0 Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime...

I meant for this article to come out over the Memorial Day weekend since it's the traditional start of picnic and barbeque season, but I've been very busy and got delayed. However, summer is just getting started and there is still plenty of time to enjoy outdoor dining.

This past Memorial Day weekend I went to a friend's farm to enjoy an outdoor barbeque. It was pretty simple fare and a somewhat small gathering, but the food was delicious nonetheless. One of the things I like best about eating these kinds of foods is that they are quick and easy to make and don't heat up the kitchen when you're preparing them. As I said it was a small and simple affair, we had hot dogs cooked over an open fire, a garden salad, pickled beets (Sept 2, 2011), coleslaw, home made pickles and pickled cucumbers (Oct 18, 2011). There was cheese, chili (Mar 13, 2012), chopped onions and sauerkraut for toppings and watermelon for dessert. Mmmm, Mmm, good.

I remember last July when my friends from Japan came to visit, it was so hot and I wanted to have some friends and family over for a small get together. So I made a complete meal of cold salads – it didn't heat up the house and they were delicious as well as filling. We had a large garden salad, tabbouleh (Mar 6, 2012), rotini salad (Sept 20, 2011), cucumbers in sour cream (Sept 2, 2011) and fruit salad for dessert. It might have been hot inside the house as well as outside, but eating this dinner was refreshing and much better than eating a heavy, hot meal. Another night while they were visiting we had Fondue (Oct 8, 2011) for dinner with cut vegetables and cheese on the side, this also made a light meal that didn't heat up the house.

Besides your traditional hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and steaks, you can also make shish kabobs (Mar 20, 2012) on the grill. Everyone can make their own so it's fun and healthy too. You can also make kabobs with fruit to serve as dessert.

It's good to keep in mind when it's hot that foods made with mayonnaise and sour cream can spoil easily so why not look at alternatives that aren't prepared with them. Use salsa (Sept 12, 2011), hummus or baba ghanoush (Feb 23, 2012) as dips and you can make coleslaw and potato salad without mayonnaise too – recipes follow. The last thing you want to do is have people over for a party and they end up in the emergency room with food poisoning.

Here are some more salad recipes:

Traditional Coleslaw
4 c cabbage, shredded (you can also add some red cabbage for color)
½ carrot, julienned (cut into thin slices)
3 Tbl mayonnaise
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar*
½ tsp sugar*

Put cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Mix mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar together, add to cabbage mixture and mix well. Serve cold.

*Substitute rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar and cut out the sugar.

Coleslaw without Mayonnaise

4 c cabbage, shredded
½ carrot, julienned (cut into thin slices)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3-4 Tbl rice vinegar

Put cabbage, carrots and green onions in a bowl, add vinegar and mix well. Serve cold.

Traditional Potato Salad

6-8 red potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ c mayonnaise
½ c sour cream
2 Tbl mustard
2 Tbl vinegar
½ tsp salt

Boil potatoes until “fork tender”. Cut into 3/4” cubes, cool to room temperature (do not add hot potatoes to the mayonnaise). In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and salt. In a large bowl, put potatoes, onion, eggs and celery, add mayonnaise mixture and mix well. Serve cold.

German Potato Salad (No mayo)

3 c red potatoes
4 slices of bacon
1 small onion
¼ c white vinegar
¼ c water
1 Tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped

Boil potatoes until “fork tender”. Cut into 3/4” cubes, set aside. Cook bacon in a skillet until brown and crisp, set aside. Cook onion in bacon grease, until browned, then add vinegar, water, sugar, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then add potatoes and parsley. Crumple and add half of the bacon, cook until heated through, transfer to a serving dish, top with the remaining bacon (crumpled) and serve warm.

Traditional Three Bean Salad

1 can green beans, drained
1 can yellow beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
¼ c green pepper, chopped
1 c red onion, sliced thin
½ c cider vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
½ c sugar

Combine beans, green pepper and onion. Whisk together remaining ingredients, pour over bean mixture, mix well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold.

Making salads might be a little more time consuming than buying them already prepared at the super market – but as always, they're cheaper and healthier if you make them yourself. Check out the canned three bean salad – I bet it's got high fructose corn syrup and a lot more salt too. I'd say that you could make traditional coleslaw for about 50-75 cents – the same amount from the deli will set you back at least 3 dollars!

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0 More reasons to cut out processed foods....

If you've been reading since the beginning, or have gone back and read through my blog – you might have read the September 2, 2011 article on why you should cut processed foods out of your diet. Well there are more than those 10 reasons. Most of those examples had to do with making yourself more healthy by eating home made foods. Cutting salt and sugar from your diet – eating only those ingredients that you can pronounce, food produced naturally not in a laboratory.

There were also articles on High Fructose Corn Syrup (September 6, 2011) and Hidden Sugars (April 11, 2012) – these sugars are added to processed foods to either hide the taste of low quality ingredients, to add flavor when the fat has been reduced or to make things taste sweeter than they should. Since the human body gets addicted to sweet flavors we want more of them and if they are artificially produced sweeteners we eat and eat or drink and drink to try to satisfy that craving – not because we really need to eat or drink more. Again this is not good for the body and even sugar-free sweeteners can lead to weight gain and obesity.

Then there was the article on food recalls (October 2, 2011)... It seems that this is a never ending problem. Salmonella, e-coli, wires, mouse droppings, bug parts and listeria – things that just don't belong in food. Factory farming caused the listeria outbreak in melons – sewage overflow from animal farms was sucked up by the melons and infected what should have been a natural and healthy fruit. Other fruits, vegetables and meats get infected or additional unwanted ingredients “fall in” while being processed – things that wouldn't get added to your meal in your own home.

Of course there are also those common food additives that I discussed on March 17, 2012 – most of which can be called “natural” flavorings and may or may not be on the label. Do you really want to have food made from bacteria, wood, feathers, hair, bugs, sand, fertilizer and household cleaners? I know I don't. Read the article on food labeling (February 5, 2012) for more information on how the government allows processed foods to be “mislabeled” to make them appear to be more healthy.

Are you buying canned foods? You might be consuming BPA from the lining of the can. Tests have shown BPA in the urine of people who have eaten canned soups, sauces, fruits and vegetables. Some companies have stopped using BPA – but what will they come up with next? We got rid of pink slime and Starbucks is going to stop using beetles as food coloring – but if you buy whole, natural foods and cook them yourselves then you can be pretty sure that none of these things will be in your food. Grow your own vegetables, maybe get some chickens to get your own eggs, go to the farmer's market, you don't have to buy organic – just pay attention to what you're buying and cook it yourself.

A little off track, but don't forget the October 18, 2011 article, “You are what you eat and what you eat, eats too”. Factory farming has destroyed the nutrients in the soil and only replaces three basic nutrients so that the apple you eat today has far less nutrients than one grown in the 1940's. Because chickens and cows are fed grains that aren't normal for their diet – their meat also has less nutrients than in the past. To help them digest these grains and/or because they are raised too close together they are given antibiotics which you wind up consuming. And, they are given growth hormones to mature faster or give more milk – again you wind up consuming these too.

If you read the articles that compare homemade foods to name brand processed foods you'll find that most homemade foods cost less to make. In fact, most of the time they take about the same amount of time to make. Or, if they take longer to make you have left-overs that when re-heated will compensate for the extra time spent upfront. And if you don't believe me, a recent study done by the USDA's Economic Research Service found that serving for serving eating fresh healthy foods costs less than eating processed or junk foods. Remember that half of your plate should be fruit/vegetables, your meat/protein should be no bigger than a deck of cards, the remainder of the plate should be your carbs (made up of whole grains if possible). Eggs, beans and rice are inexpensive protein options and if you're a vegetarian or vegan you can help fulfill your protein requirements inexpensively by eating peas, green beans, spinach, peanut butter, quinoa, tofu or lentils.

