even the top. Dust with a touch of cocoa powder.
Get a spoon. Wait til everyone has gone to bed. Eat both of them. It probably keeps in the refrigerator, but I've never kept it long enough to know.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Other Red Meat
Unfortunately, beef is off the list. Hopefully this is temporary. As much as I love bison burgers, they just aren't the same. They just taste....I don't know....better for you. I know, I know, you're supposed eat things that are good for you, but they don't have to taste that way. But you know what they say. When one door opens another closes. Or vice versa. Whatever. Anyway, this has opened a door to...
(Cheesy intro music) Da-da da da da-da!
(cue echo voice effect)
Budweiser radio voiceover guy: "LAMB.... THE OTHER RED MEAT!!"
(f/x loud gong)
I have always loved grilled lamb chops and my dad's roasted lamb. And give me a rack of lamb seared quickly and salted heavily and I am one happy camper. But now, I have learned to really love lamb loin chops. They are richer, heartier, meatier, and still retain the lightness of flavor like rack of lamb, with a texture that screams "Meat!". But loin chops have a little more of that muscular structure that can make them tough. And I don't always have the patience for braising. Tonight, I finally struck a balance between crusty grilled exterior and tender interior of the meat. I started them in a hot skillet and finished them in the oven, but it only took 20 minutes.
Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary (serves two)
Olive oil
6 Lamb loin chops
1 tsp Dried Rosemary (or one sprig fresh)chopped fine
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
3 Cloves of garlic, sliced crosswise
1/4 cup water
Heat a good splash of olive oil in an oven friendly non-stick skillet. Preferably one with a lid, but you can cover it with your stock pot lid if you have to. When nice and hot, add the chops and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. It should have a nice crust on one side. Turn with tongs, sprinkle the seared side with rosemary and salt and sear the other side for about 5 minutes.
Move the chops to make a little space in between and dump the sliced garlic into the oil between them for about one minute. Now pour the water in and immediately cover and put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take out the chops and put the pan juices back over high heat for about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavor. Serve the meat and juices over Braised Cabbage. It ain't pretty, but it's delicious.
Braised Cabbage
Olive Oil
1 Small* head of cabbage, quartered, but not cored.
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
*When I say small, it's because my cabbage comes from an organic farm in Maine, so it naturally grows a little smaller than the gargantuan heads from the supermarket. If yours is the plain-vanilla supermarket variety and is humongous, in other words, if you don't think you can eat half of it for supper, use half a head, cut into four wedges. You can also substitute savoy cabbage, but it's usually twice the price, and this method of cooking makes regular cabbage taste as sweet and un-skunky as savoy. Because let's face it, boiled cabbage can be skunky.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Put in the cabbage, cut side down, and brown for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss in the water and salt, cover and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Use as a base for lamb chops, roast chicken, any grilled or roasted protein with dripping juices.
(Cheesy intro music) Da-da da da da-da!
(cue echo voice effect)
Budweiser radio voiceover guy: "LAMB.... THE OTHER RED MEAT!!"
(f/x loud gong)
I have always loved grilled lamb chops and my dad's roasted lamb. And give me a rack of lamb seared quickly and salted heavily and I am one happy camper. But now, I have learned to really love lamb loin chops. They are richer, heartier, meatier, and still retain the lightness of flavor like rack of lamb, with a texture that screams "Meat!". But loin chops have a little more of that muscular structure that can make them tough. And I don't always have the patience for braising. Tonight, I finally struck a balance between crusty grilled exterior and tender interior of the meat. I started them in a hot skillet and finished them in the oven, but it only took 20 minutes.
Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary (serves two)
Olive oil
6 Lamb loin chops
1 tsp Dried Rosemary (or one sprig fresh)chopped fine
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
3 Cloves of garlic, sliced crosswise
1/4 cup water
Heat a good splash of olive oil in an oven friendly non-stick skillet. Preferably one with a lid, but you can cover it with your stock pot lid if you have to. When nice and hot, add the chops and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. It should have a nice crust on one side. Turn with tongs, sprinkle the seared side with rosemary and salt and sear the other side for about 5 minutes.
