Spiced Carrots
This week I am thinking about balance. It’s important to have fun; but, not so much fun that you aren’t productive. On the flip side, you don’t want to work so hard that you have no fun in your life. Jack Nicholson told us that in “The Shining”.
Recently, my jeans are getting tighter. I’d like to think they are shrinking; but, rational thought tells me I am growing. Darn that rational thought. I know my growth in all the wrong places is due to the fact that II have neglected my gym membership for two months now. I keep thinking I am going to go tomorrow, tomorrow, then tomorrow. I have just been so lazy. Yet, I haven’t cut down on my calorie intake. Now, that we are in the midst of the holiday season, I am quite possibly eating more than usual.
So, yesterday, I decided to start a diet. I should have gone to the gym instead; but, I saw this diet recommended by Gwyneth Paltrow and thought, “well, I would love to look like her, sing like her, act like her, make the sort of money she makes, have a daughter named Apple (no, not really)!” Thus, I was successfully lured into the plan. Yesterday morning I made the green detox drink which is supposed to start your day on the right track. It consisted of an apple, spinach leaves, watercress, cucumber, celery, and pretty much anything green you could find in your fridge. Then, I blended it all up and sipped it until it was gone. It wasn’t too bad, believe it or not. For lunch, I brought a homemade salad to work. At around 1:30 p.m., I was hungry again. By 3:00 p.m., I was getting dizzy. I ate an orange and a few nuts to keep my sanity.
This was a Wednesday. Jack has hockey practice on Wednesday evenings. In Las Vegas, the hockey rink is connected to a bar. Brilliant! So, while Jack practices, Claud and I can play video black jack and sip wine. We can even watch every now and then through the glass wall that separates us from the arctic chill of the ice rink. This is exactly what we did. Then, as a special treat, I suggested we buy some chicken strips for Jack since I knew the salmon and kale I planned to cook for dinner would never reach his lips. Claud agreed and a few minutes later the to-go container arrived. It smelled so good. I couldn’t resist opening it up and peeking inside.
Keep in mind that I had only really eaten fruit and vegetables all day. Furthermore, I had two glasses of Cabernet in my system. All reason was pretty much gone. I opened the box and decided to have just one french fry. Then, I decided I should open the ranch and have one dipped in there. About five fries into it, I thought, “I can eat anything for dinner, right?” I had eaten so well all day, I should be able to have a reasonable dinner. I don’t need to have salmon and kale. I asked Claud if he wanted to order something from the bar to eat. We decided on the “Butcher Block” pizza, large of course. “Butcher Block” meant it had every type of meat on it: sausage, peperoni, Canadian bacon, you name it. Heck, I ordered another glass of wine to wash it down. Then, I decided to get another ranch to dip each bit of pizza into.
By the time I finished the last bite, I was incredibly full. I told Claud he would need to wedge me into the car and then roll me into the house. I thought this was very funny at the time. On the drive home, I moaned about needing to be in something with an elastic waist. I plopped myself onto the couch, and a few minutes later, I fell into a pizza induced coma. Claud woke me up to go to bed soon after.
I woke up in the middle of the night wondering what happened to me. I realized that life has to have balance. If you have too much of one thing, i.e. vegetables, you are likely to want to overdose on cheese and meat. It’s all about balance. Also, its never a good idea to drink wine after all you have eaten is leaves and apples. Besides, I like to chew my food and a diet consisting of two liquid meals is out of balance for me. I realized what I already knew, I need to eat healthy with occasional treats (cheese and wine) and get my lazy self to the gym. If I didn’t have a headache from the wine, I would have gone this morning. Tomorrow I hope I will go. If not, maybe the day after or the next day.
This recipe is based on the concept of balance. It combines vitamin and nutrient rich carrots with deliciously sweet brown sugar and butter.
sliced carrots
It is a great side dish for a holiday meal and sweet enough that the kids will eat them.
A bowl of carrots
I love the citrus flavor that combines with these sweet carrots. Also, the orange will add amazing color to any holiday feast.
Carrots simmering in butter and citrus
Spiced Carrots
2 pounds carrots. If you use the small peeled carrots, cut into quarters lengthwise.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the carrots and cook in the butter for five minutes. Add brown sugar, water, lemon, salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Mix together. Let this simmer for ten minutes. Let the juice simmer and reduce to half.
Tags: carrots, Carrots side dish, holiday carrots, Holiday Recipes, spiced carrots
After last week’s experience with the kids in Mankato making one-dish meals, I went home and came up with one of my own. I like the idea of cooking a meal in one pot and having only one pot to clean. Although, I have to admit that I love to clean dishes. I don’t know when this started; but, I enjoy it. I think it would be difficult to love cooking as much as I do and not also appreciate the cleaning part. It is something about the finished project and a feeling of accomplishment after we are all full and everything is clean and put away. It’s satisfying.
