The joys of coconut oil

A friend of mine that is into “holistic” foods and supplements got me interested in using coconut oil.  

He suggested I try the unrefined, organic, cold pressed coconut oil, that among other things, it was great for cooking. I decided I would  try it.  He also suggested that I take a teaspoon 2x a day for health.  I tried that as well.

The results? Well first, for my health, I take a teaspoon and sit it out to warm slightly (actually I put it briefly on top of my drip coffee maker until it liquefies). It tastes pretty good. I feel healthy but that doesn’t prove anything. Although I think he has “sold out” a bit, here is what Dr. Oz has to say about the health benefits. http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/charles-mattocks/benefits-coconut-oil If Dr Oz says it, it must be true, right?

Cooking with coconut oil has been great.  I cooked my salmon with it the other night. All I did was put my salmon on a baking sheet, squeezed some lemon on it then spread coconut oil on top. I then added a sprinkling (not too much) of Pink Salt. I baked my salmon  filets at 350 degrees for 10 minutes per inch.

A minute or two before the salmon was done, I topped it with shredded coconut (yes I used the sweetened kind but fresh coconut would be great too) and let it lightly brown on top. That was all I did and it was fantastic. I am hooked.

I doubt my friend had any idea how hooked on coconut oil I could be. Being a native Floridian, I have always loved coconut...fresh off the tree! 

 I read an online article about using it as a conditioner for your hair, so what do you think I did? Yes, you guessed it. I washed my hair then got out of the shower and an urge to spread the stuff on my hair took hold.

So, I will tell you….you can’t just rinse it out and you can’t leave it in. I tried both. Leaving it in, I tried to dry my hair but all I got was greasy hair. Then I tried rinsing it with warm water.  It was still in my hair but I was able to at least dry it. It was late and I was tired so I rationalized drying my hair but leaving what was left of the coconut oil in my hair overnight. I then washed it in the morning (an old pillowcase is recommended). Voila, I have the softest, silkiest, shiniest hair that I have had in years. I love it.

My sister thinks I am addicted to the stuff….she may have a point.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4348/5-Ways-to-Use-Coconut-Oil.html

Shrimp and the Carbon footprint

http://news.yahoo.com/tiny-shrimp-leave-giant-carbon-footprint-scientist-005737489.html
More evidence that Asian produced shrimp are not good for us or the environment. Ask before you buy and buy Key West Shrimp!

Sheila’s Tomato Soup Minestrone

Yesterday, I met with the wife of a Medical Device manager I know. He suggested we get together because she is starting a corporate wellness consulting company.  I met with her and we had a nice conversation.

She is getting certified by an organization called Integrative Medicine. They support the idea of eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and non Genetically Modified foods.

I had planned to stop at Central Market for some vegetables to make a Minestrone soup.  I was even more motivated after our discussion.  I made the soup and I really like it.

The recipe was a combination of a recipe for tomato soup I have been making for years. It came from The Frugal Gourmet cookbook by Jeff Smith.

The Frugal Gourmet is no longer on TV. Jeff Smith died many years ago and his reputation died as well. He had been accused of being a pedophile!

Still I love the soup. It is simple and uses fresh tomatoes. I never liked canned tomato soup but I love this one.  I decided to use that as a base for my minestrone. To it I added fresh veggies and beans.  I threw in sprigs of oregano, thyme and rosemary from my patio garden. This one is  a keeper!

The stock base I used is from a company called “Better Than Bouillon”.  I can find it in most groceries. The one I used is called “No Chicken Base”.  When I am looking for a more beefy stock, I use their “Mushroom base”.

 Since these can add a lot of sodium, I only use enough to flavor the stock to my taste. The label says to use ½ tablespoon per quart or 1 teaspoon per 8 oz. If you can use less, great because there is 670mg of sodium per teaspoon. If you want less sodium there are low sodium stocks you can buy or make your own!

I used roasted garlic and some of the oil from roasting it but fresh minced garlic is just as good. I hope you try this and enjoy getting your veggies!

Sheila’s Tomato Soup Minestrone

6 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped (skin, seeds and all!)

11/2 tbl olive oil and 1 tsp butter plus just enough olive oil to sauté the vegetables

3 cups chicken or chicken like stock or vegetable stock

I use 3 cups water and 2 tsp “no chicken” “Better than Bouillon” to make the stock 

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 medium zucchini chopped into cubes

1 medium carrot chopped into cubes

1 handful of green beans cleaned, tips removed and cut in half

5 large leaves of red Swiss chard, cleaned and red stalks cut off (greens only) chopped coarsely

½ potato chopped into cubes

½ can red kidney beans drained and rinsed

Sprigs of rosemary, thyme and fresh oregano

Salt and Fresh Ground pepper to taste

Saute the tomatoes in oil/butter mixture until they are tender. Add the soup stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, saute the garlic in a little olive oil (I used roasted garlic and the oil I roasted it in). Add carrot, zucchini, green beans and cook until zucchini starts to get soft.

