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Friday, January 31, 2014

Low Sugar Low Calorie Mango Sorbet

Low Sugar Mango Sorbet (without an ice cream freezer)
(Makes 4 small servings, adapted fromMango Sorbet at AllRecipes.)

Ingredients:
2 large very ripe mangoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Granulated Stevia In The Raw, Splenda, or sugar
1 1/2 T fresh lime juice

Instructions:
In a small pan combine the water and sweetener and bring to a boil.  Turn off and let the mixture cool while you peel and cut up the mangoes.

To peel the mangoes, slice along each side of the flat seed, guiding your knife to come as close as you can to the mango seed.  Then slice away any other mango flesh that still clings to the seed.  Peel away the skin and chop the flesh.

Put the chopped mango and lime juice in a food processor and process for about 45 seconds, until the mixture is quite pureed.  Add the cooled simple sugar mixture and process about 45 second more, until there are no lumps.

Put the mixture into a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid and put it in the freezer.  Ever 30 minutes, remove bowl from the freezer, scrape away the frozen part around the edges and whisk it into the mixture.  Total freezing time is 3-4 hours, depending on how cold your freezer is.  For my freezer, I would freeze it 4 hours next time for a slightly firmer sorbet.

Divide into individual bowls and serve.  This recipe could easily be doubled and made in an ice cream freezer.

(60 calories)

Monday, January 13, 2014

Honey Sriracha and BBQ Chicken Pizzas

Honey Sriracha and BBQ Chicken Pizzas

- Four cooked cubed chicken breasts

Sauce: 5 tbsp unsalted butter,  1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup sriracha - but add it slow and taste to see how much YOU want in it, 1 tbsp lite or low sodium soy sauce, 1 cup orange juice, corn starch as a thickening agent.

Bring all ingredients but corn starch to a boil, remove a bit of the sauce into a small tempered glass or metal bowl. Whisk in the corn starch and re- add to the pot. Whisk as it thickens, remove from heat.

Pizza Dough: 3/4 cup hot water - not boiling, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt - can be omitted, 2 cloves minced garlic- can use 1 tbsp ground, 1 tsp basil leaves minced- dry is ok, 2 cups flour, 2 tbsp fast rise active dry yeast- I have used bread machine yeast with great success.

Add all ingredients to stand mixer and using dough hook, mix and knead for 4 minutes, adding a pinch of flour or olive oil to even out the consistency. 

Roll it out, top it with sauce then chicken then shredded cheeses and drizzle with ranch dressing.

- Afterthought: Bacon..... Mmmm

For BBQ Chicken, use favorite BBQ sauce instead of tomato paste, use chicken, bacon, onions, cilantro and pineapple, many cheeses are phenomenal on this.  Same dough recipe as above.

400 degrees, 15-20 minutes.


Friday, June 14, 2013

Fettuccine with Heirloom Tomatoes




Fettuccine with Heirloom Tomatoes

SERVES 6–8

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
½ cup semolina flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups roughly chopped heirloom tomatoes
1 cup halved heirloom cherry tomatoes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
15 basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Thinly shaved Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the pasta: Stir together flour and semolina in a large bowl, and form a well in the center; pour eggs
into well and stir with a fork until dough forms. Transfer dough to a work surface and knead until smooth,
about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine tomatoes, oil, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl; cover and
let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to meld flavors.
3. Uncover and halve dough; using a pasta roller or rolling pin, roll each piece of dough until it's 1/16"thick.
Hang pasta sheets on a rack to dry slightly for 5 minutes. Slice pasta sheets crosswise into lengths of one foot
and stack, one on top of another, sprinkling cornmeal in between, then roll into a cylinder; cut crosswise into
⅓"-thick ribbons. Unravel fettuccine and toss with semolina to separate; let dry for 10 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and add pasta; cook, stirring, until al-dente, about
3 minutes. Drain pasta and add to bowl of sauce; toss to combine. Divide among serving bowls and garnish
with Parmesan.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

BLOOD ORANGE and MEYER LEMON MARMALADE


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BLOOD ORANGE and MEYER LEMON MARMALADE
Makes approx 10 8 oz jars
This is a 2 day process.. though if  you find you’re busy you may drag it out longer.
2 lbs organic Meyer lemons
4 lbs organic Blood oranges
4 1/2 lbs organic sugar
5 oz fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 tsp salt (optional)

Part one:
Begin by scrubbing the oranges and lemons in warm water, set aside. (OR skip this step. When you get to boiling the halved and sliced fruit do a pre- boil for 5 minutes, drain the fruit, add fresh water and continue with recipe. I prefer not to do this).
Halve 1 pound of lemons and 1 pound of oranges, cut each half into quarters, then slice those into thin pieces crosswise, so you have tiny thin triangles of fruit.(sorry I didn’t take a photo!). Place these in a pot large enough to contain them, fill with water just to cover fruit, place lid on, set aside.

Halve and juice the remaining oranges and lemons, collecting all the rinds into a stock pot. Reserve 5 oz of the meyer lemon juice separately, combine the rest with the blood orange juice. Refrigerate both.
Cover the rinds in the stock pot with water, lid it and set on the stove over medium heat (this is where you might do the pre-boil for both the halves and slices).

 Place the sliced lemons and oranges over medium heat as well. Bring both to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Turn the heat off under the slices but NOT the halves. Continue to boil the halves until they are very tender but not falling apart, another 30 -60 minutes.
Remove halves from heat, let cool for an hour. Using a large mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth suspended OVER a bowl, pour out the citrus halves and their liquid, letting the rinds catch in the strainer, do NOT press on the rinds, just let them drip. Cover this with plastic or clean kitchen towels and let rest over night (no need to refrigerate, you will be boiling the dickens out of all the fruit).

