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Holland House Cooking Wine starter kit giveaway

Holland House cooking wine starter kit giveawaybadge

One of the benefits of being a food blogger is that I get to try out – and fall in love with – products I wouldn’t normally have the chance to try. That’s certainly the case with Holland House cooking wines! That’s why I’m giving away a starter kit of three bottles of Holland House cooking wines, a recipe booklet, and an Amco stainless steel measuring cup and spoon set to help inspire you to use their cooking wines in all your meals. Enter below!!

Holland House cooking wine starter kit giveaway

Another way to get inspired to use Holland House Cooking Wines in your kitchen is to sign up for the Splash Recipe Club e-newsletter to receive coupons, special offers, and recipe ideas using all of Mizkan’s great products, like Holland House, NAKANO rice vinegars, and more!

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Posted on April 26, 2013 in Contests and Giveaways,Featured and tagged as ,

Eating well at THE PLAYERS: Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes

Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes

Are you a golf fan traveling to Jacksonville to view THE PLAYERS May 6-12? If so, you’ll be interested to learn about the addition of several new social venues at THE PLAYERS that will give fans  chance to cool off in the shade, grab a drink and some delicious local food, and watch the likes of  Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, and defending-champion Matt Kuchar on large LED video boards.

Taste of JAX, located between 11 green and 12 tee at THE PLAYERS, offers foods from local, favorite restaurants, a covered, centrally located bar, upgraded restrooms, and videoboards to keep up with the tournament. For those of you trying to eat healthy or  gluten free, there are several restaurants to chose from such as:

  • Indochine – Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine from one of downtown Jacksonville’s most popular locales, plus gluten free and healthy options
  • Metro Diner – Classic American fare with low-calorie and gluten-free options
  • Pele’s Wood Fire – Modern Italian-American cuisine where pizza is the signature dish

THE PLAYERS’ concession stands also showcase some of the most creative dishes the region has to offer in addition to including vegan and gluten free items:

  • Sawgrass Sliders: well-seasoned mini-burgers
  • A Vegan Fare menu: a lineup of vegan offerings not seen at other golf events, including a Black Bean Patty Melt, Chick’n Salad and Hummus Supreme
  • Gluten free dishes: include the Avocado Power Lunch, Ham and Cheese Panini and a BSR Sandwich (Turkey Bacon, Spinach and Red Onion)

One dish that will be served at THE PLAYERS that caught my eye was the Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes, which features fresh shrimp prepared in neighboring Jacksonville. This would be a fun dish to make for brunch to enjoy while watching THE PLAYERS at home. Or save it for the following weekend for a Mother’s Day brunch!

Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes

Mayport Shrimp with Grits and Fried Green Tomatoes

Serving for 4

Grits ingredients:

  • Stone ground quick grits
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Granulated garlic, to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Prepare grits as directed on the package for 4 servings.
  2. Add seasonings into water when grits are added.
  3. Add cheese at the end and keep warm.

Shrimp ingredients:

  • 1 pound 16/20 Local Shrimp, peeled and cleaned
  • Blackening seasoning, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-14 ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • 4 ounces ham, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 pound butter or buttery spread
  • 4 cups white wine
  • 1/2 red tomato, diced (for garnish)
  • 1 green onion, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

  1. Season shrimp with blackening seasoning and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan add garlic, cook until light brown.
  3. Add ham and peas, cook until crispy.
  4. Add shrimp and wine. Reduce wine by half then stir in butter. Shrimp are done when they turn pink. 

Fried green tomato ingredients:

  • 1 green tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs, plain
  • Blackening seasoning, to taste
  • Canola oil

Directions:

  1. Slice tomato. Place flour in a small bowl, place eggs in a small bowl, and place bread crumbs mixed with blackening seasoning in a small bowl.
  2. Heat enough canola oil in pan to cover tomato slices to 350 degrees.
  3. Dip sliced tomato in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
  4. Fry tomatoes in canola oil until golden brown. Cut in half before serving.

To plate:

  1. Place grits on plate, top with shrimp mixture and some of the sauce from the pan.
  2. Serve each plate with 3 halves of fried tomato. Then garnish with diced red tomato and green onions.

Recipe and pictures used with permission.

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Posted on April 25, 2013 in Featured,Fish,Recipes,Travel and tagged as ,

The Paleo Slow Cooker: Healthy, Gluten-Free Meals the Easy Way cookbook review and Pear Ginger Pork Chops recipe #glutenfree #gfcommunity

Pear Ginger Pork Chops from The Paleo Slow Cooker cookbook

If you’re looking for a more healthful way to eat, you’ve probably heard about the Paleo diet. For those of you who haven’t, the basic idea is to eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors did before the development of agriculture and diets heavy in grains like rice and wheat. Paleo is a protein heavy diet, but allows for vegetables, nuts and seeds. Many people feel better eating the paleo way and have lost weight or gotten rid of health problems like diabetes due to it. The Paleo diet also works well those who eat gluten free because of having celiacs or food sensitivities, since Paleo recipes don’t contain wheat or other types of glutenous foods.

Eating the Paleo way isn’t very hard to do, especially if you love to grill steaks or fish or enjoy a nice salad or sautéed veggies. However, until I came across The Paleo Slow Cooker: Healthy, Gluten-Free Meals the Easy Way cookbook by Arsy Vartanian I never thought of using my slow cooker to cook Paleo foods. Arsy, who blogs at Rubies and Radishes, makes it look easy and delicious! Her cookbook features chapters on beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and seafood. The Paleo Slow Cooker also features recipes for appetizers, breakfast, drinks and even Paleo friendly desserts. I’m impressed! Even better, it’s a visually beautiful book with excellent photography, though I wish there was more of it.