Finally, by cooking your own meals, eating more fruits/vegetables, eating less meat, growing your own food or buying from a local farmer/farmer's market you will reduce your carbon footprint.

May 19^th is “Food Revolution Day” - join the conversation and help change the way people eat by educating children about food, giving families the skills and knowledge to cook again, and motivate people to stand up for their rights to better food.

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0 Yummy Poached Salmon, another meal in under 15 minutes

Ok – the rice has to be cooked ahead of time, but if you make extra rice at another meal then you can cook and serve this one in under 15 minutes.  If you don't have cooked rice on hand, then just cook it regularly and do not add it to the vegetables and salmon, the whole meal will be done in about 25 minutes. Don't forget that making extra rice, beans or mashed potatoes will help you make a quick meal mid-week. There will be a future article on potato pancakes (or Latkes) which will show you one way to use up those extra mashed potatoes.

I've already given you two ways to cook salmon, Teriyaki Style (Sept 6, 2011) and Broiled with Dill (Sept 21, 2011), but now as it starts to warm up here in Arizona I'm less likely to want to use my oven so this meal can be made on the stove top and all in one pan. If you're diabetic I would suggest eating only half of the serving of rice. I would also suggest adding another steamed vegetable to the meal – such as broccoli, asparagus or brussels sprouts, or a side salad. You can always add those vegetables to the dish too!

Don't forget for a healthy diet you want to try to eat fish or seafood two to three times a week instead of meat. I tend to stick with salmon and shrimp, because I can get good deals on them fairly regularly at the store. But if you have the opportunity to buy tuna steak, mahi, scallops, lobster, or other seafood – go for it! I'm not one for flounder, halibut, tilapia or orange roughy – but certainly those are good for you too. I had a “to die for” Sea Bass recently in a local restaurant, but then found out that they are being over-fished, so I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to eat them.

Yummy Poached Salmon

2 4-6 oz filets
½ c sliced red pepper
½ c cut fresh green beans
½ c sliced mushrooms
½ c chopped onions
½ c sliced green olives (with pimento)
4-6 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbl butter
½ c water
1 c cooked brown rice

In a large pan saute all of the vegetables in butter, until onions are transparent – about 3 minutes. Add water, bring to simmer. Add salmon, top the entire dish with rice – cover pan with tight lid. Cook about 3 minutes, turn salmon over, stir rice and vegetables, cook covered for another 3 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 2

Nutritional Data
Calories 496
Total Fat 25 g
     Saturated Fat 9 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 88 mg
Sodium 1038 mg
Total Carbohydrates 35 g
     Dietary Fiber 6 g
     Sugar 4 g
Protein 28 g
Vitamin A 32%
Vitamin C 67%
Calcium 9%
Iron 13%

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1 Hypothyroidism – underactive, sluggish or slow thyroid...

If you're feeling sluggish, maybe you've unexpectedly gained/lost weight, or your extremities are cold, or your hair is thinning for no reason, it may be that your thyroid is running slow. You should have your thyroid tested. If you have tested low-normal for hypothyroidism and the doctor doesn't think that you need medicine, consider eating some of the foods listed below for a low-thyroid diet. Not only will these foods help your thyroid, but they have other health benefits as well. Foods high in tyrosine, iodine, selenium, Omega-3's, zinc, copper, iron and protein are good for your thyroid. Eat and enjoy!

Vegetables, such as Avocado, Artichokes, Asparagus, Sea Vegetables (such as kelp, kombu, wakame, arame and dulse), Potatoes, Beets, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Leaf Lettuce, Watercress, Radishes, Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Squash (including pumpkin and zucchini).

Beans like, Black Beans, Lima Beans, Mung Beans, Pinto, Kidney, Lentils and Split-Peas.

Herbs including, Black Pepper, Chilies, Garlic, Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Cilantro and Rosemary.

Fruits like, Apples, Apricots, Cranberries, Bananas, Blueberries, Cherries, Dates, Papaya, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Pineapple and Raspberries. AVOID - fruit juices, they're high in sugar and low in fiber.

Grains such as, Amaranth, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Brown Rice and Wild Rice.

Oils, especially coconut oil, olive oil and raw butter.

Nuts like, Brazil, Macadamia, Hazelnuts, Almonds, Cashews, Sunflower Seeds and Coconut meat.

Oily fish – Salmon, Tuna and Sardines. Eat Salmon and Tuna only once or twice a week because of mercury and other contaminants.

Meats and eggs – Organic Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb and farm fresh/free range eggs. AVOID – Processed and smoked meats containing nitrates/nitrites. Commercial meat contains high quantities of antibiotics, so they are best avoided too.

Artichokes and Cilantro help to naturally detoxify your body. Herbs like Turmeric, Garlic, Ginger, Cinnamon and Chilies/Pepper naturally warm your body and increase your metabolism. Avocados, Potatoes, Turkey and Chicken are high in tyrosine. Sea Vegetables, Beans and Cranberries are high in iodine. Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, but don't eat too many. Coconut oil has a naturally stimulating effect on the thyroid.

If you do have thyroid disease you should limit or avoid eating: Raw - Broccoli, Soybeans, Kale and Peanuts because they limit your bodies ability to use iodine, if they are cooked their effect on the body is offset. Other foods that you should limit: Raw - Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Spinach, Pears, Peaches and Strawberries.

Finally, make sure that you eat breakfast, don't eat less than 1,000 calories a day, eat small meals throughout the day, eat the majority of your food early in the day – meaning have a light dinner, don't eat after 8 pm and get enough aerobic exercise (and exercise early in the day).

I'm seeing a nice big healthy salad here. Maybe start with some Romaine, add some Asparagus tips, Avocado, Beets, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Radishes, a little Wakame, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Black Beans, Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, topped with a chopped hard boiled Egg, Tuna and Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Dressing.  Yum!

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0 Shish Kabob or Skewered, Grilled Food...

When I was a pre-teen I loved going to a local restaurant with my parents and ordering Beef Shish Kabob. It may have had something to do with being served a flaming skewer. I mean, how impressive is that? But really, I loved the taste of the juicy grilled meat, the soft and slightly burned cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions and mushrooms. It was delicious and seemed very special to me. I guess this restaurant would have been classified as a “steak house”, so it never occurred to me that Shish Kabob was anything but American food, although the restaurant was owned by a French woman...

At that time I didn't know that traditional Shish Kabob was Turkish, I wouldn't find that out for about another ten years... Did you know that skewered, grilled food can be found around the world? Such as French Brochettes, Indonesian Satay, Japanese Yakitori and Greek Souvlaki. Sometimes I find it amazing that similar ways to prepare food develop around the world, just like another one of my other favorite foods, Polish Pierogi, Armenian Manti, Chinese Shuumai, Japanese Gyoza, Spanish or Mexican Empanadas – or in other words, stuffed dumplings! Yum! I think stuffed dumplings might be an article in the future.

Anyway back to skewered, grilled food. As I got a little older and started to cook, I tried skewering chicken, and shrimp as well as beef. I found that they're all good, and you can also cook a lot of different vegetables besides those basic onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. And as you can imagine based on all of the different countries that grill skewered food, there are lots of different meats, vegetables and spices that can be used too. You can make something as simple as skewered cubes of beef, separated by onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, brushed with (or marinated in) olive oil and seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and grilled (or broiled in the oven). Or something as exotic as, minced fish mixed with shredded coconut and spices molded to the skewer and grilled.

Once you cut all of your food up, the skewering and the cooking is very fast, so this can be a quick mid-week meal too. You can also incorporate dipping sauces, like we did with the oil-based fondues (October 8, 2011). If you're having a party you can cut up different meats and veggies, put them in bowls and let people make their own skewers. So once again, get creative, experiment with your cooking and enjoy.

