Category Archives: Recipes

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Recipes

Celebrating The Orange and Green!

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Saint Patrick’s Day conjures up images of the Chicago River waters running emerald, or a draught of green Guinness from the local pub.

As most of the northern hemisphere is still trying to shake off the hoary frosts of winter – it was 19 degrees F in our area this past weekend – and as our southern hemisphere readers are gearing up for fall, I was looking for some warming comfort food.

Most decorations for this festive season’s nod to all things Irish, which center on everything green; but in search of the perfect comfort food, I was reminded of the other Irish color: orange.

So, I’m pulling up a blast-from-the-past – Good, Better, Best Butternut Squash Soup – that dishes up orange and a bowlful of yumminess.

Plain butternut squash soup is – good.

When caramelized onions and garlic are added, you get something – better.

Add anti-inflammatory spices, creamy good fat from coconut milk and bone building gelatin, and you’ll have the best steamy bowlful of butternut squash goodness you’ve ever had! It’s the BEST!

By using my trusty immersion blender, I simply blitzed the cooked soup ingredients into creamy wonderfulness. No more using a dripping ladle to fill a blender in small hot batches to blitz, then having to pour the soup into ANOTHER pot to finish. Yay! I can’t recommend my immersion blender enough!

This recipe was originally crafted with the flesh of a previously roasted butternut squash. Peeling this hard gourd was dangerous with a knife. Then I picked up a new vegetable peeler that was shaped differently, so now peeling thicker skins is a breeze. 

Armed with the most effective equipment, let’s dive into our soup recipe:

GOOD – BETTER – BEST BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Into a large soup pot on medium heat add:

1 yellow onion, chopped*

½ bulb of garlic (that’s about 5-6 cloves), peeled, smashed, and chopped*

*Make sure to let these prepared allium family vegetables rest at least ten minutes before cooking. See my book, Toolkit for Wellness, page 162, to learn why.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cover the bottom of the pot

A dollop of grass-fed butter for an extra yummy factor (about a tablespoon or so)

Slowly sauté onion and garlic in oil and butter until clear. Reduce heat and add a tablespoon or two of water to continue cooking to caramelize veggies. This may take 7-10 minutes.

Add the following seasonings and ingredients:

2 teaspoons of curry

1 tablespoon of turmeric

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

½ can full fat coconut milk (if the cream is solid, scoop out about half to use and pour about half of the clear fluid into soup pot)

¼ cup of Great Lakes unflavored gelatin, evenly sprinkled over the top of the ingredients

1 – 32-ounce organic free range chicken broth with about ½ cup of water to rinse out container

Flesh of one raw butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Simmer with lid on until the squash is tender – about 30 minutes depending upon the size of the squash pieces.

When the squash is tender, use your immersion blender to turn this soup into creamy goodness.

There’s nothing left to do but serve and enjoy! A dollop of sour cream, crema, or Greek yogurt on top of each bowl is a nice flavor touch, as well.

Butternut squash is low in calories, has no cholesterol, and is a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. In fact, it has more Vitamin A than pumpkin. Vitamin A is an antioxidant and is vital in skin and eye health. Butternut squash also is a great source for flavonoids which convert into Vitamin A and is a rich source of B-complex vitamins.

The onions and garlic add to the anti-inflammatory features of this soup as do the spices which are very beneficial to fighting inflammation.

The gelatin is an excellent source of protein and is extremely helpful to bone and joint health.

The coconut milk is a source of good fats that help power you through your day.

The taste? Mmmm good!

Keeping warm and in health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Soup du jour For A Cold Winter Day

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We had our first big snow of the year the other day. Yup. A whopping 3.5 inches of the white stuff in my new central North Carolina home. Back nearer the coast, my former hometown dealt with ice and a bit of snow – sorry, guys.

We are all looking for big bowls of soup or soupy stews to warm our insides here in the Northern Hemisphere. Our down-under friends can file these ideas away for comforting food in a few months.

