Calabacitas Burritos (vegetarian or vegan)
Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa (vegetarian or vegan)
40 Clove Garlic Chicken (crock pot)
Chicken Picadillo
Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches (crock pot) (minimal prep)
These are surprisingly yummy. A great way to use all the delicious summer squash that's in season right now.
Calabacitas Burritos (vegetarian or vegan)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/08/calabacitas-burritos-recipe.html
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large or 2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 large or 2 small yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 whole wheat burrito wraps (or corn tortillas)
Grated cheddar or cotija cheese (optional)
Procedure
1. Heat oil over medium-high and cook onions for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add zucchini and squash and cook another 4 minutes. Add poblano pepper and cook 8 to 10 more minutes. Add corn and cook until warmed, 2 minutes. Add black beans and cook until heated through and squash is tender enough for your taste, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Scoop calabacitas into burrito wrap, top with grated cheddar or cotija, and serve.
Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa (vegetarian or vegan)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/09/black-bean-tomato-quinoa-healthy-delicious-recipe.html
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Procedure
1. Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
2. Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
3. Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
4. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.
I actually originally got this recipe from a friend (Hi Beckie!), but the one she gave me called for a whole chicken, in the oven, but I do <3 my Crock Pot, so this week, I'll be trying it this way. I'll still use the whole chicken, which is on sale this week. Also, I'll be tossing in some potatoes, carrots and mushrooms to make it a full meal.
40 Clove Garlic Chicken (Crock pot)
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/04/crockpot-20-to-40-clove-garlic-chicken.html
serves 6
Ingredients
3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion (or 2 bitties, like I used), sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact
Directions
I used a 6 quart oval slow cooker. Place onion slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook chicken-on-the-bone, the more tender it will be. If you use drumsticks, the ones on the side will brown and may stick to the sides of the crock, burning a bit. If this bothers you, you can rearrange them with tongs an hour before serving.
I cooked our chicken on low for 7 hours, then kept it on warm for another 2.
We'll use the chicken leftover from the garlic chicken meal to make this (one of my MIL's favorites). I usually follow the suggestion of Kris from Cheap, Healthy, Good and serve with rice and mashed black beans.
Chicken Picadillo
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1206204
Any leftover chicken mixture can be reheated and served on hot tortillas; top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and light sour cream. Total time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup bottled salsa
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Place chicken in a food processor; pulse until ground.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in salsa and raisins. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in almonds and cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Nutritional Information
Calories:257 (26% from fat)
Fat:7.5g (sat 1g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.5g)
Protein:29.6g
Carbohydrate:19g
Fiber:3.2g
Cholesterol:66mg
Iron:2.2mg
Sodium:762mg
Calcium:74mg
This meal is legen...wait for it...dary around these parts. We served it for Kismet's birthday party and everybody raved. I came across the recipe on one of my favorite forums, a few years ago, and make it whenever beef is on sale. When most of the beef is demolished, I'll often make soup with the leftover broth. Not to mention, it's ridiculously easy to make.
Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches (crock pot)
Ingredients
3 pounds beef
1 12 oz. jar pepperoncinis
1 cube beef bullion
1 cup water
sandwich rolls
cheese (optional)
BBQ sauce (optional)
Directions
Toss all the ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Pile on sandwich rolls; I'd suggest topping with cheese and BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Good Buys, week of 8/25-8/31
Please excuse the poor formating; I'm posting by email from my phone. Hopefully I'll get a chance to fix it when we get home tomorrow.
Safeway
Foster Farms whole chicken ($0.79/lb)
80% Lean ground beef ($1.99/lb)
Boneless pork sirloin ($1.99/lb)
Cantaloupe ($0.67/each)
Peaches or nectarines ($0.99/lb)
White mushrooms ($1.00/8oz)
Honey Nut Cheerios or Lucky Charms ($1.99/each)
Pepsi or 7up ($0.88/2-liter)
Summer squash ($0.99/lb)
Mangos ($0.99/each)
Foster Farms ground turkey (Buy one, get one free)
Green Giant canned veggies ($0.79/each)
Artisan cake slice ($0.99/each)
Coke, 12-packs (Buy two, get 2 free)
Save Mart
Green seedless grapes ($0.67/lb)
Grape tomatoes (Buy one, get two free)
Bartlett pears ($0.29/lb)
Boneless london broil ($1.99/lb)
Broccoli ($0.97/lb)
Boneless pork sirloin roast ($1.99/lb)
Sunny Select canned veggies ($0.79/each)
Raleys
Nectarines ($0.77/lb)
Chicken thighs, drumsticks, or leg quarters ($0.74/lb)
Coke, 12-packs (Buy 2, get 2 free)
Vine ripe tomatoes ($0.97/lb)
Minute Maid punch or lemonade ($1.00/half gallon)
Ken's Steak House salad dressing ($1.99/each)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Another Day, Another Diet
Today Teagun is weighing in at a svelte 9 lbs 4.5 oz. Not quite the gain I was hoping for 3 weeks into our diet. He also continues to be spitting up, although, thankfully, not as much, his poops remain full of mucous, and he continues to have a persistant rash on his face, all leading me to believe I'm still eating one or more foods that are continuing to cause him problems. As I'm sure you can all understand, I'm anxious to remove all offending foods ASAP.
Toward that end, I've decided to go TED. For those of you not in the allergy community, that's Total Elimination Diet. I pick a few, generally considered low-allergenic foods and eat only those foods for ~2 weeks, during which time, Teagun will hopefully reach baseline. That is, hopefully we'll have removed all offending foods, his symptoms will resolve and he can start healing. At that point we can slowly reintroduce foods, watching for the reoccurance of symptoms.
My TED currently consists of turkey, zucchini, potatoes, rice, olive oil and grapes. Not a whole lot to work with ;-). I think I've decided to try and maintain my blog regardless. The only part that will definitely be missing for the immediate future is the shopping list with stores and prices, since I won't be actually buying all the stuff. We'll see how it goes.
On the plus side, Teagun's ultrasound went well today. Mechanically, things seem to be functioning properly. Off to the Pedi GI tomorrow to discuss the other possible issues. Wish us luck! :-D
Monday, August 23, 2010
A cereal you don't have to drive to Whole Foods for
Quick breakfast idea, since I'm running so terribly late: General Mill's Chex cereal is gluten-free, and the Honey Nut and Rice versions (possibly the Corn) do not contain milk (Cinnamon *may* contain milk, and Chocolate does :( ). It's nice to have a quick, easily obtainable breakfast cereal to rely on. Odds are you've discovered your favorite "milk" by now. Personally, I go with Hemp Milk
if given the option, and I get can't quell a cereal and milk craving. Usually, though, a few bowls is enough to remind me I don't miss cereal and milk that bad. ;)
if given the option, and I get can't quell a cereal and milk craving. Usually, though, a few bowls is enough to remind me I don't miss cereal and milk that bad. ;)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday Spotlight: FatFree Vegan
Hopefully you've already been convinced by yesterday's yummy pie recipe that you should spend some more time over at FatFree Vegan but if you haven't, I'm hear to tell you. Go spend some time over at FatFree Vegan. :-D There are a wide variety of recipes that both herbivores and omnivores will enjoy. She is even kind enough to tag things as gluten-free, to make your searches easier, if that's what floats your boat. I haven't even scratched the surface over there yet, so don't be surprised to see more recipes from Susan featured here.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Lemon Meringue-Less Pie
This pie, from Susan at FatFree Vegan is fantastic. I've never made it with the calamondins the original recipe calls for, but I've made it with both lemons and limes, and it is so yummy. It's just about Lemon Meringue without the waste-of-space meringue. And I think the oatmeal crust is great, too. I use all oatmeal flour, and almond milk, and it works just fine. Oh, and the crust is fat-free! How much does that rock?
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/calamondin-or-lemon-pie-with-oatmeal.html
Fat-Free Oatmeal Cookie Crust
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup sorghum flour (may use whole wheat flour or a mixture of unbleached and whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 9-inch pie pan.
Put the oats into a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple sauce. Stir well until completely combined.
Put the mixture into the pie pan, and starting at the center, flatten and press it with moistened fingers until it evenly covers the bottom and extends up the sides of the pan as far as possible:
Put it in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, until it it is crisp but not overdone. Set aside to cool before filling.
You can reduce the calorie content a lot by using stevia or an artificial sweetener for part (but not all) of the sugar.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup fatfree soymilk
3/4 cup lemon juice
grated rind of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbsp.)
Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Stir in water and soymilk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and slowly add the lemon juice and grated rind. Pour into a fatfree pie crust (or a graham cracker crust if you don’t need it to be completely fatfree). Chill.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/calamondin-or-lemon-pie-with-oatmeal.html
Fat-Free Oatmeal Cookie Crust
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup sorghum flour (may use whole wheat flour or a mixture of unbleached and whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 9-inch pie pan.
Put the oats into a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple sauce. Stir well until completely combined.
Put the mixture into the pie pan, and starting at the center, flatten and press it with moistened fingers until it evenly covers the bottom and extends up the sides of the pan as far as possible:
Put it in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, until it it is crisp but not overdone. Set aside to cool before filling.
Lemon Pie Filling
Recipe adapted by: Susan VoisinYou can reduce the calorie content a lot by using stevia or an artificial sweetener for part (but not all) of the sugar.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup fatfree soymilk
3/4 cup lemon juice
grated rind of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbsp.)
Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Stir in water and soymilk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and slowly add the lemon juice and grated rind. Pour into a fatfree pie crust (or a graham cracker crust if you don’t need it to be completely fatfree). Chill.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Shopping List, Week of August 23
I was lucky this week to have a lot of the big ticket dinner items on hand already, like bulgur and chicken (in the freezer from last week), so we got dinner ingredients on the cheap this week. I did load up on fresh fruits (and Kettle Chips
), though. The nectarines are especially good this week.