Basic Shish Kabob

½ c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 lb chicken, cut into 1 - 1 ½” cubes
1 bell pepper (any color), cut into 1 – 1 ½” squares
½ onion (yellow, white or red), cut into 1 – 1 ½” squares
8-12 mushrooms
8-12 cherry tomatoes
8-10 bamboo skewers

In a large bowl mix olive oil, garlic and salt. Add the remaining ingredients, allow to marinate for at least 2 hours before cooking (you can marinate up to 24 hours in advance). Soak bamboo skewers in water for about an hour prior to grilling to keep them from burning. Alternate meat and vegetables on skewers, grill for about 10-15 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes until the meat is cooked. Serves 4.

Other meat ideas:
Lamb
Goat
Pork
Beef
Sausage
Shrimp
Squid
Octopus
Sardines
Eel
(Tofu)

Other veggie/fruit ideas:
Eggplant
Corn on the cob (sliced into ½” thick rounds)
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Brussels Sprouts
Fingerling Potatoes (boiled until cooked)
Pineapple
Apples
Pears

Other spice ideas:
Turmeric
Ginger
Chili Peppers
Soy Sauce
Parsley
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme

Dipping Sauce ideas:
Dijon mustard & Vinegar
Yogurt & Cucumbers
Soy Sauce, Ginger & Brown Sugar
Vinegar & Chili Sauce
Peanut Sauce

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0 Do Beans belong in Chili con Carne? Home made chili vs Stagg Classic Chili

It would seem that historically the answer is no. The first documented recipe for chili comes from one of Cortez' captains written in 1519 and contains only boiled tomatoes, salt, chiles and meat. There's a lot of controversy about what belongs in chili and what doesn't. What kind of meat to use, pork or beef...chopped or cubed...what kind of chiles...what kind of beans...which spices... However, the great thing about cooking is that you can make a dish anyway you want to. You can make chili with meat, with beans, without meat, or without beans – whatever combination you desire. Certainly just because you're a vegetarian doesn't mean that you can't eat chili.

I think a great chili is like a great stew – take what you've got in the house, throw it in a pot, add some spices and cook it until it's done, you've got chili. You can use corn, squash, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, black eye peas, tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, beets, potatoes, and/or tofu in chili. You can serve it over rice, french fries, fritos, baked potato, macaroni, spaghetti or other pasta. You can top it with cheese, onions, sour cream and/or crackers. Today there's even such a thing as white chili – using white beans, chicken, peppers and no tomatoes. Use whatever you've got. Remember, that experimenting with cooking makes it fun.

Basic Chili

2 Lbs lean ground (or cubed) beef
1 Tbl olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (remember I like garlic – you might want to only use 2)
1 bell pepper, chopped
½ c chopped green chiles (or jalapenos, if you like spice)
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes (low sodium)
2 15oz cans tomato sauce (no HFCS)

¼ c chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans kidney or pinto beans

Place oil and ground beef in pan, brown over medium-high heat, once beef is brown, add garlic, onion, pepper and chiles, cook for about 5 more minutes. Drain if necessary – if you used a good quality beef, you shouldn't need to. Put all ingredients into a large pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serves approx. 8-10

Don't forget that you can use ground turkey, chopped chicken, ground pork, texturized vegetable protein or tofu instead of ground beef. Or even leave the meat out, and add another meatless day to your week it's good for you and it's good for the environment.

Comparison

Home made chili ingredients: Ground beef, olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, chile pepper, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

Stagg Chili Classic ingredients: Water, beef, tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, dehydrated onions, chili seasoning (spices, paprika, sugar, salt and flavorings), modified cornstarch, jalapeno peppers (vinegar), flavoring, salt, dehydrated bell peppers and spices

Cost of home made chili: Approx. $17 for about 132 oz, or .13 cents an ounce

Cost of Stagg Chili Classic: $2.89 for 15 oz can, or .19 cents an ounce


Preparation time for home made chili: 1 hr, 20 min, or 10 min per serving
Preparation time for Stagg Chili Classic: 5 min

Nutritional Data for home made chili
Calories 307
Total Fat 17 g
     Saturated Fat 6 g
     Trans Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 61 mg
Sodium 502 mg
Total Carbohydrates 20 g
     Dietary Fiber 6 g
     Sugars 5 g
Protein 21 g
Vitamin A 50%
Vitamin C 42%
Calcium 8%
Iron 26%

Nutritional Data for Stagg Chili Classic
Calories 330
Total Fat 17 g
     Saturated Fat 7 g
     Trans Fat .5 g
Cholesterol 45 mg
Sodium 810 mg
Total Carbohydrates 27 g
     Dietary Fiber 6 g
     Sugars 6 g
Protein 16 g
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 6%
Iron 15%

Alright, well home made comes in a little cheaper per ounce – but if you were to buy the same amount of Stagg's as you made home made it would cost you about $25.40 instead of $17. You can always freeze the extra chili. Heating your left-over chili would take about the same amount of time as heating the Stagg's, so time spent up front would need to be figured into the whole batch. In other words, you would be spending about 10 minutes per serving making the home made versus the 5 minutes you spent heating the canned. Now, look at the nutritional differences – a few less calories, but a lot less sodium, less total carbohydrates, more protein and more vitamins. I think the home made is a winner. Not to mention that you can make it taste exactly the way you want it to taste.

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0 Home made Tabbouleh vs Near East Tabbouleh Mix

Tabbouleh was originally an Arabic dish traditionally made from bulgur, tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Variations were made by the Turks and Armenians and it's become a popular ethnic food in the United States. Bulgur is made from wheat and has only had a very small amount of the bran removed so it's considered a whole grain. It has a high nutritional value and makes a good substitute for rice or couscous.

I know it's still a little cold outside to be thinking of salad dishes, at least for a main course but this is very nutritious and can be a side dish as well as a main course. Tabbouleh is good served with other salads, like rotini salad (September 20, 2011), hummus or baba ghanoush (February 23, 2012). Or with kabobs, grilled/broiled salmon (Sept 6 & 21, 2011), grilled chicken or grilled portobello mushrooms (February 7, 2012).

Basic Tabbouleh

½ c dry bulgur
1 ½ c warm water
8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered (or 3 tomatoes, diced)
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ cucumber, diced
½ c parsley, chopped
1-2 Tbl mint, chopped (I don't particularly like mint, season to taste – some recipes call for up to ½ c)
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 Tbl olive oil
½ tsp salt

Soak bulgur in a large bowl with warm water for about 1 - 1 ½ hours. Mix in remaining ingredients, chill for at least 1 hour. Serves 5

You can be creative with this recipe too! You can add ½ c chopped romaine, or ½ c chopped spinach, or ½ c chopped red or green pepper or ½ c chopped black olives, or ½ c golden raisins, or a minced clove of garlic, or even a cup of chopped cooked chicken - or even all of these suggestions (but if you do that I'd double the basic recipe) - for extra protein, you can substitute quinoa for the bulgur - you top it off with some Feta cheese too - whatever you like, make it your own!

Comparison

Price of Home made: About $3.75 total
Price of Near East Tabbouleh: $3.50+ tomato, lemon juice & olive oil, about $5.00 total

Home made Preparation: Soak in warm water 1 hr*, cut and mix ingredients 10 min, refrigerate 1 hr – Approximately 2 hr & 10 min
Near East Tabbouleh Preparation: Boil water, soak covered for 30 minutes, (cut & add tomato, lemon juice & olive oil), refrigerate 1 hour – Approximately 1 hr 35 min.

Home made Ingredients: Bulgur wheat, tomato, onion, parsley, cucumber, mint, lemon juice, olive oil & salt
Near East Tabbouleh Ingredients: Bulgur wheat, salt, parsley, onions, molasses, garlic, spearmint, honey, black pepper (You have to add tomato, lemon juice & olive oil)

Well, home made comes in at about $1.25 cheaper and has the added ingredient of a half a cucumber and does NOT contain molasses or honey (you don't need a sweetener in this dish). It only takes about 5 more minutes to chop the additional ingredients and an extra 30 minutes to soak* the bulgur. And if you look at the nutritional data below, you'll see that home made has less calories, less sodium, less carbs and more vitamins.

