Good Food Friday: Grain Free Bread (Almond and Coconut Flour Bread)

I know, the name says it all.

Grain-free bread?

Doesn't even the most basic definition of bread involve, well, grain?

Yes.  And all of my homemade bread recipes involve all kinds of combinations of grains.  Rice. Quinoa. Oat...

But not this one.  I have been experimenting with almond flour for years.  Years.  And most of my recipes have been, honestly, barely edible by my definition (but not by the rest of the household, thankfully!).  This one was a success on its first attempt and verified in the weeks since.  I don't really follow all the eating styles and labels on foods theses days so I don't know who can enjoy this but it sure is a treat around here.  A nice slice with a bit of coconut oil has been my comfort food lately!

Grain Free Bread (Almond Coconut Flour Bread)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp xylitol (you can use honey or sugar as well)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350* F and grease a *slightly smaller glass loaf pan* with coconut oil. 
• Combine dry ingredients and mix well.  Add lemon and eggs and mix well.  Start with the 1/2 cup water and mix until the dough resembles a stiff cake batter.  
• Scoop batter into the loaf pan and smooth with wet finger or a wet spatula.  Don't worry, it will rise and fill more of the pan, I promise.   Bake for 35 minutes.  
• Allow to cool.  Slice in pan.  Keep covered when stored.

This bread blew me away in the fact that unlike so many of the gluten free breads it continued to stay moist until the very last slice, about a week!  If you know gluten free bread, that is a miracle!  

Also, this is not a sweet bread.  If you like your stuff more on the sweet side, double the sweetener, or top with raw organic honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon (my preference)!

** Here is what I mean about the slightly smaller loaf pan.  Although both pans say 1.5 quart, this loaf was
baked in pan on the left.  It looks slightly more narrow than the one on the right.  Am I crazy?  By about an inch.   I bake all my gluten free loaves in this smaller pan because they tend to get a better rise.

Vegan Gluten Free Kani Salad

Remember Good Food Friday?

Well I am happy to say we have still been eating plenty of good food just not posting our recipes.  This has to change.  Not only so we can share our inventive eats but so we can have a record of them too.  Oh how many times I have searched my own blog for my own recipe!

This one is new to me.  Kani salad.  Ever heard of it?  Introduced to me this past weekend by some food adventurous friends.  It's basically cucumber and crab with spicy mayo. But it is never real crab at these places.  No.  That fake stuff. Made with random pulverized fish, weird food starches, poor quality vegetable oils and probably MSG? Definitely not on the gluten free or real food list.  So here is a cleaned up version.

(Excuse the terrible phone photo.  Next time I promise to snap a shot with my real camera

 before I devour.  But trust me, it's beautiful...)

Spicy Kani Salad

Ingredients:

• cucumber, julienne (I use this handy tool)
• vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and cooled  (I tend to keep this on hand soaking in the fridge.)
• vegan mayo - I used Vegenaise (or my Creamy Garlic Tofu Dressing, to follow)
• sriracha
• brown rice vinegar
• sesame seeds

Directions:

• Toss cucumber and noodles. I tend to always use more veggies than noodles.
• Top with a dollop of mayo, a squirt of sriracha and a splash of vinegar and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Toss to coat evenly.   Adjust to taste!

I think the noddles basically nail the texture of fake crab, if fake crab could be considered desirable, if only for texture. This is pretty basic but I think it would be fun to add shredded carrot for more color, or tuna for protein, all on a bed of lettuce for a meal.  Some versions add mango for a slightly sweet yet spicy side dish.


And it always tastes better when eaten with chopsticks!

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Creamy Tofu Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

• 8 oz organic tofu
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 squirt mustard
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup organic olive oil 
• 1/3 cup water

Directions:

• Blend first 7 ingredients in a blender.  I used my Vitamix but I'm sure this would work in any decent blender. With blender running, slowly add oil in a thin stream.  Then add water the same way until you reach desired consistency.  It will look questionable a few times but it will come together in a beautiful creamy sort of way.

Use this as a dip base or as a mayo replacement.

Good Food Friday: Dutch Oven Balsamic Vinegar Sirloin Tip Roast

I seriously think this was the best roast I ever made. Seriously.

It was amazing. The secret? The rub. Balsamic Vinegar and rosemary spice rub. Even my non-roast loving family members loved this roast. 

