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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

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Bake Polenta “Fries”

Posted by terrepruitt on June 17, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitWhen I make burgers I want fries.  Potato “fries”.  Even though, I don’t fry things . . . I bake ’em, I love fries with my burgers.  I do love baked “fries”.  But I also don’t always like to have potatoes because we are having buns.  I don’t do my burgers protein style.  Half the fun of a burger (to me) is the bun.  Often times I will make other types of fries, like Baked Golden Beet “Fries” or Squash Sticks (even though I breaded these).  Now, I don’t really think of corn as a vegetable, I mean, I know it is a vegetable, but I think of it as a starch.  I think of potatoes and corn in the same kinda category.  So, this isn’t really a great replacement for potatoes fries . . . if I am thinking starch, but they were good.  My husband really liked them.  I made polenta fries.

I had purchased a tube of polenta a week or maybe more ago.  The idea for which I bought the polenta changed.  Do you ever do that?  Buy an ingredient for one thing but then change your mind.  Then you are stuck with that ingredient wondering what to do with it.  I turned to Google  looking up how to cook tube polenta.  If you look up polenta it has ideas on how to cook the porridge style polenta.  Usually polenta is corn meal mush.  But if you buy it in a tube it is a solid.  My search led me to Our Everyday Life that gave three different ways to cook polenta from a tube, oven fries was one of them.  I didn’t even read the full recipe because I figured I could do it.

Here is what I did, next time I will use less oil . . . and now that I look at the recipe on the website it calls for no oil, but I want crispy fries so I will continue to use oil, just less.

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Oven Polenta FriesDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

1 tube of polenta
olive oil
garlic salt

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 450° F.  After cutting the polenta out of the tube cut the tube in half, then cut the polenta into 1/4 of an inch strips.  Try to cut the whole tube into equal sized strips.

Then spread the strips out on the pan.  Sprinkle with a little oil.  Sprinkle with the garlic salt.  Place pan in the oven.  Let the fries bake for 15 minutes.  Then take the pan out of the oven and turn the fries.  Then put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  Then check the fries.  If they are done to your liking, take them out and serve.  If you want them cooked more, flip ’em or toss them on the pan, then put it in for 10 (or whatever) minutes.

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Of course ovens vary and people desires of doneness varies so keep an eye on them and cook them to your liking.  Also, try your favorite seasoning.  Mine is garlic salt.  Presently I have garlic salt with parsley in it, so that was good.  Also . . . I used garlic basil polenta.  Again, I didn’t buy the tube for the fries so it was not a plain flavor.  But I might try that next time.

As with many of my food posts, I didn’t plan on blogging about this.  I did snap a few pictures after they had already been baking, but I didn’t document it from the beginning, but really that would have just been the tube of polenta.  I did take a few shots of them on my plate, but I really like my husband’s shots, so I am using his, too!

What do you do with a tube of polenta?  Share, please, I need some ideas!

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Stuffed Zucchini

Posted by terrepruitt on May 18, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitSo, do you know that we have gone in with a friend to by a cow?  We get a small portion of a grass-fed cow.  If you have read any of my post regarding food you have probably heard that we do this.  You might also know that our favorite type of meat is the ground beef.  My hubby and I love hamburgers.  We usually have two “regular-sized” burgers and then some.  By “regular-sized” I mean big enough to fit a bun but not really thick.  I am still working on trying to get the burger to actually fit the bun.  It doesn’t have to be perfect but I would like it just a little closer to the edges of the bun. Anyway . . . I end up with a little meat leftover.  I could just make two burgers out of it, but I really don’t want to have 1/2 pound burgers.  We ALMOST have them that big, but not quite.  Without using the entire package to make two burgers I have a little left over.  The challenge is always, what to do with that little bit left over.  I often throw it over pasta.  Yum!  Always a quick, easy dinner.  The other day, though, I looked in my fridge and saw two zucchinis I need to use up.  And you know, if you have read some of my other recipes, how much I love stuff pumpkin.  So I decided to stuff the zucchini.

