Know your passion

 

I didn’t start out as a “Foodie”.  In fact, I paid no attention to cooking until I was in my mid-teens. I mentioned this in a previous post, but what started this lifelong interest began with a pineapple upside down cake.

I was about 15 if I recall. Kevin was my “heart throb”.  As teenage relationships go, we started our relationship when I was 13 with a ring from a Cracker Jack box. I can still recall the green ring around my finger it left.

 

In any case, Kevin loved pineapple upside down cake.  Being the adventurous type (not), I  wanted to make him one for his birthday.  Armed with a package of Betty Crocker (or was it Duncan Hines?...Who is Duncan Hines anyway?) pineapple upside down cake mix and an older brother that was happy to teach me how to break an egg. I baked my first cake.

 

Kevin never did eat the cake. He went  AWOL for a year….but that is another story.  Somehow in spite of my lack of knowledge, I managed to hook him and we moved in together when we were in college.

 

Hamburger Helper was my friend along with several recipes from my grandmother (take a little bit of this and a little bit of that) and some from my mom.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that wasn't enough for me so I started cutting out recipes and I haven’t stopped since.  I have been cutting them out for 40 years now.

Have I cooked them all? Not a chance. So why do I do it? As I grow the collection, I often ask myself that same question.

I have a healthy imagination and thinking about food nurtures my creative side. Food isn’t just about taste. It includes all our senses, touch, sight, sound (snap crackle pop) smell all come together to form our taste preferences.

So how do you know your passion? Well, all I have to do is look around my home to figure that out. Years ago a guy I was dating came over and said “Sheila, Sheila, Sheila what is it you want to do in life?”

He looked around my place and commented, “you want to be the best darn cook ever!”   Of course

he missed the closet full of fitness books and exercise equipment. Now that would really have confused him!

 

What is your passion?

This is what my passion looks like to me:

These are recipes I have cooked

These I haven't yet tried.

 



Just a few of my magazines

And books

and more books
and then there are the recipes on my computer...

 

 

 



 

 

When things don’t go as planned, charity and a healthy fast food alternative

Image via Wikipedia

Have you ever had a day where you thought you must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed? Well today was that day for me. I was up late last night but in spite of that I woke up early this morning. I was actually quite pleased about it because I had a lot to do before I headed over to West Palm Beach this afternoon. I had offered to volunteer for the United Cerebral Palsy, 21st Annual Great Chefs Tasting Party charity event.

I thought I was one step ahead of things but that wasn’t the way it worked out. The dress for the event was Palm Beach Business Casual so I pulled out a pair of slacks and went about finding a top to go with it. The first top I found was perfect. Well it would have been until I noticed it had some spots on it. After a futile attempt to take them out, I went hunting for another choice. Ah, the silk sweater set. That was always a great choice. I pulled that out ….spots again. What’s with these spots? Where are they coming from anyway? I haven’t worn either of these tops since they were at the cleaners. Did they do that or just fail to clean them properly? Top number 3 was ready to go, ironed and I put it together with a linen blouse. I was ready.

Off to the gym, now a little late. I figured I could still get a good ½ hour of spin in and an arms workout. I arrived at the gym and found a class in process in the spin room. No problem. I could do arms first then spin. I headed for the locker room and before I could make my way out, the electricity went off. Have you ever been in a locker room with no lights? It’s “very” dark. I managed to find my way out and did most of my arm workout in the semi-dark (they turned some lights on with a generator).

Actually it was kind of nice for a change to work out in a silent gym with soft lighting. People usually talk more to each other when there has been an event, so I tried to strike up a conversation with the guy working out next to me. That was probably a bad idea. He spoke very broken English and although he tried 3 times, I didn’t have a clue what his response was. Finally I just smiled, shook my head and made a bee line for the spin bikes. The electricity went on and off about 5 times during my workout. Of course along with the lights, the air also is off. I lost a pound or two of water weight on the spin bike!

I arrived home, showered, grabbed a quick lunch then dressed for the event only to realize top number 3 had a spot on it too and in a very prominent place, ahhhh! Luckily I was able to fix it and running late now, headed to West Palm Beach. When I was about a quarter of the way there, my gas light came on. I was now running out of gas. No problem I had just passed a station less than a mile behind me. I wouldn’t be that much later. I made an illegal U-turn (don’t tell anyone) and headed to it. Go figure. It was closed, under some kind of construction. I did manage to find a station a half mile of so after that.

