Operation Elevate Oatmeal

Whether starting with instant old fashioned, steel cut or multigrain oatmeal, it doesn't have to be mundane breakfast mush. Oatmeal is extremely healthy as it is a great source of dietary fiber and whole grains, while also providing five grams of healthy protein per serving. It is true that it has been shown to decrease cholesterol levels, and so it is a great choice for those looking to happily eat themselves to a healthier heart. Any oatmeal can become instant oatmeal, too, convenient for the countless on-the-go people, by just pulsing it in a food processor and adding a small amount of oat bran. This creates a texture that cooks up much faster and is more microwave friendly. 

There are countless ways to personalize oatmeal. Some even prefer to have more fruit than oatmeal by cutting an entire small apple, banana or peach and adding it to oats. Dried fruits, nuts and even fruit spreads are also great choices. Oats are normally cooked in water, but can be "creamed" at the end by adding a splash of milk or almond milk. The traditional sweetener is brown sugar, but a teaspoon or so of agave syrup works just as well. As far as spices go, ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and even mace can be an interesting addition to breakfast, and great for those that like ethnically spiced food. Sometimes it is hard to please those that like full flavored food at breakfast, because much of it can be very bland. The absolute number one forgotten seasoning to oatmeal made from scratch, however, is the addition of just a pinch of salt to bring out the natural flavor. Those watching sodium can always use potassium chloride salt substitute. Extracts can also be a great way to flavor oatmeal. Like maple brown sugar oatmeal but trying to cut down on sugar? Try a whole grain oatmeal and make with a small amount of maple extract and agave syrup, add some chopped nuts and there is a low sugar breakfast that will sustain hunger and provide long-enduring energy for a busy day. 

For those trying to get a more protein-rich diet, try making oatmeal with low fat milk, adding nuts or even nut butters, and experiment with adding protein powders to oatmeal. Hemp protein powder, for instance, dissolves well into oatmeal. Just simply add suggested serving size near the end of cooking so it doesn't taste burnt, and it will really kick up the protein without adding any animal products (warning: most hemp protein powder is dark green, so it won't look like traditional oatmeal when its done). 

Some great combinations are maple extract, pecans and peaches or nectarines, or dried figs, walnuts and fresh pears, both spiced with a touch of ginger and lots of cinnamon. A small amount of milk or agave nectar can be stirred in as well. Fresh fruit can be cut up into small pieces and put in with uncooked oatmeal, so the fruit gets a bit soft by the time the oatmeal is done. Bananas break down and make for very thick oatmeal. Dried fruit can be added at the end, as can nuts. Remember that when preparing oatmeal in the microwave or stovetop, oatmeal takes a lot of space to cook so use a pot or bowl that is about twice as large as you think you'll need, or there will surely be a nice mess to clean up.  Enjoy finding ways to celebrate the traditional heart and soul of breakfast and making it something worth serving to guests without seeming lazy and careless.

Fancy Budget-friendly Pasta Dinners

There might not be a lot of funds to go out for a nice Italian dinner, but it can be one of the most budget-friendly and satisfying meals to prepare. Pasta is extremely inexpensive and can stretch sauce to feed a big number of people. Spaghetti dinners after WWII are what popularized Italian food in America.  The famous Chef Boyardee came to the U.S. and started cooking food that his mother made, long before he found technology to can his product and transform American cupboards. So here are a few tips for fork-spinning delicious updates on spaghetti dinners.

Pesto is a traditional spread from Genoa, Italy made with lots of fresh basil, pine nuts, aged parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil. These can be pricey ingredients, and pesto can be made from other ingredients. Parmesan cheese can be completely omitted or replaced by less expensive shelf-stable shredded parmesan. Pine nuts can be replaced by a handful or so of any nut, including walnuts or blanched almonds. Extra-virgin olive oil should not be replaced with regular olive oil, because the flavor cannot be matched, and this is a sauce that isn't cooked. Fresh basil can be somewhat pricey when making homemade pesto, but frozen spinach is a good stand-in for a bulk of the greens. From there a few sprigs of fresh basil and/or fresh parsley livens the flavor. Of course, fresh baby spinach can be used, too. To make this sauce simply add the greens (thaw the spinach if using frozen) to a food processor and start pulsing. Toss in the cheese and nuts and then start streaming extra virgin olive oil until the sauce or paste is to a good consistency. Some may like their pesto thicker than others. Don't forget to salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon is a nice finishing touch. This can either be enjoyed totally vegetarian, or frozen shrimp which comes de-veined and fully cooked adds quick protein to the meal.