Finished roast

What you need:

• 3.5 lb Grassfed Sirloin Tip Roast
• 1 - 2 Onions (depending on size and taste preference)
• 2 - 3 Carrots sliced
• 3 - 5 Red Skin Potatoes cubed
• Rub (mixed in a separate bowl)

For the rub:

• 2 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary (mine is crushed)
• 1 pinch of powdered thyme 
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

If I had had fresh spices for the rub I would have used them but my herb garden is in transition right now (read between the lines it was ripped out because of weed over growth). 

Instructions:

Heat oven to 250. 

On your stove top using your dutch oven heat oil (I used about 1 Tbsp of bacon grease and 1 Tbsp of Coconut oil) and sauteed the onions until clear and added the sliced carrots as the onions started to brown. 

While doing that I rubbed the spice & balsamic mixture all over the roast and let it sit. 

When veggies are getting soft and look like below remove from your pot and set aside. 

Add more oil if necessary to the pot (I added a little more coconut oil) and brown your meat on both sides. About 5 minutes or so each side. 

Remove meat when browned and add potatoes, the cooked veggies, then meat to the dutch oven. 

Cover with lid and place in oven. Cook for 60 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 30 - 40 checking for desired done-ness (is that a word?). I personally think meat should be medium. 

Remove meat and let rest for 5 or more minutes and slice against the grain. Serve.

Cooked vegetables

Roast with rub

Browning meat

Vegetables added back to pot before roast went on top.

Amazing flavors and tender, not over cooked, grassfed healthy meat. What is your favorite way of cooking a roast?!

Recipe inspiration and rub recipe (they grilled theirs):
http://purelyprimal.com/2011/05/23/balsamic-sirloin-tip-roast/

Good Food Friday: Immune Tonic

Well it is that time of year again I think it's safe to say we are all fighting something.  Being sick is no fun and sometimes staying healthy feels like a full time job.  Especially if you are trying to keep a whole house feeling fine.

I stumbled across this drink in one of my magazines and was immediately hooked by the ingredient list alone.  Lemons.  Ginger.  Echinacea.  I'm pretty sure this is the healthy vegan substitute for chicken broth!

Immune Tonic

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. honey or light agave
• 1 tsp finely grated peeled ginger (in the beginning I used powder)
• 1/4 tsp echinacea extract (sometimes I skip this, it's still amazing)
• couple drops of sriracha

Directions:

• Measure and combine all ingredients into a mug (I double mine into a pint jar)
• Add 1 cup boiling water stirring until sweetener is dissolved 
• Let sit one minute before serving

inspired by bon appetit magazine (01/13)

I've been using this to replace my morning tea or afternoon snack.  If you are brave for an extra immune boost you could add some fresh peeled minced garlic.  

Wouldn't this make a great soup base?  Some sauted veggies and a spoonful of rice.  See what you can come up with...

Good Food Friday: Strawberry Milk Kefir Popsicles

Got milk kefir? I do (again) and I am trying to be purposeful in how I use it. No longer do I want my kefir to take up the refrigerator door but instead I am looking for creative uses for this yummy, good for you, beverage. We are enjoying a blast of super heated air the last couple days here in Ohio and the weather has brought cool treats to mind. Here is my recipe for strawberry milk kefir popsicles the perfect treat any time of day.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup milk kefir
• 3 Tbsp organic sugar 
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 4 medium (frozen) strawberries & 1 large (frozen) strawberry

Directions:

In a blender combine all ingredients but large strawberry. Blend until smooth. Add large strawberry to blender and "chop" strawberry for frozen chunks of fruit in popsicles. Pour liquid into popsicle mold (I purchased mine for $5.00 at a thrift store). My mold can make 10 popsicles but the recipe only makes 5. This took all of no time at all. Perfect if you have little ones running around your feet. Freeze until frozen (yup I said it... did you see the "recipe for making ice cubes" the comments are too funny!).

Five popsicles is more than enough for my little family. There is a lot of room for creativity in this recipe. Sugar can be replaced with stevia or raw honey. Fresh strawberries can be used instead of frozen. I just have frozen for my breakfast smoothies (also milk kefir or homemade greek yogurt). 

For another version of strawberry kefir popsicles and a quick idea of just what kefir is visit here.

