Homemade Enchilada sauce... NO MORE CANNED STUFF FOR ME!

Mmmmm....

Okay... I'll explain that...

I have a TON of cooking to do this weekend for a couple of place we are going... and Chicken Enchilada's were a demand request of my boys.

So we went to Costco today, to gather ingredients... and I forgot Enchilada Sauce.

So I got to thinking... (could you smell the smoke?)

What IN that sauce anyway...

So I looked up the ingredients label on line, and was disgusted to find MSG, Modified food starches, guar gum, and a host of other CHEMICALS in a simple sauce...

My solution?

Make it myself of course...

I looked up a recipe online... perused the ingredients... and decided to wing it myself... figuring as long as I had the spices down... I could make tasty AND healthy at the same time!

So here's what I came up with...

Trust me on the ingredients... when I had my boys taste it... they said it tasted JUST like real enchilada sauce...

The following amounts are approximations... you CAN'T mess this recipe up!

1-2 tbs olive oil

1-2 Tbs flour

3 crushed garlic cloves minced...

1 can diced tomatoes or 4 tomatoes cut up into small pieces

1 bunch (2 cups?) mushrooms chopped really small (food processor is great here, just pulse a few times)

1/2 cup chopped green scallions

1 medium onion diced

1 tsp chile powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning mix

(use more of the last three items to taste)

Salt

Pepper

Water to thin the mixture as it cooks

Put all of this into a skillet and cook until thick and bubbly... thin with water a little...

Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulverize until smooth

That's it!!! You just made enchilada sauce!!!

I do NOT claim to know how to make Authentic Mexican fare... however, I will NEVER buy the canned stuff again.  I just had my sons taste this and they loved it.

I layered corn tortillas, the mixture, black olives, lowfat cheddar cheese, scallions in successive layers three times to make this casserole style dish...

I feel really good about having only FRESH ingredients in this dish... no prepacked anything except for the tortillas, which I made sure to buy with only corn, lime and salt as the ingredients... no lard or fillers.

I hope you try this for yourself!!!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pecorino

I LOVE EGGPLANT Parmigiana... LOVE IT... it's on my "Death Row Meals" list... {{Don't know what a "Death Row Meal" is?... If I were ever on Death Row, and about to get electrocuted to pay my sentence, My last meal I'd request would be... Eggplant Parm, Cheesecake Factory lettuce Wraps, Sashimi, Blueberry Pie, and Espresso coffee with lemon...}}

But... alas... I ran out of eggplant this weekend... which is a shocker because I buy 8 per week... I must have been really hungry last week...

I did, however, have a couple of lovely zucchini on hand... and decided to throw caution to the wind... and make myself some Zucchini Parm... OOOHHHH...and I'm sooo glad I did!

This is a stove top version... no baking necessary... so it's ready in a snap!!!

Here's what you need to gather...

3 good sized zucchini

Pecorino Romano or Parmigiana Cheese 1/2 - 1 cup

1 can diced tomatoes (no seasoning, just tomatoes) OR

4 plum tomatoes chopped with juice

1 medium onion

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 tsp dried parsley or 4 tsp fresh

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Slice the zucchini into either long spaghetti like strands, or into cylinders or matchsticks...

Slice your onion

Combine the parsley, 1/4 cup of cheese, the bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl, set aside...

Heat the oil up in a large frying pan,

Saute Onion until soft and translucent

Add zucchini and tomaotes and juice

Cook until tender...

Add tomatoes and cook until they break down somewhat...

Sprinkle on the reserved dry mixture in the small bowl

Stir to combine... cook for another minute or so...

Voila!!!

A dish fit for a great vegetarian lunch!!!

Sprinke with additional Cheese if desired!!!

CROCK POT WEDNESDAY!

OKAY!!!

The weather is heating up... and it's an even better reason to use your crockpot... less use of those hot appliances to heat up your house...

So say you want to make a delicious Chicken Cacciatore... but it's 110 outside...and you'd rather be in the pool?