Whether you’re a hardcore Paleo dieter or just looking to turn your health and cooking around with simple and healthy recipes, then maybe the  The Paleo Slow Cooker is for you! Not convinced? Try Arsy’s recipe for Pear Ginger Pork Ribs. This is a perfect dish when pears are in season, plus pork is very reasonably priced. I like that Arsy uses coconut oil in this recipe, which should really give this pork dish a lovely flavor. And yes, honey is considered OK on the Paleo diet, especially raw honey (local if you can find it). If you need to avoid honey, try using stevia instead, which is OK on the Paleo diet, has no calories, and is considered a natural sweetener.

Finally, I would double this recipe if you have a big slow cooker. That way you can have leftover pork chops the next day for lunch – gently reheat in the microwave or dice up the pork and put it in a salad or Paleo friendly stir fry!

Pear Ginger Pork Chops

From the The Paleo Slow Cooker: Healthy, Gluten-Free Meals the Easy Way cookbook by Arsy Vartanian

Serves 4 The Paleo Slow Cooker: Healthy, Gluten-Free Meals the Easy Way

Ingredients:

  • 4 thick cut pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 ripe d’anjou pears, cored and cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup white wine (can substitute water or broth)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • Salt and pepper just before serving

Directions:

  1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
  2. Brown the pork chops on both sides (in batches if necessary) for about 5 minutes total and place in the slow cooker.
  3. Sauté the pears and ginger in the remaining coconut oil.
  4. Add the vinegar and wine, turn to medium low and cook for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
  5. Pour mixture over chops in slow cooker.
  6. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  7. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

Recipe and photograph used with permission.

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Posted on April 23, 2013 in Cookbooks,Crock Pot and Slow Cooker,Featured,Food Sensitivities,Gluten Free and tagged as ,

Meatless Monday: The Passionate Vegetable cookbook review and a recipe for California Fiesta Quinoa Salad #meatlessmonday #glutenfree

California Fiesta Quinoa Salad from The Passionate Vegetable cookbook

Has your family participated in Meatless Monday yet? Maybe you’re reluctant to because someone in your family thinks veggies are yucky. Or maybe you’re just perplexed on how to cook up a vegetarian dish that’s filling and will be liked by all family members. That’s why you have to check out the new cookbook by Suzanne Landry, The Passionate Vegetable. Her health inspired recipes  promise to revitalize your life whether you’re a vegetarian or a meat lover.

You can tell that Suzanne is a health educator, because The Passionate Vegetable is as educational as it is inspirational. The cookbook includes a simple guide to food nutrition, suggestions for healthy vegetarian meals, transition recipes for the meat lover (love this!), and a guide to remaking your pantry to be healthier and vegetarian friendly. The Passionate Vegetable contains over 145 recipes including breakfasts, salads, soups, grains and bean dishes, and entries, as well as a chapter devoted to meat and healthy treats and desserts. It also features fantastic food photography for some but not all her recipes, unfortunately. Recipes I’m looking forward to making include Ratatouille over Spaghetti Squash and Roasted Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese.

Summer salads

With the weather getting warmer, I’m on the lookout for recipes that require a minimum of cooking and are more on the light side. This recipe from The Passionate Vegetable for California Fiesta Quinoa Salad fits the bill, since you can make it ahead of time in the morning when it’s cooler. Quinoa makes a terrific main dish since it’s an excellent source of vegetarian protein and it’s gluten free. Suzanne suggests adding leftover quinoa salad to scrambled eggs – just before the eggs set hard, add 1/4 cup and give it a stir. She likes this egg and quinoa salad dish for breakfast, but you could make it for lunch or dinner, too!

California Fiesta Quinoa Salad

Recipe from The Passionate Vegetable by Suzanne Landry from Health Inspired Publishing

Serves 6

Salad ingredients:The Passionate Vegetable

  • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4  teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4  cup tomato, chopped (1 medium tomato)
  • 1/4 cup celery, chopped (1 stalk)
  • 1/2  cup cucumber, seeded and chopped (1 medium cucumber)
  • 1/2 cup scallions, chopped (4 scallions)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, blanched
  • 1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup black olives, pitted and diced (Kalamata are the best!)

Dressing ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1   teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
  • 2   tablespoon red wine vinegar or 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

  • Boil 2 cups water and add salt. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in strainer. Place in boiling water, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes or until grain is fluffed and water is absorbed.  Remove from pot into a large bowl and allow to cool before adding vegetables.
  • Slice tomatoes into 1/2-inch slabs and remove most of the seeds.  Then cut tomatoes into sticks and crosswise into ½-inch cubes.  This will give you evenly sized tomato pieces that won’t get mushy if the salad isn’t eaten right away.
  • Cut celery by slicing down the rib in the center of the stalk. If the stalk is large you might want to cut it in thirds. Then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
  • Slice cucumber lengthwise into 4 strips and then remove center seeds. Chop these strips into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove root ends of scallions and cross chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss cooled quinoa with all remaining vegetables, beans, and olives.
  • Mix vinegar, oil, hot pepper flakes, and salt together.  Toss lightly with salad.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.  This will last 5 days in the refrigerator.

Recipe and picture used with permission.

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Posted on April 22, 2013 in Cookbooks,Featured,Gluten Free,Recipes,Veggies and tagged as , , ,

Taking the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge (Part Two) #FinishRiseandShine

Finish Rise and Shine Challenge #FinishRiseandShine

I took the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge to test

Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel was because I always pre-rinse my dishes and I wash my pots and utensils by hand even though they’re dishwasher safe. I do this because I doubt any dishwasher detergent can do as good a job as I can by hand or without pre-rinsing. I was doubtful that any dishwasher detergent would do a good job on greasy, cooked on messes even with my less-than-one-year-old Bosch dishwasher.

My instructions for the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge

  1. Create an amazingly tasty, messy, sticky, and difficult-to-clean meal to put Finish to the test. They wanted me to prepare a breakfast dish, but I didn’t think that a breakfast casserole or a greasy frying pan was challenging enough. Instead, I cooked up Chile and Orange Braised Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs, which I knew would create baked on mess inside my 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset French oven.
  2. Relax after the sticky meal – put the dishes right into the dishwasher (no pre-rinse allowed!) and let them sit there until it’s time for bed.
  3. Before bed, run the dishwasher with Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel. (I used my dishwasher’s delay feature – first time I’ve ever used it!)

