Sweet Potato Fries and I Shut My Mouth!

Song of the South! But instead of pie, try some fries!

 

Ingredients:

• 2-3 sweet potatoes (try getting different colored ones, like white, orange, and purple to add some color and a little different flavor!)
• Olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425. Cut the potatoes into thick chunks about the size of your a finger. Try to make  them all about the same size so that they all cook evenly. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil. Then lay out on a pan and place in the oven. Cook about 20 minutes, flipping them over about half-way through. 20 minutes left them softer, but if you like crispier fries, try them for a little longer. Once you take them out, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and serve. Enjoy

Fight the Flu!

So this flu epidemic has got to stop! I think 60% of my friends are feeling rough..after the first two days of fighting off a cough, trying to work and bouncing between day-quil and night-quil to keep me ahead…I decided to try all natural remedies and already, I am feeling better.

First things first, take your vitamins! Vitamin D3 is important for cellular growth, which basically just means it helps soak up all of the nutrients you put inside your body..so that they actually function as nutrients! You can buy a jar for about $6. You could take 2 1,000mg pills during flu season just to get your level up. And since its beautiful outside, you can also get some D rays from the sunshine!

Drinking juices like orange juice will get you some vitamin C, ginger will help with a sore throat, and of course REAL chicken noodle soup! As in, chicken noodle soup made from a chicken you cooked!

Chicken Noodle Soup!

• 2 1/2 to 3 lb. fryer chicken
• 1 to 2 qt. water
• 4 to 8 carrots cut up
• 4 to 8 stalks celery cut up
• 1 to 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 to 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 to 4 c. noodles
• Some potatoes if desired cut up
• Parsley
• GARLIC! –this will help a sore throat too!

Begin by boiling chicken in 4 to 8 quarts Dutch oven. Add everything but the noodles. Bring to boil; cover and simmer till chicken is done, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken and cut into 1 inch pieces, removing from bones. Add noodles to soup and boil for 20 minutes. skim fat from soup, add chicken to soup and heat 5 to 10 minutes. Serves 8 to 16.

More Spinach

What you need on a beautiful sunny day is a nice, light salad. And of course, more spinach.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bagged or loose spinach
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• olive oil
• oregano
• salt
• pepper
• apple cider vinegar
• white corn
• black beans
• feta cheese
• sugar

First things first…cut the chicken into small chunks and place into a skillet coated with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano. Cook on medium heat.

In a separate bowl, combine one can white corn, one can black beans, 1/4 cup of feta cheese, 1 tbls. white sugar, 1 tbls. apple cider vinegar, and 1 tbls. olive oil. Stir together to combine all flavors.

Now go check on your chicken. You may want to sprinkle some more salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until lightly golden on the outside.

NOW PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. Some spinach for a base, the corn and bean salad, then the chicken. YUM. So good…and you don’t even need dressing. Enjoy.

Pop-Eye the Sailor meets Tuscany

I think Spinach is my favorite green. Unlike, Pop-Eye, it doesn’t give me supernatural strength, but it does add some flavor, texture, and some reassurance to myself that I am eating healthy. I remember hating it as a kid. I never understood why people liked it. But the only way I ever saw it was swimming in liquid and reeking of vinegar.

Even though this leafy green can’t help you lift a car with your own two hands, one serving does provide the equivalent level of iron you would find in a hamburger. Spinach is also loaded with more antioxidants than one green pepper, a boatload of calcium, and a great source of folic acid. Throw some in scrambled eggs with salt and pepper, saute them and place on a sandwich with chicken, hummus and peppers, or try out this Tuscany, Italy inspired recipe!

TUSCAN SOUP

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 28 oz or more broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup water
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 can white beans
• 2/3 cup pasta
• 3 cups sliced spinach
• 2-3 drops hot sauce

Saute’ onion and carrot in oil about 5 minutes. Add broth, water, salt, pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and beans and return to a steady boil.

Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Add spinach, heat for 2-3 minutes.

You can also add some Italian sausage, chicken cut into chunks, and diced tomatoes for a heartier soup.

Looking for spinach, you will find three kinds:

• Savoy has dark green, crinkly and curly leaves. This is the most typical type of Spinach that you will find in JC.

• Flat/smooth leaf spinach has broad smooth leaves that are easier to clean than savoy. This type is often grown for canned and frozen spinach, as well as soups, baby foods, and processed foods.

• Semi-savoy is a hybrid variety with slightly crinkled leaves. It has the same texture as savoy, but it is not as difficult to clean. This type of spinach can also be found in some local stores.

So go out and eat your greens!! And make them taste good too!

 

Too Much Cheese?…Try this Natural Remedy

Whether you ate too much cheese, too much of one thing, too fast, or its just one of those days, sometimes a nice, natural laxative is what you’d really like. But that word just sounds so abrasive and scary.

But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do!

So try this..

• 4 oz. prune juice
• 1 tbls. butter

Put both prune juice and butter in a saucepan on low heat. Heat only until the butter is melted, then drink. The fats in the butter are a good softening agent and we all know prunes help!

 

Make Your Own Cheese!