Over these last few weeks, there have been several soups – including:

Potato Leek Soup – with chunks of leftover ham added after blending, mmm …

Clam Chowder

Spicy lasagna soup with gluten-free lasagna noodles as a substitution

Chili

Plus, a couple of stew-like chicken and vegetable concoctions served over rice using these:

Yai’s Thai brand yellow Thai coconut Curry, and

Mina brand Shakshuka Moroccan Tomato Sauce

These two jarred sauces added just enough punch in their respective stews to make our tastebuds sing. And, in keeping with eating real foods, the ingredient lists are short with only real foods listed. No chemicals or preservatives. Yay.

The chicken-based stews both featured cubes of butternut squash and potatoes. The added potassium in these two have quelled my nighttime foot cramps. Review the post about potassium HERE.

Vegetable components varied using what was on hand for the Shakshuka sauce to bags of frozen Asian stir fry veggies for the curry.

All I had to do was throw the chicken into the crockpot or into a large pan with lid – I prefer boneless and skinless thighs – with the sauce, potato and butternut squash chunks, and onion, and forget about it. When the chicken was tender, extra veggies were added to finish.

Easy-peasy.

I must give a shout-out to Half-Baked Harvest for the yummy Spicy Lasagna Soup. That one is a keeper! Tieghan Gerard has some wonderful recipes on her site. I just eschew most of the dessert and bready items – foods that cause spikes in blood sugar are truly evil – more on that as we revisit Metabolical in a coming post.

Lastly, as I was stationed in the kitchen chopping veggies for these soups and stews, I answered the call of my rumbling tummy with an old childhood favorite.

Do you remember stuffed celery? The kind with peanut butter? Maybe you called it Men in a Boat if raisins were added?

Check out my Reece’s version of Men in a Boat using mini semi-sweet chocolate chips – delish!

In health – fall, winter, spring, and summer – one decision, one bite at a time –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Creamy Fascinations – Part 2

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Today, we move on from crema – which is the runniest of the creamy elements we discussed HERE – to crème fraiche, which fits snuggly in the middle of the consistency scale. Sour cream, you will remember, is the thickest of our trifecta.

As you might guess, from its French name, this fresh cream is specifically under European labeling regulations, requiring it be made from cream and a bacterial culture only, whereas sour cream may contain thickening agents.

Hence, if you followed the crema recipes I shared previously, usage of any ingredients other than cream and a bacterial culture, pushed that recipe into the realm of crema.

With just two ingredients, the recipe for crème fraiche would seem simple, but opinions vary as to proportions. I’m thinking the variable may be length of time available for the fermentation process.

Those using 2 Tablespoons/ 30 ml of buttermilk for each cup/ 237 ml of heavy cream may have gotten quicker results, (12 hours), than those using just 1 Tablespoon/ 15 ml, (24 hours). Some sources split the difference and used 1.5 Tablespoons/ 22.5 ml of buttermilk per cup/ 237 ml of heavy cream.

You choose how you may want to tweak this basic recipe.

Crème Fraiche

1 cup/ 237 ml heavy cream

1-2 Tablespoons/ 15-30 ml of buttermilk

Combine ingredients in a glass container. Cover either with a breathable top – such as a clean kitchen towel or a lid/plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature for 12- 24 hours. Use. Refrigerate to keep for up to a week or two.

This recipe is easily doubled. In fact, many recipes call for 2 cups/ 474 ml of heavy cream because they are using that much crème fraiche. I’m not cooking for a large family, so a smaller quantity would be enough for me.

Where to use crème fraiche?

Readers who are entering the warmer seasons of fresh fruit, may want to whip their crème fraiche with a bit of sugar to adorn a bowl of fresh fruit.

With cooler seasons upon the rest of us, I’m anticipating adding this to beef stroganoff soon. This higher fat content crème fraiche will not separate when cooked/boiled like sour cream does.