*Sure you can boil water and soak the bulgur for only 30 minutes also – but you lose some of the nutritional value in the bulgur when you boil it. For that matter, you can cook it in the microwave in about 2 minutes if you are really in a hurry.

Nutritional Data for Near East Tabbouleh
Calories 120
Total Fat 3 g
     Saturated Fat .5 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0%
Sodium 270 mg
Carbohydrates 23 g
     Dietary Fiber 5 g
     Sugars 2 g
Protein 4 g
Vitamin A 6%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 0%
Iron 4%

Nutritional Data for Home made Tabbouleh
Calories 91
Total Fat 3 g
     Saturated Fat 0 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 g
Sodium 241 mg
Total Carbohydrates 15 g
     Dietary Fiber 4 g
     Sugars 2 g
Protein 3 g
Vitamin A 17%
Vitamin C 30%
Calcium 3%
Iron 5%

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0 Kale, the forgotten green...

Some people don't like kale because it has a slightly bitter taste and it can be a bit tough – if you're one of these people there are ways to prepare it that will surprise you and perhaps change your dislike for this super veggie (23 Super Veggies, October 12, 2011). One of the great things about kale, besides it's health benefits, is that it has a very long growing season so it's available throughout most of the winter.

Kale is in the same family as broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts. It's super nutritious, so you should consider adding it to your diet. One cup of kale has 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 180% RDA of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and get this a whopping 1,020% of vitamin K. Kale is good for your bones, eyes, muscles, reduces your risk of cancer, helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease. One thing to keep in mind though is that kale contains high levels of oxalates which can interfere with the absorption of calcium, so avoid eating calcium rich foods at the same time as eating kale.

A friend of mine, Gareth, cooks kale in a mixture of left-over pickle juice and water to help mask the bitter flavor. You can also cook it with a couple of cloves of garlic and some red wine vinegar, or you can eat it raw in a salad, chopped up in soup, or tossed into some pasta with pine nuts, olive oil and feta cheese. Below is a recipe for a healthy nutritious meal using kale with quinoa and sweet potatoes. Also I've provided a recipe for baked kale chips which you can make and use as a healthy substitute for potato chips.

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but I was inspired to try it because of a similar dish that I like at a local vegan restaurant called POCO. I have to say that I like POCO's a lot better. I'll need to do some more experimenting with this, I think that it might be better with less balsamic vinegar mixed into the kale before baking.  You can also substitute acorn or butternut squash for the sweet potatoes and maybe garnish it with some feta cheese.  Give it a try yourself, tell me what you think and if you make changes to it that you like better let me know what they are. Thanks!

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Kale
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups kale
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes and red onion slices in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and then put them on a large baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir a few times while baking.

2. Drizzle kale with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. When the sweet potatoes and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes, put the kale in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until kale is wilted and starting to get a little crispy.

3. While the vegetables are roasting, make the quinoa. Using a strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold water. Add quinoa, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool quinoa cool to room temperature.

4. When the vegetables are done roasting, let them cool to room temperature. Chop up the red onion slices and kale. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, sweet potatoes, red onion, and kale. Drizzle the salad with remaining three tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and add in the dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 6

Nutritional Data

Calories 256

Total Fat 5 g
     Saturated Fat 1 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 62 mg
Total Carbohydrates 50 g
     Dietary Fiber 5 g
     Sugars 17 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 226%
Vitamin C 71%
Calcium 8%
Iron 13%

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
1-2 Tbl olive oil
salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse, dry and remove stems from kale. Put into a bowl, drizzle with oil, covering as much of the leaves as you are able. Place kale on a baking sheet, in a single layer, sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes – check at about 12 minutes, you want them to be dark green and crispy – do not burn.   For more flavor, you can sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika, etc.

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0 An easy and cheap dinner, roast chicken

Sometimes buying a whole chicken and roasting it is one of the cheapest meals, containing meat, that you can make. Not only is the chicken itself very reasonable, but you can throw the carcass into a pot and make chicken broth, or if there's enough meat still on there you can make chicken soup.

I made a roast chicken the other day when my mother came over for dinner. We both had a nice dinner that night, I had a chicken sandwich the next day, then cut off a lot of meat and made a pot pie (large enough for 2-3 people), then I boiled up the carcass and made chicken soup (enough for 4 good size bowls of soup). Now I'll admit that this was not an organic chicken, but it was on sale for only $3.50 – that comes to about .39 cents a meal. I would imagine that an organic chicken would probably run about $8 or .89 cents a meal, I don't think that price can be beat.

It might not be as tasty as a Thanksgiving turkey, but it does have a nice flavor and it's super easy to prepare. It does however take longer than picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Roasting your chicken will take just a few minutes to prepare, but it will take about 2 1/2 hours to roast. But as with everything you make from scratch – you know exactly what's in it, there is no hidden salt, sugar or chemicals. Try this very basic recipe and start experimenting with new ideas later...

Roast Chicken

4-5 lb whole chicken
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 apple, quartered
1 orange, peeled & quartered
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove giblets from the chicken. Rinse chicken, be careful not to splash water onto counter or clean dishes to avoid cross contamination. Pat dry with a paper towel. Stuff the cavity with the apple and orange pieces. Put into a large roasting pan – breast side up, cut butter into small pieces and arrange on top of chicken, pour olive oil over top of chicken, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt & pepper. Roast for 2 ½ hours at 375 degrees, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven, let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving (remove and discard apple & orange).

While chicken is resting you can make a gravy to serve with it (November 19, 2011). You can also stuff the chicken with home-made stuffing (November 21, 2011) instead of the apple & orange, cut the recipe in half and cook the extra stuffing in a casserole dish to have with left-overs. Or you can roast the chicken with potatoes, carrots and onions around it too, just like the roast pork recipe (February 10, 2012).  By stuffing the chicken (or putting potatoes around it) and roasting it with vegetable you will save preparation time and still be able to serve a delicious and nutritious home cooked meal.

Serve chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or baked sweet potatoes, a salad, and a steamed vegetable or two, like broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, spinach or green beans.

Don't forget that you can make a pot pie (November 28, 2011) and/or soup (January 23, 2012) too! You will have a lot less meat left over to make the pot pie, so adjust the recipe accordingly and make it in a small casserole dish or in a regular pie plate.

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0 What is hummus? How healthy is hummus?

Hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made mostly from chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Chickpeas are very high in fiber and protein. They also contain folate, Omega-3's, calcium, iron, zinc and mangnesium. The second major ingredient in hummus is tahini (sesame seed paste) which is also high in protein, fiber, monounsaturated fat, calcium and iron. You'll remember from my previous article that fiber, folate, Omega-3's and calcium all help to lower blood pressure. Also, beans are known to lower cholesterol, control blood sugar levels, and help prevent cancer.

You can eat hummus as a dip for vegetables, use it as a spread on sandwiches, serve it with crackers, pita bread or bruschetta, mix it with salsa for a healthy and spicy bean dip, or add broth (or water) to it and use it as a salad dressing.

It doesn't seem that most pre-made hummus' have too many added ingredients, with the exception of preservatives. But, the cost to make homemade hummus is about half the cost of store bought. So instead of spending about $4 for 7 oz of some name brand, why don't you make your own for only about $3 for 16 oz (using canned - it's even cheaper if you use dried beans!), it's easy and takes less than 5 minutes. When you make your own you can also season it to taste just the way you like it.

This recipe was given to me by an old family friend about 25 years ago. Since then I've modified it just a bit. I don't usually keep tahini on hand and it's quite expensive, but since I do make a lot of asian stir frys I always have sesame oil on hand.  You can use about 2-3 tablespoons of sesame oil in lieu of the tahini in the recipe. Also, he and I really like garlic, so the recipe calls for an entire head of garlic but you can use about 4 cloves or less, if you don't want as much of a garlicky taste.

