Squeaky Gourmet

North America is paying attention food makers! Movies like Food Inc. as well as books recently written; Food Rules by fabulous author Michael Pollan , are causing up a stir. More people are reading labels and wanting to know just where their food comes from. This, as Martha would state, is a good thing!  So, on that note: have you ever read what is IN tomato soup? Sure, tomatoes we think, right? Open a can of tomato soup, pour into a pan add milk or water and heat n’ eat. So, let’s examine the number one favorite brand, Campbell’s Classic Tomato Soup:

Ingredients

Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste)Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup,Wheat Flour, Salt, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and/or Soybean)Flavoring, Ascorbic Acid, and Citric Acid.

What!? That is not tomato soup–it sounds more like the packaged ketchup at a fast food chain doesn’t it? Thinned out with some oil and water of course. Blech–not what I want to serve to the family at all–I want creamy tomato soup sans sugar and genetically altered corn ingredients. Also, why is there wheat flour in my soup? I could understand a stew but in my soup? Anyway, if you would like a healthier cleaner version of tomato soup–the answer is so tasty and simple!

Real Creamy Tomato Soup

16 ounce can organic tomato puree
1 quart vegetable broth (cheap and easy to make!)
1 cup greek yogurt ( I used full fat for more flavor)
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 fresh basil leaves
1 scallion chopped for garnish

In a large soup pan on medium heat add in the tomato and broth and stir to blend. Once this is  blended and heated through lower heat to medium/low and add in yogurt stirring well.  In a coffee grinder or food processor add the pine nuts and basil leaves and blend till it resembles flour.  Add the nuts and basil gruel into the soup and stir throughly.

Serve in a bowl topped with scallions. YUM!

Other good ideas:

–Hello grilled cheese with bacon as seen above.

I cannot say enough about how awesome salads are to have on hand for your personal path to  greatness um, health and wellness.  Jamie created this beautiful and delicious salad for all our readers to enjoy and devour! YUM!  This salad is super easy to prepare and is filled with nutrients and flavor. (seriously click the image to see how beautiful this salad is! Who wouldn’t want to eat it?)

Barley and Lentil Salad

Serves 3 or 4

½ c chopped scallions

1 c chopped carrots

1 yellow or red pepper chopped

4 ribs celery chopped

1 15 oz can of lentils rinsed

2 ½ c cooked barley

Dressing-

1 t balsamic vinegar

4 t olive oil

1/3 c cider vinegar

1 t spicy brown mustard

1 t sea salt

½ t pepper

2 t Mrs. Dash original flavor

Combine all ingredients and chill for ½ hour.  Serve over a big bed of greens.

Well not really, we had our first big snowstorm at the beginning of October but I’m still gathering yummies from the garden. I am still able to go dig taters, carrots and onions. I was just tickled to find all this goodness and happy to say the mule deer haven’t figured out how to pull the carrots out of the ground–they got the tops but not the roots.

I wanted to make something by using what I had in the pantry and freezer. I hadn’t had edamame in a while so it turned up in an easy salad.

Edamame corn salad
1 c Organic frozen corn- cook by following directions on bag and let cool
1 c Organic edamame- cook just like the corn and let cool
½ c diced carrots
1 T soy sauce
4 drops sesame oil
1 T flax or olive oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
2 T rice wine vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything together in a small bowl and enjoy.

Other ideas: onion, scallions or bell peppers would be great in here.

Cheers,

Jamie

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesday–check out more real food tips and ideas by visiting the blog carnival!

