This is what we're looking at this Holiday Season:

 Widespread Influenza Activity 

throughout most of the US. 

It's up to you to protect yourself and your family.Likely everyone has gotten their flu shot, but it doesn't appear to be completely protective this year. So, don't let your guard down. Continue to practice good health habits and keep your immunity at peak performance. Simple things help!

• Frequent Hand washing! 20 seconds with soap and water, before eating, before food prep, after using the restroom, whenever you think you've contacted a contaminated product or surface!

• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze. Use a disposable tissue, when available, But we also teach coughing into the crook of your arm (inside elbow, avoiding the hands which will spread infective particles)

• Keep those disposable tissues handy!

• Don't share towels or drinks or food implements with family members who are ill

There are other commonsense things to keep you healthy:

• Eat balanced diets, avoid carb-y, carryouts and excess holiday “treats”

• Get enough sleep every night

• Avoid self-medicating with antacids and acid-reducing over-the-counter drugs. If you are bloated, having gas, etc- it's more likely the result of a bad diet, not too much gastric acid.

I am stressing eating a balanced diet because we often neglect home food preparation when we are rushing around with holiday-related activities and shopping. We cheat ourselves by making easy choices for dinner, over-eating carbohydrates usually and missing balanced nutrtion.

Here's a couple of good ideas to stay on track between the holidays.

• Keep cut up chicken available. You can quickly sprinkle a favorite pre-made herb rub on some drumsticks or chicken thighs and pop them in the oven. Baked chicken is always a winner.

• Bake a little boneless turkey breast or turkey roast for dinner and have sliced turkey for sandwiches the next day.

• Consider running into a supermarket for a rotisierrie chicken and salads from the deli if you are truly crunched for time—instead of going through the drive-in lane for dinner.

• Think color—does your final plate have at least 3 of these: carrots, sweet potatoes, red and black beans, corn, green beans, zucchini, salad greens, cooked greens? Remember, we are fortunate to have access to these in the frozen food section of the store—AND—if you buy these frozen vegetable items without sauces or other preparations, they are very affordable. Add your own dried herb blends (sprinkle dill weed or Italian herb blend with a little butter) and save a bunch of money.

   

Some photos of “quick” dinners. These require no prep time, just heat, bake or microwave--or open the deli container:

Your Hot dog dinner has 3 different salads:

Your Ham slices and quick sides:

Your Baked chicken, stuffed mushrooms and salad from the deli:

Posted by Karen at 12:42 CST

Updated: Tuesday, 23 December 2014 12:43 CST

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Once upon a wintery Autumn... 

Unseasonably early, bitter, winter-style weather has hit most of the country. Jo Daviess County is no exception. Many autumnal plans and expectations have gone undone. We're feeding hay to the sheep, cattle and horses since the grass is frozen and under a snow cover. We might get a reprieve in the next week or two but, for the most part, Autumn is gone for the year.

The kale froze, I hoped for fresh kale from the garden for Thanksgiving, as well as other greens—that would have been a plan in the usual year. Thankfully, all the winter squash and pumpkins were pulled in before the deep freezing began. And I potted up a couple of Rosemary plants to keep going indoors for fresh cuttings, one of the few herbs that don't work as well when dried.

I'm happy that I chose to prep and freeze so many peppers when they were abundant. And that my sister decided one Summer afternoon to pick and prep, bread and fry, then freeze, some of our eggplant to make a future “eggplant parmesan,” with our homemade canned marinara sauce, along with some dried herbs from the garden.

We have two types of “refrigerator pickles” in the refrigerator from a couple of Summer afternoon quick and fun projects. Apple filling was made from our apples and frozen during one of those late Summer afternoons, too! Thinking about all of the food projects we accomplished during the Summer, you might think we anticipated this weather!

Now, this dismal, chilling weather calls for cooking. And a homey, humble --but protein- and vitamin-packed-- soup should be on the stove.

Why not plan a pot of Beef and Vegetable Soup that's quick and hearty?

Beef and Vegetable Soup

1 lb. Chuck, cut into bite sized pieces

(I had a 3 lb chuck pot roast, used 1 lb for the soup and rest as a pot roast)

Saute in 1-2 Tbsp olive oil with ½ tsp chopped garlic until browned.

Add: 1 large stalk celery, diced

3 medium carrots, sliced

1 cup deveined and chopped kale leaves

28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes and the juice

(you can also substitute a 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes and 16 oz. beef broth, if you prefer)

1 quart of water

Season with;

1 tsp. each: salt, onion powder, dried basil (or Italian blend herbs), dried parsley, dried thyme

Several grinds of black pepper

Add: 1 bay leaf, but remember to remove from soup before serving.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low simmer and cover. Simmer at least an hour until meat and vegetables are tender. Add additional water as needed. Adjust seasonings as desired. 

Posted by Karen at 13:26 CST

Updated: Friday, 21 November 2014 13:30 CST

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I want, I want, I want...

Go ahead--there are less than 25 grams of carbohydrates (and no faux sweeteners !)  in this plate of Baked Apple Pancakes, your serving size. And if you add a couple of sausage links or bacon strips, you won't add any more carbohydrates. 

How difficult it is to face cold weather and hard work and crave those carbohydrates! But, it's also the time of the year when we have to really work to FORCE ourselves to minimize weight gain and temptations.

That means it's time to remind ourselves of the need to minimize carbohydrates as much as possible. 

What happens when you eat carbohydrates (which are sugars and starches)? They are quickly absorbed and immediately stimulate insulin release in order to reduce the high blood sugars and osmotic load in your blood stream. Insulin then causes the carbohydrates you are not immediately using for energy to be converted to fat for future use. And those fat stores can be used for energy in the future, if you ever decide you want to spend your extra time on a treadmill to burn those new fat stores up. Otherwise, if you do not break the cycle of eating more carbohydrates than you need, you continue to gain fat.

It gets worse, of course, the body becomes resistant to converting excess carbohydrates and storing giant amounts of fat, your body becomes "insulin resistant" over time and you are then at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a national problem.

How to reverse? Stop the carbohydrate overload!  Look seriously into the foods you eat. There's really no reason to consume more than 25 grams of carbohydrate at a meal and you probably don't need more than 40-50 grams of carbohydrate all day. You DO need fats and protein, fiber (non-absorbed is not counted as a carbohydrate), natural sources of vitamins and minerals, that can readily be supplied by eating non-sugar and starch-laden foods. These would be supplied in meats, fish, poultry, and plants, predominantly vegetables.

So, are you craving those Baked Apple Pancakes?

Try this recipe. If you notice, there is very little sugar and flour, yet it's nutritious and protein-rich because each serving has 2 eggs in it! It's a good way to start to cut out carbs. And, I promise to post more of our low carb favorite recipes this holiday season.

Baked Apple  Pancakes  

serves 2

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prep a 6- muffin tin with spray oil.

Beat 4 eggs intil fluffy. Add 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup flour, a dash of salt and a couple drops of vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 apple, diced with 1 teaspoon butter or butter and canola blend. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Allow a couple minutes to cool.

Stir into the apples: 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar and cinnamon to taste (1/4 tsp?).

Meanwhile, divide egg mixture into the 6 muffin tin. Then divide the apple mixture into the 6  Put it in the oven.

It will puff up like souffles do and separate from the edges. Also, like souffles, note that they will shrink upon cooling, so expect it.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Then remove and plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar (this plate about 1 tsp. of powdered sugar)--add a mug of coffee or tea, maybe a couple of sausage links or bacon and this is one great Sunday breakfast!

And a great start for your LOWER CARB plan coming in at about 25 grams of carbohydrates in the 3 "puffcakes" that constitute 1 serving size, with the powdered sugar on. If it's your "big carb" meal of the day, you won't be disappointed. 

Posted by Karen at 09:12 CST

Updated: Saturday, 8 November 2014 09:18 CST

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Frosty Mornings

Did you wake up to a scene like this?

There's frost covering the grass, trees, lawn chairs and table. While this will be melted off in a couple of hours, the rest of the day will still be brisk. And you likely will be filling it with fall chores like raking leaves, chopping wood, cleaning gutters...Or maybe you'll be lucky and take a wonderful hike in the woods or just take an extended walk with the dog? You won't want to be inside with this brisk, clean and fresh day facing you.

But you'll likely have a big appetite for something hearty by the end of the day. This is soup and stew weather! And if you don't want to sit indoors all day cooking, then let your crockpot work while you play outside.

You might want to try my variation on “Hoppin' John”. The traditional Hoppin' John, which I've posted on for the last two years, is a dish made for January 1^st, with ham and black-eyed peas and cajun-styled seasonings, cooked in a stew pot on the stove, and is served over long-grain rice.Today's equally hearty and spicy variation uses common lentils, and is served over brown Basmati rice. Better yet, it's made in the crockpot.

Crockpot Hoppin' John with Lentils

4-6 servings

Saute together in olive oil, until softened:

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ Spanish onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 carrot, thinly sliced (optional)

In the crockpot, add:

1 (14.5 oz) can of Rotello diced tomatoes with chilis, and the juice

1 (14.5-16 oz) can of chicken broth

1- 1.5 lb ham steak chopped (or equiv. leftover ham) chop in larger pieces, not diced.

1/3 lb. dried lentils

1 cup frozen, fresh or canned corn (I had a frozen corn, black bean,chil blend that I used)

Add the above sauteed vegetables to the crockpot.

Stir in the following seasonings:

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning blend ( or equiv basil, oregano, thyme)

1 tsp. ground Cumin

Few to several shakes of Cayenne pepper. (This is essential but your taste preferences will have to determine how much heat you like)

1 bay leaf (place at the end so you know where to find it and pull out before serving)

Don't add salt until it's cooked and you can then decide if you need more.

Let this cook for at least 6 hours on “low” , or more if you're still out of the house.

Serve “as is” or make some basmati rice and ladle the stew over it.

I used Lundgren's brown basmati rice in my rice cooker. Note that this rice has both the USDA Organic label and, in the lower right corner, a separate “verified non-GMO” label. Since so much of our rice is now GMO, it's worth looking for these labels if you are concerned about the status of the rice you're buying.

Now, curl up in front of the fire with a bowl of this unconventional stew. (I think this may become my new “traditional” Hoppin' John.)

Posted by Karen at 10:58 CDT

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It's Autumn and that means it's time to change our home environment and coordinate with the season. It's also time to harvest our gardens and enjoy the next several weeks between harvest time and the next seasonal holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 Make a pot of chili--this "chili mac" is a variation of Cincinnati chili and has a topping of Greek yogurt for extra probiotic nutrition!

Next, bring in those pumpkins and winter squash, you might even find a really cute baby pumpkin, like I did!

Now, dig up a few herbs and re-pot as houseplants for the winter.I'll be taking some cuttings of this rosemary for roast chicken Tuscan beef during the winter!

So, let's conclude the day of Autumn "to dos" by re-decorating our homes with flowers and plantings that can tolerate the cold temperatures. 

No time?--then just place potted mums in the birdbath and make a statement. 

And re-decorate that front door with a new fall wreath. That's an easy switch!  

Posted by Karen at 14:46 CDT

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Do you agree that the "Dinner-in-a-Bowl" picture looks yummy?

And that it would appeal to a number of picky eaters, too--whether a fussy child or temperamental senior!

Yet this simple "dinner-in-a-bowl" contains all sorts of protein and nutrients--five different vegetables!-- and it's even lower in carbs than you might think at first glance. 

Allow me to deconstruct the photo:

First we have a beautiful, over-sized bowl with a raised edge. This allows you to put ingredients that have sauces that can move around the bowl without spilling. You can slide foods into each other and co-mingle the flavors. (I know some people don't like their foods touching, so might not like this idea, but most kids and gourmands love it!).

BTW- I found 4 of these great bowls on a clearance rack at Target!

Then we have a base of mashed "potatoes", but look closely--they are NOT typical because these mashed "potatoes" are really half mashed cauliflower, and then we have baby greens added besides. So, even your picky eaters will never object to eating this combination, presented this way. I cook equal portions of cut-up potatoes with fresh cauliflower florets together in the same pot until done, then drain and mash together with butter, salt and pepper. Extra milk isn't necessary because of the retained liquid in the cauliflower. Finally add a good handful or two of tender, fresh baby greens and stir in to blend. If using larger leaves, simply chop them into smaller pieces so the heat from the potatoes and cauliflower will wilt them and soften.

