Canadian Bacon Breakfast Cups

This is another variant of the bacon & egg in a muffin tin recipe. This time I  used Canadian bacon and these little bits of goodness are great to make in a batch and keep in the refrigerator for fail safe low-carb breakfasts.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/4 cup of red pepper or green pepper diced
1/4 onion diced
shredded chedder cheese
6 slices of Canadian bacon

Directions

• Saute peppers and onions
• add eggs (with a bit of milk if you want) and scramble lightly.
• Cut a slit into each piece of Canadian Bacon
• Make a cone shape and set into a muffin tin
• Fill cones with egg mixture
• Cook in oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes at 325 until bacon is warmed through.
• Remove from oven.
• Add a bit of cheese to the tops and put under broiler or back in the oven until the cheese melts.
• Eat as is or eat with a simple salad of tomato, avocado, salt & pepper. 

Broccoli & Shitake

Here is a simple dish we whipped up with fresh broccoli, shitake mushrooms, peppers and garlic. Makes enough for a side dish.

Ingredients:

3 cups of broccoli florets
1 cup green pepper slices
2 cloves of garlic
4-5 shitake mushrooms ( soak these overnight prior to grilling)
1-2 TBS olive oil.


Directions
1. rinse and wipe down shitake mushrooms and then slice.
2. Mix veggies with olive oil and 1-2 microplaned garlic cloves. Mine were small so I used two.
3. Wrap veggies in foil and then put on grill until tender but not mushy.

Enjoy.

Prosciutto & Pesto Grilled Mushrooms

This is not exactly low fat but it is low-carb and always yummy. You can make them in the oven but on a hot summer day - just wrap them in foil and grill them.

Ingredients:

1 carton of white button mushrooms ( about 17-18)
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/2 tsp of pesto
9 slice of prosciutto

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms and pull off stems
2. Mix goat cheese with pesto.
3. Stuff goat cheese mixture into mushrooms.
4. Cut prosciutto slices in half length wise
5. Wrap around the mushrooms.
6.  Put mushrooms side by side on aluminum foil and then wrap up tight.
7. Grill on indirect heat until cheese is bubbly. Don't turn them over. lol.

Enjoy!

Summer Squash & Onions

This is another classic dish that my grandmother would make during the summer & fall. It is naturally savory and sweet. Enjoy.

3 medium zucchini (mix in a yellow summer squash if you wish)
1 medium to large onion.
1/2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil.
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Slice up the squash in medium sliced. Cut in half in you wish but I like mine in full circles.
2. Slice the onion into rings. Do not make the slices too thin or they will melt away while you cook.
3. Cook until soft. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Mini Stuffed Peppers & Stuffed Pepper Pasta

I have to admit, I hated stuffed peppers as a kid. Now, I think they are wonderful. Here is a vegetarian version. Make a big batch and then use the leftovers for a equally yummy pasta dish.

Ingredients:

About 30 mini sweet peppers. Cleaned out and tops removed.
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
About 10 large Swiss Chard leaves.
2 cloves of garlic - microplaned
1 cup of ricotta
1/3 cup of finely grated Parmesan
1 Bottle of your favorite pasta sauce.
1 egg

Directions:

Saute finely chopped greens and garlic in a tsp. of olive oil or bacon grease.
I cooked mine in the bacon pan after breakfast. lol. 
Let greens cool and then mix with ricotta,
Parmesan, parsley and one egg.
Mix well.

Dump the entire jar of pasta sauce into a deep oven safe casserole or bowl. One that has a cover is best. Line up your peppers so they are standing upright in the sauce.
Fill them with the cheese mixture and bake at 350 until fork tender and cheese mixture has set. You will have a lot of sauce leftover and if you are only feeding 3-4 people you will have plenty of peppers leftover, too.  So, the next night - make pasta!

Stuffed Pepper Pasta

Chop up remaining stuffed peppers into large chunks. Cover and refrigerate.
The next day, warm up and serve with the pasta of your choice.

zucchini pasta

I love pasta. I love bread. I love carbs in general. Sadly, they don't love me.   So, in order to cut the carbs I indulged in my love for kitchen gadgetry and purchased the Paderno turning slicer. My goal: to make zucchini pasta. Today I fetched a fairly large zucchini and busted out the slicer. I was pleasantly surprised. It was incredibly easy to use and my big zucchini created a giant bowl of "noodles". 

making zucchini noodles 

Directions:

Place zucchini noodles in a large pot with an inch or so of boiling water. 