Goat cheese can get expensive, so here is an alternative to recipes that call for pricey cheeses. By adding a few extra spices and using this basic cheese, you’ll have the same recipe!

The other night my mom had the great idea to make her own cheese and I got to help out! Unlike the cheese I was talking about yesterday we made cheese using FRESH COW‘s milk. Thats right…you need to find a supplier of fresh milk from a dairy farm…try to get the milk the same day you are going to make your cheese. If you find a place to get goats milk, you could try making that! Maybe that will be my next project.

Here are the ingredients and things you need:

• Cheesecloth (can be bought at William Sonoma, Target, other kitchen supply stores)
• FRESH milk (1 Gallon, not ultra-pasteurized)
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Vinegar
• Cooking thermometer

Pour the gallon of milk and the salt into a large stock pot, stirring occasionally. Heat until 150 degrees. The temperature is very important, so having a good thermometer is important. Remove the pot from the heat source (the eye) and slowly add the vinegar, continuously stirring. As you stir you will start to see the curds forming! Let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, very gently.

Meanwhile, have a strainer set over your sink, lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. After 5 minutes, pour the pot of curdled milk into the strainer. The liquid will drain down into the sink and the cheese will continue curdling (for some reason this word grosses me out!) Let sit for 20 minutes (you can use the leftover cheesecloth to cover the top if you’d like.)

Gather the cheesecloth and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Pour into round containers for forming shape and keeping. If you’d like to add things to the cheese (such as garlic, rosemary, etc., now is the time.) Then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

We added garlic powder and basil to one cheese which gave it more flavor than the plain one. The thing with farm fresh cheese is that it isn’t the flavor-filled cheese that we are used to in the United States. However, by adding this cheese into salads, Hispanic-inspired dishes, or along with other spices, this cheese becomes a basic staple that ends up saving you lots of money!

Below I’ve included a recipe from Ecuador. This cheese, called ‘Queso Fresco,’ is the only cheese I could ever find in down there. These yummy tortillas were staples in my diet.

Ingredients:

• Queso Fresco
• Lard
• 1 Egg
• Water
• Salt
• Your choice of tortilla: wheat flour, potato, yuca, banana, plantain, corn flour. I dare someone to try sweet potato, I’ve never had it but I bet it’d be great!

To create a batter for your tortilla you may need to cook the potatoes or bananas. For the flour tortillas, of course, you don’t need to. If you do use potatoes or something that needs to be cooked, chop and mix until a smooth, dough- like mixture is formed. Add a tablespoon of lard to all mixtures, one egg, and salt and water if needed.

Roll the dough into small balls. Using your thumbs, press into the center of the ball and slowly begin to form a bowl shape. Fill the inside of the bowl with fresh cheese (from above) and begin to close the ball. Flatten about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and then place on a skillet until lightly golden on both sides (flipping over every 2-3 minutes)

Goat Cheese…the new Mozzarella?

The first time I heard of goat cheese was when I was in Italy. I always ordered my salad with it just because I knew the word in Italian. When I got home to America, I went on a frantic search looking for goat cheese. I found a plethora in the cheese section at Earthfare (which I’m pretty sure quickly became my reason for working there) but the texture was much softer than I remembered.

Imagine a salty tasting cheese with the texture of softened cream cheese. It’s like butter melt in your mouth. YUM! The differences between cheeses made from cows and cheeses made from goats aren’t great, but the result ends in an amazing new flavor. Due to the higher concentration of fatty acids in goats milk, the cheese has a bit of a bitter taste to it.

Nowadays, this softer, saltier cheese is replacing mozzarella on pizzas, cheese sauces on chicken, and feta on salads. I wish I could say it was really low in fat and sodium, but I can’t. My only suggestion is to use smaller portions for this fatty, salted cheese. Try these goat-cheesed recipes below!

Pizzettas

1 lb. pizza dough

flour

olive oil

salt and pepper, fresh ground

2 tsp. fennel seeds

6 oz. log of goat cheese (Belle Chevre or

Cypress Grove Aged Goat Cheese, etc)

14 cherry or grape tomatoes

Spinach, Olives, Basil,  Artichokes, your choice of toppings.

Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Then, using a biscuit cutter, cut dough in small circles (roughly 16-18). Brush each circle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fennel seeds. Transfer the dough circles to a grill and let them sit for about 1 minute, flattening them with a spatula. Brush again with olive oil and grill until golden brown on the bottoms. Place pizzettas onto a baking sheet and add 2 small slices of the aged goat cheese to each circle, 2 tomato slices, and the other topping of your choice (I love spinach!). Return the pizzas to the grill for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Wa-la! Snack time.

Cheese and Arugula Penne

• 5 1/2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 cups coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces penne pasta

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture. Watch the cheese melt into the hot pasta! Serve with grilled chicken.

Creamy Goat Cheese Salad Dressing

• 8 ounces package fat-free cream cheese
• 2 tablespoon (1 ounce) goat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Mix ingredients and store in the refrigerator for later use.

Goat cheese is also great served for cocktails with apple slices, apricot jam, and thin crackers.