Blend the tomato mixture (a hand blender is fantastic for this) in batches being careful not to overfill and burn yourself. Return to the pan and to the heat. Add the sautéed vegetables, the potato, the herbs and the chard. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add beans and cook covered 5 more minutes.  Season, remove herb sprigs and serve.

Super Bowl healthy food

I was invited to my friend's house for Super Bowl.  Actually he is also a former training client. The food is pot luck style and everyone is asked to bring a dish. I had a busy week so had not planned what I was going to bring.  I wanted to make something that was"somewhat" healthy and would go well with the traditional Super Bowl food. I also wanted to use ingredients I had on hand.

Well after nixing several ideas, I found this recipe I had cut out from a Sunset Magazine.  I had all but one ingredient (the chips), so I did run to the store for them. I liked this dip and it seemed to go over pretty well.  I even shared the recipe on request.

This is not for the faint of heart as it is made with smoked jalapenos (Chipotle Chiles).  One thing I love about being back in Texas is that I am not the only one who likes spicy food.  So if you are a spicy food lover,  try this. If not,  there are plenty of other things you can eat.

The only changes I made to the recipe is first, I used jarred roasted red peppers. I also added a little cumin and drained the yogurt to make it a little thicker. It would be fine if you don't drain it (cheesecloth or a coffee filter works) just not as thick. So here it is. Would love to hear from you if you try it. Oh...forgot to mention, I used baked tortilla chips. Enjoy.

Red pepper chipotle dip: 

Grill or broil 2 red peppers until blackened. Peel, seed, and stem. In a food processor, whirl peppers with ½ cup plain Greek yogurt and 1 canned chipotle chile until smooth. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl.. Chill to thicken; top with sliced green onions. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Making friends and guinea pigs

I have been looking forward to having friends over for dinner since my return to Plano. This weekend, I invited Lori, Toni, Mike and Keith to come over.  At first I planned a Thai Curry, something much more in line with my “normal” meal choices.

One problem with me is in making commitments on my decisions. So, over time the idea went from a Thai Curry to a Greek Shrimp Scampi and on from there. The problem for me is that I try to pre-think what people will eat. Since I don’t eat meat, it is a little more difficult when carnivores are coming over. Well actually, since I am not a true vegetarian, it can also be a challenge when ethical vegetarians come over.

I really wanted to make Salmon or Scallops. That is something I do a lot. But I am on a budget since I haven’t had much work and lots of expense. Seafood is expensive, so I nixed that idea.

In any case, I finally wore myself out planning so decided to make Penne with Vodka sauce, a salad and who knows what else. I had made the Vodka Sauce before using fresh marinara I bought at Central Market and it was good. It was also easy to make.

I also wanted the meal to be in line with healthier eating. Vodka sauce has cream in it, a challenge.  I found a recipe on Jamie Oliver’s site for a light Caesar dressing using 0% Greek yogurt. I thought that might be interesting too and healthier. I have made his recipes with much success.

I recently came across this nifty site where you can put a recipe in and get a very cool breakdown of what you are taking into your body. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2

 I put in the Vodka Sauce recipe and the outcome took all the color out of my face (which, with my white skin, isn’t really much of a feat).  The calorie count was out the roof. The fat count wasn’t far behind.

So now I had a dilemma. How to improve on it? So I tried. Less Vodka, ½ heavy cream and ½ fat free half and half, about 1/8 of the parmesan in the original recipe and measured portions of pasta.  I tried to find a good multigrain penne but didn’t find one that was right so settled on semolina.

I made the Light Caesar dressing http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/caesar-on-the-light-sideand it needed some fixing up. Instead of minced fresh garlic, I roasted mine. Fresh is so strong and cutting, I didn’t want to use it.  I added a little Dijon mustard and at the last minute threw in some chopped basil.

I added some steamed fresh broccoli to the menu too.  For dessert, I made a Red Wine Sauce to go over peaches and Ice Cream. I chose the ½ fat Dreyer’s Vanilla.

So you might wonder how it turned out. Well I had a fantastic time with my friends. It was so nice to have them and they seemed to have a good time. It lifted my spirits, which I needed.

My opinion on the food; I decided that my best meals are not planned dinner parties. Somehow I am never as happy with the outcome. I am really a “harried cook” when it comes to planned events.

 My girlfriend and fellow foodie Moira in Florida once said, she makes her best meals just cooking at home. I think the same is true for me. I do better when I invite someone for a dinner I had cooked for myself.