Well... put it all in the crockpot and forget it!

Here's what you'll need...

A bunch of skinless, chicken pieces... I'm not picky...eat what you like... just make sure to take the skin off and all visible fat...

1 whole sliced onion

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 can PLAIN crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

Please... don't buy that sauce in a jar... it offends me... :)

1-2 tsp dried oregano or Italian Seasoning mix

1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms

1 thinly sliced bell pepper (any color)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dump it all in... set it to high... about 1/2 way through cooking (4 hours) pour in a cup of wine you would drink with a meal... stir, cover, and cook another 4 hours or until the chicken falls off the bone...

Serve over brown rice or Pasta and

ENJOY!!!!!

Corn... Food of the Week.

Corn.  The forbidden veggie on soooo many diets.  Why?  Because it's sweet,  because it's starchy, and because some people just don't know any better.

The corn haters out there... need to get something straight... Corn is good for us.  Yes, it's a grain, and a veggie and the debate goes on and on... but really... it comes down to one thing... It's full of fiber and acts as "nature's broom".

Years ago, I came across a friends notebook full of jokes and one liners... and one entire page was dedicated to
(I'll be nice and not be too graphic here...) Poo. That's not the word it used... and it described all the different types of Poo, in a hilariously creative way... and one stuck in my mind... It said... "Corn Poo... no explanation needed"... and I got it instantly...Stay with me... don't click away yet... I won't stay on this subject much longer...
What it meant was... Corn... ever wonder how you can chew it, and chew it, and chew it for days... and in the end... it still looks like it came out whole? Okay, I 'm done... put the barf bag away...

The reason it does that is the hull... it's indigestible.  THAT is the broom part.  THAT is why it is so much better to eat whole grains and not the stripped way grains... the HULL is what is cleaning the lining of our intestines and taking away bad things with it...

Corn is starchy like bread, and it's gotten a really bad wrap with many diets because of it... but it is a GOOD CARB... it's natural... it's real... it tastes good without having to do anything to it... it can be eaten raw, cooked, steamed, boiled, bbq'd, popped, fried, etc...

Here's my favorite way to cook corn... I never boil my veggies... ever...

Get some corn on the cob... with the husks still one, preferably, and clean the silks off... but keep the husks intact...

mix together in a bowl...

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

pepper

bbq seasoning mix

1/4 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1 clove fresh crushed garlic

Brush the mixture on the corn and BBQ the corn with the husks around the seasoned cob...

The husks will get all blackened and charred... and the corn will steam and get all yummy inside...

Enjoy!!!  No butter necessary!!!

I also add corn to every soup I can... every stir fry, every taco meat mixture... basically to almost everything I eat...  I love it's sweetness, and it's ability to make my body think it's eaten bread.

It's quite a filler upper.

I buy it by the 5lb bag frozen... and keep it handy for all applications...

Corn... Food of the week... A misunderstood, often vilifed food... but a good one to eat...

Crock Pot French Onion Soup... low fat version!

Okay...so I'm back, and my computer is fine... and I need to get back to writing this blog... it keeps me on track with my eating... and keeps me in the game... and when I can't post for whatever reason... I find myself NOT putting my best foot forward...whew...

Soooo... It's Crockpot Wednesday... and even though the weather is warming up... I'd like to share a favorite soup... with all it's curative properties, and it's great flavor... it's not TOO hot outside, and we still have cool evenings around here... so this may become a welcome cup of nourishment...

Crock Pot French Onion Soup

4 large sliced onions

4 cloves crushed or chopped garlic

1 cup dry white wine

6-8 cups beef broth

salt

pepper

bay leaf

 tiny pinch of dried thyme

Grated Romano or Parmigiano Cheese

Good, whole grain, crusty bread (for those that eat bread... my family... not me)

Saute ALL the onions in a skillet until wilted and soft.. not brown... or just dump them into the crock sliced and raw...