The UCP event was very nice. I and another girl sold the raffle tickets and did pretty well raising money for them. I bought some tickets myself, hoping to win the Premier Wine tasting for ten in your home, but someone trumped me on that one!

It was a long day and although there was some great food at the event, when you are working you don’t eat much. I was hungry when I headed home. Most people I know wouldn’t have thought twice about stopping at a fast food joint, but I am not a fast food joint girl. Since I don’t eat meat, it further limits my choices. I decided to come up with something at home (yes, you can exist on this planet without ever eating at a fast food restaurant! It’s a choice.)

I fell back on one of my favorite home “fast food” dinner. I filled a saucepan with 2 cups of water and brought that to a boil. Then I threw in some vegetables. This time I chose some carrots that I grated and fresh baby spinach. I will give you the recipe sometime later, but I had previously made a bunch of vegetarian pot stickers with tofu and had frozen them. I took a few out of the freezer and threw them in the water (you could used store bought dumplings. I know you can get them at Whole Foods, Central Market or Trader Joes) and let them cook a bit. I had gotten some Kikkoman Instant Miso Soup with Tofu at World Market (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=kikkoman+miso+soup&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1104165341&ref=pd_sl_18k8zzw9ru_b), so I took 2 packets out, turned down the heat (Miso shouldn’t be boiled) and added the contents to the pan. After heating a few minutes and opening up a package of Nut Thins…Voila, dinner!!!

Ok maybe that doesn’t seem like enough food for you. Steam up some edamame. Munch on them while you heat up the soup. That should do it.

So that’s my recipe for the day…Sheila’s easy Instant Tofu Mushroom Soup with Vegetables ( a long story for a short recipe!). I have also tried the Red Miso instant soup. It is good, but I prefer the White Miso and Tofu. I have also used Chinese cabbage in place of the Spinach and I prefer it. It is more authentic and has some crunch to it. In a pinch, I have also used Romaine strips.

I like the Pot stickers because I get a little bit of protein from the Tofu in them. With the ginger in the dumplings you add additional flavor to the soup. Alternately you could use Soba (Buckwheat) noodles. I have also thrown in some chunks of fresh salmon and cooked till done, then added the soup mix. That is very good and you get those important Omega 3's.

There are many variations, so use your imagination but don’t make it too complicated or you won’t be able to compete with the fast food joints!

One last thing, and I know I have said this before, but it is especially important now. The non-profits have been hit pretty hard by the down turn in the economy. If you can help out, please do, whether in donations or volunteering your time. Either way, it is very rewarding to know that you may have helped some people that may not be as healthy or well off as you are. It may also help you appreciate your health and the things you have you may take for granted.

Have a healthy, happy and joyous week and be grateful for the gifts you have been given.

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• What Does Your RDI Look Like: Omega 3-s (fitsugar.com)

A Healthy 4th of July BBQ

Image by Asten via Flickr

Independence Day is upon us. The grills are being cleaned and readied for the BBQ master. Shoppers are buying up the potato salad, macaroni salad and cans of baked beans from the groceries.I thought I might offer you a different option this year to lighten things up.

Back in the days when I was a Carnivore, my husband and I tag teamed making Turkey Burgers. They were a little trickier on the grill since they didn’t have all that fat to bind things together. We settled on him either being “very” careful turning them or using a grill basket which was much better. I have also added some egg or egg white to the burgers to bind them and that works pretty well too.

In my more domestic days I made fresh hamburger buns. Wow! Those really added a lot to the meal. If you can get some good buns from a bakery, not a grocery, I suggest you do.

Instead of heavy fat laden potato salad or the butter loaded scalloped potatoes my mother used to make, I make Buttermilk Herb Scalloped Potatoes. The Buttermilk is lower in fat. When cooked, it adds a very tangy cheesy texture to the potatoes. The herbs give the dish a fresh from the garden taste.

