Chicken Pot Stickers/Dumplings

I may be a little slow, but I always make good on a promise.

Last week I made a big batch of chicken pot stickers. I post the recipe and process here so you may share in their tasty goodness. Enjoy.

Behold the cast of characters. Please note that I later decided to add a carrot and some soy sauce.


There really is sesame oil in that bottle. I'm just a little low. Note to self: get more sesame oil.

That big thing on the right is a napa cabbage. I have used bok choy before. Both work well.


The napa cabbage is very dense. You get a lot of cabbage for your head. For this recipe you will need 4 cups of shredded cabbage.



I actually used a food processor to shred this. You just have to be careful not to pact too much in at a time. It shredded it quite nicely.

Then take the oil of your choice, I used coconut oil, and pour about a tablespoon into a skillet. Add the cabbage and cook it for about 9 minutes.



You made need to add a little water every few minutes to keep it from sticking.

After cooking, spoon the cabbage into a large bowl and allow to cool completely. Add a bunch of minced green onions, 2 tablespoons of minced, peeled ginger root, 1 t salt, 1 t sesame oil, 1 peeled and shredded carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic, crushed.



Mix all the veggies together. When they are combined, add the ground chicken. It's not pretty, but it will be good.



Here comes the fun part. Making the little bundles.

I used most of 2 packages of pot sticker wrappers. This recipe makes 60 dumplings. (FYI, if you are feeling really ambitious you can make your own wrappers. I was not feeling ambitious.)

The wrappers do dry out, so I recommend using a damp cloth under them while you make them and only take out as many as you will be using. Keep the rest in the package until you are ready to fill them.



Get yourself a little cup of water handy. You will need it to seal the edges.

Place about a dab of your mixture on the wrapper in the middle. I used an iced teaspoon. You will have to play with it. Too much and it will ooze out the sides. Too little and, well, what's the point? It should look about like this.


Dip your finger in the water and rub in all the way around the edge of the wrappers. Fold it over and press the edges.


Now, if you like your dumplings crispy, you could stop here. My son would be happy if I deep fried everything. I don't. So let's make some pretty edges. I crimp them sort of like I do a pie crust.


Cute, isn't it?

Now, at this point, I would make a couple and cook them up. Taste them. See if they need anything. I thought mine needed a little salt, so I added a tablespoon of soy sauce. Once it's to your liking, it's time to get busy and make some to freeze.

I usually make them three or four at a time: lay out the dough, drop the goo, seal them up. I place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Don't let them touch much. Leave them in the freezer just until frozen. Then you can take them out and put them in a freezer bag. Then you can take them out as you are ready to use them. Since they were frozen individually, you can take out 2 or 10 at a time.


When you are ready to cook them, heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet with a medium heat. Place the pot stickers in the skillet. You will want to keep the skillet covered. Cook for about 3 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned. Squooch the lid over a bit and pour in about 1/2 cup of water. Cook for another 3 minutes.

And here is your finished product. They don't call them pot stickers for nothing!


Serve them with a little dumpling sauce and enjoy!

Here is a more readable version of the recipe I use:


Chicken Pot Stickers/Dumplings

1 T vegetable oil
4 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
1 bunch green onions, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced, peeled ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground chicken
60 wonton/pot sticker wrappers

Heat 1 T oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage. Cook for 9 minutes, stirring frequently. While cabbage cooks, you may need to add water 1 T at a time to keep cabbage from sticking. Spoon cabbage into a large bowl and allow to cool completely.

Add next six ingredients to cooled cabbage, green onions through garlic, and mix thoroughly. Add chicken and stir well.

Working with a small number of wrappers on a damp cloth, fill each wrapper with about a teaspoon of mixture. Moisten the edges of the wrapper and fold over. Crimp the tops and press down on the counter to give them a flat bottom.

If freezing: place bundles on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze. remove from cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.

When ready to cook: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet. Place desired number of dumplings in skillet. Cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Move the lid over just enough to pour in about 1/2 cup of water and cook for 3 minutes more.


Have fun. Let me know if you give it a try.

