Veggie Risotto

OK, I'm going to be the heretic here.  I like white rice.  I like brown rice too, but sometimes I just want those starchy white grains, specifically arborio or jasmine.  
As long as the vast majority of one's carbohydrate consumption is whole grains and non-starchy vegetables, why not enjoy the occasional white rice dish without guilt? 

If you've ever ordered risotto in a good restaurant, you know that it’s a masterpiece of slightly al dente rice in a sea of creamy deliciousness, often enhanced with vegetables, fish or seafood. And, if you've actually cooked risotto at home – or even if you just read cookbooks and let others do the cooking – you know that the rice usually recommended to use for risotto is arborio rice, a short-grain white rice.  
I don't think any substitutes will do and here's why;

Because arborio rice undergoes less milling than ordinary long grain rice, it retains more of it's natural starch content.  Cooking releases this starch giving risotto it's yummy creamy consistency..

Amazingly, a pound of Arborio rice can absorb up to six cups of liquid without becoming mushy!



So here is how I made it...First, chop up all the veggies..like this or however you prefer..

 Saute the onion, shallots, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms in about 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter until golden...(I did my mushrooms separate)

In the meantime, heat up your Bone Broth or Chicken Broth so that it is lightly simmering.

Add the rice to the cooked vegetables and cook, stirring, until the kernels start to crackle, about 1 to 2 minutes. 
Stir in the wine and let simmer, stirring often, until all of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 to 4 minutes.

Next, stir in 1 cup of the hot bone broth or stock and simmer gently, when the bone broth or stock has been absorbed, add another cup and continue like this for 18-20 minutes of cooking time.  

When the rice is done, remove from the heat and 
stir in the cheese and add salt to taste.
Remove from the heat, cover and wait about 2 minutes or so before serving.

Ingredients-

12 oz. Arborio Rice
4 cups heated Chicken Bone Broth or Stock
1 medium Organic Onion (chopped)
1 Organic Shallot (chopped)
1 medium Organic Zucchini (chopped)
1 medium Organic Yellow pepper (chopped)
2 cups Organic Mushrooms (any variety) 
4 oz. Dry white wine
1/4 cup Organic Cream Cheese (or you can use cream)
1/4 cup finely grated Organic Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste..I use Pink Himalayan and or Maldon's 


Enjoy!


Sandy V.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

This simple side dish is one of my all time favorites!
Oh, and did I mention it's amazeballs delish? I'm not kidding it's like a party in your mouth so just try it okay?

I stumbled upon this "Ras-el-hanout"  mixture last year totally by accident...
I will warn you this is yet another "spicy" recipe, a little spicy for some and maybe very spicy to others.


A little history from Wikipedia..

Ras el hanout or Rass el hanout (Arabic: رأس الحانوت raʾs al-ḥānūt [rɑʔs ælħɑːnuːt]) is a spice mix from North Africa. The name is Arabic for "head of the shop" and implies a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. Ras el hanout is used in many savory dishes, sometimes rubbed on meat or stirred into rice.

There is no definitive combination of spices that makes up ras el hanout. Each shop, company, or person may have their own blend. The mixture may consist of over a dozen spices. Commonly used ingredients includecardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, peppercorn, paprika, fenugreek, andturmeric. Some spices may be particular to the region, such as ash berries, chufa, grains of paradise, orris root,monk's pepper, cubebs, or dried rosebud. Ingredients may be toasted before being ground and mixed together.

In the past, ras el hanout sometimes included cantharides in its ingredients, for its aphrodisiac properties, but the sale of cantharides was banned in Morocco in the 1990s.^[1]

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small squares like this:

I was pressed for time so I boiled the sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes before putting them in the oven.

After cooking, make sure to DRAIN WELL and put in a large bowl and toss with about 1/4 cup Olive Oil and add salt, pepper and the Moroccan seasoning.

 I also added in some sauteed onions and shallots..(not in picture)

Here is the brand I used but feel free to make your own concoction which is what I plan on doing after I use up this bottle!