Add the broth, wine, salt to taste and pepper, bay leaf, and garlic...

Place the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or more...

At the very end... stir in a tiny amount of butter... real butter... maybe about 1 - 2 tsp only... to enrich the soup...

Toast the good french bread... with a brush of olive oil and a sprinkle of the grated cheese

Ladle the soup over the bread in a bowl, and top with more grated cheese if desired...

*Notice I stayed away from the soft, high fat, oily cheese traditionally used in the recipe...this is waaaay better for you...

Enjoy!!!

Latin Inspired Rice

Quick Healthier Latin inspired Rice

I make this for my family all the time... I do not eat it, not because I don't love it... I do... but because I try not to eat rice very much... but I feel great serving it to my hubby and kids...

What you'll need...

2 packages Trader Joes Brown Rice OR 3 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup frozen corn

1 chopped onion

1 chopped red/green/or yellow bell pepper

1 cup sliced green onions

1 chopped zucchini or grated

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1-2 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

 3 cloves fresh chopped garlic or 1-2 tsp granulated or garlic powder

Heat up a large skillet screaming hot.  Add onion, pepper, zucchini, corn, salt and pepper and saute' until soft...
Add garlic, stir

Add cooked rice, stir to combine...

Add can of tomatoes, stir

Season again to taste

Sprinkle on cumin and chopped green onions...

stir to combine...

Heat Through...

To make this a meal, and a complete protein... add a large can of black beans to the mixture and make it a main dish... add a salad and some fresh avocado... and

yahooooo! Eat well... WITHOUT MEAT!

Stock...Chicken, Beef or Veggie... 101

This is the food of the week... HOMEMADE STOCK.

Yes... you CAN make it yourself.. I promise.  It'll taste better, look better and feed  you better than anything from a can or box... I PROMISE!!!

The great thing about homemade stock is the control of salt, and all the vitamins and minerals that you DRINK from all the veggies you cook in it..

I like to make stock fresh each week... with whatever I have on hand... veggies, beef bones, chicken bones... fish bones... what ever you have...

Also, I like to use REMNANTS of veggies, and not waste an entire, good, perfect veggie I could eat whole, if the ends and peels will do just fine anyway...

What I mean is... when I do my prep each week... I will not discard the tops and bottoms of the onions, or zucchini, or the outer leaves of cabbage... I will wash them up and add them to my stock to boil down until it is no longer recognizable.

Here's how I make Stock...

NUMBER ONE RULE...

DO NOT PUT SALT IN YOUR STOCK...AT ALL...

Salt comes in when you USE the stock in a recipe, so you have total control.

8-10 quart stock pot

fresh water

carrot tops, or 4 carrots chopped into 2 inch pieces

5 stalks celery, the leaves are perfect for stock

1 quartered onion or the peels and tops of onions

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Any veggies you have that are on their way out... or that you love...

 (except eggplant, it does NOT make for good stock when boiled... trust me)

***

Now.. the above is veggie stock... if  you want beef stock, add a nice beef bone or a few small bones, same for chicken, or fish... just add the bones.

***

COOK THAT SUCKER FOR HOURS AND HOURS with the lid on... until all the veggies are soft and have nothing left to give..

Cool it, strain it, and place it in an airtight container in your fridge for a week... use it for soups, cous cous, water for rice, anything!!!

Add salt when making the recipes it is used in...

ENJOY!!!

Food of the Week...Onions

Not a day goes by... that I don't use an onion... somehow... somewhere... in my cooking.

They are the perfect start to almost any dish... raw or cooked...

Full of cancer fighting compounds... they also help to stave off infection and viruses...

People tend to have a Love/Hate relationship with onions... they either love em or hate em... not in between.

Almost any onion can be made milder and sweeter by cooking it.  I LOVE the Red/Purple onions... they have a great bite and a gorgeous color.  Vidalias, when in season, are another fave... they are so sweet, you can almost bite into them like an apple...almost...

