Posole Stew

Chimayo, New Mexico

Since I'm posting recipes with a Hispanic influence, I thought I'd repost this wonderful, wintertime stew.  

I discovered how to make posole stew while living in Medanales, NM, in the summer of 2011.  Posole or pozole is the Spanish word for hominy.  In New Mexico posole stew is traditionally prepared at New Years with the leftover Christmas ham.  In Lexington, KY, Mexican restaurants usually serve pozole only on weekends, and it consists of a similar but much spicier soup made with pork and ground red chile paste rather than with green chiles.  This is my favorite soup.

• 1 Tsp oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can hominy, drained
• 1 large can chopped green chiles (or better fresh roasted chiles)
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1 Tsp oregano
• 1 clove garlic

Sauté the onion in the oil in a large pan.  

When the onions are caramelized or translucent (depending upon your taste), add the broth, hominy, chiles, ham, oregano, and garlic.  Bring to boil.  

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  

This dish often tastes better the next day after it has set and seasoned a bit in the refrigerator.

A small bowl of posole -especially if with limited amounts of hominy- can make for a 200 calorie lunch or dinner.  One cup of hominy has 119 calories by itself.  

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (but only if you leave out the green chiles)
Paleo:  yes* (but only if you leave out the main ingredient, hominy)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (but only if you use vegetable broth and leave out the ham)
Vegetarian:  yes* (but only if you use vegetable broth and leave out the ham)
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.  

Gezunt Latkes

Photo courtesy of Elena's Pantry

A few years ago my friends Mark, Nancy, Rachel, and Ben had me over to share Hanukkah with their family.  Hanukkah is a relatively minor Jewish holiday, but it tends to fall near Christmas.  So, it has been elevated to more prominence as a parallel Jewish winter holiday.  What's not to love about a holiday that requires you to drink several glasses of wine with family and friends?!

One Hanukkah tradition is the preparation of latkes, or potato pancakes, with most everyone taking their turn at the fryer.

Latke derives from Russian via Yiddish according to Wikipedia, and my healthy take on latkes I've named Gezunt Latkes, or healthy latkes, in Yiddish.  If gezunt sounds familiar, it is because Yiddish evolved out of German, and we get our American sneezing word Gesundheit (German for health) also from German.  No sneezing around the frying pan though!

• Start with my earlier recipe for Mashed Potatoes for Mo, a delicious faux mashed potato dish made from mashed cannellini beans, You'll need 2 cups of Mashed Potatoes for Mo.
• One of these three options:  
• 3 tablespoons wheat or almond flour
• 2 slices of white bread
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Oil
• Salt
• OPTIONS:  sauteed minced onion, sauteed zucchini, or sauteed carrot slivers

This dish has a lot of optional ways of cooking it:

Method 1:  To the basic mashed beans add 3 tablespoons wheat or almond flour.  Mix together.

Method 2:  To the basic mashed beans add two slices of bread and puree in a blender.

Method 3:  To the basic mashed beans add 2 beaten eggs.  Mix together.

Once you have your chosen pancake batter from above, you can make your basic latke by frying in oil with a dash of salt.  The oil in the pan should be high enough to come up to about halfway up the height of the latke.  Too little oil and your latke will stick.  Alternatively, just toss that latke in your Fry Daddy and fry daddy fry.

To this basic latke you can add a variety of additions:

• sauteed onions
• minced raw onions
• raw green onions
• matchsticks of julienned and sauteed zucchini
• sauteed (or raw if you like more of a crunch) carrot slivers

After cooking to a golden brown (usually about 4 minutes on each side on medium heat), put the latke on a paper towel on a napkin to cool slightly and to soak up some of the excess oil.  Then serve as is or with a side of sour cream, applesauce or apple butter.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes*  (especially if you use Method 3 rather than flour or bread)
Gluten Free:  yes* (if you use Method 3)
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  no (has beans)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes* (if you use Method 3)
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.  

Diana's Cranberry Salad -Diabetic Friendly Version

Photo by Muffet

No Thanksgiving or Christmas are complete for me without my mom's Cranberry Salad.  Folks often rave about this holiday side dish both for its taste and for how well it presents on the table.

I'm posting my own diabetic take on how to make this dish a bit healthier for those avoiding sugar.

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 3/4 cup Splenda or equivalent stevia or other sugar substitute
• 1 small box of sugar free strawberry gelatin
• 1 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 small can of unsweetened pineapple

Remove a handful of cranberries from the bag and reserve for later.

Cut up the remaining cranberries in a blender until a rough chop but not a puree.

In a bowl mix the chopped cranberries, the Splenda, and the handful of reserved whole cranberries.  Cover and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. 

The next day mix the gelatin, hot water, pecans and pineapple.  When the gelatin has dissolved, pour the cranberry-sugar mixture and gelatin mixtures together into a clear serving dish.  

Let the salad congeal in the refrigerator -usually overnight.  The resulting dish has the brilliant reds of Christmas and a tart, sweet crunchiness that leaves that other cranberry sauce where it should remain -in a can on a far, back shelf.

OPTIONS:  My aunt Susie prefers to make her cranberry salad with cherry gelatin.  

My mother's original recipe calls for 1 3/4 sugar instead of Splenda and has 1 cup small marshmallows and about 1 cup coconut generously sprinkled on top of the gelatin to create a red and white layer effect.  Marshmallows are pure sugar, and most baking coconut is sweetened with sugar.  You may, however, add unsweetened coconut on top.  

In full disclosure, I also am not a fan of nuts in food so I usually leave out the pecans.  The nuts also are rather high in calories if you are trying to slim down the caloric punch of your Thanksgiving.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes* (if you allow yourself to have Splenda or similar)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes*  (if you can find a gelatin made without animal products)
Vegetarian:  yes*  (if you can find a gelatin made without animal products)
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes* (if you leave out the pecans)

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.  

Homemade Sauerkraut

Cabbage fermenting in my glass crock

I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of yogurt, so getting regular amounts of yogurt's wonderful, beneficial probiotics isn't always tasty to me.

Fortunately, I recently discovered that other fermented foods have many...sometimes more...of the probiotics and other health benefits of yogurt.  And, I LOVE good sauerkraut.

So I decided to see how hard it was to make my own.  I think modern people are often afraid of trying the preservation techniques used for centuries out of ignorance and/or fear that we will accidentally poison ourselves.

Homemade sauerkraut is a great way to start exploring making your own tasty, healthful fermented foods because it is one of the easiest things to make.




Homemade Sauerkraut

• 1 head of green cabbage
• 1 tablespoon salt
• OPTION:  2 tablespoons juniper berries
• OPTION:  1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1. Wash and then shred the cabbage into long, string-like pieces EXCEPT FOR 1-3 outer leaves.

2. Put the shredded cabbage in a crock or glass/ceramic pot.

3. Add the tablespoon of salt and any optional berries/seeds.

4. Squeeze and press down on the cabbage to get it to release its juices.  Keep doing this every 15 minutes or so for an hour or two.  Eventually the cabbage should release enough juice to cover the pressed cabbage.  If it doesn't, mix 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon salt and add to the crock.

5. Place the clean outer leaves on top of the shredded pieces to hold them under the juice.  Place a plastic lid, plate, or other clean item over the cabbage.  Then place a plastic bag full of water and a tablespoon of salt (in case it should break) on top of the lid to weigh the cabbage down and keep below the water line.

6. Place the crock in a pantry or other area of 4-6 weeks to ferment.  

The cabbage contains natural bacteria that will digest the sugars in the cabbage and cause it to ferment.  The kraut will kind of begin to be ready in 3 days to a week but reaches its best at 4-6 weeks.  Some bubbles are normal in the ferment process -as with wine.  Also, occasionally some mold may form on any pieces of the kraut extending out of the water.  Remove and do not worry about this.  If you ever have made pickles, you will be familiar with similar phenomena.

When the sauerkraut is ready, place in your refrigerator and eat cold or heated.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
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.  

