4.15.2010

Recipe re-do

Did you ever see a show with a recipe that sounds just great, but it is off limits?  I enjoy watching cooking shows. They make wonderful presentations. Some are old school styles, some are based on a region or a country. Some are focused on the science behind it all. 9 times out of 10, the final product is tainted.

Food allergies and food intolerances are coming to the forefront of media conversation. This is a good thing. People need to be more aware of the reason their body does what it does in response to what you feed it. We have become a society of quick fixes, which typically includes a pill to make everything better. More often than not, this won't fix the real problem, but masque the symptoms and fool you into believing you are ok.

Not that long ago, this was a picture of what people thought of when they thought of food.

Industry saw the opportunity to lighten the load in the kitchen. Canned foods, instant foods, tv dinners, prepackaged foods, preserved foods, processed foods. Before you knew it, meals were overrun with unnatural ingredients and we all got used to it. Now, we are finally coming around to how good real food is, both in taste and in health.

Since awareness is rising, many GF products are available in the markets. Farm markets are all over thte place. Gardening is becoming more popular. People have options!

While I watch cooking shows, I take the recipes that are close enough to being easy and GF, and make them GF. Swapping out the big offenders, most of the time it is pasta, and our dinner table is livened up with new tastes.

Get creative and try it for yourself. See what you come up with.

4.08.2010

Sweet -n- fruity tea

We had our first bar-b-q dinner tonite.  The sun was strong, the air was clean, and the grill was ready to go. How could I resist the allure of smoky burgers, sizzling bacon, hot dogs that had some extra time to get those cool looking char lines. Yes - to the whole experience!

Now for the side kicks of the meal. Potato salad - check. Mixed greens and dressing - check.  Soda - no check.  It just doesn't do it for us anymore. Not a thirst quencher. Way too sugary. Too un-natural. A better choice, in my humble opinion, is iced tea.

There is a way to make iced tea that is so easy and so delicious, you will not want to bother with the powdered or premade stuff again.   I really like flavored teas, and wanted something that would compliment the meat in the meal, so I made cranberry almond iced tea.

Sweet -N- Fruity Iced Tea

4 cups water
8 tea bags, flavored or plain
1/2 cup sugar (more if you like sweeter drinks)
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tray ice cubes
3 1/2 cups cold water

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat and steep tea for 5 minutes.  Get out your nicest pitcher and put the sugar in it. Pour the hot tea over the sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in the extract. Add the ice cubes and the cold water. Serve!

Plain tea with orange extract would be really nice. Or black tea with licorice. How about getting crazy with a mint tea with some sort of cocao added? You ain't finding stuff like that on the store shelf. Oh the possibilities!

I am a fan of green tea. Nice and mild. Not bitter. Good for you, or so they say. The next batch I have in mind is going to be a peach iced tea. Maybe with a dash of cinnamon extract. Let me know what you make!

4.06.2010

Start the day well

Having a shake from time to time is fun, but having one for breakfast is even funner!  You feel like you are getting away with something. Here is the breakfast-in-a-bottle I have been making for the last several weeks.


So-Good Shake
9 oz. frozen fruit: combo of strawberry, wild blueberry, cherry, peach, berry (two or more)
5 oz. juice: pomegranite, acai, blueberry (mixed or individually)
3 oz. yogurt or soy milk (omit if you have a milk or soy intolerance)
1 TBSP ground flaxseed

Take the 9 oz. of the fruits of choice and put in a blender. Pour in the juice and yogurt. Sprinkle the flaxseed on top. Turn blender on lowest setting for a minute. Turn up to next higher speed for another minute or until smooth.

I found that it helps to take the berries out of the freezer the night before and leave them in the fridge to be used in the morning. The shake will grind up much smoother when mostly thawed. Pour into a glass or portable bottle. For more fun, drink through a bendy straw! After it is gone, pour water in your container and shake to mix the remainder of the fruit with the water. You don't want to waste any of that delicious-ness!

With fruit, protein and oils in this mixture, you are giving yourself useful nutrients for breakfast. And switching up the fruits and juices gives so many different combinations!  Try it!!!