Functional Foodie Friday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

// February 3rd, 2012 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Hot, hot, hot. It’s the only way I can eat my food in the Iowa winter. Plus I read somewhere (on the internet, maybe? It must be true) that hot peppers keep the germs away. So far it’s working.

I can sum up the healthy attributes of this pizza in two phrases:  real food and portion control. The latter was made easier by the fact that I used a  crust from Gluten Free Bistro and they’re not very big. Delicious, but only about a  12 inch crust. BUT (hear me out here) – the ingredients are whole grain and real food. Not a stinkin’ chemical in there! My druthers would have been P-Dub’s Pizza Crust, which is infallible, but unfortunately gluten is not my friend any more and I continue to experiment with alternatives. And the hot new cauliflower crust? It’s awesome, trust me, but alas, I had no cauliflower….

And RB had no idea he ate a gluten-free crust. I sort of wish he’d have hated it – more for me.

I also used homemade ranch dressing, but you could certainly use bottled, if you have a propensity toward a bunch of unpronouncables. Yes, that’s a word – now. Lots of preservatives in what I call “bottles of regret.” I like to use a mix from Erin Chase of $5 Dinners with light mayo, which has only one unpronouncable. And you only need to make a little at a time.

Side bar: I ROASTED A CHICKEN!! They were on sale at Fareway and I thought, dang, I could make that pretty and I know Ron Burgundy would clean off the running gears, so LOOKEE!! I brined him and everything! It wasn’t until I started cutting him up, that I realize I’d roasted him upside down. Or breast-down anyway. In all of these years of cooking I’ve never roasted a chicken, but I know turkeys go the other way. Still, it was tender and delicious, even with his hind end up in the air. Duh.

Sort of give a whole new meaning to the term “chicken plank.”

I will also tell you that it probably wasn’t that cheap, since after RB noshed on it for a day or so, I sliced off the breast meat and ended up with only a 2 1/2 cups of chicken for the freezer. But it looks pretty! (If you don’t mind running gears and blood vessels).

Keep in mind you may need more of the ingredients if you use a larger crust than I did.

Do-overs? I would have added a bit of gorgonzola or Maytag blue cheese on top.

And you just can’t beat that Emile Henry pizza stone.  Best there is. Guess someone reads these posts after all.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Pizza crust of your choice
1/3 cup ranch dressing
(about) 3 tablespoons buffalo sauce (to suit your taste) – divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
4 oz jack cheese (please, please shred from a block. No bagged stuff allowed!)
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Mix dressing and about 1 tablespoon of the buffalo sauce in a small bowl. Like hot? Add more buffalo. Sprinkle celery on top.

Toss the chicken with the remaining buffalo sauce and spread over the top of the pizza. Top with cheese, and bake in a preheated oven at 450°. Bake for about 15 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is well melted. Top with cilantro and serve.

Tea today: China Green (still a lot left over from the wedding!)

Functional Foodie Friday: Cilantro and Lime Chili

// January 29th, 2012 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Editors note: this was scheduled to autopost on Friday. Um, yeah. I guess I need to tell it that, or it will sit in the post hopper forever!

The chili at my house is awesome. Ron Burgundy always said my chili was even better than his dad’s, and that’s going some. So why change a good thing? One reason.

Cilantro.

It’s like crack to me. I swear if there was such thing as cilantro brownies, I just might start liking chocolate.

I stole this recipe from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour, switched it up just a bit because I thought it could use some heat. (But of course). It’s starting to get cold here these days. I was thinking that I’d leave the ground beef out next time, but I mentioned that as I was typing this and I got a solid “NO” from across the room, so maybe not, unless I want to eat the whole pot myself. (I do. I could). I really love the way the broth and beans come together for the soup base, and the lime and cilantro add a freshness that just makes your palate dance.

That’s like jazz hands to a foodie.

Cilantro Lime Chili

1 lb 96% ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
32 oz low sodium beef broth
3 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 5+ cups if you’re cooking from dry)
1 15oz can refried pinto beans
2  15 oz cans  fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (cut this in half if heat frightens you)
4 tbsp. chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
shredded cheese for topping

Brown ground beef and onion in a large dutch oven until beef is brown and onion is transparent.