Put the lid on and let the noodles steam until they are al dente. They shouldn't be crunchy or mushy but somewhere in the middle.  Once the noodles are ready drain them; they create a lot of their own juice. Drizzle on garlic infused olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.

Top with your favorite sauce, cheese, peppers, etc. Tasty!

Old School Tuna Pasta Salad

When I was a kid this dish was a summertime staple. It was never made any other time of the year.  My grandmother would top it with hard boiled eggs and a lot of paprika. Sometimes the meat in the dish was just tuna and sometimes she added cocktail shrimp. I looked forward to having a sample just after it was made and still at room temperature.  Here is my version of a family classic.

Ingredients:

2 cups of dry noodles. I used Fiore (flower) shaped pasta.
1 can of water packed tuna
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup sliced Spanish olives w/pimento
1/4 cup of mayo. I used Kewpie but my grandmother always used Miracle Whip.
1 whole roasted pepper from a jar.
Salt & Pepper
2 sliced eggs (optional)
dill (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil your pasta. Rinse under cold water. Drain. Make sure the noodles are cool. 
2. Chop onions and red pepper.
3. Add tuna and veggies to the noodles.
4. Stir in mayo.
5. Salt & Pepper to taste
5. Garnish with slices of hard boiled eggs and paprika.
6. Refrigerate.

I like mine on fresh herb salad with a little dill. I also  sometimes add a bit more mayo and seasoning just before serving. :)

Enjoy!

Gnocchi Salad

Way back in my Ann Arbor days I used to frequent a local deli on State street called Amer's.  This place was chock full of goodies to eat, but one of my favorite things on the menu was a simple looking but fabulous gnocchi salad. I have honestly thought about this dish more than once over the years and I have never seen another deli anywhere make a salad like it. Since it has been a dozen or so years since I was a townie kicking around A2,  I simply couldn't remember what was in the salad that made it so tasty.  So, fingers crossed, I called the good people at Amer's and they were kind enough to tell me.  Obviously this salad is a local favorite because it is still on the menu after all o this time. Thank goodness for that! The ingredient list is short and sweet and as they stated "the cheese makes it".  :)

Here is my version of Amer's gnocchi salad. I have substituted mini gnocchi for full size gnocchi and gouda for chedder.  I also used garlic olive oil. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of mini gnocchi. I used the brand "Anna" 17 oz. 
• 1 large roasted red pepper from a jar.
• 1 green onion
• 1/2 a wheel of Trader Joe's Smoked Dutch Cheese (Gouda) cubed
• 1 clove of garlic
• drizzle of garlic infused olive oil. 
• one sweet basil leaf

Directions:

1. Boil gnocchi until they float to the surface of the pot. Rinse under cool water and drain. Try to leave gnocchi slightly warm.
2. Stir in chopped red pepper and cubed cheese.
3. Microplane one clove of garlic and add to the mix.
4. Add thin slices of green onion
5. drizzle with olive oil, and salt & pepeer to taste. Mix well.
6. Chiffonade a leaf of basil and sprinkle on the finished dish.

Best at room temperature.

Black Cherry Zevia Granita

Zevia - I love this soda. I found it three years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. Half way into my pregnancy I developed gestational diabetes and ended up on a daily routine of finger pricking and insulin shots. Food choices were tricky and I was limited. I needed cola and I needed a cola without sugar or any of the chemical replacements like Aspartame or Splenda. I thought I was out of luck until I stumbled across Zevia at our local Whole Foods. Zevia is made with Stevia. No gluten, no sugar, no calories - and it is delicious. Yeah!!! I loved it then and I still love it. One of my favorites is Black Cherry. So, in honor of cherry season, I hope you dieters out there will enjoy my Black Cherry Zevia Granita. 

Ingredients:

3 cups of of pitted dark cherries
1 can of Black Cherry Zevia soda


Directions:

Puree pitted cherries in a blender. I added the entire 3 cups and blended all at once.
Add in one can of Black Cherry Zevia.
Pour mixture into an 8x8 glass baking dish.
Place in the freezer.
Scrape the mixture every so often (40min) or so until frozen.

Eat it up. Yum!

