Coffee, hold the chemicals, please.

Coffee, do you drink it black or user creamer?  I use creamer.  A must.   But really, what is liquid coffee-creamer? The basic ingredients include water, corn syrup solids, trans fat oil, sodium caseinate, and dipotassium phosphate,  mono and diglycerides, artificial flavor and carrageenan.

All in my coffee. Everyday.  I am trying to eat more healthily.  I recently tried a home made creamer that I found on Pinterest.  There are dozens of them, all pretty much the same, I used http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2011/09/french-vanilla-coffee-creamer/.  I used 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (ingredients are milk and sugar)  (she tells how to make your own if you don't want to used processed) and 2% milk, almond and vanilla extract.    So the ingredients are milk, sugar, almond extract and vanilla extract.  26 cal per T.  and it tastes good. 

Ice Cream? 3*

I made ice cream.  Without an ice cream maker.  It is made of over ripe bananas.  I was surprised at how good it was and how much it actually looked just like ice cream.  I found this recipe via Pinterest, it linked back to Katie at hercampus.com

 

I took 6 over ripened bananas and sliced and placed on baking sheet and put in freezer.  Twelve hours later they were good and frozen.  I placed them in the food processor and pulsed them, adding a few drizzles of 2% milk.  I also added 1/2 t vanilla and pinch of nutmeg and 1 T of truvia and then blended until it looked just like icecream.

 

 

It was very good, and a great starting point for experimenting.  Next time, I will leave out truvia and try a touch of honey, and perhaps some nutella or peanut butter.   The options are endless.  Frozen strawberries, any fruit really.  Chocolate syrup.  I am really looking forward to playing with this recipe.  I gave this 3*, my husband said 2* with lots of potential.  The idea of healthy ice cream, just does not excite him like it does me.  (-:

 

Eat Well

Be Well

Zuppa Toscana, 5*

This is a very hearty and tasty soup.  My husband said it was the best soup he has had.

 

I adapted this recipe from one on AllRecipes.com

If you like the zuppa toscana at Olive Garden, you will love this rendition.  It is a bit healthier, as there is no cream.

 

 

3 Italian sausage links

3 slices bacon

4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large onion diced

4-5 cans chicken broth

1 t crushed red pepper

1 T minced garlic

1 cup of milk

1 T cornstarch

1 T brown sugar

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed, julienned

 

In a heavy dutch oven, cook the bacon and sausage, crumbling to small pieces as it cooks. When no longer pick, drain and set aside.  Remove drippings from pan except for 1/2 T.  Saute the onions in the drippings til beginning to caramelize.  Add the minced garlic, cook a minute or two until very fragrant.   Pour chicken broth into dutch oven, with onions and garlic.  Add sliced potatoes, bring to boil.  Cook until potatoes are tender, approx 20 min.  Reduce heat.  Mix cornstarch and nutmeg into the cup of milk, stir well.  Add to broth mixture, bring to boil to thicken.  Add brown sugar.  Stir in cooked sausage and kale.  Heat til kale is wilted.  

 

Enjoy.  If you prefer thicker, you can use less stock and more potatoes.

 

I love the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden.  This was BETTER.  We gave it 5 *

Biscuits, flaky, delicious, gluten free 5*

I think I have made the prefect gluten free biscuit.  My husband says that they are just as good as biscuits made with 'real' flour.  I think they are divine.  Whether dipped into a stew or soup, or spread with butter and honey.  Delicious.

 

1 1/8 cup King Arthur gluten free flour

1T baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t xanthum gum

5T butter

3/4 cup milk

 

Preheat oven to 400

Makes 5, 3" biscuits or more if you like your biscuits smaller

 

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, I just use a whisk until well combined.

Cut the butter into small bits,  about the size of half a grape and add to flour mixture.

Using your hands, blend the flour and butter bits, smashing the bits between your fingers, into the flour. Stop when bits are just under pea size.

