Coconut Lime Coleslaw

We have a new store in town.  It is an ultra premium olive oil tasting room called D'Olivo.  This is where I go for treats now.  Two weeks ago I bought a bottle of Persian Lime Olive Oil along with a bottle of Coconut Balsamic Vinegar.  The plan was to make a brownie recipe with these ingredients and so far I haven't gotten that done, but tonight while looking through recipes for coleslaw, I found one with lime juice.  Too bad the fresh limes were used up the other day.  Then it hit me.  I have the oil and vinegar and will try a new twist on the coleslaw.  Maybe someone else has done this, but it is my first time.  Oh my goodness, I love it!

The family says, "This is so good.  It should be on pinterest."

Added later:  Someone said they served  this to their 5 and 7 year old children who didn't like it at all.  So who knows?  You might like it and you might not.

Coconut  Lime Coleslaw

By Bonda 7-7-15

Saute one Walla Walla Sweet Onion in Coconut Oil, refrigerate.

When sautéd onions are cold, chop in food processor and add to:

2 cups green cabbage, chopped small

2 cups purple cabbage, chopped small

1 carrot, grated

¼ cup D’Olivo Coconut Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup D’Olivo Persian Lime Olive Oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients, mix and serve.

6 - 3/4 cup servings

Sunny Side Up Mini Loaves

I know it's been too long since I posted on the blog when step by step cooking photos show up in my email inbox unexpectedly.  Thanks to my daughter for this guest post.

I emailed this back:  The photos look great.  Yum!  Where did you get the recipe.   Did the kiddos like it? 

And this is the reply: Yes the kids love it. I made it up loosely based on the muffin cups but it's faster and less prep. Turns out 20 minutes for the last step with eggs is too long. Try 17 or so.

Here are the steps in photos and the recipe is at the end. 

Bake 12 min @400

  Try 17 minutes next time instead of 20 she says.

 

Don't Order Maine Lobster To Go

While waiting for my flight in Boston this week, I thought it wise to figure out a lunch plan.  During the flight a week earlier I discovered the meals on the plane are no longer included in the fare.  Can anyone tell it's been awhile since I was on a long flight?  Like 7 years?

Once I found my departure gate I saw a Legal Seafood Restaurant offering fresh lobster.  It was at full capacity even though the airport wasn't very busy right then so that was a good sign.  This was not a fast food place so I had the option of waiting and maybe not having enough time or ordering to go.

I digress...

 Old City Hall, Boston.  I took this photograph in October 2007.

Seven years ago when we were in Boston I ordered fresh lobster at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (located in the Old City Hall).  It was a startling experience for me.  When it came it was intact on a large serving platter.  The kind you would serve a large family meal on.  My husband and I still laugh about that experience sometimes.  Of course I could not eat it all.  I think it cost between $75 and $100 just for that one item.   Probably the chuckles we have gotten from the experience almost make it worth it.  I think my husband, the server and the nearby patrons enjoyed my look of shock when it showed up at our table.  Also I burst out with an exclamation that made heads turn.  Whoops!  The hick from the sticks came out.

 Since I didn't take a photo of the dining room I am including this one from pbase.com

Oh how I wish I had taken a photo of the plated lobster when it arrived.  I've looked around the Internet for a photo that resembles what it looked like and this photo from Prevention.com (recipes) is the closest I found.

Certainly, I recall it overflowed the platter and it was served with butter and lemon.  No side dishes.  AND I could not eat it all.  It was very good.  That was the first time I had lobster.  Unfortunately I didn't ask the price and when the bill came...well I think I must have blocked it out because I remember it being a lot.

So now it is seven years later and I'm back in Boston (airport only this time) and I remember a thought I had before I left on this trip..."I should watch for an opportunity to have fresh Maine lobster while I'm there."  Since my dear friends provided every meal I wasn't about to breathe a word of that idea.

So here at Legal Seafoods is an opportunity and I just think I'll splurge and go for it even though there is no room in the restaurant.  "To go please," I say to the cashier.  Ha!  It is $27.00 including tax so it's quite a bit less money than last time thank goodness.  After quite a long wait it is finally brought to me and I looked at it wondering how to eat it with a plastic fork and knife...the flimsiest on the planet I think.  It is a much smaller lobster this time but it is still fully intact and I realize I'm going to have to dispense with the plastic utensils and get my hands involved.  Oh my what a mess but oh so delicious.  I could acquire a taste for this I'll have you know.

Would you believe I didn't take a photo.  And furthermore I can't find a photo of steamed lobster in a to-go box on the Internet.  Hmmm.  I think I know why.  It really isn't a good idea.  Next time I would order a lobster roll which is something I attempted to make recently but it didn't turn out well.  I haven't ever seen it or had it but I have heard of it.  I'm still learning.

Legal Seafoods offered live lobsters in a box.  Briefly, I considered bringing a couple home so my husband could share in the experience, but it was possible I would be bumped off the flight between Minneapolis and Pasco and I didn't want to be dealing with live lobster if that happened.

Live lobster isn't available here.  It's okay though.  We have a frozen foods department and it will have to do for now.

Meatloaf for the Freezer from Monika

Recently my sister recommended a meatloaf recipe from her husband's family cookbook and tonight I made a double batch.  Since I put it in individual portions in Demarle trays it was quick to bake, freeze and will be simple to reheat next week.  I baked the fluted loaf tray for 18 minutes and the larger flower tray for 20 minutes.  This time I didn't put the glaze on because I'm cutting down on sugar but I trust her that it is even better with the glaze.

This is in the combining stage.  Left over from a few days back was a container of corn bread.  I substituted it for the bread and we liked it a lot.  Also, I had 1 pound of ground turkey and 3 pounds ground beef.  That turned out just great too.

Just for fun I'm including a photo taken this morning.  My husband recently had a birthday and received a green tea kitkat from his cousin who is a minister in Japan.  While he read his Bible today he enjoyed this and I thought it was unique enough to take a photo of.

Butter Soaked Corn Bread Stuffing by Jean Noe

What is not to love about this stuffing?  I have a small dish of this in the oven at this moment.  It  smells amazing and will report how I like it.

I forgot to get a photo of the big dish but here is a photo taken of one of the times we served it left over.

Note added later:  Aw yes, this was delish.  Since I used home made bread I needed to increase the salt to taste.

This recipe comes from my friend Alice Clark, Dietitian whose mother-in-law created the recipe.  Feel free to double it and keep some in the freezer.  It freezes well she says and since her husband usually asks for this on his birthday in January it makes sense to double it and keep half in the freezer for a couple months.  Their family doubles this and I did not.  This made enough for one 9 x 13 baking dish.

8 ounces Jimmy Dean Sage flavored sausage
2 cups diced onion
2 cups sliced and diced celery
Combine, cook and drain.

6 cups crumbled corn bread (8 x 8 pan baked and left to air dry) (I used the recipe on the package of Bob's Red Mill Coarse Corn Meal).
3 cups bread cubes  (I used my whole wheat bread from the recipe posted on October 2nd 2014)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Combine in large bowl

4 cups chicken broth (used two and it was quite wet but maybe because of the home made breads)
2 hands full dried cranberries
1 handful chopped pecans (left out)
1 Tablespoon rubbed sage
1/2 lb melted butter.
Add these ingredients and mix, toss as you add and drizzle.  Be careful not to flood or soak your bread cubes.

Place in a 9 x 13 pan.  This is a dense stuffing and will be fluffier the more you spread it out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 5 to 8 people depending on...well you know what I'm going to say.

One more note:  I made the corn bread and whole wheat bread on Monday and then left it in the oven on low heat to dry out for quite awhile.  Like maybe 4 hours.  This is because I wanted to mix up the stuffing on Tuesday.

I am putting the corn bread recipe here because I think this is my go-to corn bread recipe from now on. This is so good, I recommend making a double batch.

Golden Corn Bread
From Bob's Red Mill

1 cup Bob's Red Mill 100% Stone Ground Cornmeal
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (I used home ground Prairie Gold whole wheat from Wheat Montana).
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar (optional)  I used honey
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1/4 cup butter softened.

Sift together (I did not do this) dry ingredients into bowl.  Add egg, milk and butter.  Beat until smooth about 1 minute. Do not overbeat.

Bake in a greased 8 inch square pan for 20 to 25 minutes at 425 degrees.  Serve warm with butter.  9 servings.   I doubled it and put it in the clay pampered chef jelly roll pan.  425 degrees for about 17 minutes.

I started this post in November and here it is 1-1-15.  We did put the left overs in the freezer and really enjoyed it a couple times in December.  This is such a good recipe it deserves to be shared.

Inspired by my artist sister I decided to create some art journal cards.  This is one I gave away to my friend Alice.

Six Weeks with Alice Clark, Dietitian

It was a wonderful time.  We knew it would be good but we didn't know just how good until it was actually happening.  Now I think I should get some of the experience on record so I can go back for a refresher later.  Furthermore, today a friend posted a lament on facebook about many years of struggling with her weight and dissatisfaction with body image.  So I'm inspired to get this information down.

