Whole Food

It truly surprises me how unknowledgeable most Americans are about healthy eating.  Yea, the general population knows that french fries shouldn’t be your veggie intake for the day.  But too many people think that filling their shopping cart with cereals, rice-a-roni, and pasta isn’t bad for you.  Wrong.  Processed foods are not very nutritious.  Almost every food you purchase in a box or can is processed.  Meaning the likelihood that there is added sugar, salt, or fat is very high.  Only fresh or whole foods are unprocessed.  And guess what, they still taste good.  There is a lack of education, and general perceptions are shocking.  The easiest way to fuel your body with the right types of food is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store.  Think about it – fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy.  Limited amounts of processed foods. 

My body doesn’t need processed foods.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t crave pasta.  My mother is 100% Italian.  I will always eat pasta!  But I have taught myself to make healthy substitutes.  One of my favorite whole grains to use is barley.  Don’t forget to check out all the other grains next to barley in the food aisle.  It’s pretty amazing how many are offered.  It has a pasta-like texture that makes a great base for ‘pasta’ salads or addition to soups.  So, below are two of my fave recipes.  I just made the soup today and it was quite the hit with my husband!

Mediterranean Barley Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup barley
• 7 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic
•  ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• extra olive oil, to taste

Directions

1.     Cook barley according to the package (usually it is 30 minutes).  Be sure not to overcook.  It should be tender, but slightly firm

2.     In a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic.  Puree until smooth. 

3.     Combine the barley and tomato mixture.  Add cilantro.  And add a little olive oil, if needed

4.     You can serve this warm or chilled.

Lots of Veggies Soup

Ingredients:

• ¾ lbs. ground beef
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup barley (don’t get ‘quick’ barley)
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup of celery, chopped (with the leaves)
• ½ celery root, chopped (optional, I just had it at home, not a popular veggie)
• 28 oz whole canned tomatoes, chopped a little, undrained
• 7 cups of water (I used veggie stock that I had made)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup kale or spinach leaves, julienned
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup snap peas, whole 

Directions

1. In a large pot, brown the ground beef.
2. Add the onion & garlic, and cook until the onion is tender.  Drain.
3. Add every other ingredient except kale/spinach, broccoli, and snap peas.
4. Bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. 
5. Add kale/spinach, broccoli, and snap peas at the very end.  Simmer for 5 mins

*we like hearty soup, but if you feel it isn’t ‘soupy’ enough add more water

Enjoy!

Kristyn

Making old things, new again

Full disclosure, I really have been enjoying the new-ish trend of making old things cool again.  Refinished old-style furniture, throw back jerseys, gin cocktails, you name it.   I think it is because I am somewhat of a 1950s girl at heart.  This trend has subsequently trickled into my cooking style.  I love taking traditional, homestyle eats and transforming them (even if just slightly) to fit with the modern times.  I mean, who doesn’t love a bowl of mac & cheese?  Actually, if you don’t, refrain from telling me because we probably can’t be friends anymore.  But like other ladies out there, pasta and cheese has been my late-20s waistline nemesis.

I’ll highlight two of my favorite creations lately – recipes & comments below.  First, Lasagna Soup.  Definitely a Pinterest find.  And spectacular.  It’s perfect for a chilly day, and probably has half of the calories as casserole-based lasagna, but similar belly fulfillment.  The ricotta cheese drizzled on top truly makes this recipe.  And stirring in the pasta noodles gives that lasagna texture.  See, pasta and cheese – I have a problem.   Next, is fancied up Grilled Cheese.  This is really more of a fancy up a traditional meal than cut back on the calories.  But adding a few veggies, does make it a little bit healthier (right? right!)…and definitely makes it more like a full meal.  We just ate these for dinner tonight and could hardly finish 1 sandwich.

Oh, and I love Pinterest.  Like loooooove Pinterest.  If anyone needs a reason to join, I can give you 20.  I probably pitch the website better than their Sales team.  If you are interested in following me, below is my profile link.  As expected, I post an overwhelming amount of recipes.  But, also other fun things that I love about life.  My husband hates Pinterest.  Like haaaaates Pinterest.  Why, you ask?  Because every other day I show him something I ‘found’ that we need (not really) for the house, my wardrobe, in the kitchen, on our next vacation.  Ha.

http://pinterest.com/search/people/?q=greencityfoodie

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

for the soup:

·       2 tsp. olive oil

·       1-1/2 lbs. spicy Italian turkey sausage

·       3 c. chopped onions

·       4 garlic cloves, minced

·       2 tsp. dried oregano

·       1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·       2 T. tomato paste

·       1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

·       2 bay leaves

·       6 c. chicken stock

·       8 oz. fusilli pasta (or any kind of chunky curly pasta like gemelli)

·       1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

·       salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:

·       8 oz. ricotta

·       1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

·       1/4 tsp. salt

·       pinch of freshly ground pepper

·       2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1.     Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color (that is what gets the bitterness out of the paste).

2.     Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3.     In a separate pot, cook the pasta until al dente.

