My Current (310 calorie) Snack Obsession

The Ginger Turmeric juice is great mixed with lemon 'soda water' as my children always called it. I fill the glass with ice, add 4oz. of juice and 4oz. soda water and stir.

The dates and lemoncello-white chocolate almonds are both from Costco. The dates are only medjool dates filled with almond butter. When you're craving sweets, if you can turn it into something healthy, that's always a plus. . .Lin

Duck Bone Broth - For Dogs and Humans

Yesterday I took out what I thought was a big package of chicken leg quarters from the freezer. Once the frost melted away, I saw eyeballs staring up at me! 😯 Not chicken! It was a whole duck I bought on a trip to the cities, several months ago, with my daughter. We go there once or twice a year to shop at Trader Joe's and Asian markets we don't have here in Duluth.

Alrighty then. . .Duck it is!

And before roasting - - off with its head 🥺

After roasting an hour and a half or so, with temps varying between 350° then up to 400° to melt the fat and crisp up the skin, I let it cool awhile. Then pulled off, and refrigerated the meat, returning the skin and bones and mystery parts back to the pan. Then I was done for the day. I sealed up the roasting pan, put it on my deck to chill at 29° and decided to finish it this morning.

As I've mentioned before, bone broth containing onion and/or garlic is NOT safe for animals. Neither are bones for the most part, especially those that have been cooked! So, although they may lack a bit in flavor, mine are now all made safe for me and my furry pets. This one is just duck, water, my black + cayenne pepper mix, turmeric and bay leaves. Once this comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low bubble, cook covered 2-3 hours.

What was in the roasting pan was then strained, discarding the bones, skin and solids. Then strained through progressively smaller mesh strainers, then chilled overnight.

This morning the broth was gelled and the fat was firm enough to sort of roll into clumps with a big spoon. This made it really easy to separate the fat from the broth. The gelling is an indicator of broth that has a lot of natural collagen which makes it a very good broth!

The odd color of the fat is from the turmeric + oregano. In spite of its strange appearance, I'm saving it to try as a cooking fat. I know chefs rave about it. A little can also be added to your dog's food, but only a very small amount just to enhance the flavor of their food.

This broth doesn't have much flavor, even with the seasonings I use, it never tastes like much of anything. Yet I know when using it in a recipe, I'm making something really healthy. Collagen is an excellent source of nutrients for skin and bones in humans and animals.

Bring the gelled broth to a low simmer, then pour into clean jars with sealing lids. Screw those on tight then leave on your counter until they seal with a >ping<

After you hear that, let the jars continue to cool a bit longer on the counter before refrigerating. Remember, this is NOT a shelf-stable method of 'preserving' bone broth. Sealing the jars in this way - without using a pressure canner - only takes the air out of the jar. The jars should be refrigerated, where they will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Use a little each day to enhance your dog's food. That's what the open jar will be used for the next day or so.

Bone broth is always a great base for gravies, soups or stews. You can also heat a cup and drink it as a healing drink if you're fighting a virus . . . Lin

Cleansing Caffeine-Free Teas

If you feel the need to flush out some toxins from your body, no need to resort to pills or harsh method. There are so many naturally cleansing foods and drinks you can make. Here are some tea suggestions with ingredients easily obtained.

I clean my great little no-frills $17 Mr. Coffee, bought at a big box store 8 years ago, very well between uses. This makes it easy for me to switch from coffee to tea to cacao quickly depending on my current craving.

When making tea or cacao, I make sure the basket for the ground coffee is completely clean and line it with a big cupcake-shaped filter. The best are the brown, unbleached filters.

I live on the north shore of Lake Superior and our tap water tastes great. I let it run until it's icy cold. For tea, I fill the carafe to the 8 cup level. Pour it in. . .and then the fun begins.

I pick a tea and decide what, if anything, I'll add as enhancements. Flip the On button and brew-away! This morning mine is the Turmeric Ashwagandha but I also really love Aldi's Ginger Turmeric

3 tea bags
twisted peel from a Cutie mandarin
1/4 squeezed lemon
1" cube of unpeeled fresh ginger
1 big cinnamon stick - break in half

Right after brewing, stir in a little local organic honey, or Maple syrup, if you want.

I brewed and sweetened this tea last night, then turned off the coffee maker. Steeping many hours brought out all the flavors, with no bitterness.

