Well, a cool front swooshed in from the West last night and brought with it an amazing thunderstorm and cooler temps, so it was off to Apple Hills we went to pick blueberries. I haven't been there in two years and I was surprised by the price increase, $1.89/lb to pick your own. I know I sound old, but I remember when we picked them for $.99/lb. Whatever, it's an activity, and they don't weigh the pickers before and after, so I'm sure we brought home our fairs share in our bellies!
After 2 hours of blueberry picking, I thought a substantial lunch would be appreciated, so I flipped to the Hearty Ass Sandwiches section of SBK for my options. That is where I found the recipes for California Burgers and Bacon and Caramelized Onion Cheesebburgers with Agave-Dijon. With only myself and my kidlets as taste testers, I was feeling lucky.
In addition to assembling the burgers, I also had to make Thousand Island Dressing, SBK page 152 to top off the California Burger.
I used MorningStar Farms Prime Griller vegan burgers and LightLife Smart Bacon for these recipes. I found it was easy to make 4 burgers in one big non-stick fry pan. Start the onions to caremelizing first, push them to the side of the pan after they are translucent, do bacon next and pile it on top of carmelizing onions, and then do the burgers for their own 8 minutes. By the time the burgers are done the onions are pretty well carmelized.
Since we were lunching AND taste testing, I made one burger of each recipe, cut them in halves and then we experimented with combinations on the other burgers.
10 year old: Tasted and loved everything, especially any burger with bacon on it. He even tried the California Burger complete with sprouts. I think he was just trying to make me happy! He said that the burgers tasted like what you get at Vestal Hills Country Club, ig. they included more than ketchup. 10 year old gobbled down two whole burgers before lunch was over.
14 year old: Didn't like that there was sauce involved. Yup, there was homemade Thousand Island on the California Burger and homemade Agave Dijon on the Carmelized Onion Burger. "I just want a plain burger" was heard by the whole neighborhood. Fine. So, how did you like your burger? "I didn't like it; it was dry." Uh-huh, thanks, teenager.
43 year old: Loved them all, including our own creation of burger with avocado, tomato, bacon ,vegan Jack cheese and either dipping sauce. I could have bathed myself in the dipping sauces they were both so good! I tell yah, once you make a dressing or dip from scratch, forget about buying a bottle off the shelf at Wegmans. Homemade is so much more flavorful. The Thousand Island Dressing has a little kick from the cayenne that makes it special and not sooo sweet as store bought dressing.
Purse alert: Thinking about $ again, I realized that I was using a lot of the same ingredients throughout the week. The single can of tomato paste from the Pizza Sauce was put in the frig and used again for the Spaghetti Sauce and then finished for the Thousand Island Dressing. If I plan well enough, nothing goes to waste. The vegan Jack cheese that was opened for these burgers is expensive! But, if I make the Veggie Enchiladas and a Quesadilla this weekend, I will use the whole thing and not waste any. I can deal with that!
I'm sort of thinking of this food lifestyle as a game. I'm lucky that I have the time to experiment and plan right now because it is summer. Hopefully, by the time school starts I will have a few "favorites" under my belt that I can count on, and also continue to make more SB recipes with my new SB pantry items.
Current Count: 9 recipes completed
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
"Spaghetti and Meatballs, Please, Mom!"
Okay, so my son wants spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. How do I fit that into my SB attitude? Simple. I made the Basic Red Sauce, page 156 SBK and served it on Kamut* spaghetti. Meatballs? I wasn't feeling very adventuresome, so I heated up turkey meatballs from the freezer. I am embracing my inner SB, but I'm not perfect!
Success! My 14 year old complimented the dinner! Whooo hooo! The 10 year old ate it, too! He did ask what the green stuff was, but 14 year old told him "just eat it, it doesn't taste like anything." I hope my hydroponic basil plant wasn't offended.
The sauce was really fresh tasting and flavorful. The combination of canned tomato and fresh herbs, onion and garlic was perfect over the kamut pasta. I like the noodles al dente, and the sauce clung to the pasta. I love that! The sauce was thick and the completed dish looked very appealing. Good Job Skinny Bs!
*what is kamut? it is a wheat, originally found in Egypt, has a longer cooking time (12 minutes for spaghetti), high in protein and 2g of fiber per 2oz serving, light in color so nobody will notice that it is a little different.
Math: My latest trips to Wegmans, Healthy U, and Big Lots have really added up to a huge grocery bill this week. My new SB endeavor, plus my 14 year old starting to eat like a teenager, have really added to the grocery bill. So, I did a little math with this recipe.
3/4 lb Kamut Pasta: $1.00
12 small frozen turkey meatballs: $1.70
Basic Red Sauce, (no wine or hot sauce) $2.40
Total: $ 5.10
That is not bad at all! Add 1/3 of a seedless watermelon (in season) $1.00, and dessert made yesterday, Dream Bars, and I had a cheap meal for 4.
