Meatless Monday-thanks Cathy

So, I tried to post this and it disappeared and now I am annoyed. For dinner tonight I made a deliciouse, nutritious, comforting, everyting you want in a macaroni and cheese dish, without the guilt. So how did that happen?? With butternut squash of course. I got the idea to make this from my dietitian friend, Cathy. Dietitians are always talking about food. So, off I went, home to look up the recipe on the Cooking Light site. Behold, there it was and I had most of the ingredients. Since I would improvise anyway, that was not holding me back, I had the squash, I had cheese ( cheddar not guyere) and I was ready to go.
Most recipes want the cook to peel and cube a hard squash. This is a pain in the neck in my world, so I say no to that. I have 2 methods of dealing with a squash #1 lazy method is to use frozen. #2 with a fresh squash I like to microwave it for about 10 minutes, being sure to put several vents in it with a knife. You do not want a squash to explode in your microwave - it is not nice at all. This method softens the squash inside, so that it can be seeded and scooped out - easy peasy.
I also added a kick to the original recipe by using some cayenne pepper.

Creamy Macoroni and Cheese with Butternut squash

1 medium sized butternut squash softened or 1 pound of frozen, thawed squash
1.25 cups reduced sodium chichen broth
1.5 cups fat-free milk
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste.
2 TBSP greek yogurt, fat free (lite sour cream would work too)
1.25 cups- 5 ounces cheddar cheese
1 ounce rted parmigean cheese, divided
1 pound cooked pasta - rice pasta for gluten free

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine squash, broth, milkm garlic and black pepper and cayenne in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until squash is totally cooked. Remove from heat and blend using an emmersion blender.
3. Add cheddar cheese, 1/2 of parmesean and the yogurt, mix well.
4. Combine the sauce with the pasta and spread into prepared pan. Top with remaining parmesean cheese.
In my world wheat pasta and rice pasta is made, the sauce is divided among the two pastas.
5. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly and browning on top.
Serve with another veggie, like broccoli.

Yum -- Thanks Cathy

Easy Peanutbutter Noodles

I have quite a pile of recipes that I have played with over the past few months. I could say that I have been so busy, no time. But I must confess, I have found lots of time for wasting time. My muse has left me for a time. Let's see if she has come back for a bit.

It's been a time of transitions with one daughter moving out and the second soon to be. It's been a time of change in body, mind and soul. In times like these cooking and meals often come as an afterthought. I was doing really well for about two weeks. My daughter and I did menus for the week, and agreed that who ever came home first would get the meal started. This, again, was great for 2 weeks. Then I was winging it again. Last week I made dinner all of 2 times. I hear myself telling my patients that they need to plan, plan, plan. The little voice in my head is saying" hypocrite".

So I have a few easy meals, that I have been making often lately. One is my meat sauce with tons of veggies, another is the chicken and pineapple in the crockpot (see previous blog). Third is Peanut Butter Noodles. I found a good base peanut sauce and went from there, this is what I ended up with. Easy and quick. Gluten free and vegetarian. I have made this with chicken as well.

Peanut Butter Noodles

1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

3 tbsp minced ginger

6 Tbsp soy sauce

7 Tbsp chunky peanut butter

3 Tbsp honey

4 tsp hot chili paste

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 package firm tofu - cubed

1 red pepper chopped

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 cup frozen green peas, cooked

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl.

2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add red peppers and saute until slightly softened. Add tofu (Add cubed chicken if using) Saute for 3-5 minutes. Add sauce and cook until heated through.

3. Add green onions and peas.

Serve over gluten free rice noodles, udon noodles, spagetti or egg noodles.

I like Kale, but who else will eat it.

It's been 9 months since my last post. No, I did not have a baby. It's been a year full of ups and downs and changes. I am hoping now that I can spend some time polishing up my writting and getting some good information out there for any reader.

My plan is to focus my posts on eating well in this crazy world. Useful, down to earth good nutrition and eating. During the craziness of my last year meal planning has been sporatic. Many meals were spur of the moment with what was on hand. This could be a simple healthy meal or chips and salsa. In focusing on this blog, I can also focus on my changing family. We now have the gluten free hubby, the college grad and the 18 year old that comes and goes and the busy woman who is trying to age with grace.

