Category Archives: Recipes

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

Sunshine, Blue Skies, and Basil Boats!

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Summertime, and the livin’ is easy …

This is the perfect throw-together dish to serve on a hot afternoon, along with a favorite beverage.

Basil Boats. That’s what I call them.

When the basil is just starting to show its splendor, basil boats appear. You know, those perfectly cupped leaves that just beg to be filled with goodness?

So often, I just harvest the basil to quickly turn its fragrant leaves into pesto destined for the ice cube trays for future use.

STOP!

I am finally using these early crop beauties to contain wonderfulness! 

One usually sees basil carefully cut into chiffonade, added to mozzarella cubes or balls, tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and carefully perched onto a slice of French bread. All well and good.

Perfection, in any language.

Well, I’ve reversed the process just a bit and the results are attractive, playful, and totally tasty. 

Also, unlike other hand-held bites, these can be consumed within two or more bites, without spilling mishaps. An easily learned hold on the curved leaves, will result in spillage-free eating.

After carefully rinsing and drying the large, curled basil boat leaves, I prepared the fresh mozzarella by slicing into small squares.

Adding sliced cherry tomatoes to the mozzarella squares, and some olives – I was hoping for black olives, but the Kalamata olives were just fine – I rolled up a few of the smaller basil leaves to thinly slice into chiffonade slices. A spoonful of Robust Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar along with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, and I stirred up the toppings. 

But something was missing … hmmm … the French bread! 

After pan toasting a slice of French bread from the freezer, I sliced it into small squares, and tossed them in some butter and garlic salt.

After tossing the bread squares with the mozzarella and tomato mixture, the boats were filled.

Pairing our ‘Basil Boats’ with a delightful buttery Chardonnay, we feasted on a perfect mid-afternoon snack. 

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In health and still smiling – Deidre

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

Life’s Just Peachy – With Rosemary!

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As a respite to finalizing the details of my big move out of the old homestead of over forty years, I am putting the zoom techniques shared last week into practice.  

Being mindful of all that has been accomplished since January, and the decision to embrace the path of new horizons, my sweetheart and I zoomed out to see all of hurdles crossed so far. With one big push to the finish line to move my downsized possessions to storage, we will have only to wait for the new house to be finished.  

Looking at the final dash to the finish line in the next weeks, however, has me zooming in to cope. After establishing a timeline of tasks in my action plan, I felt the need to concentrate on a quick, enjoyable, small activity. 

What else, but bake some muffin bread to enjoy and to give away?  

As the fruit and vegetable offerings change with the season, I just wanted to share this tweak to an old favorite. 

We had picked up a small box of peaches at the farmer’s market, and I wanted to pair the peaches with the blueberries already in the muffin mix.  

A distant memory kept niggling my mind as I starred into the spice cupboard – – – what was that spice/herb that goes with peaches? Hmmm. 

Cinnamon? Nutmeg? Allspice? 

Presto! 

Rosemary! 

After crushing a couple pinches of rosemary into the mortar and pestle, the kitchen was fragrant.  

Yes, I was clearly onto something.  

Coupled with the scent of the two peaches I had just cut up and partially mashed, the resulting aromas were telling me good things were happening. 

The extra fluid from the cup or more of crushed peaches was absorbed by the addition of: 

3 Tbs. Honey 

3 – 4 Tbs. of freshly ground flax seeds  

1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes 

1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to my favorite gluten free blueberry muffin mix. 

The results are scrumptious. If anything, I might increase the rosemary.  

If you are not using the ground flax seeds, use some of the crushed peaches for part of the fluid requirement – in this case, they ask for 3/4 cup of milk. 

My mini loaf pans took 50 minutes to bake. Make sure to check for doneness by using a toothpick or bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the baked loaf. If the tester comes out with dough or crumbs that are too moist, bake a few minutes longer.  

After removing pans from the oven, let cool for two minutes and then tip bread out of the pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

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In health – Deidre

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

Let’s Take A Trip To The Nearly Near East

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I have a problem with quinoa.

No, it’s not the spelling or the pronunciation – (KEEN-wah).

It’s the texture – or that its texture is so loose and not stuck together, which makes it seem too light, fluffy, and not substantial.

Oh, they make sticky quinoa just like sticky rice; but, for me, it’s too sticky.

Now I sound like Goldilocks. Too loose. Too sticky. Searching for the middle ground.

When my sweetheart showed me his favorite quinoa at the store, we bought and prepared it for dinner that night. Just like Goldilocks, this one was just right.