The folks at Finish promised that I’d rise to not only clean dishes, but a new level of shine on them.  I was doubtful as was my husband, Paul, who said, “There’s no way that your Le Creuset pot will come out clean.”

(A word about washing Le Creuset French ovens in the dishwasher. All Le Creuset enamelware pots are dishwasher safe except those with wooden handles. However, repeated dishwasher exposure may dull the finish on Le Creuset pots. So you’ll need to decide if the convenience is worth a little dulling of your precious Le Creuset. I figured one time wouldn’t be a big deal.)

Cooking and loading the dishwasher

Finish Rise and Shine Challenge (Before) #FinishRiseandShine

The pictures explain themselves – lots of mess and a very crowded dishwasher! My Bosch dishwasher usually works pretty well. Even so, I’ve had bad results and found food particles on my dishes when I’ve overloaded the dishwasher or stacked things too close together.

After running the dishwasher

Finish Rise and Shine Challenge (After) #FinishRiseandShine

As you can see, my 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset French oven, was spotless as were the other dishes, cutting board, flatware and the greasy cookie sheet. However, the glassware was a different matter as lots of gunk had splashed up into them. Gross!

I checked the dishwasher trap, which was full of grease and small food particles. Blech! I probably should have cleaned the trap before the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge to get the best results. However, after cleaning it, my dishes have come out sparkling clean with subsequent uses of Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel – even when I’ve overloaded the dishwasher or stacked items poorly!

My conclusion after taking the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge? Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel works amazingly well.

Take the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge!

Buy a package of Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel online or at your local grocery store and try it yourself. I think you’ll be amazed with the results!

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Posted on April 19, 2013 in Featured,Products and Equipment

Giving Chile and Orange Braised Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs the Finish Challenge (Part One) #FinishRiseandShine

Chile-Braised Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs The folks at Finish asked me to take the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge and create a difficult-to-clean meal to put Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel to the test. I thought this was a great excuse to make a braised short rib recipe that I saw in Bon Appétit magazine to use up the flanken style beef short ribs I had in the freezer.

This recipe was a good choice for the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge, because braising makes a lot of mess. Plus, the flanken style ribs were so greasy I had to put the cooked meat and vegetables in a colander to drain them onto a cookie sheet – lots of grease for Finish to clean up!

More on the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge tomorrow. First the recipe!

Changes to Bon Appétit’s Chile-Braised Short Ribs recipe

This was the first and last time I’ll use flanken style short ribs. Besides being too greasy, they cooked too quickly, which turned the short rib recipe into a stew recipe. (I’ve adjusted the times accordingly below so you don’t end up with stew like me.) I also didn’t like all the little pieces of bone I had to pick out of the meat.

Here are the other changes I made to Bon Appétit’s recipe to create my Chile and Orange Braised Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs :

  • Chiles: The original recipe uses dried New Mexico chiles. Even though we have a large Hispanic population here in Athens, GA, I couldn’t find any chiles labeled “New Mexican” so I used the dried ancho chiles I found at Kroger.
  • Marinade: I found that the marinade was very thick and was worried that the meat wouldn’t be evenly exposed to it. So I added a cup of soaking liquid to make the marinade less paste like.
  • Cuties to the rescue: Dummy me forgot to buy lemons, so I used Cutie Clementine oranges instead, which sweetened up the braised ribs a little.
  • Cauliflower: Since I have a food sensitivity to potatoes, I used cauliflower instead.
  • Olives: I didn’t read the label on the Mezzetta Castelvetrano Olives I bought on sale at CostPlus World Market, and accidentally bought olives with the pits still in them. Oops! I ended up using a paring knife to cut off the meat, thus the olives were chopped not whole.
  • Carrots: To save time, I used baby carrots instead of cutting up large carrots.
  • Parsley: Instead of fresh parsley, I used Gourmet Garden’s parsley for taste rather than garnish.
  • Less clean up: Finally, I tried to have you use less cookware than the Bon Appétit recipe called for by soaking the chiles in the blender, marinating the meat in the pot, and so on.

All in all a heavy, but delicious dish. I really liked how the tangy sourness of the olives contrasted with the sweetness of the meat, orange juice and carrots. However, my daughter, Lucie, didn’t care for the olives at all, so you may want to serve your kids the ribs without the sauce.

flanken style beef short ribs

Chile and Orange Braised Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs

Based on Bon Appétit’s Chile-Braised Short Ribs from the March 2013 issue

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 dried ancho chiles
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Zest and juice of 4 Cuties Clementine oranges
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 5 pounds flanken style beef short ribs
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 large cauliflower, but into bite size pieces
  • 3/4 pound baby carrots
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano green olives, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup Gourmet Garden parsley

