Pesto

One of the girls in my spin class asked if I would write about pesto, so here it is Kim.
Pesto is blending a green with a type of nut and olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and sometimes anchovy.
The typical pesto is:
 about 1-2cups of basil

2 cloves of garlic.

1/4 cup of pine nuts

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

blend in food processor or blender until it forms a puree.

then add slowly

about 3/4cup olive oil.

I have made it with just about any nut I have on hand and different greens like basil, spinach, arugula, etc.

Of course the flavor will change, but what fun.

I make big batches, and put about 1/4cup, into freezer baggies and keep in my freezer as individual servings. Pesto can be used many ways, with pasta, on pizza, on bread, etc.

I have used it  instead of tomato sauce and it makes a unique pizza

Try it, you'll love it.

Deb







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Gramma's Pasta Sauce

I was going to send you some vegan recipes, but my favorite daughter, Geri, called and asked for my pasta sauce, so here it is.  This can be a vegan sauce just by leaving out the meat.  My grandmother came here from Italy when she was a teenager, this is the sauce she passed down to me through my mom.

First brown 1pound of sweet Italian sausage.
Dice a large onion and 3 cloves of garlic, and add to sausage with a few drizzles of olive oil.
Cook until the onions are soft.
Now add about two large cans of tomato sauce and one can of tomato paste.
My Gramma used to put in sugar but I have changed it to organic maple syrup, about 2 tablespoons.
Add about 1 tablespoon of basil and 1 tablespoon of oregano.  Fresh or dried, either is okay.
If your sausage was not made with fennel in it, add about 1 tablespoon.
Add about 1 cup of red wine, salt and pepper to taste, stir and let it simmer at least a few hours but preferably all day.
You can omit the meat and make it vegan like I said before.  A pound of chopped mushrooms is also a good addition with or without the meat.
You can use this sauce for everything, from pasta to pizza.
enjoy, love Deb

P.S. I can my tomatoes, so that is what I use instead of canned tomato sauce.

Pomegranate Brined Chicken

Today I was planning on cooking outdoors on an oak fire, but it's been raining non stop for 3 days.  So instead I'm going to use my favorite pan to roast the chicken (from the last post about outdoor cooking) in the oven.  My favorite pan is a type of dutch oven.  There are several types of dutch ovens but this particular one can be used in so many ways.  With a indoor dutch oven the lid is rounded, and on the inside of the lid are bumps, they help to baste your food.  In my kitchen, I cook with my dutch oven almost everyday. I use it on top of the stove like a fry pan or like a regular pot for beans or whatever.  I also use it in the oven to roast stews or veggies and in this case our chicken.  Once you start cooking with a dutch oven, you'll never use anything else.

Preheat your oven to 450degrees.

In your dutch oven drizzle olive oil in to cover bottom of pan.

add one large onion chopped and about 1cup of white wine.

Place your chicken in the dutch oven, add salt and pepper.

When your oven is at 450degrees place your dutch oven in for 30min.

Then uncover for another 20min.

Now, enjoy love Deb.

I love to cook just about anything in a dutch oven. They are made out of cast iron, so the heat is very even.  It's really fun cooking outside in them, it's almost a challenge getting the heat just right.  The outdoor dutch ovens have a flat lid with a rim around the lid for holding your coals (there is one in the picture on the last post).  You need to always remember, that once you get your heat just right the cast iron will continue to stay hot, so don't keep adding to many coals.  If you keep adding more coals, it will get too hot and dry up your food.  More on that later.  I own all sizes, so I can cook for a large group of people.

Out Door Cooking

I love cooking outdoors.  My husband (Mark) and I take people on mule packing trips in the summer time.  So I have learned many ways of outdoor cooking.  I cook outdoors at least once a week, it's so fun.  Even though I prefer to cook on a fire, you can probably use any of the recipes on a gas grill in the back yard because I know not everyone has the facilities for an outside fire.

This year for Thanksgiving, we made homemade apple cider from some apples we picked from our friends orchard here in Cambria.  I added some kosher salt (about two handfuls) to the cider and soaked our turkey in it for 5 days.  I used a small cooler and a gallon of cider.  Boy did it turn out great.  You can also use this technique (called brining) with whole chicken.  We have a chicken soaking in pomegranate cider right now for this weekend because I wanted to try something different.  As you can see by the picture, you can also use a zip lock baggie to brine.

