Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Pears and Kefir Cheese



If you are looking for something really quick and tasty to add to your table, this is it.

Sliced pears tossed in fresh lemon juice to prevent browning with a side of Kefir Cheese.



What's Kefir cheese?

Sometimes called yogurt cheese, its thick and smooth and has a tangy flavor, similar to yogurt with a little added salt. In my opinion it's like a combination of yogurt (flavor) and cream cheese (texture).

It was so quick to put together, I will definitely be serving this as a part of our Christmas day breakfast.

Brought by my most awesome friend Jami, this addition to our brunch table was a huge hit. I polished off the last three pear slices after everyone left.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Mediterranean Quiche




This recipe came from my good friend Kristi. It was DEE-LISH. Serve along side the creamy-cheesy scalloped potatoes for that perfect brunch combination.




Mediterranean quiche:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced yellow onions
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/4 pound mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Savory pie crust, recipe follows
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled



Directions


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the liquid is rendered and the vegetables are wilted, about 10 minutes.


Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.


Add the tomatoes, basil, and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.


In a bowl, beat the eggs and half-and-half together. Add the salt, pepper, grated Gruyere, and crushed red pepper.


Spoon the vegetable mixture into the prepared piecrust, pour in the egg mixture, and crumble the goat cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Persimmon-Apple Cookies




Looking for a way to use up those persimmons? These cookies are perfect for Santa (or yourself!)

I'm not a huge fan of persimmons, but I really like these cookies. Adapted from a recipe that I found online, these cookies have the perfect amount of spice.
With the addition of apples, the flavor is reminiscent of apple pie.


Ingredients

2 ripe persimmons, pureed
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped apples

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.
Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.
Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in apples.



Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.




Sunday, December 20, 2009

Creamy-Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes


Oh these are so good. Perfect for brunch or a side dish at dinner. These can prepared a day or two before and cooked the day of your party, making these perfect for a holiday party side dish.


Ingredients

6 Medium Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese
3 (approx) cups Bechamel Sauce (recipe below)



Directions
1. Boil potatoes until almost fully cooked. Should be soft enough to easily poke a fork into but not enough to where they fall apart. Drain and refrigerate until completely cool. Peeling is optional. I never peel my potatoes.


2. Once cooled, thinly slice potatoes.


3. Layer potatoes and cheese in a 9 inch square or round baking dish.


4. Pour bechamel sauce over the top


5. Bake on 350 for 1 to 1.5 hours (depending on how cooked your potatoes were before...the longer you boil the less you have to bake).





Bechamel Sauce


Ingredients

4 T Butter
4 T Flour
3 Cups of Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Nutmeg


Directions

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour stirring constantly until it makes a smooth paste. Add milk and continue to stir, slowly bringing to a boil. Once there, reduce temp and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce will become thick and creamy. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
This post is part of the Make it From Scratch blog carnival.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Weekly Dinners

I can't do it anymore. No more. I'm done. I quit and I'm going back.....back to shopping on Fridays.

I tried the Tuesday Farmers Market and Whole Foods combo trip for 4 weeks. It makes sense to hit both places in one outing instead of breaking it up into two (Friday Whole Foods and Saturday Farmers Market). But alas, old habits are hard to quit.

I realized that I really like having a full fridge and pantry to play around with on the weekend. I also learned that while I like my weeknights meal planned, I like my weekends to be spontaneous. I also really miss my Saturday farmers. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great farmers at the Tuesday Market in Roseville, but I don't know them and they don't know me and there's something sad about that.

So, I am going back.

Meal planning on Thursday night or Friday morning.

Whole Foods on Friday morning.

Farmers Market on Saturday.

(On busy weeks or weeks where my meat supply is full, I will skip Whole Foods and hit Trader Joe's)

A set meal plan for the weeknights and the freedom to play around in the kitchen on the weekends.


This weeks menu:

Sunday- Sun dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pizza with Cream of Broccoli Soup.
Monday- Crab Cakes and Green Salad
Tuesday- Pot Roast, Green Beans and Potatoes
Wednesday- Enchiladas
Thursday- Chicken Pot Pie

John's Grass Fed Beef



Rarely do I endorse a product, but this is more than a just a mere product....this is a way of life.

Eating locally raised, pastured fed beef is reminiscent of a simpler time. A time where our food system was almost entirely comprised of local food sources. A time where "lifestyle diseases" were rare or unheard of.

As a holistic nutritionist, I encourage everyone to eat traditionally, and tailor your foods to your unique nutritional requirements (ie. many people are sensitive to gluten, dairy, soy. While these foods might be good for some, they aren't good for everyone...know your body and it's individual needs).

Also, consuming nutrient dense traditional and basic foods such as meat, poultry, dairy, whole grains, fruits, veggies, seafood, nuts, seeds and legumes, are better for you, period.



Grass fed beef is seasonal, and it's time to start thinking about making your reservation.



If you live in the Sacramento, CA area, and have a freezer big enough, please consider John's Grass Fed Beef.



From Mary @ John's Great Grass Fed Beef:


We are now taking reservations for our 2010 crop of delicious grass fed beef! We are going to be able to hold the price this year to the same as last year—or $3.92 per pound hanging weight. This includes all processing and the Cut & Wrap fee (many producers of locker beef quote their prices without including Cut & Wrap and make the buyer pay it themselves). The final price cut and wrapped in the freezer will probably work out to something in the ball park of $6.25 per pound, depending on the individual animal and how you want it cut. This of course averages the expensive steaks that you'd pay over $10 per pound for in the stores as well as the cheaper meat like hamburger.

To reserve beef you need to send a deposit of $100, and let us know if you want a whole, half or quarter beef. Deposits can be made by check or we can send you a PayPal invoice so you can use your credit card if you prefer.

As the time for processing the beef (May or June) gets close, everyone on our reservation list will have the chance to give their custom Cut and Wrap directions to the processor. The decisions to be made for the directions include things like whether you want some stew meat or all that type of meat ground for hamburger? How much fat content in the hamburger? Sirloin Steaks or Sirloin Roast? How thick to cut the steaks? How many steaks per package? The processor will gladly walk you through the decisions over the phone, but if it all seems like too much to decide you can simply ask for their Standard Cut and Wrap. The Standard seems to please most folks.

A half of a 1,000 lb steer will usually yield roughly 275 lb hanging beef, which in turn yields approximately 190 lb cut and wrapped beef in the freezer. A quarter will yield approximately 95 lb cut and wrapped. A whole beef will cost roughly $2,000, a half will cost roughly $1,000 and a quarter roughly $500. Of course 1,000 lb is an estimated average weight. The loss to hanging weight and then to cut and wrapped weight varies with each animal and how you have it cut.

Our beef is fed no antibiotics, hormones or other chemicals. Pretty much all the cattle eat is grass and clover pasture. They get a little hay in the winter and as bribes when we move them from pasture to pasture so that we don’t have to chase them.

Advantages of our grass fed beef:

Our beef is not given any hormones or other growth stimulants


Because our beef is fed only grass and perhaps a small amount of hay, we know for a fact that they do not eat any animal products, candy or other unsavory things

Research has shown that the ratio of Omega 6 fats to Omega 3 fats in grass fed beef is in the healthy range, while in grain fed beef it is not

Grass fed beef is a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders

Grass fed beef has far more Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene than grain fed

Grass fed beef is better for the human eating it, better for the animal,better for the environment and encourages family farming. It is awin-win-win situation.

Most beef sold in stores, even health food stores, is not natural “real beef”. Even though it may be organic, the cattle are fed grains, and grains are not what cattle are designed to eat—grass is!

Beef, in its natural grass-fed state, is quite different from grain fed beef and is actually a healthy food

Our cattle live contentedly in natural grassy pastures rather than in crowded and unsanitary feed yards

Our beef is USDA Inspected

Our beef is healthier for you to eat. Even feeding grain for a short "finishing" period of 30 to 60 days drastically reduces the benefits of raising them on grass, so we do not do it

Our beef is DELICIOUS, TENDER and JUICY!





Thursday, December 10, 2009

Easy Party Pinwheels

'Tis the season for parties. Seems like attending parties is all we're doing this week.

LOVE parties. LOVE appetizers and finger foods.






This simple and festive bite-size appetizer was easy and tasty.
Ingredients:

4-8oz jar pepper jelly
4-8 oz of goat cheese
2 12x12 (roughly 17 oz) sheets of puffed pastry


(This homemade pepper jelly came to me courtesy of my good friend Gina. It was made by her friend Jenny's mom!--thank you Gina and Jenny's mom for this delicious pepper jelly.)

Directions: (preheat oven to 400 degrees)
1. Roll out the puff pastry


2. Spread on goat cheese and pepper jelly (to taste).

3. Roll up


4. Slice in 1/2 inch sections


5. Place cut side down on baking sheet bake for 20 minutes.





YUM!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Cleansing After the Feast-Weekly Dinners



Boy was Thanksgiving good. My plate was full of turkey, mashed potatoes, (shredded) Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and a cornmeal muffin. I won't mention all of the desserts.




My son's birthday falls a few days after Turkey Day, which means more overeating (at least it did for me!).

Now, I am ready to cleanse.

"Cleansing" Daily Diner style does NOT mean starving. Even in the most bloated of moments, I still love food and will continue to eat. What it means is to lighten up the meals by having more calories from unrefined, complex carbs (veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains) than fat and protein combined. These unrefined carbs are naturally cleansing.

The key word is more (not only). When I cleanse, I don't give up the animal fats, oils or protein rich foods, just limit them.

Since both myself and Hubby currently feel glutinous, I have created our weekly meal plan around these lighter, cleansing foods.

The good news is that these cooler months are the best time for local leafy greens, root veggies, winter squash, and cruciferous vegetables, so lightening the load will still be delicious.

Weekly Meal Plan:
This week will deviate from the usual way we meal plan.

Instead of having specific meals for each night, we will be eating "buffet style" from the refrigerator. In the fridge, there are three soups: lentil with root veggies, cabbage with onions and potatoes, and black bean-mushroom chili. To accompany these soups, there is really large salad made of butter leaf, red leaf, arugula, and cilantro as the base.

Each night, I will roast some red onions and veggies such as, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and turnips with balsamic and a little salt. These are intended for the salad.

I know it's sometimes hard to eat a salad in the winter....seems to cold too eat cool-crisp lettuce. To "winterize" a salad, let your greens sit out and become room temperature. Then add the roasted veggies while they're still warm. You can even warm the dressing. A nice warm oil and vinegar combo goes great and is super easy.

There will be meat involved too. I don't believe in avoiding (real, whole, unprocessed) foods. We'll just be tailoring them a little more by keeping the higher protein/fat meals to breakfast (the most important meal of the day).

Our lunches and dinners will consist of the soups and salads.

Eat Well!


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