Move the chops to make a little space in between and dump the sliced garlic into the oil between them for about one minute. Now pour the water in and immediately cover and put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take out the chops and put the pan juices back over high heat for about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavor. Serve the meat and juices over Braised Cabbage. It ain't pretty, but it's delicious.
Braised Cabbage
Olive Oil
1 Small* head of cabbage, quartered, but not cored.
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
*When I say small, it's because my cabbage comes from an organic farm in Maine, so it naturally grows a little smaller than the gargantuan heads from the supermarket. If yours is the plain-vanilla supermarket variety and is humongous, in other words, if you don't think you can eat half of it for supper, use half a head, cut into four wedges. You can also substitute savoy cabbage, but it's usually twice the price, and this method of cooking makes regular cabbage taste as sweet and un-skunky as savoy. Because let's face it, boiled cabbage can be skunky.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Put in the cabbage, cut side down, and brown for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss in the water and salt, cover and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Use as a base for lamb chops, roast chicken, any grilled or roasted protein with dripping juices.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Mother of Invention
This blog's title, The Mother of Invention, was inspired by my crazy diet, which is a mother of a grind to follow. But, by necessity, it has inspired me to create a mother of a repertoire in the kitchen. I seriously should be on the FoodNetwork show "Chopped". If anyone can take a basket of unrelated ingredients, such as burdock root, clams and coconut and turn it into an appetizer, it's me. So here's the rundown of my four day food rotation.
I love chili, so I love day 4.
Exciting challenge, isn't it? Since I never back down from a challenge, and, as I mentioned before, have always seen recipes as mild suggestions, and I really, really wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day, I invented the ever-popular PBJ. Without peanut butter. Without jelly. Without bread. Now this may sound like a stretch, but my brother can tell you I once re-invented the air conditioner with a cold shower and a standup fan. So friends, I bring you the...
Deconstructed PBJ
Make the lovely Chick Pea Flour Tortilla as directed in my previous post, using sunflower oil.
Coat it with a few tablespoons of unsweetened sunflower butter.
Roll it up like a jelly roll and slice it into rounds.
Fill a bowl with frozen organic sweet cherries.
Now, make the "perfect bite"... one round of tortilla with one cherry on your fork. Voila!
Day 1 I can have bison, lentils, yogurt, the soft cheeses, onion, garlic, winter squash, kale, blackberries, olive oil, bay leaf, and flax seeds.
Day 2 allows me chicken, anchovies, chick peas, goat cheese, avocado, lettuce, olives, swiss chard, hearts of palm, lemon, cherries, sesame, sunflower oil, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, and common (mint family) herbs.
Day 3 I get to have lamb or pork, yogurt, milk, cocoa, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, leeks, brussel sprouts, bok choy, blueberries, cranberries, coconut, olive oil, bay leaf, vanilla, wintergreen, and rosemary.
Day 4 includes turkey, beans, peppers, spinach, artichoke, burdock root, tomatoes, celery tomatillo, ground cherries, currants, gooseberries, canola oil, cumin, caraway, saffron and parsley.
Day 2 allows me chicken, anchovies, chick peas, goat cheese, avocado, lettuce, olives, swiss chard, hearts of palm, lemon, cherries, sesame, sunflower oil, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, and common (mint family) herbs.
Day 3 I get to have lamb or pork, yogurt, milk, cocoa, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, leeks, brussel sprouts, bok choy, blueberries, cranberries, coconut, olive oil, bay leaf, vanilla, wintergreen, and rosemary.
Day 4 includes turkey, beans, peppers, spinach, artichoke, burdock root, tomatoes, celery tomatillo, ground cherries, currants, gooseberries, canola oil, cumin, caraway, saffron and parsley.
I love chili, so I love day 4.
Exciting challenge, isn't it? Since I never back down from a challenge, and, as I mentioned before, have always seen recipes as mild suggestions, and I really, really wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day, I invented the ever-popular PBJ. Without peanut butter. Without jelly. Without bread. Now this may sound like a stretch, but my brother can tell you I once re-invented the air conditioner with a cold shower and a standup fan. So friends, I bring you the...
Deconstructed PBJ
Make the lovely Chick Pea Flour Tortilla as directed in my previous post, using sunflower oil.
Coat it with a few tablespoons of unsweetened sunflower butter.
Roll it up like a jelly roll and slice it into rounds.
Fill a bowl with frozen organic sweet cherries.
Now, make the "perfect bite"... one round of tortilla with one cherry on your fork. Voila!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Grilled Salad
You know you want to know what the hell a grilled salad is. First, I'll tell you what it's not. No zucchini, no asparagus, no grilled eggplant. You can add these things if you want to, but essentially it is made of lettuce. Grillable lettuce? Yes, grillable lettuce.
So when your mother calls you and asks "Have you eaten your greens today?" You can proudly say "Yes, mom, I at my greens. " Even if its 20 degrees with a wind chill of 8, you can have salad.
Grilled Salad
2 head of endive
1 small head of radicchio
1 head of hearty lettuce, like romaine
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly grated or sliced Parmesan cheese
Crunchy garnish. Might I suggest sesame seeds, unsweetened dried raspberries, or hemp hearts?
Slice the heads of endive, radicchio and lettuce lengthwise in quarters and do not core them. So you end up with four long pieces attached at the base for each head of greens. I know they aren't all green. I'm calling all of them "greens" for the purposes of this recipe.
Heat a good dollop of oil in a non-stick pan and sprinkle in some sea salt. Place the greens cut side down in the hot pan and saute for about 3 minutes per cut side.
Take all the greens out with tongs and immediately cut them crosswise into strips. Toss in a bowl with the pan drippings and healthy grating of parmesan cheese. You can add dressing, but if you oiled and salted the pan nicely, you won't need it. I sometimes drizzle a little more oil on top. Add your garnish now if you'd like. Serve warm or at room temperature as a lunch, a side dish, or under grilled chicken for dinner.
If you have leftovers, you can add them to any soup or stir-fry. They are especially good stirred into hot lentil soup at the last minute.
See? Now you can say, "Yes, mom, I ate my greens. "
So when your mother calls you and asks "Have you eaten your greens today?" You can proudly say "Yes, mom, I at my greens. " Even if its 20 degrees with a wind chill of 8, you can have salad.
Grilled Salad
2 head of endive
1 small head of radicchio
1 head of hearty lettuce, like romaine
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly grated or sliced Parmesan cheese
Crunchy garnish. Might I suggest sesame seeds, unsweetened dried raspberries, or hemp hearts?
Slice the heads of endive, radicchio and lettuce lengthwise in quarters and do not core them. So you end up with four long pieces attached at the base for each head of greens. I know they aren't all green. I'm calling all of them "greens" for the purposes of this recipe.
Heat a good dollop of oil in a non-stick pan and sprinkle in some sea salt. Place the greens cut side down in the hot pan and saute for about 3 minutes per cut side.
Take all the greens out with tongs and immediately cut them crosswise into strips. Toss in a bowl with the pan drippings and healthy grating of parmesan cheese. You can add dressing, but if you oiled and salted the pan nicely, you won't need it. I sometimes drizzle a little more oil on top. Add your garnish now if you'd like. Serve warm or at room temperature as a lunch, a side dish, or under grilled chicken for dinner.
If you have leftovers, you can add them to any soup or stir-fry. They are especially good stirred into hot lentil soup at the last minute.
See? Now you can say, "Yes, mom, I ate my greens. "
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Flax Seed, Schmax Seed
Aaaahh. Flax seed. The word connotes everything that is the opposite of comfort food. Doesn't fill the mouth with sultry smoothness. Doesn't leave hints of sweetness on the back of the tongue. Doesn't soothe the palate with a round, pleasing, fullness like mac-and-cheese or vanilla pudding or chocolate cake or shepherd's pie. No. Flax seed is wooden, and tasteless, and boardy and hard to chew. And I am falling in love with it.
