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Mexican Brown Rice and Pinto Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:06:00 +0000

One of my new favorite cookbooks is Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. This is a great book because it includes recipes that both children and adults will like. The recipes are natural and nutritionally sound. Ms. Lair has a way of putting together all of the ingredients that I like to use in one recipe. This makes it nice for me as I have most of the ingredients in my kitchen already. This rice recipe is similar to one that I made this past winter as a casserole for a friend who is a vegetarian. I really like this recipe and kids like it too. If you want to add a little heat to your aown adult plate, add your favorite hot sauce.

Check out Cynthia's website to purchase her book. This is a must buy if you have children or if you are planning to have a family. My son Max picks up her book now and says, "Mom let's go cook." He knows it's the good one. Purchase the book.

Directions

Heat oil in a 2-quart pot.
Add cumin and chili powder and sautÃ© for a few seconds.
Add onion and salt and continue cooking until onion is soft.
Add rice and stir well to coat.
Add water and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer, covered, until all of the water is absorbed (about 40 minutes).
Serve warm, alongside the cooked pinto beans.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or butter
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 onion, diced fine
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 to 2 cups water
1 Tbsp. tomato paste or sauce
3 cups cooked pinto beans

Notes

Garnish this dish with salsa, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and lime. Serve with warmed tortillas if you like.

Candy can be good and bad

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:18:00 +0000

Watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the other day, I couldn't help but get hungry for candy. I normally do not crave candy, but this day that is just about all I wanted. I am not one for the Everlasting Gobstopper or the Gum that tastes like a four course meal. What I crave is chocolate, caramel and nuts (or peanutbutter).

Growing up I loved the Reeces Peanut Butter Cups as well as Snickers. I couldn't get enough. But, they were a treat in my house. I couldn't believe the other day when a friend of mine mentioned that they had these tasty treats in their house all of the time. Wow! I couldn't even imagine it. How could something be special when you eat it all of the time.

Then I went to the store and checked out the ingredients. artificial flavors, emulsifiers, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup....YUCK!

So, here is what I think. Eat these yummy treats, but purchase them from your local candy maker, and eat them as a special treat. It will mean a lot more and it will be better for your body.

Oompa Loompa...eat local, eat natural, eat some good candy! Let's keep the purity of Willy Wonka alive!

Rocco, Oh how I Love You...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:24:00 +0000

You can use a great tomato sauce for just about anything-To make spaghetti, lasagna, simmer vegetables, add to ground meat, use on pizza. The ideas are endless. When I found this tomato sauce recipe, I knew it was the one. Plus, I love Rocco DiSpirito’s recipes. His five minute meals cook book has saved my life. Although sometimes he uses ingredients that I have to substitute for others, but I still love him. Did I mention that he is very easy on the eyes as well?

Here is his recipe, untouched, exactly the way I found it. And, this is exactly the way I make it (except, I use organic tomato products…sorry Rocco)

Go to www.roccodispirito.com

Mamas Marinara
© Spirit Media 2004-2008 All Rights Reserved
My Mom's sauce is my favorite--we call it the Mama sauce, and once you make it you will understand how it can become the backbone for so many dishes. Of course, you'll need it to make her famous meatballs, but it is also a great sauce to braise meat in, serve with eggs, or turn into a creamy tomato sauce.

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
3 tbsp olive oil
chili flakes to taste
2 28-ounce cans tomato puree, Red Pack brand if possible
1 28-ounce. can crushed tomatoes, Red Pack brand if possible
1 tbsp tomato paste, Red Pack brand if possible
1 tsp sugar
1 cup chicken stock
red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste

1. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over a medium-low flame, about 10 minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called "sweating" because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor). Add the chili flakes to taste.

2. Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-oz cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add that and the sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour. The sauce should be fairly thin, but not watery and very smooth. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems thick.

Oatmeal is good. Yes it works.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:03:00 +0000

When something works, it just works and that is how I am starting to feel about food. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be earth shattering, it just has to work (for you).

I came to this realization the other day while going through a cookbook. There were some recipes that were very simple and I thought to myself, “Well, duh, of course, who wouldn’t think of that…” but then I realized that this is a recipe that works, it isn’t crazy, it doesn’t have to be complicated, it just works. The flavors, textures and tastes all work together quite nicely and then I thought, “Why, yes, this recipe works.”

So, here it is, a nice simple recipe that works. I am sure I am not the first person to put these things together and I hopefully won’t be the last. I love the flavor and I am sure you will too.

