Growing up "smoothies" were a standard breakfast except in those days we referred to them as breakfast milkshakes. They are still a treat we like on hot summer mornings or really any time we want something cold and fruity.
There is no real recipe for our smoothies since they are catered to each drinker.
Start with frozen fruit. Our favorite has always been bananas. I have a freezer full of bananas. What I do is - when a banana has gotten to that point I know no one will eat it, I throw it in the freezer (peel and all). For me there's a lot of convinience in this. When I need to use a frozen banana, I run it under hot water for no more than 30 seconds and peel. I may need to use a butter knife to scrape all the stuff off but it doesn't take very long. Other family members, peel the banana and set it on cookie sheets to freeze and then pile them in freezer bags. My method has no freezer burnt bananas but it does mean a lot of slippery bananas falling out of the freezer when we over fill it. Either method works - it just depends on you.
You can also use any other frozen fruit. My grandmother would make them with frozen strawberries. The problem with strawberries is they are not always sweet and can make a pretty sour shake. I have used mixed berries, peaches and others but banana is what we seem to come back to.
We have a "bullet" type blender which makes everything in one serving. So I use 1-2 bananas, depending on their size and cover them with milk. Blend until smooth, you may have to stop now and again and add a little more milk to keep it smooth. Easy peasy - you have a basic smoothie. We like to add peanut butter and chocolate syrup to our banana smoothie but you can really add anything, including fresh fruit (with frozen fruit).
What I like best about this particular method is there is no added water - no ice chunks, nor is there any ice cream. The fruit acts as ice so if there are chunks - it's kind of nice. I like working my way through a piece of soft frozen banana, more than I like hitting a piece of ice. I, also, like that I have complete control of the nutrients, full serving of fruit and milk. And the best part is if they do melt, it's not a watered down version of the drink.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Stroganoff
Stroganoff has been a family favorite all my life. It's a mix of sour cream, mushrooms and beef that is heavenly. My mother developed this recipe as a way to stretch the sauce to feed our family of eaters. I will include a method to make this gluten free but alas it's full of dairy (you can use say alternatives but it's not really the same).
Boil a bag of egg noodles. A pound should feed 4 people but don't count on it.
Ingredients:
1 pound beef steak (any cut desired, cubed
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped (optional)
16 oz sour cream
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
2-4 cups milk
au jus seasoning
oil or more butter for browning beef
Brown beef in a deep skillet or in saucepan that has a fine layer of oil. Make sure not to crowd the beef or it won't brown. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in shifts. Remove the beef to a bowl. Saute onions and mushrooms, add to bowl of beef. Melt butter in pan (be careful not to burn your drippings). Add flour and mix with whisk until all the flour is wet. Pour in 1/2-1 cup milk and whisk until the milk has turned into a paste. Repeat until you have a thick gravy. Add au jus seasoning (if you bought it in a packet, add about half and taste. In a container, add about 1-2 TB and taste). The gravy should be slightly overseasoned at this point. When the gravy is slightly more thick then you would like it, remove from heat. Add sour cream (this will thin the gravy some). Add beef and veggies.
Serve over hot and buttered egg noodles.
For a Gluten Free variety - Mix 1 TB corn starch for every 1 cup cold milk (1 cup milk equals about 1 serving). When they are well combined add to hot butter in pan. Add au jus seasoning and sour cream. Add meat and veggies. Tip: do not taste the gravy and then return the utensil to the gravy. Saliva breaks down corn starch. Always taste a cornstarch gravy with a clean utensil (or finger).
I rarely measure anything when I am making this recipe. I find a nice inexpensive steak and use the entire thing. I use about 1/2 stick of butter and enough flour to make a wet paste. If there is too much flour I add a little more butter. I pour the milk in gradually until I get a gravy that is thick and not pasty. Over the years we added onion because my son loves sauteed onions and any opportunity to add them is great. I have made this without beef and I have made it with hamburger (even without mushrooms) so it's a nice fall back recipe. Feel free to serve it over other things - rice, potatoes, toast.
Boil a bag of egg noodles. A pound should feed 4 people but don't count on it.