Every pot of soup, stir fry, pasta sauce, salad, taco mixture, meatball, burger, you name it... starts out with chopped or sliced onion...saute'd in my house...  Add garlic... and the aroma is sheer heaven... and it permeates the neighborhood.  My neighbors always tell  me they can smell my cooking from the street.

One of my MOST favorite recipes is an Apricot Chicken dish... that is divine, and it features an onion sauce that is OUT OF THIS WORLD... I made the recipe up all by myself when I was just starting out cooking from scratch... when I needed to "use what I had"... and it's become a family favorite...
I call it Alex Chicken... because it's my Alex's favorite dish...

Here's what you'll need...

10 chicken thighs, skin removed and all visible fat trimmed off

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 - 3/4 cup Apricot Pineapple Jam/marmalade

1 cup any kind of wine you like or 1 cup beef broth if you don't do wine

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tsp butter

Put a little olive oil into a screaming hot frying pan, and sear those chicken thighs until golden brown and the juices run clear...

Remove chicken and set aside...

Reserve drippings (there won't be much... if you defatted)

Throw in onions and saute until translucent and almost browning

Add wine/broth

Add jam
Add butter

Stir and simmer to thicken sauce...

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the chicken back into the sauce and simmer another few minutes...

Make some mashed Sweet Potatoes or some Brown Rice or Cous Cous and some

lovely Green Beans... and EAT UP!!!

The sauce is AWESOME over rice or couscous and as a gravy over the potatoes...

It's even good the next day cold...

Enjoy!!!

Onions... they are a great thing!!!

Mayo FREE Slaw...

I was watching a local food show yesterday, and this recipe for a Mediterranean MAYO FREE slaw popped onto the screen and I jumped up and had to try it.  I LOVE CABBAGE... and I had just purchased 3 huge heads the day before... and this recipe was ready in minutes!

Here's what  you'll need...

1 or 2 heads of sliced cabbage

4 shredded carrots

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

juice of one lemon

1 tsp celery seed or fresh sliced celery (I used the seeds... less water, all the flavor)

1 tsp sugar (or not)

Pinch of dill weed

Toss it all together, place it in a Lock n Lock or a tight container and refrigerate until you wanna devour it.

You can add any veggies you love to this... peppers, cukes, onions... you name it...

It DOES NOT taste like regular mayo coleslaw... it's a different flavor profile... but when I tried it last night... right after it was made... I loved it.

I am not a mayo fan... one jar lasts us an entire year... so this was a great alternative that has a clean, fresh taste...

I hope you'll try it...

Roasted Veggies 102

Roasting Veggies 102

Got a lot of questions about this today... and wanted to make sure that I explained and showed some pics about what and how my eggplant get cooked and what they look like when done...

First I cut my eggplant into 1/2 inch disks.... then lightly brush both sides with Olive Oil and sprinkle with a little salt... on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

This is 2 eggplants... cut up..

See the salt?

Then I place them... just like this... into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so... until they look like this...

The I either just eat them right off the sheet, or I package them up into a Lock N Lock and fridge them until my next meal.

I eat them cold.  I LOVE them that way.

It's very simple... and very delicious.

Sometimes I cut them up into chunks and eat them over a large salad, but mostly... I eat them just like this...

I also roasted some Butternut Squash today...

I used to peel and dice it up... but found this method MUCH easier  and the roasting carmelizes the natural sugars and give this a much better flavor...

This is going to be Butternut and Corn with Pea slurry tonight... for lunches for me for the week.

First...

I cut them in half, lenthwise...

Aren't they gorgeous?  So vibrant... love eating my colors...

Then I scooped out the seeds...

Then I brushed them with Olive Oil

Then I laid them cut side down in a foil lined, lipped baking sheet...

And oiled the skin too...

And roasted them at 390 degrees for about 1/2 hour and I'm now letting them cool.

When they've cooled...