 So, anyway, first find out where to buy a organic turkey or chicken.  Then you can buy spiced apple cider (or regular apple cider and add your own spices).   What I do, is place the turkey in a cooler, add the cider with about a cup of kosher salt and a plastic bag of ice (you will need to make sure to keep the baggie full of ice).  You can brine your turkey for one day or one week, the longer the better but make sure to keep it cool with ice or keep it in the frig. 

Then when you are ready to cook your turkey,  place it in a aluminum roasting tray ( the disposable kind).  You need to get your wood ready about one hour before cooking.  If you are cooking on gas preheat before cooking.  When your fire is ready, place your turkey in the pan and rub organic soy butter all over it.  Now salt and pepper your bird and cover it with a piece of cheese cloth.  You also need to make a broth for pan.  I use the giblets to make broth.  Just cover giblets with water and boil  for about 30min.  Poor the broth in to the pan and add some white wine. I use the lid of a Weber BBQ  to cover my bird.  You need to baste your bird about every 30min.  It takes about 20min. per pound.  You will have the best tasting and very moist turkey you have ever had.

If this sounds like more than you want to handle you might try the recipe with a whole chicken first.  If you're using a gas grill you might have to turn the pan every so often so the heat is not concentrated.  Just keep an eye on it when you're basting.

Try it, you'll love it
Deb

 

Deb's Famous Pot-O-Beans

I love to make this at least once a week.  Start first thing in the morning, use a large stock pot or if you are going to work, put it all in a crock pot and when you get home it will be done.

You can use this recipe with any type of dried beans, add rice and/or any type of salsa. 
1 bag of beans (pinto, black, red, white, whatever)
1 head of garlic minced
1 large onion chopped
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in pot you'll be using to cook beans
Add salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cumin
1 chili (if desired)
Add beans ( rinsed ) and cover with water (add salsa now)
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer the rest of the day
     Enjoy love Deb
P.S. call any time for questions                                              

Pizza

Now, let's get to making my version of a Margarita pizza.  You will need the following.

-a pizza stone ( I found mine at Marshall's for about $10.00)
-a pizza peal ( Smart and Final about $5.00) *
-unbleached parchment paper.
-make a batch of super easy dough in the morning of the day you will be making your pizza.
-extra virgin olive oil.
-fresh mozzarella(trader Joe's)
-a few wedges of brie cheese.(trader Joe's)
-fresh or dried oregano, basil, red pepper flakes
-and what ever veggies you have.(I like to use mushroom's and squash)

First, make a batch of the pizza dough from yesterday. Then cut off a large enough piece of parchment paper to fit your pizza. Dust the paper with flour.  Dust your hands and reach in and pull out the dough. You should have enough dough for three to four pizzas.  If you used about 6 cup's of flour.  Spread out the dough with floured hands.  Drizzle with evoo, and sprinkle with herbs.  Then cut up veggies thin and place on dough.  Cut up the brie into small pieces and spread over top, and the same with the fresh mozzarella.  I salt and pepper mine.  It's ready for your preheated (500 degree) oven.  It should take about 30min. Your nose will let you know, and your eyes.  Now get ready for a great pizza.  love, Deb.

*My friend Tori has informed me that Smart & Final no longer carries the pizza peal and they aren't five bucks.  But, you can get them at those kitchen stores usually found in malls.  I am told that Target also has them.  Thank you Tori.

super easy dough

This is a super easy way to make any thing from bread to cinnamon rolls to super pizza dough.  I wanted to find a way to make dutch oven bread, because I love to cook in dutch ovens.  I found this dough receipe on  Alton Brown's web site.  The bread turned out great, so I made another batch and let it sit on my counter for a few days and began thinking of different ways to use it.  So, here it goes.  This is how to make the dough.  First, in a large bowl put 4 to 6 cups of organic unbleached flour.  Next, put in one tablespoon of RED STAR yeast. Next, put in one tablespoon of kosher salt.  Now mix all of these together.

So,
-4-6 cups organic unbleached flour
-1 tablespoon yeast (I think Red Star is the best)
-1 tablespoon kosher salt

Next, using a rubber spatula mix in filtered water a little at a time until you have a wet dough mixture kind of gooey and sticky.  Cover with plastic wrap or a clean shower cap, then a teatowel.  Now let it sit for 5 hours to 5 days, until you are ready to use. When you are ready, place a sheet of unbleached parchment paper on counter, dust with flour and turn out your dough, it will be quite wet so use enough flour so you can handle it to form into a loaf or pizza pie.  Preheat your oven, for pizza 500 degrees for bread 450 degrees.  When oven is heated your dough is ready to bake. You can add fresh or dried herbs to your flour mixture before you add the water, if you wish for special flavors. 

