A Good For You 2fer

Let's face it. I want the best of all worlds - flavorful, whole, nutritious, fast, and tasty food. My husband, Neal, is happy when I manage to throw a plate of cooked food in front of him. (I love spinach salads, fruit, hummus, sliced cheeses, and almonds.) Add a little wine and bread, most anything can be elevated to the meal category.
Neal is a great cook. His standards for moderate fat and few preservatives are a little relaxed. Meatless Mondays are a foreign concept to him. Why would someone pass up a chance to eat meat? Unless, it is red beans and rice. I know there is bacon or sausage in the various versions of his favorite dish. Smoked meat, used as seasoning, is exempt from the meat category in his world. I didn't grasp the concept, either. Just walk away.
I like large dried white beans, slow cooked with a whole onion and 2 bullion cubes. I find the texture of the bean hearty and smooth. The flavor is mild. It is perfect for thickening and hiding extra nutrition in a vegetarian dish.
Two of my favorite recipes, using white bean base, are Country White Bean Dip and Warm White Beans, Country Style.
Bean Base:
Start by removing stones and loose skins from 16 oz / 1 lb. of large,white, dry beans. I use a colander to rinse them well under running water. Use hand to sift and lift beans to remove any dirt.
Soak beans for 4 hours. Rinse well.
Place beans into a large pan.
Cover beans with water, plus 2".
Add whole onion and 2 bullion cubes (chicken or vegetarian flavor)
Bring to a vigorous boil on stove top.
Reduce heat to low. Slow cook until liquid thickens and beans are tender. (This will take several hours, add additional water and stir, if needed.)
Throw whole onion, away.
Divide beans into 3 or 6 cup containers. This base freezes well.
Country White Bean Dip, serves 8
Start by removing the membrane and seeds from one jalapeño.




Chop half of a small sweet onion to a similar size as the jalapeño.
In a small, nonstick sauté pan add 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 table spoon of corn oil. Heat on medium, Until oil shimmers. Turn pan to coat pan and combine oils.
Add jalapeño for 3 minutes and sauté over medium heat.
Add diced onion. Cook over medium heat for an additional 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Stir in 2 large cloves of garlic. Cook until garlic begins to brown. Stir and watch closely! Burned garlic is bitter!
Remove from heat. Pour into small bowl.




To 3 cups of chilled bean base add:
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano
freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir.
Using an immersion blender, blend until mostly smooth.
Stir sautéed vegetables into seasoned beans.
Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate dip for 2 hours before serving.
Just before serving, stir in one to three teaspoons of Smoked Tabasco. (Start with smallest amount and increase if your family likes a kick.)
Taste
If you need more salt add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt. If you are happy with the taste, STOP seasoning. Folks can salt their serving.
To serve surround decorative bowl with pita chips or crisp flat bread. Sprinkle dip,lightly, with smoked paprika.
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Warm White Beans, Country Style - serves 4
Prep:
Warm 6 cups of bean base
Chop one medium sweet onion into a medium dice, set aside.
Remove membrane and seeds from one large jalapeño. Dice fine.
Dice 4 raw slices of lean, center - cut, thick, bacon into large pieces.
Note - Dice veggies before bacon to prevent cross contamination.
In a small, nonstick sauté pan fry bacon over medium heat until crispy.
Remove bacon pieces and all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from sauté pan. (For vegetarian, omit bacon and sauté in 2 tablespoons of peanut oil.)
Add jalapeño to bacon grease. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add diced onion to jalapeño. Cook over medium heat for an additional 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add 2 large cloves of garlic to onion / pepper mixture.
Cook until garlic begins to brown. Stir and watch closely! Burned garlic is bitter!
Remove from heat. Set aside.
To six cups of warm bean base add:
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt (adjust for saltiness of bullion and bacon).
2 teaspoons of smoked Tobasco (adjust to family's taste.)
Sautéed veggie mixture
Freshly ground pepper to taste.
Sautéed pepper mixture.
Serve warm soup family style. Provide corn bread, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, crisped bacon pieces, and diced green onions. Enjoy!
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Location:Alvin, TX

Soup in summer?

