A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Good & Good For You: Slow Cooker Anasazi Beans

Anasazi beans are named for the Native Americans who inhabited the four corners area of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  Anasazi, a Navajo word that means "the ancient ones", were most likely the original cultivators as crocks of the dried beans had been found in the cliff homes of these Indians in the early 1900's.  The return of the popularity of the bean in the last couple of decades casts a bit of a mysterious shadow, though. Supposedly out of cultivation for 1500 years, one story attributes new crops to an archeaologist in the 1980's who found a store of the them and successfully regrew them.  However, most botanists would say that germination on beans is only about 50 years so it's more probable that the beans had been grown here and there in the southwest until picked up by enterprising boutique bean growers.

 Because of it's similarity in taste to the pinto bean one of the more quietly (pun) interesting fact about the anasazi bean is that the specific type of carbohydrate that induces flatulence during digestion in other beans is only present in a quantity of less than 25% comparably.

Good & Good For You: Cucumber Salad with Boiled Dressing

 

Had a lovely dinner with cousin Ann and Aunti Miranda the other night.  We originally were supposed to meet at a restaurant but without remembering that fact, I started a pot of Anasazi beans in the crockpot AND THEN Gene said "Weren't you going out to dinner tonight?" Crap!  You know how it is. Memory's the second thing to go with age and who knows what the first thing is.  So that prompted a quick couple of emails... "Uh...wanna free meal?"

I really enjoy spending time with them and it was fun to have a little girls' dinner and hang out in the sunroom without a noisy restaurant of folks all around us. And yes, btw, we did let Gene eat but he had business in Marshfield and didn't get back until after we'd finished.

Good & Good For You: Dark Chocolate & Steel Cut Oatmeal

 

We all want to be healthier. We all say we want to eat healthier. The irony is that we live in a society with so much abundance of food that eating healthy sometimes seems more like a chore than a privilege.  One of the goals I've made for myself is not only to eat healthier and act healthier to be healthier (and lose weight) but to be happy about it. 

I am a 70's child of the era of the sugar-held-together-by-emaciated-grain Captain Crunch breakfast, shortening and sugar-laden peanut butter & jelly sandiwch lunch, and the chicken deep fried in transfats accompanied by mashed potatoes drained of their nutrients and swimming in saturated fat dinner. Remember the Bill Cosby chocolate cake for his kids routine?  "THAT'S nu-TRI-TION!"

My quest now is to retrain my tastebuds to not only enjoy the blessing I have in this world of all the wonderfully fresh nutritionally dense food I have at my disposal but to actually enjoy and crave them too, instead of being emotionally food childish about eating what's good for me while secretly desiring Captain Crunch in my heart of hearts.

Good AND Good for you: Creamy Cucumber Dip

 

So simple and yet so rewarding, this is a summer constant in my work lunchbox and snack around the house. Only three ingredients that pack an all-out taste power punch:  creamy for the tongue, crunch for the teeth, and salty herby for the psyche pleasure zone.

We eat this primarily as a dip on good fibrous tough stuff crackers or I love it as a sandwich on wheat or rye bread. Middle-of-the-night Afternoon Tea, anyone?

An added pleasure is anytime the cukes come from your own garden. Sigh.  The best part of summer is the garden!

New Yogurt on My Block: Stonyfield Farms

 

Found a new product to look for: Stonyfield Farms yogurts and ice cream.  They generously sent me some coupons for free product and I've been going back for more since I've used those up and have been paying for the product myself. Stonyfield contains live bacterial cultures which is what got my attention from the start.  I've long been a big Activia fan because I have a cranky little digestive system and I've noticed that the Activia or acidopholus supplements help keep me under control.  Jamie Lee Curtis is not lying to you in those commercials; I'm living proof.

What made me switch lines is that Stonyfield comes in so many more products that I use, namely the small versions of fat free plain yogurt, that although I pictured a sweet smoothy in my pics, I use the plain fat free yogurt as a sour cream substitute even more frequently than I make smoothies. For example a couple of weeks ago I turned a pot roast into stroganoff and the yogurt lightens that heavy winter meal up by quite a bit. The Stonyfield worked well in that venue, staying nice and creamy without all the fat and heaviness of sour cream. When I do want the heavier texture, I love that Stonyfield makes Greek yogurt in smaller containers which I've had a hard time finding in Springfield MO and Activia doesn't make that I know of. The large containers are great but since we're a two person family, the larger containers put more pressure on us to use it up quickly once it's opened.  The smaller containers are greatly appreciated!