I didn’t get all fancy with the ingredients.  I just basically used the meat, the zucchinis, onions, and cheese.

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Stuffed Zucchini

coconut oil
2 zucchini
1/2 of a large onion (I prefer white)
1/4 lb of ground beef
garlic salt
salt
pepper
3/4 cups shredded cheese (your favorite)

Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Wash the zucchini.  Slice them in half length-wise.  Use a spoon and drag it down the inside of the zucchini.  Only remove a little bit.  Just enough to make a little shallow “gully” down the middle of the zucchini.  Spread a little bit of coconut oil on both sides of each half.  Then place all four halves face down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Let them bake for 10 minutes.  Then take them out of the oven and salt all eight sides.  Then put them back in the oven for 10 minutes.

While they are baking, heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan.  Chop up two thirds of the onion then heat them in the pan.  Once they are starting to get translucent add the meat.  Let the meat begin to cook then start adding the garlic salt and pepper if you would like.  Since the meat is going to be baked in the oven you might want to be certain not to cook it TOO much.

If you have to grate your cheese do that while everything is cooking.  Also finely chop/mince the rest of the onion.

Check on the zucchini, I like the “inside” to start browning.  Then once it is the color I like it, I flip them over and bake them some more.  I would say I roast/bake the zucchini 20 to 30 minutes before I stuff them.  So keep an eye on them so they are cooked to your liking.

Then once your zucchini are roasted to the way you like and the meat is cooked and drained, if need be.  You can “stuff” the zucchini.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI always add more garlic salt.  And a little pepper for my hubby.  Then “sprinkle” the minced onion . . . some on each half of zucchini.  I don’t necessarily measure here because I like less onion than my hubby.  So just put the amount on that you want.  Then put the meat on top.  Distributing it as you see fit.  Then top with cheese.  You might want to press down on top of each half to ensure (for the most part) that everything stays on while you are baking.

Then put the pan with the stuffed zucchini back in the oven until the cheese is browned.

Then you can serve it.

We usually eat it as an entrée, but you can serve it however you would like.

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Dang, as usually when I type up the recipes I end up wanting to have it for dinner.  Also, as usually I hadn’t planned to post about this, but then I thought, why not?

Do you like zucchini?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , | 10 Comments »

Couscous, Fennel, and Garbanzo Beans

Posted by terrepruitt on April 25, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitSometimes I just don’t take out meat in enough time for it to defrost by dinner.  I thought about it early enough.  But I am at that state of meat-in-the-freezer where it is the stuff I don’t know how to cook.  My mental inventory check led me to hamburger, but I didn’t want to cook that, so then my brain flitted off to something else.  Then later, I think I might have opened the freezer and, uninspired, shut it.  Then, by the time I got serious it was too late.  I was HOPING it was not too late, but alas when it came time to cook dinner, the meat was not defrosted.  And on top of that we didn’t really have all that many veggies in the fridge.  Sigh.  We have lettuce and salad fixings, but nothing to cook except fennel.  We had leftover couscous from the other night.  So I was thinking I could roast the fennel AND some garbanzo beans and then mix it with the couscous.  Ahhh . . . sometimes I love when there is “nothing” in the house to eat.  I loved it.

I always say I don’t like beans, because I don’t for the most part.  I don’t like BEAN beans.  I like green beans, but I don’t think of them as beans because they are long.  Or more so because green beans are eaten fresh like a vegetable and not dried like a “bean bean”.  I do like garbanzo beans though.  And I like red kidney beans but only in Red Beans and Rice and in THIS bean salad.

I like garbanzo beans or chickpeas as they are also known, because they taste buttery.  They add a butter flavor to dishes — to me.  And I really like them roasted.  So I decided to roast them with the fennel.

