Turkey, Vegetable, Bean Ragu - Italian or Mexican

This is your typical clean out the fridge recipe.  But ragus can be really, really tasty comfort food especially on a cold day.  You can exchange vegetables according to what you've got in your fridge.  

Pretty much all Italian, French and American sauces start with carrots, onions and celery so really you should just keep those on hand 100% of the time.  They are staples like bread and milk.  But beyond that really whatever you've got at hand will do, from kale to eggplant to potatoes (although potatoes and other tubers need to be put in during the last 25 minutes only, otherwise they'll overcook).  You can skip the fresh tomatoes and the beans altogether if you wish and replace it with more vegetables or just have a smaller amount of sauce.  But the canned tomatoes are a must too and really should also be considered a staple as you can do so many things with them.  I buy canned tomatoes in boxes from warehouse stores and i make my own broth and freeze it.  

If you don't have broth you can put a cup of wine, red or white - although i'd stay away from anything sweet and put that in with a cup of water instead of the broth.  Or go a little crazy and use 2 cups of red wine - i wouldn't do that with white.  Or use a can of bear and some water.  Really ragu is easy and fun because there are so many ways you can go.  You can have it be a little saucier for your pasta or do like i have it arranged here.  You can use more of the carrots, celery and onions although i wouldn't use less. And in the process you're cleaning out your fridge of almost ready to turn vegetables or bits and pieces leftover.  Bell peppers, mustard greens (cut into very small pieces), turnips, beets, really you name it.  Also any ground meat will do: pork, turkey, chicken, beef, veal or sausage.

Anyway this one went really well.  As i cook nowadays i take photos and the ones that turn out real well i post (i've been having difficulties with my camera and so have been out of commission for a while but i'm back in action using a cell phone until i can either find the camera cord or get a new one).

2 Tbls Olive oil

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

3 garlic cloves

1 lg onion

2 medium zucchini

2 tomatoes

2 cans tomatoes - chopped or whole (up to you)

1 1/4 lb ground 99% fat free turkey (try Jenny-Os)

1/2 lb kidney beans plus 2 bay leaves  (or two cans)

2 cups chicken, vegetable or turkey broth

extra water as needed

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp italian herbs (or use a combo of basil, rosemary and thyme) (i used Trader Joe's 21 herbs)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

extra salt to taste

To make the beans before hand if you don't buy the canned, put a large pot full of water on the stove and add the beans and 2 bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Drop down to lowest setting, put on lid and let go for 2 hrs.  Don't add salt.  Or conversely you can put water, beans and bay leaves in a crockpot on low for 8-10 hrs.

When ready to make recipe, cut up the vegetables into bite size pieces except mince the garlic.  Put 2 Tbls of oil in a very large, high sided pan or a dutch oven and bring to high heat.  Add the vegetables except the tomatoes and "stir-fry" for a while until you've got some browning of the vegetables.  You want to see at least some golden colors before you move onto the next step. (The more browned the vegetables are the better however you don't want them cooked to death - hence the high heat and stir-frying!).  Add the turkey and using a potato masher break into teeny pieces, still frying.  Once the meat is all broken up into bits you can move on.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and herb mix of your choice (go Italian or perhaps Mexican, Mexican would be 2 tsp cumin, 1 Tbls chili powder and cayenne to taste).  Add the canned tomatoes and the beans and broth and bring to a boil.  Drop down to a medium/low simmer.  Let it go like that for 1 hr or more until the juice is all evaporated.  If the juice evaporates before an hour then add a little water - it won't water it down, i promise so long as you evaporate that too or conversely if you have alot of juice left at the hour mark turn up the heat to high and boil off the juice - keep a good eye on it though as it can burn quickly if you're not watching.

To serve either take some pasta and cook it according to instructions and take out a cup of the cooking water before you strain it.  Put the pasta back in the pot, add a big ladle of ragu plus the cup of pasta water and give it a good stir.  Serve the pasta as such with a helping of the ragu on top - Or you can serve it alongside rice or i served it with wheat berries. 

 Enjoy!  

Wheat Berry, Cicken, Vegetable Salad

I've been experimenting with whole grains because they fill you up plus they don't spike your blood sugar plus they are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.  What better -well I'd say trifecta but it's more than that - can you get??!!