Beef Stroganoff

Speaking of beef stroganoff with crème fraiche, I want to close by sharing a link I just discovered – Beef Stroganoff with Crème fraiche – YouTube by Daddy Cooks. His engaging, laid-back style is down-to-earth and easy to follow, and will be my guide when preparing beef stroganoff next time.

Not this … *haha*

As we start preparing special meals for any holiday experience, remember to be mindful of portion control and in surrounding the meal with colorful, high fiber veggie side dishes that are not so calorie dense.

In health-

Deidre

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Game Day Crockpot Soup

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As temps in the Northern Hemisphere are hinting at fall, our thoughts are turning to warming, savory soups. Added to that, kids are off to soccer practice, friends and families are tailgating, and many are gathering around the screen for golf or football.

Our readers down under are probably getting hints of spring with thoughts of fresh fruit and vegetables making your mouths water, but in Eastern North Carolina, my garden is down to 2-3 okra pods a day.

We’re on to soup weather! Bring on the crockpot, please.

Plus, the recipe I’m sharing today is an excellent opportunity for using the Mexican Crema recipe that was featured last week.

What’s cooking? An easy, adaptable recipe featuring canned beans, chopped tomatoes, salsa, and frozen or fresh chicken. Easy peasy.

Many thanks to my daughter-in-love for this inspiring recipe and for assisting in our photo-shoot. The delightful soup bowls are frequently filled with her and my son’s creations – chili, soup, gumbo, and more. I’m on the look out for special bowls to add that extra panache to lovely meal presentation.

But even in plain bowls, this soup is a winner.

The recipe is best shared as a simple photo of all the ingredients.

No or not enough black beans? Grab a can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, pink beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans instead. Mix and match. No problem. I like mixing them up.

We prefer using chicken thigh meat because of its tenderness and flavor. Yes, the breast meat has less fat, you can use that as well – again, a nod to versatility.

Another nod to crockpot convenience is that frozen chicken works just fine – just keep it cooking a little longer.

Crockpot Chicken and Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 – 15.25-ounce cans (432 g) beans – black, pinto, garbanzo, cannellini, pink

1 – 16-ounce jar (453 g) salsa

2 – 10-ounce cans (283 g) Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies

1 – 4.5-ounce can (127 g) chopped green chilies

1 – 15-ounce can (425 g) tomato sauce

8 – Ideally boneless, skinless chicken thighs – can use 4 large chicken breasts – fresh or frozen

Method

Open the jars and cans. Start filling the crockpot with something wet – tomato sauce or salsa – then add some beans with their juices, chicken, and finish with the remaining wet ingredients and beans.

That’s it. Put the crockpot lid on, plug in, set to low for 6 – 7 hours – longer if frozen meat is used.

When time is up, stir the ingredients and remove the chicken to a cooling bowl.

Using two forks, gently pull chicken apart to shred. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.

Stir all ingredients to combine and keep warm until time to serve.

Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, grated cheese, Mexican Crema, and a few tortilla chips. We were fortunate enough to score some fall-themed corn chips from Trader Joe’s.

There’s just enough heat to keep this warm and spicey; but it will not send you to the milk jug to put out a fire.

Seasons of transition – fall and spring – create such flavor and texture excitement to food. I’m waiting for my order of pumpkin spice coffee to arrive soon!

Snuggling in with snuggles –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Creamy Fascinations

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Just what is a crema? What, exactly, is crème fraiche? How does sour cream fit into this trifecta? Does mascarpone deserve a seat in this conversation?

My inquiring mind wanted to know …

I hear experienced chefs on the cooking channel throwing out creamy terms right and left and my knowledge base is left in the dust.

It was time to expand my repertoire beyond the familiar dollop of sour cream on top of a spicy bowl of chili. The sour cream serves to cut some of the heat found in the chili and adds visual appeal to toppings added to tacos.

What’s on board for all of these is cream plus some form of a bacteria element. Sounds simple enough, but the lines blur amongst the different forms of creamy admirability desired, but I’ll do my best to tease out the facts for you.