I am calling this dish a Mediterranean Hot Pot. I cannot take all of the credit for it as the inspiration came from a recipe in my cookbook, “Vegetarian: tasty recipes for every day” edited by Helen Aitken. Also, Daphne, my daughter, helped me decide what vegetables we should add. She wouldn’t let me include eggplant, which I would have put in this dish. She isn’t fond of eggplant. I knew only she and I would eat this in my house, so I went with her ideas and added extra red bell pepper instead. She loves sweet red peppers. I wanted the dish to be heart healthy, so I kept a Mediterranean influence in mind when choosing these ingredients.
The Mayo Clinic website suggests that a heart healthy/Mediterranean diet includes, but is not limited to, these components:
Meals eaten with family and friends
A generous amount of vegetables
Consuming olive oil
Using herbs and spices instead of salt
Drinking red wine
So, I poured myself a glass of red wine and poured a glass of orange juice into a martini glass for Daphne and we began creating this dish.
Lately, I have been limiting all of the white carbohydrates from my diet, like potatoes, white flour pasta, and white rice. Instead, I have been using brown rice and absolutely loving it. Brown rice takes a few minutes longer to cook, but I find the flavor to be superior. It’s richer and fuller whereas white rice has no flavor at all. Whole brown rice is rice in its original form with the bran intact. White rice is brown rice that has gone through at least one of several processes, including polishing, parboiling and/or pre-cooking.
When the rice comes in from the field, the hull is removed and the result is whole brown rice. In this unprocessed state, whole brown rice offers a natural concentration of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin, and it still has its bran, which is a natural fiber.
Brown rice is also better for the environment because it requires less processing. The less processing of a food, the less energy required. There’s also the issue of the synthetic vitamins added back into the white rice. These are produced in laboratories and factories from a variety of chemicals; and these sorts of processes are well known for their negative impact on the environment. Therefore, brown rice is not only better for your health and tastes better, it is also good for the planet. So, I have made the switch. I’m also eating the whole wheat pasta which I have surprisingly grown to love.
I am not suggesting that we all go out and convert to only olive oil and brown rice. I will be the first to admit that I love butter as I have mentioned in this column several times. I will still be cooking dishes with butter and cream and potatoes. In fact, just last week, the kids and I made salmon with a hollandaise sauce, which defeats the entire purpose of eating heart healthy salmon. I was shocked to discover that to make the sauce for the three of us, we needed eight egg yolks and two sticks of butter. I made it anyway and it was so delicious. I smiled with every bite. There may have even been a few moans of satisfaction throughout the meal. Sometimes the benefit you get from being so joyful with each bite, like the joy butter brings to me, is just as good as eating healthy. Happiness too is good for the heart. I just want to make that kind of cooking the exception and not the rule.
These changes are helping me to stick with my goal of being in the best shape ever by the Fourth of July. I did include cheese in this recipe; but it is low fat. Cheese has been my downfall in trying to eat healthy and I never used to buy the low fat cheese. I believed that low fat meant low flavor. I was wrong; low fat cheese is really good. I am so happy about this. If you are interested in trying to add some low fat, high fiber, nutritious meals to your diet, give this one a shot. It is delicious.
Mediterranean Hot Pot
Serves: 6
Time: one hour
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large sweet red peppers
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 can sliced button mushrooms
1 can artichoke hearts
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can tomato sauce
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups brown rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot. Add the onions and cook for ten minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, celery, peppers and yellow squash and saut for ten minutes more. Add the artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and stock. Add the brown rice and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Make sure rice is tender and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with mozzarella cheese and fresh cilantro.
Tags: brown rice, brown rice recipes, mediterranean diet, mediterranean hot pot, one dish meals
Easy to make and so delicious
When you were young, do you remember there being a mother who always wanted to feed you when you walked through her front door? Was there a mother whose first question as you entered was, are you hungry? or have you eaten? Well, I am pretty sure I have become that mom. I dont know what it is but when someone comes over, young or old, I feel the need to feed them. I dont even really think about it. It has become a natural instinct. Sometimes I dont ask any questions and just start whipping up some chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, or just a bowl of olives or almonds. I feel like there should be food offered. It makes me happy to feed people.
When it comes to dinner, I really want to make sure everyone who sits around my table has something to eat that they will enjoy. I absolutely love to cook but I think I love pleasing the appetites of my friends and family more. Its not so much that I want to hear that what I cooked was fantastic. I want my family and guests to be satisfied, full and happy.
