Plantains are fun little critters, but can sometimes be challenging to work with. In an un-ripened, green state they're firm, starchy and kind of potato tasting. In their ripened, yellow-brown state, they're soft and sweet, quite similar to a banana. The trick is getting them uniform. I'll usually buy a bunch of them when they're not ripe, then let them ripen as needed for the recipe. Unfortunately that means THEY get to dictate when they get used.
My son was intrigued when I started cooking, even though I've made this a few times before - he's just been at work and hasn't eaten it yet. He said, "I just can't see how all that stuff is going to go together, but it's a good experiment, I guess." I wasn't experimenting though - not exactly. I just had to adjust to leave out the tomatoes and garlic. The original recipe used tomato sauce, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and 2 or 3 cloves minced garlic. If you want an easier way of doing it, use the tomato stuff instead of the butternut squash.
You can do the plaintains one of two ways: you can fry them in coconut oil in a skillet, or bake them as I did. The first couple of times I fried them per the original recipe instructions. This time I tried baking them and, quite frankly, I can't tell a difference. Obviously if you bake them you are going to significantly lower the fat content.
Ingredients:
5 large ripe plantains
1 onion, diced
Drizzle olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
4 cups cooked, cubed butternut squash
1 roasted red bell pepper
2 T. apple cider vinegar
Hot water
1 can diced green chilis
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 T. chili powder
2-4 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (sub low-sodium soy sauce and use less)
1 tsp liquid smoke
2-4 T. Nutritional Yeast
Sea salt & fresh black pepper
8 T. liquid egg whites (or 3 whole eggs, beaten)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with foil and coat generously with cooking spray.
Cut ends off plantains, cut in half cross wise and each half length wise. Remove skins, and use a paring knife to slice off any brown spots. Use a sharp knife to cut strips of plantains by cutting each quarter in thirds lengthwise. Confused yet? :)
Arrange plantains on baking sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until soft and hot. Keep the oven on after removing plantains. Some plantains, particularly the less ripe ones, may come out crunchy. That's okay, just make sure they have plenty of sauce on them when you assemble the dish to soften them back up.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and fragrant. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. DO NOT DRAIN.
Combine squash, red bell pepper, vinegar and 1/4 cup hot water in a blender. Puree until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Pour squash mixture into pot with cooked turkey. Stir in chilis, rosemary, chili powder, Liquid Aminos, liquid smoke and salt & pepper. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir until heated through.
Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour 2 T. egg whites in the bottom. Arrange plantains in a single layer in the bottom of the pan, touching but not overlapping. Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture over top, followed by 2 T. egg whites. Smear the egg whites around on top of the meat as evenly as possible. Continue layering in this manner until all ingredients are used. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until eggs are set and dish is hot and bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Cut into 8 slices lasagna style and serve.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Pumpkin Monster Cookies
You know, you never realize how much you use your phone - rely on your phone - NEED your phone, until it dies. Mine took a big ol' crap today. Yep, said just a few expletives. I was already out on my lunch break, heading to Whole Paycheck to pick up a few specialty items when it happened. Luckily, I was able to make a U-turn and head to a T-Mobile store I had just passed. They're going to overnight a new phone to me, but in the meantime, I'm stuck with this old dinosaur that won't do crap. All my apps, all my pictures, all my contacts - GONE.
I mentioned apps, right? That means my beloved ChefTap app. More than 140 collected recipes are gone. I'm going to have to start collecting them again. BOOO!
I'm an emotional eater. I always have been. Fortunately for me, I packed a Monster Cookie for a snack today. My super healthy lunch left me feeling unsatisfied, and the Monster Cookie was what finally did the trick and made me not want to punch out the next person I saw.
So, as you can see, Monster Cookies save lives. I highly recommend you whip up a batch right away. I found this recipe on Busy But Healthy's website. They're not the greatest cookies I've ever tasted, but they had chocolate in them and that's what mattered. I'll sacrifice a little bit of the yumminess for something that's better for you.
Note: In the recipe I call for soy butter. You can use any type of nut butter, peanut butter is fine - most people have it in their cupboard. Almond butter, sun butter, cashew butter - use whatever you have.
Okay, let's make some cookies and save some lives.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
1/2 cup sucanat (or unpacked brown sugar)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup soy butter
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups oat flour (grind up oats in your blender)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole, old fashined oats
1/3 cup chocolate chips (or try carob)
M&Ms
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two large cookie sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients and sugars: pumpkin, sucanat, sugar, egg, vanilla, soy butter and apple sauce. Give it a good whipping with an electric mixer. Add oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and whip again until smooth. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfulls onto prepared parchment paper - I did mine about the size of golf balls. Stick 3 M&Ms on top of each cookie, pressing just firm enough so they stick. Bake for 15-16 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Once cool, store in an airtight container.
Note number 2: I didn't think these were very good AT ALL when they were warm. They had a funny taste to them. I suspect it was the soy butter, since it was the first time I had ever baked with it. Once they were cool and had been stored overnight, though, they were much tastier. It's still not a Nestle Toll House cookie, but it's good. So if you don't like them when they're warm, wait a bit before you give up on me. :) That being said, though, my teenage boys scarfed them down straight out of the oven. I guess I'm a little pickier than a teenage boy.
I mentioned apps, right? That means my beloved ChefTap app. More than 140 collected recipes are gone. I'm going to have to start collecting them again. BOOO!
I'm an emotional eater. I always have been. Fortunately for me, I packed a Monster Cookie for a snack today. My super healthy lunch left me feeling unsatisfied, and the Monster Cookie was what finally did the trick and made me not want to punch out the next person I saw.
So, as you can see, Monster Cookies save lives. I highly recommend you whip up a batch right away. I found this recipe on Busy But Healthy's website. They're not the greatest cookies I've ever tasted, but they had chocolate in them and that's what mattered. I'll sacrifice a little bit of the yumminess for something that's better for you.
Note: In the recipe I call for soy butter. You can use any type of nut butter, peanut butter is fine - most people have it in their cupboard. Almond butter, sun butter, cashew butter - use whatever you have.
Okay, let's make some cookies and save some lives.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
1/2 cup sucanat (or unpacked brown sugar)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup soy butter
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups oat flour (grind up oats in your blender)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole, old fashined oats
1/3 cup chocolate chips (or try carob)
M&Ms
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two large cookie sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients and sugars: pumpkin, sucanat, sugar, egg, vanilla, soy butter and apple sauce. Give it a good whipping with an electric mixer. Add oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and whip again until smooth. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfulls onto prepared parchment paper - I did mine about the size of golf balls. Stick 3 M&Ms on top of each cookie, pressing just firm enough so they stick. Bake for 15-16 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Once cool, store in an airtight container.
Note number 2: I didn't think these were very good AT ALL when they were warm. They had a funny taste to them. I suspect it was the soy butter, since it was the first time I had ever baked with it. Once they were cool and had been stored overnight, though, they were much tastier. It's still not a Nestle Toll House cookie, but it's good. So if you don't like them when they're warm, wait a bit before you give up on me. :) That being said, though, my teenage boys scarfed them down straight out of the oven. I guess I'm a little pickier than a teenage boy.
Hashbrown Casserole
My BF and I decided to be Jack and Sally for Halloween. I knew we'd never find a Sally Dress at a second hand store, and I just can't justify spending $40 or more for a flimsy little dress from a costume shop. I decided to get a similar shaped dress from a second hand store and just sew on the fabric swatches to make it look like Sally's.
Yes, mock all you like - I'm obviously better in the kitchen than in other "crafty" areas. I should have known it wouldn't work. After lots of explitives and unpicking, I finally acknowledged my limitations and admitted it wasn't working. I got online, hoping to find a pattern I could download.
Unfortunately, many other women have had the same problem I was having and there is no easy way to make a Sally Dress. I finally realized if I had any chance of making this work, I was going to have to make my own pattern like others had done. I started cutting out fabric swatches that were the same size as a nightgown I have that's Sally-shaped, used some Liquid Stitch, and I think I have something that might - MIGHT - come together. Right now I just have the front and back of the dress. We'll see what happens!
The moral of the story is that this took the better part of the day yesterday. After stopping to go to the fabric store for the Liquid Stitch, I realized how late it was getting and we needed dinner. My awesome BF didn't want me spending tons of time in the kitchen because he knew I was trying to get this dress done. He suggested this Hashbrown Casserole because it comes together fairly easily. He's the best ever. And I mean ever.
This recipe is loosly based on a casserole that used cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and loads of cheddar cheese.
Ingredients:
1/2 package frozen hashbrowns
1 package (about10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
Sprinkle Mrs. Dash (or all-purpose seasoning of choice)
Drizzle olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb ground turkey
2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
3 tsp granulated beef bullion
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
2-3 tsp liquid smoke
2-4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
Cold water
Sprinkle smoked paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread hash browns in an even layer and put in the oven. You're only thawing the hashbrowns, not cooking them, so there's not really a set time here. Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn while you continue with the rest of the recipe. Put frozen vegetables in a wire mesh strainer and run them under hot water. Set aside.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and onion and saute until slightly caramelized. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
While onion and turkey are cooking, proceed with the sauce. Put milk, beef granules, onion flakes, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and bring just to a simmer. Check for taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Combine arrowroot powder and a small amound of cold water, stir into sauce. Sauce should be just slightly thick.
Remove hash browns from oven (if you haven't already) and sprinkle generously with Mrs. Dash. Spread mixed vegetables over hash browns, and ground meat mixture over vegetables. Spread sauce over meat, making sure to cover everything. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Yes, mock all you like - I'm obviously better in the kitchen than in other "crafty" areas. I should have known it wouldn't work. After lots of explitives and unpicking, I finally acknowledged my limitations and admitted it wasn't working. I got online, hoping to find a pattern I could download.
Unfortunately, many other women have had the same problem I was having and there is no easy way to make a Sally Dress. I finally realized if I had any chance of making this work, I was going to have to make my own pattern like others had done. I started cutting out fabric swatches that were the same size as a nightgown I have that's Sally-shaped, used some Liquid Stitch, and I think I have something that might - MIGHT - come together. Right now I just have the front and back of the dress. We'll see what happens!
