White Beans with Bacon

Our same white bean recipe with a little added bonus!

In our previous post, I outlined the basics of making white beans.  To jazz them up for a second or third meal, we add bacon and shallots to this version.  Granted there are already onions in the basic recipe, they melt away during cooking for the most part.

Serves:  8
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes

4 cups pre-cooked white beans
4 slabs bacon, preferably organic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped

Cook the bacon and set aside.  Keep the residual fat in the pan.

Pat as much grease off as possible.

In the same skillet, add the chopped shallots and cook in the bacon fat. 

Sautee until tender and slightly golden.

Add cooked bacon and shallots to 4 cups Basic White Beans.  Voila!  That is it.

Nutritionally speaking, bacon adds sodium and fat to the recipe so if you are salt-sensitive, forgo this recipe.  Flavor-wise, this is a yummy way to extend the beans and adds more protein to make a meal.  Left-over vegetables may be added such as cooked chopped zucchini, peppers, fennel, eggplant, root vegetables, and tomatoes to name a few.  Use what is fresh and in season.   Per serving, bacon adds about 40 calories to the Basic White Bean Recipe. 

Don't waste food.  Beans act as a wonderful camoflage for using up left-over veggies.

- Kim Fielding

Basic White Beans

White beans with onion and garlic.  You can use
any type of bean you wish of course, these just happen
to be navy beans.

Has anyone noticed how much food prices have gone up lately?  It is disheartening to think that with high unemployment and inflation, people are going hungry around our nation.  There are some basic food items however that are affordable and healthy. 

Beans, peas, and legumes are a great example of bang-for-your-buck healthy living.  One pound of dried beans costs very little.  Canned beans are also inexpensive.  Beans take a while to simmer on a stove, but the prep time is quick and easy.  Bean cook times will vary based on the type of bean you are using.  Check the back of the bag for directions.

Serves:  12
Prep time:  20 minutes                        
Cook time:  up to two hours

1 pound bag of dried beans
1 onion
1 small head of garlic
Seasoning to taste after cooking

Place the beans in a large pot and pick through to remove any stones or shriveled beans.  Add water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the beans from heat and allow to cool.

Peel and chop the onion into large wedges.  Slice the top off the garlic head to expose the cloves.  Set these aside while you drain the "quick-soaked" beans.  Return the beans to your pot and add the onion, garlic, and water to cover by 2 inches.

Notice that I left the papery skin on the garlic. 

Boil for about two hours or until the beans are tender.  Drain the beans.  Using your hands, gently break up the onion and squeeze the tender garlic cloves out of their skins.  Discard the skins.  Incorporate the onion and garlic into the beans and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Fresh boiled beans have such a wonderful taste and can accompany most meals.  In Italy, they are often paired with pasta!  Beans will take the place of bread at a table.

A couple of ideas for beans with dinner:  roast chicken, white beans, green salad and roasted broccolini.  Or, grilled lean beef such as flank steak or skirt steak, beans, and roasted peppers and red onions along with green salad.

Store in the refrigerator for up to three days after cooking.  They can be mixed with other ingredients, such as chopped roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, or herbs, for variety in future meals.

A pound of navy beans serves 12 people.  One half cup serving has a nutritional content that includes less than 200 calories, 8.5 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, one third your requirement for iron and an abundance of manganese.  (Manganese acts as a "cofactor" to many enzyme-related functions in our bodies).  This is a power food.

- Kim Fielding

Pho Broth, Vegan-Style

The fragrance of this broth is both exotic and comforting. 

Pho, pronounced "fuhuh", has become my noodle soup of choice on any given day.  Usually made with beef broth and served with beef or chicken and sometimes seafood, it may be prepared vegan.  The best part about Asian soups like this are the toppings that accompany them.  Fresh bean sprouts, piles of Thai basil or cilantro, lemon or lime wedges, thinly sliced jalapeno, scallions, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), Srichacha, and/or garlicky hot chili paste allow you to customize the heat and seasoning to your personal liking.  A large pot of broth will keep for several days in the fridge.  Just reheat before serving.

A favorite blog of mine is My New Roots, written by Sarah Britton.  This is one of her recipes which I modified to cook in a crockpot.  She has a beautiful writing style and inspiring stories and pictures.  Check her blog out.

serves:  4 or more
prep time:  15 minutes,  cook time:  3-4 hours

6 cups / 1.5 liters water

1 large red onion, coarsely chopped

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peel on, sliced
5 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
3 star anise
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
1/2 Tbsp. tamari
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. coriander seeds
½ Tbsp. sea salt

½ tsp. black peppercorns

Place all ingredients in a large crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

Cook the broth first and keep it steaming hot to serve. Add base ingredients (see list below) to a soup bowl, ladle hot broth over and top with condiments of your choice.  The hot broth will wilt and warm the base ingredients.  

Lime quarters and basil from the garden.  I like to
tear the basil leaves into the soup.

Vegan Pho Noodle Bowl Suggested Ingredients:

Base ingredients
Noodles: soba or rice, pre-cooked or softened according to package directions
Greens: chopped kale, spinach, Swiss chard, Bok choy
Vegetables: broccoli florets, romanesco/cauliflower florets, sliced cabbage (raw or lightly steamed), shredded carrot or thin carrot coins, sliced mushrooms, small canned corn coblets, bamboo shoot slices
Protein: cubed tofu, sliced seitan, shredded chicken or thinly sliced beef

Garnishes
Fresh mung bean sprouts, lime and/or lemon quarters, toasted sesame seeds, Thai basil, sliced spring onion, sriracha, tamari, garlicky chile paste, vinegar

I like my hot sauce.  This is a combo of Sriracha and
chili garlic sauce.  Add to that fresh basil, several squeezes of
lime, and rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar. 
Stir through and eat with chopsticks and a spoon.

This particular soup featured soaked and softened Maifun rice noodles, diced firm tofu, sliced mushrooms. coarsely chopped spinach, and toppings to include several squeezes of lime juice, torn basil leaves, Sriracha and chili garlic sauce, and lots of vinegar.

P.S.  Forgive me that I haven't mastered the art of photography through steam.  This soup was hot!

This is a low-calorie, low-bad-fat meal.  You won't necessarily feel full after a couple of hours but you will be loaded with great nutrients.

A large bowl of this soup offers approximate 375 calories with 1/4 cup firm tofu cubed, a generous cup of fresh spinach chopped, 2 ounces cooked rice noodles, and 2 large sliced white mushrooms.  Add to that squirts of fresh lime and vinegar, dashes of Sriracha and chili garlic sauce, and fresh basil, and the total comes to just over that.  The soup offers over 600 mg. potassium (around 15% of R.D.A.) 50% of selenium and 80% of manganese.  Manganese is an awesome mineral in that it helps metabolize key elements in our systems, helps maintain thyroid gland and nerve health, helps stablilize blood sugar, and assists with bone strength to name a few.  Adjust the seasonings as you desire.

- Kim Fielding

Thanksgiving Turkey Pizza (!)

This looks like it could be a dessert!

With four adult men in house for the holiday, finding uses for left-over turkey isn't usually our problem.  Turkey sandwiches with Swiss cheese on toasted sourdough is hubby's favorite.  And, reheating supper side-dishes the following night gives the cook a break.  This year, though, Son #1 was inspired to make something different.  He came up with this surprisingly delicious and super simple pizza.

serves:  2-3
prep and cook time:  25 minutes

1 package pre-made fresh pizza dough (Garlic and Herb is always good)
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Left-over turkey, shredded
Left-over stuffing, about 1 cup packed
Left-over cranberry sauce
Sliced mushrooms

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam and dust with flour.  Shake out the excess.

Press out the pizza dough into a rough rectangle or oval shape about 8x12 inches and place on the baking sheet.  Spread a thin layer of marina sauce over the dough.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over the sauce.  Layer on left-over turkey to cover the pizza.  Sprinkle the stuffing over the turkey.  (Not too much though).  Layer on some sliced mushrooms.  Drizzle cranberry sauce over all.  Finally, sprinkle another 1/2 cup or so of mozzarella to finish.

Bake for 18 minutes* or until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.  Remove from oven and slice into squares. 

The sweetness of the cranberry sauce counters the savory stuffing
and goes well with the mild cheese

* This pizza was baked in the mountains at 7000 feet.  Sometimes things take longer to cook up here so watch the timing if you are at a lower elevation.

- Kim Fielding

Lemony Green Beans with Walnuts

Toasted walnuts and a lemony zing make this dish shine.
 

