by LT MarathonGirl | Jul 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
My garden is my pride and joy. I love being able to relax in the back yard with a different scene almost daily depending on what is in bloom. Tucked away in the blooms are edible delights that almost look too pretty to eat. Chives in the spring and fall, strawberries in early summer, blackberries in late summer, and herbs almost year round.
Not big on rum, a server at my old favorite restaurant (so sad that it is gone) talked me into ordering a blueberry mojito. I have to say, it was fun summer awesomeness in a glass. It was this morning’s inspiration for our morning smoothie.
Blueberry Mojito Smoothie
Printable Version
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
- 1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
- 1 small handful kale
- 1 slice lime
- 1/2 c water
- 1 c ice
- 1 squeeze agave
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Instructions
- place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
by LT MarathonGirl | Jun 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
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The dilemma – we are grilling steaks. We picked up beautiful bone-in ribeyes, the king of all steaks. He wants lionized hash browns as a side. She wants healthy sides. Ahhhhh! How do we make everyone happy?
I took a stab at making a healthier version of this diner favorite. It was fantastic.
Baked Lionized Hash Brown
Printable Version
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes
- 1/2 purple onion sliced thing
- 1 c grated Mexican blend cheese
- Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
- Salt
- Crisco
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Instructions
- heat oven to 450
- grate the potatoes
- in a bowl, mix potatoes, cheese, onion, and seasoning
- grease cast iron skillet with Crisco
- form hash brown in skillet
- mist top with vegetable oil
- bake for 1 hour – until crunchy on top
“One cannot think love sleep well if one has not dined well”
Viginia Woolf
This recipe calls for Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, one of my ultimate favorites. You can make your own spice mix; however, having a Tony’s on hand is an easy, remarkable add in for: potato salad, macaroni salad, grilled shrimp fish and chicken, and deviled eggs.
by LT MarathonGirl | Mar 26, 2014 | Uncategorized
At a networking breakfast yesterday, someone mentioned leaving the skin on kiwi when you make
smoothies. It just didn’t sound right to me, but then someone added “my kid eats kiwi with the skin on like an apple”. OK, but kids eat worms too. I still wasn’t 100% sold, but I tried it this morning anyway – you couldn’t tell they were in there. Believe me, if anything was funky our 10 year old would have called us out.
Thanks for the great tip.
I did some research this morning, there’s actually a California Kiwifruit Organization. I found out that by leaving the skin on the fiber value is tripled and more of the vitamin C is retained. Hey, I just like that it’s a shortcut in the morning.
According to Wikipedia to have “skin in the game” is to have incurred monetary risk by being
invested in achieving a goal. In my smoothie recipe having skin in the game is to retain more of the vitamins and add fiber.
Skin In Kiwi Smoothie
printable version
Ingredients
- 2 oranges peeled
- 8 strawberries
- 1 slice lime
- 1 inch slice pineapple peeled
- 2 kiwi, ends cut off, but not peeled
- 1 cup ice
- 1 cup water
- 1 squeeze agave
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Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
by LT MarathonGirl | Mar 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
Sometimes it’s not the foods our kids (and husbands) won’t eat, it’s the way they are prepared. For instance, most people steam brussel sprouts. Yuck! You can’t get most people to buy in to them this way. Try roasting them with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and orange peel. DELICIOUS! The same goes for asparagus. Steamed, not so liked. Grilled or roasted it takes on an entirely different flavor, and texture, that will get more wins and empty plates.
I find that the best way to make sure that my family gets enough vegetables is to hide them in a fruity flavored smoothie. Sometimes I sneak a few too many veggies in there and I am busted. Sometimes I hit a home run like with this limey flavored smoothie.
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hide the Spinach, An Antioxidant Smoothie
Printable Version
Ingredients
- 1 orange peeled
- 2 kiwi peeled
- 1 banana
- 1 lime wedge
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ice
- 1 squeeze agave
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Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Wait to see if anyone detects your secret ingredient. I bet that they can’t
by LT MarathonGirl | Feb 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ~Julia Child
I love to experiment in the kitchen. Some trials are hits and some hit the trash can. Some are originals and others come from reliable sources like Food Network or Food and Wine Magazine. Super Bowl Sunday I found another homerun from the January 2014 Bon Appetit magazine, Spicy Pork and Mustard Greens Soup. I made it as a first course, but it could easily be an entree as well.
Printable Version
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp finely grated peeled ginger
- 1tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
- ¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, coarsely chopped
- 1Tbs vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bunch mustard greens, torn (I used 1 bag pre-cut)
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 8 oz. wide rice noodles
Mix pork, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and cumin in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, 8–10 minutes. Add mustard greens, scallions, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 5–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.
Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
Divide noodles among bowls and ladle soup over.
Notes: If you can find rice noodles that come in 2 oz individual packages that works best. I made a double recipe of the soup and found that 8 oz. of noodles was perfect. I would recommend only making 4 oz. with a single recipe.
If you are specialty market challenged, as I am, Sichuan peppercorns may not be found. I Googled a substitute and this is what I found
Sichuan peppercorn is not a pepper at all. Substitute with black peppercorns.
???
That made no sense at all to me so I kept digging until I found one that made sense -use equal parts black peppercorns and anise seeds. Although the recipe was missing the “tingly mouth sensation” that Sichuan peppercorns are used for, it was still delicious.
