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Fab Fast Food – Pesto Pita Pizzas Recipe for Our First ‘Fab Five’ Feature

January 28, 2011 in Entrees, Frugal Tips, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

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Real life sometimes involves “grab-and-go” eating when you’re running out the door.But, we ask: Can that food be healthy and affordable and fabulous at the same time?

We here at FFF know the reality of busy lives. Anne is a busy mom of a preschooler. Enough said. I myself have a stressful 50-plus hour a week job as a prosecutor handling child abuse cases and sex crimes, plus volunteer work that takes about 10 hours a week and adult children and a hubby that regularly need my time and attention. Not to mention co-blogging on two food blogs. Whew!

Yes, we are slow foods advocates here at FFF. We love the luxury of leisurely cooking, hopefully with a loved one. We try to do this as much as humanly possible. I believe strongly deep down in my bones that cooking and eating together regularly as a family is one of the most important things we can do for our well-being – physically, emotionally, spiritually.  But. There are times when you just need to get something into everyone’s mouths pronto.

Today we begin a new feature- Fab Five. We take on the challenge of making dishes that use only FIVE ingredients and take only FIVE minutes from grocery bag to table. And, here’s the real challenge: with healthy ingredients and as few processed foods as possible!

These pita pizzas fit this bill perfectly. You just throw them in the oven right on the racks slathered with a three cheese mixture and then drizzle pesto on top. Fabulous in Five. What’s better than that?

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Win/Win Comforting Sugar-Free Pan-Roasted Apples – A 20 Minute Healthy Dessert Recipe

January 25, 2011 in Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes

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Some foods feed your soul as well as your belly. Case in point: baked apples.

There is something about the smell and taste of baked apples that give you that “AAaaaahhhh” feeling. Love! Comfort! Joy! Baked apples!

This time of year, there is another reason I eat apples: weight loss. New research out there says ”An apple a Day Keeps the Doctor AND THE POUNDS Away.” You just can’t beat low in carbs, high in fiber plus YUM! As proof positive, I cite my favorite low-glycemic food blogger Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen: check out her Low Sugar Apple Crisp, for starters!

I decided to come up with a quicker, simpler enlightened apple recipe with all the soft luscious comforting quality of the slow baked version.

Turns out apples “bake” just as well in a covered skillet! Who knew? All I did was sprinkle the cut sides of the apple halves with cinnamon and then put them in a skillet cut side down with a little water. I cooked them covered over medium heat for 5 minutes, and they turned out just as yummy as the slow baked version. Minus the time and hassle. AND minus the sugar!

Don’t make the mistakes I did the first few times using the wrong varieties of apples. Granny Smiths = firm but too tart. Red Delicious = sweet but bland and mushy. Golden Delicious, Braeburn and Jonagold = perfect sweet/tart balance and great soft and creamy but firm texture. Yes, I know. A bit excessive to try 5 different varieties. But worth the effort.

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Make Our Carrot Beet Soup Recipe for National Soup Swap Day: January 22, 2011

January 19, 2011 in Appetizers, Entrees, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Entrees

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Beet and Carrot Soup with Queso Fresco and Cilantro Garnish

My name is Donna and I am a soup-aholic.

I absolutely LOVE soup. Especially this time of year where I live in the snowy Rocky Mountains. What’s better on a snowy evening than a bowl of steamy spicy soup with some crusty bread dippers or toasted tortillas? I can’t think of one single thing!

So imagine how thrilled I was to learn of National Soup Swap Day coming up on January 22, 2011. What a great concept – sort of a Cookie Exchange Party, only healthy and comfort food-y. Real simple. You just invite some friends who like to cook to bring soup to your house in labeled quart-sized containers and then you exchange them just like you would at a cookie party. If you invite, say, a total of 8 friends, you have them all bring 8 quarts and each person takes home 8 different quarts of soup. This is the best idea since, well, cookie exchange parties.

Make our uber-healthy and colorful Carrot Beet Soup (above) or some of our other favorite fab frugal cold-weather soups (below).

DSC_7141Gluten Free Gumbo

DSC_6673Oprah’s Famous Vegan Celery Root Soup

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DSC_4023Weeknight Chicken Posole

Cheers to all you ‘Soupies’ out there!

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Think These Look Like Classic Ground Beef Tacos? Surprise! It’s Tofu!

January 16, 2011 in Entrees, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Entrees

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If you think these look like classic ground beef tacos, I have done my job. (( Smiles smugly to self. ))

This recipe was originally created for the book that Anne and I wrote “101 Things to do with Tofu,” and I share it here with you updated just a bit. (( Hey! I add Frank’s cayenne pepper sauce to most every recipe now. ))

Lauren, a fabulous young food blogger, emailed me recently and asked if I had some suggestions for her to incorporate tofu into everyday dishes. Boy Oh Boy – kind of like asking Paula Deen if she has any recommendations for fried foods. (( Let us count the ways . . .)) So, Lauren, thanks for the email and for getting me craving these delicious veggie tacos once again! I decided a Meatless Monday post was in order!