Soups on! The house smells amazing! It is cloudy. We have a break from our summer heat that is muggy and reaches 100 degrees. Don't get me started on heat index!

Our Great Dane mix is brought into the house to prevent heat exhaustion. We bring her in for frost warnings, too. She is in the house twice as much in summer than winter. Don't send hate mail. She is well fed, much loved, physically fit, big grassy yard to romp in, and has her own screened in porch with ceiling fan. There are humans who camp without as many luxuries! Did I mention she has her own pet? She bonded with my daughter's kitten. They play, each day, in my living room. Can we say spoiled puppy?

Speaking of spoiled, I am sad that the summer's crops are slowing down. Our local farmer's market shows a little less selection than the weeks before. I want to save some of the beautiful produce to savor in the coming months. The soup, sitting on the stove, is a celebration of what was fresh in the farmer's market. It will freeze well. My dutch oven is full of deliciousness. Enough soup for tonight's meal and a future meal. It will be a good memory when I pull the soup from the freezer.

Since, tonight's soup is a tiny bit of an experiment, I can't share it's recipe until it is perfected. I am teasing you with a photo. It is a blend of my two favorite recipes.

The one I can share is my source of inspiration in seasonings and V-8 Vegetable juice. The original recipe is from The Busy People's Slow Cooker Cook Book by Dawn Hall. It is full of flavor, vegetarian, and waist line friendly. I discovered it on one of my favorite web sites as recipe 247111 on Food.com, formerly Recipe Zaar

Hearty Hobo Soup






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Location:Alvin, TX

Texas Quick Chili and Easy Entertaining

I made Texas "quick" chili, this afternoon. When I say quick, I mean 1.5 hours. My "real" Texas chili simmers ALL afternoon. A slow simmer keeps both versions easy. Don't skimp on this one with mixes or high fat ground beef. Use fresh ingredients, lean meat, and quality spices. Chili feeds a crowd, holds well, reheats well, freezes well, and is economical. Leftovers turn into Chili Mac or Frito Pie. It's a super food.


Are you scratching your head asking why Texas chili is different? Who needs two recipes for it?! The short answer is the slow cook chili uses 3 lbs of chuck roast chunks, extra chilies, and no sausage. The larger, tougher meat is browned and simmered for hours. The faster recipe uses less liquid and flavorful large grind meats. In the quick chili, savory lean sausage makes up for the loss of the rich chuck pieces and shorter simmer.

To entertain with a chili bar, lay out the following for self serve: slow cooked pinto beans, baked potatoes, grated sharp cheddar, diced onion, rice, red chili flakes, diced jalapeño, Frito brand corn chips, sour cream, and fresh corn bread. If there are Yankees in the house, I will boil spaghetti noodles. Since, the fixings for the chili bar can be held in crock pots and platters, you are free to mingle with your guests. One bowl means your guests aren't bound to a table to use knife and forks. Guests wander out to our screened porch during the fall. Freeze left over chili. It's perfect to toss into the cooler for your next camp fire with the gang.

Momma raised my sisters and I to believe a good hostess keeps guests happy. I don't understand the beauty of chili over spaghetti. If a dime's worth of pasta makes you happy. I will boil it for you! I don't drink beer from a bottle, either. Some Texans insist on pairing beer with chili. Heck, some of them cook it into their chili recipes. I don't mind, It saves the margaritas for me!

........Sigh, with these health and diet changes, Neal and I will drink milk or tea. At least our guests will enjoy a frosty beverage! The carb counts are moderate in this recipe. While it is filled with meat, it can be used as a topping and eaten in moderation. It is not a "diet" recipe. Lean meat and careful draining of the meat's fat are secrets to fitting it within a balanced diet.