The most unlikely-to-succeed-combination, based on the qualities lacking in flaxseed would be one in which the result does leave hints of sweetness and soothes the palate in a smooth disguise of comfort food. This combination is Hot Pumpkin "Cereal".
Hot Pumpkin Cereal with Ricotta and Flax Seed
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (from a can is fine)
pinch salt
2 Tbsp flax seed
Few dashes of cinnamon
sweetener to taste (I recommend 2 to 3 drops of orange flavored stevia extract or raw honey)
This hot cereal substitute takes about 5 minutes to make and would be worth taking longer, but it doesn't.
Whisk ricotta and water in a small saucepan til smooth. Whisk in pumpkin. Heat over medium heat til just steaming warm. Stir in pinch of salt, flax seed, cinnamon and whatever sweetener you choose--brown sugar, stevia, maple syrup, honey are all good.
Spoon it into a bowl. Sit down and watch the snow fall while you eat it.
This next recipe for flax seed crackers is all about the flax--woody, stiff, hard to chew, but if you want crackers and can't eat traditional grains or if you are on a low carb regime, the flavor is really good, if you can get past the texture.
Garlic and Parmesan Flax Seed Crackers
1 c. flax seed meal
1/3 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. water
Preheat the oven to 400. Mix all the dry ingredients to distribute them evenly. Then add the water to make what looks like dry mud with vegetation in it. Yum. Cut a piece of parchment to fit a flat cookie sheet. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment and cover it with waxed paper. Then roll it out with a rolling pin REALLY thin. Thinner than pie crust, and as even as possible. Score it with a pizza cutter to make a grid, so that after it bakes you can break it into crackers.
Pop it in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Let it cool completely and break the crackers apart. If the middle isn't quite crisp, you can pop them back in the oven to warm and dry them at 300 degrees.
The most unlikely-to-succeed-combination, based on the qualities lacking in flaxseed would be one in which the result does leave hints of sweetness and soothes the palate in a smooth disguise of comfort food. This combination is Hot Pumpkin "Cereal".
Hot Pumpkin Cereal with Ricotta and Flax Seed
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (from a can is fine)
pinch salt
2 Tbsp flax seed
Few dashes of cinnamon
sweetener to taste (I recommend 2 to 3 drops of orange flavored stevia extract or raw honey)
This hot cereal substitute takes about 5 minutes to make and would be worth taking longer, but it doesn't.
Whisk ricotta and water in a small saucepan til smooth. Whisk in pumpkin. Heat over medium heat til just steaming warm. Stir in pinch of salt, flax seed, cinnamon and whatever sweetener you choose--brown sugar, stevia, maple syrup, honey are all good.
Spoon it into a bowl. Sit down and watch the snow fall while you eat it.
This next recipe for flax seed crackers is all about the flax--woody, stiff, hard to chew, but if you want crackers and can't eat traditional grains or if you are on a low carb regime, the flavor is really good, if you can get past the texture.
Garlic and Parmesan Flax Seed Crackers
1 c. flax seed meal
1/3 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. water
Preheat the oven to 400. Mix all the dry ingredients to distribute them evenly. Then add the water to make what looks like dry mud with vegetation in it. Yum. Cut a piece of parchment to fit a flat cookie sheet. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment and cover it with waxed paper. Then roll it out with a rolling pin REALLY thin. Thinner than pie crust, and as even as possible. Score it with a pizza cutter to make a grid, so that after it bakes you can break it into crackers.
Pop it in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Let it cool completely and break the crackers apart. If the middle isn't quite crisp, you can pop them back in the oven to warm and dry them at 300 degrees.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Chick Pea Flour Contined (by way of Coconut Flour)
I have flour coming out of my ears. Okay, maybe not out of my ears, but off my Uggs and the cuffs of my jeans. And it has to be kept in the refrigerator. As if I don't already have enough unrecognizable containers of old leftovers in there. Now, I have to keep track of flour? Chick pea flour, black bean flour, flax seed meal, coconut flour... Oh, right, coconut flour.