Transfer the sweet potatoes to a greased baking sheet (I use bacon grease) and cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees..

I served these potatoes with Lamb Chops and sauteed Spinach this particular evening, I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients-

4 large Organic White Sweet Potatoes

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Moroccan Seasoning (Ras-el-hanout)

1 organic shallot (finely chopped)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

Enjoy!

Sandy V.

Peanut Butter Cups (Sugar Free)

Okay, I admit it....I have a huge sweet tooth!

Not any kind of sweets will do, my first love is CHOCOLATE, second love PEANUT BUTTER..

I have always loved Reese's peanut butter cups but I no longer want to ingest all the sugar, chemicals, etc. etc.

I started messing around with Coconut Oil a few months ago when I saw a recipe for the "Faux" Chocolate made with Coconut oil and Cocoa powder.  There are lots of different ways to make this stuff and interesting things to add but so far these little cups of heaven are my favorite..

These are all the things I used to make the Peanut Butter Cups.
I try to use all Organic when possible...The Cocoa powder is not Organic because I'm too lazy to drive up to Whole Foods.

First melt the Coconut Oil in the Microwave (about one minute)

Mix in the Cocoa powder with the melted coconut oil and Stevia until you get the desired chocolateness and sweetness you prefer..

 I know a lot of you may not like the taste of Stevia but I can tell you it is not detectable in this recipe according to my taste tester hubby.

Christophe HATES the taste of Stevia and he could not taste it in this recipe so I believe him and you should too.  I'm not really sure what else would work in this recipe but if you need to use an alternate sugar by all means knock yourself out!

I found these perfect little silicone Cups at the 99 cents store, besides being cute they are absolutely perfect for this recipe.
I have since bought more of them but as you can see in the picture I used Egg poacher cups...FYI- they did not work out at all so I don't suggest using them.

Put about 2 tablespoons of the Chocolate mixture in each cup like this

 

Put them in the freezer to set for 10 minutes..

Once they have set
add the peanut butter (about one gloppy tablespoon)

Pour about 2 tablespoons of Chocolate mixture over the top of the peanut butter and put back in the freezer for 15 minutes

Pop these little babies out of the silicone cups and they are ready to Eat!
I have to admit they fall into my YUMMYLICIOUS category and the best part is you don't have to feel guilty for eating them!


This was from my first batch last week and you can see I did not put enough chocolate on top but they are certainly still edible!

Ingredients-  Makes about 8-10 Peanut butter cups

1 Cup Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 
4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 
15 Drops Liquid Organic Stevia (can be adjusted to your taste)
1 cup Organic Smooth Peanut Butter

If you don't want to make the full batch, go ahead and cut everything in half.
I had a lot of Chocolate left over because I did not have enough silicone cups..

So I just made some Coconut Bark!

Enjoy!

Sandy V.

Spicy Chicken Stew

I really get tired of the same old thing....
I like new exciting flavors, I also tend to get stuck on certain flavors from time to time...I noticed I have been using a lot of cumin, turmeric and smoked paprika lately...by now it must be obvious to you that I  have a kind love affair with SPICY food.

I have not always liked spicy...It was not until I moved to CA and was introduced to Mexican food and Thai food that I awakened my taste buds..
Growing up on Long Island I had LOTS of great seafood, Italian food and Chinese food..but that is about the extent of ethic variety where I grew up....
Yesterday I was inspired to make an interesting stew with chicken instead of the same old, same old (beef).  My taste-tester hubby (Christophe) really likes spicy food too, and he really enjoyed this recipe so I hope you do too!


I have to tell you I was really excited to make this recipe in my NEW 6 Quart LODGE Dutch oven...Isn't it pretty?

 I wish it was Le Crueset <sigh>...Oh well...maybe someday!
I scored this bad boy on Amazon.  It had great reviews, and it was CHEAP!
Done deal...I got it on sale for $49.99...Now that is a smokin' deal my friends!



