leanKitchen

Quinoa

leanKitchen — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:51:22 +0000

Alright, first of all, how the heck do you SAY it?

It’s Keen-WAH. Not Qua-noah, kween-wah, qui-noah.

KEEN-WAH.

What the heck is this stuff?

Well, it looks like a grain, is used like a grain, but it’s actually the seed of a goosefoot plant.

So why is this a better-for-me option, for use in my high-protein diet?

Well, don’t you miss rice?! I mean aside from the lo-carb rice I make, what option is going to give you HIGH PROTEIN, and all eight essential amino acids? Granted, it’s higher in carbohydrates (so stick to 1/2 cup portions, which are about 15 grams of carbs per serving, or just don’t add additional carbs to the meal [eat it with a lean protein].. Ben says, in terms of carbs vs. proteins, it’s about equal to a regular, non-Greek yogurt).

I buy this at any supermarket, however, typically it’s purchased only in the white variety there, and not the red. I prefer the red, and cook, bake with, and eat the red, primarily because of the differences in texture. If I had to compare, the difference is quite similar to white rice vs. brown rice. Like the red Quinoa, brown rice has a nuttier taste, and more of a bite to it, whereas white rice (like the white quinoa), to me, has a softer, “mushier,” more bland flavor and texture. And you can eat it as a rice substitution, with your proteins. Both have the same health benefits, so really it’s up to your preference.

If you get a boxed quinoa, check and see if it’s been pre-rinsed or pre-strained. If you buy it at a health food store, it’s usually raw and unprocessed in any way (or minimally), so you should run it under water for a while in a strainer, or soak it; this removes saponins, and aid in digestion.

Cooking quinoa is really easy; 2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa, boil, and simmer on low till the germ separates from the seed (roughly 15 minutes). You can also (like me) cook it in your rice cooker the same as you’d cook brown rice.

So go to your grocery store or health food store, and take a peek in the bulk room – and come back and let me know how you liked it!

Pesto Pizza Party Bites

leanKitchen — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:28:48 +0000

So, remember the other day when I had too much time and too much zucchini, and I ended up making muffins? Well, I had another one of those “episodes” tonight, and ended up making these:

Yum, right!?

So first, I pre-heated the oven to 375, and made the Rosemary Chive Flourless Pizza Dough.

Rosemary Chive Flourless Pizza Dough: 2-1/2 cups of shredded summer squash and zucchini (mixed, I shredded them together-you can use both, or just one or the other), put it in a mesh strainer, and pushed each drop of water out. I’m not kidding- I pushed with my fist like this:
..and when there wasn’t a DROP of water coming out anymore, I took paper towels, and wrapped the zuke shreds in them, then squeezed like Ben does in this video.
Let me reiterate: no moisture allowed!
Next, add a cup of shredded cheese (I used shredded cheddar), 2 eggs, and about 1-1/2 tbsp of fresh snipped chives and rosemary from my garden, plus some fresh cracked black pepper. When that’s done, spray a pan (with sides) very well with non-stick spray, and put a thin layer of the squash mixture down, bake till crisp with browned edges, take out of the oven and top with desired toppings, put it back in the oven till cheese and toppings are to your desired “doneness” (for me, bubbly browned cheese), and enjoy a yummy, flourless pizza crust

Now, what I did was take my mini muffin pan, sprayed it very well with non-stick spray, and put a thin layer of the mixture into each cup, pressing it to the bottom of the cups.

Next, I baked in the oven till the sides were crisp and browned, like this:

I then topped with 1 slice of black olive, 1 dollop of prepared pesto, and cheese. I re-baked in the oven till they were bubbly, took them out, let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes (they are going to be HOT so be CAREFUL!), then they easily pop right out. I topped after with a diced red pepper, and WOW are these things DELICOUS!

Perfect party bites, cute, and delicious!

Top with shredded chicken, or shrimp for a completely supportive treat!

Berry Yummy Ice Cream Cake

leanKitchen — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:46:31 +0000

I was in the mood for a yummy dessert the other day, that was something I could serve for a couple of non-Bootcamp friends. I wanted it to be pretty, but supportive, and so I immediately thought of a beautiful layered ice cream cake that I traditionally made for my son when he was little for his birthday.

Years ago when I made it, it was neither healthy nor supportive, but it sure was yummy! So I threw together some stuff (using the fresh berries that are abundant at the moment) using that as the inspiration, and voila!

Out came THIS beauty!

