I love Greek yogurt! There are several brands, but my favorite is Stonyfield Oikos organic Greek yogurt. It is more expensive, but to me the quality is so much better. I've used the plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream and there is no discernible difference in taste, in my opinion. I haven't tasted fat free sour cream in a while, so I'd have to compare tastes.
So far my favorite flavor is caramel. It is a delight! Makes for a healthy and filling dessert (with protein). By the way, it is fat free.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
cooking fresh green beans
Who would have thought that fresh green beans take so long to cook?! I didn't. I tried my first batch of fresh green beans last night. I've always been a canned green bean girl. I've done frozen, but didn't cook them very long and they had zero flavor - it wasn't even a zero flavor - it was a negative flavor. I cooked those darn green beans for 2 hours. I know some people like them crisp tender, but we always had them "dead" or really really soft. That's the way I know them. They are not really a "start when you get home from work" side dish. However, I think a crock pot will help me next time. I'll throw them in before I leave for work with some water, bacon, and onion. They should be delicious by the time I get home.
In addition to our green beans last night, we had butternut squash; long grain wild rice; and a turkey loin pre-marinated in garlic and red pepper. I roasted the loin in aluminum foil in a shallow pan with a dash of red wine. Ok. Maybe it was more than a dash. Ok. Maybe I soused it. No matter which way you pour it, it was a good dinner!
I have some more fresh green beans that I didn't cook last night. I'm going to try to blanch them and then freeze them for next time. I also think that I will freeze a small amount of bacon just to be sure that I have some for the next batch of green beans.
During the 2 hours that I was cooking, I reminisced a little about my grandma cooking in the same kitchen that I currently cook. I remember hearing the clang clang clang of the vents on the lids of the Salad Master pots simmering on the stove. Maybe she was cooking green beans or any other numerous dishes for the 3 meals-a-day that she cooked. I inherited these pots and use them daily. As the vents went clang clang clang, it was as if grandma was there in my kitchen.
In addition to our green beans last night, we had butternut squash; long grain wild rice; and a turkey loin pre-marinated in garlic and red pepper. I roasted the loin in aluminum foil in a shallow pan with a dash of red wine. Ok. Maybe it was more than a dash. Ok. Maybe I soused it. No matter which way you pour it, it was a good dinner!
I have some more fresh green beans that I didn't cook last night. I'm going to try to blanch them and then freeze them for next time. I also think that I will freeze a small amount of bacon just to be sure that I have some for the next batch of green beans.
During the 2 hours that I was cooking, I reminisced a little about my grandma cooking in the same kitchen that I currently cook. I remember hearing the clang clang clang of the vents on the lids of the Salad Master pots simmering on the stove. Maybe she was cooking green beans or any other numerous dishes for the 3 meals-a-day that she cooked. I inherited these pots and use them daily. As the vents went clang clang clang, it was as if grandma was there in my kitchen.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
fruit smoothie
Nathan and I thought we needed a dessert after dinner. So, he suggested a fruit smoothie. This is what we did. The only thing I would do differently next time is choose a seedless fruit. The blackberries were very seedy.
2 cups blackberries
4 Tablespoons all natural peanut butter
1 banana
dried blueberries and craisins
skim milk - enough to fill the blender
12 ice cubes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Add all ingredients to blender and mix until completely smooth. Next time we will use less seedy fruit. Tasted very good! If I had vanilla or plain yogurt, I would have added some.
2 cups blackberries
4 Tablespoons all natural peanut butter
1 banana
dried blueberries and craisins
skim milk - enough to fill the blender
12 ice cubes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Add all ingredients to blender and mix until completely smooth. Next time we will use less seedy fruit. Tasted very good! If I had vanilla or plain yogurt, I would have added some.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Fried Salmon Patties
I'm sure everyone has their own recipe for salmon patties. But, I'll share how I made these.
3 cans (7 oz) of boneless, skinless, salmon fillet packed in water (drained)
3/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T seafood seasoning (lemon pepper and dill)
pepper
3 T olive oil
Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Patty salmon (1/2 inch thick or so). Fry 3-4 patties at a time in oil until golden brown and then flip and brown other side. Drain on a paper plate covered with paper towel. Add more olive oil to fry the remaining patties. Serve with Dijon mustard, if desired. Eat with or without bun. Makes 6-8 patties.
3 cans (7 oz) of boneless, skinless, salmon fillet packed in water (drained)
3/4 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T seafood seasoning (lemon pepper and dill)
pepper
3 T olive oil
Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Patty salmon (1/2 inch thick or so). Fry 3-4 patties at a time in oil until golden brown and then flip and brown other side. Drain on a paper plate covered with paper towel. Add more olive oil to fry the remaining patties. Serve with Dijon mustard, if desired. Eat with or without bun. Makes 6-8 patties.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Edamame!!!! Now what to do with it
I bought some frozen edamame (ed-uh-mah-may). This is what I found on www.edamame.com:
"Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches," and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers."
I might try boiling them in salt water first. Will have to look for more recipes. I bought a HUGE bag from Sam's Club. Hope we like them! I'll let you all know how they turn out!
"Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches," and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers."