Dinner Total <$30.00
Shopping List by Store
Save Mart
lettuce ($0.97)
mushrooms (14 oz, $3.00)
1 pound lean ground beef ($1.99/lb)
Spaghetti squash (<$3.00)
Safeway
frozen orange juice concentrate ($1.99)
1 can black olives ($1.50)
raisins ($2.00)
celery ($0.99)
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes ($0.99)
1 large lemon ($0.50)
avocado (2 @ $1.50/each)
scallions ($0.50)
salsa ($1.99)
tortilla chips ($1.69)
potatoes (10 pounds, $1.99)
On Hand
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken
flour
brown sugar
balsamic vinegar
ketchup
garlic
dried basil
vegetable bouillon
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded Parmesan cheese
bulgur wheat
extra virgin olive oil
ground coriander
slivered almonds
Refried beans
olives
onion
garlic powder
paprika
thyme
cumin
kosher salt
pepper
frozen corn
Shopping List by Recipe
Orange Chicken
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken (on hand)
flour (on hand)
olive oil (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
frozen orange juice concentrate (SW, $1.99)
brown sugar (on hand)
balsamic vinegar (on hand)
ketchup (on hand)
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style
spaghetti squash
onion (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (GOBM, $0.99)
dried basil (on hand)
vegetable bouillon (on hand)
black pepper (on hand)
1 can black olives (SW, $1.50)
shredded mozzarella cheese (on hand)
shredded Parmesan cheese (on hand)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds
bulgur wheat (on hand)
golden raisins (subbing regular raisins)
regular raisins (SW, $2.00)
1 large lemon (GOBM, $0.50)
extra virgin olive oil (on hand)
ground coriander (on hand)
ground cumin (on hand)
paprika (on hand)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
scallions (GOBM, $0.50)
slivered almonds (on hand)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (on hand)
Taco Salad/Dip
Refried beans (on hand)
lettuce (SM, $0.97)
olives (on hand)
mushrooms (SM, 14 oz, $3.00)
salsa (GOBM, $1.99)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
onions (on hand)
ground beef/turkey (optional)
cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
tortilla chips (optional) (GOBM, $1.69)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef (SM, $1.99/lb)
onion (on hand)
garlic powder (on hand)
paprika (on hand)
thyme (on hand)
cumin (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
pepper (on hand)
potatoes (GOBM, 10 pounds, $1.99)
frozen corn (on hand)
mushrooms (SM, 14 oz, $3.00)
celery (SW, $0.99)
), though. The nectarines are especially good this week.Dinner Total <$30.00
Shopping List by Store
Save Mart
lettuce ($0.97)
mushrooms (14 oz, $3.00)
1 pound lean ground beef ($1.99/lb)
Spaghetti squash (<$3.00)
Safeway
frozen orange juice concentrate ($1.99)
1 can black olives ($1.50)
raisins ($2.00)
celery ($0.99)
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes ($0.99)
1 large lemon ($0.50)
avocado (2 @ $1.50/each)
scallions ($0.50)
salsa ($1.99)
tortilla chips ($1.69)
potatoes (10 pounds, $1.99)
On Hand
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken
flour
brown sugar
balsamic vinegar
ketchup
garlic
dried basil
vegetable bouillon
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded Parmesan cheese
bulgur wheat
extra virgin olive oil
ground coriander
slivered almonds
Refried beans
olives
onion
garlic powder
paprika
thyme
cumin
kosher salt
pepper
frozen corn
Shopping List by Recipe
Orange Chicken
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken (on hand)
flour (on hand)
olive oil (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
frozen orange juice concentrate (SW, $1.99)
brown sugar (on hand)
balsamic vinegar (on hand)
ketchup (on hand)
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style
spaghetti squash
onion (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (GOBM, $0.99)
dried basil (on hand)
vegetable bouillon (on hand)
black pepper (on hand)
1 can black olives (SW, $1.50)
shredded mozzarella cheese (on hand)
shredded Parmesan cheese (on hand)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds
bulgur wheat (on hand)
golden raisins (subbing regular raisins)
regular raisins (SW, $2.00)
1 large lemon (GOBM, $0.50)
extra virgin olive oil (on hand)
ground coriander (on hand)
ground cumin (on hand)
paprika (on hand)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
scallions (GOBM, $0.50)
slivered almonds (on hand)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (on hand)
Taco Salad/Dip
Refried beans (on hand)
lettuce (SM, $0.97)
olives (on hand)
mushrooms (SM, 14 oz, $3.00)
salsa (GOBM, $1.99)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
onions (on hand)
ground beef/turkey (optional)
cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
tortilla chips (optional) (GOBM, $1.69)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef (SM, $1.99/lb)
onion (on hand)
garlic powder (on hand)
paprika (on hand)
thyme (on hand)
cumin (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
pepper (on hand)
potatoes (GOBM, 10 pounds, $1.99)
frozen corn (on hand)
mushrooms (SM, 14 oz, $3.00)
celery (SW, $0.99)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Dinners, Week of August 23
Orange Chicken (Crockpot)
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian, vegan without cheese)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Shopping list tomorrow! Eventually! :-D
Orange Chicken (Crockpot)
The Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
The Directions
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.
Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.
This is one of Tony's favorite meals. He's been asking me to put it on the docket for weeks. He doesn't know yet that he's trading me for the bulgur meal, one I'm particularly fond of but he's not. I'd be more excited about this if I was getting cheese on my portion. :) Don't forget to save the seeds to cook 'em up like pumpkin seeds.
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-spaghetti-squash-lasagna-style/Detail.aspx
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cube vegetable bouillon
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
2. Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool.
3. Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce.
4. Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.
The first time I made this, I searched the grains section of every store in town, and several out of town to find bulgur. After picking it up at a store an hour away, I found it at our Save Mart, in the baking aisle, with the specialty flours and grains (apparently). I believe it's Bob's Mill brand. I bought an extra when I found it. I remember making a yummy bulgur pilaf in the past; I'll have to dig up the recipe. (I skip the spreading it out part, FYI.)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/healthy-delicious-bulgur-wheat-salad-with-avo.html
Adapted from Fine Cooking.
Ingredients
* 1 cup bulgur wheat
* 2 tablespoons golden raisins
* 2 tablespoons regular raisins
* 1 large lemon
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon cround coriander
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
* 1 firm but ripe avocado, diced
* 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
* 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Procedures
1. Cook bulgur wheat as directed. When finished, spread out on a cool surface and let it come to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, combine raisins with enough hot water to cover them. Drain after 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, zest the lemon. To it, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk it all together.
4. In a large bowl, combine bulgur wheat, dressing, raisins, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. (Don't skip that part.) Serve.
This is more of a meal idea than a recipe. You get the general idea, and can adjust the ingredients to your family's tastes.
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Ingredients
Refried beans
lettuce
olives
mushrooms
salsa
avocado/guacamole
onions
ground beef/turkey
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Directions
This is an easily customizable meal. Chop your desired ingredients (brown ground beef if using, of course) and layer them in a 9x9 or 9x13 casserole dish. I prefer beans on the bottom and salsa on the top. Eat as a salad or a dip with tortilla chips.
I cribbed part of this recipe from Stephanie over at A Year of Slow Cooking. Her original ecipe was for a meatloaf, but since I had to cut the egg, I thought it would be nice to make something other than "Pot 'o Meat." So added the rest. This recipe has *not* been tested yet, so if it explodes, kills you, or just doesn't taste good, you've been warned. And I'm sorry. :)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Partially borrowed from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/06/slow-cooker-big-easy-meatloaf-recipe.html
Ingredients
serves 4-6
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 potatoes, diced
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cp mushrooms, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
Directions
Toss meat in a mixing bowl with all the spices. Mix well; I always use my hands.
Put potatoes in crockpot, followed by spiced meat and veggies. Cook on low for 6 hours, mixing half way. Check doneness after about 4 hours.
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian, vegan without cheese)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Shopping list tomorrow! Eventually! :-D
Orange Chicken (Crockpot)
The Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
The Directions
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.
Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.
This is one of Tony's favorite meals. He's been asking me to put it on the docket for weeks. He doesn't know yet that he's trading me for the bulgur meal, one I'm particularly fond of but he's not. I'd be more excited about this if I was getting cheese on my portion. :) Don't forget to save the seeds to cook 'em up like pumpkin seeds.
Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style (Vegetarian)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-spaghetti-squash-lasagna-style/Detail.aspx
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cube vegetable bouillon
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
2. Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool.
3. Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce.
4. Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.
The first time I made this, I searched the grains section of every store in town, and several out of town to find bulgur. After picking it up at a store an hour away, I found it at our Save Mart, in the baking aisle, with the specialty flours and grains (apparently). I believe it's Bob's Mill brand. I bought an extra when I found it. I remember making a yummy bulgur pilaf in the past; I'll have to dig up the recipe. (I skip the spreading it out part, FYI.)
Bulgur Wheat Salad with Avocado, Raisins, and Almonds (Vegan) (NOT wheat-free)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/healthy-delicious-bulgur-wheat-salad-with-avo.html
Adapted from Fine Cooking.
Ingredients
* 1 cup bulgur wheat
* 2 tablespoons golden raisins
* 2 tablespoons regular raisins
* 1 large lemon
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon cround coriander
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
* 1 firm but ripe avocado, diced
* 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
* 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Procedures
1. Cook bulgur wheat as directed. When finished, spread out on a cool surface and let it come to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, combine raisins with enough hot water to cover them. Drain after 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, zest the lemon. To it, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk it all together.
4. In a large bowl, combine bulgur wheat, dressing, raisins, avocado, scallions, and almonds. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. (Don't skip that part.) Serve.
This is more of a meal idea than a recipe. You get the general idea, and can adjust the ingredients to your family's tastes.
Taco Dip or Salad (can be vegetarian or vegan)
Ingredients
Refried beans
lettuce
olives
mushrooms
salsa
avocado/guacamole
onions
ground beef/turkey
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Directions
This is an easily customizable meal. Chop your desired ingredients (brown ground beef if using, of course) and layer them in a 9x9 or 9x13 casserole dish. I prefer beans on the bottom and salsa on the top. Eat as a salad or a dip with tortilla chips.
I cribbed part of this recipe from Stephanie over at A Year of Slow Cooking. Her original ecipe was for a meatloaf, but since I had to cut the egg, I thought it would be nice to make something other than "Pot 'o Meat." So added the rest. This recipe has *not* been tested yet, so if it explodes, kills you, or just doesn't taste good, you've been warned. And I'm sorry. :)
Lazy Shepard's Upside-down Casserole (Crockpot)
Partially borrowed from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/06/slow-cooker-big-easy-meatloaf-recipe.html
Ingredients
serves 4-6
1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 potatoes, diced
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cp mushrooms, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
Directions
Toss meat in a mixing bowl with all the spices. Mix well; I always use my hands.
