Food Rookie: French(ish) Onion Soup

Thursday, May 22, 2008

One of the foods I truly enjoy is a bubbling hot crock of French onion soup. Unfortunately, like most of my favorite French recipes, it loaded with butter and fats. That's why I have devised a healthy and easier version of the soup. I can't call it French onion soup, but I can say it's smiler in taste, and so much less fat and calories.

This soup is extremely easy to make, the instructions and measurements are just rough guidelines. Experiment with this, I know it may sound crazy but the mix of onions, sauce, and beefy broth smothered in cheese is just hard to mess up. It's a tasty soup and even better the next day.

You can find detailed information on the soup including calories, nutrition, and serving size on my health blog : link here

French(ish) Onion Soup Base:

Ingredients

200	gram onion
50	gram leek, light green and white parts
300	ml vegetable broth
400	ml warm water, with one beef cube dissolved (I use Knorr brand)
10	ml Worcestershire Sauce
2	teaspoon butter

Directions

1. Slice onions and leek thin, in to half moons.
   
2. In hot pot add 2 tea butter, spread, or olive oil. When it's melted add 150 grams of onions and the leek.
   
3. Saute until transparent stirring occasionally, if they begin to brown, reduce heat, add broth and simmer until tender.
   
4. Add in water and broth then bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minuets.
   
5. Add reserve onion then return to boil, add Worcestershire Sauce Return to simmer for 15 minutes.
   
6. Adjust flavor with additional broth, and Worcestershire Sauce, as needed.

French(ish) Onion Soup Finish:

Directions

1. Toast your favorite bread, and layer it in center of bowl.
2. Shred or thinly slice cheese.
3. Poor hot soup over bread
4. Cover with cheese
5. Place in oven or broiler, and melt or brown the cheese as desired
6. Enjoy!

Please note, nutritional information of soup does not cover bread and cheese, so choose wisely.

Food Rookie: Sugar Free Marinara Sauce

Saturday, April 26, 2008

This is a really quick and simple way to make a rich and creamy or chunky tomato sauce with out adding sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 table spoon olive oil
• 1/2 a carrot - chopped fine (25 to 50 grams)
• 1 small onion -chopped fine (50 to 75 grams)
• 2 cloves of garlic - minced (3 if you really love garlic, 1 if you don't)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tea spoon crushed hot pepper flakes (optional or adjust to likening)
• 1-1/2 table spoon Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, sage, savory, and rosemary)
• 1 can tomato product. (pured, ground, diced, or sauce.)

Feel free to use additional seasoning, including salt and pepper to taste. Pasta sauce has a large amount of personal variations, that are added to the basics. It's a great, easy, and cheap way to hone your seasoning skills.

Directions
In hot sauce pan (or pot) add the olive oil, coat well the pan by rolling it around the bottom. Add bay leaf and seasoning in to oil. Do not let it burn!

Once seasoning is infused in to oil, or looks like it's getting to hot, add carrots and onions.
If they appear to be sticking or burning before softened, add water or broth one spoon at a time as needed. Move the vegetables often, when they appear to be getting soft or the onion becomes clear, add the garlic.

Cook 2 minuets, then add tomato, stir frequently or it will easily burn. Make sure the heat is low and simmer about 10 minuets if your going to blend (recommended to blend) continue on the directions. If you want a chunky sauce, continue cooking 15 minutes until sauce is to your likening.

Remove from fire and with with a stick blender, puree until smooth. You can also do this in a stationary blender or food processor, but be careful it's hot!. The color will lighten, don't be alarmed, it's supposed to do that =)

Return to pot and simmer 5 more minuets.

Blending smooth is optional, but makes a rich thick and creamy sauce!

*Note: The entire pot of tomato sauce is from 200 - 250 Kcal. To lower the calories use less oil, and more of the broth / water method to cook. You have to watch the pot more carefully, but you can save 40 kcal by using 2 tea spoons of oil over 1 table.

Food Rookie: Strawberry Cream Desert (sugar free)

Saturday, April 19, 2008

This is a really simple and delicious desert. If you are the kind of person who does not like to use artificial sweeteners, you can try a little honey or sugar in place for this recipe. I do suggest you always use sweeteners, both natural and artificial, to taste in fruit recipes. Many times a good ripe fruit has all the sweetens required to make the plate perfectly sweet.

Strawberry Cream Desert
This is a fluffy layered desert of chocolate, sliced strawberries and whipped cream. At the end of the recipe I will add the shortcuts for people who are looking to make this more quick and easy but less home made.

