Didn’t have a GREAT week with the 10-in-10 challenge this week. And I’m ok with that! The exercising is still going great, even if we are battling with running outdoors in the very chilly temperatures. I did, however, eat the worst processed food product in the world – simply because I was craving it. I’ve been a Ramen noodle lover since I was a small kid, and I guess that’s a habit that is hard to break because I allowed myself to have some this week. And as I’m eating it, I am thinking to myself, “I’m not even sure this can be considered food!”. Oh well, I’m not perfect in any way, shape or form.
But as I was making the recipe for this week, Smokey Barbecue Salsa, and I was elbow deep in barbecue sauce which is loaded with sodium and high fructose corn syrup (two of the main things I am trying to avoid), I felt very conflicted. I’m making the recipe for the site because it’s a great salsa. But shouldn’t my recipes be reflecting my goals? Or do I just go with the notion that I am posting recipes for the general public who may or may not share the same goals as I do? It was definitely food for thought (pun intended) and has kept my wheels spinning all week.
There is a book that my sister gives out for housewarming gifts called The Great Salsa Book. When I tell you that this book contains every salsa recipe imaginable- think Cactus Salsa, Thai Peanut Salsa and Balsamic Berry Salsa. There is one recipe from this book that I used to beg my sister to make for me, the Smokey Barbecue Salsa. This salsa makes a perfect appetizer, it’s sweet and smokey and bursting with flavor. Yes, it does take an hour to cook, but trust me – it’s worth it! I hope you try it.
Smokey Barbecue Salsa (Makes about 2 cups):
1 c barbecue sauce (your favorite kind)
2 c peeled shallots or boiling onions
2 tbsp Chipotle puree (simply puree the peppers and the adobo sauce in a food processor)
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c water
2 small ears of corn (I used 1 cup of frozen corn, thawed and drained)
Place barbecue sauce, shallots, Chipotle puree, molasses, maple syrup, vinegar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add more water as necessary to prevent the mixture from getting too thick.
With sharp knife, cut the corn kernels from the cob. Heat large, heavy bottomed saute pan over high heat until almost smoking. Place no more than 2 layers of corn in the pan at a time and dry roast 4 to 5 minutes until smokey and dark, tossing continuously. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add barbecue mixture and combine thoroughly. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
It’s Saturday morning again and here is another update! The challenge has gone well this week and as always, I’ve learned something new!
I was asked by a friend to define exactly what I consider to be processed foods. Basically anything canned, frozen or boxed! Anything with loads of chemicals and preservatives. Are there exceptions? Of course, there are always exceptions! I still eat canned tuna (in water, not oil). I still eat ketchup (my favorite!) but I have switched to the organic kind with no high fructose corn syrup and I limit my proportions. And I use frozen vegetables – but not the kind drenched in sauces and such. Pure vegetables, individually quick frozen. It’s a huge time saver for a busy woman like myself.
I’m sure as the challenge continues, I may redefine my idea of processed, but that was the whole point of my goal. The exercise is going great, my sister and I completed our first two mile run on Friday morning! Until next week, keep healthy!
There is nothing like sitting down to a great cookbook and enjoying the gorgeous pictures and mouth watering recipes. But lately, I’ve been drawn to books (both fiction and non-fiction) that are about food and eating and chefs. There are some great, non-traditional food novels and memoirs out right now. Here are a few of my current suggestions, I encourage you to get reading:
The School of Essential Ingredients (by Erica Bauermeister) – I am currently reading this novel and I haven’t been able to put it down. The author has such a beautiful writing style. You will be instantly transported and affected by this story. A chef holds weekly cooking classes in her restaurants and the novel follows the different life stories of all of her students. Some stories are humorous, some are heartbreaking and some are very surprising, but everyone can find a common ground with cooking. I cannot say enough good things about this novel and I will be looking forward to more work from Bauermeister.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (by Barbara Kingsolver) – I spent an entire summer reading this book. The subject matter was so new to me and so foreign, that I took my sweet time with this book. Kingsolver and her family moved to a farm in Virginia and pledged for a year to eat local, homegrown food. That meant giving up anything that wasn’t in season, wasn’t grown in the garden and wasn’t raised or produced by neighbors. Both their struggles and accomplishments are highlighted in this memoir and it is truly an eye-opening read. I look at food differently now and I think you might too!
Like Water For Chocolate (by Laura Esquival) – What book list would be complete without this novel? This one is slated for a re-read by me sometime in the very near future. This is one of my sister’s favorite books, and favorite movie, and I have to agree! The heroine Tita is bound by tradition to care for her aging mother and thus can never marry. Tita pours her heart and soul into her cooking with some extraordinary results. Relive this classic novel or discover it for the first time. This is a must read!
This is a great appetizer to throw together when you are feeding a crowd. These stuffed mushrooms are filling and delicious! I used chicken italian sausage in this recipe to cut down on the fat (turkey italian sausage would work great, too). If you can’t get the sausage to crumble into little pieces, give cooked pieces a whirl in the food processor for just a minute. You can make the filling ahead of time and fill the mushrooms when you are ready to bake. Also, I froze a batch of fully stuffed, unbaked mushrooms on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the mushrooms are completely frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place appetizers into a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer and bake in oven for a great and easy last minute appetizer.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (makes 20 mushrooms):
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 shallot, minced
3 links uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
20 large white button stuffing mushrooms
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add in garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add crushed red pepper and anchovy paste to the pan. Stir until paste has melted into the oil. Add shallots, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot become translucent. Add raw sausage and break up into little pieces with wooden spoon. Add balsamic vinegar, let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer sausage mixture to medium mixing bowl. Add parsley, Parmesan cheese and remaining two tbsp of olive oil. Taste filling, salt and pepper accordingly. Clean and remove stems from 20 mushrooms. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Using a teaspoon, fill mushrooms (gently) with filling and place on baking sheet. Bake in over for approximately 15 minutes – remove when filling is bubbly and mushrooms are beginning to get brown around the tops (see picture). Serve warm or at room temperature.