Apparently coconut flour doesn't exactly "bind" like wheat flour or other flours you typically think of when cooking. My daughter is allergic to eggs, and I have made regular old pancakes for her a thousand times without using a single egg. Some wheat flour (yes, the regular white, bleached, enriched wheat flour), a little baking powder, salt, a little milk, melted butter, and a hot pan become pancakes. Stacks and stacks of them, in fact. So, why not do the same with coconut flour, right?
Since I can not eat eggs now, I decide to whip up some coconut flour pancakes. A little flour, a little baking powder, salt, a little milk...sounding familiar yet? I whisk, let it sit for a few minutes, get my pan lubed and nice and hot, and pour in the batter. Can't wait for the result. Now children, this is a life lesson for you, so listen up: Coconut flour pancakes aren't. This is the equivalent of pouring bechamel sauce into a hot pan and trying to flip it. These "pancakes" aren't browning; they aren't even cakes. They are reducing into some strange bubbling concoction of coconut. So I begin to stir, and stir, and Eureka! (I love Eureka moments). I realize that I am making Coconut Polenta!
So I stir until it is the consistency of cream of wheat. Slap it in a bowl and stir in some wild blueberries. This is better than pancakes folks. And a happy accident for breakfast keeps your belly full all morning.
Coconut Polenta
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup water
pinch of salt
1/2 cup wild blueberries
sweetener to taste (honey, stevia, whatever you like)
Whisk in 1/4 cup of the water to make a fine paste. When smooth, add the rest of the water and salt and continue whisking. The mixture will be very thin. Pour it into an oiled or buttered saucepan (nonstick preferably), and stir continuously over medium high heat until it reduces to the consistency of cream of wheat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetener and berries.
Eat!
Apparently coconut flour doesn't exactly "bind" like wheat flour or other flours you typically think of when cooking. My daughter is allergic to eggs, and I have made regular old pancakes for her a thousand times without using a single egg. Some wheat flour (yes, the regular white, bleached, enriched wheat flour), a little baking powder, salt, a little milk, melted butter, and a hot pan become pancakes. Stacks and stacks of them, in fact. So, why not do the same with coconut flour, right?
Since I can not eat eggs now, I decide to whip up some coconut flour pancakes. A little flour, a little baking powder, salt, a little milk...sounding familiar yet? I whisk, let it sit for a few minutes, get my pan lubed and nice and hot, and pour in the batter. Can't wait for the result. Now children, this is a life lesson for you, so listen up: Coconut flour pancakes aren't. This is the equivalent of pouring bechamel sauce into a hot pan and trying to flip it. These "pancakes" aren't browning; they aren't even cakes. They are reducing into some strange bubbling concoction of coconut. So I begin to stir, and stir, and Eureka! (I love Eureka moments). I realize that I am making Coconut Polenta!
So I stir until it is the consistency of cream of wheat. Slap it in a bowl and stir in some wild blueberries. This is better than pancakes folks. And a happy accident for breakfast keeps your belly full all morning.
Coconut Polenta
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup water
pinch of salt
1/2 cup wild blueberries
sweetener to taste (honey, stevia, whatever you like)
Whisk in 1/4 cup of the water to make a fine paste. When smooth, add the rest of the water and salt and continue whisking. The mixture will be very thin. Pour it into an oiled or buttered saucepan (nonstick preferably), and stir continuously over medium high heat until it reduces to the consistency of cream of wheat. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetener and berries.
Eat!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Chick Peas Galore!
So, I met with an actual dietitian this morning who is AMAZING. I have been on a very not-so-exciting doctor order diet (not diet as in weight loss--diet as in something is wrong with you that needs to be fixed). And for the last two years, it has been NO FUN! No bread, no pepper, no sugar, agave, maple syrup. And recently they've banned all the best root vegetables, for example potatoes, carrot, parsnips, beets, celeriac. I'm pretty much left with kohlrabi root. Oh joy! There's only so much bok choy and swiss chard one can eat, know what I mean? And I can't even drink to pass the time.