A large can of canned tomatoes either diced or whole (crush tomatoes with a fork) can be transformed into a zesty tomato sauce with just a few ingredients. One onion diced and caramelized in the bottom of a sauce pan with a few cloves of crushed garlic, a tablespoon or so of crushed red pepper flakes  and a splash of balsamic vinegar kicks up the flavor. Pancetta or bacon can also be added to the sauce for some added flavor. Add the can of tomatoes and simmer until the sauce has reduced. Be easy on seasoning, because bacon, canned tomatoes and other ingredients can actually add some saltiness, and there will be a good amount of heat from the crushed red pepper flakes.

Cooking pasta seems like the most mundane kitchen task, but there are a few major things that are often overlooked. Pasta needs a lot of water to cook in, so the biggest pot in the kitchen should be used. If there isn't enough water, the starches build up in the water and the pasta sticks to each other. A quick splash of olive oil can be put in the water, too, to help with this. Be sure to season the water as soon as it starts to boil. Salting the water helps to season the pasta from the inside out, so that the flavor doesn't just coat the pasta. Most people don't enjoy overcooked pasta, and pasta continues to cook after it is pulled out of the cooking water, so pull the pasta off the heat when it has the slightest bite in the middle, known as al-dente. 

When serving the pasta dishes, it is a good to add the pasta to a sauce pan and stir so that the pasta absorbs the most flavor. With the pesto sauce you can just put the sauce in the bottom of a serving dish and spoon pasta into the sauce. Don't throw the pasta water out too soon because it can be needed to add to the sauce to thin it out. The pasta water has a great amount of starch in it, which is better than just plain water. 

The best way to finish these sauces is just a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil or some extra cheese (if you're not a "dairy-freeer")

*** Don't know which pasta to choose? Think about the thickness of the sauce. Angel hair pasta is good for thin sauces, while sauces with either ground meat or just thicker is good for pasta with ridges or hollow pasta like macaroni that hold the sauce. For the recipes in this blog spaghetti or linguini (which means little tongues) work well. 

Baking without Eggs

Eggs have been the subject of many a food studies over the years resulting in headlines of "Eggs are good!" only to be  followed by "Eggs are bad!" Vegans omit eggs as part of their diets for ethical reasons, and others avoid the yolks for fear of high cholesterol. Removing the typical omelet or scramble from the menu might be easy, but when it comes to baked goods sometimes eggs are hard to replace. Egg substitutes work, but are often hard to find and expensive. 

Depending on the recipe there are two fruity ways to avoid using fake eggs. Applesauce can be substituted in a 1/4 cup to one egg ratio. This works quite well, and it is fairly easy now to find applesauce with no high-fructose corn syrup. The only difference in a baked cake normally is that the applesauce cake ends up being more moist. It's a good idea to measure all the wet ingredients and add them in small increments, possibly not adding all of them. If making something from scratch adding a bit of flour can correct any problems with consistency. Applesauce is a great way to cut calories and fat, too.

Bananas are another great way to bind ingredients in a recipe, especially brownies or chocolate cakes, not to mention banana nut bread. Bananas add a lot more flavor than applesauce, so the best way to determine which fruit to substitute is whether banana flavor would suit the recipe better. A medium sized very ripe banana will take the place of two eggs in a recipe. If bananas aren't ripe, a quick  spin in the microwave will help soften them. Each banana is about 100 calories, so it is still a bit of a savings heading into spring and summer.

Shake Up Recession Fare

Beans and rice are about as buget friendly as you get, but all it takes is some vegetables and spices to get a great easy gluten and meat free meal. This variety features black beans with vegetables and Mexican spices.

Ingredients
1 zucchini diced
1 ear of corn (or 1 - 1 1/2 cup frozen corn)
1 green or poblano pepper or jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 can of diced tomatoes (regular or fire roasted)
1 can of black beans
1/2 cup (uncooked) white or brown long grain rice
1 tbsp cumin
1 clove garlic, 1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce, prefered brand (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)

This whole meal can be prepared up to a couple days ahead of time and reheated, which is pefect for parties. This is also a great meal to cook on a Sunday evening and then eat all week for dinner or lunch.

Some prefer onions raw as garnish, or more mild scallions, but if raw onion isn't your thing, either scratch them all together or throw them in a sautee pan with the other vegetables and mellow the flavor. Throw the peppers, zucchini and corn into a hot stockpot over medium to medium high heat and a tbsp of light colored grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil. If using fresh garlic, throw this in after the other vetetables. Sautee vegetables for 10 minutes and add can of tomatoes, 1 cup of water and the cumin. Turn the heat to high.