I actually roasted them both on the same pan.  I put parchment paper on a large jelly roll pan.  I cut up the fennel and — well, if I am posting a recipe I put is in that form.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitCouscous, Fennel, and Garbanzo Beans

–2 cups prepared Couscous
–olive oil
–1 bulb Fennel
–1 can Garbanzo beans
–handful of grape tomatoes
–garlic salt
–pepper (if you like)
–1 1/2 tablespoon butter

Drain the beans and rinse them.  Set them aside to dry.  Cook the couscous according to the package (I used left over couscous).  Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Cut up the fennel and put it on a parchment paper lined oven pan.  Drizzle olive oil on it and sprinkle garlic salt on it.  Toss it.  Then put it in the oven for five minutes.  After five minutes take the pan out and put the beans on the pan.  (I kept the fennel and the beans separate on the same pan because I was not sure they would cook to my liking at the same time.  This gave me the option of taking one off the pan.)  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and toss both the fennel and the beans (keeping them separate).  Adding more salt if you would like.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Cut the tomatoes in half.

Add the butter to the couscous and mix it withe the roasted veggies.  Add the cut up tomatoes before serving.

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Of course, since I was just throwing veggies in leftover couscous I didn’t think to photograph any of it until the end and it came out so lovely – at least I think so.  Probably the bright red tomatoes.  They make dishes look pretty.  And it tasted fairly good.  I really like fennel.

As a note, since I used leftover couscous, I heated it in a pan with a little butter, then I added the roasted veggies.  The recipe is written using just made couscous.

If you like roasted tomatoes you could roast them, too.  I prefer tomatoes raw so I put them in just before serving.

Couscous is great. It is like pasta you can add anything you want to it.  It can be a side dish or a main dish.

Do you like couscous?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Seeds: Sesame and Nigella

Posted by terrepruitt on March 30, 2016

My favorite recipe as of late called for white sesame seeds and Nigella seeds.  Now I know what sesame seeds are, but I didn’t know there were black/brown ones.  I didn’t know what Nigella seeds were and the recipe even noted that they might be hard to find so black sesame, black cumin, or onion seeds could be used as a substitute.  But I found them easy enough on Amazon, but they were listed under several different names.  And when I googled them, even more names came up.  I love this recipe enough I can see myself using all the seeds just for this, but if not I was curious what else I could use them in.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI know that sesame seeds are used in a lot of dishes, but I don’t normally use them.  According to Nutrition and You they have been used in “traditional medicines for their nutritive, preventive, and curative properties and are an important source of phyto-nutritents.”  Sesame seeds are high in protein, and like all seeds and nuts they are also high in fat.  But it is thought that this fat is actually one of the better ones in that it has been shown to lower the LDL cholesterol and raise the HDL cholesterol.  The USDA National Nutrient data base has the pictured information listed for “Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried”.

You are probably familiar with sesame seeds because they are used in many things.  For one they are famous a top a bun, yes?  They are also what makes up Tahini which is an ingredient in humus.  They are used in so many things it is almost as if they go unnoticed.

Now this nigella seed, what it up with that?  Well, Wiki helps a bit with the names by stating “In English, Nigella sativa and its seed are variously called black-caraway, black-cumin, fennel-flower, nigella, nutmeg-flower, Roman-coriander, and kalonji (from Hindi).”  As I mentioned the recipe I made said you could us black cumin as a substitute, but according to what I have seen on the internet (included Wiki) black cumin is just another NAME for nigella seeds.  It seems that this seed just has a lot of names.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitJust like the sesame seed, there are claims that the nigella seed helps lower LDL.  Claims also include they help to lower blood pressure, have anti-asthmatic effects, relieve viral sore throats, protect the brain against radiation damage, help reduce the possibility of morphine addiction, reduce symptoms of chemical weapons exposure, helps prevent post-surgical scars of the  a thin, delicate sheet that lines the inside wall of the abdomen and covers the uterus and extends over the bladder and rectum (the  peritoneum), protect neurons, slow the spread of cervical cancer, and, as a topical, helps with psoriasis.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitInternet information refer to it as the “cure all for everything but death”.  And it sure sounds like it with all of the aforementioned information that was found on NaturalSociety from a post from 2013.  I hadn’t even mentioned the info on the first part of the post stating that is it thought to help people with Type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and oral cancer.  AND . . . (yes there is more) help protect against damage to the heart from heart attacks, and also treat MRSA!  Wow.  And to think I had never even heard of the stuff.

This is the type of seed that can be added to many dishes.  The recipe I made called for it to be sprinkled on the pan so it stuck to the outside of the cake while baking.  But I really liked the flavor of both the seeds so I plan on putting some on top, if not inside.  I think inside the cake they would not get the same toastiness that they did on the outside of the pan.  But I can see adding them to other things.  I will add it to vegetables as I cook them and then on top when I serve them.  I might put some on my sandwiches.  They will probably add a nice extra layer of flavor.  Oooo.  I can’t wait to try that.

Seems like the benefits thought to be held in those little seeds are worth adding them to everything.

Do you cook with nigella seeds?  What about sesame seeds?

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Cauliflower Cake

Posted by terrepruitt on March 25, 2016

So yummy.  My friend posted on Facebook that she had to explain to her child that the Cauliflower Cake she made for dinner was a savory CAKE, not like a birthday cake.  She said it was a recipe from Ottolenghi.  Of course I Googled it and I was intrigued.  Then I noticed that a head of cauliflower was to be delivered in our produce box so I thought, ok. Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit The challenge according to the posted recipe was finding the nigella seeds, but I think Amazon meets each and every challenge with a “pppprrrruuuuuf”.  I ordered both the white sesame seeds and nigella seeds online and had them before my scheduled produce delivery.  The recipe noted you can use black sesame, black cumin, or onion seeds instead of the nigella/black caraway seeds.

I altered this recipe because I used the head of cauliflower I had and did not specifically shop for a small one as the recipe called for.  I also could not bring myself to use the 5 (FIVE) tablespoons of olive oil that the recipe called for.  I put two in the pan and almost stopped there, but decided to go with three . . . which I think was PLENTY!

I don’t like biting into rosemary stems so I had my husband grind them.  He used a mortar and pestle and he does an excellent job making them fine and powdery!  I also used SHAVED cheese instead of shredded Parmesan, and it was actually a Parmesan/Romano blend.  I like how there is more cheese in a bite that way . . . but I am sure either is fine.  The recipe called for unsalted butter, which I bought once for a recipe a long time ago and will not be doing that again.  So I used regular butter.

Since I use my blog as my recipe book I put my ideas for next time I make this in the recipe below in asterisked italics.  That way I don’t have to continue to scroll down to check what I want to do different and I won’t forget because it will be right there.)

This is what I did, which is an adaptation of Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe I found on thekitchn.com

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Savory Cauliflower Cake

(Serves 4 to 6)

1 cauliflower head, cut into pieces (not small pieces, about an inch big)

1 medium red onion

3 tablespoons olive oilDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

1 teaspoon rosemary leaves (which I had my hubby grind up for me)

7 large eggs

1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped **use more**

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon (heaping) ground turmeric **1/2 to 1 teaspoon**

1 1/2 cups shaved Parmesan or Parmesan/Romano

Melted butter, for brushing the sides of the pan

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (also known as black caraway)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt  **to 2 teaspoon**

black pepper (to taste)

9 1/2 springform pan (or a 9-inch cake pan or even an 8-inch square pan)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  (The original recipe called for 400° F, I mistakenly did it at 450° which requires less time . . . .so I think I will stick to 450° F and bake it for less time.)

Place the cauliflower florets in a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with water and cook until the florets are quite soft. They should break when pressed with a fork.  (But don’t break them up.) Drain and set aside while preparing the rest of the ingredients (whatever you didn’t get done while the cauliflower was cooking).

Peel the onion, then cut 3 slices, almost 1/4-inch/5-mm thick, off one end.  Set the onion rings aside.

Heat up the 3 tablespoons of oil in a small pan.

Coarsely chop the remaining onion and cook it in the oil with the rosemary, stirring as necessary.  Cook it until the onion is soft.  When done remove from heat and set aside.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitWhile the onion is cooking you can line the bottom and sides of the springform pan or your chosen baking dish with parchment paper.  Then use the melted butter to butter the paper in the pan, the sides and the bottom.  In the 9 1/2 inch springform the mixture does not go all the way up to the top so you only need to butter about halfway up.  Mix the white sesame seeds and the nigella seeds together.  Then sprinkle the seed mixture on the sides of the pan.  **USE ALL THE SEEDS!  Perhaps even putting them on the bottom of the pan.**

While your onions are cooling, break the 7 eggs into a large bowl and whisk well.  Add the basil and whisk.  Add the cooked onion and rosemary mixture to the eggs.  Whisking and stirring.  Then stir in the flour, baking powder, turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Stir until all ingredients are mixed well.  Then mix in the Parmesan.  Then add the cooked cauliflower.  Don’t stir too much that you break up all the flowerets into little pieces, but mix it enough so that it is all mixed together.

Pour the egg and cauliflower mixture into the pan.  Spreading it evenly, then put the onion rings on top.  **Sprinkle some seeds on top**  Place in the center of the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Bake it until golden brown.  Check complete doneness by inserting a knife into the center.  It is done when the knife comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and serve to your liking, hot, warm, or cold.

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I ate on this for a few days.  I can’t wait to make it again with my extra **tweaks.  I really like it.  I thought it was super yummy.  You can use it as the main dish or a side and serve it with a salad and something meaty.  It could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  It is yummy!

Well, what do you think?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Cauliflower Flavorless But Good

Posted by terrepruitt on March 23, 2016

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, meaning it is “of, relating to, or denoting plants of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae, formerly Cruciferae)” according to Google.  It is of the same species as kale, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, and brussels sprouts and in the same family as daikon, arugula, rutabaga, and bok choy, to name a few.  It is also consider an anti-inflammatory which is good because many of the (overly) processed foods we eat are consider inflammatory.  And scientist are linking chronic inflammation with a whole list of diseases and ailments.  So, I am all for foods that will help with inflammation.  Although, I am not really a fan of cauliflower.  I don’t grab it off of a veggie tray at potlucks.  I don’t put it on my plate when it is offered as a cooked side.  I am not a fan.  Because I am not a fan I do want to try the myriad of recipes that include it and make it the star.  Like the cauliflower pizza crust or the version of macaroni and cheese made with cauliflower or the many recipes that used riced cauliflower.  I will get to some of those one of these days.  But first a little about cauliflower.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitTo me it is pretty tasteless.  It has no flavor really.  Not that I can remember . . . but then again I can’t remember the last time I ate just cauliflower.  I have cooked it and used it in this yummy stuffed portobello recipe.  It is one of those vegetables that can add substance but not really flavor.  That is probably why it goes so well as the base for some many things . . . you can make it taste like anything because it tastes like nothing.

But in addition to it being an anti-inflammatory it has a very low Glycemic Index.  The GI as you may know affects our blood sugar so  food low on the index help with keeping the blood sugar level even.  Also, it is high in vitamin C, giving you 75% of the DV% in a cup.  It also contains vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, vitamins B6, B2, B1, and B3.  Also fiber, potassium, and protein.

It also comes in different colors.  There is white, orange, and purple.  There is green cauliflower with the normal  shape and the Romanesco Broccoli or Italian cauliflower kind.  I’ve had that before.  I roasted it (surprise!) and it was kind of sweet.  The texture was odd.

Recently my friend posted something about cauliflower on Facebook.  She had recently made a recipe that she had to explain to her child.  It got me curious and I ended up making it . . . hence the post on cauliflower.  I am in love with this recipe and it has cauliflower in it.  It is a really yummy way to eat cauliflower.  But I will save the recipe for another post.

For now you can tell me:  Do you like cauliflower?  How do you eat it?  Do you eat it raw?  Do you cook it?  How?  Have you tried any of those recipes like the cauliflower pizza crust?

 

Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Baked Golden Beet “Fries”

Posted by terrepruitt on March 16, 2016

Oh, if you have read any of my food post one of them probably was about our grass-fed beef.  I highly recommend getting some if you can.  So yummy.  Something that allow us to have hamburgers WAY more often than we ever would.  I don’t know about you, but I love hamburgers WITH fries.  They are served together everywhere they serve hamburgers it is no wonder that I just love the combination and kinda don’t like to have burgers without fries.  I don’t actually make french fries though.  I do sometimes roast potatoes and let them sub in as the french fries.  But since we eat burgers WITH buns so often, I don’t do that always.  Sometimes I make other kinds of fries.  Once I made squash fries.  Well, today I was going to roast beets.  Then I was thinking I would just cut them into little sticks instead of the normal cubes.  Then, of course when I was already late making dinner, I decide to bread them.  What a mess that was.  I don’t bread things because I can never make the crumbs stick AND it is such a waste to me.  I always end up with leftover egg and bread crumbs that I have to just toss out.  Wasteful.  Hate it.  But . . . these little guys were kinda good.  My husband said, “Those beet fries . . . much better than I was expecting.  You should blog about them.”

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitHa.  Poor guy.  I usually only make things with things that we like so I figure that it will never be too bad.  But he doesn’t have that kind of faith so sometimes when I tell him what we are eating he just braces himself . . . I guess.  So when it turns out good he is surprised.

In order for the bread crumbs not to burn I didn’t cook the beets as long as I would have, so they ended up crunchy and slightly under cooked . . . but cooked fine.  Perhaps not so much “under cooked” as not-as-cooked-as-I-normally-would-have-cooked-them.

So we had golden beets.  They came in our produce box.  And they were tiny.  Two of them were about the size of a golf ball and one was a little bigger.

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Baked Golden Beet “Fries”

3 golden beets
egg
panko bread crumbs
season salt / your choice of seasoning
garlic salt / your choice of seasoning
coconut oil
aluminum foil

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitCover your baking sheets with aluminum foil.  Cover the aluminum foil with the coconut oil.  Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Cut the beets up so that you have little french-fry shaped pieces.  I put season salt in the egg.  And garlic salt in the bread crumbs.

Put the beets in the beaten egg.  Then put the beets in the bread crumbs.  Cover them as much as you can with the bread crumbs.

Spread the beets out on the baking sheet.  Give them a lot of room.  Making just rows and rows of little breaded beets.

Bake them for about 15 or 20 minutes at 450° F.  Then turn the oven down to 300° F and bake for a few more minutes.  Of course, that was my oven so you might want to check yours and bake accordingly.  You want the crumbs to be golden brown.

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I was out of parchment paper so I used aluminum foil, but it might have actually turned out better.  I think the foil might get hotter than the paper.  It might help them cook.  I used aluminum foil with my asparagus the other day and they turned out awesome.

Anyway . . . these were good, much better than the squash “fries”.

Do you like beets?  Do you like golden beets?  Do you like fries with your hamburger?

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Light Ginger Marinade

Posted by terrepruitt on March 14, 2016

Unfortunately I don’t always measure when I am cooking or making a marinade.  I actually hear a lot of people say that.  When you are cooking you just pour and sprinkle and shake, right?  It makes it very difficult to share recipes.  Normally I don’t even remember what I put in a marinade and every once in a while I wish I had.  This one was a little different from my normal marinades and I really liked it.  I liked it so much that in the middle of eating I jumped up and wrote down what was in it.  Then later that same week I made it again.  The first time I used it with boneless pork chops.  It was really good.  Then second time I used it with boneless chicken breasts . . . just as good.  I have not used it with beef so I don’t know if it will be as good with that as it was with pork and chicken.  I’m calling it Light Ginger Marinade.

I put in:

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Light Ginger Marinade

sherry  (1 1/2 cup)
teriyaki (1 tbsp)
soy sauce  (1 tbsp)
worcestershire sauce  (1 tbsp)
garlic powder  (1 tsp)
ginger (powder)  (2 tsp)
dry mustard (this is a powder) (1 tsp)
ground thyme  (1 tsp)
and chopped onions  (1/4 to 1/2 of a medium sized one)

Put it all in the dish you (or even a zip lock bag) are going to marinate the meat in and let it set for at least an hour.  I like mine to marinate at long as possible.

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I have guesstimated the measurements because, as I said, I didn’t measure.  But I really liked it.  Ha, as I look at it I realized it really is not all that different from my normal, but it is — in my opinion — really good.  And that is really all that matters when I am cooking to eat it, right?  I need to think it is really good.  Ok, well, yes, my husband has to at least like it or why would I make it again, but I am the one that needs to think it is good.  But I still felt I needed to type that.

I think the difference is that instead of using a lot of the teriyaki, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce I only used a tablespoon of each.  Usually I use a lot more of all of those.  Or I make the base the teriyaki.  But this time I was trying to just add those flavors a little bit.  That is why I am calling it “light” because it is not as dark as the other marinades.

I am going to use this recipe the next time my hubby makes a Costco run.  We can do some of the chicken AND some of the pork in this.

Of course, when you make it, adjust it all to your liking . . . and to the amount of meat you are trying to juice.  Perhaps adding some salt and pepper?  For me, everything needs salt, but not pepper.

I bet it would be really awesome with fresh ginger!

Do you have a “go to” marinade you always make?

 

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Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner

Posted by terrepruitt on January 20, 2016

I have mentioned that we have purchased a portion of a cow.  It is grass-fed beef from a ranch in Petaluma, CA (for those of you that don’t know and are curious, that is north of where I am, past San Francisco).  It is very good meat.  My favorite is the ground beef, hamburger meat.  The family that allows us to go in on the cow with them generously alloted us a large portion of it.  But we don’t get JUST hamburger meat, we get other cuts, too.  And again, the family generously worked with me and my loathing of bones and they gave us a lot of cuts without bones.  But some cuts are going to have bones.  But I really don’t work well with bones.  I really don’t work well with a lot of these cuts because I just don’t know what they are and I don’t know what to do with them.  The last two portions of meat I cooked were bad.  Bad as in, I didn’t cook them properly so I couldn’t eat them.  They were to tough or stringy or whatever, they were just not good.  My husband gnawed his way through them, and he won’t say anything bad about beef for fear of not getting any.  So he said they were ok, but, for me, they were not.  Often I just don’t bother because I don’t know what to do with it (the cut of meat).  But that means we have a few pieces left over from the last cow and now we have a new one, so I need to just cook it.  The other day I took some steaks out and texted my friend with this picture and a “How can I cook these, Chef?”  And she said, “Like you would ribeye steaks.  Grill high 2-3 min per side :)”  Made me laugh because I don’t know how to cook ribeye.  I don’t “grill”, so I decided to use my grill pan.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI must say they came out really, really good.  So good that hamburger might not be my favorite any longer.  So good that I decided to cook them again . . . the next night.  Ok, not really, I mean, really, but not.  I decided to cook them again the next night because we have nothing but beef in our freezer.  I thought we had something else, but we do not.  So I was going to cook them two nights in a row, but they didn’t defrost in time.  So . . . I am cooking them tonight.  And they were so good I decided to post about them.

The first time I cooked them, I didn’t marinade them long, but what I used was:

Red wine
soy sauce
Worchestire sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Garlic teriyaki sauce

I just poured into the dish, but guessing I would say about a cup of red wine, three tablespoons of soy sauce, two tablespoons of Worchestire sauce, and just a little of both of the teriyaki (because I didn’t have that much).

I used the same “recipe” for tonight’s meat, but I was able to let it soak longer.

Then for MY steak, which I like cooked a little more  than my husband, I turned the stove on right below medium and buttered it the pan.  I put the steak in the pan . . . . you will see that all the fat and bone are cut off my piece.  I cooked it for a few minutes, with butter on top and some rosemary rub.  Then I flipped it and cooked it a few more minutes.  Then I turned up the heat a little bit – to medium, then I flipped it again and cooked it a few more minutes.  Then I turned up the heat so that the pan would get really hot.  I put my husband’s pieces in.  I didn’t leave mine on that long on the high heat, only as long as it took me to put hubby’s steak in and butter on it.  I cooked them both for a few minutes each side.

They came out perfect.  But remember, grass-fed meat does not look the same as commercial grain-fed beef, so it looks raw, but it is not.

I served it with potatoes and salad!

What did you have for dinner?

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Persimmon Chicken

Posted by terrepruitt on December 3, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitTis the season for persimmons.  A few weeks ago one of my Nia students came into class with persimmons.  Many of us ooohed and ahhhed at the beautiful fruit, but most people did not take them because we don’t know what to do with them.  The last time I received persimmons in my organic produce box I looked up recipes that use them and most of them call for a puree and then they are baked into something.  One of my students said she had a pudding recipe.  I think she said it was like a bread pudding, so she was happy to take them.  I didn’t know what to do with them, but I took one.  Then the next day the woman who brought them in had more and even less people took them so there was a lot left and she was going out of town so I took a few.  The student with the bread pudding recipe said they wouldn’t be ripe until about Christmas.  So I put them in my fruit bowl and didn’t check them often because I thought they would be ready closer to Christmas.  In the mean time my husband brought home some persimmons.  So I had quite a few persimmons and I didn’t know what to do with them.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitThe ones that my student brought in were from her neighbor’s tree and they were the Hachiya kind.  I had never had those.  The bread pudding student said they were ready to eat when they were soft.  Well, it turns out the ripened a lot faster than I was expecting and unfortunately a couple ended up casualties.  The kind my husband got from his co-worker were the Fuyu.  Those are the ones I had received before.  Those are to be eaten when they are more like an apple.  So one, the Hachiyas, need to be soft, the other, firm, but not hard.

The only thing I knew to do with them was to make my Fancy Toast.  And that is with the Fuyus.  I know there was a time when I was eating that every day it seems, but I just wasn’t that into it this batch of persimmons.  So there they sat.

Then one day I looked at them and realized that I was going to have more casualties if I didn’t use some of them.  So I just decided to throw them on my chicken.  When I met my husband one of the things he liked to cook was apricot chicken.  He would get some apricot preserves and put it on the chicken.  I thought that persimmons wouldn’t be too different.  So I tried it.  I liked it so much I am making it again to use up the remain persimmons.  It was easy and tasty.  Here is what I did.

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Persimmon ChickenDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit

2 large chicken breast
2 Hachiya persimmons
2 Fuyu persimmons
cinnamon
nutmeg
salt
(pepper, if you like it)

I would salt both sides of the chicken put the chicken in a baking dish.  I smashed the two Hachiya persimmons and spread them on top of the chicken.  I sliced up the two Fuyu persimmons and put them on top of the chicken and on the sides.  Then I sprinkled a little more salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon on top of everything in the dish.

Bake at 375° F.  Halfway through cooking, I took the dish out of the oven and flipped the chicken.  I arranged the persimmons back on top and around the chicken, sprinkled a little more salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon on top of everything, then baked it until done.**

**This time around I am using a tiny bit of soy sauce.  I put a little on the chicken before baking.  Not soaking in it, just a little on both sides of the chicken.  I should have used salt.  I sprinkled a little tiny bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on it THEN add the persimmons (this time I only have one Hachiya).  Then I sprinkled the salt, the nutmeg, and the cinnamon on top of everything in the dish.

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The chicken still needed a little bit more flavor to me.  It was GREAT as long as I got a piece of persimmon with the meat, but not having salted it before (as I say to do in the recipe) left it kind bland.  Because I did the soy I didn’t salt it, but I will next time.

So . . . there you have it.  If you want to use your persimmons you might want to try this.  If you have a recipe you already use for your persimmons, please let us know.

What do you do with persimmons?

 

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