Ingredients:
1 pound beef steak (any cut desired, cubed
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped (optional)
16 oz sour cream
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
2-4 cups milk
au jus seasoning
oil or more butter for browning beef
Brown beef in a deep skillet or in saucepan that has a fine layer of oil. Make sure not to crowd the beef or it won't brown. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in shifts. Remove the beef to a bowl. Saute onions and mushrooms, add to bowl of beef. Melt butter in pan (be careful not to burn your drippings). Add flour and mix with whisk until all the flour is wet. Pour in 1/2-1 cup milk and whisk until the milk has turned into a paste. Repeat until you have a thick gravy. Add au jus seasoning (if you bought it in a packet, add about half and taste. In a container, add about 1-2 TB and taste). The gravy should be slightly overseasoned at this point. When the gravy is slightly more thick then you would like it, remove from heat. Add sour cream (this will thin the gravy some). Add beef and veggies.
Serve over hot and buttered egg noodles.
For a Gluten Free variety - Mix 1 TB corn starch for every 1 cup cold milk (1 cup milk equals about 1 serving). When they are well combined add to hot butter in pan. Add au jus seasoning and sour cream. Add meat and veggies. Tip: do not taste the gravy and then return the utensil to the gravy. Saliva breaks down corn starch. Always taste a cornstarch gravy with a clean utensil (or finger).
I rarely measure anything when I am making this recipe. I find a nice inexpensive steak and use the entire thing. I use about 1/2 stick of butter and enough flour to make a wet paste. If there is too much flour I add a little more butter. I pour the milk in gradually until I get a gravy that is thick and not pasty. Over the years we added onion because my son loves sauteed onions and any opportunity to add them is great. I have made this without beef and I have made it with hamburger (even without mushrooms) so it's a nice fall back recipe. Feel free to serve it over other things - rice, potatoes, toast.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Pasta Carbonara (my version)
When I finished college, I got a job at a little Italian restaurant. I worked back in the kitchen and usually prepped all the fresh ingredients for sauces and what not. It was not a great job but I walked away with some knowledge of the restaurant business and Italian food.
One task I had was prepping the onions, green peppers and bacon to be fried for Pasta Carbonara. Being that I didn't assemble the actual dish, I had no idea they topped the entire thing with Alfredo sauce. When I can't remember what the name of this dish is - I head to the internet and am amazed by all the eggs and cream and what not that goes in this dish.
I am not so naive as to say this is a low fat version but it has to be lower than the normal versions.
This particular dish is our quick and easy go to. Great for unexpected company or any other occasion.
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti or capellini noodles
butter or olive oil
1/2 pound bacon, chopped (I use kitchen shears to cut up the bacon)
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
Boil water and add the noodles (cook according to package). Fry bacon until starting to crisp. Add onions and let cook until translucent. Add green peppers and cook until tender and onions/bacon are crisp. Drain noodles and add butter or oil (I usually use about 1/2 stick of butter but you can cut back because the sauce is oily).
Top noodles with bacon mix. In this case, a little goes a long way and don't let anyone top the noodles with too much "sauce". The sauce should equal about 1/3 of the noodles.
Feel free to top with parmesan cheese.
I, sometimes, omit the peppers or use frozen ones and it comes out great. The more veggies you use will help stretch the dish.
Serves about 6 (or my family of 3).
One task I had was prepping the onions, green peppers and bacon to be fried for Pasta Carbonara. Being that I didn't assemble the actual dish, I had no idea they topped the entire thing with Alfredo sauce. When I can't remember what the name of this dish is - I head to the internet and am amazed by all the eggs and cream and what not that goes in this dish.
I am not so naive as to say this is a low fat version but it has to be lower than the normal versions.
This particular dish is our quick and easy go to. Great for unexpected company or any other occasion.
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti or capellini noodles
butter or olive oil
1/2 pound bacon, chopped (I use kitchen shears to cut up the bacon)
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
Boil water and add the noodles (cook according to package). Fry bacon until starting to crisp. Add onions and let cook until translucent. Add green peppers and cook until tender and onions/bacon are crisp. Drain noodles and add butter or oil (I usually use about 1/2 stick of butter but you can cut back because the sauce is oily).
Top noodles with bacon mix. In this case, a little goes a long way and don't let anyone top the noodles with too much "sauce". The sauce should equal about 1/3 of the noodles.
Feel free to top with parmesan cheese.
I, sometimes, omit the peppers or use frozen ones and it comes out great. The more veggies you use will help stretch the dish.
Serves about 6 (or my family of 3).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Spicebread
I took this recipe from The Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads by Beth Hensperger and changed it to suit my pantry. It's a nice gingerbread/spice cake recipe but not all that sweet and full of whole grains.