Welcome to Creamy Fascinations 101.

Crema Fraiche

Consistency is one variable. Of the actual creams, sour cream is the thickest, crème fraiche is in the middle – followed by Mexican crema, which is the runniest. Mascarpone more closely resembles cream cheese but has two times the fat, a softer consistency, and a slightly sweet taste.

Heat stability is another concern. Crema and crème fraiche are better options for cooking into creamy sauces. Who knew?

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Apparently, my former beef stroganoff efforts resulting in the sour cream breaking up was not due to my poor technique, but rather to using the wrong creamy ingredient. Online comments suggest using crème fraiche for stroganoff and crema for enchilada sauce.

Fat content varies and contributes to the heat stability. Sour cream at 20% at is best used as a last moment garnish to hot dishes. Crème fraiche at 30% – 45% and is an excellent thickening agent for soups and sauces (heat stability) and is also used over fruit and baked goods.  Mexican crema is in the middle with a fat content between 18 – 30%.

Tangy factors modify our selections. Sour cream pegs the tangy scale, which makes it a favorite option for anything Tex-Mex for garnish. Crème fraiche is milder and smoother – making it perfect on raw fruits, whipped with sugar and vanilla as a whipped cream variation, or can become savory when combined with herbs and citrus for meat toppings. Variations on crema can uptick the tang when adding lime.

Putting this information together is where lines blur. The ingredient list is easy but can easily cross over lines. Here are some recipes for crema.

Sour Cream

Basic Crema 1.0

1 cup/ 237 ml sour cream

1 cup/ 237 ml heavy cream

1 teaspoon/ 5 ml salt

Combine, cover, keep at room temp 3 hours. Use. Store in refrigerator.

Heavy Cream

Basic Crema 1.5

1 cup/ 237 ml heavy cream

2 Tablespoons/ 30 ml buttermilk

Combine, cover, keep at room temp 12-24 hours, then add:

1 Tablespoon/ 15 ml lime juice

Pinch of salt

Use and store in refrigerator.

Basic Crema 2.0

1 cup/ 237 ml sour cream

1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5 ml garlic powder

Juice of one lime

Combine, use, and store in refrigerator

Mexican Crema 3.0

I was recently introduced to a Mexican crema recipe that provided its own heat element through roasted poblanos and jalapenos.

4 poblano peppers

2 jalapeño peppers

3 cloves of garlic

1+ cup/ 237 ml sour cream

1 lime cut into quarters

Pinch of salt, optional

Coat peppers and cloves of garlic with olive oil, place on a rimmed cookie sheet in a preheated 450-degree oven, and roast. Avoid burning peppers and garlic by turning every 8 minutes – the goal is to blister the skin of the peppers on all sides. When sufficiently blistered in about 20 minutes, remove from oven. 

Transfer roasted peppers into a glass or metal bowl, and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap to allow for steaming. In about 30 minutes, the outer skin may easily be peeled and pulled from the peppers. Remove stem, most of the seeds, and any interior pulpy structures.

Place peeled pepper skins, roasted garlic, 1 cup of sour cream, and juice of 1/4 of the lime into a container or bowl. Using an immersion blender, pulse to combine all ingredients until smooth.

Check for the flavor balance to suit your taste. Add salt, dollops of sour cream and/or additional lime juice as you create a flavor profile to your liking. It’s amazing, but you’ll get adept at this process and become skilled at getting the combination “just right.”  It’s ready to use and can be stored in the refrigerator.

When added to the top of an effortless crock pot recipe for frozen chicken, bean, and tomato soup, this spicy version of crema added a depth of flavor that took our meal to a new level. Recipe next week for this amazing soup.

Enchiladas w/spicy sauce/lime

In the meantime, practice your crema-making skills and variations. This is so delicious on spicy soups, chili, tacos, taco salad, and makes an egg on toast shine in the mornings.