Wheat berries have a little pop to them and then they are chewy so they are fun to eat and they are nutty in flavor.  They go well with sweets too  (see my last recipe).  They will take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking and I imagine they're great for stews.  You can cook them shorter or longer depending on how al dente you'd like them  -  from 20 minutes to an hour or more.  I like them to have a good amount of chew left to them so I cook them 40 minutes.  So taste them as you go to see how well done you'd like them.

 Here we're marrying them with a bunch of vegetables and boiled chicken (leftover from a broth I made) but you can buy any chicken and cook it to your pleasure and skin and bone them prior to use.

I hope you enjoy my new creation.  Your body will!

Wheat Berry, Chicken, Vegetable Salad

1 1/2 cup Wheat Berries
5 cups water
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Large Carrotts
2 Large Celery Stalks
1 Medium Onion
2 Bell peppers in different colors
1 Cup Chopped Button Porcini Mushrooms
3/4  Lb Cooked Chicken (your choice what kind)
3/4 Large Lemon
1 tsp Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
1 tsp dried herbs (mix and match or use a bottled mix like Italian herbs or Mrs Dash - I used Trader Joe's 21 herb mix)
1 tsp garlic powder
Ground Pepper to taste
2 tomatoes
Fresh basil and fresh parsley to taste - I used about 1/4 cup parsley and 1/2 cup basil

Put the wheat berries in a medium sauce pot and add water.  Bring to a boil and then drop to a medium simmer, cover and let cook as we discussed above (20-60+ minutes).

Meanwhile get to chopping up the vegetables.  Do the carrotts and celery first.  Put the 4 Tbsp in a medium sauté pan and bring up to high heat and drop in the carrotts and celery and don't stir.  They'll get a bit browned on one side, which brings out their natural sweetness.  Let them saute like that for 10 minutes.  Then add the onions and bell peppers.  Drop heat slightly so it's in between a medium and low heat.  Cook stirring once every 5 minutes for 25 minutes.  They'll get mostly soft but not all the way - some crunch left.  (It's perfectly fine to make your vegetables al dente if you prefer and that keeps in more of the vitamins too but for this I liked a softer consistency).

When wheat berries are done drain them and put them in a very large bowl.  Add the vegetables.  You'll note that the salad needs no more oil.  Drizzle 1/2 lemon juice over it.  Drizzle 1/4 lemon juice over the chopped (bite size) chicken.  Sprinkle the salt, garlic powder and seasonings over the salad.  Add as much ground pepper as you like and toss the salad very well.  Add the chicken in and stir only long enough to combine (you don't want the chicken falling apart) and finally top with chopped tomatoes and herbs and stir them in gently when salad has come to room temp.

Serve at room temp - 6 to 8 servings.  If you put it in the fridge and then serve it up cold or just later, warm you'll need to add a little more lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Wheat Berry, Chia Seed, PB&J Breakfast Pudding

This has got to be one of my crazier recipes.  But if you're in the mood for the healthiest breakfast you can get your hands on, stop and take a look here.  You've got your whole grains - 2 of them, protein - 2 of them, fiber and fruit.  All you're missing is vegetables but vegetables didn't sound great for breakfast pudding so they were left behind.

I got this idea from looking at different whole grain puddings on the web.  But no one had made anything fun.  All serious  -  delicious but serious.  Here we're going to get fun and add some of that stuff that we loved as kids.

Wheat Berry, Chia Seed, PB&J Breakfast Pudding

1/2 cup wheat berries

4 Tbls chia seeds

1 Tbls flax powder 

Scoop of vanilla protein powder 

2 Tbls peanut butter (buy one with one ingredient -roasted peanuts or perhaps roasted peanuts with salt)

3 Tbls organic, sugar-free blueberry jam

1 Tbls raw unpasturized unfiltered honey

1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup chopped mango

 

Cook wheat berries (put the 1/2 cup in 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and drop to a medium simmer and let it cook for 40 minutes, drain)

Put all other ingredients (minus the mango) in blender and whirl it up til combined (whirl for a short time if you really like more crunch and a longer time if you like it smoother - just so long as the ingredients are combined).

Stir in wheat berries and mango and let sit at least 2 hrs in fridge, better if overnight.

