Nacho bid'ness

I've been a little lazy about posting over the weekend.  There's always so much to do that I never seem to get around to parking in front of the computer to blog.  Food is definately still being cooked in the Anderson house and I even manage squeeze off a few pics before Roger gets hold of it.  I just don't get the recipes posted in a timely manner.  What a slug right?

This weather is killing us Floridians.  Normal (for this time of year) temps one day and overnight it drops 35 degrees!  We're like the MULLET of weather this year...you know...bid'ness in the front...party in the back.  It's bid'ness as usual in the daytime and colder than a witch's uhm...well..you know... at night!  So I was sitting here freezing the other night and decided to whip up a batch of chili.  Have you ever tried to cook wearing your SNUGGIE??  Not pretty....had to get out my SHAM WOW to get the tomato paste off it!

Anywho...the only beans I had in the pantry were black beans and since I was making Turkey Chili...they just didn't inspire me.  It was about that time I espied the 4lb bag (trip to BJ's wholesale club last week) of RW Garcia tortilla chips.  Why RW Garcia?  It's not like he's a personal friend or anything...like Juan Valdez.  Naw...it's because his chips are thin and crispy and have a great "authentic" flavor (as opposed to tasting like WHAT?), made from certified non gmo corn and have no trans fat.  Plus...a 30g or about 15 chip serving only has 40mg of sodium.  Boooyaaaaaah!!

Typically nachos are nasty bid'ness calorie wise especially if eaten in a restraunt.   They taste great but most are served up with great golden GLOBS of cheese, guac and a pint of sourcream.  Heaven only knows what grade of ground beef they use.  Is there a 50/50 grade?   Sometimes I wonder when you see that river of grease coagulating at the bottom of the mountain of stale corn chips.  If I ask the waiter to find out what the lean percentage of the meat is, he rolls his eyes, gathers his less than remarkable wits about him and flounces off to the kitchen.  When the laughter dies down back there, a very tall, uptight, 50-ish balding man with a pinched face walks over to my table and says "Sorry Ma'am, we can't give out that information.  It's just NACHO BID'NESS!"

Now that you are starving after that lovely description, I'm posting a recipe right?  Sorry, I have raised children and dogs...you can't gross me out so I just assume everyone has the same cast iron constitution. 

I think the calorie conscious readers will enjoy this recipe though.  Of course if you really want to cut back, skip the chips and have the chili over shredded lettuce like a nacho salad.  Maybe you could just crumble one or two evil, carbohydrate-ridden corn chips over the top.  The chili by itself only has 166 calories and 2 grams of fat for 3/4 cup serving.

Sweet n' Spicy Turkey Chili Nachos

For Chili:

-1 lb ground turkey breast

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1/2 cup diced onion

-2 cloves minced garlic

-1/2 cup diced bell pepper, any color

-1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

-3 Tablespoons chili powder

-2 teaspoons ground cumin

-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-pinch of ground cinnamon

-1 Tablespoon honey

-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 15oz. can no salt added petit diced tomato

1 8oz can no salt added tomato sauce

1 6oz can no salt added tomato paste

1-Heat oil in a large heavy bottom sauce pan. Break up ground turkey and cook until it begins to turn white. Stir in onion, garlic and bell pepper. If pan becomes dry add a little chicken broth. Saute 5 minutes or until veggies become tender.

2-Add all spices and seasonings; mix well. Allow spices to toast before adding liquids.

3-Pour in all tomato products and stir to combine. Bring to a slow boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 25-30 minutes.

Serve over tortilla chips with garnish.

To assemble nachos:

Line dinner plate with torn lettuce or lettuce cups. Check the portion size on the brand of tortilla chips you are using.

Arrange chips on plate. Top with 3/4 cup of chili, 1/4 cup organic reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon reduced fat sour cream, diced tomatoes and onions or a couple of spoonfuls of fresh (not jarred) salsa. Fresh salsa from the deli counter or refrigerated section has a fraction of the sodium of jarred salsas. You can always make your own too.

The chili serves 6

per serving: 166 calories, 2g fat, 15g carb, 20g protein, 110mg sodium, 4g fiber

With chips, reduced fat cheese and sour cream: 430 calories, 10g fat, 39g carbs, 31g protein, 400mg sodium, 8 g fiber (if using a high fiber corn chip)

Chili may be served in lettuce cups to cut down on the calorie and fat content. You can still top with the cheese and sour cream.

(c)copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Mango Swirl Yogurt Cheesecake

This is NOT your mama's cheesecake!  Unbelievably, there isn't any cream cheese in it at all.  It is made entirely of yogurt.  I have played around with cheesecake recipes over the years.  Any cook that's worth their salt (or sugar) has tried to make the perfect guiltless cheesecake right?  Give up because its never going to happen.  There is just no way to create something that looks and tastes like a decadant dessert and stay within my 200 calorie or less dessert rule! I came pretty close though.