I've also found that both Gene and I like the soy yogurt as much as the regular milk yogurt. We don't even notice which one we're pulling out of the fridge especially after you top it with fruit and/or nuts.

I do have one little dish I'd love to try that I don't have the ingredients for yet but when I do...you'll see it. I got an email newsletter from someone I don't remember but the article was about kid-friendly breakfasts. Not that we're kids but in our hearts...you know.  The breakfast idea was a step up of yogurt and fruit called Banana Split Breakfast.  It was a healthy banana split with yogurt (I'll use Stonyfield's Greek yogurt) replacing the ice cream and then no sauces: yogurt, fruit, and nuts. It looked both delicious and good for you.

Next time you're buying yogurt, I'd really recommend giving Stonyfield a look-see.  At my grocery, they're in the organic section rather than the normal yogurt section.

 

Doctor's Kitchen Monday: Edamame Succotash with Brown Rice

 

Look at all that great food for work one night last week...and then it was so horribly busy I never got a chance to eat a bite of it all night long. Oh well. I ate the succotash for breakfast the next day so at least I got to enjoy it!

 

I make this dish fairly often because it's great for you and super quick to put together, works perfectly for lunch, dinner, or work lunch, and is a great "getting closer to vegetarian" dish for us meat eaters.  Gene says he really likes it but he'd like it better with a bunch of chicken in it.  I tell him that defeats the purpose of eating a vegetarian dinner once a week for our health. He thinks chicken is vegetarian. :-)

Click below for the recipe.

Doctor's Kitchen Monday: "There's Chicken in my Spaghetti"

 

Chicken, a simple substitution that has much less fat in it than beef in spaghetti, still has all the taste of meat and and the healthy goodness of the tomato sauce.  A perfect dish for the crockpot, it's also easy to throw into a roaster to cook it low and slow while leaving it alone for the afternoon.

I first had this at the soon-to-be in-laws of my friend, Shawna, 20-something years ago.  I'd flown to Calgary to attend her wedding and we got snowed in, blizzarded in I should say, at her wonderful in-laws where we were served this for one of the dinners. 

Let's talk the weather in Canada for a second, shall we?  I'm from Missouri, although I have lived in Washington (state) and Utah but that still didn't prepare me for Canadian "spring".  The wedding was in April and I remember Shawna saying about clothes "wear whatever you would normally wear in spring".  Hmmmm...what she meant to say was "wear whatever you'd wear for Missouri winter". Although we get a few snows over the winter, our snow is usually gone within a few days. I wasn't prepared for snow that stayed on the ground until almost summer and the freezing temps that accompany that snow. At the time I freaked out in my light sweaters and khakis but now I look back and smile and am warmed by the memories of spending time with my dear friend and the hospitality of her new family.

This dish is my entry this week in Ruth's, of Once Upon a Feast, wonderful Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Graziana of Erbe in Cucina .  Be sure to drop by her "place" on Friday to see all the wonderful pasta dishes rounded up this week.

Caprese Salad with Pickled Green Tomatoes

 

Auntie Miranda went with friends to The Keeter Center in Branson for dinner the night before last night.  The Keeter Center is the small hotel and dining room run by the Hospitality Dept of School of the Ozarks.  And run very well.  We have a respiratory conference down there that's dynamite as a conference and The Keeter Center as a venue is superb.

In the dining room, Auntie chose this Caprese salad with fresh red and pickled green tomatoes.  She said she took one bite, rolled her eyes in delight, and said to the waiter "Can I get one of these to go?"  I went to bed early that night but it was waiting for me in the fridge when i got up the next day. 

Wow. I don't know how much better it could have been fresh because it was still incredibly fresh, crispy, and wonderful the next day.  This is definitely a do at home thing too. I know you can buy green tomato pickles, or even better would be to can them from the garden.  I'm thinking even fresh green tomatoes mixed with red tomatoes and fresh mozzarella would be wonderful fresh out of the garden....maybe drizzle a little honey across the top with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to add that sweetness from the pickling syrup.