Ingredients

• 3 large strawberries sliced fairly thin
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 table spoon coco powder.
• sweetener to taste

Special Equipment

• Whisk, (electric or hand)

Directions
in a bowl whip the cold cream by hand or with electric mixer until thick and fluffy. This takes longer by hand, but it will get there. Separate half in to new bowl, fold in powered coco, be sure not to mix roughly or the cream will deflate. Add sweetener to creams as desired. In tall glass layer creams and strawberries and refrigerate. When cold server and enjoy.

Shortcuts
Use whipped cream in a can - it's faster but just not the same
Use Chocolate syrup instead of coco powder - this puts sugar in it

Note:
When I make this to be a special occasion treat, I use melted chocolate with coffee and then fold it in to half the cream. Then top with grated chocolate pieces or slivers and fresh mint leaves for garnish.

Food Rookie: The Toasty

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Ah, the toasty what most Americans would called a toasted or grilled sandwich. These are simple and tasty, and today I will go over tips to keep them more healthy too.

The healthy toasty relies on the flavor of the ingredients, not the grease you would normally fry them with. Below I will state the steps to making 3 kinds of toasties that will keep you coming back for more.

As always, the leaner and lighter you go with ingredants the better for you this is. I tend to use low salt, and fat meats simply because I prefer them.

I also noticed because these are toasted with out grease, they reheat well and make a good warm up lunch to brown bag.

Ham and Cheese Toasty

Ingredients

• whole wheat sliced bread
• low fat thin sliced ham
• Swiss, Cheddar, or Any cheese that melts easily (shredded or thinly sliced)
• One good non-stick pan
  

Directions:

Simply roll the cheese in side a slice of ham, make enough to fill your portions of bread.
On a hot non-stick pan grill the roll of ham on all sides until it looks slightly wilted. Place inside bread slices, then transfer back to hot pan and grill the exterior of the sandwich on both sides.

With out any grease or oil on a good nonstick pan, the toasty should still brown evenly. Because it takes slightly longer to brown bread with out grease, the cheese will be perfectly melted when it's ready to eat.


Grilled Steak Toasty

Ingredients

• Roll or section of crusty bread
• Steak
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Swiss, Cheddar, or Any cheese that melts easily (shredded or thinly sliced)
• Garlic Powder
• 1tbl olive oil divided
• A good non-stick pan
• A Meat Tenderizer, Hammer, or heavy cup

Directions
Lay Steak out on counter and beat with until it begins to tear, then add salt and pepper to taste. Cut in to 1 inch strips and set aside.

Cut open the roll or bread as for a sandwich, spread half a table spoon of olive oil between the soft interior of the two halves. Sprinkle on Garlic powder then grill, soft sides down on the hot non-stick pan. Remove when browned, be sure not to burn garlic.

Add other half spoon full of oil to pan, toss in meat and brown until desired doneness.
Place on bread, add cheese and close sandwich. Now return to pan and toast the both exterior sides of the bread pressing firmly to melt cheese.

I add canned or onions and peppers to this for my tastes.

Toasty Chicken Wrap or pita.

Ingredients

• Seasoned Cooked or canned Chicken breast
• 1 Pita or Wrap
• Swiss, Cheddar, or Any cheese that melts easily (shredded or thinly sliced)
• Shredded Lettuce
• Sliced Tomato
• Sliced and Peeled Cucumber
• Sliced red onion

Give a light toss to the chicken on a hot pan to warm it through out. Quickly add chicken, veggies and cheese to bread, then heat on open fire or in the broiler. This will brown FAST so be careful not to burn it.

These recipes are nothing special, but we enjoy them a lot, and using a good non-stick pan you can totally eliminate the need to grease such a lovely food.

Stay tuned for recipes to liven up these toasties even more. I also hope to get a new camera to be able to share more instructional advice.

Food Rookie: Stock and Broth

Sunday, April 13, 2008

A great way to save both time and money when making meals is to use home made stock or broth. They are easy to make and a great way to keep from waisting. I keep a scrap bag to make my broth and stocks. Below I will list the four kinds I make and what I store in my scrap bags to make them with.

A scrap bag is simply a zip lock bag I store food bits in as I cook. If you cook often, you can store it in the refrigerator. If you don't get the time to cook as often as you like, I suggest keeping it all frozen so it doesn't spoil before you can make your supply of broth or stock.

For all Broths and Stocks, you can follow these very simple beginner steps to making them.

• When your bag is ready empty it all in a large pot, fill with water and boil.
• The pot should be half way full of scraps and all the way full of water, only leaving room to not spill when it reaches a hard boil.
• When it has boiled down about half way, it should be done.
• The ingredients in the pot should be mushy and falling apart, strain them out of the liquid and discard them.
• Place the liquid in to jars or freezing containers but do NOT place them in to the freezer until it has come to room temperature.
• After the stocks and broths are frozen you can easily remove the fat by scraping it off the top.
• With broth want more meat then vegetables saved in the scrap bag.