4.     Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5.     In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

6.     To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.  Drop in a few noodles.

Fancy Grilled Cheese Sammie

Ingredients:

·       Good bread, sliced thin (I got an Italian loaf from my grocer’s bakery)

·       Fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced thin (like the kind in caprese salad)

·       Extra sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin

·       Avocado, sliced thick

·       Tomatoes, sliced think

·       Small pepperoni slices

Directions

1.     Heat a grill pan (or normal skillet) with a little butter on the bottom, so the sammie gets golden

2.     Arrange the sammie with all of the ingredients

3.     Cook evenly on both sides until golden brown.  We like to use a Panini press to condense all the flavors.

4.     Serve nice & toasty.  We dipped in store-bought tomato soup…yum

bacon+brussels

There are things in life that everyone SHOULD be afraid of.  Spiders come to the top of my mind.  However, trying new foods should not be one of them.  Why?  Because you can spit it out and put something in your mouth that you like better.  Like cheese.  When I entered my college dorm cafeteria for the first time, I remember being completely taken aback by the variety of veggies that filled the salad bar that I had never seen before.  I know, it sounds odd.  I think it took me an entire semester to try guacamole.

And...it took me 26 years of my life to try brussels sprouts.  However, I have learned that when prepared properly and ONLY bought during peak season, brussels sprouts are de-li-cious.  Seriously.  A few ways you can learn by my mistakes are listed below:

1. I already said this, but buy brussels sprouts in season - fall through mid-Feb
2. Think of them as baby cabbage.  Cut off the end and peel away the first layer or two of leaves
3. Don't keep them lingering in your fridge.  Five days tops.  If you notice yellowish leaves, just toss them because they will have a bitter taste even when cooked.
4. Allowing heat and liquid to penetrate through the various layers of leaves eliminated the bitterness.  I have accomplished this two ways - Cut X's into the bottom of each sprout prior to boiling or shred.  Shredding is my preferred tasty method and I will share a recipe below.
5. While cooking, watch for the color to turn bright green.  Once that happens, remove from heat so they don't get mushy.

Warning: This is not one of my most healthiest recipes.  Hard to believe, but I do cook like a porker once in awhile.  However, it will make a brussels sprout believer out of you!

Kristyn's Bacon & Brussels

Ingredients:
4-5 pieces of bacon
2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sliced almonds (pine nuts would taste good too)
24 brussels sprouts, finely shredded.  Discard the ends and the bottom hard parts, in general.  You want the leafy greens.

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook 4-5 pieces of bacon until crispy.  Reserve the grease into a small bowl.  Set the cooked bacon on a piece of paper towel to drain & cool.
2. Add 2 tbsp butter into the skillet and sauté the shallots and garlic until soft.
3. Add the almonds and toast until lightly browned.  But don't burn the garlic!
4. Add the brussels sprouts and 2 tbsp of bacon grease.  Toss constantly in the skillet with a set of tongs.  Cook until bright green.
5. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.

Enjoy! Kristyn

My non-baking days are O-V-E-R

Up until 7 days ago, I diagnosed myself as a non-baker.  There are multiple reasons for this – all including baking fails.  Like BIG fails.  Most recently, I was prepping sweet onion rolls the night before Thanksgiving.  Decided I was going to really WOW my guests this year, instead of purchasing store bought.  No surprise to me, all 2 dozen rolls went straight from the oven into the garbage at 11pm.  This is the … oh I don’t know … 5^th batch of <insert baked good here> that has been fully dumped into my trash.  My brother-in-law boosted my mood that night when he told me that it was okay that I didn’t know how to bake – because, really nothing you bake is healthy anyway.  And he secretly ran to Whole Foods Thanksgiving morning and filled my kitchen with dinner rolls.  What a guy!

A few days later…I decided I was done, DONE not knowing how to bake.  I finally listened to my husband (shh!) and started to measure ingredients, instead of my typical ‘yep, that looks like a tablespoon.’ Plus, I was invited to a holiday cookie party and needed a few impressive deliverables.

So.  After a few pain points ‘Alan, does this look light and fluffy?’ ‘Alan, is this the RIGHT kind of baking soda?’ ‘Kristyn, dear god you are making the biggest mess of your life’.  I DID IT.  I made delicious Peppermint Brownies & Lemon Ricotta Cookies.  All ya gotta do is measure – who knew?!

I challenged myself again, just to make sure it wasn’t a one-time fluke.  I used the quart of fresh cranberries we received in our CSA box this week to make Cranberry Orange Bread.  My co-workers asked for the recipe.  Alan’s co-workers give it a thumbs up.  Hubby likes it too.  Success!  Again!

Peppermint Brownies (from Real Simple)

Makes 24
Hands-on Time: 30m
Total Time: 1hr 45m

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

For the ganache:

1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract  << WARNING: DO NOT USE MORE THAN THIS, TOO MINTY
1/4 cups crushed peppermint candies (about 5 candies)

Directions:

1. Make the brownies: Heat oven to 350° F. Generously butter 2 12-cup mini muffin pans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove the pan from heat and mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix).
3. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them no more than two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the brownies to the racks and let cool completely. 
4. Make the ganache: Place the cream and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring occasionally, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk to combine. Whisk in the peppermint extract. Let cool 10 minutes.
5. Assemble the brownie bites: Spread the ganache over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with the candies. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate until the ganache is firm, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
6. Storage suggestion: Keep the brownie bites at room temperature in a single layer, covered, up to 3 days.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze (from Giada De Laurentiis)

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time:2 hr 20 min
Cook Time:15 min
Serves 44 cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
 
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

 
Cranberry Orange Loaf
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 
Servings: 12
 
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
Optional sweet glaze – powdered sugar, juice of orange, and vanilla extract
 
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched.
4. I added this step, and didn’t measure – opps.  Juice the orange you have leftover.  Add a bit of vanilla extract.  Then add powdered sugar until the mixture become a milky glaze consistency.  Drench the top of the loaf after you remove it from the oven.  This kind of cuts down on the tartness or cranberries.
5. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic when completely cool.