Have you seen those Chef Boyardee commercials where the father is reading the can on the counter while the mother is washing the dishes and their son is eating a bowl of heated canned pasta? The father starts to ask his wife if she knows that the can o’ noodles has hidden inside a whole serving of vegetables and the wife quickly hushes his astonished declaration as she averts her eyes to her son–who is too busy devouring the pasta to even hear a bomb being dropped let alone the father stating he is eating vegetables. I hate that ad. I hate the implication that there is nutrition rammed inside this $.89 can of junk food and that parents should be encouraged to purchase such a wholesome meal for their kids. Remember that sage expression “If it seems to good to be true it probably is?” Well, count that when you are purchasing a small canned pasta “dish” that claims is has a whole serving of vegetables and protein in it. That is called, playing with words. However, that did get me thinking about how much you could hide in a meal–nutrition wise. Of course Squeaky Gourmet is all about comfort foods with nutrition packed inside of it–real whole foods that you can buy in the store and create at home–not packed into a bar or soup can or frozen dinner. Well–this recipe is one of my favorite ones because in this meatloaf that serves 8 I have 1lb of mushrooms, 2 bell peppers, 1 whole tomato and 1 onion and of course a whole avocado. Yeah–I slammed a damn garden in this dish and your kids will ask for seconds!

Garden Meatloaf
serves 8 (or 4 hungry individuals!)
16 ounces ground turkey breast
16 ounces whole mushrooms
1 large avocado seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups sweet bell peppers diced fine
1 large red tomato sliced thin
1/2 cup onion chopped fine
1/2 cup raw oatmeal ground into oat flour
1 large egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large colander wash the mushrooms. You want to use your hands to wipe these mushrooms off as you gently run water on them–these are like sponges so do not soak them in water. The longer the water runs on them the soggier they will become in the meatloaf itself.

Next you want to add these mushrooms to a large bowl and using your hand blender–kill them all. Smash these little vegetables that are loaded with nutrients from earth into a messy dirty pulp like mixture. It will look and smell like wet earth–which is a very good thing. (Take that Martha!)

Add to the ‘mashedrooms’ your oat flour, avocado, peppers, onions and egg and blend well. Look how full the bowl is before we even add the meat! Next you of course want to add the turkey meat, have your kids wash their hands and allow them to fully blend this miracle into the raw meatloaf.

Then using a non stick pan of your choice–we like to use the angel food cake pan for our load–add half the mixture to the pan and half the tomato neatly to the top, cover with the remaining meat mixture and add a final covering of the tomato.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. We served this with sesame roasted Brussels sprouts because–vegetables do not come from a can! We did not even use any added spices because this dish is really loaded with such good flavor and really, even if your kids did know how much you are hiding in this they won’t care–they will love it!

Calories Per Serving- 187
Fat- 5 grams
Carbohydrates- 11 grams
Fiber- 4 grams
Protein- 21 grams

Have you ever gone to make dinner, opened the fridge and just stared. I know I’m gonna cook tonight, sounds like a good idea, but where do I start? That was me last night…just staring blankly at the cold food. Nope, still nothing. Where is that spark of food creativity that I really enjoy? I know I’m cooking venison that has been marinating for a day but what else. Then it hit me. I have a pot of leftover cooked Kashi grains. Yeah– I love this stuff but what to do with it. At that point I was on a roll and just started pulling veggies out. Here is the end result.

Spicy Kashi with Veggies

1 small tomato diced

½ onion diced

½ bell pepper (any color) diced

½ c no salt canned corn or frozen

2 c cooked Kashi grains

½ c broth – chicken or veggie

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 t cumin

6-8 shakes Cholula hot sauce or your favorite brand

¼ t smoked paprika

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1 T olive oil

In a med sauce pan sauté the garlic and onion in the oil for a few minutes, add the pepper and tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Now, add the corn and all of the seasonings and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Mix in the grains and cook until heated thru and serve hot.

Other ideas—any grain will work in this, barley, rice, quinoa

- Use your favorite veggies

- Want more heat, add a diced jalapeno

Sweet Crisps–yummy! I found a version of these while surfing sweet potato recipes on Epicurious. These were chewy and crunchy and reminded me of the home-fried potato patties I would eat as a little girl. Only–these are better for you. Making these by hand proved to be more tedious than I would have expected–so if you have a hand grater–please note you will be adding some good muscular work to your dinner preparation. You will be finely grating 2 good sized sweet potatoes–which sounds easy–but I have 4 words that make it difficult for me A-D-H-D. While I was shredding them my mind wanted me to check my email, go fold laundry, look out the window, check the sale status of our books, water plants, reorganize closets–you get the picture, and if you do not–then you probably also have ADHD and are now checking your email because I suggested it to you!