So, once I purchase the staples, that should last through at least the next month or two, this is a healthy AND financially savvy way to cook and eat. Okay, that reduces my grocery bill guilt!
Current Count: 6 recipes completed
Success! My 14 year old complimented the dinner! Whooo hooo! The 10 year old ate it, too! He did ask what the green stuff was, but 14 year old told him "just eat it, it doesn't taste like anything." I hope my hydroponic basil plant wasn't offended.
The sauce was really fresh tasting and flavorful. The combination of canned tomato and fresh herbs, onion and garlic was perfect over the kamut pasta. I like the noodles al dente, and the sauce clung to the pasta. I love that! The sauce was thick and the completed dish looked very appealing. Good Job Skinny Bs!
*what is kamut? it is a wheat, originally found in Egypt, has a longer cooking time (12 minutes for spaghetti), high in protein and 2g of fiber per 2oz serving, light in color so nobody will notice that it is a little different.
Math: My latest trips to Wegmans, Healthy U, and Big Lots have really added up to a huge grocery bill this week. My new SB endeavor, plus my 14 year old starting to eat like a teenager, have really added to the grocery bill. So, I did a little math with this recipe.
3/4 lb Kamut Pasta: $1.00
12 small frozen turkey meatballs: $1.70
Basic Red Sauce, (no wine or hot sauce) $2.40
Total: $ 5.10
That is not bad at all! Add 1/3 of a seedless watermelon (in season) $1.00, and dessert made yesterday, Dream Bars, and I had a cheap meal for 4.
So, once I purchase the staples, that should last through at least the next month or two, this is a healthy AND financially savvy way to cook and eat. Okay, that reduces my grocery bill guilt!
Current Count: 6 recipes completed
Preserve Wildlife, Attend a Party!
The girlfriends got together for a much anticipated 50th birthday party for girlfriend, Anne. We celebrated at Sharon's pool, a backyard oasis that was especially appreciated during this August heatwave! I signed up on the evite to bring a veggie appetizer, shocker, I know.
So, I brought two dishes, one from SBK and one I saw in Epicurious.com, and then modified to suit my needs. Remember it was H-O-T, so I was glad to bring something lite.
First, I made Mock Chopped Liver, SBK page 45. At the bottom of the recipe page a note says "It's good enough to eat with a spoon, but serve it on crackers or something. Be a lady." Yes ma'am.
Now that I am in possession of refined coconut oil and Bragg's Liquid Aminos, all I needed from the store was the raw cashews and 1lb of cremini mushrooms. This recipe was easy to make, basically saute mushrooms and onions, and then combine everything in the food processor and whir it to a pulp. Yum! Okay, I get it, stop tasting. I added a little more Bragg's like the recipe suggested, and boom, I'm done.
I took it to the party in a cute Chinese bowl with lots of colorful decorations on the outside. Mock Chopped Liver is not the prettiest offering on the tapas bar so I dressed it up in its serving dish. But, it is delicious! I served it with WheatThins, not very creative, but the perfect size for a bite of MCL. I saved some at home for a little snack tomorrow. How did it go over with the girlfriends? Well, it was a little late to the party, but the last time I saw it, the bowl was only half full.
The other veggie appetizer I brought was a combination of two of my fave things: grape tomatoes and guacamole. Heavenly! I bought two pints of tomatoes from Farmer Mike at Lone Maple Farm, http://www.lonemaplefarm.com/ and then I cheated. I bought 6 avocados, but none of them were ripe, so I bought organic guac from the refrigerated section of Healthy U, http://www.clintwoodhealthyu.com/, just in case the avocados didn't soften up in time. They didn't. That's okay, after girlfriend Heather and I took a slice off the stem end of each little tomato and scooped out the insides, I cut off a corner of the plastic bag and piped the guac into the 54 hollowed out grape tomatoes. High maintenance, yes. Worth it, definitely. I sprinkled chopped fresh cilantro over top, and boom, an appetizer was born. This one was easy to look at, so I just fit all the stuffed tomatoes into a tupperware container and hit the road for the party. Instant success. When we arrived at Sharon's there were girlfriends in the pool, around the pool, at the bar . . . and with my hands full I just offered up the tomatoes first thing, and they were half gone by the time I set them down. Lite and colorful, big hit!
So, I'm liking this personal challenge so far. It gives me some direction in the kitchen, and I'm making new recipes that I may otherwise just read and stick in a folder for "when I have more time." Challenging myself causes me to make the time. Groovy!
Want to try the recipes? Buy Skinny Bitch in the Kitch at Healthy U, or go to their website.
So, I brought two dishes, one from SBK and one I saw in Epicurious.com, and then modified to suit my needs. Remember it was H-O-T, so I was glad to bring something lite.
First, I made Mock Chopped Liver, SBK page 45. At the bottom of the recipe page a note says "It's good enough to eat with a spoon, but serve it on crackers or something. Be a lady." Yes ma'am.