I have often skipped a day here when I find I’m too busy to tend to cooking marmalade. To do this follow the first step in part 2, placing all the liquids and slices into a pot or container with a tight fitting lid, bring to a rolling boil, the turn heat off and let sit. Place the rinds in the refrigerator).

Part two:
Setting aside the rinds, pour the liquid from the rinds and all the sliced citrus and their liquid into the jam pot you will be using.
Holding a rind half in your palm, carefully scoop the white pith and membranes out, leaving a pretty shell of orange or yellow, set these aside, discard the pith. Scoop halves until you have how much you would like. Slice these scooped citrus halves into thirds or quarters and slice again crosswise so you have thin pieces of rind (you may leave some thick if you like).
Add the sliced rinds, the sugar, all the reserved juices to your jam pot, turn the heat on high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently so the sugars dissolve before burning. Turn the heat to medium-high, keep this at a good boil the entire cooking process. Once the sugars have dissolved it is not necessary to continually stir, but do pay attention to it, giving it a good swipe through now and then so it doesn't burn.

Place a small plate with 4 spoons on it in your freezer, to test the jelly set. Prepare your jars for canning.
Since marmalade is fruit suspended in jelly, a jelly with out added pectin, the cooking time is longer than jam and will be determined by the amount of water in your fruit. The thickening and setting process is basically water boiling out and sugar reacting with the natural pectin in the fruit and the added acid of lemon juice. Gosh, science like this is so much fun! This is all to say I can’t give you an exact idea of how long this will take, at least 40 minutes. Stand watch, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade has cooked by a quarter and begins to thicken.

Once the marmalade has cooked down/ thickened up start checking for set. Do this first by scooping a small amount onto a large stainless spoon, hold the spoon sideways over your kitchen sink (away from the stove heat) letting the jelly fall off. If it is thick, leaving drops of jelly on the edge of the spoon then you can do the freezer test: turn heat off under marmalade, using a non frozen spoon scoop a small amount onto a frozen spoon, replace that into the freezer for a few minutes, then remove. Push the cooled (not cold) marmalade with your finger, if it wrinkles up, has some little bubbles suspended in it, then it’s set. The marmalade, off heat, should appear shiny and slightly gelled on top with small bubbles suspended in it. If not, return to boil, stirring, for a few more minutes and repeat the freezer test, turn the heat off under the jelly.

Once your marmalade is set, jar it up!  (Remember to wipe the rims of your jars before placing lids on). Water bath or oven can according to your preference.

Authentic Hongshao Qiezi (Red-Cooked Eggplant)


Authentic Hongshao Qiezi (Red-Cooked Eggplant)



5 Chinese eggplants, quartered lengthwise, cut into 3" pieces
3 cups canola oil
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. Chinese chili bean paste
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 oil-packed anchovy filet, finely chopped
1 sachet of spices (5 whole cloves, 4 whole star anise, 2 pods black cardamom, one 4" strip peeled orange zest, and 1 stick cinnamon, halved, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with kitchen twine)
2 cups chicken stock
1½ tsp. Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
1½ tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 chiles de arbol, stemmed
2 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
12 tsp. fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tbsp. finely chopped dill
1 tbsp. finely chopped chives
¼ cup hot sesame chili oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Submerge eggplant in a bowl filled with ice water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 14" flat-bottomed wok over medium-high heat. Drain eggplant, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and add all to the oil. Cook until just soft and golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to a bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit for 3 minutes. Drain; dry with paper towels.

Discard all but ¼ cup oil in wok; return to medium heat. Add sugar; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture looks like separated peanut butter. Add 1 tbsp. chili paste, tomato paste, bay leaf, and anchovy; cook for 1 minute. Add sachet of spices, stock, 1 tsp. peppercorns, dark soy sauce, fennel seeds, and chiles; boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 15 minutes; discard bouquet garni (spice sachet). Add remaining chili paste, wine, fish sauce, and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add eggplant; fold into sauce. Transfer to a plate; garnish with remaining peppercorns, dill, chives, and chili oil.




Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Superfood Nirvana Salad


Superfood Nirvana Salad



6 cups mixed greens (baby lettuce mix, herb salad, etc)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cups blueberries
3 kiwis, peeled & sliced
1 can diced beets
½ cup sunflower seeds (hulled)
¼ cup golden flax seeds
Berry Vinaigrette Dressing:

½ cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup acai berry juice
¼ cup blueberries
1/3 cup strawberries
Couple pinches of salt
Freshly ground pepper

Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients into a bowl and pureeing with a hand blender until completely smooth. Set aside.
In a large salad bowl gently toss together the greens, beets, and blueberries. Place equal amounts on 4 plates or bowls and top each with about ½ cup of quinoa. Arrange kiwi and strawberry slices on top, sprinkle the sunflower seeds and flax seeds on top, drizzle each plate generously with the dressing, and enjoy!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Fresh Peach Salsa


Fresh Peach Salsa

4 medium peaches, peeled and pitted
2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges and seeded
1/2 sweet onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Baked tortilla chip scoops

Directions
In a food processor, combine the first five ingredients; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the chilies, vinegar, lime juice and pepper; cover and pulse just until blended. Transfer to a serving bowl; chill until serving. Serve with chips. Yield: 4 cups.

Nutritional Facts
1/4 cup (calculated without chips) equals 20 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 58 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: Free food.