So, I of course enlisted a bit more help with the grating of the tuber–in the form of my lovely assistant and 7 year old daughter. She was once again super excited to help out and to know she would be added to the Squeaky Gourmet blog–special thanks to her as she kept me more focused on the task at hand!

Next you have to squeeze out the juice of the potato, now I was thinking it would be pretty basic as they seem to be pretty dry root vegetables–wrong! I did use the screen I have for making Greek yogurt and it was an easy task as well as fascinating that it holds as much water as it does. No wonder these are so good for you! Side point, also interesting, when you poor out the liquid oyu are left with what looks like wet corn starch. OK, yes it is potato starch–I was fascinated. This picture shows the amount of liquid in one potato–just under 1/4 cup! Crazy–so now we have worked out arms and our grip strength in just making this appetizer/side dish. It is like chopping firewood since it warms you twice, good for the body to prepare and to consume!

After you squeeze out the juice they look like chewed up paper, lacking the life luster they held prior to the abuse they underwent to get to this state. Poor cousin to Mr. Potato!

Ok so let’s assemble this mess into the glorious snack delight they are destined to become!

Sweet Potato Crisps
makes about a dozen
2 medium sized sweet potatoes–peeled shredded and water forced out
1 ounce Romano cheese –shredded
1 ounce Parmesan cheese–shredded
1 egg white
2 tsp fresh sage chopped finely

Heat oven to 425 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix all the ingredients together and form them into 2″ diameter circles onto the parchment paper. ( I had no parchment paper for making mine so I oiled the pan with 1tsp olive oil)

Cook until the edges are browned and they are a deep orange in colors–about 15 minutes. Serve Warm!

Calories Per Crisp
Calories: 48
Carbohydrates- 6 grams
Fat- 1 gram
Protein- 2 grams

Other good ideas:
–add different spices garlic, lemon you name it you try it!
– use as an appetizer for a party

also, if you click any image in this blog you will explode–err I mean you can see a larger size of the images shared.

This post is now part of Real Food Wednesdays–check it out!

I do not think I have had salad dressing since sometime in the 1990’s when Susan Powter screamed through my television screen demanding me to “Stop the Insanity!” Looking back, I am sure she should have taken a page from her own book, so to speak. Those many years ago i made an adjustment that I am fortunate enough to have stuck with me–small adjustments in diet which eventually build up into you becoming a healthy eater. Hey, that is what Squeaky Gourmet is all about! So, while looking for things to dip veggies in and add to salads I stumbled on hummus. What a fantastic healthy addition to your diet!

Just look at the wonderful value garbanzo beans bring to your clean eating. Worlds Healthy Foods site provided this image and also tells us that these little legumes are filled with cholesterol lowering fiber. I wonder if they worry that the FDA will ban that claim like they did to Cheerios–I digress. You can see from this chart that this as a vegetable dip or salad topping would offer to you far more than a goopy dressing would. So–why not whip up some hummus! This is a clean food staple and is much less expensive to make than to purchase pre-made.

1 can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) rinsed and drained

3 cloves garlic

1 T olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

2T toasted sesame seeds

2 T water

Throw everything in a food processor and mix until the right consistency. Add a little water until it’s the right texture.

Other good ideas:
–Add different seasoning to change the notes of the beans, chili powder, cumin, lemongrass, chives
–Add in some chopped peppers and mushrooms, increase the water a bit and top with Parmesan cheese for a party platter dip

After much fussing and fidgeting and not really wanting to cook every day I decided a cold salad would perfectly fit my needs. It’s full of veggies and hearty whole grains with just a bit of tofu for extra protein and creamy texture. This recipe would work well with both quinoa and barley if you are gluten sensitive.

