Taking a brief hiatus from my newbie blogging and concentrating on the RD exam. See you in June!
Author Archives: Tina
Studying…Will be back in June!
May 3, 2010
Marinated Black Bean and Tempeh Salad
April 28, 2010
This is a variation of a recipe from the American Diabetes Association’s book, Vegetarian Pleasures. It is high-fiber and, more importantly, packs a punch for the taste buds. (My husband loves this dish!)
Marinated Black Bean and Tempeh Salad
Ingredients:
4 oz. (1/2 block) tempeh, crumbled
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. package frozen corn, thawed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, chopped
l large green pepper, chopped
1/2 purple onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Yield: 10 servings (1/2 cup=1 serving)
What is Tempeh?
(pronounced TEM-pay)
Tempeh is a fermented soy product similar to tofu and is a chief food source in Indonesia. Unlike tofu, the entire soy bean is contained in tempeh, making it even more nutritious than tofu. It is an excellent meat substitute and has a nutty-flavor; however, it easily absorbs other flavors in dishes. Tempeh can be marinated, grilled and stir-fried. Find tempeh in asian groceries and health food stores.
(I found it at Fred Meyer in their refrigerated organic foods section.)
Yogurt Banana Cake with Ganache
April 23, 2010
I love to bake. I also love to thrift. When I found a cast aluminum, 9 cup, Nordic Ware bundt pan while thrifting, I wanted to try it out immediately. (I was thrilled to find one without a non-stick finish.) So, I threw this together last night.
Yogurt Banana Cake with Ganache
Yogurt Banana Cake Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt (I usually use sour cream but didn’t have any on hand.)
Ganache Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
7 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions for Yogurt Banana Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour cake pan. (I obviously had to butter and flour the pan since it does not have a non-stick surface.)
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a mixer. Add(one at a time) vanilla extract, 2 eggs, bananas and yogurt to the large mixing bowl, beating well after adding each ingredient. Mix in 1/2 the flour mixture to the large mixing bowl. Beat well. Add the rest of the flour and beat well. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. (Test to see if cake is done by poking a skewer, toothpick or thin knife into the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.)
It’s done and out of the oven!
I just had to show you how cleanly the cake came out of this pan even though it does not have a non-stick surface.
Remove cake from pan and cool.
Instructions for Ganache:
Normally to make ganache, I heat the heavy cream, to just under the boiling point, and pour it over the chocolate, mixing the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate melts. So, that is the method I normally recommend.
BUT last night I couldn’t get the mixture smooth and glossy. It was bumpy (ARGH) for some reason so I had to start over. I ended up carefully melting the chocolate in the microwave and then poured the heated cream over the chocolate. I then stirred the chocolate and cream together with a fork. The result was smooth and glossy ganache.
Let the ganache cool slightly and drizzle over cooled cake.
Smooth and glossy Ganache over Yogurt-Banana Cake!
Does anyone have information about this Nordic Ware cast aluminum bundt pan? It holds 9 cups of batter, does not have a non-stick finish and it says “Mini Bundt” on the bottom.
Bison Fennel Sloppy Joes
April 22, 2010
We are not big meat eaters in my family. Instead, I have always utilized other protein sources (low fat milk, eggs, low fat cheese, legumes) in our meals. (In fact, a new term, “flexitarian,” has been coined to describe people who only eat meats on occasion. Who would have thunk it? I have always just called is “moderation.” 
)The benefits to our health by eating less meat has been touted for years but eating less meat also benefits humankind and the planet.
When we do eat meat, I purchase grass-fed beef and free-range poultry. Bison is also a good alternative. We are fortunate to have a locally owned and operated meat market in the area. I purchased ground buffalo to replace the corn-fed beef in many of my recipes. Buffalo is actually American bison. The ground bison meat I purchased from Western Meats is 88% percent lean. and since it is grass-fed, it is higher in omega-3 fatty acids than corn fed beef. (Grass-fed beef is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids than corn-fed beef as well.) Ground bison meat is $4.98 per pound at our local meat market; however, this recipe only requires one pound of meat and serves six people. The addition of fennel makes this a sweet and refreshing sloppy joe.
