I find Georgene to be a very level headed person when it comes to the more serious topics.  She will give you the goods without an overabundance of vaguely related yammer (skills of which I’m always trying to personally hone!)  From my perspective, it is more about living “down to Earth” and even about saving some money (another skill I can always improve.)  I’m sure there will be a bit about self-defense thrown into the mix, but it’s definitely not the blog’s primary goal.  Survival.  Simply put.

Anyone just trying to get back to good old fashioned natural healthy eating might be interested in this blog from that perspective.   The most current entry is called [Cranberry-Licious] and starts out like this:

I know that cranberries are far from being an essential food. However, they are tasty and have some great fiber, and are even known for their Vitamin C. Unfortunately, after canning, the Vitamin C is probably destroyed in these beauties, due to the heat involved, but we won’t belabor the details. We will enjoy what we have, be glad we have it, and save it for the future.

Sure sounds interesting to me!  If it sounds like news you could use, head on over and check it out!

DFW Preppers

Pork loin was purchased a few days ago with the lazy intent of throwing it into a crockpot with some low sugar BBQ sauce for an all day simmer. I decided I wanted to roast it tonight instead. First stop, of course, was RecipeZaar where I did a search for pork loin recipes. Organized the results by rating and snagged the top rated recipe. This process is rarely a let down if you’re in need of ideas. http://www.recipezaar.com/Honey-Roasted-Pork-Loin-29493

I tweaked it a little.  Mine looked like this:

Ingredients
2.25 lbs pork loin, boneless
salt and pepper
1/4 cup sugar free breakfast syrup
2 tablespoons Simply Orange w/ Pineapple
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

I was even lazier with the directions…

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Set the pork loin in a roasting pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the syrup, juice, oil and thyme. Drizzle over pork.
• Add the broth to the pan.
• Bake 60-75 min. (Recommend internal temp of 150 to be safe.)
• Baste frequently. The more you baste, the better. I basted two or three times, and it was good ’nuff, but I think it could have been better had I been a little less lazy.
• I didn’t bother to reduce the sauce down. A thinner consistency went a longer way at probably less calories. The leftovers are also marinading in it.We didn’t have any fresh produce to speak of (ok maybe an onion, but did I mention I was trying to be lazy lol) so I cheated with some canned goods. I brought 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth to a simmer, quickly stirred in 1 cup of dry Couscous, removed from heat and let that sit for 5 min or so. Then, I stirred in some chopped tomatoes from a can. It was one of those “made for chili” varieties that sported a few green chilies and a little kick.
• I layered the pork over the Couscous mixture, drizzled some pork baste over the whole thing, and served it just like that. If I use the leftover couscous mix for anything other than to serve with the pork leftovers, I’ll probably add a tsp of olive oil to moisten it up a bit.

It has been a wonderful weekend.

My small plate.

My husband's plate.

Tomato Laden Couscous!

Very tasty for not much work!

Ingredients
16 oz oysters shucked with liquor retained
4 cup fat free half & half
4 tablespoons margarine
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
old bay, moroccan rub, or whatever spice you like to kick it up a notch!

Directions

• In a medium to large pot, cook oysters in their liquor until they look plump and firm and the edges start to curl a bit.
• Turn heat to low. Add half & half, margarine, salt and pepper.
• Turn heat back up just a little, bring to just shy of a simmer, and heat the stew through. Do not boil. Stir occasionally.
• Best served immediately but will keep for a day or two in the fridge in a sealed container.

Sure, you can shuck your own fresh oysters. I’m way too lazy to do that, so I found a pint of fresh shucked oysters… liquor and all. Liquor is the liquid inside an oyster’s shell and is a key component of the stew’s flavor.

A pint of fresh shucked oysters.

The oysters just poured into the pan.

Simmer the oysters right in their broth.  At first, it is hard to imagine that these will become plump and juicy… but they do, and you will know it when you see it.  They’ll appear a bit more sturdy, and the edges will start to curl up just a bit.

Plump and yummy!

Once they’re firmed up a bit, turn down the heat and add in the rest of your ingredients.  Kick the stove back up a bit and heat the stew until it is warmed through and uniform.  You shouldn’t boil it, but I did bring it almost to a simmer.

Creamy and warm winter treat!

Add whatever spices you like.  Traditionally, Old Bay is the way to go.  I had a Pampered Chef moroccan spice blend I wanted to try, so in it went.  Wonderfully different!  At the point, the stew is really open to interpretation.  Add herbs and spices… serve it with oyster crackers… make it special!  We had ours just like you see it here.   Plain and simple!

About 1/2  cup makes a serving, and this recipe yielded approximately 5 cups.  To make a more traditional batch, use milk or cream where I used fat free half & half.  Real butter would replace the margarine.

I made this yesterday.  Just took a taste of it cold from the fridge, and it kept just fine.  Can’t wait to heat up some more for lunch tomorrow!