The moral of the story is that this took the better part of the day yesterday. After stopping to go to the fabric store for the Liquid Stitch, I realized how late it was getting and we needed dinner. My awesome BF didn't want me spending tons of time in the kitchen because he knew I was trying to get this dress done. He suggested this Hashbrown Casserole because it comes together fairly easily. He's the best ever. And I mean ever.
This recipe is loosly based on a casserole that used cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and loads of cheddar cheese.
Ingredients:
1/2 package frozen hashbrowns
1 package (about10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
Sprinkle Mrs. Dash (or all-purpose seasoning of choice)
Drizzle olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 lb ground turkey
2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
3 tsp granulated beef bullion
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
2-3 tsp liquid smoke
2-4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
Cold water
Sprinkle smoked paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread hash browns in an even layer and put in the oven. You're only thawing the hashbrowns, not cooking them, so there's not really a set time here. Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn while you continue with the rest of the recipe. Put frozen vegetables in a wire mesh strainer and run them under hot water. Set aside.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and onion and saute until slightly caramelized. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
While onion and turkey are cooking, proceed with the sauce. Put milk, beef granules, onion flakes, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and bring just to a simmer. Check for taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Combine arrowroot powder and a small amound of cold water, stir into sauce. Sauce should be just slightly thick.
Remove hash browns from oven (if you haven't already) and sprinkle generously with Mrs. Dash. Spread mixed vegetables over hash browns, and ground meat mixture over vegetables. Spread sauce over meat, making sure to cover everything. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Pumpkin Protein Pudding
I saw my cousin posting about chia seeds on a Facebook a while back. She was a health nut, so I figured if she was in to them, they were probably a really good thing. I just had a really hard time bringing myself to eat the same thing you spread on a terra cotta shaped turtle.
I started researching them, and there was nothing controversial about them at all. Some people put them in their water, others in their soups and cereals, and other people blended them in to a smoothie. The biggest draw for me was that they were supposed to satiate you while eating less. Seemed like it was worth a shot.
I started light - putting half a teaspoon of them in my oatmeal. They were crunchy, which I didn't like, but then I learned that if you let them sit, they soften and get kind of gooey like pomegranate seeds. They weren't too bad! I got to the point that I could hardly tell they were in my oatmeal at all. I still can't see myself putting them in my water, though. I have my limits.
When I came across a recipe for pumpkin protein pudding that had chia seeds in it, I was skeptical. It sounded tasty, but pudding with little seeds in it?
I'm sooo glad I tried it! This is seriously the yummiest thing ever. It tastes just like I imagine pumpkin tapioca pudding would taste. The original recipe makes two servings, but the next time I do it I'll split it in to three because it's just too much. I can't finish a whole serving. Besides, splitting it in to three puts me in a better calorie range. Yey!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Iso-100 Vanilla)
2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup chia seeds
Put all ingredients except chia seeds in a blender. Blend about a minute or until everything is smooth and combined.
Pour mixture into three serving jars - I used small mason jars with lids, but any container with a tight fitting lid will work. Split chia seeds between each, screw lids on and shake the crap out of them. Put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
I pulled them out every hour or so at first and shook them again to make sure none of the chia seeds were clumped together. I don't know if you need to do this, but I did.
BTW, don't panic when the original liquid for the pudding is really runny. Remember how I said chia seeds get mushy? They're soaking up liquid, so I promise after a few hours it will be a pudding-like consistency.
I started researching them, and there was nothing controversial about them at all. Some people put them in their water, others in their soups and cereals, and other people blended them in to a smoothie. The biggest draw for me was that they were supposed to satiate you while eating less. Seemed like it was worth a shot.
I started light - putting half a teaspoon of them in my oatmeal. They were crunchy, which I didn't like, but then I learned that if you let them sit, they soften and get kind of gooey like pomegranate seeds. They weren't too bad! I got to the point that I could hardly tell they were in my oatmeal at all. I still can't see myself putting them in my water, though. I have my limits.
When I came across a recipe for pumpkin protein pudding that had chia seeds in it, I was skeptical. It sounded tasty, but pudding with little seeds in it?
I'm sooo glad I tried it! This is seriously the yummiest thing ever. It tastes just like I imagine pumpkin tapioca pudding would taste. The original recipe makes two servings, but the next time I do it I'll split it in to three because it's just too much. I can't finish a whole serving. Besides, splitting it in to three puts me in a better calorie range. Yey!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Iso-100 Vanilla)
2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup chia seeds
Put all ingredients except chia seeds in a blender. Blend about a minute or until everything is smooth and combined.
Pour mixture into three serving jars - I used small mason jars with lids, but any container with a tight fitting lid will work. Split chia seeds between each, screw lids on and shake the crap out of them. Put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
I pulled them out every hour or so at first and shook them again to make sure none of the chia seeds were clumped together. I don't know if you need to do this, but I did.
BTW, don't panic when the original liquid for the pudding is really runny. Remember how I said chia seeds get mushy? They're soaking up liquid, so I promise after a few hours it will be a pudding-like consistency.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Orange Cream Smoothie
Generally speaking I'm not a big smoothie lover. They typically don't satisfy me and I'm hungry an hour later. The trick, though, is having a nice balance of fat, carbs and protein.
Yesterday was pretty much a nutritional fiasco. I did pretty well in the morning, but by lunch I had completely blown it. Not only was lunch bad, I got off work and had sushi. Now, sushi is not the worst thing you can eat by any stretch of the imagination, but it still has quite a few calories. Not good when you just scarfed down a hamburger and french fries for lunch.
After yesterday, I knew I needed to get back on track today. I planned out everything I would eat today and I'm in good shape. My schedule this morning was insane. I knew I wouldn't have time to eat breakfast until close to 11:00. So a smoothie it is.
Smoothies are great because you have endless possibilities. You can literally use almost anything you have on hand. Like I said, stick to a balance of healthy fat, carbs and protein.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 scoop protein powder (I use Iso-100 Vanilla)
1 whole orange, peeled and segmented
2 tbsp walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
4-6 ice cubes
Directions:
Put everything in a blender and blend. Duh. It's a smoothie. The trick, though, is blending it on high for a fairly long period of time so you get the oats nice and smooth. Chunks in your smoothie? No thank you.
I use less ice because I like my smoothies fairly runny. If you want it thicker like a Jamba Juice, just add more ice.
Here are some of my favorite smoothie variations:
Banana Peanut Butter Cup: 1/4 cup oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes. If you want it extra creamy, add a dallop or two of fat free plain Greek yogurt.
Razzleberry: 1/4 cup oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tbsp walnuts, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
Blueberry Graham Cracker: 2 tbsp Grape Nuts cereal, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tbsp walnuts, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
Pumpkin Pie: 2 tbsp Grape Nuts Cereal, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix), 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
You've heard of green smoothies, right? Just toss some fresh spinach or kale into any fruit smoothie. It will look green, but you won't taste the vegetables.
Yesterday was pretty much a nutritional fiasco. I did pretty well in the morning, but by lunch I had completely blown it. Not only was lunch bad, I got off work and had sushi. Now, sushi is not the worst thing you can eat by any stretch of the imagination, but it still has quite a few calories. Not good when you just scarfed down a hamburger and french fries for lunch.
After yesterday, I knew I needed to get back on track today. I planned out everything I would eat today and I'm in good shape. My schedule this morning was insane. I knew I wouldn't have time to eat breakfast until close to 11:00. So a smoothie it is.
Smoothies are great because you have endless possibilities. You can literally use almost anything you have on hand. Like I said, stick to a balance of healthy fat, carbs and protein.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 scoop protein powder (I use Iso-100 Vanilla)
1 whole orange, peeled and segmented
2 tbsp walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
4-6 ice cubes
Directions:
Put everything in a blender and blend. Duh. It's a smoothie. The trick, though, is blending it on high for a fairly long period of time so you get the oats nice and smooth. Chunks in your smoothie? No thank you.
I use less ice because I like my smoothies fairly runny. If you want it thicker like a Jamba Juice, just add more ice.
Here are some of my favorite smoothie variations:
Banana Peanut Butter Cup: 1/4 cup oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes. If you want it extra creamy, add a dallop or two of fat free plain Greek yogurt.
Razzleberry: 1/4 cup oats, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tbsp walnuts, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
Blueberry Graham Cracker: 2 tbsp Grape Nuts cereal, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tbsp walnuts, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
Pumpkin Pie: 2 tbsp Grape Nuts Cereal, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix), 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/2 cup almond milk, ice cubes.
You've heard of green smoothies, right? Just toss some fresh spinach or kale into any fruit smoothie. It will look green, but you won't taste the vegetables.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Crispy French Fries
Can I just say, having food allergies totally sucks. There weren't any leftovers from dinner last night, so I had to grab something from a restaurant for lunch. There's this Greek place around the corner that is so yummy, but everything - and I mean everything - has something I'm allergic to. The Gyro has dairy, their special had both garlic and tomatoes, the French onion soup had garlic, and even the fries have garlic in the seasoning. I'll take a plain burger, no garlic seasoning, and fries with no seasoning. Soooo healthy.
Ironically, burgers and fries are what we had for dinner last night. Shockingly, mine are healthier and taste better. Not to toot my own horn (toot toot toot), but my fries actually taste better than anything I've ever had at a fast food restaurant. At any restaurant, for that matter.
I have yet to find the ideal way to cut French fries. My brother got me a fry cutter for Christmas a year or two ago, but I beat it up fairly quickly because I used the devil right out of it. Then I tried using my shiny new mandolin, but it didn't work well, either. Cutting them by hand isn't ideal because I can't get them uniform and they don't cook well. The lesser of all the evils is probably the mandolin, though I have a story to tell.
The other day I was slicing onions on my mandolin. I don't use the plastic food holder thingy because it doesn't actually hold the food. I find it easier to just grip the onion or whatever at the top and run it down the blade, praying I don't catch my nails or a finger in the blade. My son says, "Mom, you know that isn't safe, right?" Yes, son, I know.
I do know. That's why this story is so retarded. Last night I'm slicing away, using the julienne setting to slice up my fries. The first slice or two works fairly well, but then I have to use a wooden spoon to force the potato the rest of the way through the slicer. Are you grimmacing yet? Yep, it happened. My hand slipped off the spoon and my finger hit the sharp blade. Luckily, it was just a nice, deep little poke, no severed fingers or anything like that.