Green beans are a fixture on our Thanksgiving table.  This simple edition may be prepared in advance and served cold, room temperature or even gently reheated so not to overcook the beans.  This recipe has been adapted from one that was published by Bon Appetit, November 2009.

serves:  4                                prep time:  15 minutes

8 ounces green beans (I used prepackaged and prewashed Haricot Vert)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in a skillet
1 lemon, peel and juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the green beans for 5 minutes.  Drain in a colander and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel off about 1/3 of the lemon's rind and slice the peel into thin slivers.   Squeeze enough lemon for about 1 tablespoon juice into a small bowl.  Add shallot, olive oil, and Dijon mustard and blend to make the dressing.

In a larger bowl, combine the cooked green beans, toasted walnuts, and lemon peel slivers.  Add the dressing and stir well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

Calories per serving comes in at about 100 calories and offers 1-1/2 grams fiber, and omega-3s from the walnuts.

- Kim Fielding

Exercise - Walking on the Beach

Mid-October at Stinson Beach just before colder weather set in.
Between fresh air, waves breaking, a delicious picnic, and
the absolute joy on our pet's faces, we felt uplifted for days after.

According to several fitness websites and calorie counters, beach walking burns about 30% more calories than walking on a flat surface at the same speed.  The softer the sand, the harder your muscles work and burn even more calories.

The walk from Stinson Beach up to Bolinas and back is just over 5 miles roundtrip.  We didn't even realize how far we had walked because when you have a buddy and are engaged in good conversation, you don't even notice the distance.  Our calf muscles received a gentle workout and our bare feet were massaged by the smooth sand.

Walking 5.25 miles in 1-1/2 hours typically burns about 250 calories on a regular flat surface.  On sand, the calories burned goes up to 325 calories burned in the same time.  Or more.   Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

www.dailyspark.com
www.fitday.com

 

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich Two Ways

Use veggies in season for grilling.

I usually don't eat sandwiches.  However, if someone goes to the trouble of putting together all the ingredients that I like in a meal, then I will eat it and probably love it.  This is one of those moments.  Headed out for a picnic at the beach, I wanted something delicious so I made one myself.

Early in the day, I pan-roasted summer squash, eggplant, pepper, and red onion slices.  These veggies made two meals - picnic and dinner sandwiches.  The picnic sandwich is vegetarian.  It was nice to come home before supper to the veggies and meat already cooked because after a fresh-air day at the beach, I felt so relaxed.

serves:  8                    prep time:  30 minutes, including roasting

1 large or 2 small zucchini
2 crookneck squash
2 Japanese eggplant
1/2 red onion
1/2 red or orange pepper
olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ciabatta rolls
Homemade vinaigrette
Avocado slices
Fresh basil leaves

Vegetarian version:
Goat cheese

Meat version:
Sliced beef or chicken
Swiss cheese slice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Thinly slice zucchini, crookneck squash, eggplant, onion and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and moisten with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes then turn sliced vegetables over and cook another 8-10 minutes until veggies are softened.



Generously brush the veggies with oil.

Meanwhile, slice the ciabatta rolls in half and moisten with vinaigrette.

To make a sandwich, start with Romaine lettuce then layer on 2 slices each zucchini and crookneck squash.  Add red peppers slices, onion, avocado slices, and several basil leaves.  If the sandwich is vegetarian, spread about 1 tablespoon or so goat cheese on top slice of bread.  If using meat, delete the goat cheese and top with Swiss cheese and meat slices.  Cut sandwich on the diagonal and enjoy.  To make this vegan, simply eliminate the meat and cheese.

Optional ingredients:  arugula instead of basil, fresh tomato slices, roast mushrooms and Gruyere cheese.  Experiment!  The sandwiches are filling and will hold you over for hours because they are nutritionally intact.  Bread/starch, veggies and protein.  It is amazing how this works!

Each half vegetarian sandwich provides about 415 calories and almost 5 g fiber.  Delete the goat cheese, add 2 ounces sliced roast beef, and 1 slice Swiss cheese and the sandwich contains about 100 calories more. 

- Kim Fielding

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Everything goes into the pot and then you walk away.  Come back
later and your delicious sauce is ready.

In order to cook large batches of sauce for the melodrama audience, I decided to use my crock pot and prepare a batch of sauce per day for a week.  The sauce freezes beautifully.

serves: 16          prep time: about 1/2 hour
cook time: 6 hours

2 pounds New York style Italian sausage
24-ounces mushrooms, sliced  (if you are a mushroom lover like me, I always add tons more)
olive oil, optional
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 large container Prego Heart Smart Italian spaghetti sauce (67 ounces)
1/3 large container of water
1 cup burgundy wine
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Cooked pasta

 

This is my mom's favorite.  And I can't argue with the ingredients.

