That Yummy Asian Theme!

I've been eyeing those lettuce "wraps" for awhile now. Seems like a great way to lower the carb content of a meal. And while I'm sure they're intended for cold salad type foods like egg, chicken or tuna salad, I was really tempted to try them as a wrap for warm food.

And so, there I was making myself a stir fry. I started by putting some mushrooms, garlic curly thingees (Um.. they have a name but see if I can remember what it is. Anyway they pop out of the middle of the garlic plant and you remove them so the nutrition will go into the bulb. They are quite edible.), some green onion, celery, asparagus, broccoli and red pepper into a small skillet to saute. Then I threw in some bean sprouts and about 1/2 cup cooked brown rice. Now, if you eat meat you could also put some lean strips of beef, chicken, etc. in there. I had some leftover tofu and while it's not my fave thing, I cut it into cubes and marinaded it in some tamari sauce with a splash of sesame oil for about ten minutes. I put the cubes of tofu into the pan first to saute a bit, then I just poured in the marinade to give the whole thing a bit of an Asian flavour.

Then I spooned it into the lettuce wraps. They made little boats for the stir fry that you can either eat neatly with knife and fork, or, with napkin on hand, pick up and enjoy! This meal is gluten-free, dairy-free and low in carbs for those watching their blood sugar. A yummy but healthy alternative to gluteny, carby grain wraps!!



Another great summertime meal! Shish~ka~bobs!! I had a package of natural stew beef in the freezer that I needed to use up, but the weather is just too warm for stew. So I made sure the pieces were cut small enough, then I put them in a marinade made in a small, glass bowl with about 1/2 cup g-free pizza/pasta sauce into which I added a good squirt of agave nectar, herbal vinegar (or lemon juice), some tamari sauce and a squirt of sesame oil. (Yes, we like that Asian influence, but you can make yours to your taste with other sauces and oils!) I made sure all the pieces of beef were covered in some marinade, covered the bowl and put it in the fridge for a little over 3 hours. This tenderizes the meat beautifully. I cleaned up some mushrooms and cut up some peppers and put all on bamboo skewers. (If you use any wooden skewers, remember to soak them in cold water for 20 mins. before you put the food on, so they won't burn on the bbq.) To go with these I made g-free fried rice. (The recipe for this is on an earlier post.)

Alas, that was a big package of stew beef and there were leftovers. To change it up for the fam, I made them Lo Mein noodles a couple of nights later with the warmed up beef, mushrooms and pepper pieces. Again an Asian theme, I used g-free rice spaghetti for this. While it was cooking I sauteed some more mushrooms, peppers and chopped green onion, then I added some organic chicken broth ~ about 1/2 cup. You can add more veges here too, such as snow peas, broccoli... whatever you like. Use some more of the broth to dissolve some g-free starch. I used tapioca starch and used it to thicken the veges and broth in the pan. Then I added the cooked, drained noodles, about 2 tablespoons of tamari sauce and yes, that splash of sesame oil for the right flavour. I turned it down to low and covered it while I warmed up the beef in the microwave. Then I served it all up.

Let's Talk Corn

Let's talk corn. This is the most used crop/food on the planet and is in much of what we eat in some form or another, from corn flour in pancake and muffin mixes, to corn syrup or corn syrup solids in everything from boullion, to rice mixes, to prepared meats. It's also in much of the feed given to animals raised for meat. And it's also probably one of the major food contributors to Type 2 Diabetes.

But as things go at our house, a bag of organic blue or red corn chips with a little salsa is considered a healthier snack than .. say... potato chips, or those other junky snack foods. I gave up corn years ago. And we use mostly locally, naturally or organically grown/raised foods, cutting down significantly on the corn in our food. But I do put up locally grown corn in the freezer for hubby to enjoy with his occasional locally grown pork. And I do and will encourage corn chips as an alternative to other junkier snack foods.

Thing is, I had trouble yesterday resisting those blue corn chips. Just a few, I thought, won't hurt. They're just organic blue corn, safflour oil and a little sea salt. No problem, right? Oy. I went to bed feeling bloaty and my blood sugar was up this morning. :p So yeah, the fam can have 'em sometimes for a treat, but I need to stick to talking corn, and refrain from eating it. *sigh*

How much corn is in your food?

De-Sugar Those Dried Crans!

I love dried cranberries. They're great in a dish of snack food, mixed with nuts, dried apricots and raisins, for instance. They also dress up a pasta/chic pea salad very nicely. But the commercial dried crans I get here are always coated with sugar. I don't want sugar on them. Sure, they're sour without the sugar. What's wrong with sour?? Sour puts a kick in the flavour sensors ~ aka taste buds! Sour is good!

So I dry my own. To do this, you need a dehydrator. It's an investment, but so far I've found it a really worthwhile one. As well as drying my own crans, I can dry other fruits ~ most notably tomatoes and apple slices or even apple chips with no sugar added, as well as veges and herbs. If you get the solid trays, you can also make your own no-sugar-added fruit leathers. (It can also be used to make jerky.)

Anyway, I'm all about the fruit, so to dry cranberries you need to slit them first, otherwise they blow up like little tiny balloons which "pop" in your mouth. (Kind of fun actually, but they dry better slit.) You can start with fresh crans or, as I discovered, you can buy a package of frozen crans, let them thaw, slit them, put them in the dehydrator overnight, and they dry beautifully. (See picture.)

I especially like them to change up that pasta/chic pea salad. I cook up about 1/4 to 1/3 cup brown rice small pasta, like macaroni, cook and drain it over about 1/4 cup chic peas. Then I put it all back in the empty pot and add: chopped green onion, celery, broccoli (yes, raw), 1/4 cup dried crans, a handful of chopped walnuts (great for lowering cholesterol, but don't overdo); dress with some fresh or dried dill weed, parsley, sweet basil, dash of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, sea salt and pepper to taste. If you're a meat-eater, you can also add strips of cooked chicken and some chopped fresh rosemary. Make it the way you like it!

But to keep some of that very unnecessary sugar out of your healthy diet, try drying your own cranberries and other fruits!

Creamed Salmon, Again

I've given this recipe before on another blog. It's a fave of my daughter's and it's so easy to make.

I gave the gluteny version before ~ where you make a roux with garlic butter and wheat flour. But it's crazy easy to make a gluten-free and more heart-healthy version. Instead of making a roux, just pour the milk or milk alternative into the pan, (I use soy milk. Haven't tried rice milk in this and I'm not sure almond milk would go, but hey....), add the salmon and seasonings, then thicken.

Now, the lump in the picture is a popover, and I haven't yet successfully made a gluten-free popover. But creamed salmon can be served on a bed of rice or gluten-free pasta just as well. If you're watching your blood sugar, remember to use brown rice, quinoa, or brown rice pasta, etc., as opposed to white, so you're getting complex carbs instead of simple carbs, which enter the blood stream as simple sugar. So here's the recipe for one serving:

Creamed Salmon
3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1/2 can wild Pacific salmon
generous sprinkling of dried Tarragon leaves (a must.. makes the dish)
dash of sea salt, pepper, dried parsley and basil, to taste
2 good tsps. of tapioca starch (or arrowroot flour, or g-free corn starch)
peas, broccoli or vege of choice

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a small skillet and heat to a light boil. Add the salmon and seasonings and bring back to a light boil. Add peas and/or broccoli if you want them in the creamed salmon. Add starch to the remaining 1/4 cup milk, stirring to dissolve. Then add to the cooking mixture and stir till it all thickens. Serve over rice or pasta, and with any other veges you like.

It's asparagus season here and my daughter loves it fried in garlic butter. A little garlic olive oil is more heart-healthy though. The main thing is the garlic, because asparagus and garlic go together almost as well as kale and garlic. Avoid garlic powders though. I found out the hard way there's gluten in mine. Garlic salt adds unnecessary sodium to your food. And real garlic can burn, leaving a bitter taste. Garlic olive oil is best. After cooking the asparagus I threw in some mushrooms too. Once cooked, I placed the veges on a microwave safe plate ready to heat up again once the creamed salmon is done. Rice or pasta should be prepared ahead too. The creamed salmon doesn't take long, so it's always the last thing I prepare.

Quick, easy, heart-healthy, g-free, etc. Enjoy.

No Sugar Added Spreads

Why did I finish the dandelion jelly post with the words "USE JAMS AND JELLIES RESPONSIBLY?" Ok, I was going for the humour, but it was also a serious warning too. In our world, Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise. I come from a family history liberally sprinkled with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Both of my parents were, at one point, diagnosed with Type 2, and both my siblings have Type 2 diabetes as well. I'm a hold-out, and just as I helped my mom control hers with diet while she was living, I'm doing my best to avoid the dx myself.

To that end, I came up with three flavours of no-sugar-added spreads. They are all sweet though. They are all sweetened with fruit juice concentrate that has no sugar added. They are also fruit combinations that complement each other. Now, I will say this: sugar is not the only culprit in diabetes, of course. Carbohydrates are an even bigger source of simple sugar in the blood. Of the fruits I use, pineapple has 19.6 grams of carbs per cup (2 grams of fiber); blueberries have 21 grams (3.5 gram of fiber); strawberries have 12.8 grams of carbs (3.3 of fiber); peaches 9.3 grams of carbs (1.5 of fiber); apples 19.1 grams of carbs (3.3 fiber); 5 dates = 32 grams of carbs (3.3 fiber). Carbs in the unsweetened, concentrated juice are even higher.

I put all these numbers here because I've heard a lot of opinion from people on how filled with carbs these spreads are. But opinion doesn't do it for me, so here are the facts. Moreover, both dates and cinnamon, despite any numbers, are very good for helping people control their blood sugar. Nevertheless, and obviously, all spreads should be used in moderation.

That said, here's how these spreads are made.


Wendy's "Brown Jam" (apple/cinnamon/date spread)

2 cans of frozen, unsweetened apple juice
2 cups chopped cooking apple
2 cups chopped dates
1 generous teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Put all this into a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and cook until thickened. Doesn't take long with this one. Scoop into sterilized jars and lid.

Notes:
A cooking apple is a hard apple, like Royal Gala, not a soft apple, like MacIntosh.
Buy pitted whole dates to chop yourself; pre-chopped dates are often coated with sugar.
Instructions for preserving are to the right if you've never done it before.

Strawberry/Pineapple Spread

1 can unsweetened pineapple juice
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple canned in its own juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Again, place all ingredients into a large saucepan, bring to a boil, then cook until it's thickened to the consistency you like. (Bear in mind if will thicken more as it cools.) This one takes a little more cooking down than the brown jam. You may wish to put a drop or two of non-glycol red food colouring into this to help it keep an appetizing hue. Place in sterilized jars and lid.

Blueberry/Peach Spread

2 cups fresh blueberries
1 can of peaches canned in fruit juice, not sugar syrup ~ do not drain
1 can unsweetened apple juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Same as above... except with the blueberries in there, this needs no colouring.

One more important note: When you preserve properly, the jar lids should pop, creating a seal that will enable you to put these jars of spread in your pantry till you need them. After opening, you not only need to refrigerate them, you need to use them up within a couple of weeks. Without all the sugar that's usually in jam, these will not keep forever, the way jam does. So when you open it, enjoy it. These spreads can also be used in baking to use them up, if needed ~ like putting a fruity center into muffins, for instance, or the brown jam makes great "date" squares. The others are also great for drizzling over whole-grain pancakes or waffles in place of a sugary syrup. Enjoy. :)

Sinfully Good Bad Food

Yes, yes, white food is bad. I know, I told you all about it. The thing is, it's also good. I mean, you know.... it's yummy. :)

The main reason potatoes should be used in moderation is because they're loaded with starch and this can impact on the blood sugar if this is a concern for you. I know someone having trouble controlling his blood sugar. His doctor told him that 3/4 of his plate should be covered with vegetables. Potato is a vegetable, right? So he loads his plate with mashed potatoes, tells his doctor that he's following orders, and wonders why his blood sugar continues to soar, despite his meds.