Then, as I'm attempting to separate the frozen burgers, the butter knife I normally use to pry them apart isn't working. My brilliant little brain decides a sharp knife is a better alternative. Yep, I slipped, and got a nice little cut on the other side of the same finger. I was very lucky. I could have cut off the same finger twice. Safety first, people!
That being said, these fries really are worth the effort. I use Russet potatoes because right now they're about a third of the price of other potatoes, but Yukon Gold makes the best fries. Red potatoes are a close second if you can find them big enough.
Ingredients:
6-8 medium potatoes
Drizzle olive oil
Chili powder
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a very large or two medium-sized baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Cut fries as desired. I make mine shoestring size, but you can cut them bigger if you want. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time.
Put fries into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat lightly, and toss with tongs. Dump onto baking sheet in as close to a single layer as you can (a little overlap is okay). Sprinkle generously with chili powder and paprika, then sprinkle a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garlic powder is also delicious on these (just not for me, sad face).
Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven, coat fries lightly with cooking spray, and turn on broiler. Put fries under broiler for a few minutes until crispy. Watch them closely because they can burn easily. Serve hot and crispy.
Ironically, burgers and fries are what we had for dinner last night. Shockingly, mine are healthier and taste better. Not to toot my own horn (toot toot toot), but my fries actually taste better than anything I've ever had at a fast food restaurant. At any restaurant, for that matter.
I have yet to find the ideal way to cut French fries. My brother got me a fry cutter for Christmas a year or two ago, but I beat it up fairly quickly because I used the devil right out of it. Then I tried using my shiny new mandolin, but it didn't work well, either. Cutting them by hand isn't ideal because I can't get them uniform and they don't cook well. The lesser of all the evils is probably the mandolin, though I have a story to tell.
The other day I was slicing onions on my mandolin. I don't use the plastic food holder thingy because it doesn't actually hold the food. I find it easier to just grip the onion or whatever at the top and run it down the blade, praying I don't catch my nails or a finger in the blade. My son says, "Mom, you know that isn't safe, right?" Yes, son, I know.
I do know. That's why this story is so retarded. Last night I'm slicing away, using the julienne setting to slice up my fries. The first slice or two works fairly well, but then I have to use a wooden spoon to force the potato the rest of the way through the slicer. Are you grimmacing yet? Yep, it happened. My hand slipped off the spoon and my finger hit the sharp blade. Luckily, it was just a nice, deep little poke, no severed fingers or anything like that.
Then, as I'm attempting to separate the frozen burgers, the butter knife I normally use to pry them apart isn't working. My brilliant little brain decides a sharp knife is a better alternative. Yep, I slipped, and got a nice little cut on the other side of the same finger. I was very lucky. I could have cut off the same finger twice. Safety first, people!
That being said, these fries really are worth the effort. I use Russet potatoes because right now they're about a third of the price of other potatoes, but Yukon Gold makes the best fries. Red potatoes are a close second if you can find them big enough.
Ingredients:
6-8 medium potatoes
Drizzle olive oil
Chili powder
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a very large or two medium-sized baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Cut fries as desired. I make mine shoestring size, but you can cut them bigger if you want. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time.
Put fries into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat lightly, and toss with tongs. Dump onto baking sheet in as close to a single layer as you can (a little overlap is okay). Sprinkle generously with chili powder and paprika, then sprinkle a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garlic powder is also delicious on these (just not for me, sad face).
Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven, coat fries lightly with cooking spray, and turn on broiler. Put fries under broiler for a few minutes until crispy. Watch them closely because they can burn easily. Serve hot and crispy.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Orange Maple Chicken
Today was another one of those days (seems like it always is!). Got home from work and asked the question, "What's for dinner?" No one answered, so I was kinda on my own. I scrolled through the now 140 recipes on my ChefTap app and came up with squat. Part of the problem is that the only vegetables in the house were canned green beans, bell peppers and onions.
My son is on a weight loss mission with me. He's exercising regularly and using My Fitness Pal to track all of his foods. Preparing healthy, low-calorie, high protein meals is particularly important to me when he is at home. I make it a priority all of the time, but in an effort to support his mission of health, I'm particularly cognisant of it with him.
I hit up one of my favorite websites, Busy But Healthy, and started looking at Kristine's new posts. The thing I like most about her site is that she does gluten free recipes, and she doesn't mess around with all of those obscure ingredients often found in gluten free baking. She had just posted a new recipe (this one almost exactly) so I decided I'd give it a whirl. It looked simple (which was what I needed after a massive anxiety attack earlier in the day) and I had all of the ingredients. I modified it just a little.
When I surveyed the family to see how they liked it, the boys messed with me. "It's orange." Astute observation, boys. Well done. Overall got good reviews. The chicken came out a little dry, which disappointed me, but it had a good flavor!
**UPDATE**
I made this again with one slight adjustment: I lowered the oven temperature to 350 instead of 400. Perfect! The chicken came out juicy, delicious and not dry at all. I changed the temperature in the instructions. If you already have the recipe somewhere at 400 degrees, make a note of the change. :)
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, trimmed
2 oranges
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 onion
Directions:
Grate the zest from one of the oranges and juice both. Put in a large bowl and stir in maple syrup, nutmeg and ginger.
Use a fork to poke holes in the chicken breasts (this will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat deeper). Submerge the breasts in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate at least half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While chicken is marinating, slice onions very thin. I used my mandolin to get them even, but a knife will work just fine. Grease a 13x9 pan with cooking spray and arrange onions in a thin layer across the bottom.
Lay chicken on top of onions. Pour remaining marinade on top. Bake for fifteen minutes, flip over, and bake fifteen more or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with a little "juice" on top.
My son is on a weight loss mission with me. He's exercising regularly and using My Fitness Pal to track all of his foods. Preparing healthy, low-calorie, high protein meals is particularly important to me when he is at home. I make it a priority all of the time, but in an effort to support his mission of health, I'm particularly cognisant of it with him.
I hit up one of my favorite websites, Busy But Healthy, and started looking at Kristine's new posts. The thing I like most about her site is that she does gluten free recipes, and she doesn't mess around with all of those obscure ingredients often found in gluten free baking. She had just posted a new recipe (this one almost exactly) so I decided I'd give it a whirl. It looked simple (which was what I needed after a massive anxiety attack earlier in the day) and I had all of the ingredients. I modified it just a little.
When I surveyed the family to see how they liked it, the boys messed with me. "It's orange." Astute observation, boys. Well done. Overall got good reviews. The chicken came out a little dry, which disappointed me, but it had a good flavor!
**UPDATE**
I made this again with one slight adjustment: I lowered the oven temperature to 350 instead of 400. Perfect! The chicken came out juicy, delicious and not dry at all. I changed the temperature in the instructions. If you already have the recipe somewhere at 400 degrees, make a note of the change. :)
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, trimmed
2 oranges
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 onion
Directions:
Grate the zest from one of the oranges and juice both. Put in a large bowl and stir in maple syrup, nutmeg and ginger.
Use a fork to poke holes in the chicken breasts (this will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat deeper). Submerge the breasts in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate at least half an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While chicken is marinating, slice onions very thin. I used my mandolin to get them even, but a knife will work just fine. Grease a 13x9 pan with cooking spray and arrange onions in a thin layer across the bottom.
Lay chicken on top of onions. Pour remaining marinade on top. Bake for fifteen minutes, flip over, and bake fifteen more or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with a little "juice" on top.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Double post day! I was a little behind in posting this weekend, so today you get two. Lucky you!
I think I'm still in denial about my tomato allergy. I love tomatoes. Love them. Tomato sauce, salsa, fresh ripe tomatoes from the garden - just about anything tomato-ey is amazing. We're going to go with "I'm in denial" instead of "I'm as dense as a brick."
I found this recipe on a paleo website and I've been hanging on to it for a few weeks waiting to try it. My biggest challenge was that I had to do it on a weekend when I was home to baby-sit the crock pot. I work 10 plus hour days, so anything I put in the crock pot on a work day is going to wither and die before I get home to it. Finally I had the perfect opportunity to give this one a test drive. I had a half an hour before I was leaving to go to a birthday party, and I wanted dinner quick when we got home so I could sit down and enjoy the Denver Broncos play on Sunday Night Football. The game was a joke, so I'm just glad the chicken turned out.
So I'm kind of in a hurry, working on a new recipe I've never tried before, trying to get it all together in time to go. I get my onion carmelized, chicken breasts split, and I'm starting to stuff them. My oldest son is watching in amazement: "That is an ingenious idea!" he exclaims. Then, as I'm adding the sundried tomatoes to the first breast, he says, "Mom, is that a good idea?" I'm perplexed. "What do you mean? I think it sounds good." He looks at me with that teenage 'duh' face and says, "The tomatoes. I thought you can't eat those." See what I mean about being in denial? I was sooo excited about this recipe, and I don't even get to eat the sundried tomatoes in mine. Sad face! At least he caught me before I stuffed them all.
I think I'm going to try this again sometime but put it in the oven. The chicken still got a little over done, so it was a tad on the dry side, but it sure was flavorful. I would make it again as is, for sure, but I'm going to keep working on it.
Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts
4 tbsp marinated sundried tomatoes
1/2 roasted red pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
Drizzle olive oil
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup hot chicken broth
Trim chicken breasts of any visible fat. Using a very sharp knife, cut a "pocket" in the breast lengthwise. Some recipes say not to make the pocket too big. I say, "pshaw!" The pocket is going to hold all the little bits of goodness, so I make it as big as I can.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until they are caramelized. Remove from heat.
Arrange chicken breasts in crock pot (or baking dish if you want to try cooking them in the oven). Stuff the centers with sundried tomatoes, roasted red pepper and onion, distributing evenly between the four pieces. Pour broth over chicken breasts, then sprinkle with sage, oregano and basil. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours. If baking, I would go 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until no longer pink.
Serve with a steamed vegetable. Okay, I'll be honest, we had microwaved baked potatoes. But I had to get it on the table quick - the Broncos were playing!
I think I'm still in denial about my tomato allergy. I love tomatoes. Love them. Tomato sauce, salsa, fresh ripe tomatoes from the garden - just about anything tomato-ey is amazing. We're going to go with "I'm in denial" instead of "I'm as dense as a brick."
