I swear this really isn't as bad for you as it sounds... just one serving of the sugar cookie crust is around 80 calories if I remember correctly and everything else is fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. So it can't be too bad, right?
Sugar cookie crust:
2 ¾ c flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ c sugar
1 c butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Preheat oven to 375
Beat sugar and butter together until creamy. Add in egg and vanilla. Slowly combine flour bkg soda and powder with the sugar and butter mixture until mixture looks like large crumbs. Press or roll dough into pizza pan and bake for about 10 minutes. Cool and set aside
Whipped cream:
2 c heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Whip heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Then add the sugar and extracts and continue to beat the mixture until soft peaks form when you pull the whisk out.
Once the crust is cooled add the whipped cream, and your choice of fruits or chocolate or whatever :) and enjoy
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Not so brief hiatus (...sorry...)
It has been a looonnnngg time since I even last looked at this. Since then I have stopped the Paleo diet, blamed my appendicitis on it and will neither endorse it or willingly participate in it ever again.
That being said, there are a couple of months of lost recipe experiments that I either somehow have to remember and post or just start up from scratch and post new recipes as I make them... these newer ones may or may not be as healthy as the ones previously, but I am still doing everything in my power to maintain a healthy lifestyle... I just have a little relapse into unhealthy habits every once in a while... oops.
That being said, I PROMISE to try to be more mindful about posting on this. Promise promise promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. And welp, here we go again....
That being said, there are a couple of months of lost recipe experiments that I either somehow have to remember and post or just start up from scratch and post new recipes as I make them... these newer ones may or may not be as healthy as the ones previously, but I am still doing everything in my power to maintain a healthy lifestyle... I just have a little relapse into unhealthy habits every once in a while... oops.
That being said, I PROMISE to try to be more mindful about posting on this. Promise promise promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. And welp, here we go again....
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Experiment #4 Tasty Paleo Snacks?
Something that's difficult to do on the Paleo diet is snack. It usually just turns into a small meal or it's leftovers (which I still have not had other than the soup because of the way that I prepare my food in smaller quantities). Berries and nuts are a good staple for a snack, but that can get a little dull just plain...
So,
if you want something salty...
take about 2 oz of raw unsalted sunflower seeds, squeeze a slice of lime over them and stir. Add a couple grinds of black pepper.
OR
something warm and sweet...
1) take frozen strawberries and put them in a small saucepan with 1/2 a cup of water, cover it and cook on the stovetop. After it's bubbling pretty well, take the top off, and mash up the strawberries, add in a little cinnamon and let it simmer until it thickens. (you could probably add a banana or two in with this too)
2) slice a banana in half down the entire length and then again in the middle. Place on a cookie sheet and broil or place in a skillet. Keep an eye on them, in my experience they all take different times to cook... When one side has started to brown a little turn them over. These are good on their own or you can add a little cinnamon, and/or unsweetened baking cocoa is particularly fantastic with them.
Those are just some quick little snacks to tide you over if you don't have the time to sit down and cook a full meal. Or if you're sitting down to watch a movie and absolutely have to have something to munch on and don't want to blow a day of careful dieting.
So,
if you want something salty...
take about 2 oz of raw unsalted sunflower seeds, squeeze a slice of lime over them and stir. Add a couple grinds of black pepper.
OR
something warm and sweet...
1) take frozen strawberries and put them in a small saucepan with 1/2 a cup of water, cover it and cook on the stovetop. After it's bubbling pretty well, take the top off, and mash up the strawberries, add in a little cinnamon and let it simmer until it thickens. (you could probably add a banana or two in with this too)
2) slice a banana in half down the entire length and then again in the middle. Place on a cookie sheet and broil or place in a skillet. Keep an eye on them, in my experience they all take different times to cook... When one side has started to brown a little turn them over. These are good on their own or you can add a little cinnamon, and/or unsweetened baking cocoa is particularly fantastic with them.
Those are just some quick little snacks to tide you over if you don't have the time to sit down and cook a full meal. Or if you're sitting down to watch a movie and absolutely have to have something to munch on and don't want to blow a day of careful dieting.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Experiment # 3 Green Goodness
The weekends involve very little cooking for me. My body is in rest mode and doesn't usually require much, and also I am admittedly much lazier on the weekend and really don't want to get up and cook. Whoops.
But today it's just something really simple...
In one 10" skillet combine
1/2 small sliced onion
1 lean meat patty
2 cups frozen broccoli
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 a lime squeezed and then added to the group
1/2 green bell pepper sliced
1 handful raw, shelled sunflower seeds
crushed red pepper
ground black pepper
Cover the skillet and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Flip the patty and stir the veggies around, cover again and let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
All in all it took about 20 minutes beginning to end (even with the slicing and chopping!!) so it is super simple and a perfect lazy Sunday kind of meal that is full of natural flavor and pretty darn satisfying if I do say so myself.