Sometimes I am presented with a variety of tastes that need to be addressed. I have a daughter who is a pescatarian, friends who are vegetarians and flexitarians, my husband likes every meal to include meat, and my son really only likes cheese burgersand pop tarts. I have a sister who is a vegan and doesnt eat eggs, milk or cheese. I cant even imagine living like that. I pretty much like everything, except pop tarts. It can be challenging to satisfy all of these varieties of tastes in one meal; but, I am usually up for it.
Last night, our friend Rachel was over for dinner and she is a vegetarian. We were talking about what we would make for dinner. She enjoys cooking too. We always have so much fun cooking together. Somehow our conversation led to Hare Krishnas and how they eat a vegetarian diet. I remembered that I have a Hare Krishna cook book called, The Higher Taste: a guide to gourmet vegetarian cooking and a karma-free diet. We both thought it would be fun to make a dish for dinner from this book. As we drove to New Ulm to pick up my kids from school, Rachel read aloud some of the recipes. They had recipes for stuffed tomatoes, stuffed eggplant, spring rolls, vegetable quiche, and minestrone soup (to name a few). We finally decided on stuffed peppers.
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- Easy to make and so delicious
I had never had vegetarian stuffed peppers and thought this was an interesting idea. I wondered if Claud would like it and I knew Jack wouldnt come near it. There was one ingredient I didnt have. It was a plant called hing. Well, I didnt know it was a plant until I looked it up. We learned that onions and garlic could be a substitute for hing. Rachel and I didnt understand why they didnt just put onions and garlic in the recipe, so we looked further into it. You may know that onions and garlic are botanical members of the alliaceous family (alliums) – along with leeks, chives and shallots. According to Ayurveda, India’s classic medical science, foods are grouped into three categories: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. These are foods in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Onions and garlic, and the other alliaceous plants are classified as rajasic and tamasic, which means that they increase passion and ignorance. Apparently, Hare Krishnas do not eat onions and garlic because they are in the mode of passion and cannot be offered to the Lord Krishna. Again, I was amazed by how much I learn from cooking.
Personally, I couldnt live without onions and garlic. So, we added them to the dish. We also changed a few other things to make the recipe our own. We used brown rice in place of white. We added almonds instead of pine nuts and baked the peppers instead of frying them.
The finished dish turned out delicious. The brown rice with vegetables and cheese combined with fennel seed was so flavorful that Claud didnt even miss the meat. Jack ate a ham sandwich. Daphne and I had a nice piece of seared salmon with the stuffed pepper. I also included a small simple salad. In the end, everyone was full and satisfied and I was pleased. You could make this same recipe and add some ground beef or ground turkey if you dont have any vegetarians eating with you and it can be a meal in itself. However you wish to prepare it, I am sure you will enjoy it.
Stuffed Peppers
Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes
4 red peppers
2 C. cooked brown rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. fennel seed
tsp. black pepper
1 C. zucchini, chopped
C. black olives, chopped
1/3 C. almonds, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 C. ricotta cheese
C. parmesan cheese
Cook the brown rice and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tops off of the peppers and wash out the seeds. Steam the peppers for about ten minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauce pan. Add the onion and garlic and saut for ten minutes. Add fennel seed and pepper and heat for five minutes. Add the zucchini, and black olives. Cook for another five minutes. Add the almonds, salt and ricotta cheese. Pour in the rice and mix everything together for one minute more. Stuff this mixture into the peppers and top with the parmesan cheese. Place in the oven for twenty minutes.
Tags: stuffed peppers, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian side dish, vegetarian stuffed peppers
This dish is low fat and full of vegetables. While the chicken poaches, you have plenty of time to steam vegetables and make a delicious sauce. Poaching chicken is so easy because you dont have to worry about turning it or even thinking about it while it cooks. You just stick it in the water and do other things. The entire dish takes about 30 minutes to make. It looks beautiful and tastes even better. Please watch the video at the end of this post of me making this dish.
Poached stuffed chicken breast with a creamy Dijon sauce
Poached stuffed chicken breasts on a bed of zucchini with a creamy Dijon sauce
Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes
Poached stuffed chicken breasts:
4 chicken breasts
2 C. spinach
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 C. mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp. Philadelphia cream cheese
4 Tbsp bread crumbs
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Butterfly cut each breast. Cut through the breast, but not all the way through, so they lay flat. Place plastic wrap on top and bottom of each breast and pound flat with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine spinach, garlic, mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and bread crumbs and blend well.
Place chicken on a new piece of plastic wrap about 2 feet each. Divide the stuffing into each breast and roll up in the plastic wrap. They should look like fat sausages. Tie the ends of the plastic together. Place in the boiling water to poach for 20 minutes. Take out of water, remove plastic wrap and place on top of the bed of zucchini.