Thanks Aunti Miranda! What a lovely and healthy lunch. We'll definitely be working on a home recipe for this one!

Breakfast Starts the Day off Right. Right? Right! Cornbread Frittata

 

One of the things I've been changing about the way I eat since I've been following the Mediterranean Diet path is the way I approach breakfast.  Like a lot of people I either tend to skip breakfast or eat all the wrong things.  For example, I work the night shift so when I get off shift in the morning I'm starving and ready to eat pretty much anything and everything. Technically, for nightshifters, the a.m. is our dinner time.  We eat breakfast when we get up around 4pm, lunch at 1am, and dinner for breakfast, but I've really been trying to get back into a more traditionally routine eating pattern even when I work, especially since working 12 hour shifts, we don't work a five day work week.

What I've found through experimentation is that when I choose wholesome whole grained foods for breakfast that also contain a serving of fruit and/or veggies I have a much better day over all whether I'm up or sleeping for the day.  We all know basic nutrition.  Whole grains and fresh produce last longer in our systems because they're nutritionally dense and take longer to break down, creating a more even supply of glucose instead of the normal sugar/caffeine high and low of Krispie Kremes, Cocoa Puffs, and Caramel Mocha Coffee.  Weight Watchers call these nutritionally dense foods simply "filling" foods.  I'm experimenting with a lot of different things but I'm finding, so far, that egg dishes with fresh veggies and cereals like Irish oatmeal or Grapenuts with a side of fruit hit the spot and last all morning.

Niece Jordan's Birthday Party

 

It might seem a little odd that most of the family parties are at my house but I think it's about me being the oldest of our five kids and our mom having passed away 20 years ago. I've become the matriarch of my little family, sort of Grandma by Proxy.  So for many years, the niece and nephews have all expected to have their birthday parties at "Aunt Gonnie's". 

Since I make the cakes and do most of the cooking, it's very convenient for me.  I've always felt a little guilty that I'm the one who learned to cook but, being the oldest, I was the sergeant-at-arms in my mother's kitchen for as long as I can remember, and my little sister, Jordan's mom, being six years younger was mostly kicked out to go play.  Lucky her in ways!  Not that she's a bad cook, she just didn't get the same experience I did in the large family/trial by fire way I did.

  

Jordan requested her menu, which is our tradition, Ziti "with pepperoni" and "strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream and blue roses".  I can dig it.  Ever since Jordan was a toddler her favorite meal has been spaghetti but as she's gotten older she's added the spicy pungency of pepperoni to her favorites and strawberry cake has won her heart since she was a baby.  That I bought strawberry cheesecake ice cream to go with it was like a strawberry sugar nirvana shared by all.

The menu board to the left is a little freebie bank whiteboard give-away we got years ago that's always been my little party cheat sheet. It's on the fridge so that I, and anyone in the kitchen helping me, can consult to avoid the common after dinner "Oh crap! We forgot the ___" moment.

 

I'll give the recipe below. We found the Ziti with Pepperoni to be an excellent choice for a crowd, easy to prepare in advance and a hit with everyone. 

It is also my entry in this week's Presto Pasta Nights, created by wonderful Ruth at Once Upon a Feastand hosted this week by Sara of I'm a Food Blog .  On Friday of this coming week, be sure to stop by to see all the pasta doings going on.

Additionally on the menu:

 

Basic spring salad of leaf lettuces, chunked zucchini, celery, spring onions, tomatoes, shredded carrots, and edible flowers from the garden:  Sweet William and Purslane.

Accompanying the salad was a host of bottled dressings for the timid and a home-made lemon vinaigrette for Auntie Miranda and I, made from lemon balm and parsley fresh from the garden.  The recipe for this also, is below.

Later this week a post a few pics of the "garden", not traditional rows or square foot, my garden is a fairly ambitious collection of pots on the back porch...I'll also write a separate post on the cake with more behind the scenes pics of making the gumpaste flowers.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, vivacious, growing-up-way-too-fast, fabulous niece, Jordan!