But today it's just something really simple...
In one 10" skillet combine
1/2 small sliced onion
1 lean meat patty
2 cups frozen broccoli
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 a lime squeezed and then added to the group
1/2 green bell pepper sliced
1 handful raw, shelled sunflower seeds
crushed red pepper
ground black pepper
Cover the skillet and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Flip the patty and stir the veggies around, cover again and let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
All in all it took about 20 minutes beginning to end (even with the slicing and chopping!!) so it is super simple and a perfect lazy Sunday kind of meal that is full of natural flavor and pretty darn satisfying if I do say so myself.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Experiment #2 Paleo Southwestern Burger
I, like any other red blooded American, love my hamburgers. Just the thought of a steamed burger bun, gooey cheese, and all the glorious toppings my heart could desire is enough to make my mouth instantly water.
Unfortunately, a strict adherance to the Paleo diet pretty much rules all those things that are wonderful about a burger and leaves me with a 93/7 lean beef patty. Oh joy. Well, the other night, the urge and call of one was so strong I decided to play with what I had. Avocado, jalepenos, lean beef, cilantro and eggplant (along with my usual array of spices at my side).
To me, there is nothing like picking up a burger by the buns, and taking that large, satisfying first bite, juices running down your hands, all the different flavors of the ingredients melding into one, filling you with something that can only be described as a "yummy goodness". How the heck am I to recreate that without the most essential part of that equation? A bun to hold the whole thing together. Repressed memories of when my parents did the Atkins diet flooded my mind. I remember countless meals of theirs being a plain hamburger patty, all on it's own, and them eating it with (the horror of it all) a fork!! I refuse for that to be my one and only option. I will find a way. And I have.
The eggplant.
You heard me. The eggplant was my salvation in this. Thankfully, at Sun Harvest, they had been running a special on their eggplants when I went perusing this past Saturday for new things to fill my fridge with. The ONLY thing I had ever dared to try eggplant in was eggplant parmigiana. Since then, since it was a relatively unknown vegetable to me, I have shied away from it. Saturday, I hoisted up my big girl panties and vowed to take on this strange and bizarre looking plant in at least one dish. I am so glad that I did.
The Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 (very fat) eggplant
93/7 lean ground beef made into a patty (or more if you desire)
1 avocado
1 lemon
1 jalepeno
1 green chile
1 tomato
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion
however much finely chopped cilantro your heart desires
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (not southwestern, I AM aware of this, but I love mushrooms on my hamburgers)
How you make it:
Slice it all up, two slices of the eggplant per patty, each about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut the lemon in half, the avocado in half (one half of the lemon and avocado per patty you are making) set those suckers to the side. Either slice or chop the jalepeno, green chile, tomato, and onion (I prefer to chop them, because after I cook them in the skillet I like to mix them up with the avocado rather than just place them on top of the patty).
Wipe down one skillet with a tsp of extra virgin olive oil (so nothing sticks). Start cooking the patty along with all the trimmings (except for the mushrooms). By this I mean the jalepenos, garlic, onions, chiles, tomato. A dash of black pepper over the whole skillet was really all I felt like adding out of all my spices, but feel free to add whatever you want to. While everything is sizzling pleasantly, mash up the avocado to the texture you want and add in the half of the lemon. Once again all I really added was a little black pepper. Turn the broiler on in the oven and place your slices of eggplant in there to get the tops crisp. The first time you flip the burger is when you should remove all the toppings from the skillet.
Take the jalepenos, chiles, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and garlic and mix them in with the avocado. Set that aside for the moment. Add the mushrooms in with the patty and tend to both as needed. Keep an eye on the eggplant in the oven, you definitely don't want that to burn. It's a personal preference as to how crispy or not that you want it. About 5 minutes of cooking did it for my slices.
Then you can simply put it all together. Eggplant, patty, (a leaf of lettuce if you want more of a true burger feel) the avocado topping and then your other slice of eggplant, and you're done!!
The pseudo burger is complete!
I know, I know, the eggplant is a little daunting to get past, but it's so much better than you think, and when you're deprived of bread like I am, the sensation of a true burger like replacement can't be compared!!!
Bon appetit!
Unfortunately, a strict adherance to the Paleo diet pretty much rules all those things that are wonderful about a burger and leaves me with a 93/7 lean beef patty. Oh joy. Well, the other night, the urge and call of one was so strong I decided to play with what I had. Avocado, jalepenos, lean beef, cilantro and eggplant (along with my usual array of spices at my side).
To me, there is nothing like picking up a burger by the buns, and taking that large, satisfying first bite, juices running down your hands, all the different flavors of the ingredients melding into one, filling you with something that can only be described as a "yummy goodness". How the heck am I to recreate that without the most essential part of that equation? A bun to hold the whole thing together. Repressed memories of when my parents did the Atkins diet flooded my mind. I remember countless meals of theirs being a plain hamburger patty, all on it's own, and them eating it with (the horror of it all) a fork!! I refuse for that to be my one and only option. I will find a way. And I have.
The eggplant.
You heard me. The eggplant was my salvation in this. Thankfully, at Sun Harvest, they had been running a special on their eggplants when I went perusing this past Saturday for new things to fill my fridge with. The ONLY thing I had ever dared to try eggplant in was eggplant parmigiana. Since then, since it was a relatively unknown vegetable to me, I have shied away from it. Saturday, I hoisted up my big girl panties and vowed to take on this strange and bizarre looking plant in at least one dish. I am so glad that I did.
The Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 (very fat) eggplant
93/7 lean ground beef made into a patty (or more if you desire)
1 avocado
1 lemon
1 jalepeno
1 green chile
1 tomato
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion
however much finely chopped cilantro your heart desires
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (not southwestern, I AM aware of this, but I love mushrooms on my hamburgers)
How you make it:
Slice it all up, two slices of the eggplant per patty, each about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut the lemon in half, the avocado in half (one half of the lemon and avocado per patty you are making) set those suckers to the side. Either slice or chop the jalepeno, green chile, tomato, and onion (I prefer to chop them, because after I cook them in the skillet I like to mix them up with the avocado rather than just place them on top of the patty).
Wipe down one skillet with a tsp of extra virgin olive oil (so nothing sticks). Start cooking the patty along with all the trimmings (except for the mushrooms). By this I mean the jalepenos, garlic, onions, chiles, tomato. A dash of black pepper over the whole skillet was really all I felt like adding out of all my spices, but feel free to add whatever you want to. While everything is sizzling pleasantly, mash up the avocado to the texture you want and add in the half of the lemon. Once again all I really added was a little black pepper. Turn the broiler on in the oven and place your slices of eggplant in there to get the tops crisp. The first time you flip the burger is when you should remove all the toppings from the skillet.
Take the jalepenos, chiles, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and garlic and mix them in with the avocado. Set that aside for the moment. Add the mushrooms in with the patty and tend to both as needed. Keep an eye on the eggplant in the oven, you definitely don't want that to burn. It's a personal preference as to how crispy or not that you want it. About 5 minutes of cooking did it for my slices.
Then you can simply put it all together. Eggplant, patty, (a leaf of lettuce if you want more of a true burger feel) the avocado topping and then your other slice of eggplant, and you're done!!
The pseudo burger is complete!
I know, I know, the eggplant is a little daunting to get past, but it's so much better than you think, and when you're deprived of bread like I am, the sensation of a true burger like replacement can't be compared!!!
Bon appetit!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The way I cook
Maybe something needs to be explained here at the beginning of this blog. I used to cook unGodly amounts of food every time I got in the kitchen. What resulted from that was a lot of leftovers and wasted food. It actually discouraged me from cooking and made it a chore for me. Recently, I started up a diet where I am part of a team competing against other teams following the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet eliminates all processed foods, all sugars, all dairy, and all bread. What you're left with are the basics: meat, fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, berries. Nothing incredibly exciting.
So, knowing I was going to be faced with food boredom, I started to try to remedy and resolve the issues I once had with cooking. When I follow other people's recipes I end up with too much food at once and I don't know what to do with it other than give it out to my friends. I love being able to do that, but, man, it's expensive to buy groceries for all those preplanned recipes only to end up giving most of the food away!! And thanks to the diet, I have to modify most of them anyway.
Most of my meals are actually completed quite successfully in my single 10" skillet. And they're faster now that I just cook one portion at a time. If you happen to be cooking for more than one, this might be a good thing to take into consideration that if you try to emulate my recipes it MIGHT take you a little longer and will most certainly use more food. Good Lord, it would be something if the meals I make and eat would actually feed two people. I'd feel like a certified fatty then.
I also might start off making one thing, and then end up doing what I call morphing or mutating in the middle of making it. I'll change my mind about what flavors I want to bring out right in the middle of cooking.
I go to three grocery stores to get the best deals that I can on my food. Walmart, Sun Harvest, and Market Street. I think to give a little more perspective of what I buy and the budget implications that has, I'll also include on here my trips to the store and how much of each item I buy, and how much it ends up costing me. Judging by how much food I still have now as the week comes to a close, I did better on my last shopping trip than I originally thought. I thought that I had blown my budget of $100 for two weeks, when really, I think I have enough food to last me for the month. I'll detail it and put that in a separate post I think.
Well, as to how I cook, that's about all there is to it. It's really simple and straightforward, I don't know all the terms and certainly not all of the techniques. So, hopefully, these recipes are easy for you to follow!!