I'm going to scoop out the lovely flesh, discard the peel,

and place the flesh into a cast iron pot of saute'd white onions and salt... and heat through...

then add frozen corn, and frozen peas...

heat that through... add a little curry seasoning... some pepper...

then get my immersion blender and pulverize it all into a thick, lovely mash... and put it back on the stove and add some lovely homemade stock to thin it out a bit...

and let it cool, put it into a lock and lock and have soup all week... hot or cold... it's delish!!!

I'll top each bowl full off with a mixture of

diced tomatoes

diced pineapple

diced onion

cilantro chopped

dash of honey

salt

pepper

and have a lovely pineapple salsa on hand... you can add mango too .. or anything you like!!!

Food of the Week... Carrots!

The carrot.

The food of rabbits.

Good for the eyes.

Bugs Bunny's picture is splattered on almost every bag of them.

When most people see a carrot... they immediately think of... "diet food".

They are seen as something to eat OTHER than the food that one really WANTS to eat.

I'm here to change that thinking.

I love me some carrots.

First of all... look at that color.  When I keep preaching to "eat your colors"... this vibrant veggie is definitely in the mix.  You can cook a carrot any which way, and it will be great.

Or DON'T cook it, and it is equally as great.

Did you know that orange isn't the only color carrots come in?  Stop by any good Farmer's Market and you'll see an array of GORGEOUS carrots. Purple, red, yellow, white... yep... I'm not fibbing!

See?

Don't be afraid to try them.  It's pretty cool to eat a purple carrot.  In my book, any food that is purple is awesome... I always buy purple potatoes from Trader Joes...

My favorite recipes for carrots...

Saute'd Carrots

10 peeled and diagonally sliced carrots

1 sliced onion

1 screaming hot pan with a little olive oil in it

Throw in the onions and carrots and saute until a little carmelized. At this point, you can add frozen peas and heat through, or frozen corn, or cabbage.

Then I add seasonings... salt, pepper, Worcestrshire sauce (dash) and a dash of soy sauce.

Or any steak seasoning or rub you like!

OR...

Carrot/Raisin Salad

Shred up in a food processor as many carrots as you want salad for...

Grab a couple of hands full of raisins

Cut up a Granny Smith apple into tiny bits (optional)

Dressing... A TINY BIT of mayo

OR

 My fave... mix together

1/4 cup orange juice

1 dash soy sauce

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 cut up green onion

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs preservative free dry soup mix...

and pour it over the carrots and raisins... YUM!!!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE roasted carrots...

Line a baking sheet with a lip, with foil...

peel and cut a bunch of carrots or pour out a bag of baby carrots into a bowl

season with salt, pepper, olive oil

toss them around to coat...

pour into the baking sheet and roast them at 425 for about 10-15 minutes...

and enjoy the lovely, warm sweetness... with your favorite roast or as a snack...

I also grate carrot into my turkey burgers, into meatballs, into breads, over salads, and on sandwiches... for added color, crunch and nutrition.

I buy them by the 5 lb bag.

Carrots... the food of the week...

Enjoy! and eat your ORANGE!

What to do with a Costco Chicken...

Don’t you just love Costoc’s rotisserie chicken? I do. It’s inexpensive, additive free, and it just tastes sooo yummy!


When I’m short on time, and I know I won’t be able to prepare any chicken ahead of time during my prep… I buy two Costco chickens…

I make…

Chicken Fajitas, tacos, stir fries, soup, stock from the bones, cacciatore and a host of other things as well…

It is a very versatile product… and I like how big they are. As soon as I get them home, I skin them, and pull every morsel of meat off the bone and put it into a large freezer bag, take the air out and place it in my fridge… Viola! Insta-meat! I don’t bother with my freezer for this… it lasts an entire week in the fridge, and since I have 5 to prepare meals for… it doesn’t last long anyway…

A favorite recipe around here is…

1 torn up Costco chicken

2 red bell peppers, sliced

2 onions, sliced

8 mushrooms, sliced

2 cups frozen corn

cumin

taco seasoning

salt

pepper

Saute up the onions, mushrooms, corn and pepper until golden… add cumin, taco seasoning, salt, pepper and chicken… stir to combine…
Eat this at lunchtime…

For bread eaters… serve over spanish BROWN rice or in tortillas.