Last weekend my daughter and I actually sat down and made a plan. Many evening she just makes a pot of pasta and throws on sauce and cheese. I can easily add a salad, but gluten free man is out of luck unless I make something else.
The plan was easy. We picked out a few standard recipes, made sure we had all the ingredients on hand, put the recipes and meal ideas on the kitchen desk and who ever gets home first can start cooking - first come gets to pick. The list included: Easy Mousaka - for that I cooked the eggplant the day before, Orzo with Kale and grilled chicken, Kale and Bean soup (we had a big bunch of kale from our CSA), Spagetti squash, Black bean dip. A few dishes we made together. the Orzo with Kale I actually made this morning as I am going in to work late and getting home late.

The come and go girl feasts on the left overs or makes a can of chicken noodle soup (healthy choice)

This is week number one of the expiriment. Friday we will sit down and plan for the next week.

This should be fun as consistency is not my first name.

Orzo with Kale

1 tsp ground tumeric

2 cups uncooked orzo pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 bunch of kale (remove stems)-coarsley chopped

1 large lemon, juiced

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese ( use good cheese please, not the stuff in the can)

black pepper to taste.

1. Cook the orzo as on the package - add 1 tsp tumeric to make it a pretty yellow color.

tumeric is also full of lovely antioxidents.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. cook the garlic for a few seconds, add kale. cover the skillet and simmer on low for 10 minutes or until kale is tender. (pay attention - this can easily get burnt). Stir Kale into the orzo mixture with lemon juice and nutmeg. Add Parmesan cheese. Season with pepper as desired.

I am going to keep some orzo seperate for the non-kale eaters. I have some leftover rice for gluten free man or a small baked potato. I had a patient the other day who was having difficulty with eating meals together as his spouse and he had very different diet requirements. I had him think about deconstructing meals and planning for meal parts that they could enjoy together.

Starbucks - Trenta- Why

So Starbucks feels the need to offer a 31 ounce drink - yes just shy of a quart. I'm not sure who this is marketed to and why anyone would need a 31 ounce coffee, but hey.
So a 31 ounce Cafe Mocha with milk has - are you ready - 561 calories, 23 grams of fat and 68 grams of carbohydrate - mostly from sugar. As many calories as a big Mac. Have a 31 ounce Cafe Vanilla Frappachino and there goes 600 calories , about 1/3 of your calories for the day. Sounds like a belly ache to me. A Cafe Latte is a better choice if you are going with the skim milk - 174 calories and 25 grams of carbohydrate- the carbs are from the milk, unless you add some sugar. I do not want to think about how much caffeine is going on here. Add the jitters to the belly ache.

Healthy Cookies - Gluten free

Winter storm Benedict has hit us hard with over a foot of snow. I am quite lucky that I can stay in today. A snow day means a bit a baking has to be done.
One of my dietitian collegues made cookies over the Christmas baking season. I would have to say these were not your typical Christmas cookies. My comment was, "these would be great to take hiking". They were dense, not too sweet, high in protein and fiber. A healthy cookie.
The ingredients being, a banana, chunky peanut butter, honey, rolled oats, whole wheat flour and dried fruit.
Today I decided to try them, but modify they for gluten free. The results were very good. The second batch is cooking now. The bananas add fruit and pottassium. Oats, brown rice flour and flax add fiber. Peanut butter and dry milk powder add protein. The fat is from mono-unsaturated fats in the peanut butter. I added chocolate chips, because I can not help myself.

Banana-Oat Cookies

1 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour (whole wheat pastry flour for non-gluten free)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup mixture of dried fruits (raisins, dried cranberries and /or cherries) and chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine bananas through vanilla. In a small bowl combine oats through baking soda.
Add the two mixtures together, until well combined. Stir in dried fruit and chocolate chips.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Flatten dough mounds slightly. (Definited do this ) Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Kung Pao with Tofu