I might try boiling them in salt water first. Will have to look for more recipes. I bought a HUGE bag from Sam's Club. Hope we like them! I'll let you all know how they turn out!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Beware: Canned seafood
I tried a new recipe today. It looked so good! Seafood stuffed jumbo pasta shells in a Parmesan cream sauce. I noticed the first sign of disaster when I opened the cans of crab. Seriously, I have no idea why I bought cans of crab meat. That's what the recipe called for. Anyway, opened the two cans of crab meat (drained) and dumped in a bowl to mix with my other stuffing mixture. It sure didn't smell like crab meat. At that point, I really wondered if I should even make this recipe. I really was mad that I didn't buy fresh crab meat. It called for tiny shrimp, too -- so I grabbed a can of that while I was at the store (it WAS right next to the canned crab meat). I made the recipe like it called. It's not a bad recipe. But, the crab, shrimp mixture that you are supposed to stuff the jumbo pasta with tasted AWFUL! It really is upsetting. I will probably throw it away. If I make this recipe again, I will use real crab meat and I also thought to mix some cream cheese in with the REAL crab to stuff the shells with. That would probably be pretty tasty. MORAL of the story: seafood should always be fresh -- not even canned will do; except maybe for high quality canned tuna, salmon, or mackerel.
Because we had no leftovers from earlier (that we wanted to eat), I made vegetable soup tonight. I used frozen mixed vegetables instead of my usual canned veggies, so I hope against all hope that it tastes good!!!!
Because we had no leftovers from earlier (that we wanted to eat), I made vegetable soup tonight. I used frozen mixed vegetables instead of my usual canned veggies, so I hope against all hope that it tastes good!!!!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
2 vegetables in a meal! What a concept!
People might think I'm weird (and at times I am a bit quirky), but I don't think there is anything wrong with having two different vegetables with a meal. 5 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ARE RECOMMENDED PER DAY! When I cook several dishes (not a casserole or soup), I try to have 4 items. It looks better on a plate. Also, a variety of colors makes it more appealing to the eye. I wanted pasta (starch) with our meal last night with our lemon pepper chicken. But, didn't want to do a potato or rice because I thought that was too many carbs. So, I decided to do corn and peas. Now, I do realize that those are the starchiest of vegetables, but it worked and gave nice color to the ensemble. So, tilapia with lemon-pepper seasoning sprinkled on it baked in the oven; box of Suddenly Salad pasta; canned corn and canned peas; buttered whole wheat bread. Now, in the future, I am going to try to buy more frozen vegetables, rather than canned veggies. I'm leery of the added sodium and preservatives in the canned goods. I also believe that frozen veggies retain more nutrients than canned. As far as the pasta salad, I'm sure if I would have made a homemade pasta salad instead of out of a box, it would have been healthier. But, this was on hand, fast, and easy.
Can't wait for the fresh vegetables from our garden; if we can get all the snow melted and the ground dried out!
Can't wait for the fresh vegetables from our garden; if we can get all the snow melted and the ground dried out!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Disaster with Huevos Rancheros
Tried a new recipe that a good friend gave to me with raving reviews. Seemed simple enough. Tortilla in muffin pans spread with melted butter, black beans mixed with salsa in tortilla. Crack egg into muffin tins. Cook 8 min at 400 degrees, until set. Add shredded cheese, cook 6-7 min. more. voila! beautiful golden authentic huevos rancheros. Like Hell. I used wheat tortillas instead of flour called for in recipe. I couldn't get my eggs to cook. Somehow I must have not put on the recipe card to put the oven at 400 degrees and instead cooked at 350 degrees. Some of them were completely hard, some were gooey. I probably should have used the same types of containers. I used muffin tins, souffle bowls, and mini- pie pans. That probably didn't help. I'm away from cooking for a week and I freaking forget how. Oh, well. Better luck next time! It's kind of funny.
If anyone wants this recipe from Food Network Channel, let me know and I'll post. Maybe they'll turn out better for you.
If anyone wants this recipe from Food Network Channel, let me know and I'll post. Maybe they'll turn out better for you.
The evils of processed food
Once you start eating highly processed food, you might find it tough to stop. Here's why:
1. It's super-easy to eat. With no bones, pits, or clumsy shapes to interfere, processed foods are an object lesson in instant gratification.
2. The texture tantalizes. Processed foods are engineered for optimal mouthfeel -- whether crunchy, creamy, or gooey. These fun-to-eat qualities can quickly override your better judgement.
3. Flavors hit full-force. Health-sapping sugar, salt, and fat -- plus additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein -- ratchet up taste far beyond what you'd find in nature. All the more reason to keep it real.
Better Homes and Gardens, March 2011, pg. 168
1. It's super-easy to eat. With no bones, pits, or clumsy shapes to interfere, processed foods are an object lesson in instant gratification.
2. The texture tantalizes. Processed foods are engineered for optimal mouthfeel -- whether crunchy, creamy, or gooey. These fun-to-eat qualities can quickly override your better judgement.
3. Flavors hit full-force. Health-sapping sugar, salt, and fat -- plus additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein -- ratchet up taste far beyond what you'd find in nature. All the more reason to keep it real.
Better Homes and Gardens, March 2011, pg. 168
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