Monday, July 11, 2011

"Alfredo" sauce

I brought my leftover cashew cream sauce to mom's house and tonight we had spaghetti. The boys don't particularly like red sauce so I wanted to try making this alfredo sauce with the cashew cream sauce as a base. So, starting with a little less than a regular batch of the cashew cream sauce, I:

Heated 1 TBSP olive oil on low. Added about 2 cloves of garlic and sauteed for about 2 minutes. Added the cashew sauce, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, salt, pepper and some coconut oil. It was delish!!! It was pretty thick upon cooling and next time I'd add some kind of unsweetened milk (almond or coconut would be good) and would do without the coconut oil. I'm quite surprised how much it really did taste like alfredo sauce, just without all the saturated fat!

Super Smoothies!!!

We love smoothies at our house! The different combinations are limitless but these are the basic recipes for  some of our favorites:

Super Immunity/Antioxidant Booster

1cup frozen blueberries
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon elderberry extract
I prefer organic blueberries. While researching for a college paper on nutrition, I learned that in one study, organic blueberries were found to have four times the amount of antioxidants as conventionally grown. Plus, blueberries are on the "dirty dozen" list, but they can be pricey. So when I can find them at a decent price I like to stock up. Or I use mixed berries. Otherwise, I stand by my usual policy that any produce, organic or not, is better than none and even when using conventionally grown produce you're still getting some great antioxidants and phytochemicals. I also like fresh squeezed orange juice, which has become much easier since I purchased a citrus juicer attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. Fresh juice contains more of the beneficial enzymes. If I do not have orange juice on hand, I just use whatever we have. This morning it was 100% fruit juice, cranberry grape. Other additions to this smoothie could be echinacea, cold-milled flax, or chia seeds. I also LOVE to add fresh baby spinach for a great iron boost! I have a really hard time getting Ty to eat leafy greens, but I can sneak spinach into this smoothie with no problem. The dark color of the berries covers the color of the spinach and the orange juice (vitamin C) helps aid in the absorption of the iron. And you can't taste the spinach at all!

Super Protein

1 banana
1 big glob of peanut butter (measurements not precise!)
1-2 TBSP cold-milled flax
1/2 cup almond milk (or more, to help blend smooth)
Handful of ice
This is a good one to have in the morning when we're going out for the day and I need to fill everyone up and make it last. Adding a tablespoon or two of coco powder would be good, too. I've also heard of adding avocado to smoothies with banana, but I haven't tried that yet. Sometimes I have to add a teaspoon of honey if the banana's not sweet enough, too.

There are a great many of powdered protein and powdered greens mixes on the market but I prefer real, whole food so that's what I use. We were having smoothies just about every day, but the boys started getting bored and not wanting to drink them. So, now I freeze them in the popsicle molds! The novelty of eating a popsicle versus the hum-drum smoothie is alluring to them. Silly boys!

It's BEEF day!!!

I thought I'd try and write this up before I get started in the kitchen so that this doesn't end up being more of a "yesterday in mom's kitchen" blog! Since we only eat beef occasionally (once every couple of weeks), I get kind of excited on beef day! I was going to do hamburgers tonight, but the skies grew dark and we had a surprise thunderstorm (yay!). So I'm doing this instead:

1 lb ground beef (from our grass-fed stock in the freezer)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic
Grated cheese (we have cheddar on hand)

Brown the ground beef with the italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Set aside to drain and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the pan. Return the beef to the pan to heat. Serve topped with grated cheese on these:

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns/Hoagies adapted from this: http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-hamburger-and-hot-dog-buns-bread-machine-169916

1 cup water+1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
Mix in a bowl, cover and let soak for 12-24 hours (honestly, I only let it soak for about 5 hours; better than nothing!). Place into the bread machine and select "dough" option. While it's kneading, add:
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP flour+3/4 teaspoon salt
Let it knead for a few more minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of yeast. Let finish on dough cycle, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into desired portions. For hoagies or hot dog buns, break off a palm-sized amount and roll into a large, wide rectangle, then fold lengthwise in half. Place on a lightly greased pan, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes, until doubled in size. Bake at 15 minutes until golden.