Cebollas Encurtidas (Pickled Onions)

Photo courtesy of Belly of Ecuador

Cebollas Encurtidas are a wonderful Latin American side dish used as a condiment with pork and other dishes.  They add both color and a sweet, tangy addition to many different meals.

It is surprising I like these wonderful morsels of onion.  While I love caramelized and other thoroughly cooked onions, I pretty much hate raw onions.  Cebollas Encurtidas, however, are more like an onion pickle.  

These onions are a common side dish in many Mexican and other Latin American restaurants.  I began making my own when I found it difficult to find any commercial brands in local Latino groceries.  I believe most people just make this dish at home.  They are easy to make, and you can find a number of different recipes online.  After some experimentation, here is my own variety that I have come to love:

• 3 red onions
• 1 c lime juice
• 1 c water
• 1 c red wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp cloves, ground
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Slice the onions horizontally into rings.  Put into a bowl and salt.  

Bring the water and vinegar mixture to a boil.  

While the vinegar is heating, move the salted onions to a bowl with the lime juice.  Add the cloves and pepper.  

Pour the vinegar/water mixture over the onions.  Let them set for 2-3 hours until they turn pink.  

Refrigerate and eat within 2 weeks or so.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  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.  

Black Bean Soup

The other night Nathan had a dish at a new Latin fusion restaurant served over a thick, delicious black bean soup.  I've craved it since and decided to try to create my own.  The result is quite tasty if I say so myself:

• 2 cans black beans (I used Goya brand.)
• 2 pints of chicken stock (I used Costco brand.)
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 small red onions
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are nicely translucent and cooked.

Drain the black beans and rinse with cold water.  

Add the beans, chicken stock, and cumin.

Cook on medium for about 20 minutes to reduce the liquid by about a third.  

Either mash some of the beans into a soupier texture in the pot or remove a portion of the mixture and puree with a blender.  Then put the puree back in the pot.  Simmer on low until you are ready to taste the deliciousness!

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock)
Vegetarian:  yes* (substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock)
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes* (up to a cup of soup)

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

Since this is Latina Week, I wanted to repost my take on the Cuban specialty, ropa vieja.

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
• 1 teaspoon diced garlic
• 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:  yes
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.  

Posole Stew

Chimayo, New Mexico

I discovered how to make posole stew while living in Medanales, NM, in the summer of 2011.  Posole or pozole is the Spanish word for hominy.  In New Mexico posole stew is traditionally prepared at New Years with the leftover Christmas ham.  In Lexington, KY, Mexican restaurants usually serve pozole only on weekends, and it consists of a similar but much spicier soup made with pork and ground red chile paste rather than with green chiles.  This is my favorite soup.

• 1 Tsp oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can hominy, drained
• 1 large can chopped green chiles (or better fresh roasted chiles)
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1 Tsp oregano
• 1 clove garlic

Sauté the onion in the oil in a large pan.  

When the onions are caramelized or translucent (depending upon your taste), add the broth, hominy, chiles, ham, oregano, and garlic.  Bring to boil.  

Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  

This dish often tastes better the next day after it has set and seasoned a bit in the refrigerator.

A small bowl of posole -especially if with limited amounts of hominy- can make for a 200 calorie lunch or dinner.  One cup of hominy has 119 calories by itself.  

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (but only if you leave out the green chiles)
Paleo:  yes* (but only if you leave out the main ingredient, hominy)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (but only if you use vegetable broth and leave out the ham)
Vegetarian:  yes* (but only if you use vegetable broth and leave out the ham)
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.  

Ode to the Pumpkin Seed

Photo courtesy of BradBeattie

One of my latest food obsessions are pumpkin seeds.  This obsession began at a recent pumpkin carving party at my friends Bernadette and Anna's house.  They roasted the fresh seeds from the pumpkins for about an hour with a splash of soy sauce on them.  Delicious, salty, and crunchy!

I had never realized you can eat the entire green, inner seed and outer white casing.  They offer a very satisfying texture and crunch.




Semillas tostada de calabaza, or roasted pumpkin seeds, are a popular Mexican snack.  If you want to try some pumpkin seeds and your regular grocery store does not carry them, check out your local Mexican specialty grocery store.