The picture is of the Kung Pao with chicken form the December 13th entry. Last night I tried it with tofu, making it vegetarian. I have to say it came out delicious. The sauce has a kick to it and has a deep flavor, and it seeps into the tofu.
Before using tofu in a stir fry, I like to press out some of the water. This makes the firm tofu, firmer for cooking and improves the texture. It's less likely to fall apart, as well. To do this: drain the tofu well, slice it in halve lenth wise, wrap it in a few layers of good paper towel and place it in a collander, under a large bowl. Press down with your hands and then place a heavy object on top.
This can be done several hours ahead or overnight and placed in the refrigerator. In my case, I was not thinking ahead and the tofu had about half an hour to drain. Not optimal, but it was ok.
By using tofu there is a 200 calorie savings if consuming 3 ounce portions of each. The tofu is lower in sodium and fat as well as being higher in calcium. The same amount of tofu does not bring as much protein, 26 grams for the chicken and 7 grams for the tofu. The rice and the veggies in the dish would bring the total protein up to about 15-18 grams. To put this into perspective a 150# person needs about 54-68 grams of protein for a whole day. So for a whole meal the protein content would be just fine.
The older girl has woken, up started talking and she keeps going and going.

Pancakes with Carmalized Apples and Pecans

Don't worry - after I took this picture I wiped down the counter. Smudge was so cute with her leg hanging down.
This morning, after doing 75 minutes of fast walking on the treadmill, while reading an exiting mystery novel, I make buckwheat pancakes with caramelized apples. I have posted the recipe for the pancakes in a previous blog, but have not done so yet for the apple part. The apples have come about, due to my daughter, who prefers her pancakes with applesauce, rather than maple syrup. I don't always have applesauce in the pantry, so I started doing caramelized apples. These are a breeze to do. I start them before I start the pancakes and keep them cooking on low until the pancakes are done.
As I've said before, buckwheat is not wheat. It is gluten free. I like that I can use it as the main flour and everyone like it.
the pancakes simply are: 1 cup buckwheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp sugar. 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 4 tbsp melted trans fat free margarine. I add 2 tsp of ground flax seed for more fiber. The dry ingredients are mixed separately from the wet and then combined.
For the apples: slice one or two apples, leave the skin on. Melt 1 tbsp trans fat free margarine in a non stick skillet, toss in 1 tbsp on brown sugar. When this is melted add the apples and simmer over medium heat, add chopped pecans ( 1-2 tbsp). When apples are soft they are done. Serve over the pancakes. They would be good on ice cream as well, I would think.
Pancakes are a great meal for getting in a fruit serving or two. A slice banana and syrup or some blueberries on the top come first to my mind. I like to warm some frozen blueberries in the microwave. The apples too, of course. Fresh cut strawberries with a bit of whipped cream. The trick is to keep the fruit up and the sugar and extra fat down.

Smudge got whisked off the counter and then she snuggled up into the clementine box that she like to use as a bed.

New Years Eve Feast

Happy 20011!!! We are kind of boring for New Years Eve. We stay in. After the craziness of the Christmas season, I a
m pretty tired of cooking, so came about our New Years tradition of the no cook feast. It is modeled after the Swedish smogasbord. The rule is that nothing used has to be cooked or required much preparation besides cutting. It always includes smoked salmon, various cut up vegetables, a fruit or two (usually pears and apples), we have a cheese or two - almost always some brie- which we warm in the microwave, a cook bread and crackers. As you can see, all of the food groups are represented.The meal comes out to be pretty healthy, as long as we do not eat too much, and keep the cheese down to a minimum. But, it is New Years and one of our favorite meals of the year. We love the paring of pear and brie. I love the smoked salmon on good bread with some onion and cucumber. We use gluten free crackers for my hubby to use as a carrier. Other than the bread, everything else is gluten free. No recipes involved just: smoked salmon, brie, sliced pear, sliced apple, onion or scallion, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber - any other veggie, like baby carrots, red peppers, gluten free crackers, seafood salad. Grapes are good, as is hummus, salsa, tortilla chips, sliced turkey or ham. Just so long as it follows the no cooking rule. This also makes clean up easy. Very good for the morning after.
This year I had everything set up nice on the coffee table. We have a new kitten, who is very interested in our food. He jumped up onto the table. When I went to grab him, a claw or two were snagged into the table cloth. Over went a glass of iced tea and wet half the table cloth. the food was spared, the most important thing. The kitten was sequestered, the mess blotted up and the meal went on.

