food

Beets, because I read somewhere that they’re good for you

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Beets, I'd like to paint a room in my house this color...maybe not the whole room, maybe just a wall....or maybe a dress this color...
Beets. I’d like to paint a room in my house this color…maybe not the whole room, maybe just a wall….or maybe a dress this color…

So, I know you hear reports everyday about this study or that study saying that this thing or that thing  is good for you. I usually don’t pay much attention because often its some nonsense like beer has anti-viral properties, but you would have to drink 30 beers a day to see any benefit. Totally useless for regular folks, this is only meaningful if you are a manufacturer of multi-vitamins and are working on a beer pill to take with your fish oil everyday.

But this morning I read an article about beets and blood pressure that caught my eye.  A promising  small study in which a few people with high blood pressure (but who were not taking medication) were given a cup of beet juice a day had a significant drop in blood pressure ( check out the article here =>   http://huff.to/1192FHY   )  . It takes about 2 beets to get one 8 ounce cup of beet juice.

This hits close to home because as many as 1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure including members of my family.  I was inspired to make a beet recipe for good health…plus beets are yummy.  I’ll post the beet recipe as soon as I’m done.

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Super Fast Shrimp and Broccoli

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Get this delicious Shrimp and Broccoli dinner on the table in less than 25 minutes
Get this delicious Shrimp and Broccoli dinner on the table in less than 25 minutes

Get a delicious dinner on the table FAST! I think I’m wearing my rice cooker out, it didn’t want to start for me this time but I finally coerced it into working.  Start the rice first, then stir fry the rest.

Ingredients for Shrimp and Broccoli Dinner: Broccoli, Soy Sauce, Apricot Preserves, Shrimp and Sausage...the rice cooker is in the back
Ingredients for Shrimp and Broccoli Dinner: Broccoli, Soy Sauce, Apricot Preserves, Shrimp and Sausage…the rice cooker is in the back
1 large skillet with a lid….or use foil to cover

 

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 pound sliced smoked sausage (a spicy one if you like)

1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

4 cups of broccoli florets

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons apricot preserves

1 tablespoon  rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of water if necessary

 

 Heat oil in a medium/hot skillet and sauté sausage.  Add shrimp and cook until it just turns pink. Remove shrimp and sausage from the pan.

Add the finely chopped ginger, broccoli, soy sauce, apricot jam and vinegar stir and cover. Let the broccoli steam for 3-5 minutes.  Add up to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to keep from burning.  Add the shrimp and sausage, stirring to coat with the sauce.

Serve over rice.
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Family Farm VS Factory Farm Chicken Challenge Video, part 3- the Eating

video
fried chicken
To watch part 3 of the Chicken Challenge click here 

So here it is, the final part of my factory farm versus family farm Chicken Challenge, the EATING.   What could be better than that??….NOTHING, that’s what.   I’ve cooked the chicken two ways, I fried the legs wings and thighs and pan roasted the breasts.  In the video I describe the frying and roasting techniques used .

Does the $17 chicken taste better than the $4 chicken? Check out the Video and see

chicken breast, pan roasted chicken, family farm, factory farm
Pan roasted chicken breasts. The chicken breast on the top is from a factory farm, the chicken breast on the bottom is from a family farm
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Vegan Cauliflower Casserole with a Gluten Free Option

gluten free, recipes
"Creamy" non-dairy, Cauliflower Casserole
“Creamy” non-dairy, Cauliflower Casserole

I grew up with two brothers but no sisters.  Through the North Fulton, GA chapter of Mocha Moms I now have about 80 sisters and I am so thankful for them all.  Last night my sisters and I had a wonderful evening of chatting, chocolate and cooking.

Vegan cauliflower casserole with gluten free option

I was honored to have the pleasure of doing a cooking demo for about 30 ladies, but what to cook for such a large group with diverse tastes and dietary needs. This cauliflower gratin relies on vegan “cream cheese” for it’s creamy sauce and nutritional yeast for it’s cheesy taste.  If you need a GLUTEN FREE version of this recipe leave off the panko gratin topping, replace them with potato chips and enjoy.