Now I don't know about you but I really dislike fat free cream cheese.  Its got a wierd texture, waxy look and funky flavor.  When I looked at the label, I understood why.  It has a list of JUNK thats been added to emulsify, texturize and simulate regular cream cheese.  Like most highly processed foods, when they take something out...something nasty usually goes back in!  I know, you're saying "but some of that stuff is natural."  Ok, well so are beetle larvae that are used for their red color enhancement in MANY "natural" products but that doesn't mean I want to eat them! 

So that left me with light cream cheese.  It might be a little more "natural' than the fat free stuff...but not much and it still has more fat than you want when you are talking about the amount that you need for a cheesecake.  That is typically 3-5 eight ounce packages depending on the recipe you use.  Most recipes that I've read call for combining full fat cream cheese with either the light or the fat free variety but when you read the nutritonal info, you're still talking about four to five grams of fat PER OUNCE.  We all know nobody eats one ounce of cheesecake!  The typical serving is 6 ounces.  Do the math.

If you needed any further enlightenment; regular New York style cheesecake (with no added topping) weighs in at around 90 calories, 6-8 grams of fat, 7.2 grams carbohydrates, 1.6 grams protein, 0 fiber, and 75-100 mg of sodium PER OUNCE my friends!  I got out my calculator.  One piece of (shall remain nameless famous cheesecake joint) plain New York style comes in at 600 calories, 38 grams fat, 65 grams carboydrates, 8 grams protein, 0 fiber and 500 mg sodium.  Holy cow!

I've never been the kind of gal that plays inside the box.  So I got out my thinking cap and my apron.  Six flopped attempts and 16 quarts of Stoneyfield's finest later...I had myself an honest to goodness 100% yogurt cheesecake.  

Getting the refined sugar out was my next dilema.  That one resolved itself fairly easily with the addition of organic Agave nectar.  I just had to figure out how to compensate for the added liquid.  For the crust, I took the same concept that I use for my raw fruit pies with the addition of and egg and some unsalted organic butter.  The result is a sweet, delicious crust that doesn't have one grain of refined sugar and no gluten either!  As with many of my recipes, you'll find this one relies on organic coconut products as well.  What can I say?  I love them!

I am lactose intolerant so I know you are saying to yourself, "well yogurt is made from milk."  This is true BUT...yogurt can actually help with lactose intollerance.  The enzymes in yogurt (as a fermented food) start feasting on those lactic acid sugars and sort of pre-digesting them for you.  Stomach acids break down the cell walls of the bacteria in the yogurt and release an enzyme called beta-galactosidase which enhances lactose digestion.  It is generally thought that only yogurts with live bacteria cultures can perform this function however the jury is still out on that one.  Uhm...ALL yogurt by nature of what it IS...is bacteria!  I'm not ripping on any particular yogurt advertisement mind you...just saying.  Somebody has always got a "new and improved" version of something but there are reasons that yogurt is a super-food that supercede any trendy "live bacteria culture" commercials. 

Whether I'm just having a snack or using yogurt in a recipe, there are several things that I look for.  Number one...is it organic?  For me that is a must with dairy.  I'll save the RBST (recumbinant bovine sominotrophen) lecture for another article.  Number two...flavor and I do NOT mean a bunch of sugary fruity junk in the bottom.  I mean how does the yogurt taste?  How pleasing is the texture?  Is it very tangy or mild?  My personal favorite for snacking is Greek style (sometimes called strained) yogurt.  I buy my yogurt straight up though...that is plain.  Even organic yogurts can have too much sugar when you buy the pre-sweetened stuff.  I generally sweeten mine with a little Stevia or just some seasonal fruit puree with no sweetener.  Last but not least is fat content.  With organic products at least you don't have to worry about what they stuck in there in place of the fat.  I use full fat, low fat and fat free all.  It just depends on what I'm using it for. 

So you are saying to yourself, "ENOUGH already...we came here for cheesecake."  Indeed, and this cheesecake will not dissappoint.  Like any other cheesecake, you can't just throw this together half an hour before your company arrives.  A good, perfectly baked, moist cheesecake takes PATIENCE and a little bit of skill.  Although if you follow the steps and don't rush you can squeak by on the skill part.

Most people make cheesecake a day ahead of when they plan to serve it.  With yogurt cheesecake you actually need to start TWO days before.  The first step is to make yogurt cheese.  Don't get excited, its not a difficult process...except for the waiting that is! 