I found this recipe on a paleo website and I've been hanging on to it for a few weeks waiting to try it. My biggest challenge was that I had to do it on a weekend when I was home to baby-sit the crock pot. I work 10 plus hour days, so anything I put in the crock pot on a work day is going to wither and die before I get home to it. Finally I had the perfect opportunity to give this one a test drive. I had a half an hour before I was leaving to go to a birthday party, and I wanted dinner quick when we got home so I could sit down and enjoy the Denver Broncos play on Sunday Night Football. The game was a joke, so I'm just glad the chicken turned out.
So I'm kind of in a hurry, working on a new recipe I've never tried before, trying to get it all together in time to go. I get my onion carmelized, chicken breasts split, and I'm starting to stuff them. My oldest son is watching in amazement: "That is an ingenious idea!" he exclaims. Then, as I'm adding the sundried tomatoes to the first breast, he says, "Mom, is that a good idea?" I'm perplexed. "What do you mean? I think it sounds good." He looks at me with that teenage 'duh' face and says, "The tomatoes. I thought you can't eat those." See what I mean about being in denial? I was sooo excited about this recipe, and I don't even get to eat the sundried tomatoes in mine. Sad face! At least he caught me before I stuffed them all.
I think I'm going to try this again sometime but put it in the oven. The chicken still got a little over done, so it was a tad on the dry side, but it sure was flavorful. I would make it again as is, for sure, but I'm going to keep working on it.
Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts
4 tbsp marinated sundried tomatoes
1/2 roasted red pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
Drizzle olive oil
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup hot chicken broth
Trim chicken breasts of any visible fat. Using a very sharp knife, cut a "pocket" in the breast lengthwise. Some recipes say not to make the pocket too big. I say, "pshaw!" The pocket is going to hold all the little bits of goodness, so I make it as big as I can.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until they are caramelized. Remove from heat.
Arrange chicken breasts in crock pot (or baking dish if you want to try cooking them in the oven). Stuff the centers with sundried tomatoes, roasted red pepper and onion, distributing evenly between the four pieces. Pour broth over chicken breasts, then sprinkle with sage, oregano and basil. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours. If baking, I would go 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until no longer pink.
Serve with a steamed vegetable. Okay, I'll be honest, we had microwaved baked potatoes. But I had to get it on the table quick - the Broncos were playing!
Chicken Alfredo
Proud Mommy Moment: My son is trying to eat healthier and lose weight. He isn't doing a stellar job of exercising regularly, but hey, who of us does? He lost about 2 pounds in a week, which he credits largely to making better food choices. So proud of him!
One of his favorite guilty pleasures has always been Alfredo Anything. Obviously, Alfredo sauce is far from healthy. All that heavy cream and butter - no bueno. A couple of years ago I came across a recipe for Alfredo that was made from almonds and tofu. It was super yum. But when we had to take nuts out of the recipe rotation, that meant no more Alfredo. Sad face.
Then it occurred to me that there are a number of Paleo recipes that call for cashews when making something "creamy." I based this version loosely on a recipe I found on a Cross Fit site in some other state. The original recipe had far too many cashews. The sauce was heavy, extremely calorie dense and, quite frankly, not much better for you than the "real thing" (when considering calories per serving). I had a basic idea of what to start with, so I just went with it and came up with something yummy.
A couple of nights ago my son called and said he had been asked to stay at work to close instead of getting off early enough to come home for dinner. Instead of eating fast food for dinner like he would have before, he asked if I'd bring him dinner. Another Proud Mommy Moment! I'd already been craving this Chicken Alfredo for a few days, so I decided to reward his responsible choice with one of his favorite recipes.
I forgot to take a picture again. Sorry! I'll get it next time.
Disclaimer: I often don't measure things, just eyeball them. In this recipe, though, there is a lot of "adjusting" on the seasonings. I just keep throwing in more of this or that until it tastes right. The sauce is fairly mild, so feel free to keep adding stuff until it tastes good to you. I actually measured stuff the last time, so this will get you in the ball park.
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
4 large chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced thin
Drizzle olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cashews
1-2 cups (or more) milk of choice - I use unsweetened soy
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp rosemary
2-4 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but you will need less)
2-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
Chopped green onions (for garnish)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour about an inch of water in the bottom to prevent burning. Drizzle olive oil over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender (but not mushy).
Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and set aside. Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute until starting to caramelize.
While onion is cooking, put cashews in a blender. Process on medium-low until a soft flour forms. Turn off the blender and scrape around the bottom and sides to break up any lumps that are forming.
When onion is caramelized, add to blender with cashews and the milk (start with one cup), nutmeg, ground pepper, salt, liquid smoke, rosemary and Bragg's. Puree on high speed until creamy. Check consistency. You want it fairly thin because it will thicken when you heat it. Add more milk as needed. Add nutritional yeast and pulse a few times to combine. Then, adjust seasonings if necessary.
Note: any added milk, particularly soy milk, will mute the flavors of your seasonings. This is why you want the consistency right before you start checking for taste. Proceed.
Drizzle a little more olive oil in the same pot and add the diced bell pepper. Saute until the skins start to brown. Remove from pot. Drizzle in a little more olive oil, add chicken, and saute until cooked through.
The chicken will yield some liquid, but don't dump it. Add the bell pepper and sauce to the chicken and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. Stir continuously until heated through. Watch it close - it will burn easily. If it thickens up too much you can add a little more milk, just remember what I said about the seasonings.
When spaghetti squash is finished baking, shred with a fork. Serve sauce on top of squash and garnish with green onions.
One of his favorite guilty pleasures has always been Alfredo Anything. Obviously, Alfredo sauce is far from healthy. All that heavy cream and butter - no bueno. A couple of years ago I came across a recipe for Alfredo that was made from almonds and tofu. It was super yum. But when we had to take nuts out of the recipe rotation, that meant no more Alfredo. Sad face.
Then it occurred to me that there are a number of Paleo recipes that call for cashews when making something "creamy." I based this version loosely on a recipe I found on a Cross Fit site in some other state. The original recipe had far too many cashews. The sauce was heavy, extremely calorie dense and, quite frankly, not much better for you than the "real thing" (when considering calories per serving). I had a basic idea of what to start with, so I just went with it and came up with something yummy.
A couple of nights ago my son called and said he had been asked to stay at work to close instead of getting off early enough to come home for dinner. Instead of eating fast food for dinner like he would have before, he asked if I'd bring him dinner. Another Proud Mommy Moment! I'd already been craving this Chicken Alfredo for a few days, so I decided to reward his responsible choice with one of his favorite recipes.
I forgot to take a picture again. Sorry! I'll get it next time.
Disclaimer: I often don't measure things, just eyeball them. In this recipe, though, there is a lot of "adjusting" on the seasonings. I just keep throwing in more of this or that until it tastes right. The sauce is fairly mild, so feel free to keep adding stuff until it tastes good to you. I actually measured stuff the last time, so this will get you in the ball park.
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
4 large chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced thin
Drizzle olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cashews
1-2 cups (or more) milk of choice - I use unsweetened soy
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp rosemary
2-4 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but you will need less)
2-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
Chopped green onions (for garnish)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour about an inch of water in the bottom to prevent burning. Drizzle olive oil over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender (but not mushy).
Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and set aside. Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute until starting to caramelize.
While onion is cooking, put cashews in a blender. Process on medium-low until a soft flour forms. Turn off the blender and scrape around the bottom and sides to break up any lumps that are forming.
When onion is caramelized, add to blender with cashews and the milk (start with one cup), nutmeg, ground pepper, salt, liquid smoke, rosemary and Bragg's. Puree on high speed until creamy. Check consistency. You want it fairly thin because it will thicken when you heat it. Add more milk as needed. Add nutritional yeast and pulse a few times to combine. Then, adjust seasonings if necessary.
Note: any added milk, particularly soy milk, will mute the flavors of your seasonings. This is why you want the consistency right before you start checking for taste. Proceed.
Drizzle a little more olive oil in the same pot and add the diced bell pepper. Saute until the skins start to brown. Remove from pot. Drizzle in a little more olive oil, add chicken, and saute until cooked through.
The chicken will yield some liquid, but don't dump it. Add the bell pepper and sauce to the chicken and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. Stir continuously until heated through. Watch it close - it will burn easily. If it thickens up too much you can add a little more milk, just remember what I said about the seasonings.
When spaghetti squash is finished baking, shred with a fork. Serve sauce on top of squash and garnish with green onions.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Coconut Crusted Chicken
I can't remember how I came across this recipe or when I started making it, but it's definitely a treat in our house. It's a tad time consuming, so I usually do it on a night when I don't have a lot going on. It's not too bad if you use chicken tenders instead of split chicken breasts. Tonight my BF was working and I'd already had some success making my waffle fries so I figured I'd take advantage of the forward kitchen momentum.
These are really good with the jalapeno dipping sauce. I can't handle too much spice, so I generally just dot the sauce on my chicken and call it good. But my BF loves the spicy, so I always make the jalapeno sauce when I'm cooking these so he can dip and dunk to his heart's content. In my picture, you can see how I just dribbled the sauce on top. That's all I need.
I used to make this recipe with granulated garlic, so feel free to add it if you like it. Unfortunately it's off limits for me now. Sad face. With the unsweetened coconut there's not a ton of flavor in the chicken itself. If you don't like spicy jalapeno sauce, I would recommend serving it along side some type of sauce. Maybe some crushed pineapple with some ginger and sea salt, something like that.
I forgot to get a pic last night (d'oh!), so this is a picture of my leftovers. It's not an awesome representation of the dish, but you get the idea. By the way, my son says I need a better camera to take pictures of my food instead of my camera phone. Maybe someone will buy me one for Christmas!
Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenders (using tenders instead of breasts significantly cuts down on prep time, but you can use split breasts and slice it up if you like)
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Put egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and toss the chicken tenders in. Use some tongs to mix together until all the chicken is evenly coated.
Mix coconut, coriander and salt (and garlic, if using) in a shallow dish. Take one tender at a time and dredge it in the coconut mixture, coating all the sides. Put it on the baking sheet and continue until all tenders are coated. Sprinkle a little more coriander on top. Slip it into the hot oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Serve with jalapeno sauce (recipe below).
2 jalapenos, stems removed (retain seeds for extra heat)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp arrowroot powder
Cold water
Put all ingredients except arrowroot and cold water in a blender. Process on low speed about a minute until jalapenos are chopped up but a few little chunks remain. Pour entire batch in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Combine arrowroot and just a little cold water, stirring until no lumps remain. Add to sauce and sure just until thickened. Serve hot.
