Vegetable Gold Mine

When I am cooking in the kitchen, I invariably produce a variety of vegetable scraps that I used to toss away.  Now I view these as a gold mine for making vegetable stock!














These scraps:

• onion peels
• the outer leaves of cabbage
• the leafy parts of celery stalks
• the ends of carrots, peppers, tomatoes, etc.
• the peelings from apples, carrots, and pears
• basically any vegetable part that is clean and not rotted

are fine makings for vegetable stock.  I keep a large plastic carton in my freezer.  When I start chopping vegetables I pull it out and put these scraps in the carton.  When it gets full I toss the scraps in a stock pot with water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour or two along with some salt and black peppercorns.

The end result is a delicious vegetable stock!  Yum!

Once the stock cools, I put it in plastic containers and freeze.  When I need stock for a recipe or soup, I have some homemade stock which I've made from what otherwise would have been food waste.

And, what about those boiled scraps once the stock is strained?  Well, you can compost them for some fine soil to grow your garden vegetables.  Or, if you have a friend with chickens, the scraps make a fine chicken feed.   

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (depending on the vegetables used in the stock)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Being Thankful

"Waffle"

As we enter the week of Thanksgiving here in the United States, it is a good time to pause and consider gratitude for the plenty in our lives.  Around the world millions face hunger as a daily reality.  The US Department of Agriculture estimates that 46 million Americans in 2012 face food insecurity.  Almost 15% of Americans and 1 in 5 American children go to bed hungry.

In my work with school teachers and school resource center workers, I hear heartbreaking stories of children who basically have no or little food the entire weekend they are away from school.  Some schools now send home backpacks with nutritious foods.

I am grateful my godsons Leon and Wes (AKA Waffle) -the handsome fellow in this picture- are well fed and cared for by loving parents.  Not all children are so lucky.

So, this week my recipes are focused on gratitude and useful, delicious ways to extend food that might otherwise be thrown away.

Mashed Potatoes for Mo

Photo courtesy of I Believe I Can Fry

My friend John G. first introduced me to a similar dish at a delicious dinner with him and others at his home in Denver.  I've since experimented to try to recreate the dish.  Here is the result of my experiments.

My wonderful friend Maureen -aka Mo- is allergic to plants in the Nightshade family such as potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.  This allergy put a real damper on enjoying homemade mashed potatoes.

Similarly, white potatoes high glycemic index make them more of a no-no for diabetics.  This wonderful recipe is so good and similar in texture and flavor to mashed potatoes that you may fool your family -and even your own tastebuds!

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 an onion, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt
• 3/4 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 can of cooked cannellini beans (cannellini beans are white kidney beans)

Saute the onion with a dash of salt until translucent (about 3 minutes) in the oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is just barely beginning to brown.  

Add your chicken stock and cannellini beans.

When the beans and stock are nicely simmering, mash the beans into the consistency of good mashed potatoes.   You may optionally wish to add butter and/or cream at this step to increase the flavor -and calories.

Serve and enjoy.

OPTIONS:  You may enjoy adding butter and cream to your mashed beans the way you would when making homemade mashed potatoes.  I've also made this dish with more cooked garlic to make a type of faux garlic mashed potatoes.  The recipe lends itself to other potato dishes such as adding rosemary to the beans or melting cheese into the mashed beans.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  no (has beans)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (must use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock)
Vegetarian:  yes* (must use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock)
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes* (if you only 1/2 cup)

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Roasted Pears

Until about a year ago, I really did not know what the slang phrase nom, nom, nom meant.  I kept thinking it was a short form of some food-related word starting with nom.  My friends will readily tell you that knowledge of and insights into popular culture elude me!  But let me tell you this, these roasted pears are nom, nom, nom! (For those other clueless people like myself until a year ago, nom, nom, nom is a phrase you use to imitate eating something you find delicious.)

If you are like me, I associate pears with the bland, mushy, canned version.  Yuck!  Even fresh pears are often -well- bland and mushy.  Roasting turns these drab wallflowers of the fruit world into Cinderellas at the ball.  The roasting brings out sweetness and flavor.  You'll be amazing.

Nom. Nom.  Nom.

• Several fresh pears (most all varieties do well but I prefer Anjou pears best)
• Enough fresh or dried cranberries to sprinkle on top of each half of your sliced pears
• Oil
• Allspice (if you don't have allspice, you can also use cinnamon and/or cloves)
• Maple syrup

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.

Peal each pear and remove the ends.  You can bake these with the skins on the pears but pealing makes them much easier to eat.  The skins are also not as succulent and tasty as the roasted flesh of the pears.

Using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out the seeds and a small cavity in the middle of each pear.  If the pears will not lie steady with the cavity side facing up, slice a bit off the rounded side to make that side flat.

Pour some oil in a casserole dish.  Lightly roll and coat each pear in the oil.  

Drizzle maple syrup over the pear halves.  

Put several dried cranberries in the cavities of each pear half.  

Sprinkle with lightly with allspice.  BE CAREFUL:  too much allspice and especially too much cloves if you use cloves as a substitute can be overpowering.  

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and serve.

OPTIONS:  Experiment with different types of pears and different spices.  Some people enjoy fresh nutmeg.  Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, makes a wonderful version of this recipe made with walnuts, bleu cheese, and dried cranberries.  