Autumn Flowers from Alice

Alice was a successful Sales Representative then Sales Manager for a Fortune 500 company.  As time went on she realized she had a curiosity for the chemistry of food and how nutrients work in the body.  Also she takes a common sense approach to food.  I share this view that we should eat whole foods God provided rather than adapted or synthetic versions.  Some people call it junk-food.  I call it fake food.  Alice decided to make a career change and go back to school to become a dietitian.  She tells me she has spent 21.5 years of her life in school.

After graduation from Bastyr University in May 2014 as a dietitian, she has multiple rotations of an internship (31 full time weeks on the job practice in dietetics) to complete.  Thankfully one of those was at our local hospital and she needed a place to stay.  A former classmate had kept our phone number as an option for temporary housing.  Yay!

One of the first discussions we had over a cup of tea the evening Alice arrived was regarding the presentation she had delivered earlier that day.  It was about food as probiotics which can be successfully used instead of drugs and supplements to rebuild good bacteria after taking antibiotics.  She directed me to a website called culturedfoodlife to learn more about this subject.  Then when she went home the next weekend she brought back a jar of Yin Yang Carrots from FireFly Kitchens.  I would like to point out this is fermented food you would find in the refrigeration section of your health food store.  For example a jar off the regular shelf of the store of canned sauerkraut will be pasteurized and the probiotics will not be present.

One tablespoon of this on your salad each day will do the trick.

The good bacteria in your small intestine feeds on plant fiber. If you are juicing your vegetables, also eat some that are not juiced.  Fruit is better eaten whole than as a juice so you get the benefit of the fiber which slows down how quickly the sugar is absorbed.

Little did I know that first night that Alice would so generously discuss good health practices throughout her 6 week stay with us.  I am so grateful for all she shared.

Here are more examples:

If you frequently diet on protein and veggies without complex carbs such as garbanzo beans, lentils, split peas etc.  Your liver and kidneys will be damaged.  Don't do this!

Hard vegetables such as carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets and so on will be more bio-available if they are lightly steamed. For our family I usually roast them or pan fry with coconut oil.

The last garden harvest of the year was on November 10, 2014.  Hard frost that night.  It was so nice to get about 3 extra weeks of gardening in this year.

Eat plant sourced foods.  At least half your plate should be covered with veggies.  If you boil your vegetables, somehow figure out how to consume the water they were cooked in or you lose the nutrients.

Keep your blood sugar as even as possible by eating 5 small meals per day. This would be the diabetic diet and should include protein, complex carbohydrates such as beans, lentils and vegetables.  Skip the sugar and definitely skip the soda. I remember doing this diet faithfully when I was expecting our first child and never felt better than I did then (after the morning sickness passed that is).

There are two ways our metabolism is increased; by eating or exercising.  It is best to moderately exercise for 20 minutes after eating.

Today during a thank you phone call from Alice I spoke with her of my friend's facebook post.  She suggested two books to help people with this trouble.  "Intuitive Eating"  and "Health At Every Size"  Alice says poor body image issues are poisonous and we must first get help with it.  The gist behind these books is making small doable changes so we can be successful.  It is helpful to take the view that today I am making better choices than yesterday.

So I am inspired to eat smaller portions more frequently which include protein, complex carbs and vegetables.  I have cut down on the sugar.

Check back later.  As I remember more details I will add them here.

Roasted Veggies Inspired by Alice Clark, Dietitian

Alice Clark, our new dietitian friend is spending time with us.  Add chilly fall weather and we are ready to turn the oven on for cozy warmth.  This time it is for veggies instead of cake.

Colorful vegetables I roasted today are purple cabbage, broccoli, yellow beets, onions and red peppers.  The beets take longer so I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and roasted them 20 minutes longer than the others.  Each type of veggies were coated (separately) in melted coconut oil and sea salt.


                             Red Bell Peppers                                  Walla Walla Sweet Onions
                             Golden Beets                                        Broccoli
                                                                                          Purple Cabbage

After the beets did their initial time I added them to the pan with the rest of the pretty colors and continued to roast for 25 more minutes.  That was perfect for 600 feet above sea level.  Adjust the time for your own altitude if necessary.

As some of you know we have had such an excellent time with Alice living with us.  Our purpose to eat healthy is renewed.  Plant based food is a consistent message from her.  Use small portions of meat for flavoring.  So besides eating more veggies, we've been trying out complex carbohydrates such as French green lentils.  Yesterday I found French blue lentils and we had them in our soup tonight. Yum!