These are really good with the jalapeno dipping sauce. I can't handle too much spice, so I generally just dot the sauce on my chicken and call it good. But my BF loves the spicy, so I always make the jalapeno sauce when I'm cooking these so he can dip and dunk to his heart's content. In my picture, you can see how I just dribbled the sauce on top. That's all I need.
I used to make this recipe with granulated garlic, so feel free to add it if you like it. Unfortunately it's off limits for me now. Sad face. With the unsweetened coconut there's not a ton of flavor in the chicken itself. If you don't like spicy jalapeno sauce, I would recommend serving it along side some type of sauce. Maybe some crushed pineapple with some ginger and sea salt, something like that.
I forgot to get a pic last night (d'oh!), so this is a picture of my leftovers. It's not an awesome representation of the dish, but you get the idea. By the way, my son says I need a better camera to take pictures of my food instead of my camera phone. Maybe someone will buy me one for Christmas!
Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenders (using tenders instead of breasts significantly cuts down on prep time, but you can use split breasts and slice it up if you like)
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Put egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and toss the chicken tenders in. Use some tongs to mix together until all the chicken is evenly coated.
Mix coconut, coriander and salt (and garlic, if using) in a shallow dish. Take one tender at a time and dredge it in the coconut mixture, coating all the sides. Put it on the baking sheet and continue until all tenders are coated. Sprinkle a little more coriander on top. Slip it into the hot oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Serve with jalapeno sauce (recipe below).
2 jalapenos, stems removed (retain seeds for extra heat)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp arrowroot powder
Cold water
Put all ingredients except arrowroot and cold water in a blender. Process on low speed about a minute until jalapenos are chopped up but a few little chunks remain. Pour entire batch in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Combine arrowroot and just a little cold water, stirring until no lumps remain. Add to sauce and sure just until thickened. Serve hot.
Waffle Fries
I've mentioned before that the question "What's for dinner?" is all too common at my house. When we can't come up with something quickly, my teenage son's solution is usually pizza or Chick-Fil-A. Pizza is out on soooo many levels (garlic, gluten, cheese and tomatoes), and the only remotely low-calorie item on the Chick-Fil-A menu is the grilled chicken sandwich. But if I'm going to Chick-Fil-A, you can bet your money maker I'm getting the waffle fries.
Waffle fries are just so tasty! The problem is, of course, the fat and calories. You are definitely not going to get (or stay) thin munching down on that crap all the time.
My older son bought "me" a mandolin as a way of saying thank you for everything I'd done for him this summer. Personally, I think it was a slightly self-serving gesture. He's taking a cooking class at school and wanted to use the mandolin himself. Hey, it's cool, I still got a mandolin out of it and since it's a gift for me, he won't be taking it with him when he moves out.
I'm not a big fan of recipes that require special equipment (says the girl who covets her BlendTec). That being said, though, these fries were just too good not to post. They're obviously going to be thinner than those made at Chick-Fil-A, but because they're baked with no oil (just cooking spray), they taste that much better. Besides, I can season them how I want, and you can bet your sweet bee-hind I'm throwing some chili powder on these puppies.
Because I was doing this in my own little head, it took a few rounds of trial and error before we got them just right. Some were too salty (Hello, water!), others turned out more like potato chips (heeey, there's an idea!). The nice thing about potatoes is they're fairly cheap, so I didn't mind experimenting. Four potatoes in and we had a winner.
Ingredients:
4-6 potatoes, depending on number of fries you want
Cooking spray
Salt, chili powder or other seasonings as desired
Preheat the broiler. Line the largest cookie sheet you have with foil and spray with cooking spray. Simply use the waffle setting on the mandolin to slice the potato, rotating the potato 90 degrees each time you slice it. I recommend slicing only enough potatoes to fill the cookie sheet or else the potatoes will get discolored. Oxidation or some crap like that.
Arrange the potatoes on the cookie sheet and try not to let them touch. Trust me on this one, they stick together and get pretty tricky to flip. Sprinkle on seasonings, but go light. Remember, these are super thin so don't overdo it. Broil for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, flip with tongs, and broil another 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Remove from pan with a spatula and eat while hot. Or, if you can stand waiting, cover with foil to keep them warm until the whole batch is done.
Waffle fries are just so tasty! The problem is, of course, the fat and calories. You are definitely not going to get (or stay) thin munching down on that crap all the time.
My older son bought "me" a mandolin as a way of saying thank you for everything I'd done for him this summer. Personally, I think it was a slightly self-serving gesture. He's taking a cooking class at school and wanted to use the mandolin himself. Hey, it's cool, I still got a mandolin out of it and since it's a gift for me, he won't be taking it with him when he moves out.
I'm not a big fan of recipes that require special equipment (says the girl who covets her BlendTec). That being said, though, these fries were just too good not to post. They're obviously going to be thinner than those made at Chick-Fil-A, but because they're baked with no oil (just cooking spray), they taste that much better. Besides, I can season them how I want, and you can bet your sweet bee-hind I'm throwing some chili powder on these puppies.
Because I was doing this in my own little head, it took a few rounds of trial and error before we got them just right. Some were too salty (Hello, water!), others turned out more like potato chips (heeey, there's an idea!). The nice thing about potatoes is they're fairly cheap, so I didn't mind experimenting. Four potatoes in and we had a winner.
Ingredients:
4-6 potatoes, depending on number of fries you want
Cooking spray
Salt, chili powder or other seasonings as desired
Preheat the broiler. Line the largest cookie sheet you have with foil and spray with cooking spray. Simply use the waffle setting on the mandolin to slice the potato, rotating the potato 90 degrees each time you slice it. I recommend slicing only enough potatoes to fill the cookie sheet or else the potatoes will get discolored. Oxidation or some crap like that.
Arrange the potatoes on the cookie sheet and try not to let them touch. Trust me on this one, they stick together and get pretty tricky to flip. Sprinkle on seasonings, but go light. Remember, these are super thin so don't overdo it. Broil for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, flip with tongs, and broil another 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Remove from pan with a spatula and eat while hot. Or, if you can stand waiting, cover with foil to keep them warm until the whole batch is done.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Throw Sh*t in a Pot
I just can't think of a good name for this recipe. This is one I came up with all on my own. You'd think with over 130 recipes in my ChefTap app we wouldn't have to ask the question, "What's for dinner?" But we do. Almost every day. Maybe it's a problem of too many choices, who knows.
I came up with this one night when I was attempting to replicate some type of Stroganoff. I just started digging through the refrigerator, pulling out what I could find and hoping it went together. I grimaced as I called everyone to dinner, hoping it wasn't a colossal failure.
As my BF was eating it, he said, "What is this?" I told him, "I call this Throw Sh*t in a Pot, because that's exactly what I did." He replied, "So you don't have a recipe for it?" No, I didn't. I figured these questions were leading up to some sort of hint that I should never put these particular ingredients together again. He has never, ever complained about anything I've made, so it's difficult to tell if he doesn't care for something. My kids, on the other hand... there's no guessing what's on their minds. But I digress.
He finally said, "Well, did you write it down? Because this is amazing!" I immediately pulled out my phone and started jotting down the concoction I had just created.
Because I had literally just "thrown sh*t in a pot," I wasn't sure how much of each seasoning I put in. The great thing about it, though, is that it's cooking, not baking, so it doesn't have to be exact. The measurements in the recipe will get you close, but you will definitely want to adjust for taste.
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Drizzle olive oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp beef bullion granules
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
15 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp arrowroot powder
Directions:
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and pepper. Saute until soft and just starting to brown. Add ground turkey and stir to break it up.
Add the remaining ingredients, from beef bullion granules through salt & pepper, stirring to combine. Continue cooking and stirring until the turkey is cooked through, then check for taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. When you have it tasting almost right, stir in the Nutritional Yeast. Note, this is not yeast in the traditional sense. It's inactive, so it's not the kind of thing that will make bread rise. Nutritional Yeast is high in Vitamin B12, and adds almost a cheesy depth to dishes. It's optional, but I highly recommend using it. Check again for taste, adjusting if needed.
Stir together arrowroot powder and a small amount of cold water until no lumps remain. Stir into turkey mixture. It will thicken slightly. If not thick enough, use additional arrowroot. Keep in mind, though, arrowroot thickens more quickly than corn starch, so don't overdo it or you'll have a gelatinous blob on your hands. I speak from experience.
Serve over brown rice or zucchini noodles.
Ah, zucchini noodles. Perhaps the garden's most amazing gift. To make them, simply shred a couple of medium-sized zucchini with the large holes in a cheese grater at a 45 degree angle. Heat a little coconut oil (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat, dump in the squash, season with salt and pepper, and stir until they are warmed all the way through. Zucchini cooks quickly and you don't want it mushy, so watch it close. Zucchini noodles are a great base for all sorts of yummy recipes.
I came up with this one night when I was attempting to replicate some type of Stroganoff. I just started digging through the refrigerator, pulling out what I could find and hoping it went together. I grimaced as I called everyone to dinner, hoping it wasn't a colossal failure.
As my BF was eating it, he said, "What is this?" I told him, "I call this Throw Sh*t in a Pot, because that's exactly what I did." He replied, "So you don't have a recipe for it?" No, I didn't. I figured these questions were leading up to some sort of hint that I should never put these particular ingredients together again. He has never, ever complained about anything I've made, so it's difficult to tell if he doesn't care for something. My kids, on the other hand... there's no guessing what's on their minds. But I digress.
He finally said, "Well, did you write it down? Because this is amazing!" I immediately pulled out my phone and started jotting down the concoction I had just created.
Because I had literally just "thrown sh*t in a pot," I wasn't sure how much of each seasoning I put in. The great thing about it, though, is that it's cooking, not baking, so it doesn't have to be exact. The measurements in the recipe will get you close, but you will definitely want to adjust for taste.
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Drizzle olive oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp beef bullion granules
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
15 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp arrowroot powder
Directions:
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and pepper. Saute until soft and just starting to brown. Add ground turkey and stir to break it up.
