Since I have to cut down on carbs and fats, I am experimenting with stuff I love in a healthy way. I love spanakopita. Love, love, love it! However, butter filled phyllo dough is right out for my diet, so here is a more healthy alternative that makes a good dinner. You could also let it cool, then cut it into smaller pieces as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
2T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
2T white wine
1T dill weed
1T flour
10oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 eggs, beaten
1 c. brown rice, cooked
4oz feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a frying pan, heat oil and saute onion until translucent. Add garlic, dill weed, and white wine and cook until vegetables are soft. Add four and spinach, and continue cooking until slightly thickened, then remove from heat and allow to cool. In another bowl, beat eggs, brown rice and cheese together. Fold in cooled spinach mixture to the egg/cheese/rice mixture. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until firm.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Vegetable and Brown Rice Stuffed Flank Steak
Apparently my cooking style is going to be taking a more healthy turn. Less fat, more veggies, leaner meat, and mostly whole grains. Not exactly my choosing, however my blood-sugar is forcing the issue (Pre-Diabetic is a crappy word). I still want to use healthy foods (if someone's great-grandma wouldn't recognize it, I don't want use it). So, in light of this, here's my first diabetes inspired dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak (trimmed of all fat)
1 c. Italian dressing (I still use homemade, just lowered the amount of olive oil)
2 large carrots, diced
8 oz mushrooms
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Italian no salt added seasoning (oregano, parsley, rosemary, etc)
1 1/2 c. low fat, low sodium (or homemade) beef broth
1 c. instant brown rice
2 T olive oil
Directions:
Pound flank steak until it is approximately 1/2" thick. Place in a large ziplock bag and pour in dressing. Let marinade for at least 1 hour. Saute carrots, mushrooms, onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of broth and simmer on low until carrots are tender. Add rice and seasoning, and cook until rice is fluffy. Take steak and lay out flat. Place veggie/rice mixture in the middle of the steak and roll it like a jelly roll. Tie together with kitchen twine or skewer into place. Heat remaining olive oil in an oven proof frying pan. Brown stuffed steak on all sides. Add remaining broth and cook at 325 degrees until steak is cooked (30 minutes for rare, 45 minutes for medium/well). Slice and serve.
Apparently my cooking style is going to be taking a more healthy turn. Less fat, more veggies, leaner meat, and mostly whole grains. Not exactly my choosing, however my blood-sugar is forcing the issue (Pre-Diabetic is a crappy word). I still want to use healthy foods (if someone's great-grandma wouldn't recognize it, I don't want use it). So, in light of this, here's my first diabetes inspired dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak (trimmed of all fat)
1 c. Italian dressing (I still use homemade, just lowered the amount of olive oil)
2 large carrots, diced
8 oz mushrooms
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Italian no salt added seasoning (oregano, parsley, rosemary, etc)
1 1/2 c. low fat, low sodium (or homemade) beef broth
1 c. instant brown rice
2 T olive oil
Directions:
Pound flank steak until it is approximately 1/2" thick. Place in a large ziplock bag and pour in dressing. Let marinade for at least 1 hour. Saute carrots, mushrooms, onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of broth and simmer on low until carrots are tender. Add rice and seasoning, and cook until rice is fluffy. Take steak and lay out flat. Place veggie/rice mixture in the middle of the steak and roll it like a jelly roll. Tie together with kitchen twine or skewer into place. Heat remaining olive oil in an oven proof frying pan. Brown stuffed steak on all sides. Add remaining broth and cook at 325 degrees until steak is cooked (30 minutes for rare, 45 minutes for medium/well). Slice and serve.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
This took about 20 minutes total to make and it was fantastic. That includes cooking time for bacon and potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 large baked potatoes cut into cubes (I microwaved them)
4 slices of bacon cut into 1/4" pieces
2 T butter
2 T Flour
2 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions
Directions:
Fry the bacon until crispy, drain. In a sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Slowly add milk and whisk until it thickens and is creamy. Add cheese and melt. Add diced potatoes. (you can peel them if you wish. I don't, because that's where all the fiber is). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with toppings.
This took about 20 minutes total to make and it was fantastic. That includes cooking time for bacon and potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 large baked potatoes cut into cubes (I microwaved them)
4 slices of bacon cut into 1/4" pieces
2 T butter
2 T Flour
2 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions
Directions:
Fry the bacon until crispy, drain. In a sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Slowly add milk and whisk until it thickens and is creamy. Add cheese and melt. Add diced potatoes. (you can peel them if you wish. I don't, because that's where all the fiber is). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with toppings.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Easy Smoked Sausage Skillet
This is an easy, throw together, one skillet meal on a week night.
Ingredients:
1/2 package of smoked sausage (diced)*
1/2 c. green pepper (chopped)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 1/4c chicken broth
1 c. brown rice (or couscous, or quinoa)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (more or less to suite you)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Brown sausage pieces in a skillet, then add green pepper and onion. Saute until onion is translucent, add garlic and cook a few seconds longer. Add broth, rice (or grains) and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low until grains are cooked (look on package for cooking times). Salt and pepper to taste.
*Note on sausage-
I use Aldi's brand. Besides being inexpensive it is also slightly smaller (13 oz vs. 16 oz) than most brands. Eating less meat is a good thing and this is an easy way to cut down a bit. Also, I love Aldi's. Love, love, love it. They have some of the best produce in town, many of their products equal the quality and taste of name brands (I've experimented), and I used to work for a company that made their pancake syrup. They had the toughest standards we had to deal with. AND I love the fact that I can go there and get an entire cart load of groceries for $60.00!
This is an easy, throw together, one skillet meal on a week night.