The outcome: The sauce was watery. I think the non-fat half and half isn’t the greatest product. I have read that before but took the chance.  The portions were not filling enough, though only one person mentioned that. I was hungry later.

I don’t know how anyone felt about the Caesar but I don’t think it would pass muster with “Real Caesar” lovers.  The yogurt was just a little too tangy.  If I did it over, I would use some non-fat mayonnaise with it to tone it down some, or add honey to cut the edge.   I think I would have preferred a basil dressing for flavor.

I slightly undercooked the broccoli.  For me it would be fine, but not for company. The Dreyer’s light was good. The peaches were flavorless so I added some partly defrosted frozen peaches. I don’t think that was a good idea. I am used to eating half frozen fruit in my cereal, but I don’t think it went over too well.  My friends much preferred Crème de Menthe topping to my home cooked Red Wine sauce.  Go figure. I could have just bought that.

Even though this meal was not on the 4 star list, it was not “bad” I don’t think.  I figure, at least I tried to make it tasty and healthier. Sometimes it works the first time. Other times it takes some trial and error.  

Maybe some recipes will never be as good without the fat. I remember hearing a popular nutrition guru say, if you are trying to lose weight, just because you ate one unhealthy meal doesn’t mean you give up. It would be like getting a flat tire and then slitting the other 3. You move forward from where you are.

So, I will either try these recipes again or find some better healthy choices. I find it a worthy and healthy pursuit.

Eat your beans, help each other

I haven’t posted anything lately because I am busy organizing my temporary move to S. Florida from Plano. The whole idea of moving away has been pretty overwhelming and I have been going back and forth trying to decide what to bring with me and what to store for my return.

For a foodie, the idea of leaving behind “ my kitchen” is the hardest. I have a lot more than the normal apartment dweller. Should I take the pasta maker which I haven’t used in 18 years?  What about the multiple crock pots? They are super when used at my annual tree trimming party.  Do I take the blender or will the stick blender suffice?

These are difficult decisions and I have realized how much I depend on the “extras” that make my time in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable.

I thought I would try out living with just “the basics” for awhile before deciding. I have done pretty well but only because I haven’t cooked anything of substance but a piece of salmon. I have given up smoothies. The stick blender just didn’t sound right for that.

No more pitting olives or cherries, not that I did that much anyway. How do I French cut green beans without my green bean frencher? You might ask if I really use these devices and the answer is, yes, I do.  I love these little extras.

So cooking with “the basics” is…well…basic. My diet has gone to heck. Toast with peanut butter for breakfast, lunch is leftovers from last night’s dinner out, who knows what for dinner….cereal maybe?

What I have made that is not only healthy but benefits a great cause, is black bean soup. My friend Nancy gave me some soup mixes from the “Women’s Bean Project” in Denver. The non profit organization has been helping women gain self sufficiency and employment since its inception. http://www.womensbeanproject.com/whatwedo.html

I normally make my soups from scratch, so I wondered how this would turn out.  I must admit it was really easy to make and the soup is wonderful. I did find it needed a little umph…so I added some Picante sauce (I used Pace) to each serving, some shredded low fat cheddar and chopped avocado. That is all it needed.

So, I have been eating the soup for dinner and feel I have improved my “basics” diet considerably this way.

I would highly recommend you try the soups from the Women’s Bean Project. They make great hostess or holiday gifts too. 

You can “eat you beans” and help those women who have been chronically unemployed or living at the poverty level, to develop the skills and training to support themselves and their families. That should taste pretty good going down!

Relief for Breakfast Boredom

I don’t know about you, but I get pretty bored with the same old breakfasts. During the week I usually hit on a theme and go with it until the idea is a burn out. For a while it was Smoothies with different fruits and a supplement called Lean that my sister distributed. It was very addictive, filling and good on the waist.

She stopped selling it so I moved on to cereal until I went to the store and a box of cereal worth about a dollar now costs five. I refused to pay it.

Next I switched to grains, grits, whole wheat cereal, quinoa etc. made every which way. In the summer that is just too warming, so I moved on to yogurt or toast and nut butters.

On the weekends I am ready for something more interesting. My sister, Shirley often stays over on Friday nights. We have “our show” on TV or a movie. In the morning, I usually come up with an idea, make our favorite blueberry crumble coffee and while she “comes alive” with her first cup, I head to the store to get what ingredients I need.

Although the daily grind gets boring, breakfast is my favorite meal to have with others. I usually go to Fresh Market, a local gourmet grocery for my ingredients, mostly because it’s quieter than the groceries so I don’t have to “look alive” when I get there. Other times, I walk to the local Publix and pick up a paper to bring back with the needed ingredients.

One week I picked up a juicy, sweet Mango and some fresh baked Tropical Coconut Bread to go with some Liberte’ yogurt. That was pretty tasty but not all that filling.