As a matter of fact, I'd say almost half of my friends have weird things they can't eat, or gut issues, or IBS, or hives, or whatever crazy ailments. You know who you are. Wouldn't it be great if just food could make it better? I know: I'm dreaming.
But enough about that, let's get to the good news....Chick Pea Flour and Coconut Flour! Let me tell you that I am absotively thrilled! I can't wait to start experimenting with chick pea tortillas, chick pea pizza, chick pea everything. 'Cause life without pizza pretty much bites.
Then we have coconut flour...You got your coconut flour biscuits, coconut flour muffins, coconut flour dutch babies, and so on. I am bloody well psyched to try these!
And because I am the sharing type of person I am, here are some untested recipes from me:
Chick Pea Flour Tortillas (Skillet Bread) from Bob's Red Mill
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 c. water
Whisk the flour, salt and water together to make a thin batter. Heat the pan and coat with olive oil. Pour the batter into the pan and roll it around to coat like a giant pancake. Cover and cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes, then turn the skillet bread. Coook another 5 minutes on the other side.
Chick Pea Flour Pizza
As a matter of fact, I'd say almost half of my friends have weird things they can't eat, or gut issues, or IBS, or hives, or whatever crazy ailments. You know who you are. Wouldn't it be great if just food could make it better? I know: I'm dreaming.
But enough about that, let's get to the good news....Chick Pea Flour and Coconut Flour! Let me tell you that I am absotively thrilled! I can't wait to start experimenting with chick pea tortillas, chick pea pizza, chick pea everything. 'Cause life without pizza pretty much bites.
Then we have coconut flour...You got your coconut flour biscuits, coconut flour muffins, coconut flour dutch babies, and so on. I am bloody well psyched to try these!
And because I am the sharing type of person I am, here are some untested recipes from me:
Chick Pea Flour Tortillas (Skillet Bread) from Bob's Red Mill
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 c. water
Whisk the flour, salt and water together to make a thin batter. Heat the pan and coat with olive oil. Pour the batter into the pan and roll it around to coat like a giant pancake. Cover and cook on medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes, then turn the skillet bread. Coook another 5 minutes on the other side.
Chick Pea Flour Pizza
2/3 cup chickpea flour
1/3 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
3 T Olive Oil
1/2 chopped tomato
1 T chopped onion
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the broiler. Add the salt to the chickpea flour to disperse evenly. Add 1/4 cup of the water and whisk to remove lumps and then mix until smooth. Whisk in the remaining water and let the batter stand for a half hour or so, then stir in the rosemary (or whatever herb you prefer--marjoram is good too).
Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a nonstick ovenproof pan. Stir the batter once, pour it into the skillet and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbls. of olive oil on top. Cook the pizza over moderately high heat until the bottom crisps and the top is almost set, about 2 minutes. If any big air bubbles show up, just pop them with a knife.
Sprinkle the tomato, onion, and cheese over the top, then place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the pizza is golden crisp, about 5 minutes. Take it out and eat!
Now repeat after me (in the style of a congo line). "I can't wait to eat this! I can't wait to eat this!"
Stay tuned for coconut flour muffins. I'll test these and my no-recipe meringues before I pass them along. Too much can go wrong with them.
1/3 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
3 T Olive Oil
1/2 chopped tomato
1 T chopped onion
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the broiler. Add the salt to the chickpea flour to disperse evenly. Add 1/4 cup of the water and whisk to remove lumps and then mix until smooth. Whisk in the remaining water and let the batter stand for a half hour or so, then stir in the rosemary (or whatever herb you prefer--marjoram is good too).
Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a nonstick ovenproof pan. Stir the batter once, pour it into the skillet and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbls. of olive oil on top. Cook the pizza over moderately high heat until the bottom crisps and the top is almost set, about 2 minutes. If any big air bubbles show up, just pop them with a knife.
Sprinkle the tomato, onion, and cheese over the top, then place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the pizza is golden crisp, about 5 minutes. Take it out and eat!
Now repeat after me (in the style of a congo line). "I can't wait to eat this! I can't wait to eat this!"