Did I mention that I clean as I cook? It is a good habit. I am a very messy cook! If I want counter space, I have to rinse and load the dishwasher. See that pic, above? I keep produce bags for the tin container. As I peel and remove seeds from veggies, I place the waste into the container. It keeps me organized and processing those veggies faster. It looks pretty good for an item that cost a buck.

Quick Chili Recipe
Do all of your prep work before you begin browning meat:
Dice 1 very large onion into dime sized chunks.
Wash, remove seeds, and membranes of 1 poblano chili. Dice it into small bits.
Optional, fresh jalapeño diced fine
Mince four fresh cloves of garlic. I use Pampered Chefs gadget. You can bang a knife, peel, and dice finely.
Open 2 cans of quality diced tomatoes
Place a small mixing bowl near stove top.

In a large sauce pan, brown one pound of lean sausage and one pound of lean chuck, large grind over medium heat. (My butcher makes lean sausage for me. He also grinds the chuck.) Jimmy Dean's reduced fat sausage works well.

With slotted spoon remove meat to bowl. Allow any grease to drip back into the pan. Discard all but a tablespoon of meat drippings from pan into empty tomato can. (Were you wondering why you left that empty can on the counter?)
Meat remains in the bowl while veggies are sautéed.

Sauté diced chili(s) on medium heat for five minutes. Add onion and stir well, cook until onions are softened. Stir in garlic and continue to sauté for one minute.

Return meat to sautéed vegetables.
Add two cans of diced tomatoes.
Add two cans of water, using cans from the tomatoes.
Stir well.

Fill one of the tomato cans with water a second time. Place it near stove top.
Allow second, empty tomato can, to sit on counter.

Keep tomato, water, and meat mixture on medium heat until it comes to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Don't cover, you want the liquid to reduce down and concentrate. If chili loses too much liquid or sticks on bottom of pan, check your heat and add a small amount of water.

Skim the top of the chili for any fat that has risen to the top. Place fat in tomato can until it hardens, then throw it away.

Avoid the temptation to spice the chili until the end of it's cooking time. This recipe concentrates flavor as it reduces down to thicken. Remember, this dish uses pan sausage, fresh peppers, and onions which vary in sweetness and heat. It is not unusual to use less of a spice when one of your ingredients is strong. Start with the smaller amount of seasoning, add more if needed. Taste, stir well, taste.... Until the favors are perfect for your family!

Seasonings:
1 tsp cumin
1 to 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of ancho chili powder or smoked Paprika
2 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder
2 to 3 teaspoons of salt
Optional, a pinch of Mexican oregano. I don't use oregano in my personal batches of chili. It's worth a mention because some families love it.


Pic of chili that is ready to be "skimmed" and seasoned. See the small bits on the inside of the pan? It mans chili has thickened; liquid content is lower.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:TX

What's Left?!

     It is a miracle month. Neal is toeing the line with his diet. His hospital stay for out of control sugar levels scared us both. Who knew that steroids were THAT dangerous for diabetics?  Today, he eats 1800 calories that are lean protein, high fiber, and limited carbs.  I am grateful for his hospital epiphany and improved lab scores!
     Anyone who knows my husband understands that I created a food monster. In his poor and single days, his food filled one refrigerator shelf. Today, he eats sushi. He hates "diet food", artificial sweeteners, whole grains, and imitation anything. (Unless, said imitation thing is in soda or candy. EH!?)  He shuns diabetic and carb friendly "specialty" products. He is banned from soda and mindless candy munching. Thank goodness my food monster loves fresh fruit and veggies.
     I follow a reduced calorie, reduced protein, reduced sodium diet at doctor's orders. There is serious math involved in creating our grocery list. Spinach salad is a good example of combining our eating plans.