Do you drink kefir? How do you use your surplus? Feel free to leave a comment (they are always welcome!) or join the conversation on our Facebook page. 

Until next time!

Good Food Friday: Chocolate Apricot Bars

I love the idea of unprocessed food.  Real food.  Whole food.  Foods that heal.  That benefit my body.  I would say I eat this way about 80% of the time. The 20% of the time that I don't is normally for dessert.  But why?  Because healthy desserts have a nasty reputation for being boring, tasteless or just plain weird. As I have been reading more and more, learning about how individual ingredients function in a recipe it is getting so much easier to discover satisfying sweets that fit in the whole unprocessed category.  

Like this.  

Almost completely nuts and fruit this is just about the healthiest treat I can imagine.  And with the addition of dark chocolate chips, it tastes indulgent.  Almost like a granola bar I'm betting this will be great in the morning with a piece of fruit and mug of hot tea for breakfast!

Chocolate Apricot Bars (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ground almonds (I did mine in a coffee grinder, but a food processor would work too)
• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 eggs, beaten
• a few tablespoons water
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350*.  Lightly grease an 8X8 baking dish.  
• Combine dry ingredients besides chocolate.  
• Add beaten eggs and mix with a fork until ingredients are no longer dry.  If the dough is not sticking together, add water a tablespoon at a time. 
• Add chocolate chips.  
• Lightly press dough into the pan.  Bake for 25 minute.  Allow to cool or if you can't wait, go ahead and sneak a square.  They hold up well (if you eat gluten free and avoid synthetic binders you know what I mean) and are quite filling.

Inspired by Elana's Pantry


P.S. I was right... they do make an excellent breakfast!

Good Food Friday: Roasted Romaine

 I don't think there is a vegetable that tastes anything less than incredible drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven.  Some totally explainable choices are beets, broccoli and tomatoes.  But lettuce?  Won't it just taste like warm salad?  Honestly the idea never crossed my mind.  But there it was in this months Bon Apetite, roasted next to Caesar chicken breasts.  It was gorgeous and I immediately took mental stock of my fridge and vow to make this vegetable.

Here is my lovely romaine.  Washed, dried well and cut in half lengthwise.  I drizzled them with olive oil cracked pepper and a bit of shaved parm cheese.  

Before a 450* oven for a very short 5 minutes (watch it!) ...

And after.  This picture makes me smile!  The romaine became slightly brown and was curling at the tips. And so very soft.    It becomes totally different than its raw crisp former self.  

Veggies are the main show of this supper and my goodness, I had seconds of everything! The romaine was warm and juicy.  It was a totally new way to serve a rather plain and predictable veggie.  You can bet I'll be craving this again... very soon!

Good Food Friday: The Ups and Downs of Gluten Free

No actual recipe today friends.  Just a story about food... 


I love a challenge, in the kitchen that is.  There is such a feeling of accomplishment when I can convert a conventional recipe to a healthier version.  It started with changing simple ingredients like sour cream to homemade yogurt or butter for applesauce.  Then I ventured into adding some extra things like nuts or seeds.  I was feeling good, making things from scratch with almost 100% success, cutting out all the fillers and extra processed components of recipes.

About 4 years ago our family physician suggested we try our second son on a gluten free diet.   My first thought was I am totally up for this; he will miss out on nothing.  I read and studied and experimented and tested, learning the properties of the various flours and the ratio of butter to eggs.  I was really proud of my accomplishments.  I even found a decent recipe for bread.  (The store bought stuff while gluten free had a TON of extra processed garbage in them!)  So basically the entire family went gluten free.  It was not a difficult decision to make, it was simply easier than making two different meals. Minus the bread.  There will always be two kinds of bread in my fridge, both homemade, one spelt the other gluten free.

A year ago, in another challenging attempt to save a few bucks, I bought a pasta machine.  Not one of those you can see in the late night infomercials that blend and extrude but the shiny old fashioned metal kind with the clamp and the crank.  Oh it is beautiful.  Once a week, usually Thursdays, I bring the machine down from the top shelf in the pantry, pour myself a glass of red wine (what is a good pasta dinner without one!) and crank out the good stuff.

Honestly, it's  okay.  This is the one thing that is killing me about gluten free.  I have done so much reading and testing that I feel by now I should have struck gold, but I'm still not happy.  So much of pasta making is in the ingredients.  I have used only farm eggs and fresh ground rice flour.  But the one thing I absolutely do not want in my pasta are the very ingredients that determine its success... fillers.   Starches.  Empty calories.  Corn based binders.  Really?  I have come all the way to run into this.

Yesterday all I could think about was making ravioli.  At two, I assembled the fillings.  At three I had finished researching a new pasta recipe.  By four, I was making a second batch of dough, with my standard and somewhat disappointing recipe.  Big sigh.  Huge sigh.  Here is what the four hour project/finished ravioli looked like...

and you can see by my kids plates they had no complaints.

Neither did my husband...

But by my fourth square, I was done.  It did not taste like I wanted it to.  Like I dreamed about all afternoon.  Like I remember before going gluten free.

So why?  Why keep on trying?  Keep falling short...

Because the chance of success, a total complete success, is just so close. This entire post may see kind of negative but I promise you I never see it that way.  In my experience, all of the best things I have achieved were difficult.   Having kids young.  Getting through school.  Learning to cook and bake.  Being involved.  Having more kids.  Building a home.  Making time to be me.  Having one more kid.   Soon I will have this under my belt too.   I have learned so much.  I'm sure I take most of it for granted now, I know the kids do, in a good way.  They know that I can make anything and never doubt my experiments.  So I'll keep going and failing and succeeding because in the end I believe it is the journey that counts.

How about you? C'mon, share your success/failure stories...

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Gluten Free Inspiration -- some sites I visit often for all their yummy recipes and super ideas!

Elena's Pantry :  A very clean and simple site with awesomely nutritious foods

Making Love in the Kitchen :  Meghan is an inspiration!  All her foods are insanely creative and yummy!


Know of any others???  Share the love... We gluten free people need to stick together!

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Also, don't forget to let us know you are out there and reading!

Good Food Friday: Venison Stroganoff

Venison Stroganoff

We eat primarily venison, chicken, and pork. Soon we will eat primarily venison, chicken, and rabbit (all of which we can raise or hunt ourselves). If you are a reader of Nourished Kitchen, the Weston A. Price Foundation, or an advocate of traditional or real foods, you will know that on the list of Good, Better, Best: Traditional Foods for Every Budget has wild game under the best red meats you can eat. I have cooked for the last three years, substituting venison for beef. The only exception to that rule is that I like an occasional pot roast and my husband likes to get more ground from his deer. I cave to the buy one get one free sales for beef roasts about twice a year.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for venison (you can of course use beef) that is a family favorite. Don't know how to get venison if you don't hunt? Ask around! You maybe surprised at how many hunters you know who are willing to give you a venison steak or two to experiment with. You maybe hooked ever after. You can of course buy venison (which is farmed in the state of Ohio... you can't buy wild venison) or see if you can barter with someone for some venison meat. We barter hunting rights on a small two acre suburban lot in a township near by for deer meat.

Ingredients:
1 lb. venison steak, about 1/2" thick
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion (minced about a 1/2 cup)
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed beef broth
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup sour cream
3 to 4 cups hot cooked noodles (I use egg noodles for this meal)

Directions:
Cut meat into bite size pieces. Melt butter in large pan or skillet (I use cast iron). Add mushrooms and onions and cook until onion is tender, then remove them from the pan. In same pan, cook meat until light brown (for venison I still leave a tiny bit of pink because I don't want to over cook the meat). Reserve 1/3 cup of the broth, stir in remaining broth, ketchup, garlic, and salt. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Blend reserved broth with flour, stir into pan. Add mushrooms and onions back into pan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Stir in sour cream and gently heat (don't boil). Serve over noodles.

Tops this meal takes about 30 minutes. There is rarely enough left for one person to have left overs in a family of four. Enjoy!

Good Food Friday: Homemade Mushroom Soup

There was a time, not to long ago, where I would never have thought to make any soup from scratch. If I wanted soup... I bought it in a can (or box). Why?!? Isn't that how everyone had soup? Making anything from scratch when it was already made for me just never entered my mind. Really. I would have considered the act of opening the can and reheating the soup "cooking". Maybe I would have been adventurous and added some fresh items to the soup. Like more mushrooms if I bought a can of mushroom soup. 

Typical "cooking" for me usually involved a meat, potato, and veggie (steamed) but that was as far as I would go. I didn't believe I could cook or really see a point to try. I felt like I ate a well rounded, fairly healthy diet. Not full of junk food. I had no idea that I could be healthier, eat better, and enjoy food more when I began to cook for real.

My point is that I did learned to cook and surprisingly I enjoy it. As I have expanded my ability, cooking from scratch continues to get easier. It took practice and a bit of work, a definite change in my thinking, but cooking doesn't have to be hard or time consuming. Don't think that I don't have a lot of work to do yet. I mean I have goals to replace all processed boxed foods in my pantry and cook entirely from ingredients from my yard or bought in bulk but one small step at a time. 

I wouldn't dream of buying good old canned mushroom soup now just for a bowl of it. I make it instead with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. All those who eat mushrooms in my house are a huge fan. Is it more work than opening a can of soup and heating up on the stove top? Yes, but not by much. In twenty minutes, you can be enjoying a steaming bowl of homemade mushroom soup.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 8 oz package of mushrooms
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 green onions (tonight I substituted a small yellow onion)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (I use more if the cloves are small)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme (in the summer use fresh thyme to taste and lemon thyme is better)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (to thicken more but you could substitute more flour)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs for garnish such as chives but not necessary

Directions:

• Chop up mushrooms, onions, and garlic (or mince it).
• Melt butter in a heavy bottom pot and cook the onions, garlic and thyme. Until onions soft and garlic "golden". Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mushrooms soften and their juices fill the pot about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir for 1 minute.
• While mushrooms are cooking prepare broth. I usually use a bouillon for my broth so I have two cups of warm water with the necessary bouillon and one cup of room temp water in which I add a second tablespoon of flour stirred until dissolved. 
• After the mushrooms and flour have been combined and cooked for about a minute until thickened, add stock and flour water to pot and stir continuously. Bring to boil while stirring then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
• Add corn starch to heavy cream and dissolve. 
• Whisk the cream into the soup, keep heat low, and stir to combine. Don't boil your soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Garnish as desired.

The chopping process.  The longest part of preparing the soup.

Onions, garlic, and mushrooms cooked and 1 tablespoon flour added.

Corn starch added to heavy cream.

Stock added to mushrooms and simmering for 2 minutes.

Cream added to soup with final seasoning. Soups done!

I am ready for another bowl! Enjoy.

Good Food Friday : Tuna Cabonara

This is my absolute favorite fast supper.  I honestly can not believe I haven't shared this with you!  It comes together super quick with staples I'm sure you already have in your kitchen and even being a pasta dish I packs in a ton of protein.  My only complaint is that this dish can be awfully "beige" and colorless so please do your eyes a favor and add the veggies!

My usual recipe for this makes enough for our seven but the ingredients are totally flexible.  You really can't go wrong.

Tuna Cabonara

Ingredients:

• pasta
• tuna
• onions
• red bell pepper (optional, in fact most times I don't have this but its great for color)
• fresh parsley (again optional but great for presentation)
• Parmesan cheese (fresh grated) 
• eggs, beaten
• salt
• oil or butter

Directions:

• Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. 
• While pasta is boiling, saute onion and peppers in oil or butter.  When veggies are softened, added canned strained tuna.  Cook until warm throughout.
• Have cheese grated and eggs beaten
• Drain pasta, but do not rinse.    Toss pasta into the tuna mixture and quickly toss with eggs and cheese.  The residual heat from the pasta will cook the eggs and melt the cheese.  
• Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and stir in parsley.  Serve immediately. 

I usually let the number of cans of tuna dictate the beaten eggs.  In our house, it is three cans of tuna to three eggs.  See, plenty of protein.  This recipe always makes it.  No matter what I have on hand I can pull this one off.  No peppers?  How about peas?  No spaghetti?  Substitute rice.  Just don't skip the cheese or eggs.   The combine and become the creamy sauce.

Good Food Friday : Gluten Free Banana Bread

The reason you should make this banana bread...

Because there are more bananas in it than any other ingredient.

And no oil. 

Actually no added fat.

A nice surprise for the little ones up early for school.  Make the batter the night before and pop it in the oven first thing in the morning.  The kids may not even need you to drag them out of bed.  

Ingredients:

• 4 brown bananas, smashed
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 2/3 cup rice flour
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• (chocolate chips or nuts - optional)

Directions:

• Mix everything in a bowl.
• Pour into greased and floured mini baking pans (3 of them)
• Bake at 350* until medium brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (So sorry I don't even have a time estimate.  My usual batch is quadruple this and I didn't time this batch, surprise, just put it in while packing lunches.)

Also makes an excellent after school snack or tea time, or before bed... not that I would know, or that I actually ate the bread that many times today.  I've said too much.  Enjoy!

Good Food Friday : Asian Style (Super Quick) Green Beans

Incredible how many beans a 30 ft row of plants can produce isn't it. And this was just one picking!

So far I have frozen 25 quarts, fermented a gallon and given away countless grocery bags, not to mention the ones that have been served at our supper table or brought to picnics. We sure do enjoy the foods of the season but boiled beans can get old real quick especially when cooking for a bunch of kids who can remember everything they have put in their bellies for the past week. So I found this recipe (and others, but this is my favorite). I always loved the green beans at any Asian buffet but it never occurred to me to try and make them at home. The ingredients could not be simpler and the results could not be more delicious. And my favorite? The beans still have a nice crunch!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• Braggs Liquid aminos (you could use soy sauce or tamari)
• sugar
• olive oil
• minced garlic

Directions:

• In a large lidded frying pan saute garlic (3 cloves) in oil until very lightly brown.
• Add green beans and saute until they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Swirl some Braggs liquid aminos (I did three circles around the pan) on the green beans then sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir and cover. Reduce heat to low. A glaze will form on the bottom of the pan so return to the stove every couple minutes to stir. Since the pan is covered the beans will steam themselves.
• After ten minutes the beans will be cooked but still snappy. Stir the glaze and green beans one more time. If at any time the beans start to burn, add 1/4 cup water to deglaze the pan and save supper!
• Serve immediately, or in a bit or cold. Good anytime. For that extra Asian kick, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Good Food Friday: Perfect Kale Chips

Heard of them? Maybe... Tried them? You should! I love kale unconditionally but kale chips? How could I not at least try. So while the recipe is nothing new or original (basically just olive oil, salt and your favorite kale) I just wanted to let you know that indeed the recipe deserves the attention it is getting. Easily successful if you have a watchful eye. Here is how it goes...

Sigh... kale at sunset. Beautiful, huh?

Gather a bunch of kale. Like tons. This stuff cooks down so if you want enough to serve more than yourself and another lucky soul get two grocery store bunches. If you are growing it in your backyard, get about twenty stems.

Rip the leafy parts off the hard stems. Big pieces, about the size of my palm worked for me. Toss them in a large bowl to accumulate.

Drizzle with olive oil. Start with a little and use a rubber spatula to scrape and toss the kale with the oil. The goal here is to get all the kale lightly glistening with oil and not so much that they are greasy. I know, it's a fine line, you will find what works. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. (Some recipes here get fun and add garlic or cheese or spices. I've tried cheese and was mildly disappointed so I'm just going to keep it simple.)

Distribute kale evenly on many baking sheets. This batch of mine took four. Yes four. Seems like a lot but by the time it was said and done I ended up with a medium sized mixing bowl of kale chips.

Place kale in a preheated 250* oven. After 15 minutes pull them out and check them. Chip by chip and leaf by leaf. Pull off the ones that are already firm and crispy or just about there (they will hold their shape when picked up basically). Then there will be some that are still very soft and flexible. These require a couple more minutes in the oven. Condense the kale on your baking sheets (by this time I was down to two) and stick them back in the oven for 5 more minutes.

So there you have it. Very specific directions of how to succeed. I think the greatest improvement of this version and most others is the lower oven temperature. Much less risk of the super crumbly over cooked kale chips. And don't worry about if some do get too crispy. Save them to crumble and sprinkle on soups or salads. Nothing goes to waste.

(Insert picture of gorgeous kale chips being gobbled by curious guests...)

Sorry no finished product picture. It's becoming an unfortunate habit of mine. Taking too many before and during photos and having no proof of end results. But trust me, they look like every other kale chip photo out there. Just fewer burnt ones... and I'd be willing to bet that this recipe alone could convert you to become one of the unconditional lovers of all thing kale!