Now that I am in possession of refined coconut oil and Bragg's Liquid Aminos, all I needed from the store was the raw cashews and 1lb of cremini mushrooms. This recipe was easy to make, basically saute mushrooms and onions, and then combine everything in the food processor and whir it to a pulp. Yum! Okay, I get it, stop tasting. I added a little more Bragg's like the recipe suggested, and boom, I'm done.
I took it to the party in a cute Chinese bowl with lots of colorful decorations on the outside. Mock Chopped Liver is not the prettiest offering on the tapas bar so I dressed it up in its serving dish. But, it is delicious! I served it with WheatThins, not very creative, but the perfect size for a bite of MCL. I saved some at home for a little snack tomorrow. How did it go over with the girlfriends? Well, it was a little late to the party, but the last time I saw it, the bowl was only half full.
The other veggie appetizer I brought was a combination of two of my fave things: grape tomatoes and guacamole. Heavenly! I bought two pints of tomatoes from Farmer Mike at Lone Maple Farm, http://www.lonemaplefarm.com/ and then I cheated. I bought 6 avocados, but none of them were ripe, so I bought organic guac from the refrigerated section of Healthy U, http://www.clintwoodhealthyu.com/, just in case the avocados didn't soften up in time. They didn't. That's okay, after girlfriend Heather and I took a slice off the stem end of each little tomato and scooped out the insides, I cut off a corner of the plastic bag and piped the guac into the 54 hollowed out grape tomatoes. High maintenance, yes. Worth it, definitely. I sprinkled chopped fresh cilantro over top, and boom, an appetizer was born. This one was easy to look at, so I just fit all the stuffed tomatoes into a tupperware container and hit the road for the party. Instant success. When we arrived at Sharon's there were girlfriends in the pool, around the pool, at the bar . . . and with my hands full I just offered up the tomatoes first thing, and they were half gone by the time I set them down. Lite and colorful, big hit!
So, I'm liking this personal challenge so far. It gives me some direction in the kitchen, and I'm making new recipes that I may otherwise just read and stick in a folder for "when I have more time." Challenging myself causes me to make the time. Groovy!
Want to try the recipes? Buy Skinny Bitch in the Kitch at Healthy U, or go to their website.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Life is Short, Eat Dessert First!
Why am I already on my second dessert at the beginning of this adventure? Honestly, because I can make them at night after everyone has gone to bed and I have the quiet kitchen to myself. I have one of those kitchens that is the focal point of the home. 9 years ago we knocked out a wall, eliminated a laundry closet and remodeled our kitchen so that I could cook while parenting or entertaining. Thanks to those renovations, I get no peace in the kitchen because I can hear absolutely everything going on around me in all corners of the house.
So, desserts are not timely, and can be hidden away til the next day, so I made another. This time it was Dream Bars, page 175 SBK. This is not an "I had the ingredients, so I made it" recipe. I had to browse the shelves of Healthy U and Wegmans to find refined coconut oil, vegan butter, and vegan "chocolate" chips. By the way, vegan "chocolate" chips are code for carob chips, thank you very much. I remember my mom making carob-chip cookies in the 70s, so I'm thinking I was trained from an early age for this recipe. Thankfully, I had just stocked up on Lite Coconut Milk at Big Lots, so that wasn't an issue.
Anyway, I pulled off this recipe in about 1/2 hour. I made my vegan cookie crumbs from organic whole wheat graham crackers. I made my butterscotch from scratch and loved the whole process! I have never liked butterscotch, but homemade is way better than anything that comes in a jar or a squeeze bottle.
Results? Dreamy! SBK says not to share them, and hide them for yourself. I concur! These are a better variety of layered bars, the fave at many a cookie table. All the right flavors and all the healthy ingredients make them a no brainer for future parties.
So, desserts are not timely, and can be hidden away til the next day, so I made another. This time it was Dream Bars, page 175 SBK. This is not an "I had the ingredients, so I made it" recipe. I had to browse the shelves of Healthy U and Wegmans to find refined coconut oil, vegan butter, and vegan "chocolate" chips. By the way, vegan "chocolate" chips are code for carob chips, thank you very much. I remember my mom making carob-chip cookies in the 70s, so I'm thinking I was trained from an early age for this recipe. Thankfully, I had just stocked up on Lite Coconut Milk at Big Lots, so that wasn't an issue.
Anyway, I pulled off this recipe in about 1/2 hour. I made my vegan cookie crumbs from organic whole wheat graham crackers. I made my butterscotch from scratch and loved the whole process! I have never liked butterscotch, but homemade is way better than anything that comes in a jar or a squeeze bottle.
Results? Dreamy! SBK says not to share them, and hide them for yourself. I concur! These are a better variety of layered bars, the fave at many a cookie table. All the right flavors and all the healthy ingredients make them a no brainer for future parties.
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