Hummus

2 c well cooked garbanzo beans, drained (or 1 - 16 oz can drained)
2 ½ Tbl tahini (or 2-3 Tbl sesame oil)
3 Tbl water
2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 head of garlic, peeled
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin (or paprika)
¼ tsp black pepper
1/16 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine chickpeas, tahini, water, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Add garlic, salt, cumin and peppers. Process to blend. Correct seasonings to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready – will store for 5 days. Sprinkle with paprika when serving.

Here's an interesting take on Baba Ghanoush...

Baba Ghanoush
1 lg eggplant
2 c well cooked garbanzo beans, drained (or 1 - 16 oz can, drained)
3 Tbl tahini
¼ lemon juice
¼ olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp salt

Slice the eggplant in half, place on baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes until soft. Let cool. Scoop out eggplant and place in a food processor, add remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready – will last 5 days.

For a more traditional Baba Ghanoush, just leave out the garbanzo beans.

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0 8 Things you can eat to help lower (or regulate) your blood pressure naturally

Here are 8 things that you can easily add to your daily diet that will help you lower (or regulate) your blood pressure naturally. Once you read through this article you will see how many of these things can either be eaten individually or mixed together to make for an especially heart-healthy meal. As always the key is to eat fresh, non-processed foods. Food items that help regulate blood pressure and that are heart-healthy are naturally rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, folate, calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Also, remember that your body more easily absorbs and utilizes these nutrients when they come from natural foods rather than by being chemically added to food products or when taken in a daily vitamin.

Berries
Calorie for calorie, berries are among the most nutritional foods on the planet when it comes to fiber and antioxidant capacity. All berries are great for you, but blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are tops for their ability to help lower blood pressure, because they are high in fiber, vitamin C and potassium.

How they work: All three berries are high in fiber, but raspberries rank highest: Just one cup delivers more than 33 percent of the daily value, for a mere 60 calories. A cup of strawberries offers 136 percent of the daily value for vitamin C. And blueberries contain a compound called pterostilbene that helps prevent plaque buildup in the arteries. Last but not least, berries are an anti-inflammatory.

How much: Eat at least one serving (one cup) of berries per day, fresh or frozen. Berries are delicious added to oatmeal, a salad or yogurt.

Black Beans
Legumes boast a high fiber-to-protein ratio that you won't find in any other type of food. This combination works wonders for regulating blood sugar and lowering blood cholesterol levels, both of which are related to maintaining normal blood pressure.

How they work: Black beans are a nutrient-dense source of fiber and magnesium, which are essential for healthy blood pressure levels. What puts them at a distinct advantage over other foods, though, is the folate you'll find in these legumes. Folate, also known as folic acid in its synthetic form, is a B-complex vitamin that appears to lower blood pressure (especially systolic blood pressure) by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow.

How much: 400 micrograms of folate is the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Aim for that as a minimum; 800 micrograms daily has shown significant benefit in reducing blood pressure in multiple large-scale studies. One cup of cooked black beans provides 256 micrograms of folate. Black beans are great in soups, burritos (see article September 14, 2011) and in salads. Don't forget that they are a great source of protein too, mix them with brown rice for a more complete protein.


Broccoli
This veggie is hailed as a super-food because of its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And when it comes lowering blood pressure, broccoli sells itself.

How it works: Broccoli is a potent package of fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C, all nutrients that help lower blood pressure. One cup of steamed broccoli provides more than 200 percent of the vitamin C you need each day. Researchers aren't sure how, exactly, vitamin C helps. Theories range from the vitamin promoting the excretion of lead to calming the sympathetic nervous system to protecting nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow. But the results are the same: Antioxidant vitamin C helps normalize blood pressure.

How much: For the myriad health benefits you can reap from regular consumption of broccoli, most people would do well to eat at least one serving a day. For variety, dip it raw in salsa or hummus, put it in a salad, add it to a stir fry, or steam it with olive oil and lemon.

Celery
Mark Houston, a physician and medical director of the Hypertension Institute of Nashville at Saint Thomas Hospital, recommends celery to patients as a natural remedy for lowering blood pressure. This recommendation isn't anything new, Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been prescribing celery or celery root to patients with high blood pressure for more than a century. Studies have shown benefit in animals as well as humans.

How it works: Celery contains phytochemicals known as phthalides, which relax the muscle tissue in the artery walls, enabling increased blood flow and, in turn, lowering blood pressure.

How much: Research suggests that eating four stalks of celery per day may be helpful in lowering blood pressure. Add celery to your salads, soups and stir frys. Or eat it raw as a snack and for a boost of protein, add a tablespoon of unsalted peanut butter or almond butter, both are high in monounsaturated fat (the heart-healthy kind) or dip it in hummus.

Cold Water Fish

Cold-water fish are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, which are famous for their cardiovascular benefits. In particular, omega-3s lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Wild (not farmed) salmon, tuna, mackerel, cod, trout, halibut, herring, and sardines are among the best sources.

How it works: Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids: The human body can't make them, so we need to get them from the food we eat. Omega-3s act as a natural blood thinner, making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body. Less thick blood is also less likely to form clots in veins and arteries. Before we started eating so many processed foods we ate a good balance of Omega-3s and Omega-6s but today we eat way too many Omega-6s, which can cause heart disease, asthma, cancer and autoimmune diseases. So we need to eat a lot more foods rich in Omega-3s (in addition to cold water fish, eat walnuts, flax seeds, farm fresh eggs and cook with olive oil) and less foods with Omega-6s (vegetable oils, processed and fast foods).

How much: According to the joint guidelines from the FDA and the EPA, two six-ounce servings per week of most cold-water fish is a safe amount for most people, including pregnant women and nursing mothers, to reap the health benefits with minimal risk from exposure to toxins. If you bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder, or take blood-thinning medication, talk to your doctor about potential complications. Add salmon to your soups and salads, make a salmon fritatta (October 26, 2011), or broiled salmon (September 6, 2011).

Dandelion

For more than a century, dandelion has been used as a cure-all for countless conditions and ailments in cultures around the world, particularly in its native Asia and Europe. The entire plant is edible, from leaves to roots. And in addition to lowering blood pressure, it's good for the liver, eyes, and skin.

How it works: A natural diuretic, dandelion helps reduce blood pressure by releasing excess sodium without the loss of potassium (as occurs with some over-the-counter diuretics). This is doubly important because excess sodium raises blood pressure by constricting blood vessels, while potassium helps regulate it. You want to eat about twice as much potassium per day as sodium. Dandelion is also loaded with magnesium, which dissolves blood clots and stimulates the production of nitric oxide, helping to relax and dilate blood vessels for better blood flow.

How much: Eat fresh dandelion greens in a salad, sauté dandelion roots in a stir-fry, or drink dried dandelion in a tea. Incorporate dandelion into your diet as often as you can; it's really good for you.

Low fat dairy
In a Dutch study of hypertension in adults 55 and older, researchers found that low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt may help prevent hypertension.

How it works: The modest amount of fat in low-fat dairy is important because it increases the bioavailability of calcium, making it easier for the body to absorb. In addition, milk and dairy products offer blood-pressure-lowering magnesium and potassium.

How much: In a 2006 study from Harvard Medical School, researchers found that people who ate more than three servings per day of low-fat dairy showed a systolic blood pressure reading of 2.6 points less than those who ate less than half a serving per day. Try to eat skim milk, cheese, and yogurt at least three times a day, or for an in between snack. You can always add cheese to a salad. Remember Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt and all yogurts are probiotics which will help keep digestive system functioning properly. Yogurt is easy to make too see my article on how to make it (August 31, 2011).