So, knowing I was going to be faced with food boredom, I started to try to remedy and resolve the issues I once had with cooking. When I follow other people's recipes I end up with too much food at once and I don't know what to do with it other than give it out to my friends. I love being able to do that, but, man, it's expensive to buy groceries for all those preplanned recipes only to end up giving most of the food away!! And thanks to the diet, I have to modify most of them anyway.
Most of my meals are actually completed quite successfully in my single 10" skillet. And they're faster now that I just cook one portion at a time. If you happen to be cooking for more than one, this might be a good thing to take into consideration that if you try to emulate my recipes it MIGHT take you a little longer and will most certainly use more food. Good Lord, it would be something if the meals I make and eat would actually feed two people. I'd feel like a certified fatty then.
I also might start off making one thing, and then end up doing what I call morphing or mutating in the middle of making it. I'll change my mind about what flavors I want to bring out right in the middle of cooking.
I go to three grocery stores to get the best deals that I can on my food. Walmart, Sun Harvest, and Market Street. I think to give a little more perspective of what I buy and the budget implications that has, I'll also include on here my trips to the store and how much of each item I buy, and how much it ends up costing me. Judging by how much food I still have now as the week comes to a close, I did better on my last shopping trip than I originally thought. I thought that I had blown my budget of $100 for two weeks, when really, I think I have enough food to last me for the month. I'll detail it and put that in a separate post I think.
Well, as to how I cook, that's about all there is to it. It's really simple and straightforward, I don't know all the terms and certainly not all of the techniques. So, hopefully, these recipes are easy for you to follow!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Experiment #1 - Shrimp & Scallop soup
This is a total stretch for me. I RARELY follow recipes or plan my meals out. I simply go by what is in my fridge, and what flavors I know work together... or flavors that I am curious of combining.
I don't go out and buy the finest ingredients or anything particularly difficult to find. I happen to be on a relatively tight budget, and out here in West Texas, we don't exactly have a ton of exotic marketplaces so it should be fairly easy for people to go and find exactly the items that I use in all of my cooking. I'll try to say where it is that I get my ingredients and hopefully eventually start adding pictures along with the posts so that it gets even easier to determine what it is exactly that I might be rambling about...
That being said, this is the first Flavor Experiment, Recipe Experiment, whatever you may want to call it...
This one is for a 3 Liter crockpot ( adjust amounts as necessary)
1 1/2 cups raw (i used the frozen, in a bag kind) baby scallops (100-200/lb.)
20 (give or take) large shrimp(40-60/lb) - I used cooked, tail-on, peeled, deveined
both can be found in the frozen seafood section in Walmart (like I said, nothing fancy, right?)
1/2 of a large purple eggplant cut in fairly large chunks
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 cup chopped celery
chopped cilantro leaves
chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 carrots (sliced)
handful of asparagus spears (chopped)
chili powder
freshly ground black pepper
cayenne pepper
red chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
...
combine it all in the crockpot and let simmer until ready (you may want to salt to taste or add different spices, but my diet - the Paleo Diet - won't allow for very much salt at all)
And... that's it! This should feed me, single young woman that I am for at least 4 meals, though it's possible it could feed me more. Never made it, I have no clue. I'll comment with the success or failure, and how much it ends up feeding me
I don't go out and buy the finest ingredients or anything particularly difficult to find. I happen to be on a relatively tight budget, and out here in West Texas, we don't exactly have a ton of exotic marketplaces so it should be fairly easy for people to go and find exactly the items that I use in all of my cooking. I'll try to say where it is that I get my ingredients and hopefully eventually start adding pictures along with the posts so that it gets even easier to determine what it is exactly that I might be rambling about...
That being said, this is the first Flavor Experiment, Recipe Experiment, whatever you may want to call it...
This one is for a 3 Liter crockpot ( adjust amounts as necessary)
1 1/2 cups raw (i used the frozen, in a bag kind) baby scallops (100-200/lb.)
20 (give or take) large shrimp(40-60/lb) - I used cooked, tail-on, peeled, deveined
both can be found in the frozen seafood section in Walmart (like I said, nothing fancy, right?)
1/2 of a large purple eggplant cut in fairly large chunks
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 cup chopped celery
chopped cilantro leaves
chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 carrots (sliced)
handful of asparagus spears (chopped)
chili powder
freshly ground black pepper
cayenne pepper
red chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
...
combine it all in the crockpot and let simmer until ready (you may want to salt to taste or add different spices, but my diet - the Paleo Diet - won't allow for very much salt at all)
And... that's it! This should feed me, single young woman that I am for at least 4 meals, though it's possible it could feed me more. Never made it, I have no clue. I'll comment with the success or failure, and how much it ends up feeding me
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