So, potato is a starch. So is corn, by the way. As such they enter the blood stream very much like simple carbs, such as white wheat pasta, white bread, etc. ~ as simple sugar. That's why a diet high in these foods will impact very badly on blood sugar. The impact of starches and simple carbs can be worse than foods with refined sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation. But take heart ~ potatoes at least are high in nutrients and fiber. (This is something that can't be said of, say, white bread, where 24 nutrients have been stripped from the white wheat flour in processing and refining, and only 4 have been returned, enabling companies to put the word "enriched" on their product. Just so you know.)

Anyway, a few mornings ago, I awoke during a dream about mashed potatoes and broccoli. No, I don't often dream about foods. Trains, boats, flying, and trying to dial 911 on a phone where the 9 doesn't work, yes. Food, not so much. So naturally I figured I really needed to have mashed potatoes and broccoli. And here it is.

Of course, a lot of the nutritional value in potatoes is in the peel, so if you're going to indulge, you're better to bake them and be careful to not serve them with too much fat. (aka butter) This, of course, is for good heart health. Hummus is good with baked potato, by the way. ;o)

But mashed potatoes with the peel? I think not. So I peeled and boiled same. But to give the potatoes some redeeming protein nutrition, I mashed them with dairy- and gluten-free soy creamed cheese, along with some garlic olive oil and raw baby spinach. I served my potatoes with not just broccoli, but other veges as well, and some of my own lemon/dill hummus (recipe on another post).

No, this isn't something I'm going to have often because, yes, I'm watching my blood sugar. But I think I pulled it out with the creamed cheese and veges so it's now on my list of "occasional treats." :) I mean.... it was just really goooood.

And here's a variation on the potato theme that keeps that nutritious skin intact. I nuked this Russett potato, dressed it with fresh and dried herbs, chopped red pepper and chopped leek in garlic olive oil, and served it with a giant salad with g-free sesame dressing. After this picture was taken, I added a spoonful of my own hummus dip. Mmmmmm.... with a nice glass of dry red wine, an altogether heart healthy and delicious meal.

Fettucine La Wendakai

I get the feeling that some people really shy away from brown rice pasta, but while I have had some "glumphy" experiences with rice pasta, I have had some good luck and yummy results with Rizopia Brown Rice pastas. I don't know where all this is available, but I can say that this company continues to tweek their product and I have had little trouble with it in the past several years.

I didn't really use the fettucine that much though, because it was a little gloppy in the past. But I had a yen for some fettucine lately and bought some new stuff. All I can say is that they've been busy in the Rizopia food test lab, because this package of fettucine was fine, light and cooked quickly. I discovered this last week when I cooked a bunch of it for both hubby and me. With mine, I made a dressing of garlic olive oil, gluten-free dijon mustard, my own dried tomatoes, a little sea salt, fresh ground pepper and some dried herbs. I also added black olives, finely chopped onion, celery, red pepper and little broccoli florets.

(With Hubby's share, I made up a package of Alfredo mix using alternative milk, with some chopped up Black Forest ham. He loved it.) But I have to be gluten-free vegan, hence the different expressions of a fettucine dinner. So, what you see here is about ... oooohhh.. up to 400 calories worth of brown rice fettucine, 100 or so of garlic olive oil dressing, and some veges. So perhaps between 500 and 600 calorie gluten-free, vegan pasta dinner. It was yum. :)

*Now I want to point out something here for folks who may not realize this: brown rice pasta is complex carbohydrates. This metabolizes in a slower, much healthier way than white rice, in any form. IN FACT, almost all WHITE FOOD is simple carbohydrates. This includes white rice, white wheat flour (white breads, rolls, pitas, etc.), white wheat pasta, etc. White food enters the blood stream as simple sugar. This causes a spike in blood sugar, as well as cheap energy. (But what goes up must come down. The energy spikes in the other direction shortly after.) A continual diet that includes white food will result in high blood sugar, as well as digestive problems. So anyone with blood sugar issues should avoid ALL white food. (Yes, alas, this includes potatoes, despite it's other nutritional value.) Complex carbohydrates: good, at least for most people. Simple carbs: bad. Yep. Sorry. But if you care about your health, avoid white food.