Sushi ~ at home

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Making sushi at home is something I really enjoy.  It is not very complicated after you learn to prevent over-prepping the food.  When I say over-prepping, I mean it does not take a lot of ingredients to make a lot of sushi.   After much trial and error, I have come up with a simple recipe that will yield about 6 full sushi rolls, of which we normally eat only half of each roll, and wrap the other half and save it for the next day.  Sushi stays fresh in roll form wrapped in cling wrap for two days, three days is pushing it because the rice is likely to dry out and become bitter.

I worked in a sushi restaurant for almost a year, and although I learned many tricks, it is through a little practice you will perfect it.  I would like to share with you the simple side of sushi.  All of the seafood is cooked.  There is also a great website called Sushi Daddy, he simplifies the rolling process which many online videos seem to complicate.  It is a one - two - three process when rolling.  I suggest checking out his videos, they really helped me. :).

Ingredients:

Full Sheet Nori (dried seaweed)
     ~ you can find this online, or in your local Asian market.
Soy Paper
     ~ I buy this at the local Asian mart as well, but the produce line is also available online if you cannot find
         it locally.  Sushi Party
Imitation crab sticks
Cooked Shrimp
Cream Cheese
Cucumber
Avocado
Carrot
Mayonnaise
Sriracha
Sweet Chili Sauce
     ~you can purchase this at the local Asian market, or make from scratch from the recipe here
Pickled Ginger
Ponsu
Soy Sauce
Black Sesame Seeds ~ at the Asian market
Sesame Seeds ~ at your local grocery in the spice isle
Sushi Rice
Jasmine Rice (or sushi rice Nishiki you can find this is your grocery store, use jasmine rice as a substitute)
Sushi Rice Vinegar (Mitzokan or Kikkoman make a good version)
Sugar
Sea Salt

To give you an idea of the amount of sushi you can yield from very few ingredients here is a break down of what you need to make these six rolls:

Rice:

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
about a 1/4 cup sushi rice vinegar
about a tablespoon of sugar
about a two teaspoons of salt

Ingredients:

2 full size sheets of dried Nori ~ cut one in half
2 sheets of Soy Paper ~ cut one in half
1/2 a package of cream cheese
6 crab sticks (3 for making a spicy crab mix and 3 for placing in sushi roll)
1 cup cooked shrimp (1/2 for making a spicy shrimp mix and 1/2 for placing in rolls)
1/2 a medium cucumber - peeled, seeded, and cut medium julienne style

half rolls cut into pieces

Full sheets of seaweed make larger rolls.  Here I have made two large rolls and four small rolls.  As seen below you can yield quite a bit of sushi from these minimal ingredients.  The photo to the right shows the six rolls cut in half and cut into pieces.

Directions for Rice:

1. Prepare your rice.  1 part rice to 2 parts water. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cup of rice, so add 3 cups of water, cover, and boil on a medium to low heat for approximately 20 minutes.  The rice should be somewhat sticky, but you know you have overcooked it if the it resembles mush.
2. Uncover the rice and fluff with a spatula to release some of the heat, this will help cool it faster.
3. Let the rice cool for about 5 - 10 minutes      (I sometimes put it in the freezer or refrigerator to speed up the process)  After it cools a bit, add the rice vinegar, folding it in with a rubber spatula.  Do not attempt to stir it.  Stirring will break up the rice. Add sugar and salt to taste.  Cover with plastic wrap, forming the wrap to mold to the rice as to not let any air inside, and moisture to escape.

Directions for ingredients:

1. A picture says a thousand words.
2. Cut all ingredients to look like the picture to the right.
3. For carrots, I use a vegetable peeler and create thin slices.
4. The cucumber is cut with mandolin.
5. Avocado is cut in medium to thin slices.
6. Crab stick is left whole.
7. Cream cheese is cut first in 1/2 inch, then lay flat and cut that slice in half to create long cube shaped tubes.