Put potatoes in crockpot, followed by spiced meat and veggies. Cook on low for 6 hours, mixing half way. Check doneness after about 4 hours.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Good Buys, August 18-24
Save Mart
Cantaloupe ($0.67/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.37/lb)
Red seedless grapes ($0.67/lb)
Bartlett pears ($0.97/lb)
Butter, Romaine, Red or Green leaf lettuce ($0.79/each)
Iceberg lettuce ($0.97/each)
Broccoli ($0.97/each)
Sunny Select pasta sauce ($1.99/each)
Foster Farms chicken leg quarters ($0.99/lb)
Safeway/Vons
Boneless, skinless chicken breast ($1.88/lb)
Nectarines ($0.77/lb)
Plums ($0.99/lb)
Classico pasta sauce (Buy one, get one free)
Coke 12-packs (assorted varieties) (Buy 2, get 2 free)
Grape tomatoes, 10-oz ($0.99/each)
Beef back ribs ($1.69/lb)
Rosarita refried beans ($1.00/each)
Safeway salad dressing ($0.99/each)
Campbell's condensed soup ($0.60/each)
Pepsi 2 liters, (assorted varieties, must buy 4 or more) ($0.99/each)
With Circular Coupon
Skippy peanut butter ($1.49/each)
Welch's grape squeeze jelly ($1.49/each)
Lipton rice or pasta sides ($0.88/each)
Saturday & Sunday Only
Lucerne butter ($1.99/each)
Nabisco saltine crackers ($1.50/each)
Kettle chips, 9-oz ($1.99/each)
Raleys/Nob Hill/Bel Air
Peaches ($0.77/lb)
Sirloin Steak (Buy one, get one free)
Bayview Farms milk (2 for $4.79)
Sunnyside Fams margarine ($0.98/each)
Hunt's ketchup ($1.39/each)
So Delicious coconut milk, half gallon ($3.49/each)
Cantaloupe ($0.67/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.37/lb)
Red seedless grapes ($0.67/lb)
Bartlett pears ($0.97/lb)
Butter, Romaine, Red or Green leaf lettuce ($0.79/each)
Iceberg lettuce ($0.97/each)
Broccoli ($0.97/each)
Sunny Select pasta sauce ($1.99/each)
Foster Farms chicken leg quarters ($0.99/lb)
Safeway/Vons
Boneless, skinless chicken breast ($1.88/lb)
Nectarines ($0.77/lb)
Plums ($0.99/lb)
Classico pasta sauce (Buy one, get one free)
Coke 12-packs (assorted varieties) (Buy 2, get 2 free)
Grape tomatoes, 10-oz ($0.99/each)
Beef back ribs ($1.69/lb)
Rosarita refried beans ($1.00/each)
Safeway salad dressing ($0.99/each)
Campbell's condensed soup ($0.60/each)
Pepsi 2 liters, (assorted varieties, must buy 4 or more) ($0.99/each)
With Circular Coupon
Skippy peanut butter ($1.49/each)
Welch's grape squeeze jelly ($1.49/each)
Lipton rice or pasta sides ($0.88/each)
Saturday & Sunday Only
Lucerne butter ($1.99/each)
Nabisco saltine crackers ($1.50/each)
Kettle chips, 9-oz ($1.99/each)
Raleys/Nob Hill/Bel Air
Peaches ($0.77/lb)
Sirloin Steak (Buy one, get one free)
Bayview Farms milk (2 for $4.79)
Sunnyside Fams margarine ($0.98/each)
Hunt's ketchup ($1.39/each)
So Delicious coconut milk, half gallon ($3.49/each)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
This Week in Tiny Babies
Today marks 2 full weeks off dairy/soy (protein)/egg/wheat. I was momentarily bummed I couldn't have cake at my niece's birthday, but otherwise it wasn't a hard week, diet-wise. Having this blog and nice dinners to look forward to helps a lot.
Teagun isn't improving as quickly as I would like. I keep telling myself that getting the dairy out of out systems can take up to a month, but I still keep wondering if I should cut more. Although, we did have a pretty good day yesterday: he spent almost the entire day spit-up free, until the evening, when we had a few, smaller expulsions. Not his usual constant gushing. He also seemed in a generally good mood, better than usual, so I'm taking that as a step in the right direction as well.
Today he weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz on our scale (he was 8 lbs 15 oz at the doctor's yesterday), which is 5 ounces up from last week. I'd prefer to have him averaging an ounce a day, but we'll take what we can get. Measuring 24 inches long, that puts him in the 80th percentile for length, 6% for weight, and below the chart weight for length. :( Gotta chunk this baby up, get him on the chart. :-D
Yesterday was Teagun's 2 month Well Baby visit, which I have been anxiously ambivalent about. I know that having a doctor on our team will certainly help us pin-point exactly what's going on (Are all his problems dietary? Is some of the reflux a more mechanical problem? Is there something else entirely going on?), but I worried that he would try and strong arm the formula idea, which I'm against for many reasons.
Turns out I didn't really have anything to be afraid of. The doctor briefly asked if we were interested in trying formula, and when we said no, he didn't mention it again. He didn't seem overly informed regarding food intolerances in breast-fed infants, but he clearly respected that I was, and listened to my whole spiel about what I thought was going on, why, and what we were doing about it. He took notes, asked questions, and encouraged us to keep up the good work. He made a referral for a pediatric gastroenterologist without us having to ask, and ordered a sonogram to rule out any sort of obstructions. He also prescribed Zantac for the reflux. We're going to see how the next few days go, regurgitation-wise, before giving that a try. All-in-all, I felt very positively about the visit. Teagun has an ultrasound next Tuesday, and sees the Pedi GI a week later. I feel like we're really on our way to getting him growing. :-D
Teagun isn't improving as quickly as I would like. I keep telling myself that getting the dairy out of out systems can take up to a month, but I still keep wondering if I should cut more. Although, we did have a pretty good day yesterday: he spent almost the entire day spit-up free, until the evening, when we had a few, smaller expulsions. Not his usual constant gushing. He also seemed in a generally good mood, better than usual, so I'm taking that as a step in the right direction as well.
Today he weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz on our scale (he was 8 lbs 15 oz at the doctor's yesterday), which is 5 ounces up from last week. I'd prefer to have him averaging an ounce a day, but we'll take what we can get. Measuring 24 inches long, that puts him in the 80th percentile for length, 6% for weight, and below the chart weight for length. :( Gotta chunk this baby up, get him on the chart. :-D
Yesterday was Teagun's 2 month Well Baby visit, which I have been anxiously ambivalent about. I know that having a doctor on our team will certainly help us pin-point exactly what's going on (Are all his problems dietary? Is some of the reflux a more mechanical problem? Is there something else entirely going on?), but I worried that he would try and strong arm the formula idea, which I'm against for many reasons.
Turns out I didn't really have anything to be afraid of. The doctor briefly asked if we were interested in trying formula, and when we said no, he didn't mention it again. He didn't seem overly informed regarding food intolerances in breast-fed infants, but he clearly respected that I was, and listened to my whole spiel about what I thought was going on, why, and what we were doing about it. He took notes, asked questions, and encouraged us to keep up the good work. He made a referral for a pediatric gastroenterologist without us having to ask, and ordered a sonogram to rule out any sort of obstructions. He also prescribed Zantac for the reflux. We're going to see how the next few days go, regurgitation-wise, before giving that a try. All-in-all, I felt very positively about the visit. Teagun has an ultrasound next Tuesday, and sees the Pedi GI a week later. I feel like we're really on our way to getting him growing. :-D
Monday, August 16, 2010
Corny goodness
I'll admit I have not given this recipe a try, although I promise I meant to today, if that counts for anything. :) The past few days I've been absolutely lacking in motivation when it's come to breakfast, and have mostly been eating grapes, and a banana with peanut butter (oh, I also had some leftover quinoa pasta this morning). But you, dear reader, should be feeding yourself better than that. And you might want to give the following recipe a try. It's borrowed from Kris at CHG who adapted it from Mary Ostyn's Family Feasts for $75 a Week
(I really need to get my hand's on this book). When I finally get my lazy butt around to trying it, I will adapt it one step further, with my almond milk and vegan margarine. Mmm, delicious and nutritious. :-D
Mary Ostyn’s Maple Morning Polenta
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/09/maple-morning-polenta-chili-corn-pone.html
Makes 6 servings
3 cups cold water
1-1/2 cups 1% milk
2 cups cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pancake syrup, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
NOTE from Kris: This is an easily scalable recipe. If you’re making it for one or two, however, the cooking time will be A LOT faster. Also, I used 1% milk (which worked well), but Mary’s original recipe calls for regular milk. Finally, I like Aunt Jemima Butter Lite syrup. It’s 100% chemicals, but I can’t help it.
1) Combine water, milk, cornmeal, and salt in a medium-size saucepan, stirring briskly to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches a boil, about 10 minutes.
2) Reduce heat to low. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.
3) Remove from heat. Stir in pancake syrup and butter; ladle into bowls. Top with additional syrup and sprinkle with raisins just before serving.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
296 calories, 5.4 g fat, 4.7 g fiber, $0.50
(I really need to get my hand's on this book). When I finally get my lazy butt around to trying it, I will adapt it one step further, with my almond milk and vegan margarine. Mmm, delicious and nutritious. :-DMary Ostyn’s Maple Morning Polenta
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/09/maple-morning-polenta-chili-corn-pone.html
Makes 6 servings
3 cups cold water
1-1/2 cups 1% milk
2 cups cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pancake syrup, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
NOTE from Kris: This is an easily scalable recipe. If you’re making it for one or two, however, the cooking time will be A LOT faster. Also, I used 1% milk (which worked well), but Mary’s original recipe calls for regular milk. Finally, I like Aunt Jemima Butter Lite syrup. It’s 100% chemicals, but I can’t help it.
1) Combine water, milk, cornmeal, and salt in a medium-size saucepan, stirring briskly to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches a boil, about 10 minutes.
2) Reduce heat to low. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.
3) Remove from heat. Stir in pancake syrup and butter; ladle into bowls. Top with additional syrup and sprinkle with raisins just before serving.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
296 calories, 5.4 g fat, 4.7 g fiber, $0.50
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday Spotlight: Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!
I hate to be a stereotypical chick, but I dig chocolate. Not like I absolutely, positively must have it everyday, but I definitely crave it from time to time. I'm a milk chocolate kind of girl, which makes satisfying my chocolate cravings a little difficult when I'm off dairy. I won't kick dark chocolate out of bed, but it just doesn't get the job down.
I am nothing if not an optimist, so every time I see a tempting chocolate something, I immediately check the ingredients, on the off chance it's "safe." I've found a few things that help quiet the chocolate monster, to varying degrees.
Okay: First, I want to mention Enjoy Life
. This is a great little company that specifically caters to the allergic community. I've only had experience with their cookies, but the side of the box boasts that they're free of the top 8 allergens (dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, seafood, shellfish. I'm not sure what kind of cookies generally include shrimp, but good to know.), which was so exciting to me the first time I found them, since that was exactly what I couldn't eat. While I can't say enough how much I appreciate their products and mission, these are not my favorite cookies (the snickerdoodle ones are pretty good, though, especially warm). They'll do in a pinch, but I won't be seeking them out when I can eat wheat again.
Better: These Fudge Drop Cookies from Fat Free Vegan take more time and effort, but I think they're worth it. Susan offers 2 different recipes, one that calls for vegan margarine, and a fat free version she says comes out softer and more brownie-like. I guess you'll have to try both versions, see which you prefer. :-D While the recipe calls for soy yogurt, you can try substituting applesauce instead. It's been a long time since I've whipped up a batch, but I'll report back when I do.
Okay: Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares are great, *if* you can stand/like a little bit of a dark chocolate bite. Otherwise, it's just adequate. On the plus side, Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate is dairy-free, although it does contain soy lecithin, and it is relatively cheap. I grabbed my package from Wal-Mart for just over $2. It's especially good for dipping things that are already plenty sweet on their own.
Better: Guittard's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (in the gold package) are my *favorite* dairy-free chocolate. I don't know how these delicious little morsels are dairy-free, but they are (although they do contain soy lecithin as well). They are great for baking, and yummy right out of the bag. While doing my research for this blog entry, I learned that they are relatively local (no public tours :( ), family-owned and operated company, so that's nice. You can read their official allergen statement here. These little gold bags of deliciousness are a little on the expensive side for my tastes, so I always stock up when they're on sale.
I am nothing if not an optimist, so every time I see a tempting chocolate something, I immediately check the ingredients, on the off chance it's "safe." I've found a few things that help quiet the chocolate monster, to varying degrees.
Okay: First, I want to mention Enjoy Life
. This is a great little company that specifically caters to the allergic community. I've only had experience with their cookies, but the side of the box boasts that they're free of the top 8 allergens (dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, seafood, shellfish. I'm not sure what kind of cookies generally include shrimp, but good to know.), which was so exciting to me the first time I found them, since that was exactly what I couldn't eat. While I can't say enough how much I appreciate their products and mission, these are not my favorite cookies (the snickerdoodle ones are pretty good, though, especially warm). They'll do in a pinch, but I won't be seeking them out when I can eat wheat again.Better: These Fudge Drop Cookies from Fat Free Vegan take more time and effort, but I think they're worth it. Susan offers 2 different recipes, one that calls for vegan margarine, and a fat free version she says comes out softer and more brownie-like. I guess you'll have to try both versions, see which you prefer. :-D While the recipe calls for soy yogurt, you can try substituting applesauce instead. It's been a long time since I've whipped up a batch, but I'll report back when I do.
Okay: Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares are great, *if* you can stand/like a little bit of a dark chocolate bite. Otherwise, it's just adequate. On the plus side, Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate is dairy-free, although it does contain soy lecithin, and it is relatively cheap. I grabbed my package from Wal-Mart for just over $2. It's especially good for dipping things that are already plenty sweet on their own.
Better: Guittard's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (in the gold package) are my *favorite* dairy-free chocolate. I don't know how these delicious little morsels are dairy-free, but they are (although they do contain soy lecithin as well). They are great for baking, and yummy right out of the bag. While doing my research for this blog entry, I learned that they are relatively local (no public tours :( ), family-owned and operated company, so that's nice. You can read their official allergen statement here. These little gold bags of deliciousness are a little on the expensive side for my tastes, so I always stock up when they're on sale.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A Blast from the Past
Rice Krispie treats may seem like a kids' food, and that may have been the last time you enjoyed one of these ooey-gooey squares, but simple Rice Krispie treats have satisfied many a sugar craving during my dairy/wheat/soy/egg free days. The original recipe is good, and they're a great vehicle for peanut butter (the recipe that follows), chocolate, or both. Tony made the peanut butter ones for me last week, and I put most of them in the freezer, and pull one out whenever my sweet tooth acts up. I like the crunch straight from the freezer.
Peanut Butter Rice Krispies
http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/peanut-butter-treats.aspx#/recipes/peanut-butter-treats
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
 |
| I covered this Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treat in Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Yum! |
Peanut Butter Rice Krispies
http://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/peanut-butter-treats.aspx#/recipes/peanut-butter-treats
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Note
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Shopping List, Week of August 16
Sorry for visiting every store around (and then some) this week. There were just some "must haves" at each store. And we didn't do it all in one day.
I actually stopped at Wal-Mart to get a cheap little outfit for my niece, and I walked in and, *Holy Crap!* it was a Super Wal-Mart! It was *not* a Super Wal-Mart last week. I knew they were doing reorganizing, but I didn't realize our Wal-Mart was getting a cape.
I'm fully aware Wal-Mart's evil, but I can't help but be excited they have a gluten-free section with the Enjoy Life allergy-friendly cookies.
They did, however, overcharge me for my eggplant. Actually, it was mismarked on the shelf (the $1.00 part fell off, so I thought it was $0.64/lb instead of $1.64/lb). I informed the manager, who offered to refund me, but it looks like I was undercharged for my corn, so I decided to just call it even. (Upon closer calculation at home, looks like Wal-Mart is still up $0.50.)
The bargain hunter in me demanded I buy the $5.99 one pound bag of almonds, since they'll be good for a long time, as opposed to the 1/2 cup bag, because they were significantly cheaper per ounce.
Oh, and someone asked if Teagun was a preemie again. :-/
Dinner for the week total cost = ~$45
Shopping List by Store
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
onion (5lbs, $1.99)
chickpeas (15 oz can, $0.99)
scallions ($0.50/bunch)
avocado ($1.50/each)
limes (6 @ $0.25/each=$1.50)
2 bell peppers (3/$1.49)
lentils (1 lb, $0.99)
dried mustard ($1.99)
Safeway (SW)
whole almonds (1 lb, $5.99)
sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) ($1.50)
basil leaves (live plant, $3.49)
fresh mint (live plant, $2.49)
Wal-Mart (WM)
2 ears of cooked corn (2 @ $0.20/each=$.40)
parsley (fresh, $0.79/bunch)
Boneless skinless chicken breast ($1.79/lb)
cumin (~$2.00)
SaveMart (SM)
1 large cucumber ($0.33)
1 jalapeño pepper ($0.97/lb)
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla) ($0.97/lb)
celery ($0.69/head)
Whole Foods (WF) (lost my receipt, but my estimates are pretty close)
quinoa (~$3.00)
gluten-free pasta (~$3.00)
Shopping List by Recipe
Roasted Eggplant Pesto
1 large eggplant (WM, $1.64/lb)
whole almonds (SW, 1 lb, $5.99)
sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) (SW, $1.50)
garlic (on hand)
basil leaves (SW, live plant, $3.49)
nutritional yeast (couldn't find)
dried red pepper flakes (on hand)
pasta, wheat (on hand)
pasta, gluten-free (WF, ~$3.00)
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes
potatoes (on hand)
bacon (on hand)
onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
garlic (on hand)
mushrooms (on hand)
peas (on hand)
margarine (on hand)
Broth (on hand)
International Quinoa Salad
quinoa (WF, ~$3.00)
garlic (on hand)
salt (on hand)
1 large cucumber (SM, $0.33)
2 medium-large tomatoes (on hand)
2 ears of cooked corn (WM, $0.20/each)
1 jalapeño pepper (SM, $0.97/lb)
chickpeas (GOBM, $0.99)
scallions (GOBM, $0.50)
parsley (WM, fresh, $0.79)
fresh mint (SW, live plant, $2.49)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
limes (GOBM, $0.25/each)
vegetable broth (on hand)
salt (on hand)
ground pepper (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
chipotle chili pepper (on hand)
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing
olive oil (on hand)
limes (GOBM, $0.25/each)
fresh mint (SW, live plant, $2.49)
ground coriander (on hand)
Boneless skinless chicken breast (WM, $1.79/lb)
2 bell peppers (GOBM, 3/$1.49)
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla) (SM, $0.97/lb)
red onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken
lentils (GOBM, 1 lb, $0.99)
chicken broth (on hand)
small yellow onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
celery (SM, $0.69/head)
cumin (WM, ~$2.00)
coriander (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
dried mustard (GOBM, $1.99)
turmeric (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
can diced chiles (on hand)
parsley, fresh or dried (WM, fresh, $0.79)
chicken breast (WM, $1.79/lb)
rice (on hand)
I actually stopped at Wal-Mart to get a cheap little outfit for my niece, and I walked in and, *Holy Crap!* it was a Super Wal-Mart! It was *not* a Super Wal-Mart last week. I knew they were doing reorganizing, but I didn't realize our Wal-Mart was getting a cape.
I'm fully aware Wal-Mart's evil, but I can't help but be excited they have a gluten-free section with the Enjoy Life allergy-friendly cookies.
They did, however, overcharge me for my eggplant. Actually, it was mismarked on the shelf (the $1.00 part fell off, so I thought it was $0.64/lb instead of $1.64/lb). I informed the manager, who offered to refund me, but it looks like I was undercharged for my corn, so I decided to just call it even. (Upon closer calculation at home, looks like Wal-Mart is still up $0.50.)
The bargain hunter in me demanded I buy the $5.99 one pound bag of almonds, since they'll be good for a long time, as opposed to the 1/2 cup bag, because they were significantly cheaper per ounce.