Make yourself a simple set up of a colander lined with unbleached coffee filters placed over a large bowl.  Make sure that the colander will balance on the rim of the bowl.  If the bottom of the colander is touching the bottom of the bowl you are defeating the purpose.  You will need 2 quarts of organic low fat plain or vanilla yogurt.  If you use vanilla, your cheesecake will be marginally sweeter than if you had used plain.  Don't go with fat free on this recipe.  You need a little fat.  Stir the yogurt and pour both containers into the lined colander.  Flatten another filter and cover the top of the yogurt.  Place a small plate or some plastic wrap over the bowl to protect the yogurt from picking up fridge odors.  Stash the bowl in your refrigerator 12-24 hours.  You should get 3 heaping cups of yogurt cheese from 2 quarts of yogurt. The longer the better because you want your cheese to be thick.  You may need to pour some of the whey out of the bowl halfway through the process so the bottom isnt touching the liquid.  You can save that whey for smoothies by the way!

When your yogurt cheese is done, you can easily scrape it off the coffee filters into a large bowl.  Either refrigerate in a covered container or use right away to make your  cheesecake.  If you store the cheese, extra water will still accumulate on the top.  Just make sure you pour that off before making the cheesecake.

You can make your cheesecake any flavor you like by adding different extracts, citrus juice, zest, fruit purees, chocolate or even coffee.  I've chosen mango for this one because I had a nice ripe organic mango in the fruit bowl and it needed a home.  Yes, this does take a little time but I promise...it is definately worth the wait.

Mango Swirl Yogurt Cheesecake

(with grainless date, apricot, almond and coconut crust)

3 cups prepared yogurt cheese (see instructions in above text)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic Agave Nectar (color doesn't matter)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons organic coconut flour

2 Tablespoons organic tapioca or potato starch

3 extra large cage free organic eggs

1/3 cup oranic unsweetened coconut milk

zest and juice of one organic lemon (about 3 tablespoons lemon juice)

1 large ripe mango

1 batch  Date Apricot Shortbread Crust (recipe follows)

1- Preheat oven to 325.  Prepare crust.  Press half the crust mixture into the bottom of a greased  9" springform pan.  Bake 15 minutes; cool completely.  Place cooled bottom back into the springform ring.  Using the remainder of the crust mixture; press evenly up the sides of pan.  Chill crust while preparing filling.

2- Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Place yogurt cheese in a large mixing bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat in 1/2 cup of the agave and vanilla till well blended.  Add coconut flour and tapioca starch; mix well.  Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. 

3-  Combine coconut milk and lemon juice.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  It will look curdled.  Beat into yogurt mixture.  Stir in lemon zest.

4- Remove crust from refrigerator and wrap the outside with foil (just in case of leaks).  Pour cheesecake batter into prepared crust.

5- Peel and cube the mango and place in blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons agave.  Blend until you have a smooth puree.  Drizzle half the mango puree over the top of the cheesecake and swirl with a butter knife.  Store remaining puree in fridge to serve with cheesecake.

6- Place cheesecake on center rack in 300 degree oven.  Bake 1 hour; reduce heat to 275 and bake additional 35-40 minutes.  Center should still be slightly jiggly when you gently tap the side of the pan.  Insert a cake tester in the center and it should come out clean.  Do not overbake.

7- Turn off heat and open oven door.  Let the cheesecake sit undisturbed for another hour.  Remove from oven and cool on counter top until room temperature.   Remove the side ring once cake is cooled. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.

*It is important to follow the steps to achieve the best results.  Also, the cheesecake is best served the next day.  Even after baking, yogurt can still leach out a little water. 

Gluten Free Date and Apricot Shortbread

8-10 fresh (not dried) organic Medjool dates, pitted

8 organic dried apricots

1 cup Almond Meal

1 cup organic unsweetened dried coconut flakes

1/4 cup organic coconut flour

1/4 cup organic quinoa flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

3 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, slightly cool

1 extra large cage free organic egg, slightly beaten

1-  Place dates, apricots, almond meal and coconut flakes in food processor.  Pulse until fruit is completely chopped and mixture is crumbly but sticky.  Add the two flours, salt and baking powder; pulse until well blended. 

2- Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle around on the top of crumb mixture in processor.  Pulse until you cannot see any chunks of butter.  In a small bowl, beat egg to blend.  Add to processor and pulse until mixture is completely blended and forms a ball. 

3- Moisten fingers with a little water and press into pan as instructed above.  Bake per instructions.

*Note:  Humidity can affect how sticky your dough is.  If it seems to sticky you may add extra coconut flour. 

**Quinoa flour is available at most healthfood stores and is a gluten free product.

Decorate your cheesecake with fresh fruits and enjoy!

16 Servings

Per Serving:  300 calories, 10 grams fat, 45 grams Carbs, 9 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 82 mg sodium

I've decorated mine with Carambola blackberries and Strawberries

The lovely little "hearts" in the mango puree are droplets of coconut milk which I dragged a toothpick through to create the shape.