Add Guacamole and salsa to liven it up…

Enjoy!!!

Cabbage... Food of the Week.

I love this stuff… raw, cooked, baked, broiled, you name a way to eat it… and I probably have…


I recently found out that a lady I know has been fighting a terrible battle with breast cancer. I started looking up foods I could make for her to help combat it’s recurrence once she is better, (she asked me to) and I noticed on all my searches… that cabbage, namely the Cruciferous Family of veggies came up every. single. time. Turns out… it is a POWERHOUSE of cancer fighting… the Superman of vegetables. I’m not kidding… it’s literally written up that in 70 percent of 100 studies, cabbage consumption was associated with lower cancer risk.

I eat a LOT of cabbage. A WHOLE LOT. Always have. I eat it raw too… yes, even when I wasn’t eating right… cabbage was a mainstay in my fridge. I buy it in huge 5 lbs bags, preshredded, but have learned that buying it whole is better for me… so I am finishing up my bag and will switch to heads of it next week.

I use it in every stirfry, I mix it with every green salad, and I love the purple cabbage too. It can be stuffed, bbq’d, broiled, shaved, sliced, diced, tossed and steamed…
It gets sweet when cooked… but has more cancer fighting ability when eaten raw…

I make a Peasant Pasta with it…for my hubby and kids…

1 whole cabbage sliced thinly

1 whole onion, sliced thinly

olive oil

salt

pepper

Heat your pan up until it screaming hot… and add the onions… then the cabbage to the hot oil and saute until wilted… salt and pepper to taste

While that’s cooking, boil up some pasta ( about one pound of short, tube pasta like Penne)…

Drain pasta, and add it to the cabbage and onion “sauce”… top with grated hard cheese… and enjoy

Butternut, corn and pea slurry...

This soups is great hot or cold… it’s thick, rich, tastes like it has a ton of fat and calories in it… (it doesn’t at all) and it’s EASY!!! The picture above is the soup without the peas… and I love it with peas…


So.. here’s what ya do…

Gather

1 large Butternut Squash, peel and seed and chop it up into 1 inch chunks

2 cups frozen peas (set aside)

1 cup frozen corn (set aside)

4-6 cups of water or fat free stock of your choice (both are good, no worries…)

salt

pepper

Curry powder if you like or some dried dill weed… or not…

Cook the butternut chunks in the water or stock until tender… add salt to taste, pepper to taste, corn, peas, and seasonings… and cook until heated through…

Pour all of it into a food processor or blender, or take a stick blender like I have, and pulverize it until it’s a luscious thick mass of tastiness…

Add more water or stock to desired thickness… and eat up!!!

It’s a great color combo, and like I said… it tastes yummy cold, with pineapple salsa stirred into it…

Mangia!!!!

Stuffed Veggies Boats...

Yum… and can I just say YUM!!!


I love stuffed everything… mushrooms, cabbage, peppers.. you name it… I’m a fan of stuffing it… LOL! BUT!!! a lot of the ingredients in traditional stuffed foods are no-no’s on the LDL plan… so I did a little change here and there, and think I came up with some tasty alternatives…

First, gather your “boats”… the things you want to stuff…

Either cut them in half and scoop out a little of the pulp or cut the top off, and stand it up… KEEP THE SCOOPED BITS…

Then saute up a chopped onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, some green onion, the pulp of the veggie boat, some chopped mushrooms, a handful of grated Parmigiana or Romano cheese, a little water or chicken stock, salt, pepper and (if you allow yourself brown rice, use it…) otherwise leave it out, and a tiny bit (2 oz) of feta cheese crumbles (or not) and get it all cooked up and bubbly and yummy.

Sprinkle in about a tsp of cumin, and if you like things spicy, some cayenne or red pepper flakes, and stir it into the mixture until well blended.

Stuff the mixture into each vessel, and sprinkle a tiny bit of the grated low fat cheese on top… Bake in a baking dish at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the top gets crusty…

Enjoy!!!

Broccoli, or Cauliflower, or Zucchini Salad

We Italians… we know how to eat… and eat well. Olive oil is a staple in every true Italian home. I don’t even own another kind of oil. But I do have Extra virgin, virgin, and light olive oils…


My Mama’s version of Potato Salad is truly divine… to say the least… but since I am off potatoes, I only make enough to feed my men… and I just pick the string beans out of it and eat them…

Since I was a little girl, every year, when broccoli was at its peak, Mama would make a fantastic broccoli salad. No, it’s not that mayonaisse version with bacon and raisins and nuts so many love these days… this one is just a light, flavorful, crunchy salad that sings on the tongue!

Here’s what you’ll need…

1 big bag (2 lbs) of broccoli florets or cut your own florets into 1 inch pieces…

2 lemons

1 large stock pot, heavy as possible filled with 8 quarts of salted water, brought to a rapid boil

olive oil

salt

pepper

Steam or quickly blanche the broccoli until bright green and crisp tender… DO NOT COOK UNTIL THEY LOSE THEIR COLOR… yuck!!! They’ll be all soggy and gross…
Strain and Quickly place them into a big ice bath to stop the cooking…

Pat dry, and place into a large bowl

Add the juice of both lemons… (it sounds like a lot… but trust me…)

add about 1/4 – 1/2 olive oil to the florets

sprinkle with salt to taste

Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper

Serve immediately… the lemon “cooks” the broccoli… so if you want to have a little bit everyday for lunch… Just juice the lemons ahead of time, and place the juice into a small container, add all the olive oil and salt and pepper only to the broccoli, and the day you want to eat your salad, then dress with the lemon juice in the amount that suits you… Does that make sense?

Now…as for the cauliflower and zucchini salads… The lemon does NOT cook them for some reason… so add it right away and let it sit in the fridge… soooooooo yummy! My favorite is the zucchini and cauliflower…

I like to mix them also… especially the broccoli and cauliflower… on a hot summer day… in the morning I’ll cook up a boat load of broc and caul and ice it up and let it air dry… then for dinner, I’ll dress it, and we all fight over it…



Enjoy!!!

Cucumber or Greek Salad

I love me some cukes. Especially the Hothouse variety. There are two salads I make… all the time… using this wonderful veggie… that I’d love to share with you…

 you can… using a food processor or fine mandoline will be great…
Do the same with the onion… shredd the carrot
Combine all the rest of the ingredients and pour over the cukes… cover and refrigerate for 2 hours… EAT UP!!! My kids FIGHT OVER IT!

Cucumber Salad

2-3 English/Hothouse cucumbers (why those kind? less bitterness, no need to peel, and no wax)

1 thinly sliced red or white sweet onion

1 carrot… shredded finely

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cups olive oil

2 TBS honey or 2 tsp sugar (please… no splenda or other concoctions if you can help it… be kind to yourself)

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp dried dill weed (or not)

THINLY slice the cucumbers into rounds… as thinly as

AND…

Greek Salad

2 hothouse cukes cut into chunks

1 thinly sliced onion

5 roma tomatoes, small chunked

1 jar kalamata olives (optional)

1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Pinch dried Oregano (if not… don’t worry)

Salt and pepper to taste

Let all the ingredients marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. *** Add Feta just before serving, or it will get soupy…

My family loves these salads, and they keep really well in the refrigerator for a few days. One way I like to serve it for my family, after I take a portion out for me… on the Greek Salad… is to mix in chunks of cubed sourdough bread. It turns it into a Panzanella, that is a hearty meal.

Chicken Cacciatore... mmmm

So today’s lunch was a feast.


Since I had my men home for the past 3 days… I made us a huge lunch to send them back to work and school with good food!