Apple Peanut Protein Punch Oatmeal

Directions (serves 2):
1. Add water and Oatmeal to small saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Simmer at medium/low heat for 3 minutes
3. Add diced apples
4. Add Apple Pie Spice
5. Simmer for another 3 minutes
6. Remove from heat
7. Stir in peanut butter
8. Serve with a splash of cream or milk

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup old fashioned oats (organic preferred)
2. 1 ¾ cup water
3. ½ cup diced apples (organic, I leave the peal on for extra fiber)
4. 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice (a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg)
5. 2 table spoons natural peanut butter (organic)

…told you it was easy…but it works!

So excited!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:02:00 +0000

I just received a new book and I started reading it tonight. I put it down for a moment to start this post and I plan to pick it right back up when I am finished. I am excited because this is a GREAT book, I am just upset that I didn't find it sooner. It is called, Feeding the Whole Family, Recipes, for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents, by Cynthia Lair. This book not only speaks to me in the way of food, but also as a mother. The book takes your on the bumpy food ride with children, from breastfeeding to young adult palates and smooths out the ride to make it more enjoyable and tasty for the whole family!

Since I haven't finished the book yet, this isn't the final review, but I was so excited when I received it that I had to jot something down right away!

More on this book to come. In the meantime, if you want to check out Cynthia's talents, check out her website, www.feedingfamily.com.

Fire Up the Grill!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:49:00 +0000

Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite things to do. And, now that it is summertime I am so excited that I get to do it on the grill. I bought a pan awhile back for the barbecue, it looks like a regular pan that you would use on the stove but there are holes throughout just big enough to let the flames in, but the food will not fall out. It is great! I used it for the first time the other day for a melange of vegetables. Oh, they were so good! Here is a little recipe for the roasting the vegetables on the grill as well as a few yummy things to add to them. ENJOY!

Roasted Veggies on the Grill
3 small eggplant (I used white eggplant)-chopped
3 small zucchini-chopped
1 large red/yellow pepper-chopped
20 artichoke hearts (we bought these frozen, they were awesome, we found them at Trader Joe's, you can thaw them and toss them in anything
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (a blend of Italian spices, including oregano, basil, and garlic)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
10 fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (I added those to the mix after the grilling)

Toss all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl
Let sit for about 10 minutes
Pour into a barbecue skillet or a wire barbecue rack
Grill and toss for about 20 minutes on high heat

Eat as is or...
Toss with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese and orzo or basmati rice
Add to a pasta dish

Eggplant Fries

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:21:00 +0000

That is what I called pan fried eggplant to my children to get them to try a new vegetable. I have a 50% success rate at the moment as my almost 2 year old at them up and my almost 4 year old said...yuck, no way. I thought it was a good idea anyway and my husband and I ate them all up.

Eggplant, I LOVE it and tend to forget about it all the time. It is so good and tender. It almost reminds me of a piece of meat (vegetable meat...)

Anyway, I cut the eggplant small wedge-like fry shapes, dipped them in egg, then in whole wheat flour and then pan fried them in olive oil. One thing that I SHOULD have done but didn't, was to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese before serving...ahhh, well, next time. (I did however put a bit of sea salt on them)

Hope this gives you just one more easy, tasty idea for dinner or a snack. Prep-time is about 10 minutes and cook time is about 5-8 minutes a batch.

A use for bread crust!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:48:00 +0000

That's right...this is simple and I can't believe I never thought of it before.
My kids don't always eat their crusts. I told myself that I would just leave them on and make them deal with it, but then so much of the sandwich goes to waste because they don't get quite close enough to the crust. So I started cutting them off so they would eat more. What I found is that I end up eating the crusts or I throw them out.

But, I found a new use for my crusts-Breadcrumbs!

Save your weekly crusts in a bag and at the end of the week, put them in your food processor and make breadcrumbs! They are awesome! Season them to your liking and you have wonderfully natural, fresh breadcrumbs. What and idea! DUH!

Mexican Chili Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:33:00 +0000

So, I came up with this recipe the other night purely by accident and it worked out so well that I have made it twice in the past week. It was Sunday and the cupboards and refrigerator were pretty bare (I was putting off grocery shopping all week). I found a pound of lean ground beef, a can of pinto beans, a can of black beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, basmati rice, and sharp cheddar cheese...here is what I did.

I browned the ground beef, in a skillet and added 3 tablespoons of chili powder, I then added the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and a dash of salt and pepper. I let this simmer over medium/low heat for about 5 minutes

While the beef was browning, I prepared the basmati rice (1 cup rice uncooked) (according to the directions).

In a 9"x9" pan I spread the basmati rice on the bottom, then added the beef/bean mixture by spreading it over the rice in an even layer. I then grated the cheddar cheese (about 2 cups) and sprinkled it in an even layer over the beef/been mixture.

I put the whole thing in a 425 degree over for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and make it bubble a little bit.

That is it! I Mexican Chili Casserole that you can love and is easy to make. YUMMY!