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet using NO oil, roast chiles over medium heat until slightly puffed and slightly darkened, about 1 minute on each side. (The chiles I used were large enough that only 4 fit in my skillet, so you may have to do this twice.)
  2. Remove the chiles from skillet and let cool.
  3. Pull stem off chiles and halve lengthwise. Scrape out and discard seeds.
  4. If you’re comfortable pouring boiling water into your blender or food processor, then place cleaned chiles into it. (You can use a bowl instead if you're not.) Add boiling water to cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Drain water, reserving one cup of liquid, and leave chiles in blender or food processor. (Or place them into your blender/food processor if your soaking them in a bowl.)
  5. Combine chiles, garlic, Clementine orange zest and juice, oil, salt, coriander, cumin and 1 cup soaking water in a blender or food processor. Purée until marinade is smooth.
  6. Place flanken style beef short ribs, onion and marinade in a large oven safe heavy pot, like the 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset French oven I used. Cover with lid and chill ribs in the refrigerator overnight.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°.
  8. Add broth to the heavy pot, then bring everything to a boil on your stove top. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise ribs for 1 1/2 hour.
  9. Add cauliflower, baby carrots, and tomato paste to the post. Make sure to keep meat and vegetables covered in the liquid.
  10. Cover with lid and return to oven. Continue braising until meat is fork-tender and separates easily from the bone and vegetables are soft, 1 to 1/2 hours longer.
  11. Turn oven off or keep it at the “warm” setting.
  12. Place colander on a cookie sheet. Using a slotted spoon, transfer short ribs and vegetables to the colander to drain excess grease.
  13. When meat is cool enough to the touch, remove any small pieces of bone that have come loose from the flanken style ribs.
  14. Place meat and vegetables into an oven safe casserole dish, cover with foil, and return to oven to keep warm.
  15. Place your large cooking pot on the stove over high heat. Bring liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Use a spoon to skim fat from surface.
  16. Simmer for about 10 minutes until sauce starts to thickened like gravy. Stir olives and parsley into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
  17. To serve, place short ribs and vegetables on plate and and spoon sauce over. Enjoy!

Read Part Two of the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge tomorrow!

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Posted on April 18, 2013 in Featured,Products and Equipment,Recipes and tagged as

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner & a Movie at The National in Athens, Georgia #ww

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner & a Movie at The National in Athens, Georgia #ww

The National and Ciné's Dinner & A Movie happens three nights a week, Sunday through Tuesday. It’s a great way to try out celebrity chef Hugh Acheson’s The National restaurant for a reasonable price. Plus it makes a great date night since the Ciné movie theater is just next door. You can check out the latest Dinner & a Movie menu here and the Ciné movie schedule here. Make sure to make reservations by calling 706-549-3450. The National is at 232 W Hancock Ave. in Athens, Georgia.

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Posted on April 17, 2013 in Featured,Restaurant Reviews,Travel,Wordless Wednesday and tagged as

Healthy Gluten Free Slow Cooker Pasta #SRC

Healthy Gluten Free Slow Cooker Pasta #SRCAs I explained in last month’s Secret Recipe Club post for Spaghetti with Spicy Cauliflower Sauce, making pasta is a bit of an ordeal at my house since I only have two proper burners on my stovetop. So when I saw Robin from Robin Restored’s post on Crockpot Spaghetti, I thought, “This is the recipe I have to make for this month’s Secret Recipe Club challenge!”

Robin explains that Crockpot Spaghetti is her mom’s go-to recipe for family parties and people complain if she doesn’t make it. Robin’s version is sure to please, but I wanted to health it up a bit and make it gluten free. So here’s how I changed it:

  • I used the leanest ground beef I could find instead of ground chuck. Buy the leanest you can find at your local store. If you read labels, you’ll notice that it has less fat than ground turkey. Feel free to use ground venison or buffalo, too. If you can find and afford organic or “natural” (grass fed with no antibiotics used) beef or buffalo, go for it!
  • I used fresh ingredients like onions and garlic instead of powders and fresh mushrooms instead of canned.
  • Instead of pepperoni slices, I decided to try it with chicken Italian sausage from Trader Joe’s. Their sausage is precooked, so I was able to cut it into chunks before placing it in the slow cooker. If the sausage you use isn’t precooked and you’re worried about it falling apart during cooking, place it whole into the crock. Then slice it up before serving.
  • I used V8 instead of plain tomato juice since we had a bottle in the pantry. Any veggie and tomato juice blend will do!
  • I also added some additional veggies – two yellow squashes. You could also use zucchini, eggplant or cauliflower. Slow cooking practically dissolved the squash and mushrooms, so their presence remained hidden from picky people in my family who claim not to like vegetables. (That’s my daughter, Lucie, who only eats carrots and cauliflower these days.)
  • Finally, since I'm a Community Leader at Udi's Gluten Free, I'm always interested in making gluten free recipes, especially for the slow cooker. So I used brown rice penne pasta, and my family never noticed! Feel free to use whole wheat pasta instead if you don’t eat gluten free.

All in all, good reviews from the family and super easy and quick to make. The leftovers heat up well in the microwave without the pasta getting too mushy.

Healthy Gluten Free Slow Cooker Pasta #SRC

Healthy Slow Cooker Pasta

Serves 8 with lots of leftovers

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 1/2 fresh oregano, minced)
  • 1 (15 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 4 ounces mushrooms (cut large mushrooms into halves or quarters)
  • 3 1/2 cups V8 juice
  • 1 package Italian flavored chicken sausage, sliced into bite sized chunks
  • 2 yellow squash, cut into a large dice
  • 1 (16 ounce) package brown rice penne pasta

Directions:

  1. Over medium heat, place ground beef, onion and garlic into a large skillet. Cook until meat has browned. Drain well.
  2. Place browned meat into a large (6 to 8 quart) slow cooker. 
  3. Add all remaining ingredients, except pasta. Stir well.
  4. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3 1/2 hours.
  5. Add pasta and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until pasta is done.
  6. Turn off slow cooker. Serve and enjoy!

More from the Secret Recipe Club!

Want to join the Secret Recipe Club? You can sign up here.

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Posted on April 15, 2013 in Crock Pot and Slow Cooker,Featured,Gluten Free,Recipes and tagged as ,

Be Active with The Republic of Tea line of green rooibos teas #SipbySip #tea

Be Active with The Republic of Tea line of green rooibos teas #SipbySip #teaThis month I was excited to receive The Republic of Tea’s line of premium Be Active teas to try out and review. They’re made with organic green rooibos tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. When I had to give up green and black tea for a year due to my food sensitivities, I became a big fan of red rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) tea, which is grown in South Africa. According to Wikipedia, green rooibos is unoxidized and produced similar to the way green tea is made. Compared to red rooibos, green rooibos has a malty and slightly glass flavor. I find it has a mild brown rice taste to it, too.