Good Food Friday: On Saturday: Soulvaki (Shish Kabobs)

In general this can be made any way you like it, however this is my recipe that is quickly moving to a family summer favorite. Here is what you need:

• 2lb. pork roast
• Assorted veggies (Eggplant, peppers, red or white onion, mushrooms, etc.)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• Dried oregano for seasoning skewers on grill

Cute your pork into bite sized cubes. Mix all ingredients (except veggies) to create a marinade. Marinate pork cubes at least 30 minutes or overnight if you plan ahead. Use marinate for basting as well. While pork is marinating I then cut up the veggies (use what ever your family enjoys) into bite sized pieces. I start with the eggplant because I like to soak my eggplant (at least 30 minutes) in salt water to remove some bitterness.

Eggplant and pork marinating.

Bite sized veggies.

I snip the skewers in half to make grilling easier for me and to create an illusion of "less is more". No more than two pieces of meat go on a skewer then and my guys eat more veggies!

My mini skewers waiting to go on the grill.

Grilling. I cover them with a large cookie sheet.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve as soon as possible! Enjoy.

Good Food Friday: Tacos!

I really wanted to post about my newest favorite soup...

... but I'm sure you are getting tired of all my recipes needing a bowl and spoon. So I'm doing my next favorite super quick supper: tacos! I can feed my entire family (husband with bottomless stomach, 3 boys with a hollow leg, 2 itty bitty girls and myself) on one pound of ground meat. Seriously! Want to know my secret? Beans. They are amazing are they not? Inexpensive but when combined with meat and spices, well, it is darn close to magic what they can accomplish. And instead of prepackaged taco seasoning, I throw together my own, thank you very much. The funny thing is, this is also my recipe for chili, just add onions, fresh peppers and a couple cans of chopped tomatoes and let it sit in a crock pot for an afternoon.

Meat and Bean Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat ( I use turkey or beef)
• 4 cups of great northern beans, soaked overnight and cooked for two hours (or canned)
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika (or chili powder)
• 2 huge cloves garlic
• a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes

Directions:

• Saute meat until no longer pink. Add beans.
• Combine spices in a bowl and add a bit of water and stir.

spices without water

spices with water

• Add spices to meat and bean mixture. Serve when heated through. Serve with brown rice, spinach, salsa, sour cream, cheese, shredded carrots... really any vegetable!

Yesterday's supper? Burrito bowl!

Okay, on second thought, that does require a bowl and spoon. So since I already broke my own rule for this post I might as well give you the recipe for my new favorite soup, too. Coincidently, this is what I had for lunch yesterday. Oh so good!

Chinese Lettuce Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 mushrooms (very thinly sliced)
• 1 carrot (very thinly sliced)
• 1 handful spinach (don't you love my precise measurements?)
• bunch of chives (or scallions)
• Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

the chives are from my garden

Directions:

• In a wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrot, and chives. Cook, stirring constantly until mushroom are slightly brown and carrots begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add 3-4 cups of water. Add Braggs Liquid Aminos, about 3 turns around the wok, or to taste. Simmer until heated through. Sometimes I add a few drops of sesame seed oil for that truly authentic Asian flavor. You can also serve it with cubed tofu or chicken.

I enjoyed it with a few shrimp. Such a treat!

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Besides all the cooking taking place in my kitchen, there is TONS happening outside of my kitchen window. Can't wait to share some finished projects with you.

See you next week with photos of the amazing progress taking place in the backyard, despite the soggy ground and gray skies. It looks like spring is coming after all!

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Joining up again with all our lovely neighbors over at Farm Friend and Farm Girl Friday. Welcome back to all our friends and perhaps new visitors! If you like us and have a Facebook account won't you take a moment to "Like us" on Facebook? On our Two Blue Houses Facebook page we often share pictures and other things we don't post on the blog. You can also follow us via Newtworked Blogs and get just the quick up to the minute post updates.  Not into all that crazy social networking? If you scroll to the bottom of our blog you can submit your email address for daily or weekly blog updates. This week we also had a cultured (fermented) vegetable recipe. Look around we are so glad you stopped by!

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You have to check out this amazing T-shirt by Jackie. She updated a simple black T-shirt in the simplest way, but it is so beautiful. It is so adorable; I think I am in love! - Lauren