A New "Sister" Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Check out Mommy Runs! A new blog that isn't quite so serious, but all about running and being a mom.
I love to run and I love being a mom, but the two don't always gel together. Exhaustion and time can make running a bit difficult, but I plan to try to stick to it as best I can so I can improve my running and lose 20lbs to fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans....

Check it out...

Mommy Runs

Time to join Cookies Annonymous (CA)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:49:00 +0000

I have a problem with cookies…I can’t help it.

I am forever in search of the perfect cookie recipe. A cookie that can be appreciated by all. From the carb counters to the diabetics to the careful parents and the sweet toothers. I have made endless batches of cookies in my kitchen. When I was pregnant, most of the cookies were high in fat, chocolate and sugar, however now that I have children, my focus has shifted and I am now baking low sugar/healthier cookies. I have a cookie on my website www.simplyfoodonline.com for Oatmeal Raisin Butter Cookies, which I am pretty happy with, but I was looking for something better, maybe a recipe where I did not have to add any sweetener (I only use Organic Agave Nectar) at all. What I found I have placed below. Holy Cow! These moist cookies can be eaten without much guilt at all. Without any added fat or sugar (besides that which is found naturally in the added fruit, this one is a true winner. I have tweaked it a bit and noted that you can add 2 tablespoons of organic agave nectar if you want to sweeten it even more. Another addition, if you like, in place of cocoa or carob powder, add a teaspoon of vanilla…YUM!!!

No-Sugar Date Chewies

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mash bananas in a bowl, leaving some little chunks.
In a medium bowl add the egg whites and mix with bananas (at this time add agave nectar, if you are using it)
Then add the dates and the raisins and mix well or until the fruit is coated with the egg mixture
Add the oatmeal and the cocoa/carob powder
Use parchment paper or non-stick cookie sheets to bake cookies
Bake for 22-25 minutes
Remove promptly from oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack

Ingredients:
2 bananas (ripe)
2 egg whites (cage free eggs)
1 cup dates, chopped or ground
2/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned work best)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, or 1 tablespoon carob powder or 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
2 table spoons agave nectar (for added sweetness if you desire, but truthfully, not needed)

Simply Food Online Store

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Looking for some natural and organic products for your home and kitchen, look no further than the Simply Food Online Store.

I am hoping this service will further enhance the blog and accompanying website by offering people a place to purchase some of the items that are talked about on this site. I am still in the midst of adding and subtracting items, so please be patient if the store is not exactly where it should be yet.

Enjoy and check back often for new products and reviews.

Egg Free-Peanut Free Yummy Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:18:00 +0000

A recipe revision that worked out well.

Last weekend I spent some time with a friend whose children have some food allergies, so I set out to make a cookie that everyone could eat.
I had to make sure that it was free of peanuts and eggs. I used the Oatmeal Raisin Butter Cookie recipe as my guide and replaced the eggs with 3/4 cup of natural applesauce. I then made them as bar cookies, used a 9"x11" greased pan. They turned out very well. The only problem, I ate most of them and there were little left for the kids.

So, if you must steer clear of peanuts and/or eggs, this cookie recipe is for you!

You can find the original Oatmeal Raisin Butter Cookie recipe at www.simplyfoodonline.com/desserts.htm

Have a great cookie day!
Oatmeal Raisin Butter Bar Cookies (peanut and egg free)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Using mixer beat together butter and applesauce
3. Add agave nectar
4. Add vanilla
5. Beat for two minutes on high
6. Add baking powder and baking soda
7. Add cinnamon and nutmeg
8. Beat on medium for one minute
9. Slowly add flour
10. Add oatmeal
11. Beat on low for one minute
12. Fold in raisins
13. Pour cookie dough into a greased 9"x 11" baking pan
14. Bake for 18-20 minutes
Ingredients:
· 1 cup organic butter-softened
· ¾ cup organic agave nectar
· 3/4 cup natural applesauce
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· ¼ teaspoon baking soda
· 1 tablespoon organic vanilla
· ½ teaspoon cinnamon
· ½ teaspoon nutmeg
· 1 ¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
· 2 cups oatmeal
· 1 cup organic raisins (for plumper, juicier raisins, cook on medium heat in sauce pan with 1 cup water for 5 minutes, remove and drain)

Beef Brisket is Good...Trust Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:12:00 +0000

Before today I have never made a beef brisket, actually, I had never even thought about it, but recently my husband and I bought at 3 lb grass fed beef brisket. There is a restaurant that we frequent called, Slows BBQ in Detroit, Michigan, they have the best brisket in the world, it is smoked and seasoned perfectly. I thought that there was no way I could make a brisket that would tantalize my mouth quite like this one, but I DID!