Okay, now we cook...


Chop up your vegetables first like this..

Saute your onions in some grass fed butter until they look like this...
The shallots are not in this picture as I added them later raw straight into the pot.

Brown the Carrots and Celery in 1 tablespoon of Grass fed butter to release the flavors...about 5 minutes.

Remove any extra fat from the chicken thighs...I don't go too crazy doing this as you can tell...

Place the chicken thighs in the Pot like this..


Add the Tomatoes & green Chile's, Carrots, celery,onions, garlic & shallots and bone broth and all spices to the pot..

***If you don't have bone broth you can use Organic Chicken Broth but I 'm just warning you the Bone Broth is very superior in taste and nutritional value to anything you can buy on the shelf..

Here is any easy recipe from Nourished Kitchen 
http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/



And yes, I am still using the canned Organic Diced and Fire Roasted tomatoes...(bad girl) I know I should not be using these canned tomatoes but they flavor is so perfect...This is my last hold out of canned items I promise..
I think I may write to Trader Joe's and ask them to remove BPA lining but then there is still the aluminum to think about ...Oh well...baby steps!

When I get into canning along with all the other projects I have in mind I will can my own tomatoes with fire roasted Chile's..If you don't have a Trader Joe's where you live you can use a small can of Organic fire roasted Chile's...Or you may want to fire roast your own Chile's..

Put the cover on the pot and simmer on low to low medium for about 3-4 hours or until Chicken is very tender..Stir about every hour or so..or more if you enjoy stirring.
You could also use a Crock Pot and do it the same way.

This serves about 4 people

Ingredients-                         

1.5-2 lbs Organic Chicken Thighs
4 cloves fresh Organic Garlic (chopped)
1 whole Organic Shallot (chopped)
1 large Organic Onion (chopped)
3  Organic Celery stalks (chopped)
3  Organic Carrots (chopped)
1  14.5 oz can of Organic Diced Tomatoes with green Chile's (Trader Joe's)
1.5-2 Cups of Organic Chicken Bone Broth
2 tbsp Grass Fed Butter (I use Kerrygold)
1 tbsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Himalayan pink salt (Or Celtic salt or Sea salt)
1 tsp White Pepper
a few sprigs of Fresh Thyme


You can serve this by itself or over Brown rice, Enjoy!

Sandy V.

Roasted Lemony Brussels Sprouts

I LOVE Brussels Sprouts!

I remember my mom making them when I was a kid and my brother and sister turned their noses up and would not eat them.  Oh well, more for me!
I was NOT a picky eater at all...I would eat just about anything put in front of me...Yes, I was every mother's dream!
They remind me of mini cabbages or brains!

This is a very simple and delicious way to make Brussels Sprouts..Oh and did I say yummy?  They are...I promise!

First wash and drain well....Cut off the ends and discard the old leaves.

Chop your onion, shallot and garlic and Saute in 1 tablespoon Grass Fed Butter and one tablespoon bacon grease (about 5 minutes)

Add Brussels Sprouts to a large bowl with sauteed onions, shallots, garlic  and toss with 2 tablespoons **bacon grease, salt and pepper.

***Tip** I keep my bacon grease in a small Ball jar in the fridge.
After cooking my bacon in the oven...I use a small metal strainer over the top of the ball jar.  Easy peasy!
This lovely grease is also good for greasing pans of all kinds and anything Cast Iron.

Place on a greased baking sheet like so..

Roast at 375 degrees for 30 minutes...
You need to turn them about every 10 minutes or so.

Take them out of the oven and remove from the baking sheet with a spatula and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over them, toss and serve!

Enjoy!