Bison Fennel Sloppy Joes on Homemade Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
1 lb. ground bison meat
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4-1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds (amount depends on how much you like fennel)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls (I made homemade hamburger buns in the bread machine.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons softened butter and 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder for the garlic spread
Cook the ground bison, chopped onions and minced garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat until the meat is browned. Drain meat, onion, garlic mixture. (This wasn’t necessary since the meat was so lean.) Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, Parmesan cheese, fennel and oregano into the meat mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes.
While the meat is simmering, split six rolls or buns and spread the cut edges of the rolls/buns with a garlic-butter spread (3 tablespoons softened butter and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder). Spread the meat mixture on the bottom half of each bun. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese over the beef and replace the top half of the bun on each sandwich. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake the sandwiches for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
7 Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget
April 16, 2010
Eating healthy foods doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. With planning and knowledge you can nourish your body and keep your budget healthy as well. Here are some strategies I use to keep our food budget fit and flourishing.
1. Plan menu for the week.
2. Make your own meals and snacks.
3. Make full use of what you have in your pantry/refrigerator (Supercook will provide recipes based on foods you have in your kitchen.)
4. Eat less meat. Utilize dried legumes (beans, lentils, peas, peanuts) as a protein source. They pack a healthy dose of protein and nutrition for pennies.
5. Read sales fliers and utilize coupons. (Focus on bargains for whole foods such as tuna, eggs, peanut butter, etc. Many coupons are for processed, convenience foods. Hint: Shop the outside aisles of the supermarket where fresh produce, meats, dairy are located.)
6. Buy in bulk. Buying grains, legumes, spices, nuts, seeds from the bulk bins at the local food coop or at the supermarket is frequently less expensive than prepackaged items.
7. Buy fresh fruits.vegetables in season when it is usually less expensive. Checking the local Farmers’ Market or Food Co-Op is a great way to buy seasonal foods.
Today, DH and I utilized tip number 7 and visited the Olympia Farmers Market. Many varieties of apples were available (Yay, Washington!) as well as onions, pears, radishes, various greens. The Olympia Farmers Market offers seasonal, local produce, seafood, mushrooms, grass-fed beef, fresh herbs, plants. Local bakeries sell fresh breads, cakes, pastries, and cookies. Local artists exhibit and offer for sale their work: metalware, woodwork, jewelry, hand-spun yarns, toys, photographs.
It was a beautiful day (i.e. It was not raining.) so we ate lunch at the market and listened to a local bluegrass band.
An assortment of meals are available (Mexican, Indian, deli sandwiches, Japanese, German) at the Oly Farmers Market. We opted for fresh, lightly steamed vegetables, brown rice and soba for lunch. Just look at that asparagus!
On the way out of the market, I saw this sign.
As Arnold said…. “I’ll be back.”
For more information about Olympia Farmers Market click here.
To find locally grown produce in your area, go to localharvest.org
Effortless Pancakes from Scratch
April 10, 2010
A good pancake recipe in your recipe box is better than having pancake mix as a staple in your pantry. Pancakes from scratch are practically effortless and you are rewarded with a scrumptious, satisfying breakfast AND you will have one less packaged food product on your pantry shelf.
Three Tips for Fluffy Pancakes
1. When mixing up pancake batter, do not over mix. (Over mixing the batter will give you tough, flat pancakes.) A few stirs with a whisk or large spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened is plenty. The batter will have small lumps in it but that’s okay.
2. Add enough liquid so that the batter can easily be poured from a ladle.
3. Let the batter sit for about 15 minutes to let the baking powder react with the liquids.
Effortless Pancakes From Scratch
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (OR 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar (OR 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar OR 1 tablespoon of honey)
1 1/4 + cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar (OR 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar OR 1 tablespoon of honey)
1 1/4 + cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Stir together dry ingredients (first 4 ingredients) in a large mixing bowl. In a second bowl whisk together the wet ingredients (last 3 ingredients). Then, stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl until dry ingredients are just moistened. If the batter appears too thick, add more milk until the batter can easily be poured from a ladle. Let batter sit for 15 minutes.