I was afraid to taste the meat when it came out of the oven for fear of disappointment. What if it was dry? What if there was no flavor? But, the moment of truth arrived and as I sliced into the meat, but knife seemed to slide right through effortlessly and the aroma made my mouth water. I tasted it and it was soooooooooooooooo good. Yum! I did it! I really did it!

I used a recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (75th Anniversary Edition) as a guide, but changed it a lot. What I came up with worked and I wouldn't change a thing.
Oven BBQ Brisket

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees
1. Trim excess fat from brisket
2. Rub outside of brisket with salt and pepper until evenly coated
3. Place in a 9"x13" baking/roasting pan
4. Stir all liquid ingredients and spices together well
5. Pour Spice and liquid mixture over meat
6. Chop green onion and add to pan
7. Cover with aluminum foil
8. Cook for 2 1/2 hours
9. Remove from over and let cool for 10 minutes
10.Cut in slices against the grain of the meat
11. Pour juices over the cuts of meat
Ingredients:
3-3.5lb beef brisket
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (all natural)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons catsup (organic)
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar (or 1 tablespoon sugar)
4 green onions

(I used and all natural grass fed beef brisket, which was pretty lean so I cooked it a 1/2 an hour less than you would cook a fattier piece of brisket. If the piece you are cooking is a little on the fatty side, I would cook for 3 hours)

The Power of Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Food is a powerful thing.
It is used for celebrating, it is used for consoling, it is used to heal and it is used to keep us alive. Wow. So powerful. Recently, I have used it to heal. I am sure everyone has their own healing foods. Some people look to ice cream, some to chocolate, others to salty potato chips. What I crave is a simple pasta with meat sauce and more Parmesan cheese than you can fit in Sicily.

OK, and just to set the record straight, not just ANY pasta, Angel Hair Pasta...must be Angel Hair pasta, with a sweet meat sauce. Yes, this is the age of whole wheat and whole grain pasta, but when it comes to the right taste and texture of this dish, it must be made traditionally with Semolina flour for the silky smooth pasta texture that I crave.

I'm not going to lie to you, when it comes to tomato sauce, I don't usually make my own. I am a fan of Newman's Own Marinara sauce. Organic or not, this sauce is great. I love it and it is cheap.

Here is my easy recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Meat Sauce-Mama Allison Style!

Sauce:
1 jar Newman's Own Marinara sauce (or your own favorite sauce)
1 pound lean ground beef (natural or organic, please)
1 pound Angel Hair Pasta (semolina preferred, but you can use your favorite)

That is it!
-Brown ground beef in a large skillet
-When meat is brown, add jar of sauce and stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes
-While sauce is simmering, boil 6 quarts of water in a large pot
-Cook pasta according to directions
-Drain and return to pot.
-Pour in meat sauce, stir until well blended
-Serve on a large platter with a generous portion of Parmesan cheese!

ONE thing to NOTE...when you need comfort, it should not be complicated. It should be easy, that is why this recipe works for me. It may not be great for you and it may not be complicated and gourmet, but it works.

Tradition! Tradition! ~ Italian Wedding Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:10:00 +0000

For me, memories are associated with food. I can taste something and immediately it takes me back to my childhood. My parents are foodies and were always cooking something in the kitchen. My mother’s favorite Sundays were the days she spent her time cooking meals in the kitchen for the rest of the week. I believe she still does that now. Food is comforting to me, not just the eating of food, but the preparation of food. It is a process that I have grown up with and I have come to learn as home.

Italian Wedding Soup is one of the flavors that bring me back to my childhood. Now, one thing to note here; although my mother is a genius in the kitchen, she did not make this soup. (This is not a knock on my mother, it is just a fact…it was a good soup that we loved and it happened to come from a can) We ate this soup many times in our house, but not from our kitchen…from the Progresso Soup Kitchen. We would sometimes get the standard Italian Wedding Soup, but most often we would get Chickarina Soup. This is Italian Wedding Soup with the added bits of chicken. It was, in my book, sublime. Only certain stores carried this soup, so the thrill was in the hunt as well. When you found it, you bought 20 cans in fear that you would never find it again.

My mother still eats this soup. She brings it over to our house to eat for lunch when she watches my children and my son loves this soup as well. He likes the meatballs and pretty much eats her entire can of soup. I think he loves it as much as I did. (Makes me smile just a little bit)

So, yesterday I set out to make homemade Italian Wedding Soup. The taste was dead on. I loved it and my son loved it too. The best part is that I had him help me make the entire recipe! His favorite part was making the meatballs. I was surprised at how easy it was to make this soup and can’t wait to share the recipe with all of you. The only thing that I would change is the amount of Anici di Pepe (tiny pasta) that I put used. I would add less next time as the tiny little pastas have now taken over the entire pot of soup. But nonetheless, it still tastes fantastic. On to the recipe!