This filling is fabulously flavorful and has a texture similar to classic ground beef taco filling, but is 100 per cent vegetarian, in fact – it’s even vegan! If you are like me and are making resolutions for the New Year to eat less meat, this is a perfect recipe to start with. I like it even BETTER than the traditional spiced hamburger taco filling. It is softer and has less of that ground beef “gristle” taste. I promise: Even the most dedicated carnivores will love this healthy substitute for ground cow! Try it out on your favorite carnivore and go ahead and TRY to prove me wrong!

There are countless benefits, say the Mayo Clinic researchers, to eating less meat.  But let’s just all admit right now that Americans eat much more meat than they need to. Enough said. With fab and frugal ways to cut back on meat like this taco filling, why would you not cut back? Amen! to the Meatless Monday folks, who point out that less meat consumption reduces heart disease, lowers risk of cancer and helps fight obesity. ((HOLY COW! **Pun intended!**))

The combination of soy sauce, peanut butter and spices, mostly chile powder and cumin, turns crumbled tofu into one of those “I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Meat” kind of recipes. It is a magical concoction.

This is a great thing to have on hand to make a quick Desperation Dinner – so I like to keep some small zip lock baggies of this magical stuff in my freezer. This stuff makes great sloppy joes and last-minute spaghetti sauce!

Happy Less-Meaty New Year to all!

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Cooking from the Super Foods List for a Healthy New Year – Easy Recipes and Tips for Getting these 10 Nutritional Wonders into Your Life

January 8, 2011 in Contests and Carnivals and Roundups, Frugal Tips, Healthy Fare

This is the time of year when I am maxed out on candy, sugar and rich holiday foods. These days I am craving grapefruit, poached eggs and celery! My body is screaming out: “Feed Me Something Healthy!”

Luckily for us all, America’s doctors have put together their Top Ten Super Foods List and I am excited, because I love every single one of these foods! There are lots of “super foods” lists out there, and they are pretty similar. Long on green veggies. Short on meats and fats. Martha Stewart’s people could only narrow their list to 38 super foods. The foods that have made the doctors’ “List” are on there because they are healthy in multiple ways. I like that approach – nutritional multi-taskers. They are lower in calories and carbs than many foods, and they are nutritionally dense. They also are heart healthy and anti-oxidant rich (think “anti-cancer!”).

So, my fab frugal friends, here are some of our favorite tips for making these 10 nutritional wonder foods an easy and delicious part of a long and healthy life.

1.  YOGURT

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A Healthy Green Smoothie Cocktail to Ring in the New Year – - Here’s to YOU!

January 4, 2011 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes

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I must have been asleep at the whisk. How did I miss Oprah’s Green Smoothie Revolution?

Sure, I like to think that I keep up with food trends. Eat healthier. Eat more veggies. Green is good. All of these feel right to me. So  a few days ago when I discovered Oprah’s green smoothie invented by Dr. Oz and its all-green ingredient list, I knew it had to be good for you. But. Could it also be just plain good tasting?

So, it was experiment night at Donna’s Test Kitchen. With the New Year and those holiday pounds upon me, anything low-cal and healthy sounds fabulous to me. This time of year I am craving celery, grapefruit and egg white omelettes. Isn’t everyone?

There are dozens of versions of this smoothie out there – but this is the most basic version. It is surprisingly refreshing and delicious. And, you just can’t put anything more healthy in your mouth. Some people claim they felt better within 24 hours of drinking this magical concoction. Something about the blending action breaking down the cell walls of the plants and making the nutrients more accessible.

In a few later versions, I added a spoonful of Greek yogurt – you can even try our make-at-home version. I found that if you chill all the ingredients first, you don’t need to add ice. Also, it work best to put the cucumbers in the blender first, making the mixture liquefy much more quickly. DON”T remove seeds or skins from any ingredient (even the apples) because these have tons of nutrients in them.

Healthy New Year, Everyone!

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Lucky New Year’s Dessert: Cardamom Pistachio Rice Pudding Recipe Two Ways – Creamy and Dairy Free!

December 29, 2010 in Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes

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Cardamom Rice Pudding with Pistachio Garnish

I didn’t know what I was missing. In my past, pre-foodie life, I always turned my nose up at rice pudding. How boring. How bland. Ho-hum, thought I.

But 2010 was my year for many things, including discovering rice pudding.

It’s not just about taste. It’s about texture. Creamy, rich, unctuous texture. It’s that “Aaaaaahhhh” feeling when it hits your tongue. So. I have seen the light. I am a rice pudding convert!

I made rice pudding for the very first time a few weeks ago. A friend of mine was among the Kelly Family Sunday Diners. She has lived all over the world, including India, Nepal, and Morocco. She claims to be a rice pudding connoisseur. I was so thrilled when she raved about my pudding. “Best I’ve ever eaten!” she gushed.

