I haven't written a recipe in a while on here for several reasons. One being teaching was just overwhelming and all my free time was spent grading papers. The second (and most important reason) is we adopted a little baby boy. He is now just over a month old and incredibly precious yet doing a fabulous job of keeping us up at night. That being said I definitely haven't had time to write recipes on here. However, today I threw a side dish together quickly and it turned out amazing so I knew I had to share. I apologize for the lack of picture!!! I usually make a variation of this recipe with corn on the cob but had a bag of frozen corn in the freezer so decided to try this instead.
Mexican Corn (off the cob)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup water
2 tsp chili powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium high stirring occasionally until all water has evaporated and corn is thoroughly heated.
Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese stir until conbined.
This is all I did because it was a last minute recipe that I threw together. However next time I will probably add some green chilis or diced red peppers the top it all off with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Enjoy and happy cinco de mayo!!!!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Clean Pumpkin Protein Bread
A month ago I decided to eliminate all artificial sweetener from my diet in an effort to relieve stomach aches that I constantly had. I immediately saw an improvement. After eliminating this I decided to continue trying to clean up my diet. I started by contacting a friend who works with the wellness department at a local hospital and she recommended eating clean. After looking more into this I started reading Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Recharged book. I have to say this has helped me so much (eat clean website)! It has allowed me to start eliminating things that really do not add any nutritional value to my diet including white flour and sugar. Along with this it encourages you to eat 5 - 6 small meals a day rather than 3 larger ones. If you are looking for something that is less of a weight loss plan and more of a healthy eating plan this is a great one to look into. While making these changes I also have started changing some recipes that are tried and true recipes to be clean. This one is a fall favorite that I've made clean by adding protein to the mix and eliminating the white flour and sugar. It does still have a large amount of oil in it but I haven't yet figured out a good way to cut back on that without affecting the texture of the bread (applesauce made it spongy). Enjoy a healthy recipe for fall!
Pumpkin Protein Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup of oil (whatever kind you would prefer as long as it is a mild oil)
3 eggs (or 5 egg whites)
1 cup of pure honey
1 1/2 cups of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 scoops protein powder (I used vanilla flavored)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
In the bowl of a mixer mix together all "wet" ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined
Pour into 2 large loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray
Cook 45 minutes at 325 degrees or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
Let rest on counter in pan about 10 minutes
Flip out onto wire rack to cool
Cool before cutting (if you can resist)
Friday, June 1, 2012
Cooking with oils
Today I read a great article about cooking with oil and wanted to pass on a few notes.
Vegetable oil- any oil that comes from a plant and can be a combination of more than 1 oil. This should have a neutral taste which is why it works great for cakes. Common flavorless vegetable oils include safflower and canola.
Less common:
Sesame oil - very deep flavor of sesame. Use for stir frying or frying. This is my newest favorite. I actually use sesame chili oil in a white wine vinegar marinade for veggies on the grill. 1/8 tsp is enough to add a good punch of flavor with a nice kick to it.
Linseed oil - earthy flavor. Use for dressings.
Squash seed oil- tastes like roasted squash. Best used to finish a dish like fish at the end right before serving.
Rice bran oil - newer oil that has a mild flavor and claims to help lower cholesterol great as a substitute for vegetable oils (see common types above).
More common:
Olive oil- neutral flavor that can be slightly bitter. Best when used for dips, dressings, or to finish a dish (aka spaghetti sauce).
Coconut- slightly sweet and tropical taste (given that it is from coconuts). Works great as a substitute for butter.
Nut oils- very rich earthy tastes. Great for a stand alone garnish on salad or veggies.
Peanut oil - slight peanut taste (not very recognizable). Commonly used for frying or stir frying, very popular with deep fried turkeys at thanksgiving.
Avocado oil - kind of nutty similar taste to peanut oil. Use as you would olive oil, great plus it offers some of the same good benefits as olive oil does.
Next time you're finishing a dish or making a dressing why not add another layer with a new oil? Part of the fun of cooking is experimenting with something new!
Happy cooking,
Court
Vegetable oil- any oil that comes from a plant and can be a combination of more than 1 oil. This should have a neutral taste which is why it works great for cakes. Common flavorless vegetable oils include safflower and canola.
Less common:
Sesame oil - very deep flavor of sesame. Use for stir frying or frying. This is my newest favorite. I actually use sesame chili oil in a white wine vinegar marinade for veggies on the grill. 1/8 tsp is enough to add a good punch of flavor with a nice kick to it.
Linseed oil - earthy flavor. Use for dressings.
Squash seed oil- tastes like roasted squash. Best used to finish a dish like fish at the end right before serving.
Rice bran oil - newer oil that has a mild flavor and claims to help lower cholesterol great as a substitute for vegetable oils (see common types above).
More common:
Olive oil- neutral flavor that can be slightly bitter. Best when used for dips, dressings, or to finish a dish (aka spaghetti sauce).
Coconut- slightly sweet and tropical taste (given that it is from coconuts). Works great as a substitute for butter.
Nut oils- very rich earthy tastes. Great for a stand alone garnish on salad or veggies.
Peanut oil - slight peanut taste (not very recognizable). Commonly used for frying or stir frying, very popular with deep fried turkeys at thanksgiving.
Avocado oil - kind of nutty similar taste to peanut oil. Use as you would olive oil, great plus it offers some of the same good benefits as olive oil does.
Next time you're finishing a dish or making a dressing why not add another layer with a new oil? Part of the fun of cooking is experimenting with something new!
Happy cooking,
Court
Sesame baked chicken a recipe I can't wait to try
I love sesame and I love herbs de Provence so when I saw them together I knew I had to try this out. Here's the recipe in case you get to it before me! Good luck!!!
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 cup buttermilk
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup plain sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Rinse the chicken breasts with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Put the chicken breasts on a plate large enough to hold them, and season with salt and pepper and the herbes de Provence.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a medium bowl and pour the buttermilk on top. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, toasted sesame seeds, and parsley.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off the excess. One at a time, dredge the chicken breasts in the bread crumb–sesame seed mixture, coating each piece well. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the marinade.
Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes. Baste with the melted butter and continue baking until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Original recipe found at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/lorraine-wallaces-sesame-chicken-recipe.html
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 cup buttermilk
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup plain sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Rinse the chicken breasts with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Put the chicken breasts on a plate large enough to hold them, and season with salt and pepper and the herbes de Provence.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a medium bowl and pour the buttermilk on top. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, toasted sesame seeds, and parsley.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off the excess. One at a time, dredge the chicken breasts in the bread crumb–sesame seed mixture, coating each piece well. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the marinade.
Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes. Baste with the melted butter and continue baking until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Original recipe found at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/lorraine-wallaces-sesame-chicken-recipe.html
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