Here is what I save for each stock and broth I make.

Chicken Broth

• Carrots, save skins from peeling and the ends.
• Onions, save the layers you peel before slicing and the ends.
• Celery, save the leaves and the fat ends.
• Chicken bones, skin, and fat trimmings.

Beef Broth

• Carrots, save skins from peeling and the ends.
• Onions, save the layers you peel before slicing and the ends.
• Celery, save the leaves and the fat ends.
• Garlic ends
• Beef Bones, fat, and trimmed off meat scraps.
• Leek greens and ends

Fish Broth

• Shrimp Shells
• Raw fish bones
• Carrots, save skins from peeling and the ends.
• Onions, save the layers you peel before slicing and the ends.
• Leek greens and ends
• Garlic ends

Vegetable Stock

• Carrots, save skins from peeling and the ends.
• Onions, save the layers you peel before slicing and the ends.
• Celery, save the leaves and the fat ends.
• Garlic ends
• Beef Bones, fat, and trimmed off meat scraps.
• Leek greens and ends
• Broccoli and Cauliflower ends and leaves
• Cabbage stems and outer leaves
• Tomato ends

Any non-starchy vegetable scrap I will add to this stock, using the ends, leaves, and stems. I do not use roots that stick off the ends, seeds, or anything I know that has a bitter taste when boiled.

Be sure to wash well all Vegetable parts you use, and if your not buying organic, discard the very outer layer.

Food Rookie: Cool Strawberry Snack

Thursday, April 10, 2008

I bought a large 2 kilo package of fresh strawberries a few weeks ago for a really great price.
Now for those of you who don't know metric, 2 kilo is about 5 pounds of strawberries. Thats a lot of berries for two people to eat before they spoil.

This forced me to make a plan to save my berry investment! After all it's not a deal if you throw out more then you use, so I decided to freeze a good portion of strawberries. It may not seem odd to everyone, but freezing fruit is some thing I have never done in my house.

I had to go on line to see how it was done correctly. Luckily all you do is wash, trim, and freeze flat, after frozen transfer to a bag and save. Awesome, now I have 4 pounds of frozen strawberries!

What is a frozen strawberry good for?

I didn't know ether, but I found out!
You see it turns out that when you have nothing better to do your boredom can be an inspiration. I went to the kitchen and tossed some berries and milk in the blender with a spoon full of vanilla extract. It was delicious! So here is my recipe for frozen strawberry smoothies!

Ingredients:

1. 5 frozen strawberries per person (large but not HUGE)
2. milk
3. Vanilla extract
4. sweetener (optional)

Simple as it can be, all you need is a blender and a cup!

Place berries in blender (or cup if you have a hand blender)
Cover with milk, add vanilla and blend smooth.
After mixed taste and sweeten as needed.

I used a fake sugar and light milk, and it was wonderful and thick. Feel free to use sugar and any milk you want, the frozen berries is what makes it thick.

It's like a creamy smoothy daiquiri kind of drink, I hope you enjoy!

Food Rookie: Cream of Vegetable Soup

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Food Rookie series will be made up of low cost, high nutrition, easy cook meals.

One of the first lessons I learned when I moved out was food costs money!

It sounds silly to say that, but living at my parents it was easy to spring for the pizza and still cover all debts.

Now that I'm across an ocean from the warmth that was mooching, I have learned the true expense of my simple passion for food. So what better way to start off this blogg with a food post!

Moving to the center of Europe you learn how to cook from scratch, but being American I know the value of taking short cuts. These are the middle ground meals I have come across thus far in my kitchen experiments, I hope you enjoy!

Healthy Cream of Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 liter Stock, water, or broth
2. 1 small onion
3. 1 small celery stalk
4. 1 small carrot
5. 3 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets
   
6. 1 small potato
7. chicken bouillon cube or powdered soup mix
8. 1 cups Milk

Serves about 4-6 people

This recipe is easy as it gets, the only tools you need is a spoon, blender (hand or stick blender preferred) and a pot to cook it in.

Cut all ingredients in to pieces, the smaller you cut them the quicker it finishes.
Boil all but the milk and bouillon in a pot until very tender.
Add bouillon to taste, stir then let boil about 5 more min to mix well.
Remove from heat, add milk and blend well.

The reason I like this soup is that you can easily adapt it to anything you have on hand.
I have made this soup with leek, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and assortments of left over vegetable scraps.

If you want to be healthy use a light milk 1% or 2% works fine. The potato and veggies them selves thicken the soup.

If you want to be bad, use cream!

This recipe can also have any kind of cheese added to it in the blending step for an extra punch.
Use spices Like Bay, whole pepper corns or Thyme when boiling to change and add flavors. This is a hearty and healthy beginners soup that will definitely stretch your dollar in the food budget!