Big Red Kitchen

National Car Rental: Eat Like a Pro- video

2013-05-22T12:08:31Z

You’ve worked hard to get where you are in life. Many hours of studying, many hours of training, many hours or learning, worrying, wondering, but here you are, a successful business person. So why not treat your Business Travel Dining with the same care you have placed into making your career successful? Place the same energy into choosing healthy meals and snacks, hydrating properly, and supplying your body with the best nutrients possible, because when your body feels good, you will perform even better on the job.

I’ve partnered with National Car Rental’s campaign “Go Like a Pro” and was asked to teach their business travelers how to “Eat Like a Pro.” Watch…

3 Tips for Success:
If there is nothing else you do to change your diet while on travel, then at least do these three and you will find that these three small changes will impact your performance.
1. Hydrate Like a Pro: Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Avoid Energy Drinks, diet and regular sodas, supers sweet drinks like iced teas, or coffees with flavored syrups. When the business traveler feels sluggish and sleepy during that 2 o’clock lecture, it is best to drink a glass of water. Many times the body is telling you that you are thirsty, not hungry.

2. Start Like a Pro: Begin your day with a protein rich healthy breakfast. Try an omelet instead of pancakes or plain yogurt with fruit instead of breakfast cereal.

3. Snack Like a Pro: Swap out sugary sweet and salty un-healthy snacks with nutrient dense snacks like fruit and veggies, nuts, trail mix, multi-grain crackers and cheese, nut butters, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, yogurt, or a fruit and nut bar.

Before you Go:
I like to pack a few things to have on the airplane, at airport, or on a layover. You never know when you may get caught in an airport after dining hours and your are starving. I have made that mistake, so now I pack some snacks. I like to pack…

Hummus- Sabra brand has small 2 ounce packs. These will have to make their way into your 1 quart plastic bag in your carry-on due to TSA guidelines but you will be happy to have this tasty and protein rich treat.
Sun-dried tomatoes
Olives- Kat Cora’s Kitchen has small olive packs that are great for airport snacking.
Pita Chips
Mini Sweet Peppers
Mini Cucumbers- Wash and keep these veggies whole so that they do not go bad as quickly. Mini cukes are about the size of a pickle and are very sweet and crunchy.
Snack Bars such a Cliff or Lara bars
Hard-Boiled eggs- Do not peel.
Packet of tuna- This is one to eat at the airport and not in the plane due to odor. But tuna packs in plenty of protein to keep you energized and sharp for a long time.
Hand Sanitizer or Wipes

Dining Out:
Sometimes you have no choice where you are dining, it could be a client or colleague’s choice. The many times I have dined out on business, it was a long multi-course heavy ordeal. Make wise choices that contain plenty of fruit and vegetables, are not heavily sauced, and do your best to avoid deep fried foods late at night. Here are some ideas…

Every One Loves Gadgets!

Here are my Traveler’s Everyday Carry…
**Note- you may want to throw these in your checked baggage because they are so cool, TSA will be sure to take them.

Swiss+Tech Utili-Key 6-in-1: I like this gadget as is simply clips to my keychain and once opened is a knife and bottle-opener. It is also a handy screwdriver too.

P-38: Or even the P-51 will work too. This is a can opener which comes in handy if you find yourself having to eat from cans. Travel can take you all over the world, even into some places where your only safe choice is canned food.

Mini Microplane: This is my favorite little healthy travel tool. Great for adding flavor in ways that will wow your colleagues. Like grating dark chocolate (yes! always pack a little dark chocolate bar) over your fruit, yogurt, or even coffee. Grab a lemon or lime from the market and zest a little over your fruit, tea, or salad for a burst of flavor. After hitting the slopes, wow your girlfriend with a grating of fresh nutmeg into her hot toddy, because every good man carries a whole nutmeg in his luggage.

If you can’t be the Boss, then eat like a Boss- Eat Like a Pro!

Video Credits:
Videographer- Trident Films
Writing, editing, costume and make-up, photography, voice overs, dubbing, sound, gaffer, key grip: Robin Sue
Thanks to the lovely city of Annapolis, MD.
No Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were consumed in the filming of this video.

*I have been compensated for this incredibly fun project. All ideas, opinions, video, eyelashes, and photos are my own.

Triple Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: Gluten-free and Baked, BOOM!

2013-05-10T22:22:40Z

Big title, but it says it all. With Mother’s Day in 2 days, I wanted a recipe that was very dainty and pretty, easy to make for the cook (which most likely is a Mom cooking for her own Mom), and Gluten-free for all of those who are sensitive to glutens. Win win win! More like EPIC! This recipe has been two years in the making. Team BRK was glad I finally nailed it because they are tired of testing. Some tests were gut busters to say the least.

I took what I learned from creating the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and Baked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes to create this recipe. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes can be pretty dense and heavy, but using the little trick of separating the eggs and whipping the whites, the pancakes remained light and tasty.

To make the classic swirl, I used Lemon Curd purchased from Trader Joe’s. I am sure your local market carries lemon curd. Place a pastry or plastic bag down into a glass or cup and fold the edges over the lip of the glass, like the photo. Fill the bag with the Lemon Curd then cut the tip no bigger than 1/2 inch across. It is best if you have the Lemon Curd chilled. Trust me, it will fly out of the bag if it is at room temp. My poor shoes.

Using gentle pressure and starting on the outer edge at “12 o’clock”, squeeze a swirl of Lemon Curd on your pancake batter. You can see in the photo I have lined a big jellyroll pan with parchment paper.

The pancakes will spread a bit, but no big deal, you have a butter knife right? And you are pretty strong, right? Simply cut them apart. Never cry over touching food. Plate the hot pancakes with that lava lemon swirl and quickly drizzle with the lemon glaze that you had placed in a bag just as you had done the Lemon Curd, but make its snip in the tip a bit smaller.

*Note- Why baked? I tried these on the griddle. For #1 you can’t flip them. For #2, see #1. The counter, floor, and walls can attest. Oy vey.

This recipe makes 6 pancakes, enough to feed 3 Moms.

Triple Lemon Ricotta Pancakes: Gluten-free and Baked

Author: Robin Sue Joss, Big Red Kitchen LLC

Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch, Mother’s Day

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 18 mins

Serves: 3 Moms

This recipe is epic and will change the world!

Ingredients

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats, not instant
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 eggs separated
1 cup whole milk ricotta
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
One jar Lemon Curd
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice and zest of one lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a large jellyroll pan (11×17 inch) with parchment paper.
Place a plastic bag down into a glass and fold the edges over the lip of the glass. Spoon lemon curd into the bag, snip end no wider than ½ inch across. Stand in bag until ready to use.
For the Glaze: Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with the juice and zest of one lemon. If too thin, add a little more sugar. Place in a bag just as you had done with the lemon curd. Snip tip of bag no wider than ⅓ of and inch. Stand in glass until ready to use.
In a blender or food processor, blend oats until they are powdered. To the oat flour add the juice and zest of one lemon, egg yolks, ricotta, baking soda, and baking powder.
Gently pulse until just blended. You may have to scrape the sides down a few times, the batter will be thick.
In a bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the ricotta mix into the whites until just blended.
Spoon ⅓ cup scoops evenly spaced onto jellyroll pan. Spread slightly. You will have 6 pancakes.
Using gentle pressure and starting on the outer edge of each pancake, squeeze a swirl of lemon curd starting at the 12 o’clock position and working inward.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven. Plate and immediately drizzle with Lemon Glaze.
Enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you Hot Mammas!

Frozen Mixers you Make: Strawberry Daiquiri

2013-05-08T17:43:29Z

Bartender, another round for my friends! Here come the strawberries. The one grand thing about springtime, which makes up for all the rain, is strawberries in all their sweet and juicy glory. Have you ever gone strawberry pickin’? Ma used to take us kids and we fussed about it but then quickly discovered we could eat our fill right off the vine. Blueberry pickin’ in NJ as a kids was a treat too, that is if you like being eaten to the bone by mosquitos and green heads- both state birds of NJ. But the tractor ride on a flat bed with nothing to hold on to completely made up for it.

Let’s drink our strawberries, shall we? With this second Frozen Cocktail Mixer I am sharing with you today, you will see once again that this recipe is all natural made solely from strawberries, limes, apple juice, sugar, and rum. Yes, while I am Paleo, I do like to enjoy a drink while hosting parties, and after reading the label on the back of popular frozen drink mixers, which are filled with HFCS and artificial ingredients, I decided to make my own. And you know what, it’s really easy.

RU Packing Eat? Fill you freezer this summer with these Frozen Cocktail Mixers for instant entertaining. No rules about the glasses here, use what you have. Remember, keep it glassy!

Frozen Mixers you Make: Strawberry Daiquiri

Author: Robin Sue Joss

Recipe type: Beverage, Frozen Cocktails

Frozen Cocktail Mixers at the ready.

Ingredients

1½ pounds fresh strawberries
½ cup fresh lime juice, from about 4 small limes
zest from one lime
1 cup apple juice, I used organic honeycrisp juice
½ cup sugar

Instructions

To make the frozen mixers:
Wash and trim leaves from strawberries.
Zest one of the limes, then juice all of the limes. I used 4 small organic limes to get ½ cup juice.
Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and sugar dissolved.
Pour into three 12 ounce regular mouth mason jars, leaving ¾ inch headspace.
Freeze for up to three months.
Makes 3 jars. Each jar serves 3-4 party goers.

Notes

To Make Strawberry Daiquiris: Remove one jar of mixer from the freezer and run under hot water for one minute. If you have a small blender feel free to let the mixer defrost a bit on your counter for 20-30 minutes. Pour out into your blender with ½ jar (use the jar for measuring) rum- I used DonQ cristal Puerto Rican Rum, and one heaping jar ice cubes. It will be hard to blend at first (especially if you don’t let it defrost a bit), but will get going. Blend until smooth. Serves- 3 (8 ounce drinks) or 4 (6 ounce drinks) Makes 3 cups total. **For Alcohol-Free drinks- use fruit juice, lemon-lime soda, or softened vanilla or strawberry ice cream in place of the rum.

Blend’in, the party’s started!
Piña Colada Frozen Cocktail Mixer

Frozen Mixers you make: Piña Colada

2013-05-07T23:58:02Z

Here we go! Let’s get ready for Summer entertaining by filling our freezer with a bunch of Frozen Mixers ready to blend up and get your party started. It’s easier than you think, and so much better for you too. These homemade mixes contain fresh ingredients, no preservatives or artificial flavors and colorings, and much less sugar, in fact, no high fructose corn syrup like the popular frozen brands. Whoop! Another very cool thing about these mixers is that they can be blended with alcohol or without for kids, pregnant ladies, and Baptists. See? Everyone may partake.

Let’s get going with the Piña Colada, a tropical blend of coconut milk and fresh pineapple, and a bit of organic cane sugar for a tad of sweetness. These are very refreshing and so clean tasting. None of that syrupy sweetness you will find in the purchased kind, but distinct flavors equally vying for your affections. You can use white rum, but I find the spiced rum is nice too. For those who are drinking sans alcohol, replace the rum with your favorite fruit juice such as cranberry juice for a Cran-Colada, Ginger Beer for a Ginger-Colada, or mango for a Mango-Colada. You get the idea.

I also made these with honey, but found that honey took over. The sugar amount depends on you. I felt that 1/3 cup made it sweet but not over the top. Try it out with 1/4 cup, then you can always blend in a bit more when you are blending up the mixer. Capiche? Bravo.

Bottoms up!

Frozen Mixers you make: Piña Colada

Author: Robin Sue Joss, Big Red Kitchen LLC

Recipe type: Beverage, Frozen Cocktail

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Frozen Cocktail Mixers at the ready.

Ingredients

1 can 13.5 ounce organic full fat coconut milk, not lite
1 pound fresh pineapple chunks, organic if you can find it
⅓ cup organic cane sugar

Instructions

Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth and sugar is dissolved.
Pour into three 12 ounce regular mouth mason jars. Do not pour past the ridge at the neck of the jar. Leave a ¾ inch headspace.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Makes 3 jars. Each jar serves 3-4 party goers

Notes

To make Piña Coladas- remove one jar frozen mixer from freezer and run under hot water for 1 minute. Pour out into blender- it will still be frozen. Add ½ jar (use the jar for measuring) of rum, and 1 heaping jar of ice cubes. Blend until smooth and creamy. It will be hard to blend at first, but will get going. If you have a smaller blender, you may want to defrost the mixer on the counter for 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups. Three 8 ounce portions, or four 6 ounce portions. *For alcohol-free drinks replace the rum with ginger ale, ginger beer, mango juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, softened vanilla ice cream, or other favorite juice.

I use 12 ounce regular mouth Mason Jars for this recipe. You will need three. You may also use a zip-top bag, or any other container you prefer. But the jars are savvy. Aye?

Coming Soon: Strawberry Daiquiri Frozen Mixer

It really does work: How to store Cilantro

2013-05-07T21:19:22Z

I have been harvesting cilantro leaves from this jar for over 3 weeks now. After reading in thekitchn the best way to store cilantro which was an experiment done by blogger Jodi over at the Vegetable Gardener, I knew I had to give it a go. She found that the best way to keep cilantro fresh longer was the jar/bag method. I love having fresh herbs and while I just planted a bunch, they are still young plants and not ready for harvest. All winter long I buy, use once, and toss rotten herbs. I hate that and wonder how much money I have wasted over the years. {I don’t want to know} I finally got around to trying Jodi’s method, and it works!

TIPS:

1. Remove any leaves at the bottom of the stems. You do not want the leaves in the water- an old flower arranging tip. So go through each sprig, pick the best ones, and trim the lower leaves. Use those trimmed leaves right away.

2. Trim a small bit off the ends of the stems.

3. Wash and shake the herbs dry. I even pat them with a towel. Get them dry as possible.

4. Place herbs in a tall narrow jar. I use 12 ounce regular mouth mason jars. Fill with water, but not to the top so they don’t spill all over.

5. Holding the herbs upright, place a plastic bag over the herbs and secure loosely with a rubber band. I have been using Forever bags with success.

6. Store in the refrigerator and harvest as needed. Herbs should last 4 weeks or more. Unless you use them all of course.

On the left is the new jar of cilantro all ready for storage and on the right is the jar that I have been harvesting from for the last 3 weeks. You can tell I picked off as much as I could!

I am also going to try this with parsley and see if it works out the same. Here is the cilantro and parsley camped out on my fridge door. Once my young herb plants in the garden are bigger then I can use them, but for now this system seems to work fine. Good to know for winter!

I am going to try this with hydroponic basil as well. I have never been able to keep it fresh more than 3 days and it goes to waste before I can use it all. I do my best to chop the leaves up and freeze in ice cube trays with olive oil, but there are times I can’t get to them fast enough. Hopefully this will buy me some more time! I will leave these on my counter since the leaves get black in the fridge. I’ll let you know if I have any success.

If you have tips on how to keep herbs fresh longer, please share.