Directions for rolls:

• For large rolls, use a full nori sheet.
• For small rolls, cut sheet in half.

California Roll:

• Cucumber, avocado, crab, carrot

California with a twist:

• Cucumber, avocado, crab, cream cheese

A good sushi roll is simple.  So when mixing ingredients, remember simplicity.

Rolls with no names ;):

• Turmeric soy paper, cream cheese, cucumber, sweet chili sauce
• Sesame soy paper, spicy crab mix, avocado
• Nori, inside out style (rice on the outside), cream cheese, cucumber, avocado

I will post more pictures soon.  For excellent rolling instructions please visit My Sushi Daddy he is and excellent teacher!

California Crisp

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Ingredients:

1 tortilla ~ any style, I prefer low-carb or Ezekiel

6 Santa sweet tomatoes ~ sliced
1 tablespoon bacon bits ~ or faux bacon bits ;)

1/2 avocado ~ sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup shredded cheddar ~ or similar soy cheese

1 tablespoon Parmesan ~ grated

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup oil ~ for deep frying tortilla

Directions:

1. In a 2 inch deep skillet, add oil and heat.
2. While oil is heating cut and prepare veggies.
3. Perforate tortilla with fork to avoid bubbles, then deep fry tortilla until golden brown and drain oil.
4. Top with grated Parmesan, cheddar, and bacon bits.  Melt in toaster oven for two minutes.
5. Add fresh tomato and avocado.
6. Slice and serve with salsa.

Done!

Thai Peanut Shrimp, with Avocado Romaine Salad with Ranch

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For those low-carb dieters...1 serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup medium shrimp
1/2 cup romaine lettuce (chopped)
1/2 Haas avocado
2 stalks baby bok choy
2 tablespoons Thai spicy peanut sauce
3 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
dash of crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Saute' shrimp in peanut sauce for two minutes.
2. Prepare your veggies (romaine, avocado, bok choy, tomatoes)
3. Add all ingredients to a plate, and serve!

Easy, low carb.

Shrimp, Mushroom & Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo with Bow-tie Pasta

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This is a very easy and delicious recipe.  It is not low in carbs!

Ingredients:

Bow tie pasta
1 cup medium pink gulf shrimp (cooked, peeled)
1/2 can small peas
2 tablespoons bacon bits
5 medium baby bella mushrooms
4 small sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon parsley
2 table spoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Boil bow tie pasta in a quart size pot for approximately 20-25 minutes.
2. While pasta is boiling, dice your onions, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes.
3. In a small saute' pan, add olive oil, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes red onions, garlic, parsley, and sea salt (figure 1).
4. Saute' until mushrooms are soft, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Add shrimp to mix, and saute' for only 2 minutes or less.  Add bacon bits then set aside (figure 2).
6. Drain pasta, then put back into skillet or pan.
7. Add shrimp mixture, add peas, and Alfredo sauce.  
8. Heat on medium heat until hot.  
9. Ready to serve!

figure 1

figure 2

Add caption

bow tie pasta

Veggie Soup from scratch!

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The cupboards are bare again, but I realized I had a some stock of canned veggies, fresh potatoes, sweet onion, and carrots ready to go, so of course I made a pot of veggie soup!  This is an extremely easy recipe and it yields servings for days.  The fresh veggies are boiled, but if you drink the broth, they health benefits are retained :).  Serve with flax crackers, and butter, and you have a low-carb meal full of nutrients.

Ingredients:

Canned items:

1 can whole corn
1 can green beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Dole's chili sytle for this)
1 can small peas
1 can tomato paste
3 cups of water
2 cups of vegetable stock or chicken broth (I used chicken broth for this recipe)
2 fresh carrots (diced or julienne)
1/2 sweet onion (diced)
2 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Spices:

Modify to your taste.  I play with seasoning until I get the taste I want, so these measurements are subjective.