Lightly brush a pan or griddle with oil or butter and heat pan/griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Once heated, pour 1/4 cup batter into the pan and cook until small bubbles appear on the pancake and edges appear slightly dry. Flip the pancake and brown on the other side.
Ready to eat!
Frittata
April 3, 2010
Fritatta Friday! It is chilly and rainy here in the Pacific Northwest and frittata is great when you don’t want to venture outside for groceries. You can rummage around the pantry and refrigerator and throw just about anything into the pan: potatoes, corn, peas, pancetta, spinach, tomatoes. An added perk is that little M. loves saying “Fritatta Friday!” AND she can help with the meal preparation by cracking eggs and tossing ingredients in the pan. (I have to think of ways to entertain a presc hooler on rainy days!)
A frittata is an Italian dish similar to an omelet. Use an oven-safe skillet/frying pan for this recipe since you will be placing it in the oven to finish the dish.
Frittata
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces pancetta or American bacon
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cubed and boiled until slightly tender
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
4 eggs
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Garnish:
2 tomatoes, sliced
3 basil leaves
feta cheese
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. (The pan I used was an 11 inch skillet.) Toss in the chopped onions and cook until tender.
Add the pancetta or bacon. Cook until pancetta or bacon is done.
Add potatoes to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes (The potatoes are almost done anyway.)
Place mushrooms in pan next and cook for 2-3 minutes
Add peas, corn and fresh basil. Stir until well mixed and cook for 1 minute or two.
Beat together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and add to the skillet. Level the mixture in your skillet with the back of your spoon.
Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes the frittata mixture should be cooked and “set.” The top will be moist/liquidy. Sprinkle with parsley.
Place the skillet in the oven and broil until browned. This will “set” the top. Remove from oven.
I garnished the frittata with tomato slices and basil leaves. Brushed the tomatoes, basil leaves with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and oregano. I broiled for a few more minutes until the tomatoes and basil wilted a bit.
Sprinkle with feta cheese.
READY TO EAT!
Servings: 6
Calories: approximately 300 calories a serving (This is without the feta cheese. I don’t know how much you like to sprinkle on your frittata!
Hot Cross Buns
April 2, 2010
Hot cross bun are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. The cross on these buns probably symbolized the four seasons, originally. Later, Christians adopted the buns to mark Good Friday and the crucifixion. I prepared the dough for these hot cross buns in the bread machine (of course)!
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 egg
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Place first 9 ingredients in bread machine pan in order listed in ingredient list. Set bread machine on dough setting and start the machine. Add the raisins and cranberries about five minutes before the kneading cycle is finished. (Some bread machines will “beep,” indicating when additions to the dough are to be placed in the pan.)
Remove dough from pan and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the dough balls on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
While dough is rising, you can prepare the pastry for the crosses. The ingredients are:
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or you can use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Add enough water to make a soft pastry that can be piped through a round pastry tip.
After the dough as risen, pipe a cross on each bun.
Bake buns for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While buns are backing prepare the glaze by heating:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
in a small sauce pan. Stir on low heat until sugar dissolves.
Brush each bun with the glaze while buns are still hot.
Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy your hot cross bun spread with creamy butter.
May His blessings shine upon you on Good Friday!
German Rolls Topped with Chia & Oats
March 31, 2010
TT768WQ8BKFT I have lived a 15 years of my life in Germany. Every time we moved back to the States, I missed the wholesome, chewy goodness of German farmer’s bread and the small hard rolls (Broetchen) hiding tender breadiness on the inside. So, I purchased my first bread machine 15 years ago and it is a kitchen appliance I use at least once a week. This is a recipe using the “dough” setting on bread machines. I made the bread last Sunday to go with Dad’s Lentil Bean Chili. I tossed in the ingredients for the first batch of dough and ran errands for a couple hours with hubby, came home a threw in the ingredients for the second batch of dough. Left home to do some shopping and the second batch of dough was ready. How easy is that? Very! TT768WQ8BKFT
German Rolls Topped with Chia & Oats
Ingredients
Dough #1
1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dough #2
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup bread flour
1 t. salt
Place ingredients in bread machine the order listed in the ingredient list. Set the bread machine on the “dough” setting and start your machine. (I always check the consistency of the dough, once the bread machine starts mixing the ingredients. If the dough looks too wet, at more flour. If the dough is too dry, add more liquid.)
Go run errands and come back when the dough is ready.
When Dough #1 is ready, remove it from the machine and place it in a bowl sprayed with nonstick spray. (Of course, I used my oil sprayer!) Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
After washing out your bread pan and paddle(s), place the ingredients for Dough #2 in your bread machine pan in the order listed on the ingredient list. (Again, I check the consistency of the dough after the bread machine begins mixing up the dough and add flour or liquid as necessary to achieve the correct dough consistency.)
Go run more errands!
Remove Dough #1 from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before Dough #2 is ready. Once Dough #2 is ready, remove it from the bread machine pan. Punch down both bread doughs.
Divide Dough #1 into nine balls and divide Dough #2 into ten balls. Place the balls in a circle in a 10-inch springform pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Alternate the balls between Dough #1 and Dough #2. Continue adding the dough balls in an inner circle. Place the last dough ball in the center.
Cover the pan and set the rolls in a warm place 30-45 minutes to rise.
After the dough has risen to double its bulk. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a glaze of: 1 egg yolk and1 tablespoon water.
Brush rolls with glaze. Sprinkle Dough #1 with 1 tablespoon rolled oats a and sprinkle Dough #2 with 1 tablespoon chia seeds.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is browned. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Place it on a wire rack to cool.
Peanut Butter Granola Bars (No Bake)
March 31, 2010
Younger daughter, Elisabeth, is a very active 18-year-old high school senior and a member of a studio dance team. She tends to snack on store bought granola/nutrition bars and takes “Healthy Choice” meals for lunch. Lately, she has been burned out on the usual store bought fare and I have been wanting to cook up, nutritious “grab-and-go” food for her.
Enter the homemade granola bar. This particular granola bar recipe is perfect: nutritious, easy to prepare and tasty. The recipe is from Anne P’s website fANNEtastic food. Anne P is also working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian (like myself). Thank you Anne P!
A brief blurb about where to purchase the ingredients in the Oly area:
Although I went to several stores, you can purchase everything on the ingredient list, except for the brown rice syrup, from Fred Meyer’s health food aisles. The seeds are from the bulk bins. Chia seeds are in the smaller jars that you bag yourself. You can even grind your own peanuts to make natural peanut butter at Fred Meyer OR you can purchase it in jars.
Brown rice syrup is a little elusive but it is available at The Olympia Food Co-op.
I hope this will save you time when making the recipe. I am usually toting around a preschooler so I like to get grocery shopping done quickly.
No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1 cup crisp puffed brown rice cereal
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (I used roasted and salted pumpkin seeks instead of raw pumpkin seeds.) Pumpkin seeds are also known as pepitas.)
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup flaxseed (I used whole instead of ground flaxseed and increased the amount to 1/4 cup)
Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter (I substituted the natural peanut butter for regular peanut butter.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
Place all wet ingredients in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave about 20-30 seconds.
Mix wet ingredients until well blended. (I didn’t get a picture of this step so check fANNEtastic food for pictures.)
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl. Mix, mix, mix until ingredients are well distributed.
Place the mixture in a shallow pan. (I used a 10″ x 10″ pan and also spritzed it with olive oil using an oil sprayer.
I wasn’t sure how easily I could remove the bars later on.)
I lightly pressed the mixture into shape in the pan.
Cut the granola into bars. I cut mine into 16 squares. The mixture is crumbly but holds the bar shape once refrigerated.
Cover and store in the refrigerator.
I made these bars in the morning and came home in the afternoon to wrap them in individual bars so
E can grab one as she is headed to dance class.