Stay tuned for coconut flour muffins. I'll test these and my no-recipe meringues before I pass them along. Too much can go wrong with them.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
So Easy It Doesn't Require a Recipe Warm Tomato and Bean Salad
This is single person food. You want to eat, you don't feel like cooking just for you, and you don't do frozen crap (at least not today).
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (or two medium tomatoes, diced)...hell you can used diced canned if it is winter time and the tomatoes suck!)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
a handful of whatever fresh herb you like...oregano, basil, or parsley
Heat the oil over med-low heat. Add the garlic and stir for a few minutes until you can REALLY smell it softening. Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat to med-high, cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Add the drained beans and throw in whatever herbs you like. As soon as it's heated through, take it off the heat.
Toss a little sea salt on top and eat standing up or watching a late night movie. This is enough for four people as a side dish, but only enough for one if you eat it standing up out of the pot.
Enjoy!
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (or two medium tomatoes, diced)...hell you can used diced canned if it is winter time and the tomatoes suck!)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
a handful of whatever fresh herb you like...oregano, basil, or parsley
Heat the oil over med-low heat. Add the garlic and stir for a few minutes until you can REALLY smell it softening. Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat to med-high, cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Add the drained beans and throw in whatever herbs you like. As soon as it's heated through, take it off the heat.
Toss a little sea salt on top and eat standing up or watching a late night movie. This is enough for four people as a side dish, but only enough for one if you eat it standing up out of the pot.
Enjoy!
Three Bean Turkey Chili
It's 12 degrees, its snowing, you're hungry and you don't feel like bundling up, shoveling, and dragging your butt to the grocery store. This is stuff you should absolutely have to make a quick yummy bite. (And I always have it in the pantry that my friends call the "bunker", cause I swear we could live off the stuff down there for a month). What can I say, I buy a ton of crap when it's on sale.
Here's what you do......
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 T chili powder
2 T cumin
1 can small red beans
1 can small white beans
1 can black beans
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, or crushed if you have them
salt to taste
romaine lettuce (optional)
avocados (optional)
shredded jack or cheddar cheese (optional)
Brown the turkey in a large lidded pot, stirring frequently. If you stir it, and do it over med-low heat, you don't need to add any oil or other fat. Add the chili and cumin, along with the onions and peppers and sweat them with the meat over low heat for 5 minutes. Quarter the tomatoes if using whole and add them along with the juice to pot. Drain the beans and toss them in. Cover the pot and let it sit over med low heat for 3o to 45 minutes. Salt to taste.
Now, if you are extra lucky, or if you planned ahead, you have a couple of avocados hanging out in your produce drawer, slice them up and allow 1/2 an avocado per person.
To serve, line individual soup or pasta dishes with bite-sized pieces of romaine, spoon the chili onto the lettuce and top with 1/2 sliced avocado and 2 T shredded jack. If you don't care about your waistline--put a heap of cheese instead and throw some sour cream on for good measure.
Eat!
Here's what you do......
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 T chili powder
2 T cumin
1 can small red beans
1 can small white beans
1 can black beans
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, or crushed if you have them
salt to taste
romaine lettuce (optional)
avocados (optional)
shredded jack or cheddar cheese (optional)
Brown the turkey in a large lidded pot, stirring frequently. If you stir it, and do it over med-low heat, you don't need to add any oil or other fat. Add the chili and cumin, along with the onions and peppers and sweat them with the meat over low heat for 5 minutes. Quarter the tomatoes if using whole and add them along with the juice to pot. Drain the beans and toss them in. Cover the pot and let it sit over med low heat for 3o to 45 minutes. Salt to taste.
Now, if you are extra lucky, or if you planned ahead, you have a couple of avocados hanging out in your produce drawer, slice them up and allow 1/2 an avocado per person.
To serve, line individual soup or pasta dishes with bite-sized pieces of romaine, spoon the chili onto the lettuce and top with 1/2 sliced avocado and 2 T shredded jack. If you don't care about your waistline--put a heap of cheese instead and throw some sour cream on for good measure.