• Fresh, clean, raw pumpkin seeds
• Soy sauce or Bragg's Amino Acids
• Some oil (in a bottle or spray oil)

Pre-heat your oven to 300 F.

Spread out your pumpkin seeds as a single layer on a shallow baking sheet pan.  Coat with oil.  Add a light coating of soy sauce, Bragg's Amino Acids or simply salt.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour while stirring the seeds occasionally.  

Enjoy!

Options:  You can also add other seasonings when roasting such as cayenne pepper, black pepper, or rosemary.

Caution:  1/3 cup of roasted, salted pumpkin seeds have 160 calories, so they are nutritious but fairly high calorie.  The  commercially roasted, salted version in grocery stores also is high in salt (about 49% of your recommended daily salt intake in only 1/3 cup).  Pumpkin seeds, however, are a rich source of manganese, zinc, magnesium, and tryptophan.  Folk medicine also says they kill and expel intestinal parasites so grab a bag and say goodbye to those tapeworms! ;)

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes...actually some nutritionists recommend for diabetics for the mineral content
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes...pumpkin is in the gourd family, not Nightshade
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Less:  yes...but no more than 1/3 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.  

Pico de Gallo Beans

Medanales, New Mexico

This simple dish can be served cold as a salad or heated as a side dish.  When my garden overflowed with tomatoes and green onions, I invented this dish after seeing similar dishes over the years.

• 1 can blackeyed peas
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tomato, remove the seeds and juicy parts and then chop
• cilantro, chopped, add as much as you enjoy to your own particular taste
• salt & pepper

Combine and enjoy!

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  no (has tomatoes)
Paleo:  no (has beans)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Less:  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.  

Chipotle Addict's Burrito Bowl

Medanales, New Mexico

Nathan loves Chipotle, so when we were eating a low calorie eating plan, he really missed the restaurant.  Here is my response for an approximately 200 calorie alternative to the burrito bowls at Chipotle.

• About a cup of a stiff lettuce/green such as Romaine, spinach, or arugula
• 2 chicken breasts
• Salt & pepper
• Pico de Gallo Beans (see yesterday's post for the recipe)
• 1 large onion
• Canola or coconut oil in the spray can

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts.  Cube the chicken.  Peel and slice the onion. 

Make your Pico de Gallo Beans.  Heat the beans.

Heat a saute pan.  Spray with some oil into the pan.  Put the onions in the pan and give them a small spritz of oil.  Cook the onions until translucent.

Add the cubed chicken breast.  Spritz it with a small amount of the oil.

When the chicken and onions are deliciously done into grilled goodness, assemble your burrito bowl in this order:

• a generous bed of greens (the heat from the other food will tenderize the greens)
• add 1/2 cup of Pico de Gallo Beans (more if you are not concerned with a 200 calorie meal)
• add the grilled onions and chicken breasts

Serve and enjoy.  You can also add various hot sauces and substitute flank steak for the chicken.   Most of the calories for this meal are in the beans.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  no (has tomatoes)
Paleo:  no (has beans)
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  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.  

Sausage and Okra Gumbo

New Orleans, August 2014

Legend says Louisiana cooks invented the spicy delicacy that is gumbo as a summer soup to cause diners to sweat and cool off. So it unusually is a summer soup.

A lot of restaurants serve either a nasty gelatinous mess or tasteless, tomato-based vegetable soup which they call gumbo. A real gumbo always starts with a good roux.  And usually gumbo is thickened a bit with either okra or filé powder.  Never use both in the same gumbo:  you'll end up with a gelatinous mess.

This particular version is one Nathan and I created in August 2014 for a yummy summertime treat. 

1 package smoked sausage

2 cups fresh okra, chopped with tops removed

1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes

1 large onion

3 stalks of celery
5 bay leaves

1/2 cup flour

2 cups rice

In a bowl or container where you can store for later uses also, mix:

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme

Gumbo is usually a one pot dish but is cooked in stages;

Stage 1:  Cut the sausage into 1/4" slices. Sauté in a small amount of olive oil. Remove sausage from the pot. 