Cauliflower Casserole for my Sisters

Demetra Overton
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup medium chopped onion
  • ¼ cup diced carrot
  • 1 cup red bell chopped pepper
  • ¼ chopped celery
  • 1 clove of garlic chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 head of cauliflower about 4 cups
  • 4 ounces vegan cream cheese
  • 4 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
  • ¾ cup vegan panko bread crumbs or potato chips
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Sauté onions, carrot, red bell pepper and celery in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until softened.
  • Add lemon juice, water and cauliflower to the pan.
  • Stir to mix all vegetables together and cover the pan.
  • Steam on low for about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
  • Stir vegan cream cheese, 2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast and salt to taste into the cauliflower.
  • In a bowl, mix panko crumbs, 2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sprinkle on top of cauliflower.
  • Broil for 1 minute or so (watch it closely) until the topping is browned

 
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the Bacon comparison

recipes
the bacon comparisonstore bought bacon on the left, homemade bacon on the right
the bacon comparison
store bought bacon on the left, homemade  salted bacon on the top right,homemade  cane syrup rosemary bacon on the bottom right
a strip of store bought bacon(can you hear the sad trombone playing?)
a strip of store bought bacon
(can you hear the sad trombone playing?)

The homemade bacon is so thick and delicious, you can really sink your teeth into it.  It’s moist and juicy inside but crisp on the outside….the store bought bacon has no inside so there is really no comparison.

The homemade bacon has a rich smoky flavor but it’s not too strong,  you can really taste the slightly sweet flavor of the pork as well.  Unfortunately the flavor of the store bought bacon was weak and wimpy, there was not much to it at all.

So the verdict is : I will take a little effort and a bit of time to make my  bacon at home.  It is TOTALLY worth it.

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The Bacon Project

recipes
BACON!
BACON!

Bacon is everywhere. Its on doughnuts, ice cream, chocolate bars, even candles and soap. To each their own, but  I just want delicious, smoky, crispy bacon on a BLT or with oysters, something savory, salty and delicious.  One of the problems I’ve found with bacon from the grocery store is that it tends to be sliced too thin, even the “thick” bacon from fancy grocery stores is fairly thin which is fine for a sandwich but for some of the recipes I want to try I need a big hunk of bacon.  Another problem is that I have not been happy with the taste of store bought bacon .  It just ain’t right.

I decided that I’d make my own bacon.  First decision, to nitrite or not nitrite.  Nitrites (also referred to as pink salt or curing salt) in combination with kosher salt are added to cured and smoked products to inhibit the growth of bacteria.   There were several recipes I found that used only kosher salt to treat bacon but I don’t feel that is sufficient.  The pork belly that I was turning into bacon would sit in my refrigerator for a week and then be smoked at a low temperature for a few hours and that is  the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. Also, the nitrites give bacon that special bacony good taste.

bacon ingredients
bacon ingredients

Get it started. I ordered the pink curing salt and some cane syrup  from Amazon and received it within a few days.  Then I visited Assi, an international market, to find my pork belly.  They had some pieces in the meat case but they were a bit too small, about 2 pounds each, I was looking for a large piece that was a least 5 pounds.  I asked the ladies that were packaging sausages behind the counter if they had any larger pieces of pork belly.  There was a bit of confusion, a language barrier and some strange looks but finally they called the butcher over and he brought out a huge 12 and a half pound pork belly.

448
twelve and a half pound pork belly cut in half

Stay tuned.  I’ll fill you in on how I got from belly to yummy, yummy bacon in a future post.

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Squashed

recipes

Seared Patty Pan Squash

I love this simple vegetarian dish, I’m using patty pan squash ( I don’t know the specific varieties) that I bought from the farmers market this weekend.  They were so beautiful that I almost couldn’t bring myself to cook them….actually I didn’t cook one of them, it’s just too pretty.  When you make this, cut the squash so that you show off the beautiful flower shape.

Seared Patty Pan Squash Steaks

2 Patty Pan Squash (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)

1 teaspoon of canola or olive oil ( I used canola oil for it’s mild flavor)

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Slice the squash into 1/3 inch steaks ( see the picture attached to this note for an example)

Coat the patty pan squash slices in oil and season with thyme, salt and pepper

Let this stand (or sit) at room temperature for about 5 minutes

Heat a frying pan over high heat…let the pan get really hot.  Sear the patty pan squash slice quickly over high heat for about 1-2 minutes per side..until beautifully browned

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