Add the remaining ingredients, from beef bullion granules through salt & pepper, stirring to combine. Continue cooking and stirring until the turkey is cooked through, then check for taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. When you have it tasting almost right, stir in the Nutritional Yeast. Note, this is not yeast in the traditional sense. It's inactive, so it's not the kind of thing that will make bread rise. Nutritional Yeast is high in Vitamin B12, and adds almost a cheesy depth to dishes. It's optional, but I highly recommend using it. Check again for taste, adjusting if needed.
Stir together arrowroot powder and a small amount of cold water until no lumps remain. Stir into turkey mixture. It will thicken slightly. If not thick enough, use additional arrowroot. Keep in mind, though, arrowroot thickens more quickly than corn starch, so don't overdo it or you'll have a gelatinous blob on your hands. I speak from experience.
Serve over brown rice or zucchini noodles.
Ah, zucchini noodles. Perhaps the garden's most amazing gift. To make them, simply shred a couple of medium-sized zucchini with the large holes in a cheese grater at a 45 degree angle. Heat a little coconut oil (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat, dump in the squash, season with salt and pepper, and stir until they are warmed all the way through. Zucchini cooks quickly and you don't want it mushy, so watch it close. Zucchini noodles are a great base for all sorts of yummy recipes.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Pumpkin Scones
Ah, scones. I'm not a huge fan of scones, generally speaking, unless they're the fluffy deep fried bread variety. The bottom line: they just weren't good enough to justify the calories. The original recipe for these scones touted that they were a healthier version of the Starbucks Pumpkin Scones. Seemed like it was worth a try, right?
It was quite an adventure making these, complete with a variety of increasingly intense expletives. Rather than giving you the original recipe, I'm going to tell you what works so that you don't have to fill your children's ears with the same lovely words I did.
First, I'll tell you how my morning went. Started going to Sprouts Farmers Market to pick up a few of their ad items. Every person in the store was on their own time schedule, graciously blocking each aisle with their shopping carts so no one else could fit on the same aisle. After surviving Sprouts, I went to Smith's, hoping to find a pastry cutter. I'm shocked I don't have one yet, but I don't. I've always avoided recipes that required one because, frankly, I think it just takes too much time. Smith's didn't have a pastry cutter. WTH? Then the dairy department is sold out of unsalted butter and there's not an employee in sight to look in the back. Insert first round of expletives.
I already had pumpkin scones on the brain and I didn't feel like stopping at yet another store. I decided to try the "alternate" method of cutting the butter with two knives. Hey, what's the worst that could happen? By the way, I think asking this question has a similar result to one who says, "I'll be right back" in a horror film.
Well, as it turns out, cutting butter into dry ingredients with two knives is the biggest pain in the you know what ever, so I promise you right now I will never ask you to do it. The second round of expletives came about this time. I thought, maybe I can cut the butter by pulsing it in my food processor. That might have worked, except that I dropped my food processor, breaking it beyond repair. You can imagine the fun words coming out of my mouth at this point. My kids left the room.
I went back to the knife method, thinking maybe I could cut the butter fast enough because of my fabulous mood. Nope. I finally gave up, pulled out my electric mixer, and just whipped the s**t until the butter was mostly broken up. Mostly.
On top of all this, the dough was completely unworkable, smooshed into piles of mush when I tried to put the supposed rectangles on the cookie sheet, and stuck to everything it touched. I almost scrapped the whole batch, but decided that because the batter tasted soooo yummy, I wasn't ready to give up just yet. I just got my hands wet and sort of "molded" something resembling a triangle on the parchment paper.
To my astonishment, they turned out amazingly. Including the topping, they came up at 239 calories, far better than anything you're going to get from Starbucks. And in my humble yet correct opinion, they are so much yummier!
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
3 Tbsp milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
5 Tbsp cold butter
For the glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
4 tsp milk of choice, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp each: cloves, ginger and nutmeg
Preheat oven to 425.
Put oats in a blender and whir on high speed until you get a fine powder. Dump into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin and egg whites.
At this point you will "cut" the butter into the dry ingredients. Pick your method, but I cut mine into small cubes, then used my electric mixer on low speed until almost all of the butter was broken up. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
The next step was to mold the batter into a square on a floured cutting board and cut into 8 triangles. The dough is far too sticky for this, so don't even bother (unless you enjoy spouting expletives). Instead, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Use slightly wet hands and shape the dough into a triangle type shapes on the parchment paper. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. The center of the scone should spring back when pressed lightly. Let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
For the glaze, you'll be making a white glaze and spiced glaze. For the white glaze, combine 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp milk in a small bowl. Whisk together. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of each scone. You should have just enough to do all eight. Then, in the same bowl, whisk together the remaining powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Use a spoon to drizzle it on each scone in a fancy design. Let icing set for a few minutes and serve. If you happen to have leftovers, store in an airtight container (after the scones are completely cool).
It was quite an adventure making these, complete with a variety of increasingly intense expletives. Rather than giving you the original recipe, I'm going to tell you what works so that you don't have to fill your children's ears with the same lovely words I did.
First, I'll tell you how my morning went. Started going to Sprouts Farmers Market to pick up a few of their ad items. Every person in the store was on their own time schedule, graciously blocking each aisle with their shopping carts so no one else could fit on the same aisle. After surviving Sprouts, I went to Smith's, hoping to find a pastry cutter. I'm shocked I don't have one yet, but I don't. I've always avoided recipes that required one because, frankly, I think it just takes too much time. Smith's didn't have a pastry cutter. WTH? Then the dairy department is sold out of unsalted butter and there's not an employee in sight to look in the back. Insert first round of expletives.
I already had pumpkin scones on the brain and I didn't feel like stopping at yet another store. I decided to try the "alternate" method of cutting the butter with two knives. Hey, what's the worst that could happen? By the way, I think asking this question has a similar result to one who says, "I'll be right back" in a horror film.
Well, as it turns out, cutting butter into dry ingredients with two knives is the biggest pain in the you know what ever, so I promise you right now I will never ask you to do it. The second round of expletives came about this time. I thought, maybe I can cut the butter by pulsing it in my food processor. That might have worked, except that I dropped my food processor, breaking it beyond repair. You can imagine the fun words coming out of my mouth at this point. My kids left the room.
I went back to the knife method, thinking maybe I could cut the butter fast enough because of my fabulous mood. Nope. I finally gave up, pulled out my electric mixer, and just whipped the s**t until the butter was mostly broken up. Mostly.
On top of all this, the dough was completely unworkable, smooshed into piles of mush when I tried to put the supposed rectangles on the cookie sheet, and stuck to everything it touched. I almost scrapped the whole batch, but decided that because the batter tasted soooo yummy, I wasn't ready to give up just yet. I just got my hands wet and sort of "molded" something resembling a triangle on the parchment paper.
To my astonishment, they turned out amazingly. Including the topping, they came up at 239 calories, far better than anything you're going to get from Starbucks. And in my humble yet correct opinion, they are so much yummier!
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
3 Tbsp milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
5 Tbsp cold butter
For the glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
4 tsp milk of choice, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp each: cloves, ginger and nutmeg
Preheat oven to 425.
Put oats in a blender and whir on high speed until you get a fine powder. Dump into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin and egg whites.
At this point you will "cut" the butter into the dry ingredients. Pick your method, but I cut mine into small cubes, then used my electric mixer on low speed until almost all of the butter was broken up. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
The next step was to mold the batter into a square on a floured cutting board and cut into 8 triangles. The dough is far too sticky for this, so don't even bother (unless you enjoy spouting expletives). Instead, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Use slightly wet hands and shape the dough into a triangle type shapes on the parchment paper. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. The center of the scone should spring back when pressed lightly. Let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
For the glaze, you'll be making a white glaze and spiced glaze. For the white glaze, combine 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tsp milk in a small bowl. Whisk together. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of each scone. You should have just enough to do all eight. Then, in the same bowl, whisk together the remaining powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Use a spoon to drizzle it on each scone in a fancy design. Let icing set for a few minutes and serve. If you happen to have leftovers, store in an airtight container (after the scones are completely cool).
Friday, October 11, 2013
Mocha Crusted Beef Roast
Today I learned an awesome lesson in allergy awareness. I made this beef roast for dinner last night and it was amazing. I didn't want to cook another potato for lunch - too heavy - so I decide to hit Wendy's for a little side salad action with their pomegranate vinaigrette dressing. Sounds yum, right? A nice salad alongside some beef with onions, how could I go wrong?
I get back to my office, toss the roast in the microwave, pull the salad out of the bag and stop, staring at it in horror: The salad I just purchased is loaded with shredded carrots, 5 or 6 grape tomatoes, and garlic croutons. So basically I just paid $1.70 for lettuce and dressing. I quickly read the dressing ingredients - whew! I'm safe there. It never occurred to me that a side salad would be off limits. I then got talking to a co-worker about all of the foods eliminated and that, basically, I can't eat out. Ever. I have to know exactly what's in my food, so I have to make it all from scratch.
That's not so bad, though, right? Especially when you can get awesome recipes like this Mocha Crusted Beef Roast with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Sauce. Sounds fancy, I suppose, but it's ultra easy and tastes yummy.
Ingredients (for the rub):
1 T. ground coffee
1/2 T. ground black pepper
1 T. dehydrated onion flakes
1 1/2 T. smoked paprika
1 t. chili powder (contains a little garlic, but I seem to be okay with it)
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. sea salt
For the Roast:
1 beef roast, about 2 pounds, slightly fatty (or it will be dry)
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
3/4 cup hot water
1 tsp beef bullion granules
1 cup brewed coffee
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Put the coffee grinds, pepper and onion flakes in a coffee grinder, and whir until it forms a soft powder. Put into a small bowl and combine the paprika, chili powder, ginger and sea salt. Stir with a fork until no lumps remain.
Rinse roast, pat dry and set on a cutting board or large plate. Sprinkle half of the seasoning mix on the roast, smushing the seasoning in to the meat with your fingers. Turn the roast over and do the same on the other side. Don't neglect the sides! Get them coated, too.
Arrange onion slices in the bottom of crock pot. Combine hot water and beef bullion in a 4-cup measuring cup, whisking until dissolved. Add coffee and balsamic vinegar and whisk together. Pour coffee mixture on top of onions. Set roast gently in liquid - I say gently because it will splash all over and make a mess. I know this from experience.
Set on low for about 6 hours.
When roast is done, transfer to a serving plate. Remove onions with a slotted spoon, arrange on top of roast, and cover with foil to keep warm.