If you want to make wonderful  cinnamon rolls, just spread out the dough as before, and drizzle with organic maple syrup, add cinnamon and raisins, roll up and place in to a 450 degree oven.  All of these will take about 30 min. to bake, depending on your oven.  When done, just slice into servings.   Now enjoy!  Love, Deb.

salad dressing

Here are a few receipes for home made salad dressing because I usually don't like to buy bottled dressing even though there are some good ones at health food stores.  Home made dressings are simple and you know what goes into them.

citrus dressing (this is good on any type of salad, especially mixed greens)
-1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin perferably)
-juice of one lemon (or orange if you want a little sweeter taste)
-finely chopped cloves of garlic (4-5 cloves)
-kosher salt to taste
-dijon mustard to taste

Fruit dressing  (also good on green salads)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3 chopped shallots
-dijon mustard to taste
-fresh chopped herbs (basil and/or oregano)
-organic peach spread (without sugar if possible)
-1/4 cup fresh orange juice
-chopped fresh ripe peaches
So, this is obviously a seasonal receipe since peaches are only available locally in summer.  You can also use other fruit like pears or apricots etc.  Apples also work well in the fall or winter when you can get them locally.

Creamy avocado dressing
-1 cup vegan mayo
-2 ripe avos
-4-5 cloves of garlic chopped
-1/2 juice of lemon
-1 handful of cilantro (chopped or pulled apart)
-1/2 cup organic salsa (homemade if possible, more later)
-kosher salt to taste
-fresh pepper (ditto)
Put all into blender or food processor and blend until creamy

Let me know what you think.  Love, Deb

This is for my family and friends who are looking for a healthy way to eat

I originally started refining my food philosophy because of cancer in my family.  I hope to pass along some of the things I have discovered that lead to a heathier lifestyle.  Much of the information is available in excellent books and magazines.  I will try to stick to receipes I hope you will try and enjoy.

But first, I would like to start with some basic information.  I try to stick to the "local organic" philosophy for several reasons.  For instance, if every US citizen ate just one meal (any meal) a week composed of locally and organically grown meats and/or produce we could reduce our country's oil comsumption by an estimated one million barrels a week.  This is due to the transportation costs of getting food to your table.  Milk from China?  Meat from Australia?  Peaches from Argentina?  Tomatoes from Mexico?  Also, meat and/or produce that is obtained locally is fresher and in season. 

I try to eliminate or greatly reduce: Sugar, dairy products, caffeine, and red meat.  There are healthy substitutes for these things in a diet.  Many soy products are available to replace dairy procucts.  There are also substitutes for sugar too.  Vegan Fusion World Cuisine by Mark Reinfeld and Bo Rinaldi is a good source for information about these substitutes plus great receipes too.  Some other books with great information are: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD., Nature's Cancer-Fighting Foods by Verne Varona, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and any of Michael Pollan's books. 

I believe in Farmer's Markets.  Although, not all sellers at these markets are organic or local.  So, try to sort out the better sellers by asking questions of the sellers and other shoppers.  One reason to stay with organic produce and meat is that much of the produce and meat in the big stores today is genetically modified.  This is so that they look pretty and saleable as opposed to actually being good for you.

Most of my receipes start with some staples that I think should be in every pantry.  Olive oil (I know what you're thinking, "No duh!), garlic, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, lots of herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, lemon juice and zest (rind), maple syrup, agave nectar or stevia (sugar substitutes), and vegetable base paste for sauces and soups.

So, tell me what you think.  Ask any questions and I'll try to answer them.  Next post I'll start with some of my favorite receipes. 

Okay, I'll tease you with one I like for this time of year.  It's an autumn vegetable casserole.

-1 butternut squash (skinned and cubed)
-10 or so baby zucchine squash (ends trimmed)
-1 cup dried organic cranberries
-1/2 cup sliced almonds
-1 large onion (chopped)
-Mix all in casserole dish and drizzle with lots of olive oil
-Top with fresh sprigs of rosemary
-Bake @ 350 covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes.