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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Broken Blendtec – Smoothie With Arugula

Posted by terrepruitt on September 21, 2013

The other day I was using my Blendtec with the Wildside jar. I had it on Ice Cream – Frozen Yogurt. I usually press that button and let it blend a bit then stop it. I don’t let it finish the entire cycle. Then I pulse it for a little. Then add more ingredients and let it blend. Well, I pressed the button to make it stop then pressed pulse and it sounded odd. I didn’t understand the sound, so I pulsed it a few more times. As I think about it I realize what I was hearing. I was hearing the motor whir, but not the items in the jar being blended. When I opened the jar and started to scrape the sides, I was really confused as to why my spoon was not coming in contact with the blade. Then I was REALLY confused when I saw a piece of metal near the side of the jar. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was not feeling the blade at the bottom because the metal I was seeing was the blade. The blade assembly broke. I was so sad. I was sad and I was concerned because I had not sent in the registration. Ya know those cards just never seem to get in the mail. I told my husband and he said it didn’t matter they could look it up. I was not as confident. I thought it was going to be a hassle. Later on I realized that it really wasn’t the whole blender that was broken. It was just the jar. In my surprise and concern I was thinking “broken blender” not broken jar as was the actual case. And I have another jar. That is one reason why I got the blender it was a good deal because it came with two jars. One regular and the Wildside.

Because I was putting it off thinking it would be a hassle I didn’t call Blendtec until a day later. I got my headset on and got all prepared for a long wait and the hassle that it was going to be. It was not. The customer service person did ask that I return the jar because she thought the WAY it broke sounded unusual, but they shipped the new jar out to me the next day with a label for returning the broken one. Cool and easy. I was so relieved.

I haven’t actually been making green smoothies, but I do use the blender. In our organic produce delivery this week we received lettuce. We have lettuce . . . A LOT of lettuce so I thought to use the spinach I have in a smoothie. Then I thought, “Oh, I should put some arugula in it.” WOW! What a treat. It makes it fun. I don’t know why but when I sip the smoothie I think, “How fun!” So I give arugula smoothies two thumbs up.

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Arugula and Spinach Smoothie

8 ounces of water
1 small apple
1/4 (a little more than) a small avocado
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup arugula
3/4 of a frozen banana
7 ice moons

Blend according to your blenders instructions.

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I list the ingredients in the order that my blender instructs items to be put in the jar.

It was really good. I really like arugula as you might know.

Ahhhh. So . . . . I am very happy with the wonderful customer service I received from Blendtec and I am very happy with the arugula in the green smoothie.

So have you tried it? Have you put arugula in a green smoothie?

Posted in "Recipes", Food, Smoothies | Tagged: Arugula, avocado in a green smoothie, blade assembly, Blendtec, excellent customer service, green smoothie, WildSide Jar | 4 Comments »

For The Love Of Onions

Posted by terrepruitt on August 29, 2013

Since I recently posted a recipe with Green Beans, Walnuts, and Onions, I have been posting about the three main ingredients separately, for Green Beans click here and for Walnuts click here. I like onions. I like sweet onions, red onions, white onions, yellow onions, and green onions. I have actually grown to like them more as I get older. When I was younger I liked the flavor, but not the onion itself. I would pick them out of anything and off of anything. And I used to never eat them raw. I still don’t like to eat a lot of cooked onions and will often leave them on my plate if they are cut large enough and it is easy to move them out of the food I am eating, but I do actually eat them now. Also I will include raw onions in my salad. It all depends. When I eat them raw they have to be so teeny tiny you would probably laugh. Onions, however, are more than just for flavoring.

Onions contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are what give the plant its pigment and have been linked to terms such as “cancer-fighting” and a lot of “anti-s” – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-biotic, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, and anti-diarrheal activities. Onions store the flavonoids primarily in their skin. So the less you peel off the better. There is the red in a red onion (to me it is actually purple, but whatever) and the yellow in a yellow onion. The white has flavonoids too, but not as many as the red.

According to PubMed, study was done that concluded the consumption of onions had a “beneficial effect on bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older.” Wow. So it could be that eating onions helps with bone density . . . who would have thought.

Onions should not be refrigerated, except for the green ones (scallions). We keep our onions in the fridge. I should change that.

To me, onions are good in pretty much any type of savory dish. I don’t think onions go to well with sweet things, but sometimes it works, but usually the onion needs to be a sweet onion or a red onion. My husband does not mind onions with his sweet.

The following nutritional information is from the National Onion Association’s website:

Onion Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (160g) The Percent (%) is for the Daily Values*

*Percent (%) Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Calories   64   3%
Total Carbs   14.9 g   5%
Total Fat   0   0%
Cholesterol   0   0%
Dietary Fiber   2.7 g   11%
Sugars            6.8 g
Protein         4.9 g
Vitamin A   3.2 IU   0%
Vitamin C   11.8 mg   20%
Vitamin B6   0.2 mg   10%
Folate   30.4 mcg   8%
Calcium   36.8 mg   4%
Iron           .3 mg   2%
Magnesium   16 mg   4%
Phosphorus   46.4 mg   5%
Potassium   234 mg   7%
Sodium   6.4   0%

Many people have strong feelings about onions. They either LOVE them or HATE them. Where do you stand? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Do you like them cooked? Do you like them raw? Did you know they had such great health benefits?

Posted in Food | Tagged: anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, bone density, cancer fighting, flavonoids, green beans, green onions, health benefits, National Onion Association, onions, red onions, sweet onions, walnuts, white onions, yellow onions | 7 Comments »

Hummus With Sweet Potato

Posted by terrepruitt on August 24, 2013

I have mentioned before that I have fantastic Nia students. Well, I also have fabulous students in my gentle yoga class. When I posted about green beans being the only beans I like, except garbanzo beans in a couple of recipes, one of my students commented asking if I liked hummus. Turns out she just made some with sweet potato. I asked if she wanted to guest post or give me the recipe so that I could post it. Just as I say about recipes she used the original recipe as a guide and made it her own. She gave me kinda what she did (pictured). In addition to bringing me the recipe she actually brought me some hummus. In a little baggie! So cute. So sweet of her. It was a perfect addition to our dinner that night because I hadn’t really planned a well-rounded meal since I spent a good portion of the day at the vet’s office with my cat. You know that all medications have side effects and one of hers had a big one so we are now on a different plan on how to handle her issue in order to deal with the issue that came up as a side effect. I had my very first Thursday morning Nia class that will be Thursdays at 8:30 am the same day. So being at the vet for hours then coming home and having to get some stuff done before having to leave for Gentle Yoga didn’t leave me time to think about dinner in detail. So having the sweet potato hummus to serve with a raw bell pepper helped a lot. And it was delicious. I modified it only by roasting the sweet potatoes and adding more water.

Hummus With Sweet Potato:

Ingredients (pictured)

1 cup peeled and chopped up roasted sweet potato* (I measured it AFTER I roasted it)
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup Tahini
7 garlic cloves, roasted (or raw)**
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water (not pictured)

Peel and chop a sweet potato. Roast it in the oven (at about 450° F with garlic salt and olive oil). Until it is cooked to your liking.***

Put all ingredients in the blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.**** You can start with less water than 1/4 cup and add as you see fit.*****

________________________________

Recipe notes

*I measured the sweet potato AFTER I roasted it

**I used roasted garlic

***I roasted the sweet potato less than I would have if I were eating it

****I don’t have a food processor, I used my blender and I had to scrape and pulse quite a lot. I did not drizzle with oil or sprinkle with paprika.

*****I will use the “bean water” next time. (I forgot that I needed water at all otherwise I would have saved the bean water to use.)

________________________________

As you can see there are two different colored spreads in the picture. I think we might have used different colored sweet potatoes because I can’t imagine a sprinkle of paprika or her + of cumin would change the color that much. Can you?

Either way they both were delicious. Hers was more sweet. Again not sure if it is because of different potatoes or not. Could be the roasting.

Either way . . . this recipe is just a guide. A place to start. Something to look at to say, “Ok, someone has put sweet potato in a hummus and they thought it was good, now what can I do to make it my own?”

Right? So . . . . go make it and report back! 🙂

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: cat medications, cumin, Garbanzo beans, gentle yoga students, hummus, Nia, Nia class, Nia students, olive oil, paprika, roasted garlic, sick cat, side effects of medication, sweet potato, tahini, Yoga | 10 Comments »

Good Nut

Posted by terrepruitt on August 22, 2013

Walnuts are awesome. As you may have read in some of my other posts, my hubby doesn’t really like walnuts. I find that fact rather funny because he likes pretty much everything, but he is not fond of walnuts. One day I had a bag of pecans on the table and I was having some for dessert. He grabbed a couple and ate them. As he was eating them he looked at me and said something like, “What? These are so good. Why did I not know these are so delicious? I am amazed!” I actually laughed at his reaction to them because pecans really are very yummy. They are rich and slightly sweet and he didn’t know the joy. Walnuts are different and he doesn’t care for them. I think walnuts are awesome. The thing I like about nuts is they can be used in sweet or savory dishes, or even eaten by themselves. Walnuts are a bit harder than pecans. Pecans almost feel stale or old because they are kind of soft. Walnuts are hard and they are not as rich, but they are very good and good for you.

Walnuts have Omega 3 fatty acids in them. You might have heard that Omega 3 fat is the fat that we need to consume. Research has indicated that we don’t eat enough of it AND that it is a helpful and healthful fat.

My research has uncovered 1 ounce / roughly 28 grams has

190 calories
4 grams of protein
18 grams of total fat (1.5 grams of saturated fat and 2.5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat)

4 grams of carbohydrates
2 grams of fiber
28 mg of calcium
.82 mg of iron
125 mg of potassium
11 grams of Linoleic acid
2.5 grams of Linolenic acid

The Linoleic acid is the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. And it is the Omega 3 that we want. Omega 3 is considered an anti-inflammatory. As I have mentioned in numerous other posts, anti-inflammatory foods are a welcome part of a healthy diet. With more and more research pointing to the association between chronic inflammation in the body and disease, it is a good idea to consume foods with an anti-inflammatory effect.

According to the World’s Healthiest Foods site: Research has shown walnuts to help with cardiovascular health.

They have been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol, decrease total cholesterol, and increase omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells. Also decrease the risk of excessive clotting and excessive inflammation.

For me, as I mentioned they can be eaten in savory dishes, like with green beans (click here for a green been recipe) or in sweets. I like to put walnuts in my banana bread, but I don’t because John doesn’t like them and I primarily make the bread for him. But I do put them in the Banana Oatmeal Walnut Cookies (click here for that recipe). He actually is ok with them in the green beans and the cookies. I also think they are a great snack or dessert.

Do you like walnuts? How do you like to eat them?

Posted in Food | Tagged: anti-inflammatory, banana bread, Banana Oatmeal Walnut Cookies, cholesterol, dessert, excessive inflammation, green beans, Omega 3, pecans, sweet or savory, walnuts, World's Healthiest Foods | 6 Comments »

Beans I Like

Posted by terrepruitt on August 20, 2013

I recently received green beans in the organic produce box we get. I made Green Beans, Walnuts, and Onions. LOVE THAT. So this past weekend I bought some green beans at our Farmers Market. I plan to make that again. It is so good. My husband even mentioned after I made it that he doesn’t care for green beans nor walnuts, but he loves that . . . what did I tell you? I like green beans. I don’t make them often because . . . well, you know. Sometimes, if I am not making the previously mentioned recipe, it is probably because I don’t have walnuts, so I just sauté the green beans. I don’t typically boil vegetables. I just sauté them cooking them only slightly. I like them to still have crunch when I bite into them. I don’t like soggy beans. I cook them basically the same as if I am cooking them for the recipe. Green beans are good healthy vegetable.

Most vegetables lose some nutrients in the cooking process. Also for most vegetables the less they are cooked the better. According to several sources on the internet one cup (100 grams) of raw green beans yields:

31 calories

12.20 mg of Vitamin C
14.40 mcg of Vitamin K
690.00 IU of Vitamin A
0.14 mg of Vitamin B6

211.00 mg of potassium
2.70 g of Fiber
33.00 mcg of folate
37.00 mg of Calcium
1.83 g of protein
0.07 g of omega-3 fats

Green beans are a great source of anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and Beta-carotene. In addition to the anti-oxidants; Vitamin C and Beta-carotene, the rich color of green beans provide phytonutrients like carotenoids, another anti-oxidant. As a reminder antioxidants help the body reduce the inflammation. More and more studies are linking disease with chronic inflammation. You know my theory . . . food that can help our body reduce inflammation is something we want to add to our diet.

Green beans can be eaten raw. Just munch on them like you would a carrot or a slice of bell pepper. Green beans also make a great addition to a salad. Cut them up and throw them in a green salad or a pasta. I love vegetables that can be eaten cooked or raw. When they can be eaten both ways it is almost as if they will be eaten more often because of the variety in which they can be eaten. I would eat them a lot more if my husband liked them. I don’t really like to make him eat stuff he doesn’t like even though it is good for him.

It really is funny because these used to be the only kind of beans I like. Now I somewhat like garbanzo beans, and I eat kidney beans in certain recipes like my bean salad or red beans and rice (For Bean Salad recipe click here / For Red Beans and Rice recipe click here).

So do you like green beans? Do you like to eat them raw? How do you like to cook them? Have you tried the Green Beans, Walnuts, and Onions?

Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidants, boil vegetables, box of produce delivered, Garbanzo beans, green beans, onions, organic produce, phytonutrients, Red Beans and Rice, walnuts | 2 Comments »

Green Beans, Onions, and Walnuts

Posted by terrepruitt on August 10, 2013

I have shared before about how wonderful it is to cook for my husband because he pretty much likes whatever I cook. He is not a picky eater. When I first met him he did not care for walnuts at all. I also think he is not a big fan of green beans. But being the trooper he is he tolerated one of my favorite dishes. And now, even though he does not care for walnuts or green beans he likes this dish. I feel it kind of says a lot about how yummy it is. We received green beans in our produce box yesterday. I had just bought walnuts so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make this recipe. We actually have not had this dish in a long time. It seems I usually have beans and not walnuts or walnuts and not beans. Since I had them both, somewhat in an unplanned fashion I thought, “YAY”. I like walnuts. I like green beans. Especially fresh not canned or frozen. But this recipe will work with whatever type of green beans YOU and your family likes.

In our box we received a half a pound of green beans. So this recipe is based on that amount of green beans. I would normally like to cook more, but I only received a 1/2 pound. As with all recipes adjust as you see fit. This is a guide to help you on your way.

Green Beans, Onions, and Walnuts

1/2 pound of green beans (cut into bite size pieces)
1/2 cup of minced onion
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 tablespoons butter
garlic salt to taste

Heat up the onions in the oil in a pan. Cook them until they are just starting to turn translucent. Then put in 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the butter melt. Add the walnuts. Cook the walnuts to just when they are starting to get light brown from cooking (I know they start out brown so when you see them staring to be toasted). Then add the green beans. Add more butter. Then add the garlic salt. Cook your green beans to your liking. I like mine still crunchy. Serve.

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Oh this is such an easy yet yummy side dish. The butter and walnuts add a richness. Of course, you adjust all ingredients to your liking. I would suggest cooking the walnuts less before you add the green beans if you like to really, really cook your green beans. The idea is to toast the walnuts not burn them. And it could be that if you cook the green beans for a long time the walnuts will get over cooked.

Also you can see that I like my ratios to be about even. You might want a higher bean to walnut ratio. So please . . . play with it and find what works best for you. This could be your starting point.

I know that I have used frozen green beans before and it is just as yummy. I am sure that whatever green bean you like to eat will work.

What type of green bean do you like?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: gluten free, green beans, onions, picky eater, rich side dish, side dish, simple side dish, vegetarian, walnut, wonderful husband | 2 Comments »

Homemade Yogurt Instructions

Posted by terrepruitt on July 25, 2013

Homemade Yogurt instructions

You will need:
—1/2 gallon milk (I use Organic Valley 1%)
—Pot large enough to heat ½ gallon of milk
—Two bowls – one large enough to hold the milk, and one large enough to let the milk bowl nest in ice (or you can just use your sink)
—2 Tbsp plain yogurt as a starter
—An extra canning jar for blending the culture – or you can use a bowl and whisk it together
—A ladle
—A spoon (to stir the milk)
—A measuring spoon to measure the starter
—A thermometer (one that has a range of 100°-180° F)
—A suitable number of canning jars/lids/bands to ferment your yogurt in (for ½ gallon I have about 11, plus one 8 oz jars)
—Couple of jars of warm water – to maintain the fermenting environment
—A cooler big enough to hold all of the jars. This is your fermentation environment
—A couple of towels – to help insulate your fermentation environment
—A canning funnel (optional)

This is a multi-step process.

—Before you begin refer to the tips regarding sterilizing all equipment. (click here)

—Heat the the milk slowly to 170°/180° F. Stir occasionally and before testing the temperature. (I use medium heat. About 20 minutes.) Stirring prior to taking the temperature makes for a more accurate reading on your thermometer. When the correct temperature is reached your milk will be steaming and you will be able to smell it. It will be a pleasant sweet smell not burned.)

—While your milk heats up, prepare the cooling bath by filling one bowl with ice & water and nesting the other bowl on top of the ice-water. I fill one side of my sink with water and ice then I put my pot in the ice/water.

—After the milk has reached 170°/180° F, pour the milk into the bowl sitting in the ice water or put your pot in the ice water. Cool the milk to 110° F. Stir frequently to distribute the cooling milk from the sides of the bowl/pot with the warm milk in the interior. This will help speed the process and help you get an accurate reading from your thermometer.

—While the milk cools, fill your jars that are going to sit with the yogurt with warm water. Arrange them in the cooler.

—While the milk cools, warm your canning jars with warm water. Just fill them up with hot water and empty them when you are ready to fill the jars with milk. This helps maintain the temperature for fermentation. Alternatively, if you have run your jars through the dishwasher and they are still hot from the cycle, leave them in the dishwasher until they are needed.

—When the milk has reached 110° F remove the bowl/pot from the ice bath. This keeps the milk from cooling even further.

—Ladle a small amount of the cooled milk into the extra canning jar. Add the 2 tbls of yogurt and shake. Then add the mixture back into the bowl of cooled milk, mixing well to make sure that the yogurt culture is distributed throughout the milk.

—Ladle the milk into your jars. Here is where you use the canning funnel if you have one. Wipe any spilled milk off the top of the jar rims and seal the jars tightly with a lid and band. Label the jars with the date the yogurt was made.

—Place the jars into the cooler, interspersed with the jars of warm water. Snug the jars up with a couple of towels. The idea is to maintain ideal heat conditions for fermentation. Close the cooler and put it in an out of the way place for 8-12 hours.

—Leave it alone for the entire 8-12 hours. While the yogurt is growing its good stuff it does not want to be disturbed.

—After the 8-12 hour period, open up the cooler and check the yogurt. It should have set up and become firm.

— Refrigerate and enjoy within two weeks of the “made on” date and remember to reserve two tablespoons for your next batch.

If you have doubts as to the safety of the product (doesn’t smell right, color/texture is wrong), don’t take any chances. Just throw it out and start over.

Remember this is an unstrained yogurt so it is going to be much more “runny” than the average store bought yogurt.

These original instructions I received were taken, but not directly quoted, from, “Canning for a New Generation” by Liana Krissoff and Rinne Allen. If you are interested in sharing this with anyone, please also refer them to this book. I have adjusted and added to it to document the process I have used.

So are you ready? Let me know how your yogurt turns out!

Posted in "Recipes", Food, Yogurt | Tagged: Canning for a New Generation, fermented, fermenting environment, Homemade yogurt, how hot to heat milk for yogurt, how long to ferment yogurt, Organic Valley 1%, Yogurt making tips | Leave a Comment »

Yogurt Making Tips

Posted by terrepruitt on July 23, 2013

Making yogurt is so easy it is mind blowing. I always thought you needed a special yogurt making machine or something. But it is not that difficult at all. All you need are a few things including a thermometer, a pot, two bowls or a sink, and canning jars. There are more things but that is the basics. Even though it is really easy I decided to split the post between yogurt making tips and the actual instructions. I am posting the tips first because if you are like me you jump right to the recipe, skipping the tips thinking they are just “extra”. Then half way through the recipe I am wondering how to do this or that and realize that information is in the tips. So tips first, then instructions.

—Before you begin, wash ALL of your equipment with hot soapy water and rinse well with hot water.

Equipment means anything that will touch the milk: the pot, the bowl, the ladle, the spoon, the measuring spoon, all jars, lids, funnel and bands (bands don’t generally TOUCH the milk, but close enough), the portion of the thermometer that will touch the milk.

You can use your dishwasher for dishwasher-safe things.

Sterilizing everything helps keep any bacteria or germs from being introduced to and contaminating your yogurt.

—After washing lay out all cleaned equipment on a clean towel.

—If you have used the dishwasher to wash your canning jars right before you make your yogurt, you might want to keep the jars in the dishwasher until you are ready to fill them. This will keep the jars warm. Laura, of Beadzilla, who gave me this recipe noted that she has forgotten to heat the jars and has not had any problems.

—Even after you have calculated how many jars you need, have a few more washed and ready to go just in case. You might decide not to fill the jars all the way to the top so you might need more than you think.

—I have made three batches of yogurt and I think it sets up thicker when the milk heats to 180° F and it ferments for TWELVE hours.

—Heating up the milk takes about 20 minutes. I actually set my timer for 20 minutes so I have an idea of how long the milk has to go.

—The jars you want to use as warmer in the cooler can be pickle jars. Or a few extra canning jars. At present I have three jars. When I place the canning jars in the cooler I like to make sure all the milk jars are touching at least one warm water jar.

—Make sure that your jars of warm water are not any hotter than you can touch or you might introduce too much heat to the process and kill the culture.

—I put one towel on the bottom of the cooler, then put the warming jars in then arrange my jars of milk around them.

—When ladling the milk into the jars, I no longer worry about getting it on the rim/lip of the jar. I would spend so much time trying to keep from spilling and then end up spilling anyway. I don’t have a funnel. So I just quickly put the milk in the jars then wipe them well before I seal. I use a damp paper towel to wipe any spilled milk off the top of the jar rims and seal the jars tightly with a lid and band. This ensures good contact between the jar and it’s lid.

—Don’t fill the jars all the way up. Leave some room for your toppings/additions. If you want to eat the yogurt right out of the jar and you plan on adding to it (honey, granola, fruit, vanilla, etc.) you’ll need room.

—Remember this is an unstrained yogurt so it is going to be much more “runny” than the average store bought yogurt.

—This entire process takes about an hour. Remember to calculate the amount of time your yogurt needs to ferment and prepare it accordingly. The first time I made it with my friend I had to take my jars from cooler to fridge at 1:00 am. Usually not a problem for me but that morning it was. The second time I had to refrigerate them at 5:00 am. Now I make my yogurt by 10:00 am or 11:00 am so I am putting the jars in the fridge at 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm. Whatever works for you, just remember to think of that before you start.

—DON’T EAT ALL OF YOUR YOGURT! Remember you need at least 2 tablespoons for your next batch.

So these are just a few things I have learned. A long list. You will see the instructions are still long, but don’t let that deter you. It is easy.

I hope you will share your what you have learned making yogurt. What tips do you have?

Posted in Helpful Hints, Yogurt | Tagged: easy yogurt, Homemade yogurt, runny yogurt, sterilize equipment, thin yogurt, tips for making homemade yogurt | 2 Comments »

Put Rocket In Your Bowl

Posted by terrepruitt on July 20, 2013

My latest veggie obsession is arugula. Now I know I have been eating arugula for a long time. I know that it is popular at restaurants. I know that I have had entrées topped with arugula or it served on the side. I know that it is in some of the salad mixes I buy and eat. I know that it is described as having a peppery flavor. But I didn’t know how good it was. I actually think that I thought that the food with it in it or on it was so good because it was “restaurant food” and the chef knew how to cook. I had never thought to attribute the fabulous flavor of the whole dish to arugula. Ok, maybe not every dish was fabulous BECAUSE of the arugula but I am thinking that they were definitely enhanced by this green. Recently I was in the store and I was looking at my choice of organic greens and there was spinach and the regular packaged assortment of weeds and a separate container of arugula. I hadn’t remembered ever seeing arugula in a separate container before. Maybe because I always grab either spinach or the bunch of weeds. But this time I noticed them so I decided to grab them.

The regular assortment of weeds has been very tiring to me. It has become so tiring and bitter that I have actually elected to not have salad a few nights because I just didn’t want to eat that bitter bunch. So when I was standing in the produce section and I saw something other than that package of weeds I was very happy. I thought, “What the heck? I know I have had arugula before.” I always thought of it as an accent green. So I bought some spinach too and just put a bit of arugula in with it when preparing our salads. I always was a tad bit concerned because of the description I kept seeing. The peppery part.

I decided I love arugula. I have been loading up our salads with it. My hubby does not get as excited about greens — except collard greens — as I do so he just shrugged it off when I went on and on. And now it is our salad staple. I don’t think it really has any great nutritional values, but if it is a nice accent to a salad and encourages you to eat one, then that is a benefit.

I have a friend and I always share with her my latest kick and I told her that I arugula was my latest thing and she said the same thing as I did. She doesn’t remember ever seeing it sold separate in a bag or container either. So either we both have not noticed it before or they weren’t doing it as much as they are now. She hadn’t tried it either. Yes, she has had it the same way I have had it but not buying it and putting it in a salad herself. Well, since I love it I thought I would point it out. Yes, it could be something you have been using forever and this is old news, but you never know. I always have faith that I am giving at least one person a new idea. It might not even be the exact one I am sharing but I like to think my “share” sparks something for someone.

According to Wiki (copied directly from) “Eruca sativa is an edible annual plant, commonly known as salad rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, colewort, or, in the United States, arugula.”

Some quick nutritional information: in 2 cups there is

20 calories
.5 gram of fat
25 mgs of sodium
148 mgs of potassium
3 grams of carbs
1 grams of fiber
2 grams of protein

It also looks as if it can be a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin K. And to me a good source of calcium. Plus it being a green it has phytochemicals which are necessary for good health.

Do you eat salad rocket? Are you an arugula fan?

Posted in Food | Tagged: Arugula, greens, peppery flavor, protein, Rocket Salad, salad mixes, salads, veggie obbsession, weeds, Wiki | Leave a Comment »

Smashed Banana Eggs

Posted by terrepruitt on July 18, 2013

I first saw this recipe via a post on Facebook. A Nia friend had shared it from a group on Facebook. Neither my friend nor the person on the group had made them. I was not planning on posting about them. I know I say that all the time, but this recipe looked so quick and easy I didn’t really think there would be much to say about it. But I found that I needed to make some adjustments to the recipe in order for it to work for me. The directions in the post just baffled me because they instructed to cook the “pancake” for 20 to 30 seconds. As mine were cooking and I was standing there diligently waiting to flip then, I wondered what type of stove the person had. I wondered what type of pan. I wondered if they liked raw eggs. The food in my pan was no where near cooked much less in a state that could be flipped at 20 to 30 seconds. Because I often think I will not post about something, but then I end up wanting to, I did actually take pictures from the beginning. But then near the end of the cooking process I was more convinced I would NOT post so I didn’t get any good shots. But as my hubby was eating them I decided to share. I don’t want to call these pancakes because they are not “cakey” at all. To me when I hear banana pancakes I picture pancakes with bananas in them. So I am calling them Smashed Banana Eggs, because that is exactly what they are.

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Smashed Banana Eggs

Ingredients:

1 banana
2 eggs
salt
butter/oil

Smash the banana in a bowl. Smash it so much that it is soupy. Then add the eggs. Mix it all up like a scramble, including the tiniest sprinkle of salt. Heat the butter or oil in the pan. When it is hot pour the smashed banana and eggs into the pan forming small circles. Wait until the circle can be moved around the pan. When you are able to slide it then you can flip it.* Flip and cook on that side. When you think it is ready. Serve it with your choice of topping.

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*So for me, I just let them cook until they looked like they would survive being flipped and guess what? That didn’t always do it. Some of them broke apart. But that is ok.

I like mine browned. I cooked them for a long time. I kept flipping them back and forth. As I have mentioned many times before the great thing about a recipe and cooking is you get to decide how to do it. A recipe is a guide but you know how you like your eggs and/or pancakes cooked so you decide how long to do it. With me, since some of the circle didn’t survive the flip intact, I had little pieces that which I could taste so while I was cooking I was able to decide how cooked I wanted them.

As with all of my experiments with food I am a little nervous getting my husband to try it. So I asked if he wanted to try something new. He said ok but asked what it was. At the time I didn’t have my new name figured out so I just said it was kind of like a pancake but not really. So then he asked WHAT was in it and I said eggs and bananas that is all.

He was eating his while mine were still cooking. And he was saying that he had them before. He said his aunt in Hawaii made them for him. Sounds right to me. He really liked them. I think he likes them because they are tasty, but I also think that they are something from his childhood so that makes them even yummier.

I just served them to him with butter. But I was trying to figure out another way, so on one of mine I sprinkled some cinnamon. That was really good too. As I mentioned in the “recipe” serve them with whatever you want.

I am going to say that they are a bit rubbery, but that could be because I cooked them so long. I don’t mind rubbery, I just mention it because I want you to understand these are not pancakes. They are not bready. They are eggs with smashed bananas in them. I will be making them again. They were really good.

Just so you know, the recipe above ended up making about 4 thin 5 inch “circles”.

Thanks to Jason for posting the idea on his Facebook page. My hubby is happy to have a taste from his childhood.

(October 6, 2013 . . . . I posted some things I have learned about making these at My Perfect Smashed Banana Eggs)

So what will you top your Smashed Banana Eggs with?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: banana pancakes, childhood food, Facebook, Facebook group, GF, gluten free, Hawaiian Breakfast, Nia, Nia friend, quick recipe, scrambled eggs, smashed banana eggs | Leave a Comment »

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Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

I teach yoga, Nia, and stretch online!

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