We’ll do the crème fraiche recipes soon so there can be some beef stroganoff in our fall menus.

In creamy health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Cheese Spread-The Beginning of Something Beautiful

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No time for something fancy to take to a gathering? Too tired or rushed to put much effort into a sharing snack? My “daughter-in-love” is the master of two-or-three ingredient appetizers that pack a big punch for flavor and appeal.

We needed such a hat trick the other day when nerves from life events were stretched thin, time was short, and there was an end-of-season community pool social time in a couple of hours.

We longed for a relaxing event of outdoor conversation, drinks, and shared snacks, but lacked the bandwidth for something requiring much thought or effort.

Presto! Brooke’s Two-ingredient cheese spread! Wow!

Sharing this extended vacation time post is as easy as this recipe. Expect to be dazzled!

Two-Ingredient Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

One 8 ounce/226 grams package of full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Approximately 9 ounces/258 grams Trader Joe’s Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa

Method:

Combine with a fork. Refrigerate to meld the flavors 30 minutes. Stir and serve. Done.

Notes:

This Trader Joe’s product may not be available to everyone, so you can use a local equivalent that features “a sweet combination of corn, red peppers, onion, and a touch of heat.” The gentle heat comes from jalapeño peppers.

This recipe represents using approximately 2/3 – 3/4 of a 13.75 ounce/390 gram jar. I plan on stocking up on several jars of this Trader Joe’s salsa to take back home with me.

Serve with gluten-free crackers, whole wheat Ritz, or your favorite selection of bell pepper strips, celery, or zucchini slices.

This tastes like you spent considerable time and effort into creating. Don’t tell anyone it was a last-minute miracle!

In health and still on vacation-

Deidre

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Hey Look! We’ve Got Snacks!

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Tailgate Snacks, that is …

Where did August go? Suddenly, the mornings are starting cooler and the days in North Carolina are warming to something less hot and steamy. I donned a light sweater yesterday and am wondering if I should have packed something warmer for my vacation.

Double-checking the invitation for a neighborhood tailgating event this past Saturday, I was reminded, the college football season is cranking up NOW!

Chicken wings are being safely plated for each attendee to enjoy as we keep safe distances outdoors, but we have the option to bring suitable snacks to share – prepackaged, please.

I remember eating roasted garbanzo beans once that I really enjoyed, so revisiting that concept seemed something easy to prepare in a friend’s kitchen and could be portioned out into baggies for sharing.

The basic concept is to rinse, drain, and dry the garbanzo beans/chickpeas, toss them in some olive oil with seasonings, and bake. Pretty simple and not laden with the usual detractors to healthier snacks: lots of fat from cheese, being fried, or being drowned in dipping sauce.

After perusing several methods, bake times, and flavor-enhancing spice combos, I settled on creating a crispy version with a taco flair. True to form, after preparing this easy, healthy snack, I wanted to tweak the recipe a little more. I don’t think you can do this wrong, so tweak away with your own versions to ramp up the flavor toward spicy, savory, or sweet.

Spicy, savory, or sweet?
Oh my … I got this …

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

For each 15.5 ounce/439g can of drained, rinsed, and dried garbanzo beans/chickpeas, use:

1 Tablespoon/15 ml olive oil

1/4 teaspoon/1.75 ml chili powder

1/4 teaspoon/1.75 ml cumin

1/4 teaspoon/1.75 ml garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon/1.75 ml onion powder

Kosher salt to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/191 degrees C.

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans/chickpeas in a colander. Pour beans onto sheets of paper towels. Use another paper towel to pat the beans off, gently rolling them around to absorb the moisture. Pick out any loose shells.

Transfer beans to a bowl, add the oil and spices, stirring well to coat each bean evenly.

Pour the prepared beans onto a large, rimmed cookie sheet. Arrange beans into a single layer, creating space around each bean.