Yes...it does taste like cheesecake and it IS as luscious as it looks!

Close up detail of mango swirl top and crust

Now when your mother tells you to eat your yogurt...you got it covered!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Pineapple Chicken and Very Veggie "Fried" Brown Rice

I don't concider myself a great cook of  Chinese (American Style) food by any stretch of the imagination.  Frankly, it's just not my cup of green tea.  That is mainly because of the salt, fat and calorie content AND the dubious "other" ingredients found in your standard slop trough buffet joints.  However, I do think there are some wonderful flavor combinations to be explored and one of my favorites is the marriage of pineapple, chicken and bell peppers.  That being said, I set out to determine if a healthier, lighter version could be made.  It turns out that it CAN!
It just so happens we had it for dinner last night. 

If you are looking for the thickly breaded, deep fried nuggets of chicken in a cloyingly sweet pineapple sauce, you won't find it here.  The chicken is flash sauted and then simmered in sauce.  A small amount of potato starch mixed with chicken broth at the end thickens the sauce just enough to glaze the chicken and vegetables.

The brown rice is more veggies than it is rice.  That was deliberate.  We eat late and I try to keep my evening carbs from starches low but I still wanted a side of "fried rice".  With this recipe, I could have a generous scoop (3/4 cup) and still not exceed the mere 1/3 cup of rice I would normally eat.  The other side is one of my all time faves in the produce aisle...crisp, sweet Sugar Snap Peas.  Flash sauted and sprinkled with a few drops of Sesame Oil and some toasted black sesame seeds... they are addicting!  I have to make 1 1/2 pounds for two people.  One pound for me and the rest for my husband. 

Pineapple Chicken

1 pound organic boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1" cubes

2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup organic diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup organic diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced onion*

2 cloves pressed garlic

2 cups chopped organic Roma Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cubed fresh pineapple

1 cup unsweetened pinapple juice**

2 tablespoons organic brown sugar or succanat

2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari

1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated

1//4 cup water or reduced sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon organic potato, corn or tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

slivered scallions

toasted black sesame seeds

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Add the chicken and brown lightly.  Chicken does not have to be cooked through at this point.  Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Saute the bell peppers and onion for 2-3 minutes; stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add diced tomato, pineapple juice, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, tamari and fresh ginger.  Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and add chicken back to pot.  Simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Carefully stir in pineapple chunks; return lid and simmer additonal 5 minutes until pineapple is tender.  In a small bowl, dissolve starch in chicken broth or water.  Increase heat to pineapple chicken until it just starts to boil.  Stir in starch slurry until sauce thickens and looses it's cloudy appearance.  Stir in sesame oil for flavor.  Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted black sesame seeds. 

*It is not necessary to purchase organic garlic or onions unless you just want to.  Their pungent oils are natural deterants to pests and the vegetables are therefore not sprayed. 

**You may substitute organic canned pineapple chunks in natural juice.  Just drain the chunks and set aside while the dish simmers.  Adding the pineapple along with chicken and simmering for the full 15 minutes will just disentigrate it.  You may add the canned pineapple after the dish is finsihed and stir to heat through.

Very Veggie "Fried" Brown Rice

1/2 cup (dry) organic brown rice

1 1/2 cups water or unsalted chicken broth

2 teaspoons olive oil

about 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup organic diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup organic diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup organic celery, diced

1/2 cup organic carrots, diced

1/4 cup thawed organic green peas

1/4 thawed organic corn kernels

1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari

scallions to garnish

Cook brown rice in unsalted water or chicken broth until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Uncover rice and fluff with a fork; set aside.  Heat olive oil in large saute pan.  Add both bell peppers and onion; saute 2-3 minutes.  Stir in celery and carrots.  You will need to have extra chicken broth on the side to add to the pan since there isn't very much oil.  Cook veggies until crisp tender.  Stir in the cooked rice, thawed peas and corn, sesame oil and tamari.  Stir "fry" 2-3 minutes adding additonal broth as needed to keep rice from sticking.  Serve with pineapple chicken, garnised with scallions and black sesame seeds.

Sesame Sugar Snap Peas

This really isn't a recipe at all...too easy!  Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet.  Add desired amount of pea pods.  Saute until crisp tender.  Sprinkle with a few drops of sesame oil and sesame seeds; toss to coat.

This meal serves 6 people

 Per serving:  328 calories, 7g fat, 44g carbohydrates, 22g protein, 7g fiber, 481mg sodium

*Amounts are as close as I can figure out without professional nutritional analysis so don't hold my feet to the fire.  They are close enough for government work!

Zen Dinner

Enjoy!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet