Read the labels

Hi folks,

Sorry for the long leave of absence.  I was out of town, then feeling lazy... but hubby and I are back on the healthy bandwagon, working out, running, and getting the diet back in order. So I thought that instead of a recipe today, I would talk a bit about tricky food labeling.

I was caught by tricky food labeling just yesterday. You see, I've been on a big Greek yogurt kick lately. Greek yogurt is high in protein, low in fat, and extra thick and creamy. We've been buying this brand here:

It's fantastic! Comes in handy single servings for work, a few yummy flavors (honey and lime are my favorites, hubby prefers berry flavors), and comes in a non-fat version too.  Here's the nutritional info:

Note in particular the amount of fat - this is in the regular version, so going non-fat isn't even all that different. 

Problem is, everyone and their dog seems to be on this Greek yogurt kick too, and it sells out in minutes in the local Safeway. So I was home on Vancouver Island last week, and my mom introduced me to a new Greek yogurt:

Note that it says "Greek Style" yogurt. This is important.
Because when I came home and bought a tub yesterday, I ate a few bowlfuls, then read the label:

 Holy guacamole Batman!  66% of my daily saturated fat in a bowl of yogurt?  This stuff is dessert, not breakfast! 

So here's my warning.  Beware of any labels that include the word "style", because it sure as heck isn't authentic.  I'll give the Krema yogurt props for being totally delicious, but with that much fat it damn well should be! 

Ditto with the word "drink" in place of "juice". Juice is liquid squeezed from a fruit. "Drink" is sugar water that may or may not include some form of fruit-based liquid, along with sugar, sugar, more sugar, and sugar.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to feed some pigs :)

Portable, Good-For-You Porridge

I am NOT a morning person.  Nuh-uh. My goal in life is to wake up as late as possible and still get to work on time.  So it follows that breakfast is not high on my list of weekday morning priorities.  Sometimes toast, most often nothing at all.  I usually just take a lot of snacks to work, and work through them as the day progresses. But once in a while I remember that I can bring a decent breakfast to work with minimal preparation. Instant oatmeal is an option, but I find most of the brands to be sickeningly sweet. So here is a version of instant oatmeal that you can make yourself - you could even prep several of these on the weekend and leave them in your cupboard to grab on the go.

You'll need a small jar with a lid (a 250 mL canning jar works great), some rolled oats, and whatever dry toppings you like on your oatmeal.

Fill half the jar with the oats, and sprinkle on spices of your choice (I add cinnamon and ginger and sometimes cardamom). Then add your toppings (dried fruit, nuts, flax seeds, coconut, whatever). Now close the jar.

When you get to work, dump the whole thing in a bowl, and measure out about 3/4 jar of water and add it to the bowl.  Microwave for 3 minutes on high.  If you like, you could bring an individual sized yogurt or cut up fresh fruit for the top. Voila!  Instant breakfast with minimal sugar or preservatives!  WIN.

Pasta with Tuna and Broccoli

It would appear that posting about my former carb-obsession may have opened the floodgates to more pasta recipes.  Certainly, they've been a go-to thing over the past couple of weeks.  I mean, who has time to cook when there's playoff hockey to be watched? 

So in that vein, I'll present you with another easy and fast pasta recipe that puts most of your favorite food groups in a single bowl. My dad found this recipe several years ago - possibly in Canadian Living Magazine.  You may think it to be a weird combination of flavours, but it works - it really does. And for the boonies cook, it's pretty achievable.  The broccoli can be fresh or frozen, and everything else is canned or dried.

Start by breaking apart a head or two of broccoli and putting the florets in a steamer. Put the water on to boil for the pasta, and put the broccoli on to steam (about 5 minutes once it starts to boil - you want it to retain a bit of crispness).

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and saute them in 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan until fragrant but not brown. 

Add 2 cans of flaked tuna (drained) to the garlic and stir around. Then add 1 tbsp dried basil (or about 1/4 c. chopped fresh if you have it), and a few shakes of crushed red chili pepper (to taste).

Put about 3/4 c of raisins in a coffee mug.  At this point, your broccoli should be done, so drain the broccoli water directly into the coffee mug to blanch the raisins.  Then add the drained broccoli to the tuna mix and stir. After about a minute, drain the raisins and add those to the broccoli and tuna. 

Toss with the cooked pasta of your choice (I like rotini - it holds on to the tuna better than other pastas), and serve garnished with parmesan cheese. 


Tuna and Broccoli Pasta

2-3 servings of pasta (rotini works well)
1-2 heads broccoli, split into florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans flaked tuna, drained
1 tbsp dried basil
crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
3/4 c. raisins
parmesan cheese

Ginger and Spice Pancakes

Please tell me that you don't use store mix for pancakes...  Pancakes were a Sunday staple in my house growing up, and we always used this recipe from the Five Roses (1960's version) Cookbook.  While they were my favorite breakfast at home, I could never get used to store mix or restaurant pancakes.  They just tasted fake or something.

Pancakes from scratch really doesn't take much more time than pancakes from a mix.  Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Mix the two together.  How hard was that?

1 1/3 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinammon
1/8 tsp allspice
1 1/4 c. milk
1 egg
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a whisk.

Measure out milk in a 2 c. or larger measuring cup. Add the egg, oil and vanilla and whisk until mixed together (I keep it all in the measuring cup to reduce the number of bowls I get dirty).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed (lumpy is ok).

Use a ladle or large spoon to drop by spoonfuls onto a hot griddle. I set the griddle at 320 F, but if you use a frying pan, set it over medium to medium high heat. When the edges start to lose that "wet" look, you can flip them.

Serve with maple syrup and butter. yum.


You can also mix this recipe up a bit: take out the spice and add 1 c mashed bananas for delicious banana pancakes.  Or add 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries for blueberry pancakes.  Or add 1 tbsp cocoa and 1/2 c. chocolate chips to the dry ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes.

And have a wonderful Sunday!

Pasta and Stuff

Once upon a time, I was a carb-monster. I was 100% invested in the pasta-for-energy camp and probably ate it 4 days a week. I still get a little drooly when I see a ginormous plate of creamy pasta and sauce.  However, we all know now that too many carbs can be bad too, and that carb energy?  short lived and liable to make you bonk afterwards.  So the pasta-monster has had to be tamed a little in favour of lean protein and lots of veggies.

Despite all of this, there are some nights when the only thing that will satisfy is a big bowl of tortellini, and I have a million and one recipes for things to add to it.  Today's recipe is based on one from the Our Best Bites Cookbook. This cookbook is probably the most-used recipe book in my kitchen.  I discovered their blog a couple of years ago, and couldn't resist the book when it came out. Anyway, back to the recipe.  I have a tendency, when I'm feeling too lazy to hit the grocery store, to grab everything I can find in the cupboard and fridge, then search for recipes that might suit what I've got.  The other night, it was canned tomatoes, canned artichokes and ground turkey. The recipe I used as a base was the Tomato Artichoke Tortellini from the book. It's supposed to be vegetarian, but I couldn't let a good package of ground turkey go back in the freezer.

Put some water on to boil for your pasta - I like tortellini for this, but you could use anything.

Start by browning the meat in a large pan. When it's lost all its pink, add 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced and stir until it smells all garlicky and delicious.

Add in a can of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (my artichokes were not marinated, just canned in brine, so I added some oregano and basil and salt and pepper too). Also, add in a can of diced tomatoes, and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir the whole lot until it's heated through, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the sauce together with the pasta, and grate some parmesan cheese over the top. Serve!

I love a good one pot meal, and this kind of pasta really does the trick when you need a fast, hearty meal.  Notice that almost everything was canned, and hence, very accessible to the boonies cook! 


Meaty Tomato-Artichoke Pasta
(based on recipe from Our Best Bites)

1 lb ground meat (turkey or other)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper (and oregano and basil if your artichokes aren't marinated) to taste
Parmesan cheese
1 package frozen tortellini

Fandango

I'm a big fan of trying to cook everything from scratch, but I'm no food snob.  There are some nights when you just need a quick fix, when the grocery store seems too far away, and when something creamy and cheesy is the only thing that will satisfy hungry mouths. So it's always a good idea to keep some canned soups, frozen veggies, and a big bag of onions on hand. With a few basics, you can throw together a great meal in no time.

Today's recipe is based on a recipe from one of the first editions of the Best of Bridge cookbooks. It's a bit on the fatty side, but it's hearty and tasty and definitely a great option for the boonies cook.  Everything in it is easy to find in any grocery store and stores well at home, so you can whip this up on one of those nights when you haven't been shopping for two weeks and your fridge looks like it was burgled overnight.

Start with a pound of ground meat (as in most recipes like this, the meat you choose is interchangeable with whatever you have in the house). Brown the meat in a large pot, and drain off the excess fat.

Add a chopped onion, 2 c. sliced mushrooms (optional - my hubby looooves mushrooms) and 2 or 3 minced cloves of garlic and saute until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft.

Add about 2 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, salt and pepper.

Dump in one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and 1 c. low fat sour cream.  Stir to mix.

Add one package of frozen spinach (thawed and drained), and mix to incorporate.

Pour the whole mixture into a large casserole, and grate mozzarella cheese over the top.  Place in the oven at 350F and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to turn golden.

Serve over rice or egg noodles. 



Here is your ingredient list:

Fandango

1 lb ground meat
1 onion, chopped
2 c. mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. low fat sour cream
1 package frozen spinach
1 c. (approximately) of shredded mozzarella cheese

Quinoa!

Today's post is about my new favorite food - quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"). Quinoa is a pseudograin - that is, it's not a grass seed like true grains. It's a boonies-friendly food because it stores easily (dry, airtight container), super healthy (see below), and extremely versatile.

When I first started seeing recipes for quinoa, I thought that there was no way that my local grocery store would have something that exotic - I'd probably need a specialty food store to find it.  Then, lo and behold, on a shelf above the rice there it was in a little green box.  There are three types of quinoa in my grocery store (Safeway): regular, red and black.  While quinoa in general tends to be expensive than rice, the red and black varieties are more so.  I've also noticed that my local bulk grain supplier sells it by the pound ($6.15/lb, but I have an old price list), so I might try ordering from her in the future.

Like I mentioned before, quinoa is as easy to cook as rice and is just as (if not more) versatile. It's also very healthy - high in protein, iron, calcium and phosphorus as well as some important amino acids. It's definitely better for you that white rice, and (in my opinion) tastier.

You can find a million and one recipes for quinoa on the web, but let me share a couple of my favorites:

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

This first recipe comes from Gourmet magazine through Epicurious.com I've made it for a bunch of potluck lunches, and for a side dish at home and it's always a big hit.  I've edited the recipe only slightly - instead of cooking the quinoa to their directions (which seems a bit fussy), I just cook it according to the instructions on the box.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Rinse quinoa in cold water to remove bitter saponin coating. Cook quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool.

 

Whisk together the first five ingredients in a small bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Add to quinoa and toss until absorbed.  Mix in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast Quinoa

I started looking up recipes for breakfast quinoa a few months ago when I had some plain, leftover quinoa in the fridge. It turns out, there are about a million different ways to make it. While you can make breakfast quinoa without milk (see this recipe), I prefer a creamy breakfast porridge. There are a couple of ways I've done this: 

 

First, you can cook the quinoa in milk instead of water.  I find that this takes quite a bit of time and careful observation (case in point - I burnt it just the other day), but the taste is creamier.  I add about 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom to 1/2 c. (dry) quinoa. You can add whatever spices you like.

 

 

Second (especially for leftovers), you can warm up 1 cup of leftover quinoa in a pot with a few tablespoons of milk or cream.  It will get mostly absorbed by the quinoa and make a decent breakfast cereal.  Add same spices as above.

Once you have nice warm, spicy quinoa, you can go to town with additions.  Lately, I've been favoring a tablespoon of chopped nuts, some shredded coconut, and half a sliced banana.  Top with some plain yogurt... yum!  Or you could add flax seeds, dried cranberries and apricots, and a bit of maple syrup? How about a few chocolate chips and some chopped orange slices?  The possibilities are endless!

I've been musing over the possibilities of savory breakfast quinoa too - how about sauteeing some leftover quinoa with chopped onions and mushrooms, and adding some oregano, thyme and black pepper? Place a poached egg on top for a breakfast of champions!  

Dang, now I'm getting hungry...  Hope you love experimenting with quinoa!