Oh, and someone asked if Teagun was a preemie again. :-/
Dinner for the week total cost = ~$45
Shopping List by Store
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
onion (5lbs, $1.99)
chickpeas (15 oz can, $0.99)
scallions ($0.50/bunch)
avocado ($1.50/each)
limes (6 @ $0.25/each=$1.50)
2 bell peppers (3/$1.49)
lentils (1 lb, $0.99)
dried mustard ($1.99)
Safeway (SW)
whole almonds (1 lb, $5.99)
sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) ($1.50)
basil leaves (live plant, $3.49)
fresh mint (live plant, $2.49)
Wal-Mart (WM)
2 ears of cooked corn (2 @ $0.20/each=$.40)
parsley (fresh, $0.79/bunch)
Boneless skinless chicken breast ($1.79/lb)
cumin (~$2.00)
SaveMart (SM)
1 large cucumber ($0.33)
1 jalapeño pepper ($0.97/lb)
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla) ($0.97/lb)
celery ($0.69/head)
Whole Foods (WF) (lost my receipt, but my estimates are pretty close)
quinoa (~$3.00)
gluten-free pasta (~$3.00)
Shopping List by Recipe
Roasted Eggplant Pesto
1 large eggplant (WM, $1.64/lb)
whole almonds (SW, 1 lb, $5.99)
sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) (SW, $1.50)
garlic (on hand)
basil leaves (SW, live plant, $3.49)
nutritional yeast (couldn't find)
dried red pepper flakes (on hand)
pasta, wheat (on hand)
pasta, gluten-free (WF, ~$3.00)
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes
potatoes (on hand)
bacon (on hand)
onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
garlic (on hand)
mushrooms (on hand)
peas (on hand)
margarine (on hand)
Broth (on hand)
International Quinoa Salad
quinoa (WF, ~$3.00)
garlic (on hand)
salt (on hand)
1 large cucumber (SM, $0.33)
2 medium-large tomatoes (on hand)
2 ears of cooked corn (WM, $0.20/each)
1 jalapeño pepper (SM, $0.97/lb)
chickpeas (GOBM, $0.99)
scallions (GOBM, $0.50)
parsley (WM, fresh, $0.79)
fresh mint (SW, live plant, $2.49)
avocado (GOBM, $1.50)
limes (GOBM, $0.25/each)
vegetable broth (on hand)
salt (on hand)
ground pepper (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
chipotle chili pepper (on hand)
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing
olive oil (on hand)
limes (GOBM, $0.25/each)
fresh mint (SW, live plant, $2.49)
ground coriander (on hand)
Boneless skinless chicken breast (WM, $1.79/lb)
2 bell peppers (GOBM, 3/$1.49)
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla) (SM, $0.97/lb)
red onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken
lentils (GOBM, 1 lb, $0.99)
chicken broth (on hand)
small yellow onion (GOBM, 5lbs, $1.99)
celery (SM, $0.69/head)
cumin (WM, ~$2.00)
coriander (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
dried mustard (GOBM, $1.99)
turmeric (on hand)
garlic (on hand)
can diced chiles (on hand)
parsley, fresh or dried (WM, fresh, $0.79)
chicken breast (WM, $1.79/lb)
rice (on hand)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Dinners, Week of August 16
Roasted Eggplant Pesto, over pasta *vegan
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes *vegetarian, if you don't add the bacon
International Quinoa Salad *vegan
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing, possibly with polenta
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken (crockpot), over rice *vegetarian minus the chicken
Stay tuned tomorrow for this week's shopping list.
The notation at the bottom of this recipe, about not using the yeast, is not mine. It was a reader comment from the recipe page, which I included because that's how I plan on making the Pesto, minus the expensive pine nuts. Picked up some gluten-free, non-brown-rice pasta at Whole Foods while visiting my in-laws last weekend that I'm excited to try with this.
Roasted Eggplant Pesto
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/06/roasted-eggplant-pesto.html
Look for sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil but are still soft and flexible. If they seem overly dried out, you will need to soak them in hot water before using.
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup whole almonds
2 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
2 cloves garlic
2 cups basil leaves, lightly packed
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast*
salt to taste
To Do Ahead:
Preheat oven to 400F. Trim off and discard the stem end of eggplant and cut in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Pierce the backs of the eggplant with a fork in a few places. Bake until completely soft and somewhat collapsed, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
At least 2 hours before using (and up to overnight), place almonds in a bowl and cover completely with water. Allow to soak at room temperature. Drain water before using.
Just Before Serving:
Put the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic into food processor and pulse to chop. Peel the eggplant and add it, the basil, and the nutritional yeast to the processor and process to a coarse puree. Add salt to taste and pulse to blend.
Add a tablespoon to a serving of warm pasta (if the pesto is too thick to easily coat the pasta, add a little hot water to it), or use as a spread for bread or a dip for crackers or vegetables. Store in a covered container.
For best color, either press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the exposed surface or spray with a light film of olive oil.
Servings: 8
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 52 calories, 22 calories from fat, 2.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 12.9mg sodium, 241.1mg potassium, 6.1g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 2.8g protein, 0.6 points.
*This is a very tasty way to spice up pasta. My husband and I like a little kick to our pasta and don’t like nutritional yeast, so here is how I modified your excellent recipe for eggplant pesto. Instead of almonds, I substituted ~ 2 Tbsp of toasted pine nuts, added some dried red pepper flakes, and 4 cloves of garlic. A whir in the blender with the roasted eggplant and basil, then tossed it with pasta. For our tastes, we like a little more pesto than pasta and so the 8 servings were really 4.
This is a recipe I made up last time we were on a restricted diet. Because bacon makes me feel better. :) I'll be fudging the recipe until I make it, which will actually be this week as opposed to next, because I've got some mushrooms I've almost forgotten about that need eating.
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 potatoes, diced, skin off or on, your preference
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup peas
3 tablespoons margarine
Broth as needed for moistening
1. Boil potatoes until tender.
2. While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon. Crispy or limpy, whatever floats your boat. Chop or tear into bite-sized pieces when cool.
3. At the same time, if you can manage it (and if you're a woman, I'm sure you can ;) ), saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft.
4. Drain potatoes and mash with margarine. Add broth as needed if potatoes are too dry. Stir in onions, garlic, mushrooms and peas.
5. Eat mashed potato meal.
International Quinoa Salad
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/international-quinoa-salad.html
Quinoa:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed very well
2 1/4 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
Vegetables:
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 medium-large tomatoes, finely chopped
kernels of 2 ears of cooked corn (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup parsley — minced
1/3 cup fresh mint — minced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced (reserve a few slices for garnish)
Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (NOT lemon)
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or bean cooking liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
To cook the quinoa in a pressure cooker, place it and the water, garlic, and salt in the cooker and lock the lid.
Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Fluff the quinoa and allow it to cool.
Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Taste before serving, and add more lime juice as necessary (you want it to be tangy). Garnish with avocado slices and serve. Makes about 8 servings.
Nutrition (per serving): 239 calories, 55 calories from fat, 6.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 366.2mg sodium, 627.7mg potassium, 38.8g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 4g sugar, 9.1g protein, 4.5 points.
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing
Bon Appetit, July 2009
Prep: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
4 servings
Ingedients:
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 BLSL chicken breast halves (5-6 oz each)
2 bell peppers (preferably 1 red and 1 yellow), cored, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla), cored, seeded, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Whisk 4 tablespoons oil, lime juice, mint, and coriander in medium bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Heat remaining olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute until brown on bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to platter.
Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, poblano chile, and onion to same skillet; sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Toss until tender and just beginning to color, 4 to 5 minutes. Cover and cook 1 minute. Mix in 2 tablespoons dressing. Mound vegetables atop chicken. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.
Serving suggestions: serve atop polenta or in tortillas with avocado and sour cream.
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken (crockpot)
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/10/indian-spiced-lentils-with-chicken-slow.html
Serves 4, with a bit leftover
The Ingredients:
2 cups lentils (mine were brown)
3 cups chicken broth (you could use veggie)
3 cups water
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles (hot or mild, your choice)--no need to drain
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh)
2 large chicken breast halves
The Directions.
Use a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Rinse the lentils under cold water until it runs clear. Dump into the slow cooker. Add broth and water. Add diced onion and celery. Add all spices, the garlic, and chiles. Stir to combine.
Lay 2 largeish chicken breast halves on top of the assembled food. My breast halves were frozen solid.
Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for about 4. Before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker, chop it up, and stir back in. Serve over basmati rice with corn tortillas or naan wedges (not gluten free) as scoopers.
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes *vegetarian, if you don't add the bacon
International Quinoa Salad *vegan
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing, possibly with polenta
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken (crockpot), over rice *vegetarian minus the chicken
Stay tuned tomorrow for this week's shopping list.
The notation at the bottom of this recipe, about not using the yeast, is not mine. It was a reader comment from the recipe page, which I included because that's how I plan on making the Pesto, minus the expensive pine nuts. Picked up some gluten-free, non-brown-rice pasta at Whole Foods while visiting my in-laws last weekend that I'm excited to try with this.
Roasted Eggplant Pesto
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/06/roasted-eggplant-pesto.html
Look for sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil but are still soft and flexible. If they seem overly dried out, you will need to soak them in hot water before using.
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup whole almonds
2 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
2 cloves garlic
2 cups basil leaves, lightly packed
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast*
salt to taste
To Do Ahead:
Preheat oven to 400F. Trim off and discard the stem end of eggplant and cut in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Pierce the backs of the eggplant with a fork in a few places. Bake until completely soft and somewhat collapsed, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
At least 2 hours before using (and up to overnight), place almonds in a bowl and cover completely with water. Allow to soak at room temperature. Drain water before using.
Just Before Serving:
Put the almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic into food processor and pulse to chop. Peel the eggplant and add it, the basil, and the nutritional yeast to the processor and process to a coarse puree. Add salt to taste and pulse to blend.
Add a tablespoon to a serving of warm pasta (if the pesto is too thick to easily coat the pasta, add a little hot water to it), or use as a spread for bread or a dip for crackers or vegetables. Store in a covered container.
For best color, either press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the exposed surface or spray with a light film of olive oil.
Servings: 8
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 52 calories, 22 calories from fat, 2.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 12.9mg sodium, 241.1mg potassium, 6.1g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 2.8g protein, 0.6 points.
*This is a very tasty way to spice up pasta. My husband and I like a little kick to our pasta and don’t like nutritional yeast, so here is how I modified your excellent recipe for eggplant pesto. Instead of almonds, I substituted ~ 2 Tbsp of toasted pine nuts, added some dried red pepper flakes, and 4 cloves of garlic. A whir in the blender with the roasted eggplant and basil, then tossed it with pasta. For our tastes, we like a little more pesto than pasta and so the 8 servings were really 4.
This is a recipe I made up last time we were on a restricted diet. Because bacon makes me feel better. :) I'll be fudging the recipe until I make it, which will actually be this week as opposed to next, because I've got some mushrooms I've almost forgotten about that need eating.
Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 potatoes, diced, skin off or on, your preference
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup peas
3 tablespoons margarine
Broth as needed for moistening
1. Boil potatoes until tender.
2. While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon. Crispy or limpy, whatever floats your boat. Chop or tear into bite-sized pieces when cool.
3. At the same time, if you can manage it (and if you're a woman, I'm sure you can ;) ), saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft.
4. Drain potatoes and mash with margarine. Add broth as needed if potatoes are too dry. Stir in onions, garlic, mushrooms and peas.
5. Eat mashed potato meal.
International Quinoa Salad
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/international-quinoa-salad.html
Quinoa:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed very well
2 1/4 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
Vegetables:
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 medium-large tomatoes, finely chopped
kernels of 2 ears of cooked corn (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup parsley — minced
1/3 cup fresh mint — minced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced (reserve a few slices for garnish)
Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (NOT lemon)
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or bean cooking liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
To cook the quinoa in a pressure cooker, place it and the water, garlic, and salt in the cooker and lock the lid.
Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Fluff the quinoa and allow it to cool.
Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Taste before serving, and add more lime juice as necessary (you want it to be tangy). Garnish with avocado slices and serve. Makes about 8 servings.
Nutrition (per serving): 239 calories, 55 calories from fat, 6.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 366.2mg sodium, 627.7mg potassium, 38.8g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 4g sugar, 9.1g protein, 4.5 points.
Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing
Bon Appetit, July 2009
Prep: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
4 servings
Ingedients:
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 BLSL chicken breast halves (5-6 oz each)
2 bell peppers (preferably 1 red and 1 yellow), cored, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 large fresh poblano chile (also called pasilla), cored, seeded, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Whisk 4 tablespoons oil, lime juice, mint, and coriander in medium bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Heat remaining olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute until brown on bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to platter.
Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, poblano chile, and onion to same skillet; sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Toss until tender and just beginning to color, 4 to 5 minutes. Cover and cook 1 minute. Mix in 2 tablespoons dressing. Mound vegetables atop chicken. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.
Serving suggestions: serve atop polenta or in tortillas with avocado and sour cream.
Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken (crockpot)
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/10/indian-spiced-lentils-with-chicken-slow.html
Serves 4, with a bit leftover
The Ingredients:
2 cups lentils (mine were brown)
3 cups chicken broth (you could use veggie)
3 cups water
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles (hot or mild, your choice)--no need to drain
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh)
2 large chicken breast halves
The Directions.
Use a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Rinse the lentils under cold water until it runs clear. Dump into the slow cooker. Add broth and water. Add diced onion and celery. Add all spices, the garlic, and chiles. Stir to combine.
Lay 2 largeish chicken breast halves on top of the assembled food. My breast halves were frozen solid.
Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for about 4. Before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker, chop it up, and stir back in. Serve over basmati rice with corn tortillas or naan wedges (not gluten free) as scoopers.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Good Buys, August 11-17
Fruit is delicious, plentiful and cheap right now. Rarely does the good stuff (grapes, peaches, pineapple, etc.) last a whole week in our house, but we're coming into a new shopping week with yummy stuff left over. I can hardly eat grapes fast enough, which is saying a lot for me.
These aren't all the good deals to be had, and they're not all dairy/wheat/soy/egg free, but the following lists are things that caught my eye as things I might buy, for myself or the rest of the family. Anytime cereal is under $2.00/box I try and grab some.
Save Mart/S-Mart
Peaches ($0.47/lb)
Blueberries ($0.97/6 oz)
Sunnyside Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast ($1.99/lb)
Bananas ($0.57/lb)
Celery ($0.69/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.97/lb)
Hass avocados ($1/each)
Safeway/Vons
London Broil Top Round ($1.99/lb)
Safeway Leg Quarters ($0.77/lb)
Seedless Watermelon ($2.77/each)
Blueberries ($1.99/pint)
Black seedless grapes ($0.77/lb)
Cucumbers ($0.33/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.99/lb)
Romaine, Butter, Green or Red Leaf Lettuce ($1.00/each)
Yellow onions ($0.99/lb)
Circular coupon needed for the following
White corn on the cob ($0.20/each)
Boneless, skinless chicken breast ($1.87/lb)
Coke, assorted varieties, 12 pack (Buy 2, get 2 free)
Lundberg Brown Rice pasta, 10-12 oz ($1.50)
S&W Beans, 15-15.5 oz cans ($0.89)
Soy or Rice Dream beverage, 32 oz ($1.50)
Bulk organic quinoa ($2.99/lb)
These aren't all the good deals to be had, and they're not all dairy/wheat/soy/egg free, but the following lists are things that caught my eye as things I might buy, for myself or the rest of the family. Anytime cereal is under $2.00/box I try and grab some.
Save Mart/S-Mart
Peaches ($0.47/lb)
Blueberries ($0.97/6 oz)
Sunnyside Farms Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast ($1.99/lb)
Bananas ($0.57/lb)
Celery ($0.69/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.97/lb)
Hass avocados ($1/each)
Safeway/Vons
London Broil Top Round ($1.99/lb)
Safeway Leg Quarters ($0.77/lb)
Seedless Watermelon ($2.77/each)
Blueberries ($1.99/pint)
Black seedless grapes ($0.77/lb)
Cucumbers ($0.33/each)
Roma tomatoes ($0.99/lb)
Romaine, Butter, Green or Red Leaf Lettuce ($1.00/each)
Yellow onions ($0.99/lb)
Circular coupon needed for the following
- Kix cereal, 12 oz ($1.49)
- MultiGrain Cheerios, 10.9-12.8 oz ($1.99)
- Fiber One cereal, 14.25-17.25 oz ($1.99)
- Lucerne Eggs, 12 ct ($0.99)
- Safeway Frozen Veggies, 8-16 oz ($1.25)
- Safeway Pasta, 12-16 oz ($0.69)
- Gushers ($0.99)
- Simply Fruit fruit rolls ($0.99)
- Nature Valley bars, assorted varieties ($1.49)
- Fiber One bars ($1.49)
- Corn Chex ($1.79)
- Cheerios ($1.79)
White corn on the cob ($0.20/each)
Boneless, skinless chicken breast ($1.87/lb)
Coke, assorted varieties, 12 pack (Buy 2, get 2 free)
Lundberg Brown Rice pasta, 10-12 oz ($1.50)
S&W Beans, 15-15.5 oz cans ($0.89)
Soy or Rice Dream beverage, 32 oz ($1.50)
Bulk organic quinoa ($2.99/lb)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Outta the mouths' of Stupid People
Okay, the title is, admittedly a little harsh, but it's my blog, I do what I want. :-p
It's officially been a week now that I've made the changes in my diet (cutting out wheat, milk, eggs and soy). Teagun is 8 weeks (1 day) and 8 lbs 13 oz today. I should have made note of when I last weighed him (sometime last week), but he was 8 lbs 9 oz then. So, up is good, although I wish I knew how long it took him to gain 4 oz. Having record here will help. That makes him in the 4th percentile for age, and if my length measurement of him was correct (~22.5 inches), he's less than 1st percentile weight for length. :-/
He's still spitting up like the Exorcist, but I haven't noticed any green poops for the past 2 days. Haven't noticed much improvement in his demeanor or sleeping habits yet, but it's still earlier in our diet trial.
It hasn't been terribly hard to slip back into the diet, but the hardest parts have been the little habitual things, like not licking the spoon when dishing my Kismet's yogurt, or taking a swig of milk after eating some peanut butter. The only time I've really wanted something I couldn't have was garlic bread at my in-laws. It smelled so good!
I keep having dreams that I accidentally eat "bad" foods, but the only actual mistake I made (to my knowledge) was some dry roasted peanuts. I ate a small handful before it occurred to me that peanuts might not be the only ingredient (duh). Turns out, among other things, soy protein is needed to make dry roasted peanuts.
Monday was my only moderately down day. We went to an Italian restaurant with family. On the way there, I had figured there wasn't anything I'd be able to eat, so I was just planning on hitting up Chipotle afterwords (lucky me, there was one in the same shopping center). But then when we got there, I was excited to see the menu said they had gluten-free pasta, and they were happy to work with dietary restrictions and vegan diets. Score! When the waitress came, I asked if the gluten-free pasta had egg in it. She seemed flustered by the question and went to check. Yep, sure enough, egg in the gluten-free pasta. :-/ So I asked if the fries had wheat or soy in them, and again, while nice, she seemed so confused by the questions. She went back to check, but apparently they had already thrown the box out. So I just gave up at that point. It was just a bit of an upsetting and frustrating reminder that my eating out options are going to be few and far between for a while.
Hooray for Chipotle, though! :-D Although the visit to Chipotle didn't make me feel too much better. A woman started cooing over Teagun, and I know she was just trying to be nice, but I was a bit sensitive at the time.
Well-meaning lady: "Oh, a little one! Is he brand new?"
Me (so tired of this question): "No, he's 2 months old, just little."
Lady: "Was he a preemie? He's so tiny!" (Really, hadn't noticed. :-/ )
Me: "Nope, just little."
Nosy lady: "How big is he?"
Me, fudging a bit: "Almost 9 pounds."
Annoying lady, to her son: "That's how big you were when you were born!"
Yes, I know he's small. I'm not thrilled about it. I'm doing everything I can to try and rectify it. I know she's not, but I can't help thinking she's judging me, thinking I'm starving my baby or something. I'm so not looking forward to his 2 month Well Baby visit next Monday for this reason. I'm afraid his pediatrician is going to think I'm starving him (nevermind that he eats almost all the time he's awake, and half the time he's asleep) and push formula. Wish us luck. :-)
It's officially been a week now that I've made the changes in my diet (cutting out wheat, milk, eggs and soy). Teagun is 8 weeks (1 day) and 8 lbs 13 oz today. I should have made note of when I last weighed him (sometime last week), but he was 8 lbs 9 oz then. So, up is good, although I wish I knew how long it took him to gain 4 oz. Having record here will help. That makes him in the 4th percentile for age, and if my length measurement of him was correct (~22.5 inches), he's less than 1st percentile weight for length. :-/
He's still spitting up like the Exorcist, but I haven't noticed any green poops for the past 2 days. Haven't noticed much improvement in his demeanor or sleeping habits yet, but it's still earlier in our diet trial.
It hasn't been terribly hard to slip back into the diet, but the hardest parts have been the little habitual things, like not licking the spoon when dishing my Kismet's yogurt, or taking a swig of milk after eating some peanut butter. The only time I've really wanted something I couldn't have was garlic bread at my in-laws. It smelled so good!