1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Maggi's seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
black pepper
parsley
oregano
garlic powder
chili powder

Directions:

1. Dice the fresh veggies.
2. Add water and broth to pot and begin to heat on medium.
3. Add all the canned items (only drain peas, the rest use the juice in the cans).
4. Add fresh veggies.
5. Begin to heat till boiling.
6. Add seasonings.
7. Taste periodically and add seasoning according to personal tastes.
8. Boil on medium heat uncovered for 30 minutes (until carrots and potatoes are edible).

Flax Meal Crackers

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This is a very simple recipe, very high in fiber, and low in carbs.

Ingredients:

2 cups flax meal
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/3 cup Parmesan

Heat oven to 350.

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl.
2. Spread out onto a cookie sheet covered with a silicone mat.
3. Roll out to a out 1/8 inch thick (it is easier to cover with wax paper while rolling it out).
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Watch the edges the center usually takes longer to crisp up so I break off the crisp sections and keep heating until the center crisps up too.

Modifications:
I play with this recipe depending on my mood. I added feta once in place of the Parmesan. Also added paprika, garlic salt, and a little brown sugar. Whole flax seeds or sesame seeds for added crunch.

These work great for dips like hummus, spinach dip, peanut butter, and salads.

Pizza! from Scratch!

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I have never embarked on making my own pizza crust until tonight!  We were running low in the bread department and out of tortillas, so I decided to try my hand at yeast free pizza dough.  I usually shy away from processed flour, but given the situation of our pantry...I folded.  I was impressed how easy this is, and I know in the future I will try to create a full fresh flax crust.  The entire process took about 30 minutes per pizza (from mixing the dough to finished cooking).

No-yeast pizza dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.  Make a cave in the center, add water and olive oil.  Mix ingredients with a spoon until it is kneading consistency.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until mixed.  Set aside.  It is ready to use.  I made two different batches.  One for each pizza.  The dough recipe makes a pizza about 12-14" round.  Pressed thin to about 1/4 inch.

Heat oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  These are thin crust pizzas.  They rise to about a 1/2 inch crust.  I imagine playing with different herbs and nuts to add to the dough and making it a low carb meal eventually.  For now.  Enjoy!  (I served it with side of marinara for dipping) yum.

Toppings:

First pizza Spinach:

Spinach leaves (from my garden)
Herb Goat Cheese
Bacon Bits
Mexican blend cheese
Mozzarella
Four cheese marinara








The second pizza - BBQ chicken style:


I added the BBQ Grill mates seasoning to the crust of this one as well, so the color of the crust is slightly orange.  You can work on this while the first pizza is cooking.

I sauteed three chicken tenderloins in a little olive oil and bbq dry seasoning by Grillmates.
Four cheese marinara
Mozzarella
Bacon bits

Avocado Wraps with Shredded Carrots, and Blue Cheese Crumbles

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This is a simple wrap, and very filling!

Ingredients:

2 small flour tortillas
1/4 fresh avocado (sliced)
1/2 cup iceberg lettuce
2 tablespoons ranch dressing (home made)
1 tablespoon blue cheese crumbles
Shredded carrots

Directions:

1. Peel and slice avocado.
2. Shred Lettuce.
3. Toss shredded lettuce with ranch dressing.

Place ingredients on tortilla, first with the lettuce, sprinkle blue cheese crumbles, top with avocado slices and shredded lettuce, wrap it up and enjoy!  It is amazing and simple.

Ranch from Scratch!

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In researching how to live a healthier lifestyle but still enjoy the favorite foods I love, I discovered a recipe for ranch dressing from scratch and I feel a lot better eating this version than any store bought version.  It tastes amazing.  You need to label it with a date, because your are using fresh milk (soy, almond, or cow), either way, the milk will expire.  I recommend using it within a weeks time, at the most a week and half.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley (dried or fresh and dried)
4 teaspoons sea salt
3 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix these ingredients together and store in a jar.  When you are ready to make dressing, mix:

1 cup of mayonnaise (here you can use a healthy version of your choice)
1 cup of milk (I used 2% milk, but I will soon experiment with almond milk and soy milk)
Add dry mix to this to taste.  The original recipe I saw for this seemed a little sparing and asked to add only 2 tablespoons.  I ended up adding around 4 tablespoons.  I also modified it by adding the following...