Ingredients:
1/2 package of smoked sausage (diced)*
1/2 c. green pepper (chopped)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 1/4c chicken broth
1 c. brown rice (or couscous, or quinoa)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (more or less to suite you)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Brown sausage pieces in a skillet, then add green pepper and onion. Saute until onion is translucent, add garlic and cook a few seconds longer. Add broth, rice (or grains) and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low until grains are cooked (look on package for cooking times). Salt and pepper to taste.
*Note on sausage-
I use Aldi's brand. Besides being inexpensive it is also slightly smaller (13 oz vs. 16 oz) than most brands. Eating less meat is a good thing and this is an easy way to cut down a bit. Also, I love Aldi's. Love, love, love it. They have some of the best produce in town, many of their products equal the quality and taste of name brands (I've experimented), and I used to work for a company that made their pancake syrup. They had the toughest standards we had to deal with. AND I love the fact that I can go there and get an entire cart load of groceries for $60.00!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday Afternoon Black Bean and Ham-hock Soup
This recipe calls for Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice mix. I get it at http://shilohsbistro.com/ and really, I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it is fabulous. If you can't get it, use equal portions of coriander, cumin, and ground black pepper, but it's really not quite the same.
Ingredients:
2 ham-hocks (you can use 2 c. diced ham)
4 c. Water
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 t Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice (see above)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
salt to taste
Directions:
In a heavy deep pan, place ham-hock in water. Boil for 20 min. Add beans, bay leaves, spices, tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and carrots. Simmer on low heat until ham-hock is tender and meat is falling off the bone (about 2 hours). Salt to taste and serve with sour cream on top.
This recipe calls for Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice mix. I get it at http://shilohsbistro.com/ and really, I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it is fabulous. If you can't get it, use equal portions of coriander, cumin, and ground black pepper, but it's really not quite the same.
Ingredients:
2 ham-hocks (you can use 2 c. diced ham)
4 c. Water
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 t Rub-a-Dub Grub Hunter spice (see above)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
salt to taste
Directions:
In a heavy deep pan, place ham-hock in water. Boil for 20 min. Add beans, bay leaves, spices, tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and carrots. Simmer on low heat until ham-hock is tender and meat is falling off the bone (about 2 hours). Salt to taste and serve with sour cream on top.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Japanese Beef Curry (Curry Rice or Kareh Raisu)
The Japanese have a group of foods called yohsoku which have their origins in European cuisine. This dish is one of them. This is unlike Indian curry as it is sweeter. Serve with rice.
Ingredients:
2 T oil
1 lb. stew meat (cubed)
1 T. butter
2 c. onions, sliced very thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. crushed tomatoes
1 c. beef broth
1/2 t. ginger
1 bay leaf
1 star anise (or 1/4 t. anise seed)
2-3 T. garam masala (you can get this from Penzey's on-line)
3 sliced carrots
1 apple peeled, cored and chopped
3 potatoes (optional, I don't like potatoes with rice, but this will extend the recipe)
3 T butter
4 T flour
1-2 T oriental curry powder (S&B is available in Macomb, but it is hot)
Directions:
Heat oil in a heavy casserole or dutch oven. Add beef cubes and cook until browned, set aside. Turn heat down and add butter and onions. Cook onions until very soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and cook until garlic is soft. Pour in beef broth and turn up heat, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes, ginger, browned meat, bay leaf, anise, carrots, apple and potato. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours until the beef is very tender.
In a frying pan, melt butter and add flour. Stir and cook until the butter and flour are well incorporated into a roux. Add curry powder and cook a few seconds longer to release the spices. Add a few ladlefuls of the stew to the roux, stirring very well, then add this to the stew. Increase heat and stir until thick and bubbly.
Serve over rice.
The Japanese have a group of foods called yohsoku which have their origins in European cuisine. This dish is one of them. This is unlike Indian curry as it is sweeter. Serve with rice.
Ingredients:
2 T oil
1 lb. stew meat (cubed)
1 T. butter
2 c. onions, sliced very thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. crushed tomatoes
1 c. beef broth
1/2 t. ginger
1 bay leaf
1 star anise (or 1/4 t. anise seed)
2-3 T. garam masala (you can get this from Penzey's on-line)
3 sliced carrots
1 apple peeled, cored and chopped
3 potatoes (optional, I don't like potatoes with rice, but this will extend the recipe)
3 T butter
4 T flour
1-2 T oriental curry powder (S&B is available in Macomb, but it is hot)
Directions:
Heat oil in a heavy casserole or dutch oven. Add beef cubes and cook until browned, set aside. Turn heat down and add butter and onions. Cook onions until very soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and cook until garlic is soft. Pour in beef broth and turn up heat, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes, ginger, browned meat, bay leaf, anise, carrots, apple and potato. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours until the beef is very tender.
In a frying pan, melt butter and add flour. Stir and cook until the butter and flour are well incorporated into a roux. Add curry powder and cook a few seconds longer to release the spices. Add a few ladlefuls of the stew to the roux, stirring very well, then add this to the stew. Increase heat and stir until thick and bubbly.
Serve over rice.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Yummy Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese
No Processed Cheese Food in this one!
Ingredients:
1c. dry macaroni
4T butter
4T flour
2c. whole milk
2c. shredded cheddar cheese (sharp, medium or mild)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook macaroni till tender, then drain. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and blend well. Whisk milk in slowly to thicken. Slowly add cheese and cook, stirring constantly to melt. Add drained macaroni and pour into buttered cooking dish. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned.
No Processed Cheese Food in this one!
Ingredients:
1c. dry macaroni
4T butter
4T flour
2c. whole milk
2c. shredded cheddar cheese (sharp, medium or mild)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook macaroni till tender, then drain. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and blend well. Whisk milk in slowly to thicken. Slowly add cheese and cook, stirring constantly to melt. Add drained macaroni and pour into buttered cooking dish. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned.
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