Place cookie sheet into preheated oven, bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the cookie sheet from the oven to stir and rearrange the beans. Return beans to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Turn oven OFF. Let the beans finish baking in warm oven for 40 minutes.

Remove beans from the oven after the final undisturbed bake; let cool two minutes; transfer crispy beans to a serving bowl.

Enjoy!

Other flavoring options might include:

– distilled vinegar/lime zest/Kosher salt

– garlic powder/onion powder/Kosher salt

– red wine vinegar/Dijon mustard/Kosher salt

– cayenne pepper/garlic salt

Because this method bakes the garbanzos to a crispy doneness, they should last a few days. Chances are, though, there will be no leftovers!

Enjoy your college football, fans.

Go AUBURN TIGERS!

Just saying.

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Recipes

A Healthier Way To Creamy Dressing

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How often have we created a wonderful salad full of nature’s best ingredients – maybe fresh from the garden – only to douse it with a commercial brand of dressing – littered with chemicals, alphabet soup, sodium, sugar/high fructose corn syrup, and highly processed oils?

Well, sometimes we just stick with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but don’t you yearn for creamy goodness occasionally?

I sure do, especially since salads have become a mainstay in my diet and lots of fresh tomatoes are just outside my back door.

Since visiting Midtown Olive Oil, located in our scenic historic downtown, I found their recipe for Creamy Vinaigrette to be the perfect match for my regular salads, and does not shoot down my efforts to eat as organically as possible.

Without further ado, let’s get to the recipe, which I have tweaked to the healthier side.

Creamy Vinaigrette

1/3 cup/75 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tablespoons/45 ml white balsamic vinegar

1 – 5.3 ounce container/150 grams plain, Greek nonfat yogurt

1-2 teaspoons/5-10 ml Dijon mustard

1 small shallot cut into chunks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Put all ingredients into a blender bowl or bowl (if using an immersion blender). Pulse several times; scrape the sides of the container, and pulse some more until ingredients are well blended and there are no chunks left of the shallot. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Pure, simple, and wholesome goodness to crown your salads.

In health-

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Grits ‘N Eggs ‘N Stuff

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Before I became a southerner, I was an avocado and artichoke-eating California girl. While working as a teaching assistant in a GED program at Fort Ord, I received an early introduction to a southern staple: “Grits ‘n eggs.” 

Sort of.

You see, this was before I learned to speak southern.

Now, the “y’all,” and, “bless his heart,” spoken by our own 4’ 8” Georgia peach of a school secretary, were clearly understood – even by a westerner.

Since southern dishes were new to me – then, translating, “Grits ‘n eggs,” into a plate of food eluded my understanding. But our newly-wed secretary raved so much about the grits ‘n eggs she whipped up each morning for her hungry soldier husband, I thought I’d try it out.

Grits were an entirely new food group for me. Armed with instructions on what to look for in the store, I set out on how to, “fix me some grits ‘n eggs.” After scoring a bag of bonified grits, I was ready!

Bring water to a boil. Check.

Add grits and stir. Check.

Add salt as desired. Check.

What about the egg? The package said nothing about adding an egg, but I wanted grits ‘n eggs.

What’s a college educated girl going to do?

Add a couple eggs and stir!

Voila! Grits ‘n eggs!!!!

Unknowingly, I had just created my own hybrid version of “grits ‘n eggs” – even before hybrid was a word.

Not wanting to divulge my culinary ignorance, when our secretary asked how I liked these amazing “grits ‘n eggs,” I gave a tentative approval. Took me a while to learn the error of my ways through attentive listening and asking the right questions as to technique.

Like any true southerner – hey, I’ve been in the South for 40 years, so I’ve earned that label – the fine art of chopping up my over medium fried egg into my very separate serving of grits-on-the-same-plate is pure heaven – in a restaurant.

At home, I am basically a lazy cook, so I have learned to love my now named – “Fluffy Grits,” because only one pan is needed.

Lately, I’ve been kicking up nutritional and fiber values even more, and have added another acquired southern taste to the mix: Okra.