Steamed zucchini:
2 zucchini
Slice the zucchini and place on a wire steamer, in a pot with one inch of water. Cover and steam for 15 minutes. Take out of steamer and place on each plate as a bed for the chicken to sit on.
Creamy Dijon Sauce:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
tsp. salt
tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. rosemary
3 C. chicken broth
3 Tsp Dijon mustard
6 Tbsp. cream cheese
While zucchini and chicken are cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet. Saut the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent. Add the salt, pepper and rosemary. Let this brown with the onion and garlic (about 3 minutes). Deglaze with the chicken broth. Add the Dijon and cream cheese. Simmer for about ten minutes. It will be ready when the chicken is finished. Pour the sauce over the chicken and zucchini.
Tags: chicken breast, chicken breast recipe, chicken recipes, creamy dijon sauce, poached chicken breast, sauces, stuffed chicken breast
Another weekend and another birthday party at the Monros. This frugal phase I have been forced into has brought many blessings. We have instituted a family game night at our house and have been watching tons of movies because we dont have sattelite right now. We decided that the satellite bill was an expense we could afford to toss for the moment. I have found that movies and games are so much more interesting and fun. The kids might fight me on this, but I think we dont need satellite television anymore. With the new warm weather and the need to get out of the house, but not much money to go anywhere, we have been taking long walks to the park with our kids and friends. I love these walks and have taken some amazing pictures of the scenery. I am still impressed with the landscape around southern Minnesota. It is beautiful in every season. Also, instead of taking people out to dinner to celebrate their birthdays, we have been celebrating right here at home. I cant think of anything more fun than throwing a dinner party.
This weekend we celebrated Kathy Grothems and Lanna Raatz birthdays. I decided to make an appetizer to get things started. Inspired by spring, I decided to go with artichokes as my main ingredient. Artichokes are a perennial thistle originating in the Mediterranean. My family loves to eat them steamed and then dip the leaves in butter and garlic. The meat at the bottom of the leaves and the hearts are so good in melted garlic butter. However, for this recipe I, once again, integrated Philadelphia cream cheese so I can add it to my videos for that contest. Claud said I am getting obsessed with the competition. I dont think so, but I am going through a lot of cream cheese. I bet Philadelphia is having a huge month for sales. I have been buying the reduced fat so I dont balloon up. I havent forgotten about my quest to be in the best shape ever before the fourth of July or my obsession (Ill admit to this one) with cheese. Please visit my blog to watch me making this dish at www.simplyfoodify.com.
The appetizer I made for Lanna and Kathys special evening is artichoke and spinach dip served in an artichoke bowl and surrounded by cut vegetables to dip into the creamy mixture. Most artichoke and spinach dip recipes I have seen use chips or bread as the dipping tools, but I tried to make this version low fat. I used carrots, celery and broccoli to serve with it. Also, I created this version to be served chilled which allows the ease of preparing it in advance.
Using the artichoke as a bowl is a really easy way to make the platter look beautiful. If you make the artichoke bowl, the whole thing takes an hour to make (you can put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it). If you choose not to make the artichoke bowl, it takes about ten minutes to prepare and will taste just as great. You could also substitute the fresh spinach with frozen; although, fresh is best and only adds about ten minutes to the process. I used the reduced fat garden vegetable Philadelphia cream cheese. I had already tested the recipe out on my cooking class and they seemed to like it. Hopefully, you will too. It really is tasty and an affordable way to make a delicious and beautiful appetizer for your family and friends. You can have your guests nibble on this while you grill your meal. After all, it is grilling season again.
artichoke and spinach dip
Artichoke and Spinach dip
Serves: 6
Time: one hour
1 large artichoke
4 Tbsp butter
1 bunch of fresh spinach
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 8oz. container of Philadelphia reduced fat garden vegetable cream cheese
1 14oz. can artichoke hearts
1 14 oz. jar roasted red peppers
C. reduced fat sour cream
C. parmesan cheese
tsp. salt
tsp pepper
tsp. red pepper flakes
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 3 inch sticks
5 celery stalks, chopped into 3 inch sticks
6 broccoli florets, cut into bit sized pieces
Cut off the step of the artichoke so it sits flat. Then, cut off the top of the artichoke to make the top flat too. This will look better as a bowl. Fill a pot with 1 inch of water and place a metal steamer in the pot. Place the artichoke in the steamer and turn the heat on medium high. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for 40 minutes. The artichoke is ready when a leaf pulls out easily.