If you do not have maple syrup, you can also use brown sugar and butter placed in the cavity of each pear.  The maple syrup packs a lot of flavor with fewer calories though.  Fresh cranberries are also the way to go if you are a diabetic.  Dried cranberries generally have a lot of sugar in them.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  maybe (the fruit has sugar and this dish has maple syrup)
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes* (if you allow yourself to have maple syrup)
SugarBusters:  no
Sugar Free:  no
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes* (if you use the oil and maple syrup very sparingly)

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Choux de Bruxelles aux Lardons et Radis

Ahhhh...Choux de Bruxelles aux Lardons et Radis...truly a taste of paradise!  So maligned are poor Brussel sprouts that I thought using the French name for this dish might entice the wary into trying it.  Choux de Bruxelles aux Lardons et Radis translates as Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Radishes.  It is a surprisingly wonderful and colorful dish that packs great flavor for any Thanksgiving meal.

There are many versions of this dish.  Some cooks use pancetta instead of bacon.  Others throw in some garlic or slice the sprouts into thin wafers before cooking.  I've also read of people roasting rather than sauteing this dish.  I'm sure they all turn out yummy.

• Bag of fresh (preferably but frozen and thawed will work but not be as colorful) Brussels sprouts
• 4-5 slices of cooked bacon (uncooked is an option too...see below under OPTIONS)
• Some diced fresh radishes
• Oil or bacon grease
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the Brussel sprouts and steam until a brilliant green but not until they are mushy.

Put some oil or bacon grease in a non-stick skillet.  

Saute the sprouts and diced radishes in the oil.  As they cook, crumble up the bacon and saute with the vegetables.  

Salt and pepper to taste.

I like to saute my sprouts until they are nicely browned on the flat, cut side.

OPTIONS:  If you are eating a vegan or vegetarian diet, you'll of course want to forego the bacon and bacon grease.  The same goes if you are making this dish for a kosher Hanukkah.

But if you are a lardon-hungry carnivore, you can also make this dish by frying up some uncooked bacon and then sauteing your sprouts and radishes in the hot, bacon grease.  

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes*  (if you leave out the bacon and bacon grease)
Vegetarian:  yes*  (if you leave out the bacon and bacon grease)
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes* (if you leave out the bacon and use oil sparingly)

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Gobble Tov!

 Photo Credit: oschene via Compfight cc

This week I began a series of recipes that represent a rare joint overlap of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah!  Happy Gobble Tov indeed!  It is also my birthday this week, so I may have to find a suitable cake recipe to throw in.

Enjoy.  Happy Thanksgiving.  Mazel Tov!

Fiery Eggplant

Picture courtesy of Restaurant Girl

• 1 large eggplant, cut into wedges
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tsp ginger paste or a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, diced
• 1 Tsp minced garlic or 10 cloves of fresh garlic
• 2/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 Tsp fennel seeds
• 8-10 cayenne, Serrano, or green Thai chilis, stems removed, chopped
• 2 Tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 Tsp salt

Place the cut eggplant in a colander sitting on a plate.  Sprinkle with salt.  Let stand at least 30 minutes or more.  The eggplant will release a brown liquid.  This process will remove much of the eggplant’s bitterness.  

Then wash off the salt and empty the eggplant onto a paper towel to dry somewhat.

Add the diced tomatoes, ginger paste, and minced garlic to the crockpot. 

Saute the fennel seeds in about 1 Tsp oil over medium-high heat.  Then scrap the seeds and oil into the crockpot.  The heating releases the fennel’s flavor.

Add the vegetable oil, chilis, coriander, turmeric, and eggplant to the crockpot.  

Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Add salt to taste when the eggplant is done.

Adapted from Anupy Singla’s The Indian Slow Cooker:  50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes, 2010.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  no
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  no (this dish is too rich in oils)

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Delicious Salad

200 Calorie Meals:

The key to enjoying a series of salads is to add different, delicious ingredients to the base of lettuce.

Water:  0 calories
Salad:  65 calories

• Kroger artisan lettuce        14 calories, 3 ounces
• Kroger grape tomatoes     17 calories, 2 ounces
• Carrot chips                      18 calories, 1.5 ounces
• Mushrooms, raw                 4 calories, 1/4 cup
• Dressing of fresh lemon juice 12 calories, 1 whole lemon
• Salt & Pepper

TOTAL:  65 calories

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (if you leave out the grape tomatoes)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes* (natural fruit sugars only)
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.  

Ropa Vieja

Yum!:

I do not know the calories in a serving of this delicious slow cooker recipe, but it is compliant with those eating a gluten free, SugarBusters, diabetic, or Paleo eating plan.

Ropa Vieja -old clothes in Spanish- makes for a delicious dinner.  This traditional Cuban dish gets its name from the resemblance of the strips of succulent pork and peppers to strips of old clothes cut into rags.

1. Combine in a slow cooker set to 4 hours (high)...or slower, longer if you wish:
• a pork roast
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon cumin powder
• 5-7 bay leaves
• 8-10 green olives with pimientos
• 2 large onions, cut into slices or diced
• 4 green/red/yellow peppers, cored, sliced and cleaned of seeds
• 1 can diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes diced
• 2 stalks of celery cut into 1 inch lengths
• 3 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (you can salt to taste more when serving)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• a dozen grapes (optional, adds a yummy hint of sweetness)
2. Enjoy by itself or serve over diced, roasted cauliflower as a rice substitution.  The traditional dish is served over rice, but the cauliflower is an improvement in my book for flavor.

This dish improves its flavor after resting awhile in the refrigerator.  Thus, it makes for great leftovers and savory lunches warmed up in the office microwave.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  no
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes (especially if you do not eat the olives)

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.