Hello little Wonderland Oysters! Into the pot with you!

My Sweet Prince holds his lunch up for us to see.

Wonder how this would do in a slow cooker?  I’ll have to try it!

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes recipe box.

Ingredients
1 large tuna steak, big enough to serve 2 or 3 people
2 tablespoons sesame chili oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy horseradish sauce, wasabi
3 green onions, sliced
1 lemon, juice of

Directions

• Drizzle sesame oil on both sides of the tuna steak. Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
• While sauce is heating, heat a heavy frying pan on another burner with high heat. Place tuna in pan and sear until crispy and brown. Turn and sear on the other side. About 2 minutes per side if you like it rare. Up to 5 if you like it well done.

Just a big ole thick tuna steak!

For starters, I bought just enough tuna to feed my husband and I.  I wound up with leftover sauce, but I don’t mind.  It is good!  To sear the tuna, you want the pan pretty darn hot before you put the tuna in.  Notice that you drizzle the tuna with the oil, and then you put the tuna in the pan.  You don’t heat the oil in the pan.  I think this is key to getting the nice crispy brown outside without burning anything.

One incredibly flavorful sauce.

I used real butter here.  I believe regular butter is fine when not consumed alongside a lot of white carbs.  I think your favorite margarine would probably be ok here, if that is what makes you happy.   I doubt it will taste quite as good as real butter would, but I don’t think it would completely ruin the effort.  There are 28 reviews of this recipe over on RecipeZaar.  I bet at least one of them touches on the subject.  You can get LOTS of info and ideas by reading through the recipe reviews.

As always, I used low sodium soy sauce.   Now, for the wasabi, I did not use the more traditional tubed stuff.  I happened to eyeball a Manischewitz Wasabi Style Horseradish sauce on the grocery store shelf.  Who knew?  Looked interesting and was cheaper per ounce.  And guess what?  It worked very well in this recipe.  I would not recommend it for a bonafide sushi sit-down, but to add flavor to sauces or sandwiches… it’s pretty darn neat!

My side-plate-sized lovely salad.

I sliced up the tuna and piled it on top of fresh spinach and sliced tomatoes to form a lovely salad.  I drizzled the sauce, in moderation, over the whole thing for a nice dressing.  Added a little fresh ground pepper over top.  It was a delicious dinner.

My buddy, TJ, gave me a link to an alternate recipe that looks well worth trying.  Maybe next week!

Ingredients
16 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and mashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

• Mash 2 cans drained artichoke hearts.
• Put olive oil into frying pan.
• Saute cloves.
• Add mashed artichokes and eggs.
• Saute and stir about 5 minutes.
• Mix bread crumbs and cheese in bowl.
• Remove mix from heat, roll into balls, roll in bread crumb and cheese mixture.

Quartered Artichoke Hearts

I used canned artichoke hearts, though you should be able to use frozen or fresh ones you marinate yourself. (Google recipes for marinated artichoke hearts.)  I believe the canned ones come in marinades using things besides oil as a base.  Get the ones with the best nutritional stats.  I really don’t think it matters.  I did choose quartered hearts, as it made for quicker mashing.

Do the Monster Mash.

Though I used real eggs, I’m willing to bet that egg substitute would work just fine. For the garlic, I used chopped from a jar. I always keep a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge. I love fresh pressed, but these are a real timesaver for me much of the time. As for parmesan cheese, I believe we originally used the grated stuff in the green can. However, I never use anything but fresh shredded from the cheese case. I believe I used Sargento.

The breadcrumbs and cheese look on as the artichoke mash cools down a bit.

Pick whatever breadcrumbs sound good to you. Normally, I use Italian style. I picked a garlic & herb variety this time. Anything works. This is a key way to add unique flavor, though, so be creative. Plain will work, but it will probably bore you.  Add your own seasonings, if you so desire.  Don’t know how panko or ground up Fiber One would work here.  Might try that for a friendlier “throughout the year” recipe.  Wouldn’t dream of it for delighting Thanksgiving feasters.

The Artichoke Cheese Balls await their fate which lies down the gullets of fine Thanksgiving company.

Mom managed to get 24 Artichoke Cheese Balls out of this recipe.  Somehow, I only got 18.  I rolled them just a tad too big.   (Yes, we ate three at home.  Sorry. lol)

The red stuff is Suzy Q’s no sugar added cranberry sauce.  It just happens to be in the picture.  I don’t think I’d recommend it as a dip for the Artichoke Cheese Balls.  It is so yummy, though, that I made a batch to bring along.  I did offer up some healthier items to the cause, and that was one.  :)

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes Recipe Box.
Also find this recipe in my public recipes on RecipeZaar.
It was also included in my Thanksgiving 2009 Brainstorm menu on RecipeZaar.