In large bowl, whisk refried beans with beef broth until well blended. (Seriously, this is a genius idea). Pour into dutch oven with meat and onions. Add beans, tomatoes, jalapeno, red pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

Stir in lime juice and cilantro and cook for another 30 min. Season with salt and pepper, top with shredded cheese.

Eat. Enjoy. Repeat. Hide a bowl so you have some for lunch the next day.

Tea today: Genmaicha

Functional Foodie Friday: Spicy Tomato Soup

// January 20th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

This soup was stolen from Giada, but there’s a back story. Isn’t there always?

Apparently my cooking has been a bit too healthy earthy for Ron Burgundy. What with my many Ball jars of grains and rice and pasta, he was obviously craving some good old fashioned (what he calls) food. I got home late from the gym and he had stopped at the local grocery and bought canned soup – tomato and chicken noodle. Yes, those were always comfort foods to me growing up, too, until I read the labels. Apparently he wanted to live in the past. No big deal. At least he was cooking!!

Open can! Add water! Heat! He COOKS!

But I shuddered when I saw the big box of salty white poison saltines. I don’t think we’ve had them in the house since the kids left – a long, long time ago, and he uses about a half a sleeve in his soup. Surely I could come up with something a little more healthy for my aging maturing husband, who so nobly gave up pop this year. And if you know him, that’s BIG. We’re talking 6-8 cans of Mountain Dew or Sundrop a day, but it was rarely consumed in my presence.

(He dislikes the eyeroll).

The next night I took some healthy cans from my pantry, armed myself with the Google, and set to work looking for something that would mimic that disgusting soup that rhymes with Rambles, but would still be healthy. Can you pronounce the things on the label? I didn’t think so. They were hard enough for me to memorize in chemistry class. Replacing the crackers with sneaky protein and whole grain pasta was brilliant, and quite obviously not my idea.

Win! He loved this. Ate two big bowls, and didn’t even mind the kick of the red pepper.

But I did see him throw a few crackers in it. He thinks I don’t notice things like that.

Spicy Tomato Soup (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can Trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce (read the ingredients! Real food!)
24 ounces unsalted chicken stock (Kitchen Basics is the BEST)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup small pasta (I used brown rice elbows; next time I’ll use a smaller one like anellini)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
a few fat shaves of pecorino romano cheese

Directions

Tea tonight: Mystic Dragon

Functional Foodie Friday: Hoppin’ John

// January 6th, 2012 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day – we ate them twice and I can’t wait to see what kind of luck that brings us for 2012.

If I believed in luck….which I don’t.

This recipe is adapted from the infamous Pioneer Woman (of course, why wouldn’t I pick someone famous?) and even if you don’t think you like some of the ingredients, I guarantee this finished product has a blend of flavors and textures you’ll adore. Add bacon, if you must, but it really doesn’t need it. I loved the pork in here, and the entire dish was extremely inexpensive because I had a small chunk of pork in the freezer and the only thing I needed to buy that I didn’t have in my pantry/frig was the kale.

Lunch and dinner for 3 days? $1.29 out of pocket. (cheep cheep) And loaded with healthy protein.

Our appetizer-turned-lunch was P-Dub’s Zannie’s Black-Eyed Pea Dip. I had to make it, because I’d soaked more black-eyed peas than I needed for the main intent. Who wastes thirty cents worth of dried beans? (I am my mother’s daughter). NO! Divine intervention! Add cheese and proceed! This was also delicious, and the two of us may or may not have eaten the entire batch in one sitting. So it makes a good lunch as well as an appetizer, and thus the Hoppin’ John cooked a little longer because we were stuffed for hours.

Starting out New Year’s on the wrong foot – too much of a good thing, but all for the sake of luck.

If you believe in that sort of thing.

Hoppin’ John

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 lb pork butt, trimmed of fat, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapeños, diced (I guessed, because they’re diced & frozen in bags from last summer)
2 stalks celery, diced
4 1/2 cups soaked black-eyed peas
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
3 cups chopped kale
salt and pepper

Directions

Soak black-eyed peas overnight then rinse thoroughly. Mix paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, salt and pepper together. Toss with pork and allow to sit for at least 30 min in refrigerator. (I let mine sit overnight).

