Quinoa

Right now I am on a HUGE zucchini kick. I am eating 2 a week (sharing with my family if they want to eat it, but typically I am the one to devour it). I mostly enjoy it broiled or grilled with olive oil, garlic and onion, or as one of my veggies in homemade Chinese. I have also made it fried, which my daughter loves but I don't care for as much. So, since I was hankering for a new way to eat zucchini, and have been in the mood to try quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") again, I thought this was a perfect fit. If you have never tried quinoa, it is definitely well worth it! It is a gluten-free whole grain with 11 grams of fiber per serving! Wow! And, it has such a fun texture and look to it, almost comical to see all the little sprouts that come out of it when you cook it! I feel like it is similar to rice and could eat it a lot more often, but, alas, I have yet to win my family over with it. I would also like to try it in a cold salad for summer, something similar to a couscous or pasta salad.

This is a very simple, fairly quick dinner. This small amount of shrimp will thaw quickly in a bowl of cold water if you have frozen. I recommend using non farmed, wild caught American shrimp. Shrimp that is farmed has many of the same issues as animals raised in CAFOs, with a high concentration of animals in the water in addition to high doses of antibiotics (not to mention the fact that many are fed chicken poop, and if you are what you eat, and shrimp eat the poop, and you eat the shrimp...well...you get the picture) as well as the fact that vital habitats are being destroyed to make room for shrimp farms. Almost all shrimp that you get at restaurants is farmed, as well as most shrimp at your local grocery store. I get ours from Route 30 Seafood. They regularly run a special of 5 lbs 26-30 ct shrimp for $20.99. Right now the deal is $27.99, but that is still a lot cheaper than other locations for wild caught gulf shrimp. While you're there, pick up some wild caught salmon (yum!).

Quinoa with Grilled Shrimp and Zuccini

1 c Quinoa (Cook to directions on package, mine took about 1 1/4 c water, I added chopped onion and garlic to the water. Bring to boil and stir in quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer about 10-12 minutes, fluff with fork)

Grilled Shrimp (click for recipe) - 8 skewers of 5 shrimp each will feed 4 people

Grilled Zucchini (Cut 2 zucchini into slivers, coat in the same mixture as the shrimp and grill.)

Combine all 3 ingredients and enjoy! Very simple, and delicious! I did add some extra Old Bay once I had them all combined on my plate. I guess I'll need to write to the company and ask them to start making an organic Old Bay, because I don't think I can give it up- yet!

Whole Wheat Rolls

I'm always on the lookout for bread/roll recipes. Making yeast products is one of my favorite foods to bake! (I do want to try making my own yeast, but that might be a summer project.) I found this recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures site. I also can't wait to try her overnight whole wheat rolls as cinnamon buns. It has been far too long since I've baked something w/ cinnamon (besides baked oatmeal).

I made these to go along with our shrimp Easter dinner, and they are so easy and would be a great beginner roll. I would also like to try shaping as an Italian loaf and then using to make homemade garlic bread. Also on her site she talks of using this recipe for hamburger/hot dog buns, so I'm excited for that as well!

*Update- I have used them as hamburger rolls (I baked them until they were more brown than for dinner rolls), and they were very delicious, and much more filling that the usual store-bought roll. And with a hamburger made with local Highland cattle meat from M & M Farm, you can't go wrong! I misjudged the size for the hot dog rolls, however, so they became garlic bread a few days later. These are also very good warmed with raw honey :)

 40 Minute Whole Wheat Rolls (based on Lynn's recipe with a few modifications)

1 package Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (I used tap water as hot as I could make it)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup Sun Crystals or 1/4 cup Sucanat (I would like to try with honey next time, maybe 1/4 c)
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat bread flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups organic all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl. Add olive oil and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes. Beat egg and add to yeast mixture along with salt and flour, mix until it forms a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic on floured surface (about 5 minutes). Do not let it rise. Divide in 1/2 and then each 1/2 into 6 pieces (I used my handy dandy pretzel dough cutter from Auntie Anne's pretzel kit). Roll each into a ball (mine was more oval shaped) and place on greased baking sheet. Let rise in the oven (turned off) about 5 minutes, then remove from oven and preheat to 425. Once heated, return dough to oven and bake 8-12 minutes or until lightly brown.

I probably could have left mine in a little longer, but they were very light a fluffy, absolutely delish!

Way Behind

So, can't believe how long it has been since I've posted anything! Life has been very hectic. We just finished changing our screened in porch into a dining room. This involved taking out a concrete slab, digging footers (which means we now have a crawl space underneath w/ access from the basement, hoping to store veggies there over the winter!), framing and then cutting a hole from the kitchen to the new dining room. Oh, and we had to move around the kitchen in order to cut the hole! We are hoping to redo the kitchen next, and as you can guess I can't wait for that! Here are some pics of the (almost) finished product. We still have a few paint touch-ups and decorating to do. Since I am behind on posts, be prepared for a menagerie of posts coming your way!