Good toppings are 
fresh fruit: strawberries are particularly good with this but any will do

raisins or cut up dried fruit or coconut flakes/chopped coconut

Chopped nuts

Dallop of plain Greek yogurt

Makes 4 servings (a serving will keep you satiated for a long time)

(I took pictures but a I, very unfortunately, cannot find the cord that goes from my camera to my computer!!  unhappy face)

Lemon Chicken

This is a cross between a Chinese and an Italian Lemon Chicken. You’ll see what I mean when you eat it.. I was just thinking how I could use up the lemons on my tree and I had these chicken thighs so it naturally came together on it’s own basically.

You’ll find that so long as you have the basic techniques of cooking down and you get a sense of what will taste good together that you‘ll know how to write your own recipes. Note as you follow this blog that, as we go along. I am conveying the basic cooking techniques into easy recipes. So long as you’re learning these techniques you’ll see after a while how basically anything in your cupboard can be made into a dish.

　

Lemon Chicken Thighs

8 Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs
1 Large Lemon
1 Large Onion (cut in half and then sliced thinly diagonally)
3 Tbsp Flour
2 tsp Italian Herbs (use either a mix or use a combo of basil, oregano and thyme and marjoram)
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne Powder
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups Chicken Broth or Stock (see previous recipe for broths and stocks)
1//4 cup Lemon Juice (from the Lemon)
1 tsp Lemon Zest (from the Lemon)

　

Use a large Dutch over or large high sided skillet.

Put the flour and herbs, s n p, and cayenne in the bag and shake to combine. Then add the chicken pieces and shake, shake, shake to cover them completely with the flour mixture.

Put oil in pan and heat on medium high until smoking. Add the chicken pieces, by slowly laying them down with the side of the meat closest to you first and letting it go delicately away from you so that if there‘s any splash it will be away not towards you. Put four in the pan and brown on one side for 5 minutes. Once you put the meat in the pan don’t move them around or flip them over and over. After 5 minutes is up using tongs gently turn them over and brown another 4 minutes. Put on plate and do the second batch. If during the second batch the flour looks like it is burning in some places put some onion slices on those places and move them a little bit back and forth and they will pick up the flour but don’t disturb the meat, it is not burning! Same thing for this batch 5 on one side 4 on the other. Then using the tongs take out the meat leaving the onions in the pan and add the rest of the onions and stirring or moving around with tongs brown them until they are mostly limp (about 2 minutes). If they start to burn then you’re done and you add the broth. Add the lemon juice now too and put the chicken carefully in the pan again the side closet to you first and then letting the other side gently slide into the broth. Whatever juices that are on the plate go into the mix. Nothing wasted!

 

 

 

 

 

Bring the broth to a boil then turn down the heat to a medium simmer. Once you’ve got it to this point the cooking time will be 40 minutes. Set an alarm for 10 minutes and check to make sure it is at a medium-low simmer - not too fast or too slow. Better be too slow then too fast though. You want to end up with the sauce having reduced into a gravy. If you boil it away too fast then you’ll need to add some water or more broth. If you simmer it too low you’ll have to boil it some at the end. In either case the dish will not be affected. But it’s just easier to have it cook at a medium-low heat all the way along and have it done at the end. So check on it every 10 minutes. 5 minutes before the time is up you check for seasoning - does it need more salt or pepper? or do you want to spice it up with some more cayenne? then do that now. And at this point add the lemon zest, also if the fluid is too thin, then this is when you want to turn up the heat to a boil and let it reduce to the consistency you like. But if you’re going to do that then stand at the stove moving the meat about every 20 seconds or so to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan and to check the consistency of the gravy until it’s just as you like it. Could take anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes depending on just how loose the gravy was. In either case, this will not adversely affect the dish - I promise - so long as you keep checking to see that the meat doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Don’t stir. Be gentle with the meat because it is real tender right now, just move it around a bit. If the sauce is looking just fine then let it finish up the last 5 minutes.

And Voila your dish is complete. I’ve served it with plain couscous here (then later I will mix the couscous into the meat and refrigerate it for leftovers the next day or two or three). It keeps real well. This is a dish that will freeze well too - put them, either the whole of it in a gallon baggie or servings in small baggies or in plastic containers. Be sure to tag or mark them as you’ll never know what that is otherwise by just looking a it!!

Enjoy!

　

　

Pasta Salad - Vegetarian

Pasta Salad - Vegetarian

I was  just going through my fridge to see what I could make and came up with this.  I didn't think to take photos because it was nothing special.  But it turned out awesome so i'm sharing it with you!