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown pork pieces on all sides quickly; remove to plate.

Add onion, garlic, green pepper, jalapeño, and celery and stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add pork back in pot, stir in black-eyed peas. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover the pot for an hour.

Stir in vinegar, then taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in kale until just wilted.

Serve over chewy brown rice with a nice chunk of skillet cheddar-jalapeno corn bread (which I also had in the freezer).

Tea today: Organic China Green

Functional Foodie Friday: Caramelized Onion and Shiitake Mushroom Pizza

// December 2nd, 2011 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

The only thing that would have made this pizza more perfect is IF I HAD A PIZZA STONE instead of a cheap tin pizza pan, but alas, a son-who-shall-not-be-named (but rhymes with Duke) apparently missed the physics class that said you don’t run cold water over a hot stone. That was over 10 years ago. The promised replacement has yet to arrive.

The one I want is on my Amazon wish list. Emile Henry. Best bakeware ever. You can even put this one on the grill.

Now go.

(I’m talking to a wall – my family doesn’t even read this).

I picked up some local (as in 40 miles away) Iowa Shiitake mushrooms from “anything but green gardens” at the new RiverLoop Public Market Coop the other day. They were gorgeous, and I knew they had to be showcased. What better than pizza?

Bring on the fresh mozzarella from the local dairy store (though the cheese was from Wisconsin). It’s the very best for pizza for it’s meltability, which I’m certain is a word in some foodie dictionary. The other stars of the show were caramelized onions and a few leftover artichokes that I’d been putting on my salads for a week at were near-end-of-useful-life.

I used a Bob’s Red Mill GF pizza crust mix – made it like the package directions except I threw a handful of ground flax in the dough with the flour mix. I like the mix because it’s whole grains: brown rice, millet, and sorghum. Good stuff. But you could use any crust – even pre-made if that’s what trips your trigger. For the sauce I just used plain tomato paste that I mixed with Italian seasoning. Roasted garlic would have been good, too. I forgot.

This was SO good.

But it would have been better baked on a stone. An Emile Henry stone.

(There I go, talking to that wall again).

Tea today: Marrakesh Mint Green (Spice and Tea Exchange)

Functional Foodie Friday: Potato Corn Chowder

// November 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie

Let’s make this clear: this is pretty much “starch soup.” But oh, it’s so yummy on a cold November day in Iowa, and don’t forget that moderation thing. By the time the clock strikes 12  bells, I’m absolutely starving (which is how you’re supposed to be at lunchtime) and I stare at my carefully packed colorful salad and can only envision a plastic container of regret. A warm cup of this complements that well, warms me up, and makes a pretty decent lunch.

I used 1% milk in this only because I bought it by mistake. They changed the lid colors on me at the store. You could easily use skim milk, and if you like a thicker soup, mash the potatoes a little at the end, or even thicken it with a slurry of cornstarch or flour and water.

As with most soups, it’s better the next day. Why is that??

Potato Corn Chowder

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 pounds potatoes, diced (I used Yukon Gold and left the peels on. Fiber).
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 cups frozen yellow corn
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Sweat onion in oil until tender. Add carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in milk, corn, parsley, and seasonings (and some bacon if you must). Let simmer for about 30 minutes and enjoy!

Tea today: Sencha

Functional Foodie Friday: White Bean Stew with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

// November 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

There shall be a wedding post coming soon – I know you’re all on pins and needles. ALL THREE OF YOU….

But, it’s officially soup season here which means several things:

• I’m chilled to the bone
• It’s below 65 degrees and the Snuggie is out of the closet
• There’s snow on the ground
• It’s November
• Did I mention I’m freezing?
• It’s cold out

Cold weather redeems itself around here with soup season, and bean soup in particular is one of my favorites. Especially crock pot soups – I slave all day over those, or at least it looks like I did when I’m not even home. And when I walk in the door, it’s like my imaginary maid Florence has taken a break from scrubbing my floor spotless (obviously) and paused to make soup that fragrantly fills my kitchen and eventually my gut.

I usually prefer to keep soups lean, hearty, and filling, but someone around here is a meat lover.

Sigh.

I discovered Al Fresco chicken sausages several years ago and love the different flavors they have because it tricks me into eating … chicken. I’m not totally down on chicken, but I still like more plants than meat. I also love the ingredient list in these – it’s short and all natural, good lean protein. I do remove the casings, however, because, well, they’re natural too and I don’t “do” casings. You could use any flavor of their sausages, but I picked the sun-dried tomato and basil for this soup – more vegetables. Yay. Also? Gluten-free, for those of you who care, yet still mighty tasty for those who think GF can’t be.

And this passed the Ron Burgundy “I don’t know how to heat leftovers” test. That’s saying something yummy.

White Bean Stew with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

1 pound dried great Northern beans
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken stock (can use up to 7 cups or add water if you like it “soupy”)
15 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, chopped fine (or about 1 teaspoon dried)
3  links Al Fresco Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Chicken Sausage (9 0z)
4-6 cups fresh baby spinach (chopped kale would work too)

Directions
Soak beans covered in water overnight, or use the quick-soak method. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, onion, garlic, chicken stock, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Stir well to combine

Slice sausage lengthwise, then in 1/2 inch slices. Stir into soup. Cover and cook at least 8 hours on low, or 5-6 hours on high. Stir a couple of times while cooking.

When ready to serve, stir in spinach (0r kale) leaves until well-wilted and they turn bright green.

Tea today: Genmaicha

Functional Foodie Friday: Shrimp, Bok Choy and Peanuts over Coconut Jasmine Rice

// September 16th, 2011 // No Comments » // Faith, Family, Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Note: this was a post in the hopper, scheduled to publish today. My heart is selfishly heavy as I, with literally thousands of others, await the news of the arrival of our dear friend Sara (@gitzengirl) in Jesus’ arms. Right now the words that could adequately reflect on the coincidental friendship we’ve shared are frozen in my heart. If I believed in coincidences, that is. Soon, perhaps. Please keep her close in prayer.

Sara would hate this recipe (no meat, no taters) – but she’s all about Choosing Joy, and the kitchen is one of my joy-choosing places. I love you, Sara. You’re the only one I ever made “milk gravy” for. And you always told me they have it in heaven. Really??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s all in the prep – putting together a stir fry is nothing if not easy, especially if you’re a lover of chopping and dicing like I am. Sharp knives are one of my biggest joys.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Prepping your ingredients is key, you can do it ahead of time, and when it’s time to cook dinner, you’ll have it on the table in 5 minutes. Really.

I stole this recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, Sanura Weathers from “My Life Runs on Food,” and made a few modifications based on what I had available. Actually, it’s pretty darn close. The coconut rice was real iffy for me, but I don’t think I’ve ever had such delectable flavor. Even if you don’t like coconut flavor, you will like this. It’s more nutty than anything, and almost the texture of a risotto.

I used brown jasmine rice, because I have no white rice here except sushi rice, and about a dozen other rices and grains in the pantry. This was my most likely choice.

And yes, Ron Burgundy ate it. Even said it was good. To me, it’s the epitome of freshness and nutrition and every bite had a different texture, different bit of flavor, different bit of heat. It was a fabulous explosion of creamy, nutty, crunchy, sweet and salty flavors. To him, it was … dinner. He doesn’t have the gustatory joy I seem to have been blessed with.

Shrimp, Bok Choy and Peanuts over Coconut Jasmine Rice
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 scallions, divide the white and the green parts (dice the white part and slice the green part)
2 jalapeños, seeds removed, finely diced
2 tbsp. Tamari sauce
1 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
1 lb. of large shrimp (I used cooked, frozen – fresh would be better)
1 lb. baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced ½ inch horizontally
1 lime, juiced

Toss the shrimp with Tamari and set aside. Warm canola oil over medium heat. Add the peanuts and sauté until golden brown. Add garlic and ginger. Stir for 30 seconds. Add the white part of the scallions, jalapeños, sesame seeds, and shrimp. Stir for 1 minute.

Add the bok choy and the lime juice. Continue cooking until the shrimp is done, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spoon mixture over coconut rice. Garnish with scallion greens.

Coconut Jasmine Rice
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 cup brown jasmine rice
14 oz. light coconut milk
white pepper, to taste

Soak rice for 30-60 minutes in warm water. Drain. In a pot, heat sesame oil until hot. Add rice and toss until fragrant. Pour coconut milk into the pot, adding water to make 2 cups of liquid. Season with pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let rice sit covered until stir fry is ready. Fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Tea today: Trader Joe’s Jasmine

Functional Foodie Friday: Watermelon and Peach Salsa

// September 9th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Functional Foodie

I made this on a whim just a couple of hours before my daughter’s bridesmaids were throwing her a shower. I already had the watermelon on hand, and was cleaning off the counter and smelled the sweet ripeness of the peaches and decided we could use something to eat besides cheese and bacon.

Food.com serves this with cayenne chips which would be lovely. We had a plethora of corn chips, so I just served it with those. This is really worth a try, and loaded with summer freshness.

Watermelon Peach Salsa
1 jalapeño pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cups watermelon, diced
2 small peaches, diced
1 lime, juiced
(scant)1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least an hour to marry the flavors. Or at least engage them.

Tea today: Genmaicha

Functional Foodie Friday: Sweet Corn and Quinoa Chowder

// August 12th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Whew! I almost didn’t make my Friday deadline. I was beginning to think this was a DYSfunctional foodie week, but then a coworker brought in a bag of sweet corn and YES! DINNER!

With the heat index hovering around 107-114°, I’ve pretty much lost my appetite for anything but a cold salad and a jug of water this summer. And face it, seeing a green salad here every Friday would get old. I “graze” throughout the summer because if it comes to choosing between dinner and a bike ride through  the Greenbelt, I grab a Larabar and a Chobani and hit the trail. The nice days are numbered around these parts. And the past couple of days it’s been downright chilly – like 70! Soup weather! Snuggie weather!

Once of my cooking conundrums is bacon. We all know it’s full of saturated fat, but I’ve also discovered that the secret to that perfect smoky bacon flavor in soups and stews is….bacon. This summer I was introduced to pre-cooked bacon. WHO KNEW?? (Nice to meet you, Mr. Bacon). When you price it out, it’s really no more expensive than the stuff that causes your kitchen to smell like a hog lot for days and splatter it with never-to-be-cleaned grease. You can still get good bacon flavor with a very small amount. Not to mention that certain people around here must have a BLT with their sweet corn. So yes, I added bacon to this for the flavor and am pondering a BLT/sweet corn soup. Seventy calories a slice in a vat of soup? Count me in.

The sweet corn pops perfectly on your palate and you will find this a very filling soup, loaded with protein from the beans and quinoa! Far better than the Iowa State Fair feature this year: Deep Fried Butter on a Stick. Ewwww.

Sweet Corn and Quinoa Chowder
Inspiration from here.

1 bunch sliced green onions
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears)
2 -15 oz cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 – 4 1/2 oz cans chopped green chiles with liquid
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
30 oz chicken (or vegetable) stock (approximately)*
3 cups chopped fresh kale
Fresh ground pepper to taste (I may have thrown in a palm full of hot pepper flakes)

*I keep a jar of chicken base in the frig, whisk in water what ever amount you need for a recipe. I tend to use less than the 1 tsp:1 cup base to water ratio, as it’s pretty high in sodium. You can alternately use low-sodium chicken broth, or of you’re Martha Stewart, stew yourself some some chickens.

I usually have cooked quinoa on hand. If you don’t, cook yourself up a batch while you’re stripping the corn. Cut corn off the cob and then mop down your kitchen. If you must, you can use frozen corn, or as we say in Iowa, “frozen regret.”

Slice onions and chop bacon. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, chiles, and quinoa and mix well. Add chicken stock. Soup will thicken as it cooks so use more or less to desired thickness.

Let soup come to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale (you could also use spinach) and cook until it wilts.

Seriously, this is delicious. Just ask Ron Burgundy.

Tea today: Jasmine