After trying The Republic of Tea’s Be Active teas, I’m now a fan of green rooibos, too! These five herbal blends (with no caffeine!) are designed for people with active lifestyles so that they can steep, ice and enjoy on them on the go.

  • Get Active (Herb Tea for Endurance) offers smooth and aromatic, flavor notes of vanilla that are accented by the tangy citrus of holy basil and natural orange flavor. This tea helps increase energy, stamina, endurance and promotes resistance to stress while antioxidants help protect from free radicals. Ideal for power walks, golf and light workouts.
  • Get Limber (Herb Tea for Flexibility) offers bright and fruity notes with a hint of spice, lemongrass, orange peel and pineapple flavors. This tea helps to reduce joint swelling and inflammation, enables mobility and helps the body adapt to physical stresses that can cause pain. Ideal for pilates, tennis, yoga, and plyometrics.
  • Get Burning (Herb Tea for Metabolism) offers the tangy sweetness of Sea Buckthorn with the spiciness of zingy chili pepper, cinnamon and ginger. This tea assists in accelerating metabolism, enhances caloric burn rate and fat oxidation and helps strengthen stamina and endurance. Ideal for cardio, boot camps, running, weights and spinning. This was my favorite of all the Be Active teas I tried!
  • Get Hydrated (Herb Tea for Refreshment) offers citrus notes of fruity hibiscus, black limon (dried lime) and black currant. This tea helps boost levels of rehydration and refreshment and is full of antioxidants and electrolytes. Ideal for hiking, surfing, bikram yoga and running.
  • Get Restored (Herb Tea for Recovery) offers notes of caramel and coconut sweetened by dates. This tea, abundant in antioxidants, helps recovery by rebalancing acidity, increasing oxygenation and helps protect from toxin absorption. Ideal after any physical activity and/or at the end of the day. Be-Active-with-Sport-Bottle

My favorite Be Active tea was Get Burning for the taste. I also liked Get Restored, which was perfect for drinking after a visit to my kinesiologist, Dr. Paul, who told me to drink lots of water or herbal tea to flush the toxins released during his treatment on my shoulder.

Try The Republic of Tea’s Be Active teas and get a free sports bottle!

If you’re interested in trying out The Republic of Tea’s line of premium Be Active teas, use the promo code #BEACTIVE6 (with or without the #) to receive a complimentary Be Active sports bottle with one tin, refill or bulk bag purchase of Be Active tea.  Note that there’s a limit of one sports bottle per customer.

The promo code is good from Sunday, April 14, 2013 to Sunday, April 21, 2013 so act soon!

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Posted on April 14, 2013 in Featured,Food Reviews and tagged as

Making the world a better place one photo at a time {Johnson & Johnson #HealthyEssentials $100 giveaway}

Making the world a better place one photo at a time {Johnson & Johnson #HealthyEssentials $100 giveaway}Johnson & Johnson has created a cool new app you should check out. It’s called Donate a Photo, and it allows you to give back to causes you care about just by sharing a photo – any photo. For each photo shared through the Donate a Photo app, Johnson & Johnson donate $1 to one of these non-profit partners:

  • Safe Kids: One photo helps protect a child from a sports injury
  • Keep America Beautiful: One photo helps restore a public park
  • Save the Children: One photo helps a newborn get medicine to thrive

When a cause reaches its goal, another takes its place.* This is not a one time deal either as you can donate one photo a day, every day.

The app is available through iTunes and Google Play. For more information, go to donateaphoto.com. Here’s a video that tells you more about the app and how it can help a good cause.

Save with Healthy Essentials coupon book

If you still have last Sunday’s newspaper, check it for Johnson & Johnson’s Healthy Essentials™ coupon book. It contains over $50 in savings on everyday products for your family like Band-Aids and Neosporin. Didn’t get the newspaper? You can also print out the Johnson & Johnson product coupons online here where you can get coupons for everything from Benadryl to Neutrogena Naturals.

It’s a great time to stock up on Johnson & Johnson’s products, especially those related to allergies and ouchies. (I don’t know what it is about my kids, but spring and summer means more cuts, bruises and the need for bandages and Neosporin. Bet your kids are the same way!)

Healthy Essentials giveaway – win $100 worth of Johnson & Johnson goodies

I’m giving away a box of assorted Johnson & Johnson products, approximate retail value $100. The winner will receive these products or something similar:

  • AVEENO® Skin Relief Ointment
  • AVEENO® Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo
  • BAND-AID® Brand Flexible Fabric Bandages featuring QUILTVENT® Technologies
  • BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages featuring Jake and the Never Land Pirates
  • BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages featuring Hello Kitty®
  • Johnson & Johnson RED CROSS® Brand Products – Gauze and Tape
  • LISTERINE® Antiseptic in COOL MINT®
  • LUBRIDERM® Soothing Relief Daily Lotion 13.5 fl. oz.
  • NEOSPORIN® ORIGINAL OINTMENTBAND-AID®
  • NEOSPORIN® ECZEMA ESSENTIALS DAILY MOISTURIZING CREAM
  • NEUTROGENA® Naturals Acne Cream Cleanser
  • NEUTROGENA® Naturals Acne Treatment
  • o.b.® Tampon Product Comfort Regular
  • VISINE® Tired Eye Relief
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn't reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.

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Posted on April 12, 2013 in Contests and Giveaways,Coupons,Featured and tagged as

Wordless Wednesday: Dinner at the Local Republic in Lawrenceville, Georgia

Local Republic collage

We adore the Local Republic and anytime we’re near Lawrenceville, we try to stop there for a meal. The restaurant fills up quickly, so try to get their early – like before 6 pm – even during the week. They have an amazing craft beer selection, and their specials are terrific no matter if it’s fish, wild boar, or beef. However, my favorite is a small plate of chicken liver – so delicious, so good.

Local Republic - 225 West Crogan Street, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046, 678-205-4782. Open Mon-Thu 11am–10pm, Fri-Sat 11am–11pm, and closed Sundays.