Not the breaded, deep-fried version. No, no. Plain slices of about 4-5 okra sautéed in my small pan with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with garlic salt until slightly browned.

Then I add my grits and water, stirring to make sure the grits are not clumping.

Next comes the egg. Stir/scramble the mixture until the egg is cooked.

Done and done. One pan.

“Grits ‘n eggs ‘n okra!”

My favorite breakfast. The fiber in the okra works wonders on the digestive system, and my day has one veggie in it all ready.

If you have an aversion to okra slime – fear not. Sauteed okra will not slime you.

Since stopping breaded and fried foods years ago, I have never looked back. Plain, sauteed okra is a delight – try seasoning them with a bit of Montreal Seasoning as a side dish to dinner …

Hmmm.

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In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Make Your valentine Happy – with Cookies!

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We have reinvented all the holidays and festive days now – except Valentine’s Day.

I consider St. Patrick’s Day to be the start of my COVID pandemic experience. Whew!

Hopefully, people converted their Super Bowl experiences this past Sunday into something that included whoever-is-in-your-bubble-game-watching. The world does not need another surge of hospital admissions.

I hosted my first ever Super Bowl Party last year – even created a tablecloth gridiron with helmet place cards. Was looking forward to a repeat. Darn. Just me and a mini gluten-free homemade pizza this time.

So, what can be done to spread the love at Valentine’s this year? How about a batch of 5-ingredient cookies to share?

I made these at Christmas and had such a blast making and sharing, I thought I’d do the same for Valentine’s. Not sure if they will survive the mailing journey to my kids or not. I may have to send them before pictures!

All credit goes to Southern Living magazine for the original. They included a recipe card for these cookies in a mailing last year, and I converted them to gluten-free, changed the vanilla extract to almond, and added a pinch of salt. Guess they are 5.5 ingredients now.

Here’s the recipe that is easy to fix and fun to decorate – solid therapy for getting into a great frame of mind. Here’s the recipe as I converted it:

Easy Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Ingredients for cookies

½ cup/125 ml butter, softened

1 cup/250 ml powdered sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ tsp/7.5 ml vanilla or almond extract

1 ½ cups/375 ml gluten free flour – with extra for rolling out dough – I use Bob’s Red Mill brand

Pinch of salt, if desired

Method for cookies

Beat butter and powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add egg and vanilla or almond extract and beat 30 seconds.

Add flour, beating at low speed until combined.

Place dough onto floured parchment paper and roll to ¼ inch/6.35 mm thick. I had to dust the dough with additional flour to keep from sticking to the rolling pin.

Transfer the parchment with flattened dough to a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F/190.6 C.

Cut dough with lightly floured cookie cutters, place ½ inch/ 1.27 cm apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and repeat process.

Bake in batches for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

Decorating Icing

2 cups/500 ml powdered sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons/22 ml meringue powder – I use Wilton Meringue Powder

A few drops of vanilla or almond extract, if desired

3-4 Tablespoons/45-60 ml water

Food coloring gels

Mix powdered sugar, meringue powder, and the least amount of water until smooth. If you want to pipe decorations, a thicker version will be desired. If you want to cover a large surface, a thinner icing would be preferred.

Divide icing into small bowls if using food color. Use a toothpick to dip into the colored gel and then stir into icing until color is evenly distributed. A little dab of coloring goes a long way!

Spread or pipe the icing onto cookies as desired. A toothpick is your good friend if floating a smooth surface. Check out Karla’s Cookies HERE: Karla’s Cookies (teachable.com) for a free tutorial on Royal Icing.

My Valentine’s cookies are humble, but clearly filled with love. It was an excellent afternoon’s worth of creative therapy and has given me a little something to share.

Enjoy! It would be wonderful to give each of you a cookie in thanks for being such loyal supporters of foodtalk4you, but you’ll have to make your own!

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Happy Remodeled Valentine’s Day-

Deidre

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