Ingredients

1 lb Fresh Organic Brussels Sprouts
2 cloves Organic Garlic
1 Organic Shallot
1 tablespoon Grass Fed Butter (I use Kerrygold)
1 tablespoon uncured Bacon grease ( I use Trader Joe's)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 organic lemon

Juice of the day: Kicked Up Mean Green

Do you like SPICY?? 
If so you will LOVE this juice recipe!   :)

I make juice every day and use pretty much the same ingredients...Sometimes it's gets boring.
My fridge is a little empty but I wanted my daily juice so I thought I would use everything I had left in the fridge.
All my produce is Organic.

Enjoy!

Ingredients-

1/4 jalapeño (seeded)
5 Kale leaves 
2 Fiji apples
1 thumb size piece ginger 
1 large orange/gold beet
4 carrots 
Small piece of grapefruit 
1 small lemon
1 small bunch Cilantro

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Trust me you won't be slow to say "YUM!"


I have made Beef Stew hundreds of times.
I usually use something different each time depending on what I have on hand.   Sometimes I use red wine, sometimes beer...Yes, you heard me right I said beer!
Sometimes I use potatoes, other times Brussels sprouts..I mess around with the spices here and there..
There is no big secret to this recipe, it is relatively simple and easy...
Although I have to say I have never used Bone Broth before and since I made my first batches last week I wanted to try it out.  Now I'm sure some of you are wondering "What the heck is "Bone Broth"....

Bone broth is basically home made stock very similar to what you can buy in the store minus all the crap chemicals fillers and whatever else they throw in to keep it on the shelf for extended periods of time.  What makes the bone broth so superior to anything you can buy in the store is the nutritional value and the taste..
Boiling bones for 24 hours or more and you are getting all the nutrients from the bones and the taste is fabulous compared to anything store bought.  Believe me, I know it does not sound very enticing!   The first time I heard about bone broth I thought it sounded kind of gross.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to make your own broth, by all means use the store bought stuff.

Chop the onions, shallots and celery carrots and garlic.

Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes, trim any excess fat or gristle..heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 1 tablespoon grass fed butter(for color and flavor) to the pan and brown the beef in a large skillet on medium to high heat making sure the meat is not crowded...brown on all sides and dump it in the Crock Pot.

For Beef stew you can use a variety of different meat cuts  (beef chuck or beef round)
This time I am using "Stew Meat" from Trader Joe's.  I would have preferred Grass fed beef but at the moment I don't have access to a supply.  Trader Joe's  will have to do for now until I get the group together for the next Cow pool.

Next, De-glaze the skillet (any liquid will work)

FYI****Deglazing is a fancy and intimidating word that means to pour some cold liquid into a very hot pan to get up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits are where all the flavors are, and it is called “fond.”

Fond is French for “bottom,” so let’s stick to calling it fond!

After deglazing the pan, add 1 tablespoon of grass fed butter to the pan and saute the chopped onions, shallot, garlic and celery  on medium to high heat about 5 minutes...(You can also do the same with the carrots and parsnips I did not this time.)

Add the carrots, parsnips, onions, shallot and celery to the Crock Pot and add all of your spices;

2 bay leaves, Thyme, peppercorns, salt , smoked paprika, Herbs De Provence, turmeric.
Add 2 cups of bone broth or stock to the crock Pot and 1 tablespoon Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.  I always throw an additional tablespoon of Grass Fed Butter into the Crock Pot for good measure.

Turn the Crock Pot on Low and cook for 6-8 hours or until the beef is tender.

Serve with a big salad and some crusty bread..

Yummy!

Ingredients

2 lbs Beef Stew Meat

2  cups Beef or Chicken Bone Broth or Beef Stock

2-3 tablespoons grass fed butter (I use Kerrygold)

1   tablespoon Coconut oil 

1   tablespoon Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1   large onion (chopped)

4   medium Organic carrots (chopped)

1   Organic Shallot (minced)

2   cloves Organic garlic (minced)

1   stalk of Organic celery (chopped)

3   Organic parsnips (chopped)

2   Organic Bay leaves

1/2 tsp  Herbs De Provence

1/2 tsp Organic Turmeric

6   whole Tellicherry Peppercorns

A few sprigs of fresh Thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Serves about 4 people