I keep having dreams that I accidentally eat "bad" foods, but the only actual mistake I made (to my knowledge) was some dry roasted peanuts. I ate a small handful before it occurred to me that peanuts might not be the only ingredient (duh). Turns out, among other things, soy protein is needed to make dry roasted peanuts.
Monday was my only moderately down day. We went to an Italian restaurant with family. On the way there, I had figured there wasn't anything I'd be able to eat, so I was just planning on hitting up Chipotle afterwords (lucky me, there was one in the same shopping center). But then when we got there, I was excited to see the menu said they had gluten-free pasta, and they were happy to work with dietary restrictions and vegan diets. Score! When the waitress came, I asked if the gluten-free pasta had egg in it. She seemed flustered by the question and went to check. Yep, sure enough, egg in the gluten-free pasta. :-/ So I asked if the fries had wheat or soy in them, and again, while nice, she seemed so confused by the questions. She went back to check, but apparently they had already thrown the box out. So I just gave up at that point. It was just a bit of an upsetting and frustrating reminder that my eating out options are going to be few and far between for a while.
Hooray for Chipotle, though! :-D Although the visit to Chipotle didn't make me feel too much better. A woman started cooing over Teagun, and I know she was just trying to be nice, but I was a bit sensitive at the time.
Well-meaning lady: "Oh, a little one! Is he brand new?"
Me (so tired of this question): "No, he's 2 months old, just little."
Lady: "Was he a preemie? He's so tiny!" (Really, hadn't noticed. :-/ )
Me: "Nope, just little."
Nosy lady: "How big is he?"
Me, fudging a bit: "Almost 9 pounds."
Annoying lady, to her son: "That's how big you were when you were born!"
Yes, I know he's small. I'm not thrilled about it. I'm doing everything I can to try and rectify it. I know she's not, but I can't help thinking she's judging me, thinking I'm starving my baby or something. I'm so not looking forward to his 2 month Well Baby visit next Monday for this reason. I'm afraid his pediatrician is going to think I'm starving him (nevermind that he eats almost all the time he's awake, and half the time he's asleep) and push formula. Wish us luck. :-)
Monday, August 9, 2010
Try to Mess Up Oatmeal. I Dare Ya!
With cereal, milk, eggs, pancake and yogurt dominating the breakfast scene, it’s sometimes hard to come up with easy breakfast ideas when you can’t eat wheat or dairy or eggs. I hope to share a new breakfast recipe/idea/suggestion here every Monday.
I don’t know if these really qualify as recipes, but these 2 oatmeal concoctions are my go-to quick breakfasts when we’re on a restricted diet. Like I mention on our About page, we’re not worried about cross-contamination, and while we are wheat-free, we don’t work too hard at being entirely gluten-free. Maybe that’s ignorance on my part, but that’s what seemed to work when we were working through Kismet’s issues. If you’re dealing with Celiac’s and are missing your oatmeal, please check out this page for more information All you need to know about Gluten Free Oatmeal.
Oatmeal (made from actual, plain oats, as opposed to a sugar and additive-laden envelope) is an actual good-for-you-food (as long as you’re not eating it in cookie form). The whole grains and fiber land it firmly in the health food (and Core, if I recall my Weight Watchers correctly), and there are so many ways to dress it up. Those little envelopes so many of us ate as kids might lead you to believe that you have to add a bunch of crap to oatmeal to make it somewhat edible, but that’s simply not the case. I’m hardly adventurous at all, but these are my 2 favorite ways to fancy up oatmeal a bit.
First of all is my most favorite, and easiest. I’m so lazy that I tend to go for the quick oats, of whichever brand I got on sale. I actually do prefer the taste to the old fashioned kind. Anyway, 1/3 cup oatmeal, 2/3 cup water, nuke for 1:30 minutes. Toss in about ½-3/4 cup frozen mixed berries, about ½ teaspoon sugar, stir, back in the micro for 30 seconds, and you’re good to go. Nutritious and delicious, and very hard to mess up. I know; I’ve tried. If you can't find bags of frozen mixed berries on sale to stock up, you can always get a big one at Costco*.
Second yummy oatmeal breakfast starts the same way: 1/3 cup oatmeal, 2/3 cup water, 1:30 in the microwave. Then I add (measurements are guesstimated; I just eyeball it all) ¾ teaspoon safe butter substitute (usually Smart Balance Light), ¾ teaspoon brown sugar (why you gotta taste so good?), maybe 2 teaspoons maple syrup (in all honesty, chemical-laden sugar-free crap), a couple of shakes of cinnamon, and a small handful of raisins. If Kizzy is around when I have this, I’m lucky if I get to eat half of it.
Now that you've started your day in such a healthy way, feel free to spend the rest of the day eating potato chips and Sour Patch Kids. :)
*I always tag along with my sister to Costco when the occasional need arises, but a friend told me they'll let you in without a membership if you can get someone to buy you a Costco gift card. Once you're in, you can spend more (or less) than the GC is worth. I have not personally confirmed this.
I don’t know if these really qualify as recipes, but these 2 oatmeal concoctions are my go-to quick breakfasts when we’re on a restricted diet. Like I mention on our About page, we’re not worried about cross-contamination, and while we are wheat-free, we don’t work too hard at being entirely gluten-free. Maybe that’s ignorance on my part, but that’s what seemed to work when we were working through Kismet’s issues. If you’re dealing with Celiac’s and are missing your oatmeal, please check out this page for more information All you need to know about Gluten Free Oatmeal.
Oatmeal (made from actual, plain oats, as opposed to a sugar and additive-laden envelope) is an actual good-for-you-food (as long as you’re not eating it in cookie form). The whole grains and fiber land it firmly in the health food (and Core, if I recall my Weight Watchers correctly), and there are so many ways to dress it up. Those little envelopes so many of us ate as kids might lead you to believe that you have to add a bunch of crap to oatmeal to make it somewhat edible, but that’s simply not the case. I’m hardly adventurous at all, but these are my 2 favorite ways to fancy up oatmeal a bit.
First of all is my most favorite, and easiest. I’m so lazy that I tend to go for the quick oats, of whichever brand I got on sale. I actually do prefer the taste to the old fashioned kind. Anyway, 1/3 cup oatmeal, 2/3 cup water, nuke for 1:30 minutes. Toss in about ½-3/4 cup frozen mixed berries, about ½ teaspoon sugar, stir, back in the micro for 30 seconds, and you’re good to go. Nutritious and delicious, and very hard to mess up. I know; I’ve tried. If you can't find bags of frozen mixed berries on sale to stock up, you can always get a big one at Costco*.
Second yummy oatmeal breakfast starts the same way: 1/3 cup oatmeal, 2/3 cup water, 1:30 in the microwave. Then I add (measurements are guesstimated; I just eyeball it all) ¾ teaspoon safe butter substitute (usually Smart Balance Light), ¾ teaspoon brown sugar (why you gotta taste so good?), maybe 2 teaspoons maple syrup (in all honesty, chemical-laden sugar-free crap), a couple of shakes of cinnamon, and a small handful of raisins. If Kizzy is around when I have this, I’m lucky if I get to eat half of it.
Now that you've started your day in such a healthy way, feel free to spend the rest of the day eating potato chips and Sour Patch Kids. :)
*I always tag along with my sister to Costco when the occasional need arises, but a friend told me they'll let you in without a membership if you can get someone to buy you a Costco gift card. Once you're in, you can spend more (or less) than the GC is worth. I have not personally confirmed this.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Cheap Healthy Good
It is only appropriate that Cheap Healthy Good is the first website to be featured on my Sunday Spotlight. This is about the only blog I really check regularly. Kris posts a new recipe every Monday, along with various articles throughout the week, and contributing posters Leigh and Jaime post weekly and biweekly veggie and green recipes, respectively.
CHG is always the first place I go when starting a weekly meal plan. And then I spend 2 or 3 hours reading the articles and following the links, which always have good info on food or saving money or both. Kris is a fun witty writer with delicious recipes, and her blog is very easy to read and to search, no matter what you're looking for.
Without further ado, go waste your day here:
Cheap Healthy Good
And because I can, pictures of Squeaker and The Monkey (also known these days as The Contrarian).
CHG is always the first place I go when starting a weekly meal plan. And then I spend 2 or 3 hours reading the articles and following the links, which always have good info on food or saving money or both. Kris is a fun witty writer with delicious recipes, and her blog is very easy to read and to search, no matter what you're looking for.
Without further ado, go waste your day here:
Cheap Healthy Good
And because I can, pictures of Squeaker and The Monkey (also known these days as The Contrarian).
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Dinners, Week of August 9
Instead of “wraps,” we’ll be using plain old tortillas. Flour and corn as necessary. 
Also, we’ll be using leftover chicken from a whole chicken ($.79/lb) we cooked tonight.
Lime Chicken Tacos with Avocado and Tomato
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2010/08/deconstructed-guacamole-wraps-or-lime.html
Serves 4
Ingredients
*8 ounces grilled chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
*1 avocado, diced
*1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
*1/4 cup red onion, minced
*1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
*3 tablespoons lime juice
*2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
*4 large leaves green lettuce
*4 tortilla wraps
1) In a medium bowl, combine chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Stir, gently if you have very-ripe avocado.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour on to chicken mixture and stir to combine.
3) Place a few leaves of lettuce on each wrap. Split chicken evenly among wraps. Roll them up. Serve!
I kind of mish-mashed this recipe from 2 different ones I found on Allrecipes.com. I haven’t tried it out yet; I’ll let you know how it turns out. We’ll be eating the ribs with raw corn on the cob, which is very plentiful, cheap and yummy right now.
Barbeque Sauce & Soda Ribs (Crockpot)
Ingredients
*10 country style pork ribs
*2 teaspoons minced garlic
*1 lemon, thinly sliced
*1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
*6 oz. diet cola or Dr. Pepper soda
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
3. Add ribs, BBQ sauce, soda, & garlic to crockpot. Place sliced lemon on top.
4. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
Tony and Kismet will be eating their burgers with bread for buns, but I’ll just pile my pickles, ketchup and onions directly on top. The burgers are Jenny-O premade turkey burgers we got on sale last week for $1.99.
Turkey burgers & oven fries
Skinny Fries
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Skinny-Fries/Detail.aspx
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients
*3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch julienned slices
*1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/8 teaspoon pepper
1. Place potatoes in a bowl drizzle with butter and toss to coat. Transfer to a lightly greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
The original recipe, wherever I found it (I forgot, maybe on the BHB?), called for 4 chicken breasts, instead of turkey, but we’ve been on chicken overload the past 2 weeks, so I subbed the incredibly different turkey breast. Also, instead of buying tortilla chips, I’ll be using extra corn tortillas from the taco meal to make our own chips.
Tortilla Soup (Crockpot)
Ingredients
*1 pound ground turkey
*2 15-oz. cans black beans, undrained
*2 15-oz. cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes, undrained
*2 cups of frozen sweet corn kernels
*1 cup salsa (whichever kind you prefer)
*4-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
*14 1/2-oz. can tomato sauce
*tortilla chips
*2 cups grated Mexican cheese
1.) Brown turkey and drain.
2.) Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker
3.) Cover. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
4.) To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and/or sour cream if desired.
Baked Tortilla Chips
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Tortilla-Chips/Detail.aspx#
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
*1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
*1 tablespoon vegetable oil
*3 tablespoons lime juice
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
3. In a mister, combine the oil and lime juice. Mix well and spray each tortilla wedge until slightly moist.
4. Combine the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle on the chips.
5. Bake for about 7 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8 minutes or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown. Serve with salsas, garnishes or guacamole.
Also, we’ll be using leftover chicken from a whole chicken ($.79/lb) we cooked tonight.Lime Chicken Tacos with Avocado and Tomato
http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2010/08/deconstructed-guacamole-wraps-or-lime.html
Serves 4
Ingredients
*8 ounces grilled chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
*1 avocado, diced
*1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
*1/4 cup red onion, minced
*1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
*3 tablespoons lime juice
*2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
*4 large leaves green lettuce
*4 tortilla wraps
1) In a medium bowl, combine chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Stir, gently if you have very-ripe avocado.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour on to chicken mixture and stir to combine.
3) Place a few leaves of lettuce on each wrap. Split chicken evenly among wraps. Roll them up. Serve!
I kind of mish-mashed this recipe from 2 different ones I found on Allrecipes.com. I haven’t tried it out yet; I’ll let you know how it turns out. We’ll be eating the ribs with raw corn on the cob, which is very plentiful, cheap and yummy right now.
Barbeque Sauce & Soda Ribs (Crockpot)
Ingredients
*10 country style pork ribs
*2 teaspoons minced garlic
*1 lemon, thinly sliced
*1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
*6 oz. diet cola or Dr. Pepper soda
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
3. Add ribs, BBQ sauce, soda, & garlic to crockpot. Place sliced lemon on top.
4. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
Tony and Kismet will be eating their burgers with bread for buns, but I’ll just pile my pickles, ketchup and onions directly on top. The burgers are Jenny-O premade turkey burgers we got on sale last week for $1.99.
Turkey burgers & oven fries
Skinny Fries
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Skinny-Fries/Detail.aspx
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients
*3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch julienned slices
*1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/8 teaspoon pepper
1. Place potatoes in a bowl drizzle with butter and toss to coat. Transfer to a lightly greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
The original recipe, wherever I found it (I forgot, maybe on the BHB?), called for 4 chicken breasts, instead of turkey, but we’ve been on chicken overload the past 2 weeks, so I subbed the incredibly different turkey breast. Also, instead of buying tortilla chips, I’ll be using extra corn tortillas from the taco meal to make our own chips.
Tortilla Soup (Crockpot)
Ingredients
*1 pound ground turkey
*2 15-oz. cans black beans, undrained
*2 15-oz. cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes, undrained
*2 cups of frozen sweet corn kernels
*1 cup salsa (whichever kind you prefer)
*4-oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
*14 1/2-oz. can tomato sauce
*tortilla chips
*2 cups grated Mexican cheese
1.) Brown turkey and drain.
2.) Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker
3.) Cover. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
4.) To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and/or sour cream if desired.
Baked Tortilla Chips
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Tortilla-Chips/Detail.aspx#
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
*1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
*1 tablespoon vegetable oil
*3 tablespoons lime juice
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
3. In a mister, combine the oil and lime juice. Mix well and spray each tortilla wedge until slightly moist.
4. Combine the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle on the chips.
5. Bake for about 7 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8 minutes or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown. Serve with salsas, garnishes or guacamole.
Shopping List, Week of August 9
Shopping List by Store
Save Mart
Dinner Foods
Pork ribs (4.27 lbs @ $1.47/lb)
McCormick Fajita Seasoning ($0.89)
Other good buys
Red Seedless Grapes ($0.67/lb)
Cantaloupe ($0.67/each)
Mushrooms ($3.00/16 oz container)
Peaches ($0.97/lb)
Bartlett Pears ($0.37/lb)
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, 32 oz ($1.99)
Jenny-O Lean ground turkey, 20 oz ($2.99)
White potatoes, 10 lbs ($1.99)
Smart Balance Light w/ Flax ($1.49)
Pinto Beans, dried, 1 lb ($0.99)
Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 15 oz (2 cans @ $0.50/each)
Frozen corn, 2 lbs ($2.29)
Chopped green chilies, 4.5 oz ($0.33)
Tomato sauce, 14.5 oz ($0.59)
Corn tortillas, 50 ct ($1.99)
Avocado ($0.99)
Tomatoes, 4 count ($0.99)
Iceberg lettuce, 1 head ($0.99)
Flour Tortillas, 10 ct ($1.69)
On hand
Garlic
Lemon
Diet Cherry Pepsi
Turkey burgers
Salt
Pepper
Salsa
Grated Mexican cheese
Vegetable oil
lime juice
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Grilled chicken
Onion
Cilantro
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Shopping List by Recipe
Ribs
pork ribs (Save Mart, 4.27 lbs @ $1.47/lb=$6.36)
garlic (on hand)
lemon (on hand)
1 bottle barbeque sauce (Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, $1.99)
diet cola or Dr. Pepper soda (on hand)
Burgers & fries
Turkey burgers (on hand)
baking potatoes (GOBM, 10 lb., $1.99)
butter or margarine (GOBM, Smart Balance Light w/ Flax, $1.49)
salt (on hand)
pepper (on hand)
Tortilla soup
ground turkey (GOBM, 20 oz, $2.99)
black beans (GOBM, 1 lb. dried pinto beans, $0.99; dried black beans on hand)
Mexican stewed tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes (GOBM, 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, $0.50/each=$1.00, Save Mart, McCormick Fajita Seasoning, $0.89)
frozen sweet corn kernels (GOBM, $2.29)
salsa (on hand)
chopped green chilies (GOBM, 4.5 oz., $0.33)
tomato sauce (GOBM, 14.5 oz., $0.59)
tortilla chips (made from tortillas)
grated Mexican cheese (on hand)
Tortilla chips
corn tortillas (GOBM, 50 ct., $1.99)
vegetable oil (on hand)
lime juice (on hand)
ground cumin (on hand)
chili powder (on hand)
salt (on hand)
Tacos
grilled chicken (on hand)
avocado (GOBM, $0.99)
tomatoes (GOBM, 4 count, $0.99)
onion (on hand)
cilantro (on hand)
lime juice (on hand)
extra virgin olive oil (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
black pepper (on hand)
green lettuce (GOBM, $0.99)
tortilla wraps (GOBM, flour 10 ct., $1.69, corn, 50 ct., $1.99)
Look at this huge avocado I got from GOBM! Three times the size of Dwight's head!
Save Mart
Dinner Foods
Pork ribs (4.27 lbs @ $1.47/lb)
McCormick Fajita Seasoning ($0.89)
Other good buys
Red Seedless Grapes ($0.67/lb)
Cantaloupe ($0.67/each)
Mushrooms ($3.00/16 oz container)
Peaches ($0.97/lb)
Bartlett Pears ($0.37/lb)
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (GOBM)
Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, 32 oz ($1.99)
Jenny-O Lean ground turkey, 20 oz ($2.99)
White potatoes, 10 lbs ($1.99)
Smart Balance Light w/ Flax ($1.49)
Pinto Beans, dried, 1 lb ($0.99)
Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 15 oz (2 cans @ $0.50/each)
Frozen corn, 2 lbs ($2.29)
Chopped green chilies, 4.5 oz ($0.33)
Tomato sauce, 14.5 oz ($0.59)
Corn tortillas, 50 ct ($1.99)
Avocado ($0.99)
Tomatoes, 4 count ($0.99)
Iceberg lettuce, 1 head ($0.99)
Flour Tortillas, 10 ct ($1.69)
On hand
Garlic
Lemon
Diet Cherry Pepsi
Turkey burgers
Salt
Pepper
Salsa
Grated Mexican cheese
Vegetable oil
lime juice
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Grilled chicken
Onion
Cilantro
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Shopping List by Recipe
Ribs
pork ribs (Save Mart, 4.27 lbs @ $1.47/lb=$6.36)
garlic (on hand)
lemon (on hand)
1 bottle barbeque sauce (Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, $1.99)
diet cola or Dr. Pepper soda (on hand)
Burgers & fries
Turkey burgers (on hand)
baking potatoes (GOBM, 10 lb., $1.99)
butter or margarine (GOBM, Smart Balance Light w/ Flax, $1.49)
salt (on hand)
pepper (on hand)
Tortilla soup
ground turkey (GOBM, 20 oz, $2.99)
black beans (GOBM, 1 lb. dried pinto beans, $0.99; dried black beans on hand)
Mexican stewed tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes (GOBM, 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, $0.50/each=$1.00, Save Mart, McCormick Fajita Seasoning, $0.89)
frozen sweet corn kernels (GOBM, $2.29)
salsa (on hand)
chopped green chilies (GOBM, 4.5 oz., $0.33)
tomato sauce (GOBM, 14.5 oz., $0.59)
tortilla chips (made from tortillas)
grated Mexican cheese (on hand)
Tortilla chips
corn tortillas (GOBM, 50 ct., $1.99)
vegetable oil (on hand)
lime juice (on hand)
ground cumin (on hand)
chili powder (on hand)
salt (on hand)
Tacos
grilled chicken (on hand)
avocado (GOBM, $0.99)
tomatoes (GOBM, 4 count, $0.99)
onion (on hand)
cilantro (on hand)
lime juice (on hand)
extra virgin olive oil (on hand)
kosher salt (on hand)
black pepper (on hand)
green lettuce (GOBM, $0.99)
tortilla wraps (GOBM, flour 10 ct., $1.69, corn, 50 ct., $1.99)
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