A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Eating for Anemia: Crockpot War Eagle Mill 7-Grain Hot Cereal & Berries

 

After a recent lab test, I was informed that I am slightly anemic.  While I will be taking iron and B vitamin supplments, I can also help restore my body's levels through practicing good nutrition.  This is great motivation to follow through on one of my goals this year (and always) of eating more natural foods and less processed junk.

When we hear the term "anemia" most people automatically think iron supplements, and while those often are the treatment, there are actually two kinds of anemia: iron deficiency and red blood cell deficiency.

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Food Goals 2011

Rather than listing out a bunch of goals this year, I think I just want to put out there in print so I can remind myself later that my goals are much the same as everyone else's.  More and more I want to continue to find time exercise and to create and cook delicious, filling recipes that taste good and are good for the body.  While I have dabbled in "diets" such as Meditteranean, Nordic, and Eat-Clean, and adhere to many of the principles, I don't consider myself to be "on" any one of them in particular. My husband has heart disease and I am overweight. To cook for those conditions, I've learned that in the most simple terms I need to rely on fresh, wholesome ingredients and to stay away from processed foods that contain a lot of chemicals, or any kind of fad or "diet-endorsed" foods.  To hell with Slim-Fast this and Weight Watchers that and Nutri-System this and Adkins that, edible substances that come wrapped in plastic inside cardboard boxes.  My food life is about real food, real recipes, because we're real people, not rats in a cage who didn't die when they were fed the eight syllable chemicals that give Twinkies the shelf life of Methuselah.

So all I really have to say about food goals this year is:  Who's with me?!

 

Cheesy Vegetable & New Potato Soup

 

I had a scratchy throat last night, no big deal, just allergies I think, but I craved something soft and creamy for dinner like potato soup.  I wanted veggies in it but I was also feeling too cranky to chop to I ended up creating this little gem that I'll be making again and again. 

Night Shift Birthday Party: Jessica's Cucumber Sandwiches

 

One of the great side effects of work birthday parties is getting to taste new recipes like these pretty open-faced cucumber sandwiches our friend Jessica brought in.  Easy to make, they were delicious, so good Carrianne and I ate almost a container of them by ourselves (luckily, there were three containers so others could indulge too).

By the way, I'm going to start adding Cook's notes to recipes with "use this...or that..." and I've set up a new category to reflect recipes that take substitutions well.   So many times recipes can be equally good using several different ingredients and it can all depend on what you have in the pantry or what you need to use up from the garden.  Not all cooks are adept at making those substitutions the way I was taught growing up in my mother's kitchen.  Quite frankly, we were very poor and running to the grocery store for a $5.00 ingredient was rarely an option so my mother became extremely proficient at still trying new recipes while also still using her pantry items on hand.  For example, most recipes that call for asparagus taste just as great substituting broccoli when asparagus is out of season, zucchini for eggplant, or in this recipe Cavender's Greek Seasoning is a great substitute for fresh dill when you don't happen to have fresh from the garden on hand.

Coconut Sauteed Dry Scallops with Fried Rice

One of my favorite recipes, this dish competes with restaurant dishes because of the quality of the scallops.  "Wet" scallops, commonly found in grocery stores are treated with phosphates which leave a slimy texture and off taste which is all but impossible to remove.  "Dry" scallops like those served in restaurants are not chemically treated and have the meaty texture and clear sweet taste that makes me love scallops. (To order, check out an Alaskan company, Fish Ex.)
 

I also used coconut oil in this recipe which imparts a slight sweetness to the scallops without overpowering them in any way. Though controversial, coconut oil is being studied and many benefits are coming out about this possibly maligned oil.

Promises to Keep by Jane Green and Fish Balls Recipe served with my Mother's Homemade Tartar Sauce

 

Promises to Keep by Jane Green  

I read this novel recently and enjoyed both the story and the recipes included in the book.  It's the story of a young chef sorting her life out on all fronts: romantically, professionally, and her place within her family.  The town Stephanie moved to reminds me a bit of Eureka Springs, AR so the book felt cozy and homey and like getting to know people I would like.

I'd definitely recommend the read and the recipes.  Gene and I both enjoyed the Fish Balls (although I flattened mine out slightly and added my mom's homemade tartar sauce) for dinner last night and the Gingerbread Trifle is next on my list to make. I'll be storing the book with my cookbooks for sure. 

I Heart Summer: Fresh Green Beans

 

In the south, we are traditionally horrible about overcooking our vegetables, particularly our green beans but with summer's fresh produce I've found that there really can be a nice middle between my love of my Nannie's beans with bacon and onion, and a nice tender-crisp bean with lots of color and taste.

This recipe bridges the gap between the love of bacon flavor without all the saturated fat and also between a torturous cooking time and on-the-spot dinner.  I also throw in some walnut pieces for extra crunch and flavor that enhances the bacony goodness.

Eat Clean Diet: Cole Slaw

I'm crediting this recipe to Eat Clean Diet. I could have sworn I found it, or something very similar, in either one of the ECD books/cookbooks or on the ECD web site, but going back, I can't for the life of me find it again.  Wherever in my brain, on the net, or in an ECD book it came from, this is what I wrote down so I know wherever the original recipe came from, this is how I ended up making it.

Let me give a caveat. This is not your grandmother's cole slaw but it is very good, much cleaner and crisper tasting, but you have to go into it not expecting the same mayo-tongue feel.  The bite of the yogurt is a perfect match with the other ingredients and it was wonderful on top of a pulled pork sandwich and as a side to meatloaf. It's lightness and bite worked in its favor with the heavier meat entrees I ate it with.

Blueberry & Olive Oil Cake: Good for You Snacking

I'm falling in love with this Olive Oil Cake recipe.  Originally I made it with the 50/50 whole wheat/all purpose flour mix and Cutie's clementines. Since then I've tried a few different variations for mixed results.  For one, I have found that I need a 2:1 or 1:1 mix of whole wheat and all purpose flour or it comes out much heavier than I like or the opposite is true too. I made it for friends using all all-purpose flour and didn't care for that texture either.  One cup of whole white wheat flour and 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour seems to make for a moist, rich fruited cake without being overwhelmed by the fruit or too heavy.  The blueberries, fresh and local from ourCSA are a wonderful additon ot the mixand the sweetness allows the honey to be decreased to 1/3 cup.  

I love the rich taste, the weighty texture, and the purpley stain the berries leave on the napkin and my fingers (who can take time to get a plate down when you have something this delicious sitting there on the cabinet wanting you?)

Millsap Farms CSA: Sauteed Japanese Turnips

 

I was never a turnip lover until Gene surprised me with a birthday getaway at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis.  We love historic hotels and The Peabody is one of our favorites.  For my birthday dinner, Gene made reservations at the hotel's Chez Philippe, the only Forbes Four-Star restaurant in Memphis and a winner of AAA's Four-Diamond Award.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that out of something like five courses, the one that I remember the most was the vegetables served with the lamb entree:  sauteed turnips.  I think I remember them because, although they were sweet/savory and vaguely familiar, I nearly fell out of my chair when the waiter told me they were turnips.  Turnips?  As of that dinner I am proudly on the turnip truck...as long as they're sauteed in this manner.

At our first CSA (community sponsored agriculture) pick up Tuesday, I was delighted to find Japanese turnips in our share.  The small tender bulbs begged me to prepare them in their most splendiferousness. The idea was gleaned from Chez Philippe but the recipe is my rendition: