Homemade Stew

         "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, 

it would be a merrier world."

- J.R.R. Tolkien 

 

Comfort... It can be an old blanket, a warm sunny day, in the arms of someone you love, or even in a bowl of warm stew. A good bowl of homemade stew is like getting a warm hug inside your belly. Even on the worst days the basic comfort of meat and potatoes fills you up without guilt. While the bright vegetables give their  much needed vitamins to your system. So enjoy a warm bowl of love tonight.

Beef Stew

 

2/3 cup flour

1/4 tsp pepper

3 lbs beef chuck cut into cubes

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup celery

3 crushed garlic cloves

21 oz condensed beef broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 tbs parsley

6 small potatoes halved (I like yellow and red)

6 medeum carrots, cut in large slices (or 1 cup baby carrots)

2 small onions quartered

1 lb brown mushroom

1/2 to 1 cup red wine (depends on your taste)

1: Combine flour and pepper; coat the beef cubes. Reserve remaining flour.

2:  In a large pot add 3 tbs of hot oil, add beef and remove when mostly browned.

3: In the same pot Saute onion, celery and garlic until tender.

4: Return beef to pot and add broth, wine, and spices. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally

5: Reduce to simmer, cover and continue cooking for 1-3/4 hours.

6: Add remaining vegetables and cook covered (remember to crack the lid just a little bit) for about another 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. If necessary thicken the broth by whisking in 2 tbs of the leftover flour mixture. Simmer until thick.

Can be served alone, over rice, or with garlic bread.

ENJOY!

Curry Me Home!

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like 

and let the food fight it out inside."  ~Mark Twain

I don't really care for most curry's on the market. They tend to be a bit to spicy for my taste. However Butter Chicken Curry is one of the most mouth watering, mildly spiced Indian dishes available. 

 

Now there are two ways you can go about making this. You can make it from scratch, or you can use a premixed spice paste. I've done it both ways, and I've got to say that "Kitchens Of India Paste For Butter Chicken Curry"   Is pretty right on the nose. Plus its easy on the wallet for under 3 dollars a packet.

I give this product 5 stars for taste, easy to follow directions, and price.

 

Now if your a purest and would prefer to make this delish dish from scratch here is one of the best recipies I've found. I used the other half of the boneless chicken thigh fillets package left over from the other days Bourbon Chicken.

 

Butter Chicken Curry

 

3 lbs skinless chicken, and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 inch ginger root

6 garlic clove

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 ounces plain yogurt

1 lemon, juice of

1 cinnamon stick, 2-inch long broken up

10 green cardamoms

6 clove

10 red chili pepper

8 peppercorn

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons tomato puree

8 ounces butter

14 ounces chopped tomato

5 fluid ounces single cream

 

 

1: Grind together the cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, chillies and peppercorns.

 

2: Mix the spices into the yogurt, add the juice of the lemon blend well.

 

3: Marinate the chicken in this mix for about two hours.

 

4: Crush the garlic and ginger to a pulp with the salt, this can be done with the blade of a knife.

 

5: Heat the oil in a pan or wok and fry the ginger and garlic pulp for 1 minute. Add the chicken and spices and cook for ten minutes.

 

6: Add then tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, and butter, bring to the boil reduce the heat and simmer till the chicken is cooked.

 

7: Stir in the cream and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

 

Serve with boiled rice and/or nahn bread!

 

 I served on a bed of rice with a handful of chopped spinach and diced Peppadew peppers. I just added the spinach and peppers in with the rice while cooking. If you haven't had peppadew's before, then you're in for a treat.

Enjoy India!

Welcome to Bourbon Street!

"I was brought up to believe that scotch whiskey would need a tax preference

to survive in competition with Kentucky bourbon." -- Hugo Black

Bourbon chicken, named after New Orleans Bourbon Street is a mouth watering dish found in many Cajun, Chinese, and American BBQ restaurants. If you have an Asian themed food stall in your local mall you might have noticed every time you walk by that they all seem to have a free taste tray of sauce-coated tooth-pick skewered chicken bits. Wafting their warm fragrant aroma straight up your nose, sneaking into your mouth as you try to walk quickly by. But the succulent poultry's call is heeded, and with the scream of your tongue in the form of drool you succumb to bourbon heaven.
Now you can have this delight in your own home without the frustrating wait and cost of take out. This recipe calls for 2 lbs chicken breasts, but I used a half a package of boneless chicken thigh fillets. I saved the other half for another recipe. If you don't like alcohol you can substitute 1/2 cup water. I've done it both ways and it doesn't change the taste too much
 

Bourbon Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken Breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup good bourbon

1: Heat oil in a large skillet

2: Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.

3: Remove chicken

4: Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.

5: Add chicken and bring to a hard boil making sure that all the pieces are coated.

6: Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Sauce should be nice and thick.

7: Serve over hot rice or with rice noodles.
* I served the chicken with a side of rice noodles mixed with peas and rainbow salad.
  See Below:

1: Cook the noodles per box direction. I also boiled the 1/2 cup frozen peas in the same pot. Keep a close eye on the noodles because they can over-cook in a flash. Then you just have a pot of mush. Drain and set aside.

2: Saute 1 1/2 cup rainbow salad with 1/4 cup soy sauce for 4 minutes stirring constantly.

3: Mix the veggies with the noodles gently till the noodles are also covered in the sauce and the veggies are strewn throughout.

Serve warm with the chicken. ENJOY!!!

I See The Light!

Did you ever stop to taste a carrot?  Not just eat it, but taste it?  You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.  ~Astrid Alauda

 Well in this recipe you can certainly see the beauty. The frittata has been described as Italy's version of an open-face omelette. There are many subtle variations of this healthy dish, and today I present you with a lighter version of the classic frittata. Hot or cold, with salad or soup, for breakfast lunch or dinner, it makes a great easy meal. Plus it's a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies. I used a muffin pan in order to make smaller single servings. Plus I love mini foods.

Photo by: Kitchenetta 

Light Frittata

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 Roma tomato diced

1/2 Red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced mushrooms 

1/2 cup light chopped ham

1/2 cup grated low fat cheese

4 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup sliced baby carrots

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup self raising flour

2 eggs very well beaten

fresh ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese for the top

1: Combine zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, mushrooms, ham, cheese, onion and parsley in large bowl.

2: Add Flour, eggs and pepper.

3: Blend well by hand.

4: Spray an 18X28cm ovenproof dish or a 12 muffin pan with a little oil. Spread/divide the mixture evenly into the pan and sprinkle the top evenly with Parmesan cheese.

5: Bake in moderate oven, about 350 for 25-30 minutes or until firm and golden.

Serve with soup or salad. It's also great with a side of fresh fruit and avocado.

It's Berry Season!

 “On the motionless branches of some trees, autumn berries hung like clusters of coral beads, as in those fabled orchards where the fruits were jewels . . .” --- Charles Dickens

If you've walked into the produce section at all in the last month, you've no doubt been greeted with the delightful colors of this years berry crop. I love this time of year! Where the berries are plentiful and the price is low. I eat a few containers a week. 

Berries contain phytochemicals and flavonoids that may help to prevent some forms of cancer. They are also full of  vitamin C, (One cup of strawberries contains over 100 mg of vitamin C) calcium, magnesium, folate and potassium. With all those vitamins and nutrients who needs Centrum? 

Since most berries are naturally sweet you can just just rinse them under water and snack away. But sometimes it's nice to dress them up a bit. Here I just took a shortcake shell, put a little strawberry cream cheese in the center and placed the fruit around in a nice display, sprinkled with a pinch sugar. Instead of the cream cheese you could also put a dollop of your favorite jam. (I used a maraschino cherry jam, not featured here) This dessert was featured on a dessert plate. The picture makes it look bigger than it was.

Here are a few more things you can do with berries:

Top a bowl of berries with a dollop of light-whipped topping and a sprinkling of nuts.

Add strawberry slices to a bowl of whole grain cereal

Sprinkle blueberries or dried cranberries on a salad

Combine frozen berries with a banana and low-fat milk to make a smoothie; or juice and ice to make a frozen fruit drink.

So go out and pick those tasty jewels while you can! Enjoy and have a tasty day.

How low can you go?

“My belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up. 

So which ones the real hero?” --- Mitch Hedberg

I try to clear out the fridge completely every time before I go shopping again. It makes it so we don't waste much, if any, food. So while my better half finished off some leftovers I decided to have some ravioli. Every now and then I'll get a bag of pre-made frozen ravioli for quick and easy dinners. Tonight I thought I'd change it up a bit with a few veggies. This is a recipe for one serving. So double up if you want enough for two or more.

Sara's Better For You Ravioli Salad

 

1 serving size of your favorite frozen beef ravioli (cooked per package directions)

2 Roma tomato slices (diced)

3 Shiitake mushrooms (sliced)

1 large handful of baby spinach (washed and chopped)

1/4 cup baby carrots

1/4 cup peas

4 Tbs of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a creamy basil pesto)

1: In a pot of boiling water cook ravioli, carrots, mushrooms and peas untill ravioli is cooked through. Drain and set aside. Heat up your sauce in the same pot until bubbly.

2: On your plate spread out the chopped spinach and diced tomato. Add the ravioli mix spread out on the spinach and top with your no more than 4 Tbs of sauce. 

I'm not sure of the exact number, but I believe that the total calorie count for this meal is under 400. And it was very filling. Enjoy another healthy, tasty meal!

I have scrambled eggs for brains!

"Put all your eggs in one basket, and --- watch that basket."

Mark Twain

Boy did I feel silly when I offered to make my husband eggs and bacon for breakfast, only to discover that there were only 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon. Well, always look on the bright side of life. I knew I could fix this. So with a few extras I made a totally healthy omelet. We split the omelet and the bacon (thick cut doesn't shrink so it's perfect for cutting in half.) and I cut up the last 4 strawberries and split the last few blackberries and we had a healthy-tasty, filling breakfast.

Sara's Better For You Omelet

2 large eggs (cage free organic)

1 large handful of fresh baby spinach (chopped)

2 slices tomato (diced)

2 slices onion (diced)

3 shiitake mushrooms (optional)

1 Tbs chopped garlic

1 Tbs milk

Shredded cheese (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1:  Place all ingredients, except cheese, in a small bowl and whisk briskly till thoroughly mixed. 

2: Heat up a small skillet of medium low heat, about a 4. Pour the egg mix in the pan when heated. (remember low heat so the eggs don't burn) I use a small skillet on purpose. It makes it easier to flip.

3: Check the bottom of your omelet after 2-3 minutes by gently lifting the edges up with a spatula. When no longer runny on the bottom loosen the omelet all the way around. Now here's the tricky part to a perfect omelet... Place a plate upside down on top of the skillet. With your hand on top of the plate, firmly pick up the skillet and turn upside down. Now the uncooked side of the omelet is face down on the plate. Put the skillet back on the burner and slide the omelet back on to the skillet raw side down. Now your omelet will be perfect with no breaks. Cook for 1-2 more minutes till done.

Serve with a sprinkle of shredded cheese on top.

Enjoy!!!