So, my Fab Frugal Friends, with the dawn of 2011, my New Year’s gift to you is my take on Rice Pudding – my favorite version is with lots of milk and a little coconut milk. And the cardamom is what makes this pudding. So fragrant and delicious! The dairy-free version is fab, too!

The Chinese use “rice porridge” as a part of their two-week New Year’s feast. I say Amen! and Hallelujah! to this tradition!

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Poached to Perfection: Pappardelle Pasta Nests (or Christmas Wreath Pasta) with Poached Egg and Daring Cooks’ December 2010 Challenge

December 14, 2010 in Contests and Carnivals and Roundups, Entrees, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

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Pappardelle Pasta with a Poached Egg

I had no idea. Really, no clue at all that a poached egg would be a cursing, ranting, raving, tear-your-hair-out kitchen experience. It’s just an egg, right? The most versatile of all foods on the planet. There are at least a dozen reasons to eat eggs, including that they are full of choline, which is fantastic for brain development, especially in young children.

I joined Daring Cooks to challenge myself, to make myself a better cook. When this month’s challenge by Jenn of Jenn Cuisine and Jill Ouci was to poach and egg, old-school style, I must admit that I scoffed out loud. Hey – didn’t I do this in 8th grade Home Ec class??? Wasn’t it super cinchy?

I was wrong. Big Time Wrong. I have been making poached eggs the cheater way for years now – with a little water in a ramekin and then 60 seconds in the microwave. BUT TO DO IT OLD-SCHOOL STYLE, IT IS HARD TO POACH AN EGG PERFECTLY. Oh, sure. You can make stringy egg feathery watery soup. Any kitchen fool can do that. But a perfect oval egg with cooked whites and a buttery smooth liquid yolk? This required Job-like patience to teach myself. Much like Julie in the film Julie and Julia: “They taste like cheese sauce. Yum.”

I sacrificed about a dozen eggs to learn. After about six failures and a few choice curse words, I watched the Master herself – Julia Child poaching an egg. I found that what worked best for me was to use a shallow skillet – that way the egg doesn’t have lots of water to swim around in and get stringy. The water has to be just below the boiling point, but not any cooler because the egg won’t cook but will just spread in the water. And indeed the Old Schoolers are right: vinegar is a must – you can watch the egg shrinking up the minute it hits the vinegar and water. In the end, Julia’s swirling technique came through for me, and kept the egg swirled around in a little pocket. Jenn and Jill, wow! did you challenge me! Thanks for the lesson!

Since so many of my fellow Daring Cooks made home-made English muffins and Eggs Benedict, I decided to equal their enthusiasm and make home made pasta for a “nest” for my eggs. (This time of year, you can call them Pasta Christmas Wreaths and impress all your guests!) What kind of pasta? Egg-stra eggy Pappardelle noodles, of course! Serve them up with green spinach and red bell pepper bits, and you will have a festive Christmas-wreath shaped pasta dish!

Have a Most Egg-cellent Holiday Season all you Daring Cooks!

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Cooking for a Crowd for the Holidays? Try Our Savory Baked Egg Tarts for Meatless Monday

November 30, 2010 in Entrees, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

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Savory Egg Tarts for a Crowd

I love eggs. I love them boiled, scrambled, fried.  My all time favorite egg is poached. I LOVE the Egg Poaching scene in the movie Julie and Julia where Julie tries an egg for the very first time. “They taste like cheese sauce. Yum.”

I have always liked quiche, and use it as a go-to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Especially during the frantic pace of the holiday season, eggs are my friends. Simple. Easy. Yummy. Packed with protein.  They’re now widely considered to be a great source of healthy frugal protein. A Meatless Monday treat!

I came across this egg tart recipe idea in a magazine and had to try it. Tweaked a little, of course. These are as easy as quiche, but something different. You can cook the tarts to however you like your eggs yolks – hard or ooey-gooey. You can use a large sized muffin tin to cook tarts, but if you have pretty little tart pans – don’t you love fluted edges?! – then use these to impress your guests.

And, for a holiday festive look, add some red color with diced red bell pepper and some green with diced parsley. Hey! Maybe I should have called these “Happy Holidays Tarts!”

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Got Leftover Pumpkins? Make Our Easy Candied Pumpkin

November 11, 2010 in Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare

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Candied Pumpkin - Frugal and Pretty on a Plate!

Make candy from pumpkins? Really? You are no doubt wondering: Have we at FFF taken this whole “frugal” thing a little too far???  I, too, was skeptical. But, for a pleasant surprise, read on My Frugal Friends.

This is one of those “you’ll never guess the secret ingredient” recipes. Your guests will never guess that these little sweet squares that have a texture similar to caramels are actually made of pumpkin flesh. No, really. Put me to the test on these and try this recipe out.

Candied pumpkin is a treat in many cultures, and is not hard to make.

Just cut pumpkin into little squares and then boil them in water and brown sugar and then roast in the oven and you will have a candy-like substance that will please even the pickiest sweet tooth!

With pumpkin so cheap and plentiful right now, this is a fabulous and frugal thing to do. Do try!

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