Mango Blackberry Salad Two Ways

I was messing around with mangos last week and created two recipes inspired by a Martha Stewart salad we tried last summer. One salad was made with fresh buffalo mozzarella and the other was made with Brun-Uusto (bread cheese).  I am not sure which one I like better. The Brun-Uusto cheese is delicious grilled. It is buttery and chewy while the fresh mozzarella is light and tender. Try them and let me know which one you like better.

Salad Ingredients:

1 champagne mango

buffalo mozzarella or Brun-Uusto cheese (Juustalepia)

1 pint of blackberries

red onion

arugula

Cardamom dressing

1/4 cup white balsamic w/ lemon or squeeze lemon in.

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp cardamom pods (dry roasted & then break open pods & add seeds)

salt & pepper to taste

Version One: Juustalepia Salad

Cut the Brun-Uusto in chunks and then pan fry until completely heated through. Arrange the arugula on a plate with a few slices of red onion. Arrange slices of mango and cheese on the plate. Top with whole fresh blackberries and 2-3 tablespoons of the cardamom dressing. For this version I blended the dressing with 4-5 fresh blackberries. 

Version Two: Mango Mozzarella Salad

Arrange the arugula on a plate with a few slices of red onion. Arrange slices of mango and cheese on the plate. Top with whole fresh blackberries and 2-3 tablespoons of the cardamom dressing.

 

Mango Caprese

This one is a deconstructed version of another salad I make with blackberries and arugula. For this you need:

1 champagne mango
1 large tomato
buffalo mozzarella
2 leaves of basil
white balsamic
olive oil, salt & pepper.

Slice and arrange your fruit & cheese, top with salt & pepper and a drizzle balsamic and olive oil 

Japanese Potato Salad

In Japan mayonaise is added to the oddest things. It is squeezed onto pizza, it is served on french fries, in yakisoba sandwiches, and on top of octopus balls (takoyaki). It is a popular condiment and for good reason - it is crazy good. Mayonnaise made in Japan is richer and tangier than any American mayonnaise out there. The eggs in Japan, if I recall correctly, had dark orange yolks and Kewpie mayo is made with only egg yolks - no whites. The following is one of the more traditional recipes cooked up by many of my Japanese friends. I never could get a recipe from them but here is my best shot. 

Ingredients -

2-3 large golden potatoes or about 5 small (peeled, cubed, and boiled until fork tender). Let cool.

3 oz of ham diced. I used Trader Joe's Black Forest Ham

3 thin slices of onion - chopped or diced. 

1 persian cucumber deseeded and thinly sliced. I discard the entire middle of the cucumber.

1/8 cup julienned carrot

1/4 cup kewpie mayonnaise or to taste

a few sprinkles of dill for the top if desired. 

This doesn't make much about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. However, you are supposed to eat just a scoop as a side dish.  

Kewpie Mayonnaise = delish

Grapefruit Chu-hi

Getting together with friends in Japan often meant making home made Chu-hi at the Izakaya. The server would come to our table with seltzer, grapefruit halves, and a bottle of Shochu and we were set. When we needed more of anything all we had to do is push a button to "buzz" our server to bring us more good eats and mixers for our drinks. This is one of the most refreshing drinks you can have on a hot summer night. Enjoy.

Ingredients for one tall glass:

2 jiggers of Shochu (or to taste)

8 oz of seltzer water

Juice of 1/2 of a grapefruit

plenty of ice. 

Serve in a big tall glass or divy it up between friends. 

My painting "Otafukus' Night Out"

Pancetta Egg & Kale Cups

Eggs! Eggs! Eggs! The low carb diet staple goes great with pancetta and savory sauted kale. I cooked my eggs until they were completely cooked so you could literally pick up and walk away with your egg cup with very little mess.

For this recipe simply

1. line muffin tins with 2 slices of pancetta for each "cup". One package of my Whole Foods pancetta made enough for six cups.
2. add a tablespoon of kale that was sauted with onions and garlic into each cup. I used just under a cup.
3. crack an egg into each cup
4. bake at 400 until eggs are done and pancetta is cooked through. 

note: I cooked mine until my eggs formed a bit of a "crust". I sliced that off and ended up with a hard-boiled style egg. The kale was crispy on top like kale chips and the pancetta was crispy and chewy. So good. Serve with tomato slices topped with basil and a touch of olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Daikon Salad

For three years I lived in Yokosuka, Japan during my husbands time in the Navy. While we were there we would visit a local Izakaya with friends to drink and eat.  Oh, the things I ate there: mochi cheese, pregnant fish on a stick, octopus "suckers" in wasabi sauce.  I would try anything at least once and there were many items I would order every time we went. One of my favorite dishes was the daikon salad. It was fresh, crisp, and probably the lowest calorie item on the menu.  Here is my version of the salad. You will want to add the dressing and garnishes at the very last minute. Don't make too much as it doesn't keep well and it will get soggy & limp.

Ingredients:

8oz Daikon julienned

3 oz English Cucumber - only edges julienned

1-2 radishes julienned

1/4 tomato sliced thinly

a sprinkling of micro greens

a sprinkling of deep fried mung bean threads 

Ponzu

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Julienne all of the veggies with the exception of the tomato. I use a mandolin to make life easy.
2. deep fry a small amount of mung bean threads in canola oil, sprinkle with sea salt and set aside.
3. Place julienned veggies in a bowl and mix with 3 tsp ponzu and 1 tsp olive oil
4. Season with sea salt. Mix well
5. Arrange on a plate and then add tomatoes around the edges 
6. Sprinkle micro greens on top and then add a touch of the fried mung bean threads just before serving
7. Enjoy! 

Stracciatella Soup w/ Chicken Sausage

Twice now we have been hit with the 24 hour flu bug. What better time to make soup? Stracciatella is an Italian soup also know as "little rags". Basically, it is the thinner cousin of Chinese Egg Drop Soup. The broth is thinner and less gloppy. This recipe can also be made low carb and gluten free by omitting the pasta.

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Free Range Chicken Broth (1 carton)
2 Tablespoons of grated parmesan + more for garnish
3 Tablespoons of stelline (tiny star) pasta or other small pasta
2 Eggs
2 Chicken Sausage links. I used Trader Joe's Spinach, Fontina, & Roasted Garlic.
1 tablespoon or so of fresh chopped parsley plus more for garnish.
1 minced garlic clove
2 Tbs or so of olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in small dutch oven 
2. Brown Sausage
3. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and one cup of water + salt and pepper
4. When soup comes to a boil crack one egg at a time into the broth and then whisk
5. Add cheese & parsley. Reduce heat and let simmer for ten minutes
6. Add pasta and cook until done
7. Taste and re-season. Add additional parmesan and parsley just before serving

Oh, Olive! Two Balsamic & Fruit Salads

Last week my mother-in-law was in town and we strolled through the Glen on our way back from Little Bear Park with the girls. She spotted Oh, Olive! the newest branch of a fantastic olive oil and balsamic vinegar store owned by mother and son team Sandy & Aaron Schuenemann and business partner Mary Koval. We were instantly drawn in and found it hard to leave.

The store has dozens of oils and vinegars "on tap" ready for tasting. We did our very best to try as many as we could before settling on the Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic, Red Apple Balsamic, Espresso Balsamic, and the Wild Mushroom and Sage Olive Oil.  Below you will find my first recipes using my Oh, Olive! finds. Yum!


Espresso Balsamic & Fresh Organic Strawberries

Simple cut strawberries drizzled with Oh, Olive!Espresso Balsamic. Yummy!

Arugula & Watermelon Salad w/ Sicilian Lemon & Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
3 cups baby arugula
4 oz cubed watermelon
1 TBS crumbled goat cheese
1 TBS toasted pine nuts
1-2 TBS Sicilian Lemon & Basil Vinaigrette

Dressing
1/4 cup Oh, Olive! Sicilian Lemon Balsamic
1/2 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
2 medium size basil leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste
*processed together in a mini-food processor

Makes one lunch serving.

Oh, Olive! is online at http://oo2go.com/
or you can visit their fantastic store in the Glen at
1971 Tower Rd. Glenview IL, 60026

Cremini Mushroom & Red Pepper Kebobs

Ingredients:

Organic Sweet Red Peppers

Cremini Mushrooms (whole)

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

minced fresh garlic

Salt & Pepper

bamboo skewers

Directions:

1. Soak skewers for a few hours or overnight
2. Clean Mushrooms and cut in half
3. Clean and cut red peppers into chunks
4. Marinate veggies in 1/8 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil,  dry oregano, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Grill until fully cooked.

Pork & Potato Souvlaki

I love Greek food and my favorite low-carb menu item is souvlaki. I have made this many times before but this time around I decided to mix it up a little and add potatoes to my skewers. The results were delicious. I served this with double cucumber mint tzatziki, hummus, and a simple salad. Yummy.

Ingredients:

2lbs pork loin roast
1/4 cup Meyer lemon olive oil
1 regular lemon or several small Trader Joe's size lemons
1 1/2 heaping tablespoon of oregano, plus a few shakes.
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
3 garlic cloves - minced with a microplane

Directions: Do this in the morning of grill day.

1. Cube pork into 1 inch cubes and then put cubes in a glass bowl or gallon plastic bag.
2. Add olive oil, 1 TBS + oregano, 1-2 garlic cloves minced and about 1/4 cup of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
3. Stir well or shake and then place container in the fridge to "meld"
4. Cube potatoes and boil until slightly undercooked. 
5. Toss potatoes with 1/8 cup lemon juice, oregano and at least one clove of minced garlic. Add more if you like garlic. Add salt and pepper.  Let "meld" in the fridge until dinner time.
   
6. Thread 2 cubes of pork and then one potato: repeat
7. Grill until meat is cooked through.

Double Cucumber Mint Tzatziki

This is a yummy dip for slouvaki or any other Greek or Middle Eastern kebob or pita you might make. This is chock full of cucumbers and garlic. Enjoy. Warning - this doesn't make a ton only about 7 ounces give or take.

Ingredients:

Small container of Greek Yogurt
one clove of garlic (or to taste)
mint sprigs
lemon
2 Persian cucumbers diced

Directions:

1. Strain Yogurt through cheese cloth to pull out extra moisture. Let sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Squeeze the cheesecloth at the end to get out the last bit of moisture.
2. Put yogurt in a container and then add lemon juice. I used the juice of one very small lemon.
3. Microplane 1-2 cloved of garlic in. 
4. Add 2 diced Persian cucumbers. I slice off the edges and discard or eat the middle seedy section.
5. Add mint leaves to taste. 1-2 big leaves or 3-4 small leaves.
6. Sprinkle in some sea salt. 
7. Process in a mini food processor. 
8. Scoop out and leave to "meld" wrapped in the fridge.

Basic ingredients. You will also need sea salt.

Straining the yogurt to remove extra moisture



 

diced cucumber. Yes, I added it all to the finished product. Note: the center of the cucumber was not used.

microplaning the garlic with the best garage tool turned kitchen gadget!

The final result. Crunchy garlicky goodness.

Vietnamese Cinnamon Iced Coffee

Nothing starts a warm spring day better than sitting out on the patio with a yummy iced coffee. My favorite is made with Vietnamese Cinnamon.

     Directions:

1. Pour 4 oz Vanilla Almond Milk into a large glass
2. Add 1 packet of Stevia 
3. Add two good shakes of Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon
4. Fill the glass with ice
5. Add 4 oz of espresso or coffee

   Stir & Enjoy! 

Yummy! You can find Penzy's Vietnamese Cinnamon at http://www.penzeys.com/

Greeley Street Beans

When I was growing up, there would be many summer mornings when I would wake up to find my grandmother on the front porch with a colander (or as she called it a scol'maccheron or macaroni strainer) and her white enamel pasta pot. She would be busy at work cleaning string beans for what she would call "radi-ool" which was the Bruzzese equivalent of ratatouille. I am certain this was a staple dish from her childhood on Greeley Street in Highland Park, Michigan. Her parents, Maria Vincenza and Mariano, turned their backyard and the empty lot next door into one large garden and from that garden simple but delicious dishes were born. 

Maria Vincenza & Mariano Nicolo working in their Victory Garden

Here is my version of one of my grandmother's variations of "radi-ool". This simple tasty recipe can be eaten alone with a nice slice of crusty bread, as I remember eating it, or it can be served as a side dish.

       Greeley Street Beans

• 1 pound of fresh green beans (cleaned)
• 1 medium red skinned potato
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 bottle of La Bella San Marzano tomato puree 25 oz.
• 1/4 cup of olive oil 
• Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to taste
• Parmesan Cheese (fresh grated)

       Directions:

1. Boil the diced potato and string beans in separate pots until fork tender. 
2. Meanwhile, caramelize the sliced onions in olive oil in large pan or dutch oven.
3. Add the tomato sauce to the onions and then when the beans and potatoes are tender add them to the sauce. Add a few dashes of Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste
4. Cook for 45 minutes - 60 minutes on low until the tomato sauce mellows and reduces slightly.
5. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan.

Basic Ingredients. I used La Bella San Marzano tomato puree http://www.sanmarzanoimports.com/