Squeaky Gourmet

This is an excerpt right out of our book. This shows you the layout of the pages, the fact we do share the calorie and macro breakdown of the ingredients and the easy to read design.

I love vegetables–there I said it. You cannot go wrong with them in a diet or wellness plan. When I was working for the Department of Defense I would get sailors asking me if they can eat carrots or onions and not gain weight–the whole carb scare of the South beach diet taint was rampant with them. I would always answer honestly–I have never met a person with a weight problem who has said to me ” I would be thin if i could just walk away from those darn vegetables–they get me every time!”  Think about that–who over eats carrots? Who has a bulging waist line because the tomato section of the market has a vice like grip on them every time they walk in? Who do you know who joined Weight Watchers because they just won’t stop snacking on onions at night?

vegetables are good for you–I know we should know this but it is so over looked in todays world.  Most people use them as a steamed or boiled boring side dish or try and choke them down in a salad (OK, disclosure i also love salads–if you are choking on a salad I can NOT relate–but I love you just the same.) Here is a fantastic, delicious  way to prepare some vegetables in such an easy way–and so hardy that is can be the entire meal–if you dare!

Vegetables in a Pot
serves 8
16 ounces low sodium pureed tomatoes
1 large head red cabbage cored and chunked
1 large red onion peeled and chopped
10 baby potatoes left whole
1lb baby carrots
2 slices uncured bacon diced
3 cloves garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh sage
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and set on medium heat for the entire day–set this and forget this *snaps fingers*

Serve topped with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of pine nuts.

Nutrients in 1 Serving

I can always tell when the really cold weather has set in here in Wyoming.  Apart from not really wanting to venture outside very often, I find myself cooking stews and soups every week.  The comfort that I know I have a big pot of healthy, heartwarming stew in the fridge for the week makes lunches and the occasional dinner really easy.  Here’s what I cooked up Saturday.

White Bean and Barley Stew
Serves 4 or more

1 large onion chopped

1 ½  c chopped celery

1 t garlic chopped

1 red sweet pepper chopped

1 T olive oil

1 can no salt diced tomatoes

2 cans great northern beans- rinsed

1 carton 32oz  organic chicken or Veg stock

1/3 c uncooked barley

2 bay leaves

1 t oregano

1 t basil

½ t marjoram

1 t sea salt

1 t pepper

½ t or more red pepper flakes

2 T dry parsley or 1/3 c fresh- chopped

In a large soup pot, add the oil and the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the chopped vegs and cook 10 mins on medium.  Now add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer (low) and cook for an hour.  Serve with hot sauce if you are so inclined.  Yummy.  This could also be done in a slow cooker on low heat all day.

Other good ideas…

Fresh spinach would be great added before serving.

Tomato sauce would work well.

A squirt of lemon before serving would be yummy too.

Enjoy!

–Jamie

Did you know right now there are people wearing safety glasses and white lab coats who are staring into beakers adding chemical substances and hoping to create new and exciting foods for us. Yeah–these test tube foodies are hoping that the magic mix of just the right chemicals will give you that melt in your mouth, cooked for hours by your loving grandmother feeling when you have their new food dance on your taste buds.  There is no thought to the lasting effects these chemicals have because they are food chemicals–approved for consumption and digestion. You will not drop dead from the toxic levels of these additives at all according to the Food Police in the higher levels of the test tube foodie office building.  So, drop by drop they are bringing you the newest flavor –the most exciting life like creation they can figure out. You can picture this as the real world creation of Willie Wonka’s 3 course meal gum–we all know  Violet Beauregarde’s reaction to the amazing reality of the flavors of the gravy and mashed potatoes as she chewed the gum. I think these test tube foodies are surpassing Mr Wonka’s hopes and dreams with the new way they can conjure food up out of nothing but some chemical additives, some water and a few solids. So–where does that leave the people who want real food? The people on the outside of the industry who are choosing not to follow in Violet’s footsteps and turn into a giant blue blob because of the unforeseen reaction yet to be discovered by these lab coated food chemists.  Not only is it hard to create foods free from chemicals but also to create the same WOW PEP and ZEST flavor that only the artificial world can bring you. I mean, by evolutionary design we like the things that are MORE MORE MORE!

Well that is where the real foodies come in. Throw backs from the kitchen, if you will. People who remember a real pie crust made with butter /lard not margarine–or–shortening (YUCK!) People who took the time to create flavors from nature–French cooking, Italian cooking–European cooking! It takes no time, it creates an experience. Just a few tricks, a few tools and you too can bring back the moments of food that are safe to enjoy and are great for your body.

Enter for exibit–the Stewpendous Chicken! My family loved this dish, the house smelled divine while it was cooking and I even manged to get those lentils past the mouth of my husband who usually runs the other way when I say I added lentils to anything in the kitchen aside from the garbage bin.