For one, you just have to know when it’s too cold to exercise outdoors. Monday morning, it was too cold to run. And Wednesday morning it was still too cold to run. But regular exercise means being flexible with your schedule, so we ran on Wednesday night. And Friday morning’s run was glorious, as the weather had warmed up dramatically (well, for a New England winter). Sticking with regular exercise also means having a plan B for when you can’t get outside to exercise. This is something I’ll have to work on this week.
Also, as far as the processed foods go, I haven’t missed them a bit. I even got some others around me to jump on the bandwagon, which makes my life easier! The biggest difference is that I feel like I am eating better. Not just eating foods that are better for me, but that the quality of food I am eating is on a much higher scale. Which is perfect for a foodie like me! One great tip that came into play this week is the motto “be prepared”. A couple of weeks ago, I had made homemade chicken soup from scratch. I froze half of the batch into individual portions. It came in handy earlier in the week when I was feeling under the weather. Not only did I have delicious hot soup without going through the trouble to make it, I didn’t have to eat soup from the can! Yuck.
Good luck to everyone doing the challenge this week! I hope you are successful!
Yes, it’s true. It’s that time of year again. And while my single-girl-self is not a big fan of Valentine’s Day, I am a big fan of red appliances and cookware! Here are some of my favorites from my favorite affiliate partner, Sur La Table:
This adorable Embossed Heart Cake Plate is perfect for Valentine themed cupcakes and brownies. The ceramic heart pattern is perfect for showing off your baked goods to the ones you love.
Open up your favorite wine for you romantic Valentine’s Day dinner with this great looking corkscrew. The grooved spiral design is even safe to use for plastic corks too and comes with a 5 year warranty.
And finally, in my opinion, nothing says loving like ice cream! Treat your special one to a Cuisinart Red Ice Cream Maker. This is a Sur La Table exclusive product and can make frozen desserts in as little as 20 minutes. The best part about this machine is that no chemicals, salt or ice are required! Also has a removable, double insulated freezer bowl for easy clean up! Strawberry ice cream anyone???
Don’t you just love when a recipe comes together? I had seen the idea of making these little prosciutto cups in a magazine over the holidays and I knew I wanted to make them for this site. You could literally put anything in these delightful mini cups, but I was craving the classic pairing of prosciutto and melon and I added in a sprinkle of basil to liven up these incredibly tasty and bite-sized little appetizers. They are also a breeze to make, so you should definitely try this at home.
Prosciutto Melon Cups (Serves 4):
6 paper thin slices of prosciutto
1 cantelope
1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the six slices of prosciutto and cut in half to make 12 pieces. Spray mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Arrange prosciutto slices in each muffin cup. Bake in oven for 7-8 minutes. Take prosciutto out of the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. While prosciutto is baking, cut cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out flesh of cantaloupe. Chop basil. When cups are cool, remove from pan and fill with one melon ball each. Sprinkle top of cups with basil. Serve at room temperature.
It’s Saturday and here is my 10 in 10 update. Those of us participating in the challenge have definitely kicked the New Year off right! I worked hard this week to maintain a healthy streak even though this was a particularly stressful and challenging week. And I feel that much better for it!
One of my goals for this challenge to was to cut out processed foods. So I did my grocery shopping only on the outside aisles of the grocery store. Strangely enough, for the first time in my life, I found myself relying on frozen veggies this week instead of fresh veggies. But I am ok with that! I discovered that I love frozen corn. Go figure!
The second goal was to exercise regularly. My sister and I are still on the Couch-to-5k program and we are doing great! I am also in a very intense tennis class that meets every Saturday from now to April. Although it’s the best workout I’ve ever had, I don’t ever think of tennis as exercise because it’s so fun!
Though the recipe I’ll post on Tuesday is not exactly “diet” worthy, I am a firm believer that everything is permissible in moderation. And appetizers are the perfect portions already! Have a great week!
As the new year rolls in and everyone is focused on health, including myself, it occurs to me that unless you have the right tools, eating healthy can be a challenge. Now, I hate the word diet and I refuse to be on a diet. But making good choices can be made simpler if you have the right mindset and the right tools for the job. My trick this week? I ate on appetizer size plates! Because after all, appetizers are the perfect healthy portions. I was helped along by products like these:
A good kitchen scale, one that lets you clear the scale to zero for multiple measurements. This one, by OXO, is stainless steel and weighs up to 11 pounds.
A mandolin makes slicing vegetables fun and easy. Use it to make gourmet salads or an authentic stir fry. Make sure you buy one that has both a hand guard and non slip feet so you don’t hurt yourself.
And finally, you don’t have to spend a lot on a basket steamer to get good quality. This steamer is dishwasher safe, well constructed and even has a hole in the handle for you to use a fork to get it out of a hot pot.
It doesn’t take a ton of money or a ton of time to eat and think healthy! Enjoy the new year and be happy!
. When I tell you that this book contains every salsa recipe imaginable- think Cactus Salsa, Thai Peanut Salsa and Balsamic Berry Salsa. There is one recipe from this book that I used to beg my sister to make for me, the Smokey Barbecue Salsa. This salsa makes a perfect appetizer, it’s sweet and smokey and bursting with flavor. Yes, it does take an hour to cook, but trust me – it’s worth it! I hope you try it.