So - skal and Happy New Year

Monday After Christmas- soup

So it's the Monday after Christmas. These are the conditions, snow storm, stomach still full from weekend stuffing sessions, need to go grocery shopping (badly). Yesterday I did I turkey breast, so being snowed in, today was a good day to make stock. The next step is to turn it into soup. Hmmm, not much in the fridge. I actually have no veggies after using the one carrot and the almost past celery in the stock. I do have onions. Soup is nothing without onions. I also have plenty of beans and dried lentils and, of course, a can of diced tomatoes. I can do this. Looking through my recipe collection, I find a likely guide for a tomato lentil soup. Looks interesting, some spice to it as well a bit of balsamic vineger. I actually have most of the ingredients, but a recipe is just a suggestion anyway.
Lentil soup makes a great meal in a pot. Got the vegetables, got the protein, got the fiber. Add a bit of Parmesan cheese and that's enough. Especially after almost three days of too much food.
It's healthy, it's low fat, it's low sodium (especially with the homemade stock), it's simple and easy. Oh- gluten free too.

Tomato and Lentil Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 cups reduced sodium chicken stock (used homemade turkey stock)
for vegan could use vegetable stock or just water.
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
1 tsp dried dill
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chipotle pepper flakes (or to taste)
1-8 ounce can diced tomato - no added salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in large dutch oven. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir.
2. Add stock, lentils, dill, bay leaves, chipotle pepper, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until lentils are tender.
3. Stir in vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

Cookie mix

Yesterday was Christmas, and it's not Christmas without cookies. Being a bit cooked out, I decided to throw together some gluten free cookies from a mix. In the cupboard was one from "King Arthur" - yes the flour company. This mix is made using tapioca starch and rice flour. the other nice item was, that it was a plain cookie base. What was added in was up to me and what was left in my pantry. I added in chocolate chips and slivered almonds.
The dough came out very soft. The mix took 1 cup of butter, 2 eggs, 4 tbsp of water and then the chips and nuts. As it cooked they really spread out alot. Even though I had them spaced about 3 inches apart the cookies still ran into each other. I made the cookies smaller than the dirrections specified. The other thing that I did was to make the whole box. Why?? #1 to have more cookies. #2 the directions said to use 1/2 the contents of the box, but did not give a measurement to use. Hmm, actually, now that I think about it, could have figure out 1/2 by weight - it would have been 8 ounces of mix.
The cookies themselves were very tasty. The non-gluten free family member liked them too.

Chinese at home

We love Asian food. When we get take out it is usually Chinese or Thai. American style Chinese can really pack in the calories, so I really prefer to make it at home. I can cut down on the sugar, fats and add more veggies. Tonight I did a Kung Pao Chicken adapted from a recent Cooking Light Magazine recipe. Restaurant Kung Pao can go up to 600 calories and 17 grams of fat for a 12 ounce serving. The sodium, I don't even want to think about. The other problem with restaurant Chinese is that the soy sauce used contains gluten.
At home I can use a gluten free soy sauce. I even modified the Cooking Light recipe to add more vegetables and added a bit more heat - we like that.
This is a quick week day meal (It took 20 minutes to make) and can be adapted to be vegetarian by substituting tofu for the chicken. I think I'll try that next time.

Kung Pao Chicken

2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
1 pound chicken tenders
3/4 cup water
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp bottled minced ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 package steam bag sugar snap peas - microwave one minute less than package directions
1/4 cup unsalted cashews

1. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and red pepper to pan, saute 3 minutes, add chicken and saute for 3 minutes on each side.
2. Combine 3/4 cup water, soy sauce, corn starch, brown sugar, ginger and red pepper. Wish together until sugar is dissolved and corn starch in mixed in well.
4. Add sauce to pan, bring to boil and add sugar snap peas.
Heat through. Add cashews.
Makes 4 servings- about 1 cup each. Serve over jasmine or brown rice. About 275 calories, 11 grams fat. 500 mg sodium.