Once the vegetables have started to simmer, add rice and cook for cooking time stated on the package of rice. Unless it is quick cooking, this will be about 40 minutes for brown rice or 25 for white rice. Be sure to stir the mixture every 5 minutes or so to avoid sticking to the bottom, but keep covered to steam the rice and cook it quicker. When the rice looks close to done, add in the can of strained and rinced beans.

Garnish with hot sauce, fresh cilantro, and the raw onion if you'd rather use that for garnish. This can even be served in lettuce wraps at a summer cookout.

English muffin with "F.R.O.G." Please!

Fruit jams are often uninspired, but a good preserve or compote can be worked into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert with some creativity. This jam was inspired by one found at a farmer's market in Ohio, and it was called "F.R.O.G" spread. It stood for fig, raspberry, orange and ginger. It is spicy, sweet and a bit savory even - perfect for topping an english muffin, topping ice cream or cheese cake or even served with the ordinary Easter ham. It doesn't have any gluten in it, so if avoiding gluten and experimenting with different breads and muffins, sometimes a nice jam adds a nice bit of flavor and makes them palatable especially to children. A great dessert idea is to take a grain such as quinoa or rice and make a rice pudding with this spread stirred in at the end. Great flavor that compliments Middle Eastern and Indian flavors well.

To make this jam, which makes about 3 or 4 large jars worth, just grab a saucepan that is large enough to catch any splatter. When heating sugary substances, it is important they don't go onto the stove because they'll never come off. No large saucepan? Just stick to a double boiler, then. Grab a mixing bowl to fit over whatever pot you have. Shopping for ingredients consists of finding a container or bag of dried black mission figs (about 8 ounces), a jar of bitter orange marmalade (bitter is important, to give it some balance and to keep it from getting too sweet), a small 12 to 16 ounce bag of raspberries or black raspberries and a bag of candied (preferably uncrystallized ginger). For a spicier compote, add more candied ginger or simply grate some fresh ginger into the mix. A little goes a long way with fresh grated ginger, though.

Start with the raspberries. Empty the whole bag into the saucepan or double boiler and warm until the berries are all melted and just short of boiling. Keep the heat high enough to just barely simmer, but not hot enough to keep at a rolling boil. While the raspberries are warming through it is a good idea to get the rest of the ingredients all ready, which consists of cutting the ginger and figs. Dried figs are sometimes hard to cut, but a serrated knife often works best. Once the ginger and figs are diced, they can be added to the raspberries. Once those ingredients have incorporated and warmed, add the orange marmalade and stir often until the ingredients have all come together. This jam should keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks in an airtight container. It is perfectly fine, though, to go ahead and freeze in small portions, especially if just cooking for a small family or yourself.

>>> Sensitive about seeds? Fig seeds are incredibly small, so it is best in these cases to get a nice strainer and strain the warm mixture a few times to get a smooth jam. It will weed out the tasty rind of the bitter oranges, but still retain great flavor for those who normally have to be so careful with fruit spreads.

New to the Picnic Circuit

There was an earlier post on hummus and how to make your own. Here is a great quick idea of a new use for this great versatile spread. No matter how cold the spring wind can feel, the season of picnicking is knocking on the door. Tuna and chicken salads can often taste pretty dull and because they are mayonnaise-based, they are hard to work into outdoor menus. Hummus can stand it its place and make for a more nutritious salad. 

Simply take a can of good quality tuna or flake a grilled tuna steak up (or shred a few  cooked chicken breasts) and dice a few stalks of celery, add some sweet pickle relish (bread and butter pickles diced makes a great sweet relish - just watch out for high fructose corn syrup) and as much hummus as you like. Stir and add a squeeze of fresh lemon, salt and pepper to taste and find a nice cracker to accompany. This can even work for canned salmon, and a bit of dill adds a nice touch. 

Don't be afraid to branch out, either. Switch up to a flavored hummus or turn the formula on its head. Combine raisins, carrots, tomatoes, chicken, hummus and some curry powder combine to make a great Indian inspired chicken salad with many of the flavors of byriani rice. 

Be a Tea-tender

Tea time connotes stuffy afternoon gatherings with finger sandwiches and crumpets, but tea time can be as fun as happy hour with some creative blends and presentations. These are wonderful for kids, baby showers, or any other time when "unleaded" beverages are preferred. 

These two  mocktails are caffeine free, too, so they are great for any time of day. 