Stewpendous Chicken
serves 8
4lbs  boneless skinless chicken sliced thin (breast or thighs–use what you want)
1 cup raw lentils
6 cups water
4 stalks of fresh celery-chopped
1/2  sweet onion-chopped
4 medium carrots cut into sticks
2 baked and peeled red sweet potatoes mashed
2 cloves garlic-diced
2 springs fresh Thyme
2 springs Rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tbls butter

In a large pot, set on medium heat, add the butter and allow it to brown. (not blacken, stir the butter and let it cook–not die!) Once the butter is nicely brown  add all the vegetables and lentils (leaving out the mashed sweet potato)** and spices and stir to coat in the butter. Keep stirring for about 10 minutes more, your house will now be filled with the scent of goodness.  Now add in 2 cups of water and the chicken slices, making sure all the chicken fits in the pan you chose. Now, here is the thickening trick–add in the mashed white sweet potatoes and mix well with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.  Now cover the soup with the remaining water, turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for about 3 hours.

Serve hot in large bowls! Allow the family to compliment you on the amazing stew and bask in your greatness. You have fed them well and the meal is feeding their body well!

** Here is a red skinned sweet potato–the flavor is this was drastically different from the orange fleshed relative. I  found it to be sweet and earthy–like a happy married between a red bliss potato and a sweet potato.  You will see how this adds a great thickening property to the stew as well as creates a new dimension of flavor.

Here is what it looks like after you bake it and peel it–this picture was for informational purposes only and I was not trying to humiliate the potato in away way. OK–well maybe a little.

This recipe is happy to be part of Real Food Wednesday! Join the carnival!

Simple Mexican Pasta

Serves  6

1 lb ground venison or lean beef

1 large onion chopped

1 small can diced green chilis

2 t chopped garlic – about 3 cloves

2 cans no salt diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can V8 juice or small can of tomato sauce

1 ½ c pinto or black beans

2 c cooked rigatoni pasta

2 t chopped garlic or 3 cloves

1 t onion powder

2 t cumin

1 t Worcestershire sauce

½ t marjoram

1 t basil

1 t sea salt

1 T chili powder

¾ c shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot brown the meat and the onions together.  Add all the seasonings and ingredients except for the pasta and cheese.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Before serving, add the cooked pasta and the cheese.  Mix well and serve when the cheese is melted.

A lot of people venturing into a clean eating diet eventually are faced with thoughts of  ”Chicken again!?” We open up the fridge in hopes that there is something far more tantalizing than that darn bird. Well, here is a fast easy solution for you if you have left over cooked chicken that will not be a repeat of the meals prior! This is also an excellent low calorie, healthier choice party dish to share with people!

since Squeaky Gourmet blog is part of the Foodbuzz tastemaker program,  Pace Picante Sauce sent us a few samples to try out with some of the recipes we concoct for our clean eating readers. I was thinking as I pondered what to make–most people have salsa in their fridge–especially clean eaters! What else do we usually have–well I always have cheese, chicken and organic rice in the fridge.  So, I put them together and was super pleased with the recipe inspired by my friend Beth–thanks Beth!

Magnifico Chicken
serves 8

16 ounces canned black beans rinsed well
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
8 cooked boneless/skinless chicken thighs shredded
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 large fresh tomato diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika ( I prefer smoked for this recipe)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Set aside the cheese and combined all the other ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well making sure to incorporate the spices into the entire dish.

Add to a glass baking pan and cover with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.  Serve hot with some corn chips and a side salad.

Simple. Clean. Food. really–this is a super easy and amazing dish!

Other Good Ideas:
–bring to a party to use as an tortilla chip dip
–make extra because this is especially good reheated!

–wrap in a whole wheat tortilla top with avocado
–perfect to add to a crock pot!

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

You cannot reinvent the wheel–the basic principles will always be the same for it. However, you can invent millions of different variations of the wheel to try and direct it to more specific needs and tastes. Chicken soup is really the same thing–constantly reinvented to be more appeasing to the chef or the diners. I love chicken soup, all of the versions I have made and tried I find to be pleasing. last night I wanted to try something with coconut milk and thought–SOUP! Coconut milk has lost the bad rap it had help previously because of the fat content it has–much like avocado this fruit hold a lot of health benefits in it’s flesh. Bone building, immune boosting, weight loss producing benefits all wrapped into the flesh of the coconut make this a revival ingredient for a lot of health food lovers.

I loved the taste of the broth, it was not heavy with tropical sunscreen taste at all, in fact the exact coconut flavor has no distinct act in this play. More that it adds a soft feeling in the mouth and a rich creamy blend to the broth–leaves you fuller longer, too! We like that!

I paired the soup with a delightful gluten free crusty bread that actually stays soft even when left out over night–I know, shocking!