Ingredients
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
tons of fresh ground pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
2/3 cups milk
about 2 cups of cooked turkey
about 2 cups of veggies* (see notes)
2 unroll & bake pie crusts

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line pie plate with one of the crusts.
• Heat butter over low heat until melted.
• Blend in flour, onion, salt and pepper.
• Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth and bubbling.
• Stir in broth and milk.
• Stirring constantly, heat to boiling and boil for one minute.
• Lower heat and stir in turkey and vegetables.
• Pour filling into lined pie plate.
• Top plate with second crust. Cut slits in top crust to allow venting. Press together the edges of top and bottom pie crust to seal.
• Put tin foil around just the edges of the pie so edges don’t burn during cooking.
• Bake in oven for about 35 minutes until crust is brown. Remove tin foil 5 or 10 minutes before pie is done.

How can we healthify this pie?  Well, to be clear, this decadent pie is a starchy comfort food.  I don’t think there is a way to eat it without guilt… other than to call it a holiday treat and don’t make another until next year!  There are some things you can do to make it a little less damaging… I always use Morton Lite Salt in place of regular table salt.  I did cook my vegetables in margarine, and I used low fat milk.  You can also opt for vegetables that are much lower in carbs and starch than the ones I picked.  I used Swanson chicken stock which actually had less sodium than their reduced sodium broth.  I reckon you could forget the bottom crust, put the filling right into the pie pan, then top it… making it a one-crust pie.  You can probably google low fat pot pie, or something similar, to find an all-around better recipe.  I desired to give my husband a full-on decadent real pot pie, for a change.  I’ve been picking from the middle, myself.  Still a lot starchier than what I normally eat, but avoiding the crust is an option to which I’m adhering.

Moving on…

The crust.  Lining a pie plate doesn’t come easy to some people, but don’t worry.  Just rip dough from here and patch it up there, as needed, until you have an evenly covered plate.  No one is going to see or care about the bottom.  Full coverage is all that matters!

Nobody knew the bottom looked silly!

The meat.  Of course, you can use chicken or just about any other meat with this recipe… but for our purposes, we’re using leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  Make sure whatever you use is fully cooked or just shy of done.  The overall 35 minute cooking time of the pie will not sufficiently cook raw meat.

The vegetables.  You have several options for vegetables here. I had some fresh shredded carrots and 3 or 4 baby red potatoes in the veggie drawer. Before I started cooking the pie filling base, I sauteed them in a little margarine… with lots of fresh ground pepper… then set them aside.  (We love fresh ground pepper!)

Red potatoes, carrots, and lots of fresh ground pepper!

If you don’t have fresh ones, you can use cooked leftovers or even a bag of frozen veggies.  Simply toss them in when the recipe calls for the meat and veggies.  Anything will work… peas, corn, peppers…  Whatever sounds good to you, toss them in!

Bubbly base!

In goes the filling. Time to add the top crust!

I tried to cut out a heart-shaped vent, but it wound up looking like someone dug a hole out of my pie with their fist. Bummer. So, I repaired it with a little leftover dough. Not the prettiest thing, but it is the best tasting pot pie we’ve ever had in this house. This just goes to show that even if you don’t have the skills of Martha Stewart when it comes to presentation, WHO GIVES A #$%* ??? Get in there, and cook anyway!

Six little vents and a last minute repair!

I got the base recipe from this Chicken Pot Pie recipe at RecipeZaar.

If you need more ideas for what to do with all those leftovers, check out Turkey Day, Take Two on RecipeZaar.

This is all you need.

Ingredients
1 lb. reduced fat 4-cheese mexican blend, shredded (4 cups)
1 lb. reduced fat colby-jack cheese, shredded (4 cups)
12 oz. fat free evaporated milk (1 can)
1/2 c. southwestern style eggbeaters
1/2 c. flour
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 inch pan with Mazola butter flavored cooking spray.
• Layer cheese and chopped jalapenos in pan.
• In small bowl, combine eggbeaters, milk and flour.  Mix well and pour evenly over the top of the cheese and peppers.
• Bake for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Chop... stir... layer... munch!

Just about any flavor of shredded cheese will work.  I normally use half colby-jack and half cheddar.  While reduced fat cheese works here, fat-free cheese is not advised.  It’s definitely best with full fat cheese, although this will obviously increase fat and calories. Regular eggs will also work to the same effect.

We like ours spicy, so I use the entire pepper apart from the stem.  If you like yours less spicy, you can leave out the seeds.  A drained can of diced green peppers can replace the jalapenos.

These are GREAT, cold or reheated, and can feed a person all week long.  Tonight, I served it direct from the oven along with some fresh cut pineapple on the side.

A cheese party with pepper confetti!

Jalapeno Heaven makes a great breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack.  Easy to take to a potluck!

LINKS
For nutritional info, find this recipe in my SparkRecipes Recipe Box.
For nutritional info using full fat cheese, use this link instead.