Tasty Turkey Tacos

As promised, today I have a guest blogger posting. (My first!!) Her name is Karen and she is one of my favorite people in the world. Although she is a grown-up lady, I have known her since she was a darling teenager. I tend to think of her as just that age. She has a new food blog she calls Let There Be Food. You should check it out and see what kind of yummies she has over there. But first! Check out the tasty recipe she wants to share with you here. Take it away, Karen!

Greetings viewers of Julie’s blog! Mexican inspired food makes an appearance in my kitchen at least once a week. Because it’s a frequent kitchen flier, it’s important that I give it a healthy twist so I can eat without any of the guilt and all the enjoyment. So today I bring you Tasty Turkey Taco Topping. (Don’t you just love a good alliteration? I know I do.) It’s got all the flavors of Mexican food that I love and I can feel good eating it because it’s made with lean ground turkey and beans. It’s incredibly versatile, in my opinion. The first time I had it was in a taco salad. It’s also delicious as a taco filling, nacho topping, on its own with a side of corn tortillas, or on tostadas. I made turkey tostadas for a friend recently and she gave it two thumbs up, a “mmmm…good!” and a trip back for seconds. I’m certain you could use this as burrito or enchilada filling as well. However you eat it, I hope it’s as tasty for you as it is for me.

Tasty Turkey Taco Topping

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey (I used 93% lean)

1 can ranch style beans

1 can Rotel – diced tomatoes and green chilies (I used medium)

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 tsp adobo seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 medium jalapeño – diced

Optional: chopped cilantro to taste

Steps

1. Brown ground turkey in a large, deep skillet or wide sauce pan. It won’t look at all like ground beef – don’t let this freak you out.

2. Dice the jalapeño and add to the pan. Let cook for a few minutes.

3. When it is nearly all done, add seasonings to meat and pepper and stir to coat.

4. Drain a bit of liquid off the beans and the Rotel and add both to the pan.

5. Add 1 cup of crushed tomatoes. Keep the rest of the can nearby in case you want to add more tomatoes.

6. Stir it all to combine and bring to a boil.

7. Once it’s come to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. It will reduce a bit and get a little thicker.

8. At the very end, toss in your cilantro and stir. Then serve and enjoy!!

Additional good news about this dish is that it’s super fast and super easy, so anyone can make it. It’s also adaptable for your personal flavor choices. My friend said she would like it even spicier than I’d made it. Sometimes I get nervous about heat and take out too much of the seeds and ribs of peppers. You can always find ways to add heat in, but it’s soooo hard to take it out or balance it out. I think adding a variety of peppers would be a fine addition and if you put in any from the bell pepper family, it wouldn’t really impact the heat level too much. If you wanted more heat, you could leave in more seeds or add a second jalapeño or a Serrano. Anaheim peppers are also good for flavor without a huge heat impact. I think they have more of the warm, toasty heat and less of the pass-the-milk-my-mouth-is-on-fire heat. Of course, you could also substitute ground beef or ground chicken as the protein. I think it’s important to stick to a leaner meat, so that you don’t have to drain the fat out between step 2 and 3. Because you are adding other liquids to the mix, it will keep it from being too dry.

For me, there is something about this mixture that I think tastes just great with spinach, so spinach and cheese are my layers of choice whether I'm making soft tacos at work for lunch or tostadas for dinner with friends. It always turns out being a healthy and comforting meal to eat. Let me know how you serve your tasty turkey taco topping! Happy eating!

Nutritional Info – ½ cup of mixture

Calories: 132

Fat: 4 g

Carbs: 10.5 g

Fiber: 3.3 g

Protein: 12.7 g

Vitamin C: 7.4%

Iron: 10%

My Gift to You

I'm sorry. I just can't seem to keep up. But you have been so loyal in coming back despite long absences on my part. I will make it up to you right now. For that and any other evil I may do in your life. Ever. I am going to share with you a recipe so simple yet so delicious that not only you but everyone you ever make this for will seek me out to personally kiss my cheek and bow before me. Today I give you: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I usually put 2-3 chicken breast in a slow cooker)
4 oz. chopped green chilis (they come in a little can)
7 oz. green chili salsa (a.k.a. salsa verde and also comes in a little can)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 t salt
12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Mix chicken with chilis and salsa.