Cut the stems off of the spinach and wash the leaves very well. Spinach leaves tend to be gritty. In a skillet, melt the butter and saut the sliced garlic for five minutes. Add the spinach and allow to wilt in the butter for five minutes.
In a food processor, combine the garden vegetable cream cheese, artichoke hearts, and spinach. Pulse for four or five times. Then, add sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pulse four or five times more.
Chop up your vegetables and arrange on a platter, leaving a space in the middle for the artichoke bowl. Now, your artichoke should be finished. Let it cool for a couple of minutes so you can work with it without burning your hands. Start pulling out the inside leaves, leaving the outer leaves to form a bowl. Once you get down to the hair of the artichoke gently remove with a spoon (see my video). You will be left with the outer leaves and the bottom heart of the artichoke. Spoon in the dip and place in the middle of your vegetables. You will have left over dip to refill as needed. Enjoy.
Tags: appetizer, artichoke and spinach dip, cream cheese, low fat appetizer, spinach and artichoke dip
How we see food
It is so interesting to try to see the world through my childrens eyes. I thought I was the worlds coolest mom and tried recently to hang out with my kids and their friends, only to hear, Mom, youre not going to watch that movie with us are you? Or, I show Daphne some really fashionable clothes Id like to buy her and she says, Mom, thats so seventies. I guess I am not as cool as I believed I was. Shoot. Sometimes, its hard to remember what it was like to be ten or eleven. Thinking back, the world was a very different place then, in my mind. I had two of the very best friends in the world, which I still see and love. We never hung out with my parents really. And, my mom never would have worn the clothes I wore: plastic shoes, pants that were too tight at the ankles and socks pulled up over my pant legs. I had a variety of plastic bead necklaces and wore my hair in a side pony. What was important and what I believed was cool or expensive or elegant has certainly changed over the years.
When I was a child and my parents took me out to dinner, I remember Shrimp Scampi was a very special dish. I only saw it on menus at the finest restaurants. It was always one of the more expensive items on the menu. I adored it. I think I developed a fondness for butter at a very young age. Scampi was always smothered in butter and garlic and served with rice or pasta. Rice and pasta were also high on my list of foods I loved.
It surprised me to discover that the word scampi actually derives from a variety of Norwegian lobsters. It has developed into a term used to describe the method of preparation. In the United States, the word is a culinary term for shrimp cooked with a white wine, garlic and butter sauce. Also, it can refer to deep fried shrimp. The grilled shrimp with the wine and butter sauce is the definition I am familiar with; although, I wouldnt mind trying some of those Norwegian lobsters. Id still add the buttery sauce and call it scampi-scampi. That sounds fantastic too. I absolutely love lobster and cannot wait for spring or summer to write about lobster sandwiches. Mmmmlobster sandwiches; but, I digress.
There was a restaurant in my home town called Bodega Bay. Now, I realize, it wasnt that fancy. It had checkered table cloths and plastic flowers in vases on each table. But, I thought it was very elegant when I was ten or eleven years old. This was a seafood restaurant and when we went there, I always ordered the scampi. I felt like a very sophisticated child even with my unicorn necklace and pinkish white lipstick.
I asked Claud last night to think back and tell me what dish he remembered being special, elegant and expensive when he went out to eat with his parents. He told me it was the Dover sole. When anyone ordered Dover sole, the server brought it over to the table and filleted it in front of everyone. It was like a performancedinner and a show. Claud thought he was very privileged when he ordered this. It was also served in a buttery sauce. No wonder we are so compatible.
Later in life, it surprised me to discover how easy shrimp scampi is to prepare and that it is very affordable. It still can be pricey in restaurants, but for a few extra dollars it will be worth it. To make it at home, its very reasonable. In fact, this week you can buy wild caught in the United States shrimp at Hyvee (2015 S. Broadway St., New Ulm) for $5.99 per pound. They also sell it with the shells already removed. However, I recommend cooking shrimp with the shells intact because the flavor is so much better. Shrimp takes minutes to grill and the sauce is so simple to prepare. Of course, today, I have created a sauce thats heavier on the garlic and olive oil and much lighter on the butter. However, I still add a tiny bit of butter to get that magic flavor which brings me back to the decadence I believed I was experiencing as a little girl. You can make it with pasta, rice (white or brown), or cous cous. Daphne always orders shrimp scampi when she sees it on a menu. I dont know if she thinks it is an elegant dish, but it reminds me that we are a lot alike.