Stage 2:  Chop the onions, okra and celery.  Sauté in the pot. You may need to add more olive oil. Remove from the pot.

Stage 3:  Add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup butter to the pot and stir for 5-10 minutes over a medium heat to make your roux base. The roux is essential and transforms this vegetable soup to sheer deliciousness.  A roux (pronounced "roo") can be blond, brown, or black depending on how long you cook it. For our gumbo we want a nice brown roux about the color of coffee with cream or chocolate milk. Don't rush the cooking. Start on a low heat and adjust up to medium.  Stir continuously so it doesn't burn. 

Stage 4:  Once the roux is a beautiful brown color, add the sausage, sautéed vegetables, stock, bay leaves, and 1 heaping Tablespoon of the seasoning mix (more or less to taste).  Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium/low for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile cook two cups of white rice. 

Serve by filling a bowl about half way with the gumbo.  Using a 1 cup measuring cup, scoop a cup of cooked, warm rice and put on top of the soup.  

This dish heats up well for leftovers. Keep the rice separate from the soup until serving. This gumbo does get saltier if it is stored for a day or two probably from the sausage. If cooking for another day, reduce the salt a bit.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes* (if eat little rice or a high glycemic rice like brown or Basmati)
Gluten Free:  no
Mediterranean: yes
Nightshade Family Free: no
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  no
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (leave out the sausage)
Vegetarian:  yes* (leave out the sausage)
Wheat Free: no
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.

Spicy Carrot Sticks

I enjoy carrots cut into slices as a healthy snack but sometimes they are rather bland. Here is a trick to spice them up:

Cut fresh carrots into the shape you prefer (sticks, curls, carrot chips, etc.). Then roll the cut carrots in a bowl with a liberal dash of hot sauce.  Remove the carrots and store ...or eat.  

The hot sauce will subtly flavor the carrots with a spicy hot flavor that is not overpowering. 

Tasses de Porc

Tasses de Porc is just another of my fancy-fied French names for a dish.  The name means "pork cups".

Anyhow, these are an interesting breakfast or brunch novelty consisting of an edible cup made of ham, Canadian bacon, or even bacon.



The basic recipe is to spray some non-stick oil/spray onto a muffin pan.  Then place a thin slice of ham, Canadian bacon, or bacon into each dish to form a cup.  Because this dish has a short baking time, you will either need a very thin cut of meat or use cooked meat.  You really don't want to be eating undercooked pork! Then you add a filling and bake at 350 F until the egg filling has cooked to the consistency you seek for your eggs.

The fillings can vary:

A. One approach layers the bottom of the pork cup with cheese followed by whisked eggs mixed with herbs, peppers, diced onion, chives, diced tomatoes, etc.  Make sure whatever additions to you add to your eggs are finely chopped.

B. I don't like eggs with a runny yolk, but this dish is often made with cheese, a sauce, or a slice of tomato topped with a whole egg that will bake to a sunnyside up texture.

C. I've only made this a few times.  The ham cup can dry out, so be sure to fill to the top.  I've had the best success with a basic quiche recipe of 1/2 cup cream, 1 egg, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of red pepper.  Others add nutmeg instead of the peppers to give a subtle, sweet flavor to the eggs.

D. I have also experimented with a take on eggs Benedict:  toast and trim an English muffin to fit in the bottom of the pork cup made with some type of cooked pork (nothing raw).  Place a poached egg on top of the muffin.  Pour Hollandaise sauce over the egg and muffin.  Sprinkle on some red pepper or paprika.  Bake for 5-10 minutes to warm the entire dish but not so long as to dry out the sauce or pork.

This dish is as versatile as its big sister, quiche.  Feta and spinach, mushrooms and ham, basil and tomatoes...the combinations are endless.  This dish can also be made ahead of time and served a few hours later as a room temperature picnic item similar to quiche.  Depending on the filling this dish can be refrigerated and warmed up for a yummy, quick breakfast.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Mediterranean:  no
Nightshade Family Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Paleo:  yes*  (depends on filling)
SugarBusters:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Sugar Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  yes*  (depends on filling)
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.  

Bread-a-rama

Bread has taken some hard knocks in the last decade or so as Americans' burgeoning waistlines have led to a move away from carbs.  Yet, most people love breads in all their varieties.  They are cultural statements. Imagine Indian food without naan, English tea with no crumpets, or French cheese without the baguette.  You're probably going to have some carbs with your breakfast or dinner.  Why not take a lesson from the French and make small, delicious additions to your meals count.  One slice of a really good homemade bread versus eating a bag of noxious baked potato chips:  which would you choose?

Plus, you can bake your own higher quality breads at home for a fraction of the cost of bread bought from a store.

When I was younger, I always associated a happy home with making your own bread.  So these recipes have a special emotional resonance with me.

Bread also does not have to be that complicated.  Each one is something of an experiment.  I've undercooked bread.  I've overcooked bread.  I've used old yeast that didn't rise.  I've used small bowls and had rising, raw dough spill over into my oven.  Experiment.  Learn.  Return to the flour to fight another day.

Here though is a basic recipe you'll find on a number of sites.  I forget exactly where I first found it.  I've since played and adapted it to my own kitchen.  I now share it with you:

Basic Crusty Bread

3 cups all purpose flour (Use bread flour or a mix depending on how chewy you want your bread.  The more bread flour with its higher protein content will result in a chewier bread.)

1.5 cups warm water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

Take a large bowl.  Mix these four ingredients together.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight. While you sleep, the yeast will be working their magic.  No need to proof your yeast or to add sugar.  The key is time.

If you want to make larger batches, you can refrigerate or freeze the dough after the initial overnight rise.  Then just pull off enough for a future loaf.

Preparing the Dough:

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 F.

Coat your hands in flour.  Either use the entire dough or tear/cut off a grapefruit-sized piece of dough to make smaller loaves.  Pulling from the top of the ball of dough, pull the top down to the bottom of the ball. Rotate the ball a quarter of a turn.  Pull the top of the ball down to the bottom.  Do this a total of four times.

Place the ball of dough in a clean dish towel, piece of cheesecloth, rising basket, cookie sheet, or pizza peel (the flat wooden thing you see at pizzerias) after generously putting down corn meal, whole wheat flour, or regular flour to create a cushion to prevent sticking.  Also, this is the time when you shape your dough, cut the top into patterns, or top with seeds.  If you wish to cut your dough into decorate patterns, generously top the dough with flour to prevent the blade from sticking in the dough.  Alternatively, you can wet the dough and knife to keep them from sticking.

Allow to rise from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on your schedule and preference.

Cooking Methods:

Professional bakeries use steam-injected ovens that produce a crisp crust.  There are at least two ways to get a similar outcome at home:

A. If you have a Le Creuset or Lodge Dutch oven made of enameled cast iron, you can place the bread in the Dutch oven.  (Be careful:  the Lodge brand's top knob has been known to melt at 450 F in the past.)  The bread's own moisture content will steam the bread.  Bake for 30 minutes covered.  Then bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

B. If you don't have a cast iron Dutch oven, no worries.  Put a cookie sheet on the lowest rack in your oven.  Fill with hot water.  Then on the higher rack put another cookie sheet with your dough.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Cooling:
Most recipes also need to be properly cooled for the inside of the bread to finish cooking.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  no
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  yes* (if you use 100% whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour)
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (unless you do not consume yeast)
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  no
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.  

Yummy Cruise Ship Cream Soup

Photo Credit: digiyesica via Compfight cc

The other day I posted my recipe for making delicious homemade chicken stock.  It's an easy way to make something delicious with what would otherwise be food waste.  Today I'll share another trick to extending the feast from that rotisserie chicken and leftover roasted vegetables.


So your week is drawing to a close and in the fridge you have kept a quart of the yummy chicken stock you made.  Hopefully you've frozen the rest for later recipes.  You also have some leftover roasted vegetables such as carrots, butternut squash, etc.  Here is a trick they appear to use on cruise ships:  turn yesterday's roasted vegetables into today's cream soup!  When I have gone on cruises, I have noticed that the first course often consists of a cream soup.  And today's soup -perhaps cream of asparagus- interestingly follows last night's entree with...that's right...roasted asparagus!  Restaurants and cruise ships have found a way to make leftovers today's hot, delicious soup!

• 1 quart of chicken stock, preferably homemade
• Leftover roasted vegetables
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (half and half will work)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• OPTION:  top with croutons, thin grilled onions or roasted seeds (pumpkin, pepitas)

Heat the stock and vegetables in a pot.

Remove from heat and blend the stock and vegetables into a puree.  I use my favorite kitchen gadget, my immersion blender.  If you don't have one, you can also use your blender but blend the vegetables and stock in small batches instead of all at once.  This will help the vegetables to puree properly.

Taste the soup.  You might like it just as the tasty roasted vegetables pureed into the warm, salty stock.  

I usually go one step farther by mixing in a cup of heavy whipping cream and returning briefly to the heat.  Stir and heat until the puree and cream are a nice, warm temperature.  Serve immediately.  Can be saved for lunches later.  Salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE:  Different vegetables will produce different tastes.  Carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, and butternut squash tend to lend a sweet taste to the soup.  Roasted asparagus and celery have great but different flavors.  Even leftover green peas make a tasty soup.  You may wish to experiment with adding different spices.  For example:

• The sweeter vegetables such as carrots and butternut squash pair well with ginger, curries, a bit of brown sugar, and even a dollop of maple syrup.
• Green peas (even the mushy ones from a can) can make a great warm or chilled soup.  I tend to hate tarragon, but even this vile herb has its uses.  It goes surprisingly well with peas.  
• That half can of leftover diced tomatoes or the roasted tomatoes from last night's dinner can become a quick gazpacho with some stock, minced onion, celery, and garlic.  Leave out the cream.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (leave out Nightshade family vegetables)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
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.  

Homemade Chicken Stock ...and Soup

Photo Credit: I Believe I Can Fry via Compfight cc

What can be better on a cold winter day than some yummy hot chicken soup?  It's even better when you are saving some money and not wasting food.

So, you've eaten well from that tasty rotisserie chicken.  Having had chicken the first day, you've now pulled the remaining meat from the bone to use with other dishes.  Yes, there are some bits of meat still stuck to the bones as well as the roasted skin, etc.  Time to toss the remains into the rubbish bin?  NO!  Now it's time to make chicken stock!

• Leftover rotisserie chicken
• 1 onion
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots

Put the remaining bits of your rotisserie chicken in a large stock pot.  Cover the chicken with water and place on the stove.

Add an onion cut into quarters, some black pepper, salt, celery, and carrots.

Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer on low for an hour or two.  The simmering will cook the fat and flavor of the chicken into the water.

Place a colander in a pot.  Pour the chicken stock into the pot.  You may need to stop several times and transfer the stock to large containers for freezing.  Once you've strained the chicken and vegetables from the stock, discard them.  Some people also allow the stock to cool and remove any chicken fat that congeals on the top of the stock.  I find the fat adds a lot of the flavor and keep it.  Now you should have 3-4 quart containers of homemade chicken stock for later recipes....including:

Homemade Chicken Soup

Often I find the best part of my rotisserie chicken meals is the chicken soup.  You can experiment to find what you like best.

• Homemade chicken stock

I often just use the stock as a simple soup.  You can experiment and dress it up with a variety of ingredients:

• Cooked noodles
• Finger carrots and cabbage boiled in the stock (or leftovers added to the soup)
• Thinly sliced mushrooms and green onion

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (leave the red pepper out of the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
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.    

Jeff's Chicken Salad

Photo Credit: findingthenow via Compfight cc

I love a good chicken salad, but this can be hard to find.  I lump potato salad, cole slaw, and chicken salad into the same category of the Great Mysteries.  Whenever you are in a restaurant or a friend offers you some of their homemade version of these dishes, you vaguely know what some of the ingredients will be, but you have no idea what the finished product will be.  For example, I hate raw onions in most dishes.  One of my favorite restaurants serves a seasonal chicken salad.  Yay! But it is chock full of raw onions.  Nay!

Cole slaw can be a yummy, vinegary delight -or a hellish experience of cabbage bits suspended in Miracle Whip.  And in my family's potato salad there is the decision to agree to disagree on the delicate matter of including chopped, boiled egg or not.

Every so often I find I have to add new foods to the Great Mysteries.  For example, nowadays I have to ask if my beloved sweet tea is brewed with actual tea at a restaurant.  Sadly, several local restaurants that used to brew some great sweet tea now serve this disgusting Gold Peak ...'beverage'...out of a soda dispenser.  I tried it once and found the taste and smell to be more similar to a household cleaner than tea.  Yech!

Anyhow, the solution to solving the Great Mysteries is simple:  make your own versions of these foods that meet your own tastes.  Here is my own recipe for chicken salad that mixes together yummy chicken with the crunch and flavor of delicious celery.  Yum!

Jeff's Chicken Salad

• 1 cup of white chicken meat
• 1-2 Tablespoons of a good mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup celery diced thinly
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (golden looks nicer but regular, darker raisins taste just as good)

Mix together.  Eat on toasted bread, a fresh tomato, or rolled into a wrap.

NOTE:  Grapes also make a nice addition to this recipe instead of raisins.  In fact, this recipe does best when the grapes are starting to dry out and are kind of half way between a table grape and a raisin.  While these are no longer great for grape-eating, they make INCREDIBLE chicken salad.

NOTE 2:  In my experience, using fresh chicken from a rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad works ok.  Rotisserie chicken often is seasoned and may give your chicken salad some unintended flavors of garlic, etc.  Try a batch out using your favorite leftover rotisserie chicken meat.  I have found I prefer the canned white chicken meat for my chicken salad.  Experiment with both and find your favorite.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes* (make sure ingredients used are gluten-free)
Mediterranean:  no
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  yes* (must use sugar-free brand of mayonnaise)
SugarBusters:  yes* (must use sugar-free brand of mayonnaise)
Sugar Free:  yes* (must use sugar-free brand of mayonnaise)
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  yes* (make sure ingredients used are wheat-free)
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.    

Rotisserie Chicken: Getting the Most from That Bird!

Source:  Joe Schneid, Wikipedia Commons

I love roasted chicken.  Sometimes I make my own, but lately I find I cannot beat Costco's $4.99 rotisserie chicken.  I'm not sure how they season their birds, but they are incredibly yummy.

This next series of posts are for chicken recipes. These are some of my favorite dishes, AND these recipes are great ways to stretch your food dollar in inventive and delicious ways.  And it all starts with that yummy rotisserie chicken.



Dinner 1:  Rotisserie Chicken
OK.  You've bought your yummy rotisserie chicken.  Serve it warm with some yummy green vegetables like Choux de Bruxelles aux Lardons et Radis or a nice salad.

When dinner is over, pull the remaining meat off the chicken.  Be sure to keep the richer, dark meat separated from the white meat.  We are going to make different dishes with each.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (must leave out the red pepper)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
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.    

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Source:   Jon Sullivan, Wikipedia Commons

Winter's cold days are perfect for rich, creamy sauces!  This versatile sauce adds a tongue-pleasing fatty punch to many otherwise bland pasta and gnocchi dishes.  Enjoy!

Factoid:  Gorgonzola is an Italian bleu cheese named after where it was first made: the village of Gorgonzola.  Gorgonzola has since been enveloped by the suburbs of Milan.  If the name of the village -and later the cheese- has any relation to the mythic Gorgons, I have not been able to find.

• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• Dash of black pepper

Put the heavy whipping cream in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Stir regularly to make sure the cream does not scald.  You may need to adjust the heat.

Once the cream has reduced by 1/3 to 1/2, turn off the heat.  Stir in the red and black peppers.  Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese and stir until the cheese has melded into the cream.

This simple and flavorful sauce is now ready to be added to pasta or gnocchi and served immediately.  Or, you can also use this sauce on pasta dishes which you will then bake.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (must leave out the red pepper)
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  no

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.