Super Bowl needs a super bowl . . .

In my family, we're all football fans. So we're looking forward to the Super Bowl this Sunday.

When I began to think of this, in view of my new all out effort to try to lose weight, I cringed. The typical gameday spread at my house usually includes lots of food, and not much of it would qualify as particularly healthy. So I'm trying to come up with alternatives that will give me those great flavors, but less calories.

For example, we'd probably have a big batch of Buffalo Wings. I'm planning to make a salad that is sort of a deconstructed Buffalo Wings Platter. So, instead of wings, I'm using chicken tenders, baked, instead of fried,drizzled with hot sauce, and placed over a salad of mixed greens with diced celery and carrot slices, with a homemade bluecheese ranch dressing. I've done that as a meal for the family, and I know it will be a hit.

That's a starting point, but one of the things I know for sure. There's got to be a great chip and dip. I have lots of high flavor, high-fat dip recipes. I've gotten calls from other countries for some of those recipes. So, I struggled with that for a while. Then I remembered an old recipe, one that I've had for nearly 10 years. I used to make this all the time, back when I was, um, eating healthier and losing weight, and it was really good. Somehow, it fell out of favor when I was pregnant with my third child, and I forgot all about it for a while.

At any rate, it's a seriously good dip, one I might even call . . . "super". And since I believe in sharing . . . here ya go!

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

2 large sweet red peppers
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon salt

To roast red peppers, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes. Place skin side up on baking sheet lined with baking parchment pepper. Flatten with hand to spread the peppers out as much as possible.

Broil peppers for about ten minutes or until peppers are blackened. Immediately seal peppers in a ziplock bag and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes. Remove charred skin after rest period and chop peppers finely.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped roasted red peppers, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, parsley, garlic, vinegar, white pepper, celery salt and salt. Stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour to allow flavors to blend. Serve at room temp with dippers. The whole bowl is only 4 Weight Watcher points, so it's pretty safe.

For dippers, you could use crackers, but I like this with fresh veggies or, best of all, these:

Wonton Crisps

20 Wonton wrappers
pan spray
salt
desired seasonings

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.

Spray a large baking sheet with pan spray. Place wonton wrappers on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for two minutes. Remove from oven.

Flip wrappers, spray lightly with pan spray and sprinkle with salt and any other desired seasonings, to taste. Bake for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy and golden. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.

Note: When I make these, I split the wonton wrappers in half--since I buy the square ones, I usually turn each one into two triangles. If you do that, you get ten triangles, or five whole wrappers for 2 points. They're crisp, delicious, and you can season them with whatever works for you, to suit the dip fo your choice.

So there ya go. One luscious dip with homemade crispy "chips" that will give you a "Super" bowl to serve at "Super Bowl". Enjoy!

New year, new leaf . . .

I think the holidays slowed us all down in terms of blogging. One thing I noticed over the last several months is that the pounds that I lost last year have slowly found their way back to my hips. I wish they hadn't, but there's only one person to blame, so I have to eat more conscientiously, and get more exercise.

One thing I know about myself. I don't like to feel deprived. So, if my family is having delicious muffins for breakfast, I want delicious muffins for breakfast. I'm not the girl who's cooking a luscious breakfastfor my children while I'm choking down a protein shake of questionable quality. The same goes for other meals. If you're going to eat it, it should taste wonderful. Which leads me to the recipe I want to share.

We had a snow day this week. Snow days mean luxurious breakfasts because everyone is up, but there's no rush. This particular snow day was a real luxury, because not only did our three children have an unexpected day off from school, but my husband had a scheduled day off from work. The whole family was home for a snow day. We decided to have a good breakfast and then drive up to a ski resort and go snow tubing.

In years past, this might have meant ridiculously rich sweet rolls, or massive plates of, um, "enhanced" french toast. I'm not offering specific descriptions, mainly because I'm determined not to be tempted back into bad habits.

This year, knowing we'd be spending the day in the snow, and keeping in mind my plan of eating healthier, I made oatmeal and muffins. I made excellent oatmeal, and delicious muffins. My husband and boys ate huge helpings. I ate a reasonable helping of oatmeal and saved my muffin for a late morning snack.

Both were good, filling, and there was no sense of deprivation.

So, for my "Thinking Thin on Thursday" post, here's the recipe for the oatmeal. I'll share the Blueberry Orange Muffin recipe later.

Maple Cranberry Oatmeal

3 1/2 cups skim milk
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dred cranberries
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ, optional

Pour milk into a saucepan. Add salt, if desired, and cook on medium heat until on the verge of boiling. (If the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat.) Stir in the oatmeal, cranberries and maple syrup. Cook unti the milk is mostly absorbed by the oats, but the mixture is still creamy. Remove from heat. If wheat germ is being added, let the oatmeal sit three minutes, then add wheat germ. Serve, if desired, with extra syrup.

I didn't add salt or wheat germ, and served it without any extra syrup. The whole family loved it and didn't add anything. A 3/4 cup serving works out to 157 calories, 1 gram of fat and 1 1/2 grams of fiber. Which makes it, if you're doing Weight Watchers, just 3 points for a serving.

Delish!

So, it's been a while

I've been thinking about the Mirror here a lot, but have sort of hit the wall lately when it comes to cooking and food.  The holidays drained me of enthusiasm for cooking, but I feel like I'm getting back on track a bit.

Two things in particular are inspiring me at the moment: resuming an old tradition and a beautiful new cookbook, brimming with ideas and recipes I would like to try.

First, traditions.  One of the common themes in my own food and cooking philosophies is traditions.  I come from a family in which food and cooking were not a high priority and traditions were scarce.  My mother was a working mom whose outlook on food fell mostly into the realm of "get some healthy food on the table after a long day at work".  She didn't enjoy cooking.  It was something she did to provide care for her family.  My dad did a lot of cooking as well, and often had a bit more time to get a little more creative.  But again, neither of them held food or cooking as a point of interest, let alone something they did for fun.  Likewise, I don't remember either of my parents ever saying anything like "Your grandmother used to make this every Christmas" or anything like that.  There are a few foods about which I could tell my kids "Oh, your grandma used to make me that every year!"  

I often wonder where my love of cooking came from, and how food and nutrition, and their role in our culture and communities, became such an important part of my own outlook.

One tradition that I have recently resumed, one that is my own, not handed down to me but that I hope I will impart to my children, is Tuesday Supper.

Every Tuesday, our home is open to anyone who wants to join us for Supper.  No invites; no rsvp; no menus or planning.  We make whatever we would normally have for our meal, plus a little extra to share.  If you come, we just ask you to bring something.  Doesn't matter what, just something to share.  If you don't have anything, that's fine too, because we know that you will bring something when you can.  Come to my house, share a meal, give of yourself, and help to make a stronger, more connected community.  And EAT!  

Tuesday Supper has always been wildly successful.  It started out totally by accident and is a completely organic institution in that it evolved almost on its own without any intervention.  One day, friends just showed up.  The next week, they came again.  Then again.  Then a few more friends heard about it and came as well.  These days, it seems to be in a period of growth.  New friends, and friends of theirs, are joining us.  It's evolving: people come and play music now, they read aloud, they debate.  

Each Tuesday, my home is transformed.  It becomes a place where people-- those who know each other and those who are relative strangers-- come together and share a meal and friendship.  It's a communion of sorts.  We break bread, drink wine, and give thanks: for each other and for our community.  And we grow stronger and more united and more connected.  I never know, from week to week, who will be there and how many will show up.  It's a bit of an act of faith: accepting that which I receive and giving what I have.  Sometimes it means pulling out more food and more drinks.  Sometimes it means mountains of leftovers.  There is always plenty though.  Tuesdays are a time of plenty, no matter what is going on in our lives outside of that one meal.

This is my favorite tradition and I am at once amazed that so much good has come from a simple meal and reaffirmed in my conviction that food is not just energy and sustenance on the physical level, but something that sustains us and brings us together as a community and culture.  As a nation and a culture, it's about time we pay greater attention to our food and how and why we eat.  

Another important characteristic of my own cooking and food choices is Organics.  Choosing organic foods-- particularly eggs, dairy, and meats-- is important to me for reasons of both health and the greater good.  The debate seems endless as to whether Organic foods are healthier, tastier, or better for the health of the planet.  For me, the answer is simple: for me and my family, it's the better choice.  It's not a choice I have the luxury of making in my every food decision.  But when I can, I do.  I also choose foods that are fresh, whole (not processed),in season, and from local sources.  

For Christmas, a friend gave me Foods to Live By, the cookbook of Earthbound Farms Organics.  It's a beautiful cookbook with recipes both new and familiar.  The recipes are all based on fresh, organic raw ingredients.  I've read the book cover to cover already, and tried a couple recipes.  And I'm finding myself inspired as I do so.  The list of recipes I want to make is growing ever day!

One that I have loved is the Pesto Vinaigrette.  Since I had prepared and frozen about eight cups of  Summer Sweet Basil Pesto over the summer, I have tons of home made pesto available.  The recipe itself uses pesto ingredients to create a dressing perfect for anything from greens to pasta salad to marinade.  I used my own prepared and frozen pesto in place of the basic pesto ingredients, then followed the recipe from there.

Last night, in preparation for a birthday party we're having n conjunction with Tuesday Supper, I made the recipe for Lemon Cup Cakes (not available on the EB Farms web site).  The recipe indicates a very light, airy cupcake and is packed with the flavors of fresh lemon.  I used lemon juice from lemons I juiced and froze back in late fall when a friend unloaded upon us the bounty of her Southern California Meyer Lemon tree.  

Since I was out of paper cupcake cups, I made the recipe into a 9" x 11" sheet cake.  While it cooked well and tastes great, it deflated to almost half its original size when I took it from the oven.  Me thinks the egg whites were not sufficiently whipped.  The recipe is very tasty, so I'll surely try it again, but it does require more steps and more bowls and utensils than I'm normally willing to dirty in my food prep, so likely it will be a "special occasion" treat.

Up next will probably be one the many baked goods, or perhaps a soup.  

In the mean time, I have several recipes-- some success, some failures-- to write about.  Assuming I don't get distrated by all this beautiful sunshine we're getting lately!

Brunch & Nuts

To celebrate New Years Day, some friends & I gathered together for a New Years Brunch. I had the idea to do this because there were a couple of things I wanted to try out and I knew that it was ridiculous to make that amount of food for myself. 


The brunch menu as a whole - so good. YUM. 

One of the things I made was an Egg & Sausage Casserole. It was an experiment in recipe modification, as I couldn't find exactly what I wanted to make - I wanted something without bread, but 90% of the recipes called for bread. Instead, I started with this recipe and modified it quite a bit. 

Here's what I did to make it:

Ingredients: 

1 lb. turkey sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of the Kraft Mexican Blend & regular cheddar cheese)

10 eggs, slightly beaten

4 cups milk (I used skim & 1% because that's what I had)

2 tsp mustard

1 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1 cup pico de gallo (fresh)

Sprinkle 9x13 with cheese. Combine eggs, milk, mustard, salt, & pepper. Pour into pan over cheese. Add mushrooms & pico de gallo. Sprinkle turkey sausage over top. Cover and chill overnight. In the morning, preheat the oven to 325F. Bake about 1 hour uncovered (I think mine took about an hour & 15 minutes). Makes 10 servings. 

Notes: Since I didn't use the bread, I probably should have cut down on the amount of milk I used. Next time I think I'd use half as much milk - there was a bit of spare liquid hanging around in my pan. But it was still yummy. I hear that it was delicious with a bit of sausage gravy on top, too. 

I also made Tricia's Creme Brulee French Toast, which was a big hit. 

Another first time recipe for me during the holiday season was Santa's Nuts. 

I took these to the family Christmas gathering, but not much got eaten. It could be because I kept telling everyone "Santa's Nuts are delicious!". 

I got the recipe from someone I work with and had to make them myself after she brought in a bowl for us to try. 

Santa's Nuts
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander (if desired)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
20 oz mixed nuts of your choice
12-16 oz mixed dried fruit (I used the tropical mix from Trader Joe's)

Mix together everything but the dried fruit* and place on baking pan or cookie sheet.

Cook at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. stir every 5 min until toasted.

Add dried fruit when cooled.

*Note: I mixed together all the spices/sugar in a small bowl, then put the nuts in a larger bowl and drizzled the oil over them before mixing in the spices. I wanted to be sure everything got distributed evenly. :)

Also, I'm not sure I would use the coriander again. The taste is fine, but the smell of it during the toasting process was a bit overpowering.

I did make one other dish for the brunch - Tricia's Creme Brulee French Toast - and it turned out fantastic. But that is for another day.