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Posted on April 10, 2013 in Featured,Restaurant Reviews,Travel,Wordless Wednesday

Cookbook Week cont’d: Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian recipe for Smart Bars

Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian recipe for Smart Bars

I couldn’t resist sharing another terrific recipe from Teen Cuisine: New Vegetarian. This one is for Smart Bars is terrific to make for your lunchbox, as a snack on the way to sports practice, or to enjoy while hiking this summer. (Make a double batch so you have plenty on hand!)

If you have a nut allergy, omit the almonds and double the amount of sunflower seeds. Or you can substitute pine nuts (which are seeds) for the almonds. For the peanut butter, use sunflower seed butter instead. As for the almond milk, try substituting coconut or rice milk.

Other substitutions could be to use stevia and/or coconut palm sugar instead of raw or brown sugar and agave nectar instead of honey or maple syrup. (If you do use honey, try to get some from a local source at your farmer’s market. So much better tasting than that stuff at the grocery store!) Also, feel free to use a buttery spread instead of butter. Experiment with different nuts, seeds and dried fruit (maybe even a little unsweetened shredded coconut) and have fun with this recipe – see the Chef’s Tip below!

Smart Bars

Vegetarian

When you don’t have time for breakfast or lunch, or want something different to serve at your next get-together, Smart Bars are the solution. Shop for quality dried fruits for this recipe, preferably without sulfites or other preservatives. Plan ahead so that after the bars have baked, they have time to set before you cut them. If you rush the process, the bars may crumble, making it harder to transport them. Patience will pay off. The combination of nuts, oats, wheat germ, and dried fruit come together in a classic granola bar that’ll make you forget the ones that sell in supermarkets. This recipe will create a snacking legend. Now that’s smart!

Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian recipe for Smart Bars

Makes 16 bars

  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
  • 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup chopped dates
  • 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries or other dried berries
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed raw (turbinado) or light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-natural chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

On your mark . . .

  • Generously oil the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking dish.
  • Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle of the oven.

Get set . . .

  • Combine the oats and wheat germ in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture evenly across a dry 13- by 18-inch heavy-duty metal baking sheet.
  • Bake undisturbed on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, but don’t turn off the oven.
  • In the meantime, carefully fit the all-purpose blade in a food processor.
  • Add the almonds and close the lid. Process for 15 seconds or until the almonds are finely chopped.
  • Add the raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and dates; process for about 15 seconds or until coarsely chopped.
  • Add the eggs and flour to the food processor and process for 15 seconds.
  • Transfer the fruit-and-nut mixture from the food processor to a large bowl.
  • Add the oat mixture and the blueberries. Mix well to coat all the ingredients. Set the bowl aside.

Cook!

  • Combine the butter, honey, sugar, and peanut butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring until smooth.
  • Add the butter mixture to the fruit mixture along with the almond milk and toss well to combine and coat all the ingredients.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, packing it down firmly into an even thickness. A spatula will work well for this. Wet your hands and pack firmly again, pressing the mixture into the pan. The better packed the mixture, the less likely it is to crumble when you cut it.
  • Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. It is all right if the top of the bars get browned.
  • Let the bars cool on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes.
  • Cut the bars into 16 squares.
  • Let them cool completely at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
  • Wrap the bars individually in wax paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve. They can also be frozen.

Chef’s Tip

  • You can use your favorite combination of dried fruits and seeds. Just make sure it adds up to 2 3/4 cups.

Photo and recipe used with permission.

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Posted on April 9, 2013 in Cookbooks,Featured,Recipes and tagged as

Cookbook Week cont’d: Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian and a #MeatlessMonday recipe for Bite-Me Chili

Cookbook Week cont’d: Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian So much for Cookbook Week being only one week. Between Spring Break and more cookbooks arriving at my door, I didn’t have a chance to get to more than last week’s Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking and  Homemade with Love reviews. My apologies!

Let’s start this week off with a cookbook that was sent for me to review that’s perfect for all of you with vegetarian teens or kids who want the family to participate more in Meatless Monday. It’s Teen Cuisine: New Vegetarian, a finalist for the 2013 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award in the Children’s, Youth and Family category.

Teen Cuisine: New Vegetarian features 50 delicious recipes arranged into chapters such as “Smart Starts,” “Party Hearty,” “Bowl Me Over” and “Just Desserts.” There’s even a special sushi section along with an “And On the Side” chapter on pickles, relish and other homemade condiments. The recipe format is perfect for those new to the kitchen, since each recipe features step-by-step instructions in a On Your Mark, Get Set, and Cook! format. Each recipe also features helpful tips and gorgeous photographs. This would be a wonderful cookbook to give someone as a high school graduation gift or as a way to keep them busy in the kitchen during summer break.

Here’s a sample of one of the recipes from Teen Cuisine: New Vegetarian. I’ve included the original formatting so you can see how recipes are laid out.

A #MeatlessMonday recipe for Bite-Me Chili from Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian

Bite-Me Chili

Vegetarian or Vegan

A bowl of chili is a thing of beauty. So what’s wrong with a triple dose of heat in your chili? This recipe combines three types of chilies into one big bite of zippy flavor and satisfying chili goodness. Read the chef’s tip below to find out how to adjust the heat level.

Serves 4

  • 1 pound tempeh, any flavor
  • 1 medium-size white onion
  • 5 to 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
  • 5 to 6 sprigs cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 to 2 jalapeno or Serrano chilies
  • 1 to 3 dried Ancho, negro, or Pasilla chilies, depending on taste
  • 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted or regular chopped tomatoes
  • 1 10-ounce can Ro*Tel brand diced
  • tomatoes and green chilies
  • 1 15.5-ounce can red pinto, great Northern, or black beans
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive or safflower oil
  • 1 4-ounce can chopped mild, medium, or hot green chilies
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 cup water, plus more as needed

Chili Fixings

  • Chopped scallions
  • Chopped white or red onions
  • Cheddar cheese or vegan cheddar, grated
  • Monterey Jack or vegan Jack cheese, grated
  • Sour cream or vegan sour cream
  • Plain whole-milk yogurt or soy yogurt

On your mark . . .

  • Cut the tempeh into medium-size pieces and put into a 2-quart saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
  • Peel the onion, chop into medium dice, measure out 1 cup, and set aside.
  • Wash the parsley and cilantro, shake off any excess water, and dry by rolling in paper towels. Remove the leaves and discard the stems. Coarsely chop the parsley and cilantro together and set aside.
  • Slightly crush the garlic by laying the flat side of a chef’s knife on the clove and pressing firmly to break open the skin. Remove the skin, cut off the root end, and discard. Coarsely chop the garlic and set aside.
  • Slip on a pair of latex kitchen gloves. Remove the stem from the fresh chilies and cut in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold water and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a spoon. If you like the chili a bit hotter, leave in the seeds. Chop into small pieces and set aside. Rinse, dry, and remove the gloves.

Get set . . .

  • Break the stem from the dried chilies and discard. Shake out any seeds, tear the chilies into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup hot water and set aside to soften. Wash your hands.
  • Combine the tomatoes, including the liquid, and the tomato-and-green chili combination. Measure out 3 cups and set aside.
  • Drain the canned beans in a hand strainer or colander. Rinse under cold water and set aside to drain.
  • Coarsely chop the tempeh and set aside.

Cook!

  • Drain the dried chilies in a hand strainer or colander and pat dry.
  • Heat the oil in a 4- to 6-quart pot (with lid) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
  • Add the onion and dried chilies and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
  • Add the garlic, tempeh, canned green chilies, chopped fresh chilies, chili powder, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, if using, and the chopped parsley and cilantro. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the tempeh has browned.
  • Add the 3 cups tomato mixture, beans, and water. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid slightly ajar.
  • Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add water if the chili becomes too thick, but avoid making it soupy. Taste the chili and correct the seasoning.
  • Serve hot, passing the scallions, onions, grated cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt on the side.

Chef’s Tip

  • If you like your chili very hot, use the full amount of cayenne pepper listed. You can reduce the heat to a less fiery level by omitting it altogether.

Pictures and recipes used with permission.

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Posted on April 8, 2013 in Cookbooks,Featured,Recipes,Veggies and tagged as ,

Cookbook Week: Jennifer Perillo’s Homemade with Love

Cookbook Week: Jennifer Perillo’s Homemade with Love

I met Jennifer Perillo of In Jennie’s Kitchen a few years ago at the Yahoo! Motherboard get together in California. She was sitting with our mutual friend, Vanessa from French Foodie Mom, discussing food blogging and how much flour and butter she’d go through while developing recipes. I liked Jennie instantly, and was in awe that someone who had her recipes regularly featured in magazines like Working Mother, Saveur, and Bon Appetit was hanging out with us lowly food bloggers.

So when the folks at Role Mommy offered me a chance to review Jennie’s new cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen, I jumped at the chance to do so! You see not only is it a collection of Jennie’s work, but the photography is by Penny De Los Santos, whose work I admire immensely. (My only complaint about Homemade with Love is that there are not enough of Penny’s photographs!)

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that while I love Jennie’s blog and Homemade with Love, she and I cook somewhat differently. I’m not much of a baker and rarely make desserts for my family. Instead, I’m a healthy foodie who has to cook around my food sensitivities such as being gluten free and avoiding whey. Jennie doesn’t have that issue and makes gluten and whey laden, yummy desserts like Chocolate Tres Leches Cake and dishes like Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie. Luckily for people like me, she includes symbols in her recipes to let you easily know if something is vegan, vegetarian, gluten or egg free as well as if it’s a recipe you can make ahead of time or prepare in 30 minutes or less.

What Jennie and I have in common is that we believe in cooking from scratch and making it easy for other cooks to do so. For example, in Homemade with Love, Jennie writes about how to set up a homemade kitchen. This includes showing you how to stock your pantry with the dry goods you should have on hand, to what to stock in your fridge and freezer. Jennie also covers the everyday basics and offers shortcuts like recipes for homemade baking mixes and recipes for homemade necessities like mayonnaise, chicken stock, marinara sauce, and yogurt. She also covers canning and making pickles. (I can’t wait to try her Jalapeno Picked Watermelon Rinds once watermelons are back in season!)

While there are lots of decedent recipes for tarts, cupcakes and cake, there are also healthy ones like Sweet Potato, Leek and Ricotta Soufflé, Chickpea, Parmesan & Fennel Salad, and Baked Sole with Lemon, Olives & Herbs. If you’re looking for a cookbook that will inspire you to cook simply, deliciously, and easily from scratch, Jennifer Perillo’s cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen is it!

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Posted on April 2, 2013 in Cookbooks,Featured

Cookbook Week: Mary McCartney’s Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking

Cookbook Week: Mary McCartney’s Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking

So many wonderful cookbooks have been crossing my desk lately that I decided to dedicate a week to (mostly) cookbook reviews. So sit back and enjoy! Since it’s Meatless Monday, we start the week with a vegetarian cookbook by Mary McCartney, the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney.

Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking

I was excited to receive a review copy of the Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking because I’ve been a fan of Mary’s father’s music since I was a kid, and loved her mother’s photography for almost as long. Paul and Linda were the first people I ever knew in the public spotlight who were vegetarians, too. Indeed, Linda was the author of several very popular and still well thought of vegetarian cookbooks like Linda's Kitchen: Simple and Inspiring Recipes for Meat-Less Meals. So with an upbringing like that, I had high expectations for Mary’s cookbook, especially since she was doing both the recipe development as well as the photography.