Spinach Salad
2 boiled eggs sliced, set aside.                                       1 large bunch of fresh spinach
1 pint of Fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced.              Sliced almonds, toasted
In a big, clear bowl place clean spinach on bottom. Pre washed bags of baby spinach save time. In mature spinach leaves, remove any large tough stems and tear into smaller pieces. Layer egg slices in ring on top of the spinach. They should follow outer ring of the bowl. Place strawberry slices in center. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. When entertaining we use a small punch bowl to serve the salad in. Near the salad we provide a platter with a variety of optional salad toppings i.e. crab, shrimp, smoked turkey, crisp bacon pieces, and sliced avocado.
Eating alone, I like an aged balsamic vinegar as a dressing. It is worth the splurge. Eating with others I will provide a warm bacon dressing and a couple of cold dressing options.

Strawberry Goodness

My niece and I made it to Frobergs. It is part of our master plan to stretch expensive ingredients, increase nutrition, and amp up flavor. Oh yeah, we want to increase the "easy" factor in our daily lives. Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? Here's a pic of our haul.

Veggies from the Farmers Market

 Notice that the mushrooms and strawberries are still in packaging. Our farmer's market sells produce from neighboring farms. A sign above the produce tells you where it was grown. I, also, like the home made jams, fresh herbs, and smoke house. It is worth the effort to explore your local farmer's market.

My niece, daughter, and I lugged the fresh produce onto the kitchen table. We immediately prepared it for cooking or eating raw. If you are short on time, let the onions, potatoes, and carrots wait for a day.

It is my family's tradition to take pride in the freshness and quality of the foods that we serve. We cook, together during celebrations. I didn't marry my husband, until I knew he could cook AND dance! A lot of our dishes are very quick and simple. A good rule of thumb is that recipes who use five or less ingredients need great quality ingredients at their freshest (spices count in that analogy.) I have great childhood memories of sitting with the "grown ups" as we shucked corn, hulled peas, shelled pecans, and sliced vegetables. My family grew a large garden. Friends and relatives were fed for their "veggie prepping" and corn picking efforts. As Texans, you could count on BBQ fresh from the big "oil drum" shaped pit. I never figured out that I was learning at the elbow of amazing cooks. The stories and laughter made the work fly by.

 Week day cooking is much easier, if you can grab a fresh  item out of the fridge or freezer and use it.  Local produce, in season, will be more nutritious and less expensive than "prepared in deli" items or eating out. Plus, you get all those great memories when you drag the children into it.

Back to our farmer's market table of goodness. Find the "delicate items" in the group. Delicate items are the things that are easily bruised or spoil in a few days. I think of those items as "smushable". For example, peaches and strawberries are easily bruised. The sweeter the fruit, the faster it spoils. You want to process the smushables first. Wash and set peaches in a fruit bowl for fast consumption. If you won't eat the fruit, quickly, prepare it for freezing or protect it in the refrigerator. (My refrigerator starts each week organized. The end of the week leaves it looking like a war zone. When I say protected,  I mean protected from rolling to the back of the fridge or sandwiching between heavier objects.) Some of you are smiling. You know that rolling to the back of your fridge is the produce version of being lost.

Here's my geek moment: Strawberries are part of the rose family. Depending on the variety, they can be sweet or tart. Make sure you trust your source of strawberries. You do not want pesticides on your berries! Growing season for strawberries is early summer season. In my hot, Texas climate that means the end of April.

Here's what to do with those strawberries:
Strawberries can last a week in the refrigerator with their hulls on.
Wait to follow the prep steps until you are ready to use them. Our goal is to do a lot of the prep-work for several recipes, in a single afternoon. Tonight's salad or dessert will have strawberries in it.    
Sort and wash
Whether picking in the field or picking through the colander, look for red, firm strawberries. They shouldn't be shriveled, moldy, or have soft spots from rot / bugs. Don't soak strawberries in water to clean. Wash strawberries under running water. Use your fingers to remove dirt. A colander is helpful because it will hold the strawberries, but not collect the dirt or excess water.

If you are working with enough strawberries for several recipes sort the strawberries into three categories: beautiful, good, and needs work. The quality and quantity of "home grown" strawberries will steer your recipes.

Did that sound too easy? The beautiful berries ARE that easy. Clean and let drain in a colander. Serve with small bowls of sweetened, freshly whipped cream.Melted chocolate and fresh strawberries are a fantastic way to serve an elegant dessert after a rich dinner.

Working with berries that fell into the categories "good" and "needs work" 
Remove the green cap and stem from the strawberries. This is called hulling. I sell fancy gadgets to hull and slice strawberries. However, I use a paring knife. I'll place a link at the bottom of this page to show you the gadgets. One extra step for the "needs work" strawberries: Slight bruising can be cut away. Use "needs work" strawberries for jam, syrup, or serve to folks who aren't persnickety about size or an odd shape. Some cooks choose smaller strawberries for baked or canning recipes. They believe the sugar is more concentrated.

To freeze
Rinse and hull. Place on a parchment paper lined, rimmed pan with room between each strawberry. Freeze until frozen. Remove from pan and place into a freezer safe container or freezer bags. To put this delicately, if your family is like mine, they grab things out and stuff items back in when it fall out. Fruit is placed in freezer safe containers that stack well in my freezer.

Recipes

Strawberry Sauce: Slice clean, hulled strawberries with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Slices should be length-wise about thin width of a nickel. Place within a mixing bowl that has a couple of inches from the top after it is filled with sliced berries. Add half a cup of  sugar per pint. Stir gently. Cover tightly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve over angel food cake or ice cream. If you want to get really fancy you can steep your whipping cream with flavorings before you beat it. I add a split vanilla bean to the heated cream - Never boil. Cool, strain, then whisk cream.
  
 Here are a few of my favorite recipes. I can't take credit for:
Mixed Berry Romanov
Fresh Picked Strawberry Ice Cream  We love our 2 qt  table top electric ice cream maker by Cuisinart. It makes soft ice cream in 30 minutes

Gadgets
Hulls Strawberries
Strawberry Slicer
Colander







    

Balancing Act

I left the big city for a calmer, simpler life without rush hour traffic, crazy deadlines, or creative drama. I left for my health and my sanity. What could go wrong? We purchased an old home in a small town near our family. After a year of searching, we found a good team of doctors. My new medication regimen soon meant that I was itching to return to work. I started my own business as an Independent Pampered Chef Consultant for flexible hours and a great boss (me). I'm an excellent project manager and event coordinator. However, I couldn't take the plunge and open my own events/catering company. Too much stress, crazy deadlines, traveling, and demanding clients! Yup, I am determined to make this country-style Pampered Chef thing work.

Anyone see where  it could go wrong, yet?
1. Old house on the Texas Coast = constant repairs, mosquitoes, oppressive heat, and hurricanes.
2. Creative drama within the belly dance world was replaced by family participation in our daily lives.
3. I thought I would be a great boss of me, but I am not. I am too critical! I am a great trainer. However, I am not a natural sales person. I love my parties, though. I have a great time and like the people I meet.
4. I have time to start projects. This includes training our half Boxer / half Great Dane puppy named Sophie.

Each doctors visit I promise that I am controlling salt. I spout my lack of canned vegetables as proof of my lower salt intake. I fail to mention that I salt the bajeebers out of those home baked fries.
Determined to "be good" for a whole week, I gathered up two of my nieces. We picked fresh strawberries from the field. Plus, we bought fresh veggies from  Froberg's Farm . It was a great afternoon. We laughed and chatted as we prepared our treasure. Plus, dinner was half made for a whole week. I really liked that. 

I put 2+2 together and decided that I like a weeks worth of dinners made in an afternoon. I researched once a month cooking. I spent hours on Pinterest . I bought 2 Kindle books on freezer cooking: Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer  and  Don't Panic More dinner's in the Freezer . I figured, if I could eliminate most eating out, save our budget, and improve the quality of our diet. I might even follow some of those rules the docs keep harping about. After all, our household is getting a little fluffy. My brave niece volunteered to go to Froberg's with me on her day off. Tomorrow, will be our first day of cooking for the freezer. It is, also, puppy bath day. I will do my best to capture the exploits of the day.