After pulling the roast out of the crock pot I realized I'd let it go too long (mine was in for closer to 8 hours), and it was slightly dry. Now, I'd never made a reduction sauce before. It sounded too complicated and fancy, but I decided to give it a whirl in hopes of saving the dear beast who gave his life for us to eat. Turns out, a reduction sauce is quite simple - and tasty!
Pour the liquid from your crock pot into a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and just let it go - stirring frequently, of course - until the liquid is reduced by about half. It took about 15 minutes. You could probably reduce it further, but we were starving and wanted to eat. Spoon just a little of the reduction sauce over the meat (after cutting it) for added flavor and moisture.
We had this with baked potatoes and green beans. Voila! Dinner. By the way, the reduction sauce would be just as delicious even if your roast is plenty moist. Just sayin'.
I get back to my office, toss the roast in the microwave, pull the salad out of the bag and stop, staring at it in horror: The salad I just purchased is loaded with shredded carrots, 5 or 6 grape tomatoes, and garlic croutons. So basically I just paid $1.70 for lettuce and dressing. I quickly read the dressing ingredients - whew! I'm safe there. It never occurred to me that a side salad would be off limits. I then got talking to a co-worker about all of the foods eliminated and that, basically, I can't eat out. Ever. I have to know exactly what's in my food, so I have to make it all from scratch.
That's not so bad, though, right? Especially when you can get awesome recipes like this Mocha Crusted Beef Roast with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Sauce. Sounds fancy, I suppose, but it's ultra easy and tastes yummy.
Ingredients (for the rub):
1 T. ground coffee
1/2 T. ground black pepper
1 T. dehydrated onion flakes
1 1/2 T. smoked paprika
1 t. chili powder (contains a little garlic, but I seem to be okay with it)
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. sea salt
For the Roast:
1 beef roast, about 2 pounds, slightly fatty (or it will be dry)
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
3/4 cup hot water
1 tsp beef bullion granules
1 cup brewed coffee
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Put the coffee grinds, pepper and onion flakes in a coffee grinder, and whir until it forms a soft powder. Put into a small bowl and combine the paprika, chili powder, ginger and sea salt. Stir with a fork until no lumps remain.
Rinse roast, pat dry and set on a cutting board or large plate. Sprinkle half of the seasoning mix on the roast, smushing the seasoning in to the meat with your fingers. Turn the roast over and do the same on the other side. Don't neglect the sides! Get them coated, too.
Arrange onion slices in the bottom of crock pot. Combine hot water and beef bullion in a 4-cup measuring cup, whisking until dissolved. Add coffee and balsamic vinegar and whisk together. Pour coffee mixture on top of onions. Set roast gently in liquid - I say gently because it will splash all over and make a mess. I know this from experience.
Set on low for about 6 hours.
When roast is done, transfer to a serving plate. Remove onions with a slotted spoon, arrange on top of roast, and cover with foil to keep warm.
After pulling the roast out of the crock pot I realized I'd let it go too long (mine was in for closer to 8 hours), and it was slightly dry. Now, I'd never made a reduction sauce before. It sounded too complicated and fancy, but I decided to give it a whirl in hopes of saving the dear beast who gave his life for us to eat. Turns out, a reduction sauce is quite simple - and tasty!
Pour the liquid from your crock pot into a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and just let it go - stirring frequently, of course - until the liquid is reduced by about half. It took about 15 minutes. You could probably reduce it further, but we were starving and wanted to eat. Spoon just a little of the reduction sauce over the meat (after cutting it) for added flavor and moisture.
We had this with baked potatoes and green beans. Voila! Dinner. By the way, the reduction sauce would be just as delicious even if your roast is plenty moist. Just sayin'.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Buffalo Chicken "Pasta"
Buffalo chicken and blue cheese - a match made in heaven. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs. When I found out dairy was off limits, the only thing I knew I would really miss was buffalo chicken (or buffalo wings) and blue cheese. Sigh.
Then I came across this recipe. A few tweaks later and we have something the whole family can eat. The original recipe called for adding sauteed carrots and celery. How cute! Just like in the wing joints where you get celery and carrot sticks with your hot wings. Add them if you like, but unfortunately they're on my list of forbidden foods so I don't include them. Besides, in my mind celery is a stupid vegetable. There's no nutritional value, it's stringy and just overall not good.
CAUTION: This recipe is largely garlic-free. I use Frank's Red Hot to get the spicy. Red Hot contains a small amount of garlic (less garlic than salt), but I've found I can tolerate however much is in it. Do not make this recipe if you have zero tolerance for garlic.
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
Drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper
4 large chicken breasts
Lemon juice
Salt & Pepper
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
(add the chopped up carrot and celery here, if using)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 drops liquid smoke (optional)
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Frank's Red Hot
Sliced green onions, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put prepared spaghetti squash in a 13x9 glass baking dish, cut side up. Drizzle squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put hot water in the bottom of the dish, about 1/2 inch up (to prevent burning). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until fork tender. Some people prefer to microwave the squash. I have one word: yuck. If you're in a pinch for time this is an option, but I strongly advise against it. You lose so much in flavor and texture.
Trim chicken breast of any fat. Put in a large mixing bowl and pour in a few tablespoons lemon juice. Use tongs to mix it around, coating chicken completely. Cover and put in refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper (with carrots and celery, if using). Saute until vegetables are tender, remove from heat.
Put egg yolks, 1 tsp lemon juice, mustard, liquid smoke, salt and pepper in the beaker for an immersion blender. Whip on low until it just starts to thicken. Add 1/3 cup olive oil with the blender running, a few drops at a time, and watch as mixture starts to thicken. Once it starts to get visibly thicker add remaining oil in a very slow stream while blending. Don't get in a hurry and put the olive oil in too fast or it will turn into an icky mess.
Once all of the olive oil is incorporated, use a rubber spatula to get the sauce out of the beaker and in to a small bowl. Stir in the Red Hot. I start with about 15 drops and check for taste. I usually end up in the neighborhood of 45 drops, but this is pretty spicy to my tender pallet. Add more or less depending on your taste. For extra kick, add some crushed red pepper.
When squash is baked (browned edges, fork tender) remove from oven and reduce heat to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Remove chicken from refrigerator, arrange on cookie sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If not garlic free, sprinkle with garlic as well. McCormic's Montreal Chicken Seasoning is also amazing. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on size of breasts, until no longer pink.
When chicken is done, chop into bite sized pieces. Put in a large pot over medium-low heat with cooked vegetables. Stir in buffalo sauce. Stir and check frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. It should be hot, but not bubbling. Shred spaghetti squash with a fork and arrange on serving plates. Top with warm chicken mixture. Garnish with green onions.
Then I came across this recipe. A few tweaks later and we have something the whole family can eat. The original recipe called for adding sauteed carrots and celery. How cute! Just like in the wing joints where you get celery and carrot sticks with your hot wings. Add them if you like, but unfortunately they're on my list of forbidden foods so I don't include them. Besides, in my mind celery is a stupid vegetable. There's no nutritional value, it's stringy and just overall not good.
CAUTION: This recipe is largely garlic-free. I use Frank's Red Hot to get the spicy. Red Hot contains a small amount of garlic (less garlic than salt), but I've found I can tolerate however much is in it. Do not make this recipe if you have zero tolerance for garlic.
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
Drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper
4 large chicken breasts
Lemon juice
Salt & Pepper
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
(add the chopped up carrot and celery here, if using)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 drops liquid smoke (optional)
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Frank's Red Hot
Sliced green onions, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put prepared spaghetti squash in a 13x9 glass baking dish, cut side up. Drizzle squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put hot water in the bottom of the dish, about 1/2 inch up (to prevent burning). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until fork tender. Some people prefer to microwave the squash. I have one word: yuck. If you're in a pinch for time this is an option, but I strongly advise against it. You lose so much in flavor and texture.
Trim chicken breast of any fat. Put in a large mixing bowl and pour in a few tablespoons lemon juice. Use tongs to mix it around, coating chicken completely. Cover and put in refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper (with carrots and celery, if using). Saute until vegetables are tender, remove from heat.
Put egg yolks, 1 tsp lemon juice, mustard, liquid smoke, salt and pepper in the beaker for an immersion blender. Whip on low until it just starts to thicken. Add 1/3 cup olive oil with the blender running, a few drops at a time, and watch as mixture starts to thicken. Once it starts to get visibly thicker add remaining oil in a very slow stream while blending. Don't get in a hurry and put the olive oil in too fast or it will turn into an icky mess.
Once all of the olive oil is incorporated, use a rubber spatula to get the sauce out of the beaker and in to a small bowl. Stir in the Red Hot. I start with about 15 drops and check for taste. I usually end up in the neighborhood of 45 drops, but this is pretty spicy to my tender pallet. Add more or less depending on your taste. For extra kick, add some crushed red pepper.
When squash is baked (browned edges, fork tender) remove from oven and reduce heat to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Remove chicken from refrigerator, arrange on cookie sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If not garlic free, sprinkle with garlic as well. McCormic's Montreal Chicken Seasoning is also amazing. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on size of breasts, until no longer pink.
When chicken is done, chop into bite sized pieces. Put in a large pot over medium-low heat with cooked vegetables. Stir in buffalo sauce. Stir and check frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. It should be hot, but not bubbling. Shred spaghetti squash with a fork and arrange on serving plates. Top with warm chicken mixture. Garnish with green onions.
Sunflower Seed Meal
This is probably my greatest discovery. I started looking at Paleo recipes because they were, by definition, grain and dairy free. One problem: I found I was running in to recipes containing almond meal everywhere. There was no getting away from it. Most bloggers, reviewers and recipe posters suggested not substituting coconut flour because they were just too different. Avoiding recipes containing almond meal was the ultimate suggestion if you had an allergy to almonds.
This was unacceptable to me. There were too many delicious looking recipes that called for almond meal.
Then I found one blogger who suggested using sunflower seeds in place of almonds. I so desperately wish I could remember who it was, because this person deserves kudos and karma and all kinds of praise. Making sunflower seed meal is a bit of a project, but it's totally worth it. I recommend making up a big batch of it at a time and storing it in the cupboard in an air-tight container.