I will list the original ingredients at the end of the recipe.
Spicebread
1 stick butter/margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 TB instant coffee
2 teas baking soda
4 TB apricot brandy
1 1/2 TB cinnamon baking spice (similar to apple pie spice)
1/2 teas dry mustard
1/4 teas black pepper
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup AP flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Cream butter with sugar until well combined. Add eggs one at a time. Add molasses in a steady stream and beat until all combined. Pour boiling water into glass bowl and add instant coffee (I did this in a glass measuring cup). Add baking soda to butter and egg mixture. Add spices and mix well. Pour in brandy and mix. Alternate coffee with flours and mix well until your batter is lump free and all wet.
Pour into a 9x9 pan (greased) and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Original ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger
3 TB finely chopped candied orange peel
3 TB cognac (pour these three in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes before starting batter)
1 1/2 cups teff or millet flour
2 cups AP flour
2 teas baking soda
1 TB gd ginger
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas cloves
1/2 teas gd coriander
1/2 teas gd nutmeg
1/2 teas dry mustard
1/4 teas gd mace
1/4 teas black pepper
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 TB instant espresso powder.
I will list the original ingredients at the end of the recipe.
Spicebread
1 stick butter/margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 TB instant coffee
2 teas baking soda
4 TB apricot brandy
1 1/2 TB cinnamon baking spice (similar to apple pie spice)
1/2 teas dry mustard
1/4 teas black pepper
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup AP flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Cream butter with sugar until well combined. Add eggs one at a time. Add molasses in a steady stream and beat until all combined. Pour boiling water into glass bowl and add instant coffee (I did this in a glass measuring cup). Add baking soda to butter and egg mixture. Add spices and mix well. Pour in brandy and mix. Alternate coffee with flours and mix well until your batter is lump free and all wet.
Pour into a 9x9 pan (greased) and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Original ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger
3 TB finely chopped candied orange peel
3 TB cognac (pour these three in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes before starting batter)
1 1/2 cups teff or millet flour
2 cups AP flour
2 teas baking soda
1 TB gd ginger
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas cloves
1/2 teas gd coriander
1/2 teas gd nutmeg
1/2 teas dry mustard
1/4 teas gd mace
1/4 teas black pepper
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 TB instant espresso powder.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Banana and Coconut Stew
Sounds like a weird stew but it's really tasty and super easy to make.
Banana and Coconut Stew
2 lb beef, cubed
oil
1 lg onion,chopped
1 can tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
5 firm green bananas or plantains
Start with 2 pounds of beef. I ended up using a nice cut of steak because it was the least expensive at the store. Cut it into bite sized cubes and fry in oil in your stew pot(just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). You want the meat to be seared on at least 2 sides. You will have to fry in batches because you do not want the meat touching. Frying meat without enough space causes too much moisture to build up and you won't get a good brown on the meat. When done return the meat to the pot with one onion you have chopped. Let that fry for a little bit - just enough to cook the onion. Add canned tomatoes. I can my own in quart sized jars after dicing the tomatoes and cooking them. You can add a can of whatever size and style you like but they should be unflavored. Add 1 can coconut milk (the sizes are pretty standard). You should have a pretty saucy stew at this moment - if not add more tomatoes or a little water. About 15 minutes before serving, add your bananas that have been cut into bite sized pieces. You want really green bananas (the greener the more starchy and firmer).
This stew is great with hot bread and salad. It's fairly allergen free so you could serve it at all sorts of meals. It sounds weird but the result is a really tasty stew. The onions and tomatoes are complimented by the sweetness of the coconut and bananas and the meat balances it all out. I like to eat it with a fork, spearing a chunk of meat with a banana and then supping up all the juice with bread.
Banana and Coconut Stew
2 lb beef, cubed
oil
1 lg onion,chopped
1 can tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
5 firm green bananas or plantains
Start with 2 pounds of beef. I ended up using a nice cut of steak because it was the least expensive at the store. Cut it into bite sized cubes and fry in oil in your stew pot(just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). You want the meat to be seared on at least 2 sides. You will have to fry in batches because you do not want the meat touching. Frying meat without enough space causes too much moisture to build up and you won't get a good brown on the meat. When done return the meat to the pot with one onion you have chopped. Let that fry for a little bit - just enough to cook the onion. Add canned tomatoes. I can my own in quart sized jars after dicing the tomatoes and cooking them. You can add a can of whatever size and style you like but they should be unflavored. Add 1 can coconut milk (the sizes are pretty standard). You should have a pretty saucy stew at this moment - if not add more tomatoes or a little water. About 15 minutes before serving, add your bananas that have been cut into bite sized pieces. You want really green bananas (the greener the more starchy and firmer).
This stew is great with hot bread and salad. It's fairly allergen free so you could serve it at all sorts of meals. It sounds weird but the result is a really tasty stew. The onions and tomatoes are complimented by the sweetness of the coconut and bananas and the meat balances it all out. I like to eat it with a fork, spearing a chunk of meat with a banana and then supping up all the juice with bread.
Make your own coconut milk
I needed coconut milk for the Banana Coconut Stew (coming in next post). I went to Walmart because my son needed minutes for his tracfone and I really prefer one stop shopping (never happens with getting my groceries at Walmart but that's another story). They had coconut milk for under a dollar - well they had signs for coconut milk for under a dollar and not a can in sight. I ended up going to the grocery store I get most of my groceries to get meat and see what the coconut milk was like (I buy my coconut milk from an Asian store not the grocery store but I was not making another stop). The price was stupidly high. I thought - I have dried coconut (organic unsweetened) in the cupboard that needs using so I'll make my own coconut milk (how hard can it be).
I left it until the next morning to look up how to make coconut milk. Guess what - they all use fresh coconut. If I was going to use fresh coconut I should have just bought the coconut milk and save me the headache. I decided to try it with the dried coconut.
I boiled a teapot of water and filled a medium sized bowl with coconut. I used a little bit of large grated coconut and a small bag of a more finely grated coconut. I poured the boiling water over the coconut and made sure it was covering the whole mess. I let it sit until cool and strained with a jelly bag. The result was not bad. It was a little weaker than my usual coconut milk but I am sure it rivalled the Walmart brand.
I think in the future I will pour all the stuff in a pot and boil it on the stove to pull more flavor out of the dried coconut.
I left it until the next morning to look up how to make coconut milk. Guess what - they all use fresh coconut. If I was going to use fresh coconut I should have just bought the coconut milk and save me the headache. I decided to try it with the dried coconut.
I boiled a teapot of water and filled a medium sized bowl with coconut. I used a little bit of large grated coconut and a small bag of a more finely grated coconut. I poured the boiling water over the coconut and made sure it was covering the whole mess. I let it sit until cool and strained with a jelly bag. The result was not bad. It was a little weaker than my usual coconut milk but I am sure it rivalled the Walmart brand.
I think in the future I will pour all the stuff in a pot and boil it on the stove to pull more flavor out of the dried coconut.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Diet Changes
I have been struggling lately with the gluten free diet. For the past 2 years I have tried to be good but I never felt better. Last fall, I forked out the $400 to get lab work done at an independent lab. They confirmed that I did have a gluten intolerance so I strived to be better. I blamed my lack of conviction. I would occassionally make a mistake or fall off the gf wagon and have a little bread or pizza. It's a really hard choice to be gluten free. I now have medical insurance and saw a doctor last night for the first time in a long time. I brought him my lab results and my concerns. Going over my symptoms and my history, it looks as if gluten is not my problem. He couldn't say for certain that I did not have a gluten intolerance but he did say that I should have seen dramatic results within 2-4 weeks of being gluten free. We talked about what my health was like before the fire that send our life spinning out of control. I felt fairly good. I ate a whole grain diet. I was regular. I had energy to exercise. I had a few symptoms of unhealthiness but most of the time I felt pretty good. After we lost our house to the fire several things happened. We moved away from our country home. I started working more regularly since I had more opportunity in the large town we moved to (or small city - I never know what constitutes city vs town). But most importantly we had lost our home - it was a really stressful time. I would say it was honestly the worst year of my life. I felt awful so the idea of a diet that would make me feel better was really appealing. It's been just over 2 years since the fire and suddenly I find myself thinking I should feel better by now. The last year was a little rough but I tried hard to take care of myself. I found that I gained 20 pounds over this last year and yet if I was really gluten intolerant I should have been losing weight on the diet. I developed GI problems that I hadn't had before. I started wondering why things were not coming together. Well now I know. I plan on keeping this blog and sharing recipes. The focus will only move away from gluten free but still work on finding ways to make good food not cost a lot of money. I am glad I can add more grains into my diet and get our health back on track.
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