Coconut Chicken Soup
serves 6
6 complete chicken legs
8 ounces coconut milk
2 cups gluten free chicken broth
1 onion
1 medium winter squash
2 cloves garlic diced
2 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves

Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat. Skin the chicken legs and remove all visible fat then using a sharp knife separate the thigh from the drum stick. Place the chicken legs in the hot pan while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, make sure to not over lap the chicken pieces. Peel and slice your onion and add to the cooking chicken. Slowly pour in the 2 cups or broth, once the broth has been added you can slowly pour the coconut milk in. Stir the soup to blend the milk with the broth and coat all the the chicken pieces. Next add the diced garlic, cumin and bay leaves.

Peel your squash, remove the seeds and chunk it up, add this to the cooking chicken. Cover and and lower heat to just below medium and simmer for 40 minutes.

Serve hot with a nice crusty bread.
Calories Per Serving: 260
Carbohydrates- 1 gram
Protein-26 grams
Fat-16 grams

Now bread has the same approach as the soup–bread was invented and now can be modified a million times and still be interesting and really a comfort food to many. With my daughter having an allergy to gluten we have been trying different brands of gluten free bread as well as making our own. It is like finding the holy grail for us! Well, I was looking over the book, The Gluten Connection that was lent to me by a friend and decided to modify the Basic White Bread recipe the author has. The result was surprising and pleasing! You can see, if you click the image of the bread how airy and light it looks–it was not dry at all and had a great feel in the mouth as well as a traditional “yeast bread” flavor to it. The crust reminded me of the stone baked breads you can get in real bakeries. Winner winner–yeah exactly–chicken dinner!

Gluten Free Crusty Bread
serves the masses
3 large eggs
1/4 coconut oil
1 1/3 cup water
2 tbls Agave nectar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1 cup Arrowroot Flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2/3 powdered milk
2 packets yeast

In a stand mixer place the liquid ingredients and set on the low. In a separate bowl blend the dry ingredients and mix well to ensure the xanthan gum is well blended.

Add the flour mixture a 1/2 cup at a time to the liquid mix–be sure to stop and scrape down the sides so that all the flour mixture is incorporated.

Mix the batter for about 7 minutes on low speed to really convince this dough it wants to get along really well and will become the bread you know it can become–think positive right now, this is gluten free bread in the making!
Once it is fully blended it will look like cake batter, not the traditional bread dough you are use to creating. It will be gooey and sticky and that is OK–better than OK it is what we want!

Place this mess into a slightly greased bowl and set in a warm place for an hour to allow it to double in size. I always put mine in the oven on the lowest temp which is 170 degrees. I am not a professional baker–but this has always allowed the yeast to survive and thrive.
Then beat the dough back down and tell it who the real boss of the kitchen is–place back in the warm place and allow to rise again. Look at all the air and activity it had from the second rise! (seriously click the image of the side view and be amazed!)

Now, I left mine in this bowl to bake as well–thank you Pyrex for your miracle glass! I baked it on 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

I wanted to snap a picture of the finished bread but my family was too hungry to wait for me to get my camera. So they sliced it while I was camera hunting.
However, you can just see how great this bread came out–it did not even remotely hint at being a gluten free product at all!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday! Check out More REAL FOOD ideas and stories!

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

Several years ago while at a county fair here in NH my son and I were looking at a large pig that was being auctioned off. My son, who is now almost 19, was a young child learning about life and death had asked me if we could try and win the pig. I told him that winning the pig meant food not pet–I showed him the diagram by the pig that explained the cuts of meat you would win if you were the lucky number holder. My son was shocked and saddened–he knelt next to the large animals pen and looked through the wires with tears in his eyes. He then stood up and declared himself a “porkatarian” His denial of pork lasted maybe a month–or at least till we had pork for dinner.

Pork–the other white meat. It is so rich in flavor and texture–honestly overlooked for the beef, fish and chicken meal options. Recently our local market had pork loin at an astonishing price of $0.79 a pound. My husband, thrilled with his find and insistent that the price was a mistake loaded the cart with several roasts. So–we have pork!

I was looking over the foods in my pantry and fridge to see what I could do with one of the roasts, as we have already had it marinated, BBQ’d , smoked etc. So, I took out all the vegetables that I purchased at a local farm, added them along with thew pork to a large stew pan and boiled it all day yesterday. I served it in large bowls with large spoons and it was delish! I asked my former porkatarian what we should call this dish and his response was “Good!” So here it is, the Good!
The Good
3lb pork loin still on the bone.
6 large tomatoes
1 pound carrots chunked-I used white carrots
1 large onion-chunked
2 small head cabbage, chunked
1 cup Mung Beans
Paprika
Cumin
In a large stew pot place all the ingredients aside from the cabbage and beans, cook covered on medium heat for about 3 hours. You can cook this even longer if you like. About an hour before dinner, add the cabbage and beans to the pot. Serve warm. I added some chili powder to a few bowls for those of us who like it hot.
This really was an easy, wonderful dish that uses all the inexpensive ingredients that you can find this time of year at Farmer’s markets.

3 ounces of pork loin has about 178 calories, 8 grams fat and 24 grams protein. The vegetables are a bonus

Enjoy!