What was the difference?

The Near East brand he liked was a mixture of both quinoa and brown rice and offered the perfect blend of herbs and spices.

Voila and Eureka!

But I didn’t like buying a small box of the stuff every time I wanted savory quinoa. I have giant bags of quinoa and brown rice at home; so, all I had to do was duplicate the spice blend.

After snapping a picture of their ingredients list on the box, I set out to create my own version of their recipe for yumminess and texture.

I know labels start with the largest quantities of ingredients and in descending order, continue to the least. That list gave me a hazy road map – the rest was up to me.

Ingredients:  Quinoa**, parboiled long grain brown rice, salt, maltodextrin, yeast extract, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried parsley, tomato powder, dextrose, sugar, citric acid, spices, tapioca maltodextrin, natural flavor, sunflower oil, olive oil, tocopherols – preservative.

Clearly, some items were never going to be in my version: maltodextrin, yeast extract, dextrose, citric acid, tapioca maltodextrin, natural flavor, (highly processed) sunflower oil, and tocopherol preservatives. I also had plans to replace the sugar with a pinch of erythritol and monk fruit sugar alternative.

Did you know that according to Better Homes and Gardens magazine, “natural flavor” is a mystery ingredient defined by the FDA as:

“a substance extracted, distilled, or similarly derived from natural sources like plants, (fruits, herbs, veggies, barks, roots, etc.), or animals, (meat, dairy products, eggs, etc.), via a method of heating, with its main function in food being flavoring not nutritional.”

Why am I not leaping for joy?

As for the tomato powder, I’ve never had any. Is it a thing? But I found a tomato/basil seasoning blend recently and will be using it as I prepare for this post. We’ll see how it works out.

On to my concept recipe with no measurements for the spices:

Nearly East Quinoa and Brown Rice with Olive Oil

In a saucepan put:

  • 2/3 cup/ 156 ml       quinoa – rinsed in water and drained to reduce the anti-nutrient content
  • 1/3 cup/ 78 ml         brown rice
  • 2 cups/ 473 ml        water
  • Salt
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Crushed dried rosemary
  • Dried parsley
  • Optional pinch of sugar or erythritol
  • Additional spices/herbs that may contain:
    • Dried tomato flakes
    • Dried basil
    • Dried oregano

Give everything a good stir, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook until all water has been absorbed.

We have been totally satisfied with the results of combining two parts quinoa, with one part brown rice, along with this assortment of spices and olive oil.

It’s also more economical to easily duplicate this mix from what is already in your cupboard than buy it pre-done.

This quinoa/rice blend is a handy side dish and makes a nice addition sprinkled cold on a salad or added to a breakfast bowl instead of grits.

Why do we eat quinoa?

It’s an ancient grain once considered to be sacred by the Incas.

Really a seed, quinoa is prepared the same way grains are. Full of protein, nutrients, and fiber quinoa is also gluten-free and contributes to an anti-inflammatory diet. Rinsing before cooking reduces the elements that prevent our absorption of key nutrients.

Note: If you have chronic kidney stones, the oxalates in quinoa could contribute to stone formation.

The fiber, protein, and a host of nutrients make quinoa a smart carbohydrate to incorporate into your diet. Adding brown rice to the mix doubles down on the high fiber and nutrients.

Both grains can contribute to balancing of blood sugar levels, weight loss, regularity, and reducing cholesterol. What’s not to like?

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In health-

Deidre

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

Big Red Gets Your Body Fed!

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When in doubt, go for the color.

Colorful fruits and vegetables are chockfull of benefits. They are often described as having phytonutrients – which means they have plant-derived compounds that are good for us.

Whether you can quote all the phytonutrients found in each colorful bite or not doesn’t matter.

Just know colorful foods are full of goodness, have less or none of the bad, will not weigh you down, are convenient and affordable, and offer a whole body health boost – as stated by the American Heart Association.

Today, we are concentrating on all things red, with a recipe for red/purple onions at the end.

Lycopene is the standout phytonutrient of red fruits and vegetables. The push to add extra tomato sauce and paste to recipes is because studies show lycopene helps to prevent, and even reverse, prostate cancer.

Watermelon is even higher in lycopene than tomatoes, and it also has citrulline which may help treat Erectile Dysfunction.

But reds are not just benefitting the guys.

We are all getting an abundance of vitamins and minerals with each bite – along with a host of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Remember, excess inflammation drives disease and oxidative stress drives aging and causes the creation of free radicals which contribute to disease.