Mama Allison’s Italian Wedding Soup
Note: I am not sure how many servings this yields, but I will tell you that it makes a lot of soup. I would say at least 15-20 servings…no kidding.

Ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb Natural/Organic Beef
1 ½ cup natural breadcrumbs (I made my own using crusty bread and a food processor)
1 cage free (organic) egg
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (blend of Oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Soup
7 cups Organic/Free Range Chicken Broth (Try 365 Organic Chicken Broth)
6 cups water
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ cups carrot (chopped)
3 cups chopped spinach (I used frozen organic chopped spinach, thawed)
1 ½ cups Anici di Pepe (I used organic whole wheat, but you can use another type if you prefer)
Prepared Meatball mixture

Directions:
*Mince garlic
*In a large stock pot add garlic and extra virgin olive oil
*Cook over medium hear until garlic is tender
*Add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil
*While you are waiting for broth to boil, prepare meatball mixture
*In a large bowl add breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoning, salt and mix together
*Add egg and mix
*Add meat and mix by hand for best mixing and distribution of ingredients (don’t forget to wash your hands!!)
*Place meat mixture in a plastic zip lock bag
*When broth has come to a boil, it is time to add the meatballs.
*Cut off the corner of the plastic zip lock bag
*Squeeze about an inch of meat out of bag and cut off using a butter knife
*Let meat drop into boiling broth. Do this until all of the meat has been dropped into the broth
*This will form wonderful little meat balls!
*Cook over high heat for 5 minutes to cook the meatballs
*Lower hear to medium and add carrots and spinach
*Stir and bring the hear back up to high to bring to a boil
*Add Anici di Pepe pasta
*Cook for 8 minutes at a boil
*Simmer soup on low heat for 1 hour (or longer for better flavor, I simmered for 2 hours)
*Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread

Beets are Good Food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:13:00 +0000

I love root vegetables. Beets are my favorite and I could eat them everyday of the week. They are sweet and delicious.

Roasting beets and other root vegetables is an easy way to prepare vegetables. My kids love beets. It always makes me happy when I prepare beets and my kids yell, “Yippee Beets” as I bring them to the table. I want to share a recipe with you for a cold beet and cucumber salad. This is a yummy salad and the dressing is perfectly matched. The dressing for this salad is easy to make and compliments the tastes nicely. Garnish with some fresh parsley and kalamata olives and you are all set. Enjoy this light and lively dish.

The Beet: Beets are a good source of folacin and a source of Vitamin C and potassium. Red beets provide Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, and add fiber to the diet.

Beet and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Dressing

Directions:
Scrub beets well and place in a low baking dish covered with aluminum foil
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender
Allow beets to cool under foil for 15 minutes
Skin beets with a vegetable peeler
Cut beets into bite size pieces
Skin cucumbers with a vegetable peeler
Cut into bite size pieces
Mix together in bowl
Pour dressing over salad (add to taste)
Add pinch salt and pepper
Garnish with kalamata olives and flat leaf parsley

Ingredients:
4 medium sized organic beets
3 large organic cucumbers
Tahini Dressing (recipe) to taste…about a ¼ cup
¼ cup kalamata olives
1 table spoon flat leaf parsley
Pinch sea salt
Pinch black pepper

Tahini Dressing

Directions:
Mix ingredients in a food processor until smooth

Ingredients:
1/3 cup well-stirred tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste)

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Chicken Soup~Your Natural Remedy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Chicken soup is good for the soul and good for the body! Nothing tastes better than a warm bowl of chicken soup when you are sick. And, it may also help to cure that pesky cold or flu.

An excerpt from

How to Beat Colds and Flu with 37 Natural Remedies and Three Healing Meditations

By: Chet Day

When I was growing up in the '50s, my grandmother always said chicken soup was good for what ails you. Interestingly enough, scientific evidence today supports what dear old granny used to say. Several medical experts have proven that old-fashioned chicken has healing properties. Although a 12th century physician named Moses Maimonides first prescribed chicken soup as a cold and asthma remedy, its therapeutic properties have been studied by a host of medical experts in recent decades.

Some say the steam is the real benefit. Sipping the hot soup and breathing in the steam helps clear up congestion. Irwin Ziment, M.D., pulmonary specialist and professor at the UCLA School for Medicine, says chicken soup contains drug-like agents similar to those in modern cold medicines. For example, an amino acid released from chicken during cooking chemically resembles the drug acetylcysteine, prescribed for bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
Spices that are often added to chicken soup, such as garlic and pepper (all ancient treatments for respiratory diseases), work the same way as modern cough medicines, thinning mucus and making breathing easier.