Whole Grain Oats

In a 12-week study comparing whole-grain oat-based cereals to refined wheat-based cereals, researchers reported that 73 percent of hypertensive participants in the oats group were able to cut out their antihypertensive medications, or reduce them by half. The remaining participants also experienced significantly reduced blood pressure.

How they work: The fiber and magnesium found in oats both have beneficial effects on blood pressure. In addition, oats slow atherosclerosis, the plaque buildup that occurs in blood vessels.

How much: Aim for one serving or about three-fourths of a cup of whole-grain oats per day (old-fashion oatmeal, rolled oats or steel cut oats, but NOT instant oatmeal), or at least six servings per week. For a boost of blood-pressure-lowering calcium and potassium, eat whole-grain oatmeal topped with skim milk (or unsweetened soy milk) and bananas or berries, or sprinkle oat bran on cereal, salads or yogurt. Loose oats also make an excellent thickener for soups and stews. Check out the articles on making whole-grain cereal (October 20, 2011) and granola bars (November 1, 2011).

I'm thinking my next article might just be on Hummus.....

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0 Sourdough Bread – it's even healthier than whole-wheat!

I love sourdough bread and I love that it's cheap to make! The recipe below costs about 17 cents a loaf to make. Basically you make a “starter”, feed and water it regularly and then use it instead of the more costly yeast. Sourdough breads are leavened by using this “starter” which creates the enzymes needed to predigest the grains. This action causes carbon dioxide, which gets trapped in the dough making it rise.

There are different varieties of “starter” and they have a different characteristics as well – one of them might effect rise times and another might effect the “bitterness” of the dough, among other characteristics. However, one thing is true with all sourdough breads, the less starter you use, the longer you will need to let it rise and the more pronounced the sourdough taste will be.

You may not believe it but, sourdough bread is better for you than even whole-wheat bread. It's believed that the fermentation of the sourdough changes the nature of the starches in the bread, creating a more beneficial bread. Fermented foods often offer more health benefits than fresh foods, for example, the probiotics in yogurt. It's believed that the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods aids in digestion by balancing the natural flora in the intestines and that the lactic acid helps to increase the absorption of nutrients and minerals by our bodies.

The lactic acid in the bread also retards the growth of mold, thereby naturally preserving the bread for a longer period of time than yeast breads. The fermentation process of sourdough bread also breaks down the starches and gluten making the bread easier to digest and may even result in a bread that gluten sensitive people are able to eat. Because of this another benefit of sourdough bread is the effect it has on blood sugar control – you are less likely to have insulin spikes when you eat sourdough versus white or even whole-wheat bread.

You can get a starter by either purchasing a starter culture, getting some from a friend or making your own. Now, sourdough starters can be finicky (sometimes rising well and other times not rising much at all) so a lot of people will tell you to either buy a starter or get one from a friend that you know works well. If you have patience, I suggest you make your own. It's really easy and given enough time the starter should mature and give you the same results each time.

There are several different methods of making a starter – one way is just using water and flour, another is to use a citrus juice and flour, and another is to use raisin water (water from rinsed raisins) and flour. I'm sure that there are other methods out there as well. When I made my starter I combined all three methods and it seemed to work well.

My starter method

• I started with ¼ c of flour and a ¼ of water mixed in a quart jar (day 1), kept lightly covered and in a warm place. Then, I took an orange and squeezed its juice into a small jar, I added a few raisins, about a cup of water and soaked them for a day (day 1).
• The next day I added a ¼ c of flour and a ¼ cup of this water mixture (day 2), for the following 3 days (days 3-5) I did the same. You should begin to see bubbles in your starter and it may even start rising.
• For the 6^th and 7^th day, I added ½ c flour and 1/3 c water. At this point you will need to remove about a ½ c of starter per day and add new flour and water to your container.
• If you don't want to waste this starter you can use it in pancake batter or biscuit batter – use it as if it were a ½ c flour, cut back a little on your liquid and continue to use the baking powder called for in the recipe.
• After about 10 days your starter will begin maturing and you can start making bread. It will continue to mature for awhile and you will get better results (a lighter, less dense bread – more rising) after about a week.

I make bread about every 3-4 days, I make sure that I feed it the day before I use it and I feed it after I remove what I need for my bread that day, so I don't have too much of a problem with having too much starter. But you can either feed it less often (as long as you feed it the day before you use it) or keep it in the refrigerator for up to a month at a time without feeding, just take it out a couple of days before you need to use it and begin feeding it again.

There are different methods of making sourdough bread. Mostly they concern pre-mixing and rising methods. Once you start making a consistent loaf you can experiment on your own trying different methods to get the consistency and sourness that you like. You will need to knead sourdough for a longer period of time than yeast bread and it will also require a longer rise time – but I think the benefits are worth it.

Easy Sourdough French Bread

1 ½ c starter
1 c warm water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl olive oil
3 ½-4 c flour

Mix starter, water, salt and olive oil in a large plastic or glass bowl. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly – to about 2 ½ cups. This should get you a thick moist dough. At this point, spread about ½ c flour on the counter, put your mixture on top of it, add a little more flour to the top of the mixture and begin kneading your dough – add flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Knead for about 20 minutes or until smooth. Place your ball of dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, cut in half. Fold one half into itself length-wise and then width-wise, shape into loaf, repeat with the other half. Place on ungreased baking sheet, cover and let rise in warm place for about 2 hours, make three-four diagonal slits on top of each loaf. Brush or mist loaves with water. Place a pan of water in oven on lowest shelf, place bread on middle rack and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Once you get start getting a consistent loaf you can begin experimenting with different methods and even different ingredients.  Rye bread has even more health benefits, and less gluten.  I've never made rye bread though because I don't like the taste of rye.  If you do make a rye bread, or really anything else you try, please let me know how it comes out.  I make a wonderful bread substituting ½ c whole-wheat flour for ½ c regular flour and then add 1 tablespoon each of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, millet, amaranth and quinoa, it's delicious.

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0 Hormel Pork Roast Aus Jus vs Home made Pork Roast

When some people think of comfort food they think of meatloaf, or mac 'n cheese, or pizza, but I think of pork roast. The smell of the pork roasting in the oven reminds me of Sunday dinners at my Aunt Midgie's house, the comfort of being surrounded by family and love. What wonderful memories...

I also really love the taste of pork, almost any kind of pork. Pork Roast, Country Spare Ribs in Sauerkraut, BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Pork Chops, Moo Shoo Pork, Tonkatsu, Schnitzel – whatever you call it, I love it! One of the great things about eating pork roast is getting that nice crispy end of the roast. Yum! Another great thing about it is having left-overs!  Slice the roast thin and heat it on the stove top in gravy.  Easy & quick, it will make up for some of the time you spent cooking this meal from scratch.

By now you already know that I love garlic too. So, you won't be surprised to learn that my pork roast has tons of garlic in it. I “stud” the roast with slivers of garlic – you don't have to do this and it will save time if you just want to sprinkle the roast with garlic powder but of course the garlic flavor won't be as intense either. I also like to cut up potatoes, onions and carrots to put around my roast too, just like Aunt Midgie did. And when the roast is done, don't forget to serve it with some delicious (unhealthy) gravy (November 19^th).

Now, I'm comparing a Roast Loin of Pork with Hormel's Pork Roast Aus Jus – you should know enough about me by now to know that I've never purchased or eaten this product, but I think it's probably similar to a home made pork roast. Hormel's package claims that a serving size is 5 oz and the package serves 3.5 people – don't you love that? Hmm, I'll just invite 2.5 people over for dinner.... I believe that a serving size should be 4 oz but for comparisons sake the nutritional data will be based on a 5 oz serving of meat only.