Truth be told, we always eat huge lunches… but this was especially large…

Lunch was green beans with lemon and sesame seeds, GINORMOUS salad with red cabbage, artisan lettuce, cukes, radishes, corn, carrots, tomatoes and my special dressing, Israeli couscous for my men, homemade sourdough for my men to sop up the juices, and the Chicken Cacciatore…

So… grab some great chicken, with bones but no skin, salted and peppered, and add them to a screaming hot frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil… when it is brown and luscious, take them out, and add little more olive oil.

Grab a big onion, chop it up and add it to a screaming hot olive oiled pan, then chop up a red bell pepper into strips and toss them in. Then peel and chop 4 garlic cloves and add to the onion/pepper mixture… Open a can or two of tomatoes or chop 5 fresh romas and add it to the onion/peppers…

Add oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and any other italian seasonings you enjoy.

Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of any wine you like to drink.

Simmer until reduced.

Add chicken back in, and continue to simmer about 1/2 hour until the chicken is soft and the sauce is bubbly.

I didn’t have mushrooms today, or I would have added them in. I like crimini, but you can add button or portobello.


We had leftovers, so I will have a treat tomorrow for lunch!
Enjoy!

Guacamole... use sparingly... but use it...mmmmm

Here’s my favorite way to make guacamole… WARNING… this is a GRINGA recipe… meaning… hardly any heat… add jalapeno all you want… it’s not for me…

5 large Haas Avacado’s (the bumpy kind) peeled and mashed slightly

1 small onion, chopped finely

3 roma tomatoes, chopped small

bunch of cilantro, chopped

juice of 2 limes

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Jalapeno (optional, but according to my hubby, necessary) 

Mix it all together,cover and refrigerate for about an hour…

I love using this on my bunless burgers, and mixed into a green salad, topping homemade refried beans or shelless taco salad!!!

Enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps... My favorite!

Since I no longer eat bread of any kind (personal preference, I’m not saying you should) I’ve had to get creative with my sandwiches. When I eat my Turkey Bean Burgers, I put all the fixings of a burger on them, then wrap it all up in a lovely lettuce encasement and eat up. I truly don’t miss the bread, and my kids have taken to eating them this way from time to time also!


But… one of my all time favorite meals to eat in restaurants (especially the CheeseCake Factory) is Lettuce Wraps. I. LOVE. THEM. LOOOOOOVE THEM! Catch my drift?

I am always trying to duplicate them at home… and I love it. There’s a lot of prep, but the ingredients last for a week in the fridge, and I can have a few wraps every day and be sooo happy! Word to the wise… I have yet to find alternatives to some of the ingredients, so until I find good tasting condiments that are minimally processed, I’m not worrying too much about the ingredients in this recipe… you will… however… notice that I have some ingredients that I wouldn’t necessarily eat, like nuts or peanut butter, but I do make it for my family… I use a good bottled hot asian sauce I enjoy…you can add what you like…

1 head buttery lettuce or Romaine lettuce (iceberg is a waste of time, don’t even bother)

4 carrots, shredded or julienned

2 english cucumbers very thinly sliced and marinated (see below)
bbq’d or broiled chicken breast or shrimp or fish, seasoned and marinated how you wish
thinly sliced green onion finely diced red pepper (or yellow or green)

A bottle of our favorite Asian peanut or Thai sauce

Wash and dry your lettuce and set aside, chop your veggies and place them into separate bowls

To the cucumbers after slicing, marinate them in a little olive oil, 1 tsp sugar or 1 tbs honey, balsamic vinegar, celery seed and hot pepper flakes.

If you don’t want to buy a bottle of sauce, mix up 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1-2 tbs soy sauce, 2 tbs honey, 1/2 tsp grated gingeroot and one clove of garlic.

Then… just build your wraps adding any or all the ingredients you like…
Sometimes, I eat the wraps without the chicken or shrimp, if I’ve already eaten my protein for the day. It’s just as delightful vegetarian