Wheat Berry Salad

Serves 4

2 c cooked wheat berries

To cook the wheat you will need 2 ½ c water in a med sized pot, bring it to a boil. To it add 1 c wheat berries. Turn the heat down to med low and cover until the wheat is tender. This takes about 60 minutes depending on your type of wheat. The wheat is chewy and all of the water should be gone.

2 T olive oil

1 t lemon zest

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ c fresh parsley – chopped

¼ c fresh basil- chopped fine

6 oz diced firm tofu

2 t Cholula hot sauce

½ t sea salt

Lots of pepper to taste

2 t cumin

½ c carrots – chopped

1 medium zucchini – chopped

½ c sprouts (radish works well)

1 T flax oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

2 T red wine vinegar

After the wheat cools, toss everything together and refrigerate for about an hour.

Other good ideas:

Most any whole grain would be good in this

Serve in ½ an avocado with lots more sprouts

I was thrilled with how this recipe turned out. The cakes are very versatile and could be seasoned with most anything. The cakes are very fresh tasting due to the wonderful salsa and have a nice satisfying crunch. Enjoy.

Quinoa Cakes With Fresh Salsa
Serves 4 ( 8 cakes total)

CAKES

½ c quinoa rinsed and drained (red or white varieties work)
1 c water
1 egg beaten
½ c corn kernels
2 scallions finely chopped
¼ c cheddar (Mexican) shredded cheese or any cheese you like
¼ c whole wheat flour
2 T 1% milk
¼ t sea salt
3 shakes hot sauce
1/8 t pepper
2 T canola oil

In a medium sauce pan bring water to a boil then add the quinoa, reduce heat and simmer for 15mins. Allow to cool when done. Combine quinoa and the rest of the cake ingredients except the oil. Set aside while you prepare the salsa.

Use a ¼ c measuring cup to scoop the mix into the oil. (I could make 4 cakes at a time) Flatten with a spatula. Cook approximately 3-5 minutes per side making sure it is browned before flipping. If you are using a red quinoa, it doesn’t change color much when it browns. The color just deepens a little bit

SALSA

1 c pinto or black beans or substitute 1 diced avocado
1 c chopped tomato
2 T green chilies (hot or mild, you pick)or a fresh jalapeno is great too
3 T finely chopped basil or parsley
4 scallions finely chopped
1 T olive oil
½ lemon- juice only
1 T white wine vinegar
Dash garlic powder
1 t honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. While it is marrying flavors you can cook the quinoa cakes. Heat canola oil in a large skillet on medium heat.

Serve cakes topped with salsa YUM!

Other good ideas:

–add slice avocado

– cook cakes a head of time and use all week

OK, let’s face it–eggs are really underrated in their versatility and they still have such a bad reputation thanks to the “anti-egg” campaign of the 1990’s. I am not sure how we came about degrading such a natural wholesome goodness of the egg–which is full of good fats, good vitamins and rich in proteins. We think of eggs as boring, additive ingredients made to make a dish more cohesive. So I wanted to rethink the egg and rethink breakfast, but in my genius rethinking of the egg I ended up with an old classic–a Fritatta. A frittata is basically an open faced omelette–once again making the egg the background scene for a main dish. Let me just emphasise, though, that the egg in this dish is as much a benefit to this dish as a 400 small block engine is to the Camaro.

Summer Frittata
serves 2
4 whole large eggs
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup shredded peppers
2 cloves garlic pressed
1/2 small onion shredded
1/2 sweet red pepper shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped finely
2 fresh basil leaves chopped finely
2 ounces feta crumbled

Preheat a non stick skillet on medium heat. In a mixing bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the feta. Pour the Frittata batter into the pan, moving the mixture around to ensure there is no pan showing. Cover and cook until egg is firm–about 7 minutes.
Invert egg onto a serving platter and top with feta cheese. Serve warm.

Calories Per Serving: 235
Protien: 17 grams
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Fat: 15 grams

Other Good Ideas:
- You can vary the vegetables in this depending on the season. Shredded potato, squash, peas, brocolli etc
-You can serve this cold making it an excellent ( I wanted to say egcelent I admit it) luch box menu item