Using a fork, blend in the milk, stirring as little as possible, then turn dough out onto a board with a little flour sprinkled on it.  Barely working the dough at all, bring it together with your hands, and press until 1/2" to 3/4" thick.  Cut with a biscuit cutter to the size of your liking.  I like 3" biscuits.  Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

 

While they are still warm, I carefully split them and place a tab of butter in each one.

They are delicious with stews or soups, or even used as a shortbread in strawberry shortcake.  My favorite is just a bit of butter and honey.  I give these biscuits 5* on a scale of 1 to 5.

 

Be well

Eat well

 

 

Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus soup 3.75*

This soup is amazing!!!  Very hearty and filling.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest that originated from http://foodiejulie.wordpress.com
 

 

3 cans of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 potato (peeled and cubed)

1 head cauliflower (cut into small mid size flowerettes)

1 lb asparagus cleaned and cut into 3" - 4" lengths

1/2 onion sliced, thick slices

1 T minced garlic

2 T olive oil

1/4 t chipotle powder

fresh cilantro

salt / pepper

Preheat oven to 400

 

Toss potato, cauliflower, onion, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, in a big bowl until oil and s/p evenly distributed.

Spread out on baking pan and roast for 20 minutes, then stir in asparagus and roast for 10 minutes more.  Set aside.

 

Bring broth to simmer, add roasted vegetables.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes, until all veggies are tender. 

Remove from heat and stir in chipotle powder and then blend with an emulsion blender til smooth. Cover.

Make croutons:

3 slices sprouted wheat bread, cubed

2 T olive oil

1/4 t ground thyme

salt / pepper

Toss all ingredients in a small bowl, spread out on baking sheet, bake  @ 400 for 10 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned.

 

Ladel soup into bowls, top with cilantro and croutons sprinkled on top.

My husband said this was too thick to be called soup, but agreed it tasted delicious.  He gave it 3.5*, I gave it 4*

Eat Well

Be Healthy

Kale, Walnut and Goat Cheese salad, 4*

 

There was no recipe for this one. My DD2 said that this was what she was making for dinner, so I jumped on the bandwagon. ME TOO.

Kale, roasted walnut, dried cranberry and apple wood smoked goat cheese.

1 bunch curly green, 1/2 bunch curly purple Kale
1/3 cup walnuts, roasted at 400 for 5 min.
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 oz applewood smoked goat cheese
1/2 t sea salt

Delicious.

I cleaned, and cut away the stems on the kale, sprinkled with sea salt and massged the kale until it was reduced about by half.

 

here is the kale after massaging for 5 minutes.



Olive oil and balsamic dressing:

2/3 c olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 t honey mustard
2 T honey
salt and pepper to taste. 

Add all to a small bowl and wisk well.

I tossed the prepared kale with 4 T of the dressing dressing and let sit for 20 min.

Add dried cranberries, roasted walnuts and chunks of goat cheese and toss lightly. More dressing if needed.



We had this with roasted sweet potato fries. Sweet potatos are good for you in so many ways, here is a small excerpt from healthdiaries.com


Antioxidants
High in both vitamin A and vitamin C, which are invaluable for the prevention of many different types of cancer.
Anti-Inflammatory
Sweet potato has anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the vitamin C, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, and manganese it contains.
Arthritis
Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, which has been found to help in the prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

2 medium sweet potatos
1 T minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1/4 t chipotle powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice the sweet potatos. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, ground chipotle, cinnamon and sugar. Roast at 400 for 40 minutes. Stir after the first 20 min.

 

 After 40 minutes

Our dinner, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, we gave it a 4.  (-: 

 

Eat Well

Be Well



Food Journal

I love to cook.  My husband was a chef in his earlier years.  We like good food.  I am always on the look out for a new recipe, but seem to not have any skills in remembering where I put the recipes or how I tweaked them to our tastes.  This blog is what I hope to be a journal, to document our explorations in food, our successes as well as our disasters.  I hope to find that this will be a resource to me and my family in the years to come.  If it should happen to maybe help someone else out along the way in their food explorations, then even better. 

Eat Well

Be Well