My recent foray into red onions included an inspiring meal at B J’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Cary, NC. The food in this chain restaurant was fresh and did not taste mass produced. The Cauliflower and Quinoa Power Bowl with Blackened Salmon sent me home in search of marinated red onion recipes and a desire to recreate the basic parts of this dish.

Many recipes for marinated red onions often include large quantities of sugar in the brine mixture. That’s a no go for me. Others involved several boiling water baths for the onion rings.

Meh. Too much work.

I finally settled on this combination of ingredients that was easy:

Marinated Red Onions 101

In a large, wide-mouth glass jar or large bowl, place 1 large red onion, sliced into thin circles.

In a smaller bowl, combine the following:

1/4 cup / 60 ml         red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup / 60 ml         water

2 Tbs. / 30ml              extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. / 5 ml                 Dijon mustard – I used spicy brown mustard this time

1 tsp. / 5 ml                 honey

1 Tbs. / 15 ml             chopped fresh herbs or 1 tsp. / 5 ml dry herbs (to taste) – I used dried oregano

1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml        sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Whisk the ingredients until well-combined and pour over the onions.

If using a glass jar, screw on the lid and shake a bit to coat and break apart the onion slices. Refrigerate and shake every so often.

If using a bowl, stir the onions and marinade, separating the onion rings as you go. Cover, refrigerate, and stir occasionally.

These rings will be crunchy and tasty in a few hours, and deliciously wilted in a day or two.

Marinated red onions offer visual, taste, and textural appeal to salads, protein entrees, tacos, burgers, and to top savory quinoa.

You don’t have to tell the family they are getting blood pressure lowering sulfur, lots of quercetin to calm inflammation and impart antibacterial protection, fiber, probiotics, or a host of other things.

Nope. Just enjoy the compliments

Look how our dinner plates turned out. The protein was sliced boneless pork chops.

Recipe for my homemade version of Near East Rice with Quinoa next time.

See if you can add some red pepper, tomato, strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, apple, cranberry, cherry, red onion, pomegranate, or beet to your next meal.

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Someone Say COOKIES??

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Who among us does not enjoy a good homemade cookie?

Small, portable, and usually clean to eat, cookies can be a satisfying treat.

They can also pack a wallop in terms of the ill-effects of high fat, white flour, and white sugar. Not exactly health food.

But could it be?

Simply converting a few ingredients to gluten-free versions helps; but we’re still left with high fat and sweeteners. I reserve such cookies to special indulgences over the holidays – and only when I can give most of them away.

A recipe for a healthy cookie crossed my path the other day that really caught my eye. Naturally, I tweaked it to pack in even more goodness, and the results are quite pleasing as I paired it with my afternoon cup of tea.

No butter to soften and no flour at all! Let’s look at this recipe without further delay:

Healthy Cookie

Makes 24 cookies.

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup apple sauce – I just cooked up one apple, mashed it, and used all of it

2 cups of gluten-free rolled oats – I used a bit more because of the increased applesauce –

1 Tablespoon whole flax seeds, freshly ground –

1 Tablespoon chia seeds, freshly ground  

About 3 Tablespoons water to moisturize the ground flax and chia for 5 minutes

¼ cup dried fruit, softened and coarsely chopped – raisins, craisins, cherries

¼ cup chopped nuts

3 ounces of good chocolate, chopped – I used 72% dark chocolate  

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Optional: 3-4 Tablespoons of erythritol and monk fruit plant-based sugar alternative 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas and add ingredients in order given.

Yes, I did use a bit of the erythritol and monk fruit sugar substitute. This is not the chemical wasteland that phony sugar substitutes are and does not give the sugar/carb hit that comes when people turn to honey, agave, or maple syrups.

Spoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet or use parchment paper to line pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator or freeze.

NOTE- The dried fruits and ground seeds may be used dry, but you may need to add up to ¼ cup of your favorite milk type if the dough is too stiff.

About seed grinders: I tried to find an equivalent to my decades old – yet trusty – seed/spice grinder on Amazon and would recommend this one for spices and seeds. This one has great reviews and is a good price.

I like having a simple small device dedicated to seeds and spices. Coffee beans get their own grinder and I do not have to worry about extra clean up to avoid crossing up flavors.

My cookie was rich and satisfying – one did the job.

Here’s to an afternoon treat with lots of fiber, good fats from nuts and seeds, minerals, and antioxidants.

In health-

Deidre

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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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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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