Ginger Pudding with Bananas

Two entries in one day!!! This must mean that 1. I am so dedicated to my blog. 2. Nothing much going on. 3. It is a nasty rainy day. So, like I said in the last blog, I had a crazy cooking day, because it was a nasty rainy day. One of the items I made was a ginger pudding. Had some milk that would turn if I didn't use it. Not many people realize that pudding is pretty easy to make from scratch. It's almost as easy as opening the box of Jello Pudding mix. Really. Pudding is just sugar, cornstarch, milk and flavoring - that's it. What makes this dessert is the add ins. Just a basic vanilla pudding, add crushed gingersnaps (used Mary's gluten free), a bit of ginger paste, chopped pecans and sliced banana. Very yummy. The original recipe had all the ingredients mixed in to the main pudding, but I like the idea of adding the cookies, nuts and bananas right when serving, so everything does not get all mushy. The other advantage is that is some one does not like one of the ingredients - and that is bound to happen- that item can be omitted.
This is a fairly health dessert,

So for the pudding:
1. combine- 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tbsp cornstarch, 1/8 tsp salt. Gradually wisk in 3 cups of skim milk. Heat to about 180 degrees, just below boiling.
2. combine 1 cup skim milk, 2 egg yolks and 2 tsp vanilla. Gradually add to milk mixture. Whisk constantly until it comes to a slow boil. continue cooking for 2 more minutes until the pudding becomes thick. This takes about 20 minutes.
3. Cool in refrigerator with plastic wrap right on top to keep skin from forming.
4. Slice 2 bananas. Turn 12 ginger snaps (gluten free) into crumbs. Chop 1/4 cup pecans.
Mix 1/2 tsp ginger paste into each serving of pudding - 1/2 cup. Stir in 1/2 a sliced banana, 1 tbsp of cookies and 1 tbsp of pecans. top with whipped cream if desired - i found the whipped cream to be overkill.

Mexican and Healthy

On a rainy, windy, dreary winter day in Connecticut what is better to do than to play in the kitchen. Nice, warm and cosy. Yummy too. I started with some spiced nuts and then made some vanilla pudding. For lunch I brought out a filling for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos that I made a few weeks ago. Do not be afraid - it came out of the freezer.
"American" Mexican food is notorious for beeing high in fat. With all the cheese, sour cream, and other added fats it can pack a diet killing punch. A restaurant burrito could be as much as 1000 calories. The trick is to reduce the amouts of the animal and saturated fats and increase the amounts of the vegetables and the beans. Salsa is a good low fat, vegetable based addition. Guacamole, while being high in fat, is vegetable based and full of good monounsaturated fats. These burritos are filled with mashed sweet potatoes and black beans, with a nice spicey kick. They go well with a topping of salsa (15 calories for 2 tbsp) and guacamole ( (45 calories for 2 tbsp) and a bit of sour cream (49 calories for 2 tbsp of light- 50 calories for 2 tbsp of full fat) to smooth out the spice. For the guacamole I like to use "Holy Guacamole", found in the produce section. It has a nice fresh taste and people think it is homemade.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

5 cups peeled, cubed sweet potato
3 tsp canola oil
3 1/2 cups diced onion
4 cloves garlic, mince
1 tbsp minced fresh green chile (do this with gloves on)
4 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground coriander
3 - 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp lemon juice
10 corn tortillas ( warmed in non-stick skillet spray each tortilla with cooking spray- this makes the tortillas soft, so you can wrap them without them tearing)
Salsa and guacamole

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place sweet potatoes into a medium saucepan with water. cover and bring to a boil, simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, heat medium skillet, add oil and saute onion, garlic and chiles until soft and tender. Add the garlic toward the end to avoid burning. Add cumin and coriander, cook for 2-3 minutes more. Set aside.
4. With a potato masher, mash together the sweet potatoes, black beans, lemon juice and a bit of salt. Add cooked onion mixture.
5. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Prepare the tortillas. Spoon 2/3 cup filling into the center of each tortilla, roll and place, seam side down in the baking dish. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot topped with salsa and guacamole on the side.

Lemon Bread

This is a quick one - not feeling very creative today, just tired and sad. In an effort to get back into the groove, I am forcing a blog.

This is an adaptation for gluten free, from an old favorite. My mom made this moisty, sweet bread for years. It is really more like a cake. I find that any really moist cake can be easily converted, just by substituting gluten free flour mix one for one with all-purpose flour. How easy is that.