shrimp scampi
Shrimp Scampi:
Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned, deveined with shells on
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Tbsp. thyme
Tbsp. Emerils Essence
Tbsp. garlic salt
tsp. pepper
2 C. white or rose wine
Juice from half of a lemon
1 Tbsp butter
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
4 cups cooked Basmati rice
Start cooking the rice and it will be ready when everything else is finished. Pour olive oil into a sauce pan. Heat on medium high. Saut onions and garlic in the oil. Heat up the grill and lay the shrimp on the grill. Cook the shrimp for about three minutes on each side (until pink). Add thyme, Emerils Essence, garlic salt, and pepper to the garlic and onions, once the onions are clear. Let the spices cook in for about three minutes. Flip over the shrimp. Deglaze the pan with wine. Let the wine cook in for about five minutes. Add the lemon juice and butter and let it melt into the sauce. One minute before you are going to pour the sauce over the shrimp, add the parsley. Place the rice on the plate, top with shrimp and load it all up with the sauce.
Tags: scampi, shrimp, shrimp scampi
You can really make a meal magical by adding a coulis. Sauces bring any dish up to a new level of greatness by adding another layer of flavor. In this dish, there is a creamy tomato coulis. A Coulis is a form of thick sauce used from strained or pureed fruits and vegetables. They are great over meat and vegetables. Here, it provides the foundation on which the polenta and vegetables rest. Once you break into the tower and everything falls in the sauce, the result with fill your mouth with flavor.
You can find polenta at your local grocery store. Polenta is pretty bland on its own. However, if you cut it into slices and grill it, the crispy outside and the creamy inside provides a perfect texture to so many dishes. Here, it is layered with cheese and vegetables.
Polenta and vegetable tower with a creamy tomato coulis:
Creamy tomato coulis:
3 C. tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce
bottle beer
tsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
In a sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce and paste with the chili sauce. Mix well over medium heat. Add the beer and thyme. Allow to simmer for ten minutes to cook the alcohol out and leave the flavor in. Add the cream cheese and mix in until blended well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form a layer on the bottom of the plate with this sauce.
Polenta and vegetable tower:
4 wooden skewers
1 package of polenta (in a tube), sliced
Tomatoes, sliced in half
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 C. mushrooms, sliced
1 C. onions, sliced
1 C. celery, chopped
1 C. peppers, sliced
4 slices of cheddar cheese.
A few sprigs of parsley
Grill the polenta for about ten minutes each side. For the last ten minutes, grill the tomatoes. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, pour in the olive oil. Saut all of the vegetables until the onions become clear (about ten to fifteen minutes). Place four slices of cheese on four slices of polenta and let the cheese melt.
Place one slice of polenta on the sauce. Layer on the vegetables. Place another layer of polenta (with the cheese on top). Top that with a tomato half. Add another layer of vegetables. You will want to place the skewer into these to keep them from falling down. Add another polenta and you are finished. You can add a sprig of parsley on top to make it pretty.
You may also enjoy:
Tags: coulis, polenta, polenta recipe, sauteed vegetables, tomato coulis, Vegetarian, vegetarian recipe
Today is day 19 of my challenge to be in the best shape ever by the 4th of July and I have 141 days to go. So far, I am feeling really great. I am still sore every day. I wonder if that goes away? It feels good though because it reminds me that I am working really hard. Here is my article for the New Ulm Journal and a recipe for a really easy and delicioussalmon salad. There is a video at the end of the post where I show you how to make this salad.
Eternal spring in your heart
You are probably tired of hearing how much I appreciate the cold or even how I keep writing about the weather. But, I write these articles about what is happening in my life and right now, it is winter. Winter is happening. I have only lived through a few Minnesota winters and this one seems to be the coldest, the whitest, and the longest. The snow pushed up alongside my driveway is higher than I ever remember seeing. My front steps are missing completely. Oh, logic tells me they are down there somewhere nestled in their snowy blanket; but, I cant see them. I was so excited for the first, the second, even the third snow day. Now, they are getting a bit commonplace.
Victor Hugo (French poet, 1802-1885) wrote, Winter is on my head but eternal spring is in my heart. I still look out at the frozen branches glistening in the sunlight and smile. The stark contrast of the bright red cardinals against the white backdrop takes my breath away. The powdery untouched snow covering the fields where no farmer has been in months looks smooth and peaceful. The most impressive winter sight I have been blessed with is the sunrise as I take my children to the bus. Some days we wait in the dark but on other magical days, the sun is beginning to rise and the sky is a cascade of blues, pinks and oranges. Last week, my car broke down at the bus stop and I had to walk home. It was this gorgeous sunrise which made me feel happy with each step.