Another theory, put forth by Stephen Rennard, M.D., chief of pulmonary medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, is that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory. The soup, he says, keeps a check on inflammatory white blood cells (neutrophils). Cold symptoms, such as coughs and congestion, are often caused by inflammation produced when neutrophils migrate to the bronchial tubes and accumulate there. In his lab, Rennard tested chicken soup made from the recipe of his wife's Lithuanian grandmother. He demonstrated that neutrophils showed less tendency to congregate - but were no less able to fight germs - after he added samples of the soup to the neutrophils. Diluted 200 times, the soup still showed that effect.

Rennard based his chicken soup research on a family recipe, which he referred to in his article as Grandma's Soup.

Dr. Stephen Rennard's Recipe for Grandma's Soup

1 5-6 lb stewing hen or baking chicken

1 package of chicken wings

3 large onions

1 large sweet potato

3 parsnips

2 turnips

11 to 12 large carrots

5 to 6 celery stems

1 bunch of parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean the chicken, put it in a large pot, and cover it with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and carrots. Boil about 1.5 hours. Remove fat from the surface as it accumulates. Add the parsley and celery. Cook the mixture about 45 minutes longer. Remove the chicken. The chicken is not used further for the soup. (The meat makes excellent chicken parmesan.) Put the vegetables in a food processor until they are chopped fine or pass through the strainer. Both were performed in the present study. Salt and pepper to taste. (Note: this soup freezes well.)

Sickness and Food.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:21:00 +0000

So, here I sit on the couch, sick and trying to recover from the worst (so far) weekend of sickness my family has ever seen. None of us could eat due to fever, aches, and just plain feeling bad. At one point the only time my son perked up is when someone mentioned Jell-o. "Jell-o?, OK!". So, my husband, the only well person when in search of Jell-o. Needless to say, the ready made Jell-o options were enough to make HIM sick. Most of the ready made jell-os were made with aspartame...even the prodcuts for the kids! All of the artifical colors and flavors were just as ridiculous. Even if he bought a package of the stuff you make yourself, it is still filled with artificial colors and flavors. SO, we went a different route!

Now, I know, I know...gelatin...vegetarians won't touch it (and that is OK) and if you really think about where it comes from, well, it could gross you out. But, when you are a kid, there is something familiar and sweet and wonderful about gelatin. I believe there are a few kosher brands of gelatin out there as well. I believe that there are a few gelatin product out there that are made from seaweed, but that is another post all together and I promise, when I feel better, I will post vegetarian gelatin options.

OK, on with the recipe. So, we made our own fruit gelatin and it was wonderful!! We made it with a bit more gelatin so we could cut the gelatin out with cookie cutters and make fun jigglers out of them. The recipe is simple using non-flavored gelatin and 100% fruit juice or nectar. I used Santa Cruz Oranic Mango/Orange Juice. It worked really well. I would stick to the "thicker" juices and nectars.

Frigglers

Directions

Dissolve gelatin packets in 1/2 cup of juice
Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups juice in in saucepan until it boils
Pour over the gelatin mixture
Stir until dissolved
Oil the bottom and sides of an 8"x8" baking dish
Pour into a 8"x8" glass baking dish
Refridgerate for 3 hours
Cut with cookie cutters or spoon out and serve

Ingredients

Two (1/4 oz) non-flavored gelatin packages
2 cups juice or nectar

It's Valentines Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:59:00 +0000

In the spirit of celebrating your Valentines Day, there are three things that come to mind for me.
1. Roses
2. Your Heart
3. Chocolate

Therefore, I am going to cover all three of these. Why not?

Organic Roses
You buy organic food, but why organic flowers? Believe it or not, it is more important than you think.
Consider this information from the Organic Consumers Association. www.organicconsumers.org
Whenever you touch or inhale the scent of your non-organic flowers, you are likely touching or inhaling poisonous chemicals. When you buy organic flowers, you will not have to worry about chemicals on your flower bouquets being toxic to your children, other members of your family,or yourself.
The main goal of organic agriculture is to farm in ways that do not harm the environment, while there is no such motive for most non-organic farms.
Buying organic flowers helps support local organic farming communities and organizations, which often have charitable, philanthropic motives for selling their flowers
Pesticides and other toxic chemicals used on flowers affect the health of farm workers and florists. The toxic chemicals spread onto the clothes and into the bodies of farm workers and their children. Florists who handle non-organic flowers have been known to develop dermatitis on their hands.
The toxic chemicals used on flower farms poison groundwater and the soil. These chemicals also become part of the food chain, as animals such as birds will eat the sprayed plants. In the course of their seasonal migrations, these birds will spread these chemicals globally.
Makes you think a little bit about the flowers that grace the tables of your home. I am happy to receive any rose, but it is nice to know that there are options out there that are better for you and the Earth.

Your Heart
Take care of your heart health this month. Here are the top Heart Healthy Foods. Not to be a downer on this romantic holiday, but Heart Disease is the #1 killer for women. Take care of yourself so you are around a lot longer to love. (www.webmd.com)

Salmon (Wild)
Flaxseed
Oatmeal
Black or Kidney Beans
Almonds
Walnuts
Red Wine
Tuna
Brown Rice
Blueberries
Carrots
Spinach
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Red Bell Peppers
Asparagus
Oranges
Tomatoes
Acorn Squash
Cantaloupe
Papaya
Dark Chocolate
Tea

Here is a heart healthy and romantic meal idea for Valentines Day or any day of the year!
Poached Salmon on a bed of sautéed spinach with walnuts and roasted acorn squash on the side. Got to www.simplyfoodonline.com to find these tasty recipes.

And, for dessert…
CHOCOLATE!!!
Not only is it heart healthy, but it is sinfully delicious. I always feel like I am diving into a little something special when I eat chocolate. Here is a wonderful recipe, which includes Dark Chocolate. Try to find an organic dark chocolate with at least 70% Cocoa for optimal health benefits.

Deep Dark Chocolate Fondue

Directions:
Place chocolate and cream in a double boiler
Warm over low heat until chocolate is melted and blended
Add special flavor if you like (see below)
Remove from double boiler and immediately place in fondue pot over low heat
Serve with fresh or dried fruit and squares of angel food cake.
YUM!

Ingredients:
10oz Dark Chocolate
½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
If desired the following can be added to flavor your fondue
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon orange liquor
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (yep, gives it a kick!)

~Simply Food Online
www.simplyfoodonline.com
www.simplyfoodonline.blogspot.com

Warm My Heart Tea....Yummmm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Today is a cold wintry day here in the Midwest.

Today is a day of food, a day of rest and, a day of more food. It is the type of day that makes you want to curl up in your warm clothes, slippers, a blanket and a nice cup of tea.

I am a coffee gal and usually go for a cup of java to warm me or refuel, but lately I have been enjoying tea. My kids LOVE herbal teas. There are a few natrual teas by Celestial Seasonings that are fruit flavored that they just love...no caffine, no sugar, but sweet, warm and satifying. They even ask for it over hot chocolate on a cold day. They love the Black Cherry Berry and the Cinnamon Apple Spice. http://www.celestialseasonings.com/

I have found a few teas for myself as well. Tazo makes a great tea called, Calm. "A delicate blend of chamomile blossoms and other soothing herbs, Tazo® Calm™ is made with Egyptian chamomile blossoms blended with fragrant lemon balm leaf from Eastern Europe. Pink rose petals from Morocco impart a light, spicy taste that enhances the apple-like flavor of chamomile." http://www.tazo.com/w.tazo.com/

The best thing about tea...no calories!

Enjoy a spot of tea!

The History of BBQ and a Recipe too!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:36:00 +0000

The origins of both the activity of barbecue cooking and the word itself are somewhat obscure. Most etymologists believe that barbecue derives ultimately from the word barabicu found in the language of the Taíno people of the Caribbean. The word translates as sacred fire pit and is also spelled barbicoa or barabicoa. The word describes a grill for cooking meat consisting of a wooden platform resting on sticks.

Traditional

barbacoa involves digging a hole in the ground and placing some meat (usually a whole goat) with a pot underneath it, so that the juices can make a hearty broth. It is then covered with maguey leaves and coal and set alight. The cooking process takes a few hours.

The word barbecue has attracted two inaccurate origins from

folk etymology. An often-repeated claim is that the word is derived from the French language. The story goes that French visitors to the Caribbean saw a pig being cooked whole and described the method as barbe à queue, meaning from beard to tail. The French word for barbecue is also barbecue and the "beard to tail" explanation is regarded as false by most language experts. The only merit is that it relies on the similar sound of the words, a feature common in folk etymology explanations. Another claim states that the word BBQ came from the time when roadhouses and beer joints with pool tables advertised Bar, Beer and Cues. According to this tale, the phrase was shortened over time to BBCue, then BBQ.

(all BBQ info adapted from http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Here is a great winter BBQ recipe since you don’t have to make it outside to the grill. The flavor is dead on and will remind you of a warm summer day! Serve with Sweet Potato Fries! Yummy!

BBQ Slow Cooker Country Ribs

This is a wonderful way to cook Country Pork Ribs. It is easy and makes your home smell wonderful.
Make the sauce ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. Then pop it in the Crock Pot in the morning and by evening, you have wonderful meat that falls right off the bone!