In addition, their package says their “fork tender” roast was slowly simmered in aus jus and to serve it with sides. I don't know about you, but why would you take a nice piece of meat that's “fork tender” and put it in a microwave to cook? I think that would make it tough. If you put the carrots, onions and potatoes around the roast – there's one of your sides taken care of already. Just add a salad and an in-season fresh vegetable and you're done. The meat in this recipe will shrink some, but should serve 8-10 people. I'm basing the “side” on about 4-6 people, then you'll have left-overs of the meat.

Roast Loin of Pork

3 lbs Loin of Pork
4 garlic cloves, each cut into about 3 slivers
4 md onions
6 lg carrots
6 md potatoes
2 Tbl olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp paring knife, make 3 small slits across the top of the roast and repeat about every two inches down the top of the roast. Insert your garlic slivers into these slits. Put your roast in a large roasting pan. Drizzle 1 Tbl of oil over roast, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Peel onions and slice about 3 very thin slices and lay across the top of the roast. Cut the remainder of the onions into quarters, peel and cut the carrots into thin 3-4” long strips, peel and quarter the potatoes, arrange all of the vegetables around the roast (something like, onion, potato, carrot, onion, potato, carrot, etc. - after you put them all around, you can layer them if needed) Drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Put in the oven and roast for about 1 ½-2 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Put roast on a serving platter and let sit for a few minutes (while you make your gravy) to let the juices settle, serve the vegetables in a large bowl.

Comparison

Price for home made Pork Roast: $6.00 per pound
Price for Hormel Pork Roast: $8.80 per pound

Ingredients in home made Pork Roast: Pork, Garlic, Onion, Salt & Pepper
Ingredients in Hormel Pork Roast: Pork, Water, Salt, Dextrose, Spices, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Modified Cornstarch, Caramel Color, Spice Extractives

Preparation time for home made Pork Roast: 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes per pound
Preparation time for Hormel Pork Roast: 1 minute prep, 4 minutes in the microwave

Nutritional Data for home made Pork Roast
Calories 303
Calories from Fat 184
Total Fat 20 g
     Saturated Fat 7 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 82 mg
Sodium 116 mg
Total Carbohydrates 1 g
     Dietary Fiber 0 g
     Sugars 0 g
Protein 27 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 1 %
Iron 7%

Nutritional Data for Hormel Pork Roast
Calories 180
Calories from fat 60
Total Fat 7 g
     Saturated Fat 2.5 g
     Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 85 mg
Sodium 600 mg
Total Carbohydrates 1 g
     Dietary Fiber 0 g
     Sugar 1 g
Protein 28 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 8%

For the life of me I can't figure out how their product has less calories, I suppose that they've trimmed all of the fat off, I can't figure the calories that way. Sorry, just don't eat the delicious fat on the outside... Anyway, you'll notice that the cholesterol is slightly lower in the home made and the sodium is significantly lower. It might take longer to prepare (it's mostly in the cooking time) – but it will be tastier and cheaper. Right from the beginning it's $2.80 per pound cheaper and you'll find pork roasts on sale often enough for a lot less that $6 per pound – just buy them then.

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0 Mushrooms - vegetable, fruit or ?

Mushrooms are unique in that they are neither a vegetable nor a fruit, technically they are not even a plant, they are a fungi.  I love mushrooms, sauteed in butter & garlic they make the perfect accompaniment to hamburgers, steaks and shrimp. They taste great in salads, soups, gravies and stir frys too.  Most of us are familiar with those white button mushrooms in the grocery store, but there are many different varieties of mushrooms out there and they all have their own characteristics. Check out today's recipe for a Portobello burger, it's so good you won't even realize that you're not eating meat!

Eating mushrooms is very healthy too! Mushrooms contain L-ergothioneine, B vitamins, vitamin D, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, copper, selenium, zinc, protein and magnesium, They help the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer. These healthful qualities remain whether they are fresh, cooked, dried or powdered too! Mushrooms are 90% water and only have 18 calories a cupful.

I wouldn't suggest you go out and pick wild mushrooms as there are many poisonous varieties, but I understand that you can buy kits and grow your own mushrooms. I haven't done that yet, but I am interested. If I do it, I'll let you know how it goes. I met a man in Japan that was growing Shiitake mushrooms on a tree log in his backyard, he claimed it was very easy to do. If you grow mushrooms or start growing mushrooms, let me know how it works for you.

Here are some common mushroom varieties:

Button – The white “button” shaped mushrooms that we're all used to seeing in the grocery store. They are delicious in salads, soups, sauces, gravies, sauteed and in stir frys.

Crimini – These are the coffee colored version on the Button mushroom, they're also commonly called “Baby Bellas”. They are in fact baby Portobellos – if left to grow you'll get a regular Portobello mushroom.

Enoki - These slender white mushrooms need only brief cooking and have a very mild taste. They are good in soups & salads.

Maitaki – This Japanese mushroom resembles the fluffed tail feathers of a nesting hen. It's used widely in Japanese cooking.

Oyster – Has a broad, fan or oyster shaped cap, can be between 2 and 10 inches in diameter. They can be white/gray or tan/brown in color. Commonly used in Asian cooking, can be used in soup, sauces, stir frys or stuffed.

Portobello – This is a large coffee colored “Button” mushroom. They have a very beefy flavor and texture and are good sliced and sauteed, or grilled whole. See today's recipe.

Porcini – Has a large brown cap and can reach 14 inches in diameter. They are held in high regard in many cuisines and can be used in soups, pasta or risotto.

Shiitake - Have brown slightly convex caps that range in diameter from 2-4 inches. These are very flavorful mushrooms, you will remember that I used them to make vegetarian Dashi and also put them in my Miso soup (Sept 26, 2011).

Portobello Burgers with Roasted Pepper Paste

“Burgers”
2 Tbl olive oil
1/8 c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl fresh rosemary, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
4 large portobello caps
½ tsp coarse salt
½ tsp coarse pepper
4 slices of smoked mozzarella, part-skim (optional)

Combine first four ingredients in a large zip-lock bag. Add mushrooms, shake and let stand for 15 minutes. Broil or grill the mushrooms for 6 minutes on each side. Season with salt & pepper while cooking, add the mozzarella during the last minute of cooking so that it melts on top.

Roaster Pepper Paste
1 (14 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1-2 tsp olive oil
handful of fresh parsley leaves
2 lg cloves of garlic
¼ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a thick sauce.

Spread the sauce on the top hamburger buns/rolls. Place your mushroom on the bottom bun. Add lettuce (or spinach), onions and tomato, cover with top bun and serve. Serves 4

Nutritional Data (does include mozzarella, but does not include bun, lettuce, tomato or onion)
Calories 212
Total Fat 14 g
     Saturated Fat 4 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 18 mg
Sodium 1821 mg*
Total Carbohydrates 13 g
     Dietary Fiber 4 g
     Sugars 2 g
Protein 13 g
Vitamin A 18%
Vitamin C 92%
Calcium 28%
Iron 10%

* Most of this sodium is in the marinade, I don't know how much you would actually consume but I would assume it would be much less.

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0 Chicken Soup, it's not just for when you're sick...

Ok, the other day I had a friend over for dinner and I made a whole roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, string beans and fresh whole wheat sour dough bread. We had a great time, enjoyed the dinner – but what to do with the leftovers? Well, I could have made chicken pot pie, but there wasn't that much left. So I made chicken soup.

Really, making chicken soup isn't that different than making turkey soup. But since I didn't have all of the leftovers that I had at Thanksgiving, I changed it up a bit. For your basic chicken soup, you would just boil the carcass, pick off the meat, add some veggies, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and maybe some barley, rice or lentils. But this recipe is tasty and has a little zip to it. If you're at all familiar with Bisbee, Arizona this soup is very similar to the Chicken Tortilla Soup served at the historic Copper Queen Hotel.