 

Ingredients:

8 sticks of asparagus

1/2lb of broccoli - just the florettes

3 tomatoes

1 bulb fennel

3 green onions

2/3 cup chopped feta cheese

1 lb of whole wheat penne pasta

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon or stone ground mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsps Italian herbs

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Put on some water, a lot, in a large stock pot,  on high heat to bring to a boil.  While you're waiting on that, trim the asparagus and chop into bite size pieces and chop off the tops of the broccoli, cut into bite size pieces.   Put them off to the side.  Trim the fennel - cut off the end and chop off the stalks, but keep the little fronds of the vegetable cut them into little pieces like you would any herb.     Keep them off to the side.  Cut the fennel in hall and then in three pieces longways.  Then chop into fine pieces.  Do the same with the other half.  Put those with the frond leaves.  Chop off the tops of the tomatoes and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.  Put those with the fennel and leaves in a huge bowl.  

Make sure to put the pasta in the water when it comes to a boil.  Set alarm for 8 mins.  When the timer goes off add the broccoli and asparagus to the pot and continue to boil for  4 more mins.  During that make the dressing:  oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and onion powder, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.  Add dressing to the vegetables you cut up.  When the pasta and other vegetables are done strain them.  Toss them about to cool them off but don't run them under cool water!!   Chop the green onions fine.  Then while the pasta is still very warm but touchable add to the vegetables soaking in the dressing and toss real well.  Put the green onions on top but don't continue to stir.  Put in the refrigerator for at least a couple hrs.  Stir before you serve.  

 

I only took a picture of the finished product after i'd had some - so here's what your end product should look like:

 

 

 

 

Easy Nachos and a smoothie

I haven't felt like cooking since it's so hot outside.  This happens every year.  The spring here is in the 90s.  In the next few days it's going to hit 100 degrees.  I always lose a little weight, which is great.  I end up eating cereal, yogurt, fruit, fat free pudding, fudge bars etc...  But i thought i better get on here so i'm just going to show you a little bit of what i've been eating.  Here are some of the things i've been maintaining myself on:

Easy Nachos
2 big handfulls of crispy Tortilla Chips
3 slices of Sharp Cheddar Cheese ( or 5 slices American or a couple handfuls of 3 cheese Mexican shredded cheese or jarred cheese dip)
 Refried Beans
Pico de Gallo (see recipe a few pgs back)
Light Sour Cream 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put a sheet of tin foil on a baking sheet.  Spray it with cooking spray.  (Don't want to clean up in a hot kitchen either!)  Put the handfuls of chips in a pile with no stragglers - ie: make sure all the chips are touching one another.

Take small tsps of either homemade or canned refried beans and put a little on just about every chip.  This is a little tedious but worth the effort.  Then sprinkle the whole with the Pico de Gallo.  Arrange pieces of cheese or a handful of cheese or pour on some cheese sauce so that all the chips have some on them - you really can't over-do on cheese.  LOL.  Then Bake at 400 for 13 minutes.  And ENJOY!!
You may want to add some tobasco or hot taco sauce on top.  And put some dallops of sour cream on top!

If you're going to make a dinner out of it, i suggest adding some meat:

Easy Nacho Beef
1 Lb 85% lean Ground Beef

2 tsp of Chili Powder
1 tsp of Cumin Powder
s n p
1/2 cup Water

But the Beef into a frying pan (needn't add oil, there's enough fat in the meat).  Put temp on high and brown the meat while breaking it up into little pieces (easy to do with a wooden spoon - or oddly a potato masher)..  Add the Cumin and Chili Powder and as much s n p as you like.  Add the water and bring to a boil and boil until the water is evaporated and the meat is now frying again (this ensures all the meat gets covered and that the flavors blend), taste for seasoning and if it needs more s n p add that now and if it needs a kick add some Tobasco or other Hot Taco Sauce, mix around a bit and then turn off the heat.  Add the meat to the nachos, after you add the Refried Beans, using a slotted spoon - sprinkle liberally (you may have some leftover meat to add to a burrito tomorrow).   This will be more satisfying for a hungry crowd while the other was really just designed for one and for lunch.

It's nice if you have some things to add for people who have different tastes.  For instance put some Hot Sauce, sliced avocado, light Sour Cream, radishes, lime slices, extra Pico de Gallo and some jarred jalepenos and spicy vegetables on the table. 