Xanthan gum (you can omit this if you do not mind it being slightly runny)

Add just tiny pinches of xanthan gum as a little goes a long way.  I suggest adding pinches, then shaking the jar, and repeat that process.  It will also thicken after refrigeration.

I am not one to follow recipes explicitly, I usually end up modifying, so this is the modified version of a recipe I found on Self-Reliance by Jamie, I recommend the site!

Grilled Ham, Cheddar & Egg Breakfast Sandwich with Fresh Strawberries

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This is a protein packed simple breakfast sandwich that my daughter really enjoys.

Ingredients:

1 wheat sandwich round
2 medium or small eggs
1 slice medium cheddar cheese
5 very thin slices of honey ham (deli thin)
4 fresh strawberries
A little unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper (for eggs)

Directions:

1. Use a griddle or large non-stick frying pan.
2. Heat the griddle
3. Rub a little bit of butter over entire surface just to coat.
4. Add the bread and thin slices of ham to the griddle to start heating.
5. Place cheese slice on one of the sandwich rounds.
6. Begin to cook eggs, do not break the yolks, add salt and pepper to eggs and cook until middle is almost hard, flipping once or twice.
7. Add ham slices to the other half of the bread (by this time both sandwich rounds should be a little crispy.
8. When eggs are finished cooking, add the eggs to the sandwich.
9. Dice the strawberries in quarters and serve!

Nutrition Information for entire meal:

• Calories:  383
• Sodium:   1,075
• Carbs:     32 net grams
• Fiber:      3
• Fat:          13
• Protein:    20

Sodium is a little high, you can substitute ham for turkey if you are concerned about salt intake.

Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry with Lean Pork

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I normally do not cook with pork this often, but we were low on items in the fridge.  I had just enough to make an awesome stir-fry, which is actually very healthy on a per serving basis.  The entire meal takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare.  I suggest first chopping the vegetables (my mother taught me a way to cut bok choy so it looks neat - slice at a downward diagonal direction, it make a V shape on the white area, when you get to the green tips, chop downward in thin slices), start the rice, while the vegetables are cooking, cut and prepare the pork.  By the time you are finished adding everything and letting it simmer to thicken, the rice will be finishing.  It takes some practice to get a good flow, but once you know all your cook times, you will be a stir fry master!

Rice: (for low-carb diets, substitute rice for cauliflower rice)
3 Cups water
1 1/2 cup rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ingredients:

2-6 oz. thin sliced lean pork

3 cups baby bok choy

1 cup carrots (sliced)

1 can water chestnuts

1 can straw mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Saute pork in:

1 teaspoon ginger spice (pictured below)

1 tablespoon Hoisin

1 teaspoon dried minced garlic/salt mix (grated)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

2 cups chicken broth (save 1/2 cup for thickener)

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon Sriracha

Variations:  omit the pork, or use chicken, tofu, beef, or shrimp.

Directions:

Saute'd bok choy, garlic, carrots, and water chestnuts

1. Prepare rice while you are preparing the other ingredients.  Add rice to water, add butter, bring to a boil on medium heat.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender.  Remove from heat, leave covered and set aside (usually about 15-20 minutes)
2. Saute water chestnuts, garlic, carrots, and a little garlic/sea salt mix in olive oil for approximately four minutes. *tip, dense vegetables (carrots, water chestnuts) take longer to cook, so these are cooked first.
3. Add bok Choy and stir fry another 2 minutes.  Turn off heat and set aside.
4. Sautee thin sliced pork in olive oil, hoisin, ginger, a little garlic/sea salt mix until thoroughly cooked (I am always apprehensive cooking meat so I tend to cook it longer than recommended) about 5 minutes.
5. Add the pork to the vegetables.
6. Add the mushrooms.
7. Add the 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
8. On a medium heat bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stirring often.   Reduce heat.
9. Mix the corn starch with 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
10. Add the remaining hoisin, soy sauce, sirachi sauce, and sea salt to the corn starch mixture and stir until the corn starch is dissolved.  Add this  mix to the stir fry and simmer stirring constantly until sauce thickens.   Simmer for another 2 minutes on very low heat - ready to serve!

Use very lean cuts, and remove extra fat, cut in half lengthwise, then into thin 2-inch strips.

Olive oil, Ginger Mix, Minced Garlic & Sea Salt Grated, & Hoisin 

Add Pork and Saute'

Add Pork to Vegetables - Do not drain

Finished.  This is after adding the chicken broth, corn starch mixture and simmering until thickened.

Here is a picture of the spicy Sriracha sauce and Hoisin if you are unfamiliar with these ingredients.  They can be purchased at your local grocery store in most cities.

Sriracha

Hoisin

Gourmet Garden Ginger Mix

White Northern Bean & Bacon Soup

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I usually walk into the kitchen with a blank slate or a recipe I know I will modify, but this one is inspired by seeing a jar of soup at our local veggie shop Easy Way. As we were shopping, a jar of soup caught my eye, and the label read, Bean & Bacon. So instead of spending $5.99 on the jar of soup, I decided to buy a bag of northern beans, two cans of chicken stock, and a package of bacon and throw it together on my own. I love making soup from scratch, and bottling it, so this was perfect.

I must say this is the best soup from scratch I have ever thrown together. It has a very strong spice aspect though, and although it tastes amazing, if you have gas problems, this is not the recipe for you! I have a hard time translating the "throwing together" aspect into a detailed recipe...so I will provide an approximation of ingredients and their quantities. If a measurement is listed, it means the quantity or amount is accurate to the amount I used in my batch.  The ingredients without measurements or quantities are ones I kind of threw in, let simmer, taste tested and modified to my liking.  It is fun to experiment.  Adding the dashes of hot sauce and fresh ground black pepper seemed to really add a kick to it that is subtle and creeps up on your taste buds.

Ingredients:

1 package Northern Beans
4 slices of Bacon (cook in a skillet and cut with kitchen shears)
2 Cans chicken stock
3 cups water
2 tablespoons flour (added to 2 tablespoons of water as a thickener)
3 dashes Louisiana hot sauce (or any other type of hot sauce you like)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Ingredients that are flexible to taste, I used the measurements in parentheses, but I tend to add ingredients that I feel will balance the taste after it simmers a few minutes. Sugar counteracts high acidity, and butter adds a fullness, if it tastes to sugary, I will add a dash of hot and spicy seasoning along with a dash of vinegar to reduce the sweetness.  Also, I ran into a race of sweet and sour balance for this one, adding too much honey, so I added vinegar to counteract it, but added too much.  Then I added a little bit of white sugar, black pepper, and dashes of hot sauce, and it made it perfect.  Trial and error!

Butter (unsalted, sweet cream - 3 tablespoons)
Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
Marsala cooking wine (1 tablespoon)
Parsley (2 teaspoons)
Basil (2 teaspoons)
Cumin (1 teaspoon)
Black pepper (1 teaspoon)
Apple cider vinegar (listed above)
Honey (listed above)
Sea Salt (2 teaspoons)
Won ton soup mix (1 tablespoon - this can be omitted, it has MSG, which I happen to love, but others do not)
Dried onion (1 tablespoon)
Chicken poultry seasoning (1 teaspoon) this can be omitted as well because I did not use enough to make a significant difference in the taste.

Directions:

1. Modified quick rinse for beans.  Fill pot with water to sit about an inch above beans.  Heat until boiling, then boil for approximately 20 minutes.  Strain, rinse with cold water and return to pot.  (I manually removed the skin of some of the beans that did not naturally shed).
2. Cook Bacon while beans are boiling.
3. Add water to pot with beans
4. Add chicken stock
5. Add bacon pieces
6. On medium to high heat begin heating the soup.
7. Add butter, and seasonings.

Here is where you can use my recommended amounts, or modify the soup to your liking.  Have fun!

1. Boil uncovered on a medium heat for 30 minutes.
2. Check the bean hardness, water levels, and strength of the seasoning.
3. If the beans are still fairly hard, add another cup of water, and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. Continue step 10 until you feel it's ready.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to a small bowl, mix with two tablespoons of water until smooth.
6. Add to soup, stir, and let simmer another 10 minutes.
7. Finished!

Unfortunately, this is not a pretty soup, so a final picture is not available.  Remember the bean-o, breath mints, and nose plugs (just kidding), except about the bean-o...  I may not be able to duplicate this one again, but it was awesome while it lasted, and hopefully this will recipe page will help me and lil T remember  ;).

Simple Taco Salad

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My mother is an inspiration to me.  She raised me to eat healthy foods, and as she and I grow older, her habits carry over.  She managed to reverse her diabetes through a low carb diet.  I lost weight on low carb too, but I think there can be modifications made to the diet to create a low carb, low fat and low calorie, but still very flavorful and filling.

This simple taco salad is just that.  It is simple, tasty, low carb, low fat, and low calories.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (this is for the whole recipe, each serving is about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the cooked mixture)
1 1/2 packages of low sodium taco seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded iceberg
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream (low fat, reduced fat, whichever you choose)
3 tablespoons salsa (of your choice)
1 tablespoon taco sauce

Variations:  add black beans, fresh diced tomatoes, or jalapenos.

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to non stick skillet.
2. Add ground turkey and brown.
3. Follow directions on taco seasoning package (usually adds 3/4 cups water and seasoning, then heat until thick).
4. Prepare lettuce with mandolin slicer, or chop on cutting board.

I usually buy shredded cheddar, but if you prefer to shred your own, have at it!  

Plate 1 cup of shredded lettuce, top with ground turkey mixture, top with taco sauce, salsa, sour cream, then shredded cheese.  If you choose to add variations like black beans, or other variations, add those before topping with sour cream and cheddar.

You are finished!  Enjoy this easy healthy meal.

Low Carb Bread

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I tried baking bread from scratch tonight for the first time, and I must say I am pleased with the results.  Although I was hoping for a lighter bread, one to make grilled cheese sandwiches with, this bread will be good for cold sandwiches, topped with butter, preserves, or even for garlic bread.

Once again, I modified the recipe because although I try to eat low carb, low fat, this bread is very low in carbs regardless of the slight modification of using real sugar instead of sugar substitute.

This recipe is great because it does not require the lengthy process of kneading and letting the bread rise.

Ingredients:

Original Recipe:

2 cups Atkins Cuisine All Purpose Baking Mix
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet sugar substitute ~ I used 2 tablespoons of sugar instead
1 1/8 cups water (1/8 cup water = 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons canola oil ~ substitute with olive oil, or other flavored oil.

My additions:

1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for after it bakes, melted on top and sides)

Directions:

Heat over to 350, and prepare a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.  Spray a plastic cutting board with cooking spray and set aside.

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl with a spatula.
2. Add oil and water, and mix slowly
3. Coat hands with cooking spray (lightly), and transfer to plastic cutting board.
4. Form dough into a loaf.
5. Add to bread pan.
6. Bake for 60 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before slicing.

If you have an hour, you will enjoy this easy to make bread!  I will try this bread with other variations and let you know how it turns out.  Perhaps adding more seasoning and nuts.  

Enjoy!