 

Start by adding the sausage to the pan.
 Fold in the mushrooms a handful at a time. 
They cook down quickly into the sausage.

Saute Italian sausage with the mushrooms in a large pot.  If needed, a splash of oil added to the pan will prevent the sausage from sticking.  Break up the sausage with a spoon or kitchen shears into bite-size pieces.  When the mushrooms are softened and the sausage is no longer pink, add all (especially the juices!) to a 6 quart crock pot.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients - diced tomatoes and their juices, spaghetti sauce, water and wine.  Stir all together well.

Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Each serving provides about 280 calories, 4 grams fiber, 10 grams protein and about 18 grams fat.  Each ounce of dry cooked noodles adds another 100 calories.  We use brown rice noodles for those who need gluten free pasta.  Other choices might include quinoa or corn noodles. 

An optional topping is Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

When God gives you lemons, make lemonade!

An abundance of fresh lemons in the garden should never go to waste!

makes about 64 cups or more 
prep time:  1/2 hour

16 or so lemons to produce 4 cups of fresh juice
4 cups sugar
4 cups water
Additional water and ice to serve

This recipe comes by way of someone's son, who got it by way of his mother, who thinks she got it via the internet from Simply Recipes, a wonderful blog by Elise Bauer. It is the inspiration for this version of lemonade.  The ingredients and their amounts are hers, but for convenience in serving a large audience, I decided to take liberties with the prep.  The joy of this is when the beverage runs low, simply add more lemonade mix, water, and ice. 

The amounts listed for ingredients are easily reduced for a smaller quantity.  1 cup simple syrup to 1 cup lemon juice, for example.  Add water and ice and enjoy.

Juice the lemons and set the juice aside.  Add sugar and water to a sauce pan and cook while stirring very gently over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the solution is clear.  This is simple syrup.

The syrup should be clear.

Mix equal parts simple syrup to fresh lemon juice for your lemonade mixture.  For each amount of lemonade you prepare, I recommend about 1 cup lemonade mixture to 8 cups water.  Add ice.  You be the judge.  If you like lemonade stronger, add more of the mix.  Ice will dilute your lemonade so be mindful of that.

Super refreshing!

Each glass of lemonade provides about 50 calories.  I usually don't post this type of recipe because, for obvious reasons, it can't serve diabetics or others who are sugar restricted.  But, I just could not stand the idea of serving powdery chemical-laden pseudo-lemonade to the melodrama audience and players after making every other dish from scratch.  There you have it.  Occasionally we have to splurge.  Just not too often!

- Kim Fielding

Spaghetti Party for about 100

Antipasta platters were set out on the tables prior to guests arriving. 

 

 I am friends with a most amazing and silly group who put on a Melodrama every year and accompany it with a Spaghetti Feed.  Super fun.  However, the old guard has retired and it was asked if I would be willing to take over the food.  This is not an easy task since the prior cooks were fabulous and the menu tried and true.  The tricky thing is they all know that I don't do two starches in a meal so that meant garlic bread was out.  Boo Hoo!  We provided other goodies such as an antipasta platter that included cured Italian meats, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, and Kalamata olives.  (Thank you Costco).

Mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and mushrooms
dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
 

Next came the salad which was super simple.  Using my old standby vinaigrette, it balanced the spaghetti as well as the antipasta.  Some people used the antipasta to dress up their salad. By itself though, the salad was light and fresh.

Not everyone is a fan of pasta so this meal provided guests with options. 

We served family style.  Cooked pasta was dressed with sausage
and mushroom red sauce. 

Gluten-free pasta was available on the side and amazingly about 10 people asked for it.  (10% of the participants!).  In addition, I provided a vegetarian sauce on the side.  Again, more people than I expected desired that sauce.  I can't call it vegan because I put the heel of a Parmesan wedge into the sauce for depth.  Otherwise it would be....

By the time we served dessert, I was forgetful about taking pictures.  It consisted of the sweetest end-of-season canteloupe slices and small biscotti cookies. 

I was really pleased with my lemonade.  By making a simple syrup ahead of time and adding in fresh squeezed lemon juice, all one needs to do is add ice and water to a serving container and voila!  Oh, and being a melodrama, we also had popcorn. 

Recipes to follow!

- Kim Fielding