Here's a recipe for a good thing to go with your nachos or a drink in the morning

Strawberry, Banana Smoothie
1 Banana
1 cup Froaen Fruit
1 carton Yorut or Fat free Pudding
1 cup Ice
Milk

   

 
   Put the ice, frozen fruit, banana, yogurt or pudding and a 1/2 cup of milk in the blender and start blending with the top on.  The concoction will probably seize up pretty fast.  Take off the top and add milk a little bit at a time and push down on the top of the banana and pudding with a spoon (don't stick the spoon down into the bottom obviously) until the mixture starts moving and add milk a little bit at a time until it is the consistency you like.  I like mine thick so i will work with it pushing on the top and adding only a little bit of milk now and again until it will blend by itself.  And my blender is nothing fancy yet my smoothies come out pretty thick, so everyone should be able to do this.

 There really is enough for two but i always finish it like it's a meal, say for lunch or dinner even.
ENJOY!!!

 

MMMEATLOAF

I grew up eating meatloaf.  Something that my mom used to do that I loved so much was put those skinny string beans, the French cut ones, in there. I didn’t do that for this recipe, but it is one way to get vegetables in a kid without them much noticing or caring because they just take on the taste of the meatloaf. Also they make the meatloaf moist and you’ll never get a meatloaf that is like a solid brick when you put them in there. It will always be moist and juicy.

Here I’m trying something new and it turned out great. So I’m sharing it with you. One of the ideas in the recipe came from Emilybites.com where she puts the onions, carrots and celery through a processor and then sautes them on the stove before putting them in the meatloaf. I tried her recipe and it’s really good. So I stole that part from her - she gets all the credit for that part!!  Anyway her recipe is a bit healthier because she uses turkey while I use beef plus sausage. And mine’s got a couple surprises in it. (shhh I think mine is better.)   So give this a try if you’d like something different from the meatloaf you always make (that is if you’re a meatloaf lover). If you’ve never made meatloaf, it is traditionally made with 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground veal and 1/3 ground pork plus milk, bread crumbs, eggs and some herbs and spices. But we’re not going traditional here. So let’s go!

MMMeatloaf

1 ¼ lb 90% fat free ground beef
2 hot Italian sausage links (remove casing)
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg
¼ cup 1% milk (or nonfat)
¼ cup plus 3 Tbls Homemade Chili Sauce (that’s the actual name - there’ll be a picture - it's sweeter than ketchup and has no chilis in it oddly)
45 Kellog’s Special K Crackers Savory Herb
Cooking oil spray

 

 

Take out the meat and put on the counter with the sausage on top to take the chill off. Cut the carrots and celery and onions the size that will fit into your food processor. Process. You want to end up with little tiny pieces. Mince the garlic separately (to ensure it’s all in very small pieces). Put oil in a small frying pan (like you’d use to make an egg or two). 

Add the vegetables and bring up to medium heat and sauté. Let it go stirring now and then until all the juices are gone. Turn off the burner and set pan on a cool burner and let it sit for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle with your hands. Put the crackers in a bag, leaving the end open but holding it by the open side keep the crackers towards the bottom. Use a mallot to break the crackers up into bitty pieces.

Now put the beef, the sausage that you took out of the casings (by squeezing the middle and pushing meat out the sides), crackers, vegetables, milk, ¼ cup Homemade Chili Sauce and egg in a big bowl and using your hands mix very well but don’t over mix. By this I mean bring it all together so that everything is well distributed but then don’t keep mixing - the more you mix the harder the meat will get after cooked (unless you like very dense meatloaf in which case mix a lot, skip the milk and add an extra egg). Now if you don’t have these special crackers (which are GREAT whether you’re on a diet or not and worth the money to use for dips or just snacking) and decide to use regular saltines instead you’ll use only about 20 crackers and you’ll have to add some dried Italian herbs and salt and pepper to the mix. Or finally you can use regular bread crumbs - homemade - ½ cup or store bought ¼ cup and add the herbs (abut 1 tsp) and salt (½ tsp) and pepper (½ tsp). I hope I made it clear just how special these Special K crackers are, especially in meatloaf!!

Spray a standard loaf mold and dump in the meat and flatten (you want it flat so you can make sandwiches!!). And take the 3 Tbls of Homemade Chili Sauce and cover the entire thing using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Put in the oven for 1 ½ hrs. or until your thermometer reads 165.

Makes 8 servings cals 285 fat 18 carb 12 fiber 1 protein 21 (Pts+ 8)