Next, we have a slow-cooked, grassfed beef roast--simply prepared in the crockpot, covered with 1 can of French onion soup or beef consomme (undiluted). Remove the roast to a serving dish, slice or rough cut into chunks, depending on the type of roast used. I have a pot roast above. Whisk about 1 rounded Tbsp of flour to thicken the reamining juices,using the High setting of the crockpot, cooking until just barely thickened. 

Finally take the opportunity to add one more vegetable blend, maybe something simple like the peas and carrots shown in the picture.

You have now served your family meat and potatoes--but with such a nutritious twist that they have 5 different vegetables in that bowl with their delicious beef.

And I'll bet everyone's plates are empty when the table is cleared.

Posted by Karen at 12:04 CDT

Updated: Monday, 29 September 2014 12:30 CDT

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Fall Is Showing Up Early

At least in northwestern Illinois, that is. It's brisk, cloudy, and chilly. Of course, the 46 degree morning temperature provides a great excuse to put the first fire in the fireplace.

And it's also an excuse to make a pot of soup, made all the better by including some Super-Foods. Mushrooms are a favorite because they are great sources of B vitamins and one of the highest natural sources of selenium and have that unique flavor property referred to as Unami.

This time I chose to make a pot of Hungarian Mushroom Soup. It has unexpected paprika and dillweed in its creamy broth, and is sure to be a favorite lunch on the chilly days we can all expect in the coming Fall season.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

4 servings

2 Tbsp olive oil

½ large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

Saute together in a heavy soup pot until cooked and tender.

Then add 1 LB. Sliced fresh mushrooms and saute with above until cooked.

Add the following seasonings:

1 tsp. Spanish paprika

2 tsp. dried dillweed (or equiv. fresh)

1 tsp dried parsley (or equiv. fresh)

½ tsp dried thyme (or equiv. Fresh )

1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

several grinds of black pepper

Then add 2 & ½ cups chicken broth and heat through.

Whisk separately, 2 Tbsp. Flour in 1 cup of milk, then stir into soup.

Cook until thickened about 10 more minutes.

Add more chicken broth, if desired, for a thinner soup.

Taste and adjust seasonings, including adding salt if desired.

Finally, add 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice and stir in.

Ladle into soup bowls and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Posted by Karen at 12:19 CDT

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It's Time to get Pickled!

We are now post-Labor Day--meaning the hours are ticking away until there's no more fresh garden produce. And the days are already percceptively shorter with the clock now starting the countdown to final harvests.

Sure, there's more time for the final hay cuttings ...and apples ...and winter squash and potatoes and pumpkins. And woody herbs will be around for a bit longer.

But soon, there won't be any more cucumbers and peppers.

SO-- it's a great time to make the perfect homemade, straight-from-your-garden, crunchy condiment, a quick recipe that you can pull out of your refrigerator and put on that holiday buffet table …

PICKLES!

Over the past couple weekends, my sister Chris, and I have been making Refrigerator Pickles, using variations of the many recipes found on the internet from other bloggers and even some famous chefs, who all have their take on these classic country condiments.

Chris prefers the sweet Bread and Butter pickles, with her own special twist of ZESTY and hot (jalapenos!) to put her own signature on it.

I made the classic and crunchy Garlic Dill Pickle (above) 

What both of these recipes share are the following qualities:

• they are refrigerator recipes, so the pickle retains the crunchiness of fresh cucumbers

• they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few months but never in the pantry (they're not canned)

• they use fresh cucumbers that you likely have in your garden now

• the preparation time from beginning to end is an hour or less because you are not canning!

• the seasonings in both recipes can be adapted to your taste preferences.

• You can proportionally reduce the amounts for less than 9 pints, but THESE make great gifts!

Basic Rules for all Refrigerator Pickles:

• Use throughly cleaned jars and lids. I prefer using the dishwasher to sanitize.

• Use wide-mouth, pint jars (easier to fill and then later, to remove those pickles!)