Separately, mix salt and cream.

Soften the tortillas by turning in a hot, greased skillet for a few minutes each or just zap them in the microwave for a few minutes.

Fill each tortillas with a few spoonfuls of the meat mixture and roll them into enchiladas. Place them in a 9 x 13 pan. Pour the cream mixture over the top. Then cover with the cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is golden.

Serve with black beans and guacamole.

Enjoy!!!

Tuesdays' Tip - Quinoa

This post (mostly) originally posted in June, 2008.

Today's tip is something I recently found lurking in the back of my cabinet: quinoa.

I bought it awhile back. I saw it sitting on the store shelf, thought I remembered hearing some good things about it, threw it into my cart, and promptly forgot about it. Then a couple of nights ago I was having a foodie block and started digging in the back for something interesting and there it was!

Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a grain. (The girl said it should be pronounced queen-wah. It starts with a "q"!) To quote quinoa.net it "comes from the Andes Mountains of South America... It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain...

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!

Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine, and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine). "

Wow! And may I add that it is quite tasty, too. I made it into a pilaf. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook the basic quinoa. I used chicken broth instead of water and it was really good. I cooked some green onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in a little olive oil and then tossed the whole mess together. I would love to show you a picture of the finished product, but the boy said he liked it even better than the bulgur I make. It didn't last long enough to be photographed.

A box is less than $3.00. I used about half a box for dinner. If you don't have a 14 year old boy in your house, that is a pretty good sized bowl of quinoa. Those little seeds plump up nicely. It is very light and fluffy. Oh, and it's gluten-free if you are watching out for that.

There are lots of other recipes on the web site. I predict it will become a regular at our table.


Enjoy!

Tuesdays' Tip - Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Last week I posted about flax seed and its benefits. YD was brave enough to comment that she doesn't use whole wheat flour. I'd be willing to bet she's not alone.

Baking with 100% whole wheat flour can produce some pretty heavy breads. If I dare make biscuits with whole wheat flour, I hear about it. "Why are the biscuits brown? Biscuits are supposed to be white."

I am here to suggest to you whole wheat pastry flour. It is ground more finely and therefore lighter than regular whole wheat flour and every bit as good for you: same amount of fiber, just slightly less protein. You can probably substitute it in most recipes for your all-purpose flour and never be the wiser. You can certainly go halfsies with it. It's a good compromise and available from several sources. Check it out.

7 Quick Takes Friday

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Sinus headaches are the pits.

----2----

This week our little homeschool group went to see the Narnia exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Can I just say again how in love I am with the Narnia series? I didn't read them as a child. The first time I read the books was to my kids. I immediately fell in love with them. I don't know if I would have gotten as much out of them as a child as I did as an adult, but they really spoke to me. The scene in Prince Caspian where Aslan is talking to Lucy about not following him because the other kids gave her a hard time brought me to tears. I get misty just thinking about it.

The exhibit was cool. Of course, going with kids meant that I didn't get to linger over things as much as I would have liked, but it was good just the same. There were quite a few things from the movies there. The costumes are amazing. So much detail. The weaponry and props as well.

If you have a chance to go see the exhibit, go. You will even get to see C.S. Lewis' actual wardrobe. (Not nearly as grand as the one in the movie.)

----3----

It's cold. Not 20 inches deep in snow cold, but wet, nasty cold just the same. Last night I made one of my all time favorite soups. It helped. I haven't shared a recipe here in awhile, so here you go. My gift to you:

Chicken Tortilla Soup
(adapted from the Mansion on Turtle Creek Cookbook)

3 T oil

4 corn tortilla - cut into small squares

6 garlic cloves – finely chopped

1 T chopped, fresh cilantro

1 C fresh finely chopped fresh onion

1 can crushed tomatoes, pureed

1 T cumin powder

2 t chili powder

2 bay leaves

2 qts. chicken stock

2 chicken breasts cooked and cubed o

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Optional: cubed avocado, shredded or cubed cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oil in large saucepan. Sauté tortilla with garlic, cilantro, and onion. Add tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, chicken, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring frequently.

Garnish with avocado, cheese, and tortilla chips. Serves 8-10.

----4----

Anxiety is much more productive than depression.

----5----

Bible Study is good for both my mind and my soul.

----6----

My baby brother turned 37 this week. He's 11 years younger than I am. When your baby brother is closing in hard and fast on 40, it makes you feel a little older than you want to feel.

----7----

As you can tell, it's been a slow week. I think we are all suffering from seasonal affective disorder or depression or it's just too dang cold and we're sick of it disorder. I couldn't be more ready for spring. It's not even so much the cold as we have had so few sunny days. I need sun. I'm solar powered. : )


Have a lovely weekend.

For more quick takes, hop on over to Conversion Diary.

Pesto!

I have always been able to grow basil. I pick a little here and there and then usually end of drying a big mess of it at the end of the season.

This year I had a particularly large bush and guests in the house I needed to feed. Looking for something a little different, I decided to try some pesto. I know, after all these years and my many food adventures, I have never made fresh pesto. This was the year.

Well, all I have to say is - what took me so long! It was a big hit and so. very. good. Next time I make it I will make sure there are not 7 hungry mouths to feed. In fact, I won't even tell anyone! I will just hide in a corner of the house with my jar of pesto and a loaf of bread. Of course, the resulting garlic breath will give me away. But by then it will be too late! Bwahahaha!

Here's the real deal.

Start with 2 cups of fresh basil.


Cram it into a food processor with:

1/2 C pine nuts
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 t salt


Whir the dickens out of it until it looks like this:



Toss it with your favorite pasta, spread it on your favorite bread, or eat with a spoon. Mmmmm.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip: get yourself one of these.
It's a microplane and it is my new favorite kitchen toy.

Hubs has threatened to steal it for his woodworking, but I have it under lock and key.

Let me tell you what this does for Parmesan cheese. It turns it into fluffy air.

I will never zest a lemon with anything else. It was such a satisfying experience.

It also works well with ginger root.

I got mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They have such great coupons and are on my beaten path. You can also find them at Amazon and other places that have kitchen tools.

Making Do

I have a cold. A miserable, awful, snotty head cold. And we had a cool front roll in this morning, so it's a bone-chilling 50 degrees outside. (Sorry. A little Houston humor there.)

Even though it is not too cold outside, I wanted some soup for lunch. Some onion soup. While I often make a big pot of soup and freeze it into individual portions, I didn't have any onion soup. I'm not even sure if I have ever made onion soup. But I have eaten plenty of it and, well, there is a first time for everything.

No one else wanted onion soup, so this was going to be a small pot of soup. What sounds good? I know, start with some onions and garlic. You can't go wrong there. I sliced some onion very thinly and added it to a giant, minced clove of garlic in a skillet with some butter. Mmm. Smells good already.



Since this is my soup and I can make it anyway I want, I decided that I wanted to add some sliced, golden fingerling potatoes that I had on hand. As soon as I noticed a little brown showing up on the onion, I threw them in, too.


Looking good. When I was convinced the potatoes were tender, I added a little of the leftover beef broth I had in the fridge. I just wanted to get up all the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan.



I had the rest of the broth in a pan already. Just wanted to heat it up and add some thyme. When all the brown bits were up, I added it to the rest of the broth and let it simmer for a few minutes.

I took one of my little Corning Ware bowls and grated a little Gruyere cheese in the bottom. I had some leftover from a holiday meal.


I added the soup to the bowl.


Now, I didn't have any French bread handy, so I just trimmed a regular piece of whole grain bread to fit the bowl and made do.



Then I sprinkled some more cheese on top.



Put it in the toaster oven to broil.


Doesn't it look all toasty and warm in there? Watch it carefully. It doesn't take too long to brown.

And here is the finished product.


It really hit the spot. I will say that, if I ever to do this again, I will leave out the potatoes. They didn't add anything to it and their texture probably took away from it. But it was good and warm and soothing.

Go forth and make do. And make soup.

Tuesday's Tip

With the holiday's approaching, I thought I would throw out a recommendation today for sweet potatoes.

I really like sweet potatoes. I don't think I have to tell you how good they are for you, but here are some facts just the same.

For each cup of sweet potatoes you get:

7 g fiber
over 38,000 IU of vitamin A
.6 mg. of B6
1 mg of Manganese
952 mg Potassium

And that's just the really good stuff. They also have a little bit of a lot of other good stuff.

And they're cheap, too!

You may be used to loading them up with brown sugar and marshmallows. And while that is yummy, I would like to suggest another way to prepare them.

I roast my sweet potatoes with onions and garlic and a little olive oil and salt. Really. They are so good. We had them for dinner tonight. I'd show you a picture of them, but we ate them all! Here is a recipe for what I do:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel a couple of sweet potatoes. Cut into bite sized cubes.

Slice and dice half an onion.

Mince a couple of gloves of garlic.

Toss all together in a baking dish with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Sprinkle with a little salt.

Roast in oven for about 35-45 minutes. You may want to give it a stir every now and again.

Is that technical enough for you? It's a great and healthier alternative to the sugar laden sweet potatoes we are used to. Let me know if you try them.

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip is one of my all time favorites: eat more garlic.

Really, is there ever enough garlic? My husband says he learned to love garlic in self defense. I'm sure he's glad he did. That whole loaf of bread, jug of wine, and thou thing is missing a small bowl of olive oil and some crushed garlic.

But garlic does more than excite my taste buds and ward off vampires. It helps fight infection and stimulates the immune system. It was even used during both World Wars to help fight off gangrene. It's good for your cholesterol levels and can help you avoid blood clots. All this and awesome flavor as well.

If you want to read more about garlic's health benefits, check here and here and here.

If you need more ways to eat garlic, check here and here.

But one of the best and easiest ways to enjoy garlic is to roast it. It makes the flavor a little milder and the texture good for spreading. I ran across this cool idea:

Roasted Garlic Recipe

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

Does that sound yummy or what? I may have to make some garlic mashed potatoes tomorrow with some roasted garlic.

How do you eat your garlic?

Guess what I had for breakfast this morning.

Mmm. Yes, yesterday was fig day. I put up almost 3 gallons of fig preserves. When the figs start ripening, I pick those that are ripe each day. After washing them, I cut off the stems and maybe cut them in two if they are large. I then place them in a freezer bag in the freezer each day until I finish harvesting.

Thursday I took those bags out of the freezer and let them thaw on the counter for awhile. Then I put them in two bigs bowls and poured sugar over them. No, I didn't measure, but I'm guessing it was around four cups. I then put them in the refrigerator over night.

Friday morning I dumped the whole sugary mess in the stock pot and started cooking.

I squeezed a few lemons and added the juice to the pot. I don't use pectin. I don't know why. I just never had. It makes the preserves a little runny, but I've never had any complaints. They still taste good.

After they get going for awhile, foam rises to the top. I just skim that off.

I fill my sterilized jars and processed them and look what I got.


My little figgy army. Now I get to make my dad, my FIL, Aunt Sarah, and a few friends and neighbors very happy. There are actually more jars that that. They were still processing when I took the photo.

Figs are the only thing I have ever grown enough of to actually preserve. I'm quite proud of my little figs. Someday, when I have my orchard and big garden, I will have shelves full of jellies and chutneys. For now though, I am feeling quite content.

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip: hide your veggies.

This is really only for people who have picky children to feed. Or husbands. Or maybe you want to fool yourself into eating more vegetables. Whatever. It's all good.

I have picky children. One in particular. It is a constant struggle to get the appropriate nutrients into her little body. She will eat spaghetti and pizza with this sauce.

I made a batch of said tomato sauce the other day and thought I would share it with you. I usually make enough to put 3 quart jars in the freezer for later use. I say tomato sauce, but it is really vegetable sauce. You start out with the onions and garlic as usual. Dice them up nicely and simmer them in a pot for a bit. Then add some chopped veggies. I usually use some carrot and zucchini.


Mmm. Then add some pulverized, frozen spinach.

What's that green stuff, Mom.

Oh, just some herbs, honey. You know the things that make the sauce so good.



After everything is nice and tender, give a good whir in the blender. Remember, this is stealth cooking. We want no evidence of nutrition visible.


I'll admit, that doesn't look all that appetizing, but once you throw in your tomatoes and herbs and simmer to tomato-y perfection, no one will know the difference.


Season it to taste. I always add lots of basil and a little honey to cut the acid in the tomatoes. Then I freeze it in quart sized canning jars to use as we so desire.

If you have any other stealth ideas, please share. We'd all love to hear them.

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip is something I recently found lurking in the back of my cabinet: quinoa.

I bought it awhile back. I saw it sitting on the store shelf, thought I remembered hearing some good things about it, threw it into my cart, and promptly forgot about it. Then a couple of nights ago I was having a foodie block and started digging in the back for something interesting and there it was!

Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a grain. To quote quinoa.net it "comes from the Andes Mountains of South America... It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain...

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!

Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine, and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine). "

Wow! And may I add that it is quite tasty, too. I made it into a pilaf. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook the basic quinoa. I used chicken broth instead of water and it was really good. I cooked some green onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in a little olive oil and then tossed the whole mess together. I would love to show you a picture of the finished product, but the boy said he liked it even better than the bulgur I make. It didn't last long enough to be photographed.

A box is less than $3.00. I used about half a box for dinner. If you don't have a 13 year old boy in your house, that is a pretty good sized bowl of quinoa. Those little seeds plump up nicely. It is very light and fluffy. Oh, and it's gluten-free if you are watching out for that.

There are lots of other recipes on the web site. I predict it will become a regular at our table.

Enjoy!

Another Step

The boy loves yogurt. That statement doesn't seem strong enough. The boy is so crazy about yogurt that I have to limit how much he eats. It is the first thing he grabs out of the fridge if he is looking for a snack.

We have been buying the little cups of yogurt for far too long. Not only are they too expensive, they are not good for the environment. The city won't recycle them even though they are 1 's and 2's. Guilt got the best of me and I have taken the plunge. I am now going to make my own yogurt regularly.

I have made it a couple of times, just to see if I could. I have made it both in an oven with the light on and in a cute little device called, oddly enough, a yogurt maker. Since it takes so long to culture, I have decided to stick with the yogurt maker so as not to occupy my oven. I have the one on the right. Of course, you can make it overnight, but I tend to get more done in the morning. That's when I get it mixed up and ready to go.

It's a simple recipe. It takes just a minute to heat up the milk before you pour it in the jars. Here is the recipe I use:


Homemade Yogurt

3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered milk (you can omit this, but it makes the yogurt thicker and with a higher level of protein)
1 cup plain yogurt

Stir the milk and powdered milk together in a saucepan. Warm it to about 115 degrees, stirring occasionally.

Add about a tablespoon of the plain yogurt to each cup from the yogurt maker. When the milk reaches temperature, pour into cups on top of the yogurt.

Let the yogurt incubate for 6-10 hours.

And you have yogurt!

Of course, you may want to flavor it. I add some smashed up fruit with a little honey and stevia. It is best to stir this in after you incubate it. It will probably be a little thinner than you are used to buying in the store, especially if you use raw milk, but it tastes great and is so good for you.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Tip

The tip for today: aluminum-free baking powder.

In trying to live a less toxic life, I found that there were lots of bad and unnecessary things in normal things that I use around the house. One of those things is aluminum in my baking powder.

We want to reduce the amount of heavy metals in our lives. There is some argument about their effects on our bodies, but most people agree that they aren't good. Some studies show that Alzheimer's patients frequently have high levels of aluminum in their brains. There is no requirement for aluminum in the diet, so I know I don't want it in there.

There are several sources for aluminum-free baking powder. I just use Rumford brand because it is at the grocery store and easily accessible. Bob's Red Mill is also in most stores.

FYI: I also avoid aluminum cookware whenever possible. Aluminum can leach into your food from the pans. And you might want to check your antacid. Many of those have aluminum in them, too.

Live healthy!