Processed People Review

This post is long overdue. When my sister, April, was home in January, she brought along the movie Processed People for us to watch. Here is my compilation of the key points:

• We are undernourished and overfed
• We consume calorie dense foods, move less, and eat more
• We are food addicts of unhealthy foods- our bodies crave more food in order to get sufficient nutrients which causes us to overeat even more
• We eat (and our bodies look) like royalty of old
• Families feed their kids on an almost daily basis w/ eating out when we used to do it on rare occasions for a treat
•  We have a toxic hunger
• Junk food is cheaper due to gov’t subsidies
• We don’t even think about what we eat
• By 40 most Americans have some form of heart disease
• Health is not the opposite of disease- it is our normal state
• Health is the presence of well-being
• In 1900 2% of Americans died of heart disease now 51%
• In the last 15 years of life are we healthy? We are not meant to get worse and worse until we die
• How much do you suffer?
• Health= engaging in life fully until you die
• We currently have a sick care, not health care system
• True prevention is not a part of the health care system b/c our current system is based on profit and there is no profit if no one is getting sick
• Financial incentive is towards sickness, not in educating the public to take control of their health
• You have to earn good health
• "Health care" is selling disease
• Medicology- belief that our “savior” is our doctor or pharmacy, etc.
• Ned to give the knowledge needed to take care of themselves
• Get back to the basics of what makes a healthy life
• Stop popping pills
• You are what you eat
• Humans thrive on plant based diet
• We should live on a mostly plant based diet
• You can control your health destiny
• Do we need to eat animal products?
• Move baby move- Exercise crucial for health
• A healthy diet changes everything- brain chemistry, how we metabolize food, a sedentary lifestyle is not natural
• Sufficient rest/sleep needed
• Exercise: 30-60 min per day but 2 hrs best due to pple eating so much more and the need to offset it
• Sunshine needed
• Skin cancer also caused by low level of nutrients in diet
• Being physical is good for immune system, helps brain, heart
• It doesn’t have to be “exercise”
• What’s a processed person?
• We have bought into media hype- processing starts at birth w/ formula to baby food to fast food, processed through the whole system, taught to eat things that are not really food
• Eat food, don’t eat food-like things
• We are processed b/c we let them process us
• De-processed people
• Change of diet and no pills needed, rapid changes
• Stopped multiple sclerosis
• Makng the change always works
• What if we don’t change?
• Diabetes
• We don’t get paid for prevention
• Doctors should be teachers rather than heroes
• Our diet is related to a lot of things that cannot be changed very easily
• This planet cannot support a largely animal based diet
• Feds subsidize meat but not fruits and veggies
• Eating more isn’t better- we need to eat enough (kids know this, adults don’t)
• Nobody is healthier b/c of eating animal products
• Inspire and pay doctors to keep people healthy in order to fix health care system
• It is not inevitable to get fatter and sicker as you get older, it is b/c of diet

I hope you can understand my random notes, if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them!

Strawberry Shortcake

Huckleberry pie...Oh, sorry, just got caught up in a childhood jump rope song :)
I was thoroughly excited when strawberries were less than $4 for a 2 pound box at Sonnewald the other week! I had been unable to find organic strawberries at all in a very long time, and even when they were around they didn't look worth the $4+ per pound at Giant. (And believe me, you do not want to eat strawberries unless they are organic!) They were fairly ripe, so it was time for shortcake! I cut them and did add a small amount of Sun Crystals to help draw their juices. This is my mom's recipe which makes the easiest shortcake. You can also make raspberry pudding with it by adding about a cup of berries. You can add blueberries as well.

One Egg Shortcake

2 c flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c shortening (I used coconut oil)
2/3 c sugar (I used sucanat)
1 egg
3/4 c milk (I used homemade almond milk)
1 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in smaller bowl and add to dry. If the consistency is dry you may need to add some extra milk (mine was dry but I did not add milk and it was fine). Bake in an 8x8 glass dish for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool before cutting (if you can!).

 

Sour Cream Cornbread

This is my mom's cornbread recipe, which I love!

1 c organic all purpose flour (you could also most likely use corn flour if you want to go gluten free)
3/4 c corn meal
1/8 c Sun Crystals
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 c milk
1 egg, beaten
1 T ground flax (I didn't have any to use and it is fine without, but healthier with)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease one bread pan or muffin tins. Combine ingredients in order listed in large bowl until just combined. You may need to add a splash of milk if it is a little dry. Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes.

Cheddar Crackers and Brunch for Supper

Finally got a chance to try Heavenly Homemaker's Cristy Cheddar Crackers. I ran out of parchment paper and in my opinion, it is necessary for rolling out these crackers. The one item I forgot when making them is to leave them in the oven after you turn it off so they can crisp. This does not work well if you are in the midst of a baking frenzy and want to keep putting more items in while the oven is warm to save electricity. So, note to self, make the crackers last next time :)  Due to not having the proper crisping time, they are a little chewy, but quite honestly it still tastes fine, and reminds me of the communion bread from the church I grew up in. I really thought I took a picture of them but can't put my finger on it at the moment. One other change is that I did sprinkle sea salt on top before baking to help them taste more like store bought cheese crackers.

Ham and Egg Cups

As a result of having leftover eggs from Dr. Seuss' birthday last week, and some organic ham that was about to expire, this recipe was born! Based on a recipe from the free Giant magazine. I also made some banana muffins to help use up an old banana. Since I only had one, I also used 1/2 cup applesauce along with it which turned out great, and lessened the banana flavor.

8 eggs
10 slices ham
2 slices of bread, cubed
garlic powder
onion powder
shredded cheese
black pepper to taste as garnish

Line 10 muffin tins with cupcake wrappers and coat lightly with nonstick spray.
Beat eggs. Add onion and garlic powder (about 1/2 T each, to taste).
Place ham slices in muffin tins, forming a cup shape with them.
Distribute bread evenly among cups, and add egg mixture.
Garnish with cheese and bake about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

The eggs were so light and fluffy when they first came out of the oven. Unfortunately I was so busy eating I forgot about taking pictures until they had flattened out some :(  Oh well, still yummy!