Moji-tea

To make this beverage just get a large pitcher and fill with ice and lime slices. Brew a large amount of peppermint tea (or green and peppermint if not avoiding caffeine) and simply pour over the ice and limes. Remember to use about 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water. Sweeten with either stevia or agave nectar to avoid a sugar buzz, and serve on a warm day in fun glasses. This is extremely refreshing and goes well if serving seafood or grilled veggies. 

Hibiscus Sangria Sun Tea

This bold red-colored tea has all the flavor of it's alcoholic cousin, but won't lead to any crazy behavior. The ratio for mixing the ingredients is for every 2 cups of water to have 1 tbsp of hibiscus, 1 tsp of rose hips, 1 tsp of lemongrass and 1 tsp of orange peel. A small chunk of cinnamon bark  can also add a nice spice, but isn't necessary. Place a large tea ball or filter with all the loose tea needed to a large pitcher and add sliced fruit. Any stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc) work well, as well as oranges, blood oranges, blackberries, strawberries, etc. A good idea is to buy frozen fruit for this -already cleaned and precut - and often a great value. Fill the pitcher with water and sit in the sun for a few hours until the tea has brewed and the fruit has marinaded in the flavorful brew. Remove the tea filter and serve in pretty glasses. Sweeten to taste with agave nectar or stevia. 

 Enjoy your new tea-tini recipes!

A Tad on Teas

Bagged teas can be expensive and completely unnecessary considering the tasty cost-effective alternatives. While loose teas are available at high end grocery stores or health sections of some markets, The Good Earth located in Broad Ripple off Guilford Ave. sells bulk teas and herbs - many organic - for less than a dollar an ounce in most cases. For anyone desiring to be more in touch with their food, getting a bag of real chamomile flowers or rose hips may elevate the ordinary boxed teas to another level. Teas can be as flavorful as a juice, sweet like soda, and yet as nourishing if not more than a glass of water. It is gaining some popularity at coffee shops because hot tea is often the cheapest beverage on the menu, the price of a few dollars easily buys several cups of tea when buying in bulk. Another benefit is that loose whole leaf teas and herbs are much higher quality than what is often in commercial bagged teas. They take a bit longer to steep, but have richer, unmatched flavor. 

Finding the right way to brew loose teas is important, but by no means difficult. There are baskets, tea balls and even bags to fill yourself. Some bags even come ready to press shut with an iron, or even easier - a hair straightener. Pre-bagged whole leaf tea can be ridiculously expensive, but this option allows the best quality tea to be both portable and affordable. Most coffee shops won't charge much for a cup of hot water. 

Storing loose teas and herbs isn't rocket science, but they will loose some potency just sitting in cinched shut plastic bags. A good investment is to find some airtight containers, either tins or just regular tupperware type containers and keep blends and extra tea in those. Keep cool and dark, and they should get an excellent shelf life. The best thing about teas are that most spices and herbs can go into teas, as well, and because they are steeped they don't need to be powdered. Whole cinnamon bark can stay flavorful much longer than ground cinnamon, for instance.

Brewing hot teas are pretty straight forward. It's good to have anywhere from one to two tablespoons per serving of hot tea, depending on preference. Some teas are more flavorful than others, which affects how much and and how long to brew. If using herbs for medicinal purposes it is suggested to keep them brewing for 10 to 15 minutes, but in general most teas are pretty much done after 5 minutes. Black, green and white teas should steep no longer than 3 minutes in water that is either just short or that has just started boiling because they tend to get bitter. Many herbal blends and rooibos don't tend to get bitter.  If using a tea ball or some other filter system, keep herbal loose tea for brewing multiple cups in a day. Caffeinated teas, however, release 99 percent of their caffeine in the first 60 seconds of steeping, so they should be refreshed. Although it isn't always a practical reality, filtered and purified water makes cleaner tasting teas as opposed to tap water, and is preferred among true tea fiends. 

Some good herbsm spices and herbal teas to ask about. These are all caffeine free and have great medicinal benefits from energizing to relaxing, balancing blood sugar to helping with heartburn:

Hibiscus, rose hips, lemongrass, chamomile, honeybush, red and green rooibos, ginseng and Siberian ginseng, orange peel, red raspberry leaf, peppermint, spearmint, fennegreek, cinnamon, St. John's wort, licorice root, and chicory. '

Asian Take-In Food

Since Asian food was among one of the restaurants that won the second Everything but the Kitchen Sink blog poll, it creates a demand for some basic stir fry ideas and techniques. Stir fry is generally thought to be an Asian dish popular in Chinese cooking, but the base idea of quickly cooking vegetables and protein over high heat and serving over rice extends into Thai cooking as well. They can be a great diet staple for those with gluten allergies, and can be made with or without meat. Most stir-frys are cooked in woks, which can either be electric or just like a deep concave stove-top skillet. Either works fine, and no rice cooker is needed either. In a pinch, a large sautee pan will work to cook the dish in, so while the end product may taste exotic, it can be made with everday materials and ingredients. As far as choosing vegetables, carrots, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, bean sprouts, snow peas and broccoli are all good to use in combinations. Water chesnuts and bamboo shoots are normally found canned, and can be tasty, too. It doesn't seem like there would be many options for rice as vegetables, but cooking time, color, texture, shape and flavor can be different with each variety of rice. Brown rice takes a lot longer than white to cook, but adds extra nutrients and fiber. Stir-fry is a great way, even, to sneak brown rice into the meals of kids and those reluctant to eat anything remotely good for them. Forbidden rice, which is black, can be difficult to find, but is extremely delicious and not to be confused with wild rice, which actually isn't a rice at all (it's a grass). Short on time? Check out the frozen section of most supermarkets because they often have white and brown rice available precooked in microwavable servings. Short on cash? Get bulk rice and fix a large amount on an evening when there is some spare time. Then portion out small amounts of rice and freeze. They come back to life with a gentle thawing and reheating. Sauces are generally soy sauce based, but can include different chile pastes (i.e. Thai chile paste), hoisin sauce (a sweet Chinese barbecue sauce), rice wine or sherry vinegar, even citrus juice. Chinese five spice, ginger, and garlic are all popular spice choices as well. A good suggestion for a great tasting Asian dish is to choose something from every taste and combine them. Salty soy sauce, sweet hoisin sauce, acidic sherry vinegar, spicy ginger and savory garlic combined make an excellent marinade for meat and vegetables. To get a good ratio, plan for 1/4 cup of sauce for every portion of stir fry. Then divide equally the soy, hoisin, vinegar and add about 1/4 tsp. per serving of chinese five spice, ginger and garlic. Fresh pressed garlic and ginger taste amazing, just be aware they have a much stronger flavor and go a bit lighter on them.  Making a great stir fry is all about preparation. Having all the vegetables cleaned, chopped and ready to go, and having the meat or protein marinading and thawed is very important. Cooking is done at high temperatures and is a bit like a roller coaster. Once it stops, there is no time out. If making rice, start it before the rest of the stuff goes into the wok. Choose a light colored oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable, and put a couple of tablespoons in the bottom of a hot wok. Start with the vegetables that take the most time to cook first (like carrots and celery) and every couple of minutes add more vegetables until they are all in the wok. Make sure to use two high temperature safe spoons to toss the vegetables and make sure they cook evenly. After vegetables are about 70 percent done, remove them and add a tablespoon more oil and cook protein (without marinade, but save it). Putting ingredients into a hot wok will be noisy and can splatter a bit, so be prepared. Toss meat the same way, and when the meat has a nice sear on the outside add the vegetables back to the wok and add the marinade. Turn down the heat slightly, but keep at a moderate heat until the meat is fully cooked. Serve over rice and enjoy.

Raw Cheese Possibilities

For those who are lactose intolerant and have to avoid all dairy products, some products may be surprising and worth a try. Pasteurization is a given with most dairy in America, thanks to Louis Pasteur's invention that slowed the growth of bacteria in foods. This extends shelf life, which is essential in a super market culture, as well as helps to limit the chance of getting sick. Why is this important to those with lactose intolerance? Well, the bacteria that is naturally found in milk helps break down the sugars and compounds in dairy that cause digestive distress. Lactose is a sugar found in milk, which thanks to aging naturally diminishes. Raw milk cheese, now widely available in even major grocery stores, contains all the bacteria and is generally aged, resulting in little to no lactose. Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, and most mountain cheeses are the most likely to be made with raw milk, although many varieties can be made from raw milk.  One of the most isolating things about food allergies can be social gatherings and trying to find something to eat while feeding others without food allergies. Finding exceptions to the rule like raw cheese can be a way to please all with no compromise. To be able to make a pizza and not hear about the strange texture of a soy cheese, for instance, is a great luxury. 

The best advice is to look at the label and make sure that the carbohydrate amount is extremely low and that the first ingredient is unpasteurized milk. Some find it easier to digest sheep or goat milk, also, because those animals' milk doesn't have as much natural lactose as milk from a more bovine source. It is important, though, to be aware that this suggestion is not safe for those with milk allergies or those allergic to the protein in milk. Allergic reactions resulting in anaphylactic shock are not caused by the sugar in milk, but rather the substance as a whole.