Food features lovely vegetarian recipes that even non-vegetarians will like such as Corn Fritters, Super Quinoa Salad, Lip-Smacking Minestrone, and several desserts. These are straight forward, simple meals that are perfect for novice cooks or those who are new to vegetarian cooking. She doesn’t use crazy, hard to find ingredients – quinoa is as exotic as she gets. All in all Mary’s recipes in Food are very accessible to anyone who’d like to include more vegetarians meals in their culinary routine.

The only downside to Food is Mary’s food photography since I feel her food shots are too close up, overly blurry, and sometimes not very appetizing. I find that Mary’s a better photographer of people, spaces and gardens than food, and love her pictures of the signs at a farmer’s market and scenes from her home. That’s where her photographic talent and artistic personality come through in this book.

Can’t decide if Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking is right for you? Check out Mary’s recipe for Cheese and Eggplant Oven Bake, something you can easily make most weeknights. Even better, it’s gluten free if you use gluten free soy or tamari sauce.

Cheese and Eggplant Oven Bake by Mary McCarntney

Cheese and Eggplant Oven Bake

From Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking by Mary McCartney

This dish is wonderful just as it is, but sometimes I like to vary the recipe for a change. A pinch of chili flakes added to the tomato sauce provides a great kick, and 3 ounces of vegetarian ground meat substitute cooked into the tomato sauce adds substantial “bite” to the meal. Feel free to play around with it, too. This is good served with sautéed leeks and a leafy salad or steamed green beans.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons light olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs, plus a pinch set aside for the olive oil mixture
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise into discs 1⁄3 inch thick
  • 3 ounces soft goat cheese or chopped mozzarella
  • 4 ounces goat Cheddar or sharp Cheddar, grated
  • handful fresh basil leaves (if available), roughly chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. First make the tomato sauce. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and gently sauté the chopped onion until softened and slightly golden brown, about 8 minutes. Then stir in the garlic, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, mixed herbs, a small pinch of sea salt, and some black pepper. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the soy sauce, and the pinch of mixed herbs. Lightly brush both sides of each eggplant slice with the olive oil mixture. Sauté the slices in batches in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, cooking for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
  4. Spread a third of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a medium baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce and then spoon 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce over each eggplant disc. Scatter crumbled pieces of the soft goat cheese over the disc, followed by a layer of eggplant. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant slices and, finally, scatter the basil leaves and grated Cheddar over the top.
  5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly brown on top.

A short interview with Mary McCartney

Mary McCartneyQ.  When did you first start cooking?

A. I was involved in the experience of cooking from a very early age. The kitchen was the center of the universe and Mum got us involved, helping cook and tasting…lots of tasting.

Q. Who influenced you most in the kitchen?

A. My main cooking influence was my mother, Linda. She described herself as a peasant cook and had the ability to transform whatever she found in the pantry into delicious meals.

Q.  How did she influence your own perspective on cooking then?

A. Her love of food was infectious, but never precious. She never seemed to write anything down, a trick I inherited, but which made the creation of this book particularly testing!

Q. How would you define your style of cooking?

A. I favor uncomplicated cooking, I enjoy meals that are bright, tasty and satisfying and not too time consuming to make.

Q. What’s your recipe of choice?

A. When we were young, Mum let us choose our favorite meal on our birthday. I often chose her cream of tomato soup and fluffy quiche with a large mixed salad.

Q. If you chose just one thing you loved most about cooking, what would that be?

A. I love cooking for friends and family, getting everyone around the table together to enjoy the banter around informal meals, and for me, the satisfaction of wiped-clean plates is worth the effort.

Recipe and photographs used with permission.

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Posted on April 1, 2013 in Cookbooks,Featured,Gluten Free,Recipes,Veggies

Healthy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders #RanchRemix

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders #RanchRemix We’re in the midst of college basketball finals, and one thing my family loves to do is eat junk food while watching the games on TV. It drives me crazy to see them noshing on chips, dips and greasy foods like chicken wings. At the urging of Hidden Valley® Original Ranch®, I decided to create a healthy remix of a classic game watching recipe – buffalo chicken wings with ranch dipping sauce – using the Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Seasoning Mix they sent me.

To health up my Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders, I’ve used a combination of thigh and white chicken meat instead of wings, homemade buffalo sauce, stevia instead of sugar, and whole wheat slider buns.

This is a super easy party dish to make since it takes about 20 minutes to put together and is cooked in the slow cooker. You can put it together after breakfast and by the time the games start (at noon on the weekends for us on the East Coast) the Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders are ready to go.

The score? Chicken Wings 0. Healthy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders 4. (One point per family member.) Winner!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders #RanchRemix

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Sliders

Inspired by recipes at Harpers Happenings and Sunny Side Up

Makes 24 sliders

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth, divided
  • 1/2 large onion, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon stevia
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1 (1 ounce) packet Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Seasoning Mix
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast meat
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken thigh meat
  • 2 tablespoons corn or rice starch
  • 2 packages whole wheat slider buns (24 buns)

Directions

  1. Place 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, onions and garlic in a sauté pan. Cook over medium high heat until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently and until liquid is gone.
  2. Add spices and oil to sauté pan. Cook until spices blend, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add broth and stir until combined. Remove from heat.
  4. Place contents of Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Seasoning Mix packet into slow cooker.
  5. Add chicken meat and buffalo sauce. Stir thoroughly so chicken is covered.
  6. Place lid on slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
  7. Shred chicken with two forks and stir so chicken is covered in sauce.
  8. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sauce from the slow cooker with the corn starch. Mix until combined.
  9. Add the corn starch mixture to the chicken in the slow cooker. Stir occasionally until sauce has thickened.
  10. Serve shredded chicken on slider buns. Enjoy!

Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix is a simple way to add a flavorful kick to a classic recipe. Click here to find more classic recipes remixed with Hidden Valley Ranch. Also check out the Ranch Remix contest for your chance to win great prizes!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hidden Valley Ranch Remix. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Posted on March 28, 2013 in Crock Pot and Slow Cooker,Featured,Recipes and tagged as , ,

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