Sunday, March 15, 2009

Ryan the Guinea Pig


My brother could see this as an advantage or disadvantage... you decide! He lives close by and so when I am experimenting with new recipes, I use him as my guinea pig. The thing you have to remember is that I am experimenting!! SO, it is not always a success. It has been a little less than a week since I have tried to come up with a new one, so I figured I would write 3 recipes, make them and stick them in Ryan's freezer. I know he will call me and say "uh, how do I heat this up?" so then I will know WHEN he is eating each dinner and I can hound him afterwards for an official critique! I can pretty much judge the success of the dinner based on the enthusiasm in his voice when he says it was "good." I ask if he would want it again, if he ate the whole thing (if not we would be in some serious trouble... recipe would be promptly ditched and never thought of again!) and if there is anything he would change. Its a good system, at least it weeds out the really bad ones and I can feel comfortable trying them out on other unsuspecting diners!
So this is what is on the menu for Ryan today...
1. Chicken Stir Fry with Curried Cashew Cream, snow peas, carrots, zucchini, water chestnuts and a side of brown rice with fresh mint and slivered almonds.
2. Corn and Herb crusted Grouper over whipped potatoes (just for Ryan... I would skip the potatoes) with spaghetti squash tossed with crumbled goat cheese, walnuts and parsley.
3. Penne pasta with shrimp, peas and a white bean cream sauce.
I never make red meat, I don't think its a bad thing to have once in a while, but I just don't make it for some reason... hmm. Anyway, we'll see what Ryan says about these, I wonder what he will like best?!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Quinoa for Sophie


Sophie requested more quinoa recipes so I thought I would start her out with this one! This is a recipe to have along side your dinner (or as your dinner!).
First and foremost it is important to RINSE your quinoa before cooking. Doing this helps get rid of that bitter taste quinoa can sometimes have. Ok, now, cook quinoa in one part water, one part chicken broth... it only takes about 10-12 minutes after coming to a boil.
While it is cooking, chop up some spanish olives, grape tomatoes and fresh spinach. When the quinoa is finished cooking, fluff it with a fork and toss with the chopped veggies. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper and voila!... You have another fabulous recipe :)

*To spice up this recipe even more, you can add crumbled fresh feta or goat cheese.
OR you can buy stuffing mushrooms (you know, the extra big white mushroom caps); wipe them clean with a damp towel,pluck the stems and spoon about a bit of your quinoa mixture into the mushroom and top with a hard cheese like parmesan or hard goats cheese and bake in your 375 degree oven for 10 minutes!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Dinner on the Fly

Last week I stayed with a friend in Boston before a doctors appointment. Once I parked (or he parked for me cause I was incapable of doing so without driving into a snow embankment... a task with which he accomplished with ease!), we tried to figure out what to make for dinner (this was about 5). Then we went to the grocery store, and THEN started dinner. I am telling you all this so you know how easy as pie it was to make!! I think it took us about 20 minutes total once we started cooking!
Ok, so here is what we made:
Tumeric and orange stir-fried chicken strips
with Boston Bibb lettuce wraps and slivered snow peas, yellow pepper, water-chestnuts and blanched almonds
and with a side of coconut (brown) rice and an orange-ginger dipping sauce! YUM!
This was the second time I made this type of lettuce wrap and it keeps getting better.
I love having food that you can play with and these wraps are so fun. You put all the veggies in little dishes and everyone gets to fill their lettuce wraps with anything they like. PLUS, they are so healthy, full of lean protein, different colored veggies (from which you get a diverse intake of nutrients) and hearty brown rice. I will have to write up the recipe for this and post it on the website when it launches! I know, I am so mean for not giving it to you now... but what would you have to look forward to??!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Satisfy your Hunger

I know so many people that skip breakfast. I don't get it because if I skip a meal I feel like I have not eaten for a week and I might fall over and pass out! But thats just me!

The point is, even if you can skip breakfast or have an aversion to eating in the morning, my advise is suck it up and do it anyway! The Mayo Clinic lays out 5 pretty convincing reasons we all should fit a good morning meal into our routine...
1. You are more likely to consume more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol during the day.
2. You are more likely to have better concentration and be more productive throughout the morning.
3. You are more likely to control your weight!
4. You are more likely to have more strength and endurance.
5. You are more likely to have lower cholesterol, which lowers the risk of heart disease.
(www.mayoclinic.com)

If you start the morning with a wholesome, filling breakfast you will find that you are satisfied all day. Skipping will only leave you spending the day searching for foods to fill you up. Its like having to play catch up... and thats a game you don't want to get into!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Buckwheat Groats, sounds so bad but tastes so good!

I try to just call them buckwheat grains because the groat part just doesn't scream "choose me" when I am making breakfast!
OK, so I personally find buckwheat to be delicious just on its own and it is a fabulous choice for savory dishes. However, you do not have to do much to make it into a warm comforting breakfast to start off the day. Oh, and it cooks in no time at all... I think it takes longer to pour a bowl of cereal than it does to make buckwheat grains. That being said, I always have to mix more than one type of cereal when I eat it so it IS kind of a production... I digress.
So breakfast today was 1/4 cup raw buckwheat grains cooked in 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of sea salt. I spooned it into a bowl with 1/4 of a banana, sliced, a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and a drizzle of almond milk. To bump up to protein value I also cooked a poached egg... which by the way is GREAT when eaten with the buckwheat! I know, how weird does that sound?? But it was delicious.
Give it a whirl, its easy and filling!

*(According to www.whfoods.com) Buckwheat is a (gluten-free) fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. Because of the rich nutrient values in buckwheat it has been thought to aid in improving cholesterol and blood sugar. Buckwheat is high in fiber and full of good quality protein (the protein contains all 8 amino acids).