First, line a “deep dish” style, freezer safe ceramic bowl with plastic wrap. Make it about 4 inches too long on either side.

Then, with my ice cream churning in the ice cream maker (I made vanilla ice cream-3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 3 scoops Prograde Vanilla, blend and throw in ice cream maker), take 1/2-3/4 of a cup of frozen berries of your choice (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries), food process them, and press to the bottom of the dish.

Put it in the freezer while you’re waiting for the ice cream to finish.

Take 1/2 cup of nuts of your choice (walnuts, pecans, almonds) and 4 dried apricots, and food process ‘till pieces are small and uniform.

When the vanilla ice cream is ready, spoon carefully atop the chilled berry topping, then finish with a layer of the nut mixture. This will be the “crust, when the cake is flipped upside down.

Cover with the remaining plastic wrap draping down the sides, and freeze till solid.

To remove the cake from the dish, fill your sink with hot water, enough to dip the bottom and sides of the ice cream dish in, till it slides out (but doesn’t melt the sides completely). Flip upside down on a plate, unwrap fully, and enjoy your delectable TREAT!!

Zucchini Muffins

leanKitchen — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:00:01 +0000

Sunday morning, I spent in the kitchen baking. Now if you know me even a little, you understand that baking is not my great strength. I can do it- but I don’t choose to. In fact, I mostly choose NOT to

But, I have a whole gardenful of zukes, and someone was talking about baking zucchini bread, so I decided to pull out the recipe books, and try to make a more protein-packed variety.

Preheat your oven to 350, then drop into a blender:

2 eggs
1 tbsp applesauce
1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini(peeled before shredding)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. agave syrup

Once well blended, add:

2/3 cup Quinoa (uncooked, dry; I used red, you can use whatever you have)
1 tsp baking POWDER
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinammon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I, of course, used Prograde)

Blend more till smooth. Spray non-stick cooking spray into a muffin pan, pour the batter into the tins, and, if desired, drop blueberries, peeled and cubed apples, etc., into batter.

I learned this on FoodNetwork- if you drop fruit (like berries) into batter once they’ve been put in their appropriate place, you can mix and match batches, and have a variety on-hand.

Put into the oven for about 20 minutes, ’till muffins are pulling slightly from the side of the pan, and tops are browned.

Makes 8 FLOURLESS muffins. Mmm!

Chef’n

leanKitchen — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:14:34 +0000

Look at all the goodies that arrived today

Stay tuned for how to win some of the stuff inside!!!

Little Chef

Trish’s Delicious Fishes

leanKitchen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:46:59 +0000

My good friend Trish was telling me last night about the fish tacos she made for dinner. I wanted to try it so bad, so I asked for her recipe.

I took the zest and juice from one lime, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 hot sliced fresh red pepper, 1/4 c. chopped & mixed green onion and cilantro (fresh from the garden!) and mixed it up well. I poured it into a large freezer bag over 1 lb. of cod (she used mahi mahi, which stands up to a grill much better than cod, haddock, etc., though pretty much any white fish would work my way*), and let it marinate for 1/2 an hour.

Next, I put a patch of foil down on the grill. I turned my grill on high, and used the foil like a grill surface (* my way). When it was hot, I put the fish down on top of the foil, and discarded the remaining marinade.

While that was cooking, I went in the house and mixed 1 tsp of mayo, a splash of cider vinegar, and lime zest to taste- taste it and make sure you like it!- then I threw in a handul of broccoli slaw, which is coleslaw with broccoli instead of green cabbage. Toss around. Mmmm!

The fish on the grill you’ll need to flip once. Depending on the thickness, it should take about 10-12 minutes till it’s time to take off the grill for good. General rule of thumb- when the fish is flaky and opaque, you should be good to go.

Put in a low-carb, whole grain wrap (lowest carb count you can find-I used 1/2 of a Wrap-itz lo-carb Wheat Wrap), top with the slaw, and ENJOY your zesty fish taco!

Granted, I’ve never had a fish taco, and this probably isn’t even what they look like (I know they’re typically fried), but this was SO DELICIOUS!

Thank you, Trish!

…and the winner is!

leanKitchen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:37:34 +0000

Saralee! You win the Chef’n ZESTER! Congratulations!

Camron sat down and read…and read…the entries, and his final answer was, “Saralee K.”

When I asked him why, he said (brace yourselves):

“Because she said the nicest things about you, Mom!”

I’ll get it to you in a couple days .

Thanks everyone for your participation!

MOOve over Chocolate Ice Cream!

leanKitchen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:28:17 +0000

Alright, in celebration of being on MOO92’s lK Meal Makeover Radio Show (and making protein-packed ice cream on air) I bring to you a concoction:

Chocolate Ice Cream!

Mix with an immersion blender: 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened) with 2 scoops chocolate protein powder. Pour into ice cream maker, turn on.

Once just about at the end of the process, stir in dark chocolate chips (we’ll chalk it up to “antioxidants”), and serve!

If you are looking for the cinnamon ice cream that is a MOO92 fav, click here to see the original recipe!

Yum!

Peaches n’ Cream

leanKitchen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:10:00 +0000

What happens when you have nautical themed stuff to fashion with rolled fondant, and company shows up at your door?

You put ‘em to work!

When our visitors sat at the table and started chatting, Anna picked up a chunk of fondant, shyly at first…and then all at once, she turned into cake decoration-maker extraordinaire! I was very impressed with her sand dollar and sea star!

We made a bunch of stuff; a sand castle, an ice cream cone, flip flops, sea stars, sand dollars, beach balls:

I also bought some other stuff tonight for the cake, some really cool (albeit un-supportive) stuff:

The chocolate seashells:

The chocolate rocks:

And a whole mess of other fun assorted ocean-esque stuff (gold coins, green string candy [A.K.A-Seaweed], chocolate baseballs [for the Red Sox tickets he won't know till he opens 'em that he's getting], gummy lobsters, his name in gummy letters):

and..what is this? Are those….gummy…fried eggs?

YEP!

I showed them to Ben, and told him I found a “supportive option” at a candy store. He was pretty excited-till he saw them. I don’t know that he was all that amused

But, it’s coming together! It sure will be awesome when it’s done! Quite the labor of love, and exceedingly time-consuming, but my babies are CERTAINLY worth it!

SO ladies n’ gents, what’s on the lK menu today? Oh just a lil’ something I call PEACHES N’ CREAM!

First, take one packet of sugar free jell-o (I used peach, but you can use whatever you want), and mix well in boiling hot water till all the little granules are completely dissolved. Next, whisk in one 6 ounce container of Chobani (I used vanilla), and pour into small individual cups over sliced fruit (for me, fresh peaches). Once set (a couple of hours), enjoy!

These are a BEAUTIFUL, simple, KID-FRIENDLY, and supportive snack with the fruit and the yogurt. This recipe makes about 3 half cup servings. ENJOY!!!!

(This is sooo creamy and good!)

Salsa Squash Boats

leanKitchen — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:01:59 +0000

Last summer, pre-leanKitchen, I found myself taking pictures of my food. At the time, I wasn’t sure why, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion: it’s for backup. Backup for nights like tonight, when I’m prepping for my little man’s 7th Birthday Beach Party this weekend, and don’t have some new concoction to blog about.

Right now, I’m totally focused on Cam’s party. See, I’ve got this whole big beach theme planned out with all these water games, including some ridiculous monstrosity that wasn’t around when I was a kid- the Slip n’ Slide Triple Racer with Slide Boogies. Umm…I had a piece of tarp with a hose spraying on it, so I consider my little man very lucky (Ok, maybe I’m just jealous).

I plan on having a 3-tier cake with sand (brown sugar) around the base, and seashells and sea glass. Camron LOVES finding sea glass when we’re at the ocean, so tonight, I made some out of Jolly ranchers. I simply crushed them up, put them in one of those disposable pie pans (that for some reason I ALWAYS seem to have on hand), stick it in the oven on 300, melted them for about 10 minutes, then took them out of the oven to set. Once they did, I broke ‘em up with a hammer, and got pretty little pieces of sea glass!

Cool, huh?

Alas, when I was busy in my very own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque leanKitchen, I was NOT doing something else- BLOGGING! Oops! Nor was I cooking something supportive- I had a shake.

SO, I looked through the ol’ lK archives to find my Grilled Salsa Squash Boats. Considering I just picked my first zuke and squash yesterday, I found it fitting.

First, wash your summer squash or zuke, cut both ends off, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (like this), fill with a piece of kale, some salsa, and some cheese. Grill till it’s soft, and the salsa and cheese is bubbly,and ENJOY!!

Mmmm…

YUM!!!

(And, don’t tell Cam, but his gift is tickets to see the Red Sox!)