Mom's Lemon Bread.

3/4 cup trans fat free margarine, softenend
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk - skim is fine
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup walnuts
grated rind of 1 lemon

1. Cream the margarine with the sugar. Add milk and 2 eggs.
2. In medium bowl mix flour, salt, baking power, walnuts and lemon rind.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients with hand mixer.
4. Pour into loaf pan prepared with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
5. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Top with sugar/ lemon glaze. Juice of one lemon and 1/2 cup of sugar.

This bread freezes well. Also makes great mini loaves - bake for about 40 minutes.

Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower. Poor lonely cauliflower. It's white and never shows up on the cool new vegetable trend list. I think Cauliflower is a beautiful thing. Really, really look at it and admire it. Beautiful creamy white, tiny little flowers surrounded by green leaves. Cut it and the whole thing is the same creamy white. Of course I must mention that it is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, Potassium and vitamin A. As far as antioxidants go - it is a powerhouse.
I am a huge fan of the mashed cauliflower at Ruby Tuesdays. I always ask for it as a substitute side. It was sad when they stopped doing it for a while. Not, however, a low fat choice. 1/2 cup Mashed cauliflower comes to 136 kcal, 8 grams of fat and (hold onto your hat) 712 grams of sodium (31% of recommended amounts). The lovely unadulterated Cauliflower - 14 calories, 4 grams sodium and no fat for 1/2 cup cooked. Hmm what happened - I think it's called cream.
With a bit of playing and looking around at other recipes, I have come up with my own concoction. It has similar flavor to the Ruby's mash, but slashes the calories and sodium. Another good way to get those veggie servings in.

Creamy Mash of Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets, steamed until tender - about 15 minutes.
1/4 cup silk soy creamer
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper - or more to taste (I like more pepper)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder

When cauliflower is cooked, drain it well. Mash with immersion blender adding silk soy creamer.
Add sugar, pepper, garlic and onion powder, mix in well with blender. Reheat gently if needed.

Approx: 31 kcal, 1 gram fat, 250 grams sodium for 1/2 cup serving.

More and More vegetables

Day #5 and day #6 of the staycation. My plan was to straighten up some messy items in my house, but I have mostly succeeded in making the mess worse. The sunroom is in a state of ready to be painted, my recipe collection is almost done except for the dessert section ( so that is still in disarray) and my office is a mess. I went hiking and have not put my backpack back in order. If I took another week would I be able to fix this, or would I make another weeks worth of mess?

In addition to keeping up with the blog (pat on the back) I have been experimenting with myself with a "DASH" diet - dietary approach to stop hypertension. This diet was developed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health - It is high in Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Fiber, omega 3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D. Low in Sodium, Fat and sugar. Calorie level is about 2000 per day (if all the food servings are eaten). So why I am trying to do this is because the diet includes 11 (yes 11) servings of fruits and vegetables. Four ounces of animal protein, so almost vegetarian. 2 servings of low fat dairy, 2 servings of nuts or legumes, 4 servings of whole grains, 2 Tbsp of heart healthy oils, up to 2 tsp of sugar or 2 small desert servings and then an Extra( I am using that for a glass of wine). So, I am finding that it takes effort for me to limit the grains to 4 per day, but it is doable. The 4 ounces of animal protein - no problem, don't eat much meat anyway. Nuts make a good snack - I mix them with some dried fruit. I have been able to get up to 8 vegetable/fruit servings. I can do this by doing a fruit in the morning and another mid morning with the nuts, 2 veg servings at lunch and dinner, and a vegetable munch in between. I am thinking that since I am not a big person I don't have to get in all the calories.
This combination of foods is similar to a mediteranean diet. Side effects are improved bone density, lower blood presssure, improved lipid profile, weight loss, increased energy and a bit of gas.
So far today: 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal with raisins and 2 tsp transfat free margarine, coffee.
Snack- 2 tbsp raisins, 1/4 cup walnuts, skim milk latte (no sugar), 3/4 cup cubed melon. This was late morning divided between the car and a meeting.
Lunch - 2 cups salad vegs ( greens, radish, cuccumber, tomato) olive oil vinegrette, 2 tbsp blue cheese. 1 tsp ranch dressing. Seltzer water.
Plan for dinner: 1 cup cooked carrots and green beans, 2 ounce chicken in paprika sauce(my recipe from previous entry), 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta.
Snack - small size Kit Kat bar, coffee
I'm having dinner early, so I'll probably be hungry when I get home - More fruit?
Maybe some blueberries and 1/2 cup low fat icecream!!

Pumpking crunch cake - Happy Birthday Hugh

This is day #4, it's late, but I'm still on deadline. Yesterday we celebrated my Father-in-law's 84th Birthday. The family has a number of gluten free people - 2 niece in laws, a nephew in law, my husband and his sister - so I like to bring a dessert they can all eat. Usually the birthday cake is a regular cake and the ice cream cakes have the cookie filling. The dude likes spice type cakes, so I thought I would try this one. It is from, Gluten Free Baking, Richard Coppedge. The cake came out nice and moist with a good texture and was simple to make, not a bunch of steps and messy bowls. Cream cheese frosting and a surprise layer of chocolate and pecans make it special.
I pretty much followed the recipe, just made a few adjustments. I have decided that I rather like weighing the ingredients rather than using measurement, it's much more accurate and results are more consistnet.

Pumking Crunch Cake

2 eggs
1 1/4 cup (10 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup oil (canola)
1 cup (8.5 oz) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (be sure it is gluten free)
1 1/3 cup (8 oz) flour blend #1 ( mix of white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cardamom (my addition)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 cup (5 oz) pecans, chopped

cream cheese frosting- 1 cup 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese (softened), 2 ounces transfat free margarine (softened), 1/2 tsp vanilla; mix until combined. Add 1 cup(8 oz) powdered sugar gradually and mix with hand mixer until combined.

Happy Birthday Hugh - Love and good health.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare 2 round cake pans - oil and dusted with cocoa powder or gluten free flour. Whip eggs, sugar and oil for 3 minutes.
Add pumpkin, puree and vanill, mix to combine
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Spread evenly into the cake pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool for 5-10 minutes before unmolding.

While cake is baking make the chocolate base.
Melt the chocolate and mix in chopped nuts. Spread on waxed paper in a 6" circle, cover with a layer of waxed paper and flatten evenly with a plate. Refrigerate until firm. Unmold onto cake plate and set aside.

To assemble, lightly coat chocolate layer with frosting, place one cake layer on top, fill with frosting, top with remaining frosting and spread over the sides.

Corn Casserole

This is day #3 of me being good about my blog. Being that I got up early this morning, I made buckwheat pancakes -- yup, gluten free buckwheat pancakes. Buckwheat is gluten free (even though wheat is in the name - see previous blog) and make nice pancakes that do not taste weird. I add ground flax seed to up the fiber. On the side, cinnamon apples. Melting 1 tbsp on transfat free margarine with 1 tbsp of brown sugar and a tsp of cinnamon, add a sliced apple and cook until apples are soft and starting to brown. Very yummy on the pancakes.

This afternoon I am planning to make a pumpkin spice cake to bring to my Father in Law's 84th Birthday party. I'll put that in soon if it comes out well.

As I am on Staycation, I have decided to do some larger projects that never seem to get done. Like paint a room and attack the garden. One of my projects is to organize my recipes. It had become quite a mess, with recipes in the wrong places, some not put in and containing recipes that I no longer use or never bothered to make and probably never will. Doing this I ran into a few old favorites. One being "Corn Casserole". I made this before the gluten free days and have since adapted it for the gluten free. Corn is a good gluten free starch, we love the sweet flavor of fresh and even frozen corn. This recipe makes the corn into a nice side dish, that can also be used for breakfast. I significantly lightened up the original recipe. It called for a pound of bacon (I eliminated it), 2 cups of sour cream (changed to lite sour cream) and 1/2 cup butter ( changed to 1/3 cup transfat free margarine). I also add a bit of cayenne pepper to spice it up. In addition I increase the vegetables from what the recipe calls for.

Corn Casserole

1/3 cup transfat free margarine
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 red pepper , chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
5 tbsp rice flour
2 cups lite sour cream
2 pounds frozen corn, thawed
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat the oven to 35o degrees. Melt the margarine in a large dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onion, celery and peppers until soft. Stir in the flour, then the sour cream until well combined. Add the corn and season.
Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until lightly browned.
served 6-8

I have also made this with adding 1 cup of cooked rice - can use brown rice.

TA DA

Waiting for the Potato Chip Article

A few days ago I get an e-mail, the local paper is looking for someone to interview for articles on Mushroom Poisoning and Potato Chips. Hmm poison mushrooms, not in my realm of expertise. Potato Chips, maybe, although I am not a chip person.



Research is done, time set for call is made and reporter is not at her desk. Ok. I', on time, where are you. I might have other things to do today rather that wait for you to call me back. To the blog I go then. This way I can type my inappropriate comments and personal feelings about snack foods. Note- I am not a chip girl. I would rather do my calorie splurges on chocolate and wine.



It is amazing to me that a whole isle in the grocery store is dedicated to chips, pretzels and tortilla chips. Another 2 isles to soda and water products, another 1/2 isle to candy and a half isle to cookies. About 1/2 the store is devoted to "food" that is not good for you.



So I buy a bag of chips to play with them Mostly I want to count how many chips are in 1 ounce, the stated serving size. My daughter looks at me strangely, but she has seen me do stranger things with food. I zero the food scale and weight out 15 chips to make an ounce. These are smallish roundish chips. The big ones would take less. Hmm, 150 calories looks so small. Who can stop at 15 chips?



With the zillion selection of chips, one would think that there would be a big nutritional difference between baked and regular - not really - calories saved per ounce is 30. Calories saved if a piece of fruit is chosen - 70. Most chips, unless salt free are a sodium disaster. Averaging 135 mg per 1 ounce. Flavored chips are even higher, about 250 mg per 1 ounce. 17% of sodium for the day for a goal total 2300 or less. That's just for 15 little chips. Also note that flavored chips also contain wheat products and may be a problem for the gluten sensitive.



More dissing on the chips - compared to a baked potato they have been taken out of the world of vegetables. A small baked potato (5.5 ounces) has 145 calories, no fat, 6 grams of sodium, 6 grams of fiber if you eat the skin and 498 mg of potassium. The ounce of chips in only comparable in potassium content. Vitamin C content goes down in the chips, because of the processing, to almost nothing. The potato will provide 12 mg of vitamin C.



So there you have it , the deal on the chips. If you are at a party try not to park yourself in front of them, they will call your name.



The reporter has called, the interview was good.

Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin and Cabbage

This week I am on "Staycation", so I have promised to update daily. I hope I can keep my promise. Even though I did not "work" today the staycation involved catching up on the minutia of life, plus I got in a work out and a nap. I am on vacation after all. That said, I really did not have much time for cooking this evening, nor did I feel like it.
A pork tenderloin is actually a quick and easy meal, accompanied with lots of veggies of course.
It also makes nice leftover's for the man's lunches. Most recipes I have seen for the tenderloin are really simple, first searing the meat and then cooking for 20 minutes in the oven. 1/2 hour total prep. Mashed potatoes from the freezer and braised carrots, cabbage and leeks round out the meal. For the cabbage: chop one small head of cabbage, slice several large carrots and slice several leeks. Saute leeks and carrots in 1-2 tbsp transfat free margarine and then add the cabbage. Cook covered, stirring often until carrots and cabbage are tender. I like to add pepper to taste. Yum, this satisfied by peasant ancestry.

Coriantder-crusted port tenderloin
(adapted from an Ellie Krieger recipe)

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and butterflied (make a cut up the center)
4 tsp dijon mustard
*1 tbsp ground corriander seed
1 tsp freshly ground black peppre
*1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small dish mix the mustard and spices. Spread evenly over the tenderloin.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet on medium high heat (tenderloin should be a room temp when you start to cook it) Brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
Put the skillet in the oven and roast until thermometer reaches 155 degrees and meat is done through, about 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

* sea salt is not any lower in sodium that iodized salt per weight. Per teaspoon it is slightly lower as the pieces are larger.

*Coriander is a great source of antioxidants and smells beautifully. I like to buy mine from an Indian market as the prices on spices are lower. They do look at you funny when you buy the smallest bag they have. I also buy my cardamom and ginger paste from the market.