BBQ Sauce Recipe

Directions:
In a skillet cook celery and onion in butter until tender.
Add remaining ingredients
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat
Cover and simmer 15 minutes

Ingredients:
½ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons unsalted organic butter
1 cup organic catsup
¼ cup all-natural lemon juice
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice or organic maple syrup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon all-natural Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash pepper

BBQ Slow Cooker Country Ribs

Directions:
Place ribs in a large crock pot
Pour BBQ Sauce over ribs
Pour water over ribs
Cover
Cook for high (4 or 6 hours)

Ingredients:
2lbs Country Pork Ribs
BBQ Sauce Recipe (above)—entire recipe

1 1/2 cups water

Recipe can be found at http://www.simplyfoodonline.com/

Pamela’s Products get a Thumbs-up!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Ok, so I have figured out through posting that I am always cooking with my kids. BUT, it is so much fun!

Last night since it was “Superbowl Sunday” so, we were in the “party” mode and my son said, “Mom, we need a fun party cake, a pretty cake, like at the store.” I agreed that a cake sounded wonderful, so we took off for the grocery store. We found the “pretty cakes” at a local conventional grocery store but I couldn’t bring myself to buy one. They were filled with so many artificial ingredients and trans-fats that I just couldn’t do it. It was late and I wasn’t sure we had enough time to make a homemade cake. We headed over to the “Natural Marketplace” section of the store. I was going to buy ingredients that I needed to make a homemade cake, but then I found a couple of gluten-free cake mixes by Pamela’s Products. We don’t necessarily need to eat gluten-free in my household, but the ingredients were quite “clean” and you only really needed to add eggs and oil. I picked up the Yellow Cake and Confetti White Frosting Mix and we were in business.

These cakes were easy, great tasting (especially the frosting…make with organic sprinkles) and the ingredients were simple, pronounceable and all natural!! YEA! Yes, they are gluten-free, so if you are sensitive to gluten, you can eat these too! The cake was moist and delicious!

Follow this link to Pamela’s website and check it out for yourself.
http://www.pamelasproducts.com/index.html

Ingredients in Yellow Cake Mix:
Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar, Tapioca Starch, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Chicory Root, Sea Salt, Grainless & Aluminum Free Baking Powder (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch), Organic Vanilla Powder (contains corn derivative), Rice Bran, Gluten-free Natural Vanilla Powder (contains corn derivative), Xanthan Gum.

Ingredients in Confetti Frosting Mix:
Organic Powdered Sugar (contains 3% corn starch); Let's Do...® Sprinkelz (organic evaporated cane juice, organic corn malt syrup, water, natural colors/extracts from seeds, vegetables or fruits); Gluten-free Natural Vanilla Powder (contains corn derivative); Salt.

The Simpler the Sweet...the Better!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:01:00 +0000

This recipe is from one of my favorite websites www.sweetsavvy.com. It is a website of all things sweet made with all natural unrefined sweeteners. It is divine and the recipes are simple, natural and tasty.

I have been exploring the variety of natural sweeteners because of this site and have found that I like using them. I especially like to put agave nectar in my coffee…yummy! If you are new to this site, I love agave nectar and have been using it in recipes that call for sugar. The result is great, sweet and a lower glycemic index.

Try this simple recipe below. It is so easy and seriously delicious. I would like to call them, Natures Truffle!

A Valentine Date

Makes 8 "dates"

Directions:
Put the dates on a plate and mash them with the tines of a sturdy fork.
Add the cocoa powder and mix with the dates using the tips of your fingers.
Add the chopped nuts and continue to mix until all is incorporated.
Break the mixture into 8 pieces and roll each one into a ball.
Roll in cocoa powder, coconut, or powdered nuts.

Ingredients:
· 3 Deglet Noor dates (must be Deglet Noor--buy them at a natural food store)
· 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
· 1 teaspoon chopped nuts

TIPS* use any nut you like (or leave the nuts out altogether)* add other dried fruits if you want* add more coconut* add any flavorings you like

Recipe adapted from sweetsavvy.com
(c) copyright 2007 Debra Lynn Dadd. All Rights Reserved

From the Mouth of Luciano Pavarotti...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:30:00 +0000

One of the nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating ~ Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, My Own Story

...and other great quotes about food.

Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can’t taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie ~ Astrid Alauda

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not make that a pleasure as well as a necessity ~ Voltaire

High-tech tomatoes. Mysterious Milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff? Or is it going to eat us? ~ Annette Manning

It is difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato ~ Lewis Gizzard

If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn’t organic produce just be called “produce” and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? ~ Ymber Delecto

NEW RECIPE!

Looking for a yummy new Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe? This version of the popular cookie is made with organic agave nectar and a bit more butter to yield a buttery sweet cookie you will love!

I love baking with agave nectar! It is lower on the glycecmix index, which means it doesn’t make your blood sugar spike up like other natural sweeteners!

My son Ben (20 months) just loved the cookies, he asked for them all day. I think he may have had 10 cookies in one day….whew!

Check out the recipes here and enjoy!!
Oatmeal Raisin Butter Cookies
www.simplyfoodonline.com/desserts.htm