Eat!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sweet Root Soup over Squash
olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic,diced
1 lb. carrots, sliced
1 lb. parsnips, sliced
2 small butternut or 4 delicata squash
butter
salt to taste
shredded parmesan cheese
Coat bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sweat until translucent. Then turn the heat up a little and add carrots and parsnips. When they start to brown just a little bit, add about 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Salt to taste.
In the meantime, prick the squash all over with a fork and microwave them. Time will vary--about 10 minutes each for butternut squash, about 4 for one delicata squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the peel. Put half a butternut squash in the bottom of a bowl, or two halves of a delicata squash. Ladle the soup over and top with a generous sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese.
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic,diced
1 lb. carrots, sliced
1 lb. parsnips, sliced
2 small butternut or 4 delicata squash
butter
salt to taste
shredded parmesan cheese
Coat bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sweat until translucent. Then turn the heat up a little and add carrots and parsnips. When they start to brown just a little bit, add about 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Salt to taste.
In the meantime, prick the squash all over with a fork and microwave them. Time will vary--about 10 minutes each for butternut squash, about 4 for one delicata squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the peel. Put half a butternut squash in the bottom of a bowl, or two halves of a delicata squash. Ladle the soup over and top with a generous sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese.
Black Bean Soup with Turnip and Lemon
1 lb. dried black beans
1 quart brother (I used chicken stock I had in the freezer--use what you like)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 turnip, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
about 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt
2 sliced lemons
Soak the beans overnight. Drain but reserve the water and add more water to make 2 quarts liquid. Put the beans and water back in the pot and bring to a boil. Cook about an hour.
Heat the broth separately to a boil and add it into the beans, along with all the diced veggies, sseasoning, tomatoes, but not the salt or lemon. Simmer for about another 2 hours. Taste and salt accordingly. You may need more salt if using homemade stock, less if using canned stock.
Cool just enough to puree half the soup. Then add back in and reheat. If you don't have time to cool it, just attack it with a potato masher to thicken it up.
To serve, put a slice or two of lemon in each bowl and ladle the soup over it.
Eat.
1 quart brother (I used chicken stock I had in the freezer--use what you like)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 turnip, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
about 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt
2 sliced lemons
Soak the beans overnight. Drain but reserve the water and add more water to make 2 quarts liquid. Put the beans and water back in the pot and bring to a boil. Cook about an hour.
Heat the broth separately to a boil and add it into the beans, along with all the diced veggies, sseasoning, tomatoes, but not the salt or lemon. Simmer for about another 2 hours. Taste and salt accordingly. You may need more salt if using homemade stock, less if using canned stock.
Cool just enough to puree half the soup. Then add back in and reheat. If you don't have time to cool it, just attack it with a potato masher to thicken it up.
To serve, put a slice or two of lemon in each bowl and ladle the soup over it.
Eat.
Ok..so this is my first entry. So many crazy things go on my kitchen, between failed experiments, both scientific, social and culinary. And many people ask me to share recipes....so here they are.
Every three weeks, I get a delivery of organic winter vegetables from Wolf Pine Farm in Maine. It has been a joy and a challenge to cook all of those little buggers before the next drop. Here's the latest endeavor: Black Bean Soup with Kohlrabi and lemon, except I decided to save the Kohlrabi, so It's actually Black Bean Soup with Turnip and Lemon. Hey! It's my recipe! I can change it midstream if I want to.
(Note: I have issues with recipes. They make great bathroom reading and they make great jumping off points. I never met a recipe I couldn't change just a little.)
Every three weeks, I get a delivery of organic winter vegetables from Wolf Pine Farm in Maine. It has been a joy and a challenge to cook all of those little buggers before the next drop. Here's the latest endeavor: Black Bean Soup with Kohlrabi and lemon, except I decided to save the Kohlrabi, so It's actually Black Bean Soup with Turnip and Lemon. Hey! It's my recipe! I can change it midstream if I want to.
(Note: I have issues with recipes. They make great bathroom reading and they make great jumping off points. I never met a recipe I couldn't change just a little.)
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