Dont get me wrong, I long for spring. I love the sunlight and the warmth from the sun. Im dying to work in the garden. Our heating bill is killing us this winter. My kids little faces look red and chapped from the harsh winter wind. My entry way is never clean due to the snowy muddy boots traipsing in and out. I dont enjoy driving in the night with icy roads beneath my tires. I dont look forward to having to push up on my icy garage door because it has frozen closed overnight. Id like to stop having to take vitamin D pills daily due to my lack of sun.
But, even in the winter, its important to keep spring in your heart. Its necessary to appreciate the good that is around you no matter what season you are living in. I laughed out loud the other day when I locked myself out of the house and had to walk around to the back door to make my way in. I tucked my jeans into my boots and began trekking through the snow. Before I knew it, the snow was past my knees. I looked ridiculous. There was no need to have tucked in my jeans as the snow was caked inside my boots by then. All I can say is that this is what winter is supposed to be. This is what you read about when you read about winter. I just have to love it. Think about ice skating, hot cocoa, warm fires, hot coffee in the late afternoon just to warm your bones, happy squirrels and rabbits when you leave some food out for them, snow ball fights, hot tasty soup, stews, and chili, hot bubble baths at the end of a long cold day, snow days when you dont have to leave the house, sledding, tubing, and icicles. I have never seen such huge icicles before this winter. Decide that the snow and ice doesnt affect your mood in a negative way and you will feel the difference. And remember, there are only thirty two days until spring. We are in the home stretch. It is almost over. I know Punxsautawney Phil says there will be six more weeks of winter; but, we cant believe everything that groundhog says. He doesnt even really speak.
In the meantime, we can eat like its spring just to get us ready. Go out and find yourself some delicious wild caught salmon filets and make a hearty and appetizing salad.
salmon salad ingredients
A reader reminded me recently of the importance in buying wild caught salmon versus farmed. Doing so will benefit your health as well as the environment. Furthermore, it has been said that the nutrients in salmon my boost your mood and decrease feelings of depression. Salmon may assist in creating eternal spring in your heart. I already knew that salmon was a low fat food. However, looking into the nutrients found in salmon and other fish with high levels of Omega 3 fatty acid, I realize its crazy not to eat more of it. Not only may it lower your risk of heart disease, salmon can reduce blood clotting which may lead to strokes and it could lower your chance of getting cognitive problems such as Alzheimers disease. Its like a miracle food. A food which may make me happier, healthier, smarter and slimmer? Yes please!
Seared salmon salad with balsamic glaze
Salmon salad with balsamic glaze dressing:
Serving: 4
Time: 30 minutes
4 salmon filets
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 head of Romaine lettuce
2 lemons, quartered
Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat on medium high. Saut onion and garlic in pan until onion is clear. Set the onion and garlic aside. Place the salmon in the skillet and sear for four minutes on each side (until opaque in the center and brown on outside). Set salmon aside. Pour vinegar and honey in skillet and heat on high until reduced to glaze. Tear up the lettuce and place on plates. Set the salmon on the bed of lettuce. Put the sauted onion and garlic on the salmon. Drizzle the glaze over everything. Add lemon wedges to squeeze.
Tags: salmon, salmon salad, seared salmon
It is day 18 of my challenge to be in the best possible shape by the 4th of July. I have 142 days to go. So far so good. I found a new dvd which I love. It is called Red Hot Salsa II. At first, it was way to fast and I was very uncoordinated. But, I discovered a portion of the dvd which slows down the steps and teaches you what they are doing. This was so helpful. Now, I have completed the dvd about five times and I am getting really good. I don’t think I have rhythm quite like the ladies in the movie, but I am getting better every day. It’s really fun and it really makes you sweat.
Also, I found an amazing app for the iphone which is called lose it. It’s a free app. It allows you to input your goals and then it sets up a plan for you to reach the goal based on calories. You punch in what exercises you are doing and what you eat and it keeps you on track on a daily basis. I really love it and believe it is helping me. It also motivates me to complete all three of my exercises daily so I can eat more food and drink more wine.
I taught another cooking class this week. My students learned how to make salmon in foil.
salmon in foil
Click here for the recipe. It was a lot of fun. I also made a couple of low fat appetizers: bean dip and cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes. Here are those recipes:
Tomato Buttons:
Serves: 5
Time: 15 minutes
2 C. cherry tomatoes, cut in half and remove pulp
1 C. fat free cream cheese
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
C. parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Set cherry tomato halves aside. Combine all other ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Spoon into the tomatoes. Chill until ready to serve.
Pinto Bean Dip:
4 C. pinto beans
C. jalapeo peppers
tsp. salt
tsp sugar
1/4 C. onion, finely chopped
tsp. cayenne pepper
tsp paprika
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Combine all ingredients into the food processor and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.