Here's what you do. Buy a big bag of raw, unsalted, unroasted, shelled sunflower seeds from the bulk section of your store. Take it home. Work in batches, about a cup to cup and a half at a time. Put the sunflower seeds in a blender. Let it whir for ten to fifteen seconds on low. Scrape out the bottom and sides with a fork. Whir again. Scrape. Whir. Scrape. You get the idea.
When you have something resembling a flour, put a wire mesh strainer over a large bowl. Scrape the sunflower seeds out of the blender into the strainer. Tap the sides to shake out some of the meal. Then use a whisk or your hands to break up the clumps. Tap strainer. Mix. Shake. You're trying to get the flour stuff into the bowl through the holes in the strainer, leaving the bigger pieces. Put bigger pieces back in the blender and start the whir-scrape cycle again.
Now you have sunflower seed meal and can use it in all sorts of yummy recipes.
This was unacceptable to me. There were too many delicious looking recipes that called for almond meal.
Then I found one blogger who suggested using sunflower seeds in place of almonds. I so desperately wish I could remember who it was, because this person deserves kudos and karma and all kinds of praise. Making sunflower seed meal is a bit of a project, but it's totally worth it. I recommend making up a big batch of it at a time and storing it in the cupboard in an air-tight container.
Here's what you do. Buy a big bag of raw, unsalted, unroasted, shelled sunflower seeds from the bulk section of your store. Take it home. Work in batches, about a cup to cup and a half at a time. Put the sunflower seeds in a blender. Let it whir for ten to fifteen seconds on low. Scrape out the bottom and sides with a fork. Whir again. Scrape. Whir. Scrape. You get the idea.
When you have something resembling a flour, put a wire mesh strainer over a large bowl. Scrape the sunflower seeds out of the blender into the strainer. Tap the sides to shake out some of the meal. Then use a whisk or your hands to break up the clumps. Tap strainer. Mix. Shake. You're trying to get the flour stuff into the bowl through the holes in the strainer, leaving the bigger pieces. Put bigger pieces back in the blender and start the whir-scrape cycle again.
Now you have sunflower seed meal and can use it in all sorts of yummy recipes.
Peach-Raspberry-Coconut Cobbler
Not too long ago, peaches were in season. They were huge, sweet, ripe and being sold everywhere. I'd never been a big peach fan, but I was at the store one day and they were just calling out to me. When something natural and healthy is calling your name, I suggest you take notice. I went home with a bag full of them and started trying to figure out what to do.
Peach smoothies were an obvious option. We made a few of those and I'd eat the peaches fresh if they were crisp enough. I'd cut them up and put them on my crepes. When they started getting soft, it dawned on me. Duh, peach cobbler!
Gluten-free peach cobbler recipes were everywhere, but they all had mixed reviews. My rule is simple: if the recipe doesn't get overall great reviews, I'm not going to waste my time or money making it. Then I found one that was almost perfect. I made a few tweaks and ended up with a sweet, delicious cobbler.
My disclaimer is that I couldn't find a convincingly delicious way to replicate the crumbly goodness that generally goes on top. But trust me - you won't even miss it.
Ingredients:
2 medium peaches, pitted and chopped into tiny morsels
1/4 cup water
1 cup frozen raspberries (or fresh if you're not worried about cost)
Cinnamon & Nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
3/4 cup sunflower seed meal
1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
6 tablespoons honey (or agave)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put peaches and water in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook about ten minutes or until peaches are tender. I leave the peels on the peaches because, to me, it isn't worth the time it takes to peel the little beeotches.
Use a wire mesh strainer and drain excess water from peaches. Return to saucepan, add raspberries, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Return to a simmer until raspberries are sufficiently broken up. This will obviously take longer if you're using frozen over fresh.
While fruit is simmering, prepare your base. Mix sunflower seed meal, coconut milk, egg, honey and vanilla together in a large bowl. Use a whisk to make sure all the little sunflower seed clumps get mixed together well.
Spray six oven-safe ramekins with cooking spray and set on a cookie sheet. If you don't use cooking spray, melt a small amount of butter or coconut oil and brush in dishes. Divide the batter between the dishes, about 2 to 3 tablespoons each. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut flakes over top of each (focusing on the middle), then top with fruit mix. There should be enough fruit for about 2 tablespoons per dish.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool for ten to fifteen minutes and serve. For leftovers, cover each ramekin with a small piece of foil and refrigerate.
Note: Do NOT attempt to make one big cobber. It won't cook through or set right.
Peach smoothies were an obvious option. We made a few of those and I'd eat the peaches fresh if they were crisp enough. I'd cut them up and put them on my crepes. When they started getting soft, it dawned on me. Duh, peach cobbler!
Gluten-free peach cobbler recipes were everywhere, but they all had mixed reviews. My rule is simple: if the recipe doesn't get overall great reviews, I'm not going to waste my time or money making it. Then I found one that was almost perfect. I made a few tweaks and ended up with a sweet, delicious cobbler.
My disclaimer is that I couldn't find a convincingly delicious way to replicate the crumbly goodness that generally goes on top. But trust me - you won't even miss it.
Ingredients:
2 medium peaches, pitted and chopped into tiny morsels
1/4 cup water
1 cup frozen raspberries (or fresh if you're not worried about cost)
Cinnamon & Nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
3/4 cup sunflower seed meal
1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
6 tablespoons honey (or agave)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put peaches and water in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook about ten minutes or until peaches are tender. I leave the peels on the peaches because, to me, it isn't worth the time it takes to peel the little beeotches.
Use a wire mesh strainer and drain excess water from peaches. Return to saucepan, add raspberries, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Return to a simmer until raspberries are sufficiently broken up. This will obviously take longer if you're using frozen over fresh.
While fruit is simmering, prepare your base. Mix sunflower seed meal, coconut milk, egg, honey and vanilla together in a large bowl. Use a whisk to make sure all the little sunflower seed clumps get mixed together well.
Spray six oven-safe ramekins with cooking spray and set on a cookie sheet. If you don't use cooking spray, melt a small amount of butter or coconut oil and brush in dishes. Divide the batter between the dishes, about 2 to 3 tablespoons each. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut flakes over top of each (focusing on the middle), then top with fruit mix. There should be enough fruit for about 2 tablespoons per dish.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool for ten to fifteen minutes and serve. For leftovers, cover each ramekin with a small piece of foil and refrigerate.
Note: Do NOT attempt to make one big cobber. It won't cook through or set right.
Honey Pancakes
I've never much cared for pancakes. They were always too cakey and dry. I had to pour so much syrup on them to make them edible I entered the dreaded sugar coma by the time I was finished. And talk about calories! Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. This recipe was inspired by one using almond meal. Since nuts are out of the question, I had to improvise. These pancakes are slightly sweet and not dry at all. My BF doesn't much care for pancakes but he'll eat them any time I make them. It's a great way to get your oatmeal without even noticing. For a Paleo option, see below. Makes 13-15 pancakes depending on the size.
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup egg whites (from carton)
1/4 cup honey (or agave nectar)
2/3 to 1 cup milk of choice (I use plain, unsweetened soy)
Directions:
Put oats in a blender and process on the highest speed until you get a fine powder. Dump into a bowl. If necessary, tap the sides of the blender to get the oats out. Add coconut flour and salt and whisk until combined.
Add egg whites, honey and about 1/2 cup milk. The amount of milk will vary greatly depending on the type you are using (almond will require less than soy, for example). Whisk together until completely combined, adding more milk if necessary. Let the batter sit while you clean out your blender and preheat a skillet over medium- to medium-high heat. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so it will thicken up too much if you skip this step.
When your blender is clean and skillet heated, check the batter. You want it pourable, but not too thin. Add a little more milk if necessary. Coat your skillet with cooking spray, and pour a couple of tablespoons of batter for each pancake. We're going for silver dollar size here - if you make the IHOP size they won't cook properly. These need to cook slightly longer than flour-based pancakes. When slightly dry around the edges flip and continue cooking. Duh. I doubt I need to tell you how to make pancakes.
Keep warm until the whole batch is cooked. You can use maple syrup if you like, but why? For some fruity goodness, put a cup to a cup and a half of frozen fruit in a small sauce pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until fruit is no longer frozen. Raspberries are our favorite, but blueberries, strawberries or peaches are delicious, too. Add some agave, honey or powdered sugar to sweeten, if desired. Spoon fruit over pancakes. If you want your fruit a little thicker, combine a small amount of arrowroot powder or corn starch with just enough cold water to mix, and pour into fruit. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until desired consistency is reached.
Make it Paleo! Substitute oats with almond flour or sunflower seed meal and use almond or coconut milk. If you don't like cooking spray, you can use coconut oil to grease the skillet.
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup egg whites (from carton)
1/4 cup honey (or agave nectar)
2/3 to 1 cup milk of choice (I use plain, unsweetened soy)
Directions:
Put oats in a blender and process on the highest speed until you get a fine powder. Dump into a bowl. If necessary, tap the sides of the blender to get the oats out. Add coconut flour and salt and whisk until combined.
Add egg whites, honey and about 1/2 cup milk. The amount of milk will vary greatly depending on the type you are using (almond will require less than soy, for example). Whisk together until completely combined, adding more milk if necessary. Let the batter sit while you clean out your blender and preheat a skillet over medium- to medium-high heat. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so it will thicken up too much if you skip this step.
When your blender is clean and skillet heated, check the batter. You want it pourable, but not too thin. Add a little more milk if necessary. Coat your skillet with cooking spray, and pour a couple of tablespoons of batter for each pancake. We're going for silver dollar size here - if you make the IHOP size they won't cook properly. These need to cook slightly longer than flour-based pancakes. When slightly dry around the edges flip and continue cooking. Duh. I doubt I need to tell you how to make pancakes.
Keep warm until the whole batch is cooked. You can use maple syrup if you like, but why? For some fruity goodness, put a cup to a cup and a half of frozen fruit in a small sauce pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until fruit is no longer frozen. Raspberries are our favorite, but blueberries, strawberries or peaches are delicious, too. Add some agave, honey or powdered sugar to sweeten, if desired. Spoon fruit over pancakes. If you want your fruit a little thicker, combine a small amount of arrowroot powder or corn starch with just enough cold water to mix, and pour into fruit. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until desired consistency is reached.
Make it Paleo! Substitute oats with almond flour or sunflower seed meal and use almond or coconut milk. If you don't like cooking spray, you can use coconut oil to grease the skillet.
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