One of the easier meals that we found surprisingly good was from a recipe in the cookbook, “The Good Egg”. 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know, it is an egg recipe, Eggs with Beurre Noir (ok if you don’t have a handle on the French language, that is Black butter), Capers and Parsley.  Amazingly enough I had all the ingredients, no store trip required.

Another morning I decided to do the vegetarian thing and made a Tofu Egg Salad.  I know, I know you non veggies may balk, but I wasn’t too excited about the idea either. I am not a big Tofu lover. It turned out to be an easy breakfast, nutritious, and tasty, a nice change from the norm.

This week, I decided to get a little decadent. I found a recipe in a book I have “Breakfast in Bed” called Divine Filled Croissants. I am on a diet restriction now from food that is acidic or spicy, so this was something I could eat (for a salty, spicy, acid loving foods girl it has been a challenge!)

It is extremely rare for me to eat a croissant. I don’t love them. I once took a class on making croissants and after seeing them incorporate what looked like 10 pounds of butter, I figured it might not look good on my heart or hips.  The recipe looked interesting and the croissants seemed to be the best choice, so there you have it, croissants were on the menu.

I didn’t sleep well Friday night. Lots of things on my mind so I wasn’t the “Bright Sunshine” I normally am on the weekend. This time Shirley and I both went to Fresh Market for the ingredients, one of which was Monterey Jack Cheese.  I wanted to find it in a block but they didn’t have it. Not wanting to go from store to store, I bought packaged slices.

Upon arriving home and starting to prepare the ingredients, we noted that the cheese was supposed to be grated, but I had slices. Being the genius and iron chef I am I came up with the solution. I grabbed about 4 slices and rolled them together then tried to grate them. I actually didn’t expect the outcome to be too great, expecting the cheese to crumble, but it didn’t. It was grating just fine. 

I was so proud of my genius until I got about halfway through the cheese. It was at that point that I realized the reason the cheese stayed together so well. It had paper between the slices which I had so nicely grated in with the cheese! So much for my iron chef status! Lucky I had enough cheese to start over, this time throwing it into my mini food processor and crumbling it.

The breakfast was easy to make and it was a nice change. We used wild caught smoked salmon that was of very good quality.  The only change I would have made (besides taking the paper out from between the cheese slices) would be to add some spinach in with the eggs next time.

Today, I spent a little extra time at the gym, hopefully working off the added calories and fat.

Here are the 3 new breakfast ideas. I hope you will try and enjoy them!

Divine Filled Croissants-Serves 4

4 large croissants                    4 Tablespoons butter

8 eggs                                      ¼ cup milk

1 Tablespoon minced fresh

(best) Dill or 1 tsp dried          ½ cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/3 cup finely chopped

Smoked salmon                       ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Optional: Spinach cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Warm croissants in oven for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile melt butter in a medium skillet. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk together; add dill, mushrooms (spinach) and salmon. Pour into skillet and scramble until creamy.

Remove croissants from oven and slice lengthwise ¾ of the way through. Preheat broiler.

Fill the croissants with the scrambled egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Broil croissants open faced until cheese is melted. Serve immediately

Eggs with Beurre Noir, Capers and Parsley- Serves 2

4 tablespoons unsalted butter            4 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice          2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley (don’t leave                                                                 out!)

1 tablespoon small capers,

Rinsed and drained                             2-4 slices of good quality bread, toasted and buttered.

 Warm two plates in oven on the lowest setting (not that I did this!) Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. When the butter sizzles, break the eggs one at a time into a cup and slip into the skillet (or like me, just go for it and put them straight in!) Reduce the heat to low and fry until the whites begin to set (1 minute) Cover and cook until the yolks are cooked to the desired doneness, about 5 more minutes. Transfer the eggs to the warmed plates.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet and heat over medium heat until the butter browns, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and swirl to blend. Pour the sauce over the eggs, sprinkle with parsley and capers and serve with the toast. Yum!

Tofu Egg Salad-Serves 1

4 ounces firm tofu

1-2 tablespoons each, chopped celery and chopped onion

Mayonnaise (light, canola or olive oil is good)

Prepared mustard, dill, curry powder to taste

Chopped or sliced, avocado (optional)

1-2 slices a good grain bread toasted.

Dice tofu as you would hard cooked eggs for salad. Add the chopped celery and onion to taste (can add chopped green pepper if you like).

Add enough mayonnaise to make mixture creamy and season with any or all of the above seasonings or others of your choosing (I used mustard and a small bit of curry as I don’t love curry plus a little salt and freshly ground pepper)

Serve on toast topped with avocado if you like or with a slice of avocado on the side.

Have a great week and ….don’t forget to exercise!