Then there is the macaroni salad. Now don’t think I am inhuman. I love my mother’s macaroni salad, mayonnaise and all but I have an alternative that I love equally. I got the idea while dining at Dakota’s restaurant in Downtown Dallas. They made a WheatBerry Salad with minced vegetables, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. I make it that way at times, but when my Albanian heritage kicks in, I make a Dilled Wheat berry Salad with minced vegetables, mint and Feta cheese. I dress it with the traditional fresh squeezed lemon and olive oil. The oil I use sparingly.

A bit outside the box, my Butter Beans Oreganato taste great and may help you add some of your own “Fireworks” to the occasion :).

So this year, try something outside of your comfort zone. These may not be “American” per se, but we are a melting pot in America and this "4th of July"
(or sometime this summer) I hope you try these recipes. I think you will like them and they are good for you too!!

Red Carpet Turkey Burgers

For the burgers:

1 lb “lean” ground turkey
1 ½ tsp liquid smoke (hickory if you are from the East, Mesquite if you are from Texas)
1-2 Jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped
1 Shallot minced
1 Garlic clove peeled and minced
S& P to taste
1 egg or 2 egg whites optional
4 Good quality hamburger buns
Garnishes:
1 small green or red pepper cut in strips
Lettuce
Grated low fat Cheddar or Swiss cheese
Country Dijon Mustard

Preheat a BBQ grill. Combine all the burger ingredients and mix. Gently form the mixture into 4 burgers. Place in a lightly oiled grill basket or very carefully on the prepared grill (remember to oil the grill before heating it so you don’t burn your eyelashes off!!)

Grill until cooked through turning once. Don’t try turning them multiple times or they will fall apart and you will be eating turkey hash!!

Another option you could try instead of the liquid smoke is using Hoisin sauce and substituting sweet green pepper for the Jalapeno. You could top this with sautéed shitake mushrooms and Light Swiss Cheese

Buttermilk Herb Scalloped Potatoes

3 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (or large redskin potatoes) sliced in ¼ inch strips
¼ onion chopped (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (white is ok too)
1 ½ tsp each dried thyme and rosemary crumbled
S&P to taste
1 ½ Tablespoon good quality Parmesan or Romano Cheese not the flavorless stuff
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 tablespoon Smart Balance margarine or margarine made with yogurt
Pinch of Paprika

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x11 loaf pan. Toss the potatoes with the whole wheat flour, salt and pepper and herbs. Layer half of the potatoes in the loaf pan. Top with chopped onion then repeat with another layer. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and dot the potatoes with Smart Balance or the Yogurt based margarine. Pour Buttermilk over all then sprinkle with Paprika
Bake (uncovered) for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until potatoes are tender.
Enough for 4 as a side dish.

Wheatberry Salad

1 cup dried wheatberries
2 cups water
1 Chicken or Vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
½ red or sweet onion, minced
1 medium carrot; minced
½ red bell pepper, minced
1 ½ oz feta cheese crumbled
Handful of fresh cleaned spinach torn into small pieces

Dressing:

1 ½ tablespoons fruity olive oil
½ large juicy lemon
1 tsp dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped fine
½ tsp dried mint crumbled or 1 tsp fresh mint minced (fresh is best here)
S&P to taste

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add bouillon if you want. Add wheatberries, bring to boil then reduce heat and cook covered for 45-50 minutes until done but still chewy. Toss with a fork then let cool.

When cooled, add remaining ingredients except the dressing ingredients (onion through spinach). Mix. Add olive oil and dill. Mix to coat the berries with the oil. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and mix again. Add salt and pepper. Taste and make any adjustments to the dressing.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make this with the Blue cheese instead, substitute the Blue Cheese for the Feta. Omit the dill, and mint and substitute balsamic vinaigrette for the lemon and oil. I love it this way too and it might be more “American”.

Butter Beans Oreganato

1 Can Butter Beans
½ lemon
½ Tablespoon Olive oil
¼ Teaspoon dried oregano crumbled
S&P to Taste

Heat Butter Beans in a pan on the stove or bowl in the microwave. When hot add the olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix gently. Squeeze the lemon over all and mix again. Serve warm.

Have a Happy, Healthy and Safe 4th....and don't forget to exercise!!