Spinach, Kalamata~Spanish Olive & Red Bell Pepper Dip

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Yuuuuum

I modified a recipe I found online for this one. The original recipe can be found here. I did not have any artichokes, so I replaced them with seedless kalamata olives, and pimento stuffed green olives, and I must say, it turned out amazing.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh baby spinach ~ substitute with frozen if you'd like
10 small pimento stuffed green olives (Spanish olives), diced
6 kalamata olives, seedless, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, grated

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan)
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

I prefer to use fresh spinach, and usually if a recipe calls for spinach, I throw the fresh spinach into a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of garlic, lightly salt it, and saute it. Then I chop it to medium or fine, depending on the recipe.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. While oven is heating, saute spinach, garlic, and olive oil.
3. Dice olives (kalamata and green), and red pepper.
4. Shred mozzarella.
5. Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl.
6. Transfer to a baking dish.
7. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.  Longer if you want a dark topping.

I serve this with flax seed crackers, and it is amazing!  

I also managed to use the left overs in a fried tomato brunch sandwich recipe I will post soon.  They melt in your mouth...literally.

saute spinach

ingredients

combined

Enjoy!

Shrimp Vermicelli

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Shrimp Vermicelli ~ pictured version is with fried shrimp
this recipe is for saute shrimp.  I vary the recipe often and
took this picture when I happened to be using a fried shrimp
version

I love Vietnamese food, especially this dish from a restaurant that is now closed. The only way to enjoy this awesomeness is to make it at home. The ingredients are all fresh except for the rice noodles.  A mandolin comes in handy for this recipe.  If you do not already own one, I recommend buying one!

This is for serving one. Adjust accordingly to serve more.

Ingredients:

6 jumbo tiger shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon grill mates barbecue seasoning
1 bunch thin Vietnamese vermicelli noodles
1/4 cup matchstick carrots or julienne style
1/4 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1 table spoon fresh chopped mint leaves, thin slices or diced.
1/8 cup julienne style cucumber
Fish sauce mixed with spring roll sauce (1 part fish sauce, 2 parts spring roll sauce)

Directions:

1. Boil water in a sauce pan for vermicelli noodles.  Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes, strain and rinse with cold water.  Fill sauce pan with cold water and noodles and set aside (this is so the noodles do not stick together until ready to serve.
2. Chop and prepare cucumber, peanuts, and mint.
3. Shrimp ~ I tend to modify this often.  Using raw tiger shrimp, peel, and remove veins.  Saute on a low heat with garlic, olive oil, and grill mate seasoning.  Approximately 3-5 minutes.
4. Mix the dressing, fish sauce and spring roll sauce (sweet chili sauce).
5. Drain noodles and add to bowl, top with all the ingredients.   

I usually pour the sauce over the entire bowl, but for serving, it may be wise to serve it on the side because it tends to be on the spicy side.

You're done!

Here are visuals for the fish sauce and vermicelli noodles:

Rice Vermicelli Noodles

Fish Sauce

Spinach, Bacon, Tomato Breakfast Casserole

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This is low carb, but a little high in fat. I try to keep eggs and bacon to a minimum on the low carb living diet, but sometimes, I break my own rules!

Ingredients:

8 eggs
1/4 cup milk ~substitutions: soy milk, almond milk, half and half
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
2 slices american cheese ~substitutions: shredded parmesan, sliced munster, colby jack, or monterey jack
4 slices cooked bacon
6 cherry tomatoes
Olive oil cooking spray
Season to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. In a bowl, mix eggs and milk with a whisk.
3. Spray dish with a thin coat of cooking spray.
4. Add 1/2 the eggs.
5. Cover with the cooked bacon.
6. Add the remainder of the egg over the bacon.
7. Top with fresh spinach, bacon bits, cheese, then cherry tomatoes.

Bake for approximately 25-35 minutes (test eggs by spring back method).  Cheese will be brown, but if you would like a crispier top, turn on the broiler and broil for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Enjoy!