I made one of these sandwiches up, put it on a plate to take a picture of it, but my husband ate it! So, I'll be working on the picture thing some more. It takes a little more organization to take pictures while cooking than I ever would have thought! Plus, I spend a good deal of time making my food taste good, not look good!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Roasted butternut squash, sauteed kale with cashew cream sauce, and brown rice risotto

Last night I had a few things on my mind, so I decided to cook them all, since I have some stuff in the fridge that I need to finish up before we leave for Cali. Here we are:

1) Roasted butternut squash. Super easy, just need to allow enough time to cook.

Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise (we had 2) and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Pour a small amount of water in the bottom of a jelly roll pan, place the squash flesh side down in the water and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, turn them over and brush with coconut oil (or olive oil or butter) and sprinkle with salt and dried thyme. Bake for about 25 minutes more or until it is soft when poked with a fork. That's it!

2) Sauteed kale with cashew cream sauce. I was intrigued when I saw this in the Eat to Live book so I was excited to give it a try. I used raw unsalted cashews so that I can control the amount of salt in the sauce.

Soak 1 cup raw cashews in 1 cup water for 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse. Place in a blender with 1 1/2 cups of water, puree on high for 2-3 minutes. Place in a saucepan and heat on low for about 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, chop 1 bunch of kale, stems removed. Pour 1 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet and heat on low. Saute the kale and 2 cloves minced or crushed garlic. Add salt to taste. TC had 4 helpings of this (without the cashew sauce. I drenched everything in the cashew sauce!).

3) Brown rice risotto. I love creamy rice dishes and fell in love with risotto a few years ago when I realized how simple it really is to make! And there are so many variations; next I'm going to make it with the leftover butternut squash :D My recipe is adapted from this:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/03/2092607/creamy-brown-rice-risotto.html

Add 1 cup rinsed, short grain brown rice to 2 cups boiling water. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes, then remove from heat. The rice will not be completely cooked!

1 TBSP coconut oil
12 ounces (1 package) mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (I used crimini, which have a wonderful earthy flavor, but the white ones would do)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms and onions for about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the thyme, rice, and broth. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hope you enjoy the recipes! Ok, I'm ready to go eat the leftovers, now...

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I have all but kicked my sugar addiction to the curb but I still crave chocolate nearly every day (sometimes all throughout the day!). I usually keep a couple of organic dark chocolate bars in the pantry that I can nibble on but last night my husband beat me to it and polished off the last of them. So I decided to give this a try:

1 lb silken tofu 
1/2 cup soy milk (I used almond because that's what I had, but next time I want to try coconut milk)
3/4 cup coco powder (I used a scant 2/3 cup and it was still way to much; maybe just 1/2 cup next time)
6 TBSP sugar (I used 2 dates, but it wasn't sweet enough, so I added some maple syrup; I do want to master the art of using dates as a sweetener in blended recipes)
Put everything in the blender. That's it!

So, at the end of it I had a very altered recipe (huh, when do I not?), but it was GOOD! Other than being a little too heavy on the chocolate and having a slight hint of the almond milk flavor, I will definitely give this another try! And the family LOVED it! Of course, I didn't tell them it was made with tofu, hee hee!


Oh, and sorry no pictures...it was gone too fast :D

Friday, July 8, 2011

About my views on food and nutrition

I've read a book or two on nutrition and have come to some conclusions that I believe will best serve my family. Upon reading Real Food, by Nina Plank, I learned that the preferred forms of dairy are raw. However, it is illegal to sell raw milk and milk products in the state of Nevada, so that's out. I purchase 2 1/2 gallons of 2% milk each week from a dairy in Utah that delivers milk pasteurized using the high temp, short time method. This method of pasteurization does not kill off all of the healthy enzymes in the milk. Ideally, I would like to find an alternative that the boys would accept, but so far, no dice. I do make homemade almond milk quite regularly which is really good, but they still request "regular milk." Also, upon reading The Coconut Oil Miracle, by Bruce Fife, I have learned that the medium chain fatty acids in coconut milk/oil are quite healthy. So I like to cook with coconut milk as it is a very healthy, creamy alternative to heavy cream and it does not have an overly coconut flavor. So, that's my take on milk and alternatives.
For cooking oils, I use coconut oil as much as I can, but for the very occasional fried dish, I like Spectrum brand's non-hydrogenated shortening. It works just like crisco but is composed of healthy fats that withstand very high heat. I also like olive oil and grape seed oil for very low temp sauteing and for use in salad dressings (sesame oil's great in salad dressings, too). I avoid canola oil as it is a gmo product, as is soybean oil. Peanut oil is very high in omega 6, which can offset the bodies balance of omega 3's, so I try to avoid that as well, especially since we get our omega 6's from eating organic peanut butter almost daily!
I am quite particular about the meat products we choose as well. We order 1/12 of a cow from a local grass-fed beef co-op and this lasts us 7 months+, since we only eat beef maybe once a week (more like every other week). I get free-range chicken from costco, which is still pretty pricey, but I might use one chicken breast in a dish to feed the whole family, so I stretch it and make it last. I have a hard time finding either organic or pastured pork, so I rarely use it. I did recently come across a company that ships organic sausages (made with pork) and purchased a groupon for it, so I look forward to trying it out and cooking with sausage again! My whole family developed a love for salmon while living in the Pacific Northwest, so that's a treat to us on occasions when I can find it at a decent price. I usually buy fish frozen, since it is quite often fresher than the choices in the fish department. We eat fish so infrequently that I'm not as concerned with what type, although I do not care for bottom feeders and try to choose those higher in omega 3's, like salmon. Halibut is my absolute favorite, but of course it's one of the most expensive! Shell fish is a rarity around here, too, but the boys absolutely LOVE shrimp, so I'll splurge on that every few months. They also like sandwich meat and *gulp* hot dogs, so I choose the ones without nitrates/nitrites (there's an all-natural brand at the store). All in all, I might cook two or three meals a week with meat. I like to cook beans, nuts, and organic tofu.
So, you may wonder: if we eat hardly any meat and very little dairy, what DO we eat? The book Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, convinced me that consuming a large amount of real, whole foods with a high nutrient to calorie ratio would lead to optimal health. Therefore, I spend a large portion of our food budget on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. I buy organic as much as possible, but simply cannot afford to 100% of the time. I save money by purchasing a weekly box of organic produce from a local co-op and monthly I place an order with another co-op that has a wide selection of organic flours, grains, and groceries. We eat a LOT of fresh produce! I have a large salad each day for lunch, the boys are served raw vegetables at lunch (broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, jicima, bell peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes) and I try to prepare at least two, if not three, vegetables with dinner, either as a side or incorporated in the main dish. I try to have "smoothie time" each day to sneak in some greens (the best combination for this is frozen blueberries, orange juice, and spinach). Snacks are fresh fruits and veggies and nuts, maybe a muffin. They love peanut butter, almond butter and cashews and a raw candy I make with walnuts and raisins (I'll post recipes later). Whole grains: they love plain, brown rice! I like quinoa, but the rest of the family still hasn't acquired a taste for it. I bake a lot of whole grain muffins and breads and have recently learned about the nutritional benefit of soaking grains to reduce the amount of phytic acid (which can block the absorption of other nutrients). I have also recently found some sprouted grain bread products which we all really like.
We avoid artificial food colorings, preservatives, and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated  oils and foods high in animal fat (like cheese). If I do purchase processed or packaged foods, I am diligent about reading labels. And we avoid refined sugars. I use honey, molasses, coconut crystals, maple syrup and stevia. I don't even have a package of granulated white sugar in my pantry!

I want to make certain that it is understood that all of these choices were made in increments. I did not wake up one day and completely throw everything out of my kitchen and start over. I use what I have and if there's a better option I've learned about, I may give it a try the next go around. Small changes over time are much easier to accept and adopt than drastic changes. I hope I can serve as an inspiration and a reference for healthier cooking and eating practices in your home!

Homemade ramen

So, I call this "ramen" because it satisfies my craving for the packaged stuff I grew up on, minus all the funky ingredients I cannot pronounce. There are many ways to make this vegetable+noodle soup but this is what I did last night:

Boiled one small package of soba noodles (enough for one serving). These cook in 5 minutes, then I drained them and added 2 cups of vegetable broth into the pot, along with about 1 1/2 cups of chopped veggies. Suggestions (any combination of the following):
kale, spinach, bok choy or similar greens, chopped
carrots
onions
scallions
garlic
mushrooms
broccoli
snow peas
peas
zucchini
bamboo shoots, baby corn or other asian-type veggies
red pepper flakes!!!

I cooked the veggies in the broth, then added about 1 TBSP sesame oil and about 1/3 cup tofu cubes (all I had on hand was silken, but I would have preferred firm; the boys ate it, though!). I added the noodles back, turned the heat off and put the lid on it to warm everything together but not cook it anymore.

Yum! Ty even asked for seconds!