Tags: appetizers, fitness, lose it app, low fat appetizers, salmon, salmon recipe
Here is my article for the New Ulm Journal:
George's fine steaks and spirits
Georges Fine Steaks and Spirits: an ideal restaurant for anyone and any occasion
When I first began writing this column, I considered writing about Georges Fine Steaks and Spirits, located at 301 North Minnesota St. in New Ulm. But, I thought, writing about Georges was too obvious. Everyone I know loves Georges. Everyone has at least heard of it. So, writing about Georges was predictable. Lately, however, I wondered how sad it would be if someone in New Ulm, or nearby, didnt know about Georges? Maybe I could reach out to that one person who may have just moved here or lives in a cave or hides under a rock and open their eyes and mouth to some truly amazing food.
Claud and I stumbled across Georges a few years ago. It was early evening, before the dinner crowd came in. We were impressed by the open kitchen and long wooden bar. Everything was so clean. We sat at the bar and George Cottom served us. Instantly, we felt like one of his good old friends. George has a way of making every customer feel like he or she is the most important person in the room, and its genuine. I dont see how he could fake his warmth and hospitality every single time I have been in the restaurant. He seems to enjoy the company of everybody who walks through the glass doors. In fact, I have never been to Georges and not been greeted by George.
Maybe George loves the restaurant and his clientele so much because he gets to work alongside his wife, Karen and his two daughters, Erin and Sarah. I know George values family, as well as food, because he told me his and Karens concept for this restaurant is, good fresh food with family in mind. I believe this is true because I have seen small children nestled in the booths with their parents enjoying Pssghetti or ribs from the childrens menu. At the same time, a couple on a romantic date will sip wine and eat lobster tail and filet mignon. I have witnessed anniversaries celebrated with large groups of people of all ages upstairs in a room that is designed for private parties. We sat upstairs one night when the restaurant was crowded and it was really just as pleasant as sitting downstairs. One night, just before Christmas, Claud and I were at the end of the bar, near the entrance, and we couldnt believe how many people were coming in to buy gift certificates. This place is so special that you will want to give the experience as a gift to someone you love.
Now, lets get to the food. The cover of Georges menu reads, There is no love sincerer than the love of food George Bernard Shaw. Its wonderful to have a charming family greet you and make you feel comfortable, but the food is really what you are coming to enjoy, right? You will not be disappointed. Karen and George buy the highest quality meats and locally grown produce. Their recipes come from Karen, George or Georges mom and they are unbelievable. I think I have tried almost everything on the menu and, because everything is so good, I dont know where to begin.
First, you start a meal with bread and honey butter. You will have to control yourself so you dont make this your entire meal; its that good. The appetizers are to die for. My mouth waters on the drive to Georges when I think about Erins Shrooms which are beer battered fresh mushrooms served with hot sauce and ranch. Sometimes, when the kids are at Rock on Ice on a Friday night, Claud and I will go into Georges for a date. We belly up to the bar and order a glass of wine for me and a Shells Firebrick for Claud and we each have an appetizer. We always have so much fun meeting new amazing people.
Whenever we have family out from California, we take them to Georges for dinner. In fact, when my mom is here, she insists we have at least one meal there. The entrees at Georges are so tasty and start at $13.95. However, I would be remiss not to say that the soup which precedes the meal is good enough to stand on its own. The lamb chops are seasoned to perfection, the baby back ribs are tender and messy, and Claud says the steaks are the best he has ever tasted. There is an Italian section of the menu featuring shrimp scampi and pasta with meatballs.
If you are steering clear of large meals, Georges also offers a lighter option to his dishes. He tells me that customers are encouraged to ask their server to suggest light options to the entrees. For example, you may substitute a Newmans Own light dressing on your salad or have them replace the butter with olive oil. Also, the menu offers Georges salad with steamed fresh veggies or Bobs Salad with a fresh cut wedge of iceburg lettuce. You may even want to try the chicken breast sandwich which is boneless and skinless. If you arent counting calories, you will want to end the meal with one of Karens Dessert Oda day. Go to www.georgessteaks.biz to view the entire menu.
I didnt want to pry any of Georges traditional family secret recipes out of him; but, he did say that if anyone was trying to adapt something they were making at home, he or she could call him for advice or information on how to cook it. He is happy to assist.
Georges is open Monday through Saturday at 4 p.m. and for private parties anytime. Also, they are open for Valentines Day which is on a Sunday this year. You can make a reservation at 507-354-7440.
George did share his recipe for the creamy delicious honey butter:
1 lb butter
1 lb honey
1 C. heavy cream
Blend together and serve on warm fresh bread.
Tags: George's Fine Steaks and Spirits, New Ulm, New Ulm Restaurants, restaurants
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