• Use only fresh cucumbers, after washing, from the garden or organic fresh market (No waxed fruit from the store)

• Cut off the blossom and stem ends of the cucumbers and discard (the two ends or tips)

• Use only filtered or distilled water

• Use only kosher or pickling salt –no iodine or other product or elements in the salt you're using

• Use only white vinegar or cider vinegar that is labeled 5% acetic acid

• Use only pure cane sugar if the recipe calls for sugar

Chris' Zesty and Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles

9 pint jars

Cook the following together in a large pot:

6 cups white vinegar

2 cups cider vinegar

6 cups sugar

1 tsp tumeric

1 Tbsp. Yellow mustard seeds

½ tsp ground clove

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup chopped garlic

Simmer above together about 30 minutes. 

In a separate large bowl, combine the following:

9 cucumbers, sliced into disks about 1/4” thick

1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated

2 large jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

½ cup of salt

Let this sit together about 30 minutes, then rinse and drain.  

Next, fill 9 wide-mouthed pint jars with the cucumber mixture. Press down to compact as needed.

Ladle the hot vinegar solution into each jar, covering the mixture with liquid to within ¼ inch of the top rim.

Apply the lids and rims. (Chris likes to invert her jars while cooling, even though we're not doing traditional canning.)

Allow to cool on the counter, then refrigerate.

Wait one week before sampling! 

My Garlic Dill Pickles

9 pint jars

Cook together in a large pot until a low boil:

7 cups of water

1 cup of white vinegar

½ cup salt

Prep 9 cucumbers by slicing each of 9 cucumbers in half, into roughly the height of your pint jars.

Then slice each half into about 6 wedge slices, to have the typical pickle wedges.

Put 6 whole black peppercorns and ¼ tsp. Yellow mustard seeds on the bottom of each of 9 jars.

Put 1 fresh dill head on the bottom of each jar ---OR--1 rounded tsp of dried dillweed in each jar.

Put 1 large, peeled clove of fresh garlic in each jar.

Next, hold your jar horizontally, and pack each jar with the cucumber slices. You should be able to get about 12 slices in each jar.

Finally, ladle the hot water, salt and vinegar solution over the pickles until it is ¼ inch from the top.

Apply the lids, allow to cool on the counter, then refrigerate.

Wait one week before sampling!

Posted by Karen at 15:44 CDT

Updated: Saturday, 6 September 2014 07:34 CDT

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The Best Falafel Dinner Salad

I know that's quite a claim, but I've been working at it--trying recipes for awhile now and I think I've cracked the code.

First, you have to start with a great base of bitter greens dressed simply in a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette. In the photo above, I've used 2 types of kale greens, the Italian and curly blue varieties. Rinse and then de-vein the kale leaves. Tear or chop into small pieces. Place in a glass bowl and toss with lemon juice and olive oil, equal parts, lightly but thoroughly. Then plate the greens, dividing into 3 servings on large dinner plates.

The next layer is simple chopped fresh tomatoes and cubed or sliced cucumber.

Salt and fresh ground pepper each salad.

Next--Make the Tahini sauce for the falafel as follows:

3 Tbsp. Tahini

3 Tbsp. Lemon juice (or equal parts lemon juice and white wine vinegar)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped

This thin, but potent, sauce will be drizzled liberally over the falafel patties.

Now make the falafel patties which will require a food processor and then frying the patties in a heavy skillet in olive oil.

Combine the following in a food processor, processing each addition with pulses until the consistency is a coarse grind.

1 can of rinsed and drained chickpeas (16 oz)

4 cloves of garlic

½ medium onion, chopped

Small handful each fresh cilantro, parsley leaves

Put the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the following:

1 tsp. Cumin

½ tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 tsp. Ground Coriander

1 egg

4 rounded Tbsp. Flour

Heat 2-3 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Form the patties by dividing the mixture into quarters in the bowl. Then, divide each quarter with a large spoon, creating 3 patties from each quarter for a total of 12 patties.

When the oil is heated, drop a pattie off a large spoon, then pat it lightly to form roughly 2 inch patties, about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. See the picture. Fry about 5 minutes. Turn with a spatula and fry the opposite side also about 5 minutes. Add scant more olive oil if needed.

Plate the falafel patties between the 3 salads already plated. Then drizzle the tahini sauce over the falafel patties and serve. Such a great way to celebrate the multitude of fresh herbs and vegetables we have this Summer!

Posted by Karen at 19:28 CDT

Updated: Sunday, 31 August 2014 20:25 CDT

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