Mexican Chicken Soup

1 ½ lb chicken, diced
1 onion (white, yellow, brown or red), chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
2 Tbl garlic, crushed
2 Tbl jalapeno, chopped
2 c tomatoes, diced
2 c corn
2 c kidney, pinto or black beans
1 Tbl cumin
2 Tbl cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
4 c water or chicken stock

If you're using a chicken carcass, uncooked thighs or whole breasts, put in large pot, cover with water and boil for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bones, set aside to cool. If you are using boneless raw meat, chop meat up and put it in a large pot with water or stock. Add remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer. After the bones have cooled, pick off what meat you can (only what looks appetizing, if it looks tough or grizzly throw it away), discard bones. Add this meat and the meat you cut off the carcass before boiling it to your soup. Cook about 20-30 minutes.

Serve hot, garnish with tortilla strips or chips, a sprig of cilantro, or a wedge of lime and a dollop of sour cream.

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0 Beef Stew...

I eat a lot of soups, stews and curries all year long, but I find that I make a lot more soups and stews in the winter. Probably for a couple of reasons, I entertain more and have more large pieces of meat that I need to use up, it's cold out and soup tastes good and makes you feel warmer, last and most importantly because it makes for an incredibly cheap and easy meal. You might be wondering what the difference is between soup and stew. Basically, soup is any combination of meat and/or vegetables cooked in a liquid, stew is pretty much the same thing, except that there is usually less liquid and a thicker broth.

The next couple of articles will be about different stew/soups. And what goes well with stew? Bread! So, I plan on doing a couple of articles on bread too.

I won't be doing a comparison between my stew and something like Dinty Moore because there is no comparison. When you make soup or stew at home you make a POT of soup or stew, and you use whatever is in the house most of the time too, so I'm not going to compare to a can of stew or soup. But I'm pretty sure that it's a lot cheaper to make your own and by cooking up that extra meat and veggies that you have in your refrigerator you will probably be throwing away less rotten food too.

Just like my turkey soup recipe I don't really have a recipe for beef stew, I just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot and cook it up so you will have to bear with me. This is the best representation of what I do to make stew, you don't have to follow it completely and as always be creative – add the spice, veggies and flavors that you like best. Also, your soup or stew will always taste better after sitting for a day or two – so if you have time cook this in advance, store for a couple of days in the fridge and then eat it.

Beef Stew
1 lb or 2 cups beef, cubed (this can be off of a roast, or you can buy stew meat at the store)
1 c carrots, sliced thin
½ c green peppers, chopped
½ c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

4-6 mushrooms, chopped

½ c green beans, chopped
1 15 oz can corn (low-sodium)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (low-sodium)
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp garlic powder
2 bay leaves
2 Tbl flour
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil
¼ c red wine
salt & pepper to taste (approx ¼ tsp of each)
¼ c lentils
¼ c pearl barley
8 cups of water

Put butter and oil in a large pot over low heat. Add carrots, peppers, onion, garlic, mushrooms and green beans, saute for a couple of minutes. Mix the flour, salt & pepper together, then dredge the beef in the flour mixture. Add the meat to the pot, cook until browned. Add the wine to the pot to deglaze. Once all the bits are off the bottom of the pot add the corn and tomatoes. Raise the heat to medium. Next add the water and spices. Bring to a simmer, add the lentils and barley. Cook until the lentils and barley are done – about 30 minutes. You may want to add more water or you may want to make a slurry of flour and water and thicken it. Remove bay leaves before serving.

You can substitute or add a couple of potatoes cut into cubes instead of the lentils and barley. Or you can add rice. Change out the vegetables and spices to your liking – maybe add celery, squash, or peas and some curry, nutmeg or cinnamon.  You may want to add more salt. This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Nutritional Data
Calories 208
Total Fat 6 g
     Saturated Fat 2 g
     Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 40 mg
Sodium 55 mg
Total Carbohydrates 23 g
     Dietary Fiber 5 g
     Sugars 2 g
Protein 16 g
Vitamin A 54%
Vitamin C 23%
Calcium 3%
Iron 12 %

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0 Thanksgiving leftovers...tired of Turkey Sandwiches?

I love having turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving. Sometimes I make them with just butter, salt and turkey, other times I add mayo, wasabi mayo, maybe some stuffing, and even cranberry sauce – but how many sandwiches can you eat? Or, how much meat do you have leftover? And if you're like me and most of my friends & family you also don't eat dark meat. So, just what do you do with the dark meat and the other stuff?

Well, I make Turkey Pot Pie which uses nearly everything leftover and then I boil the bones up and make Turkey Soup. After all, this turkey gave it's life for us, so I think that we should eat as much of it as possible. Pot pie and soup are also a great way to “hide” dark meat, I usually use about 2/3 white and 1/3 dark in the pot pie and about 2/3 dark and 1/3 white in the soup. This year I had almost no white meat left, so I also made a batch of dog food with the excess dark meat.

Now, I don't really have a recipe for either of these so you'll have to bear with me. I really do throw most of my leftovers into the pot pie – but I don't know what you cook for Thanksgiving dinner so I'll try to give you an idea of what goes into mine and you can try putting your leftovers in yours – taste it and tell me all about it.

Some things that I've put into the pot pie are: turkey, stuffing, creamed onions, carrots, peas, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli, pickled red cabbage and asparagus. I will say right now – this is not a healthy meal, but it is certainly delicious. Ok, here's an attempt at a recipe...

Turkey Pot Pie

2 times pie crust recipe*
4-6 c turkey cut into bite size pieces
1- ½ c gravy
2 carrots, sliced thin or 1 c carrots
½ c onions sliced thin or creamed onions
1-2 c green bean casserole
1 c stuffing
1 c evaporated milk or cream
1-2 Tbl butter
1 c water

In a large pot combine turkey, gravy, carrots, onions, green bean casserole, stuffing, milk, butter and water. Heat over a medium flame, stirring occasionally – the consistency should be fairly thick, if it's not then make a slurry with about half a cup water and a heaping tablespoon flour and add it to the mixture, simmer until it thickens. Line a 13x16x3 roasting pan with the pie crust, pour contents into pan. Cover with the remainder of the crust and bake at 425 degrees for about an hour.

Now, I've used leftover mashed potatoes in the mixture, and I've also used them on top – kind of like a Shepherd's Pie.  You also don't have to make a pie this large - you can make smaller ones in regular pie plates or in ramekins - you can even freeze them before they're baked and cook them later – so get creative.

Pie Crust Recipe – *double this recipe for a 13x16x3 pot pie
1 1/3 c flour
½ tsp salt
½ c vegetable shortening
3 Tbl water

Sift flour before measuring. Combine flour & salt. Cut in shortening (you can use a pastry cutter if you have one, but a fork works just as well). Sprinkle with water. Work into dough. Using a rolling pin roll out to a thin crust.

I'm not sure how many people this serves – I'm sure that it should serve at least 8 people, but I don't think I've ever gotten that many servings out of it because everyone likes it so much.

The ingredients in the turkey soup don't change much from year to year, but of course the quantity of turkey does – just try to keep it all in proportion, or at least the way you like your soup. Pick as much meat off of the bones as you can – I usually throw the legs in whole, it's not worth the effort to pick the meat off of them until after they're boiled. Also, if you're like me and you don't eat the skin – throw that into the pot too, it will help flavor the broth.

Turkey Soup
2-4 c turkey
1 c celery, diced
1 c carrots, sliced or diced
¼ c onion, chopped
½ c green beans (optional)
½ c stuffing (optional)
¾ c barley
2 tsp salt
½ tsp poultry seasoning
1-2 bay leaves
pepper, to taste
water

Put the turkey carcass (and skin) into a very large pot, cover with water, boil for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bones, set aside to cool, remove skin and discard. While the bones are cooling, add remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer. After the bones have cooled, pick off what meat you can (only what looks appetizing, if it looks tough or grizzly throw it away), discard bones. Add this meat to your soup, cook until the carrots are tender – serve hot.

Good luck and remember these are just guidelines – get creative and enjoy yourself.

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