In the morning, heat what you need in a little pan or pour into a favorite mug and - into the microwave. Mmmm. . .Good stuff. . .Lin

Crunchy Egg and Tuna Salad

I love always having some version of this ready to eat in my 'fridge. Sometimes it's just tuna, but when I have a lot of eggs, I'll often add those as well.

My body seems to respond well to a blast of tuna protein. When I was working at our local Police Department, I'd often not eat until noon or thereabouts. Sometimes I'd intentionally not bring lunch and instead walk to the Subway a couple blocks away. On the days when I'd get a tuna sub I'd always feel so good for hours afterward. I love those (rare) strong signals our body gives when we find something that works well.

I used all these ingredients shown for this salad except for the cheese and tomato. It didn't really need the extra calories in the cheese, nor the water in the tomato. That was better on the side.

2 cans EVOO packed tuna - don't drain
1/2 lg. yellow onion
2 ribs of celery

2 hard boiled eggs
2 mini peppers

2 dill pickles
a little sweet pickle relish
2T brown grainy mustard
black + cayenne pepper
Lowry's Garlic Salt
1/2c± mayonnaise

Mix everything in a big glass bowl.

I had this with the gluten-free corn muffins I posted recently. I also served it over tossed salad. It would also be good in a tortilla wrap. . .Lin

Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer

I have yet to find inexpensive, healthy variations of this at the grocery store.

This is dairy-free and has a little sweetness. I added vanilla, but use whatever flavoring you like, or just stick with the flavors of coconut and whatever you're using for sweetness - honey, molasses or Maple syrup.

1 can coconut milk
1-2t± pure vanilla
1-2T± pure Maple syrup
a pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Put all of this in a shaker type container with a secure top. Shake well to mix. Store in the refrigerator. . .Lin

Raw Immunity Shots

I've been seeing variations of this recipe online. I tried making it a couple times and finally came up with a variation that has great ingredients and tastes good! I'd recommend fresh pineapple, but all I had was canned in juice.

1/3 lg. can pineapple chunks + juice

1 scrubbed med. beet

~ don't peel, just cut off any bad spots ~ 

3 big ribs of celery

3 cloves garlic

1 lg. scrubbed carrot

1T± raw-unfiltered honey

a sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt

8-10oz. cold water

Smash the garlic, cut up the vegetables, then blend everything well, on high until this is pourable. If you're not used to concentrated raw vegetables like this, I'd recommend starting with about 4oz. / day. In just a couple days you'll be able to double that amount. 

This provides great vitamins as well as natural cleaning for your body.

Store whatever you don't consume right away in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. This keeps well, refrigerated, for several days. . .Lin

Gluten-Free Corn Muffins with a little help from A.I.

Please excuse the font change, I wanted the A.I. comment to stand out from my ramblings. . .For the past several years, when I have ingredients rattling around in my 'fridge and my brain, I've found if I type them in the Google search line, it'll send me to similar recipes.

Now. . .A.I. not only does that but it will actually create a recipe for me using exactly what I've typed in! This is possibly the ONLY positive comment you'll ever see from me on this scary, invasive technology. . . 

So. . .I typed in only the main ingredients I wanted to use: "For Corn Muffins: Corn flour, buckwheat flour, eggs, canned corn, EVOO, plain Greek Yogurt" and this is what it suggested:

AI Overview

Healthy, moist corn muffins can be made using corn flour, buckwheat flour, eggs, canned corn, EVOO, and plain Greek yogurt. This combination typically requires a binder like baking powder, and often a sweetener like honey, with a base of 1 cup cornmeal (or flour) and 1 cup alternative flour, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, and 1/4 cup oil. 

Key Considerations for this Recipe:

• Moisture: Greek yogurt is the key ingredient that ensures the muffins are not dry or crumbly, often replacing butter or sour cream.
• Flour Mix: Using buckwheat flour adds a earthy, nutritious profile, while corn flour provides the traditional flavor, usually combined with a 1:1 ratio of flour to cornmeal.
• Method: Combine dry ingredients (corn flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt) and wet ingredients (eggs, yogurt, EVOO, canned corn) separately before gently mixing them together.
• Baking: Bake at 375°F-400°F for 15-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Add-ins: Enhance the savory flavor by adding mix-ins like jalapeños, shredded cheese, or savory herbs, or keep them slightly sweet with honey. 

For a healthier or gluten-free version, this combination works well and can be customized with additional ingredients like cheddar cheese or scallions. 

Preheat your oven to 350°
Line metal muffin tins with papers or use silicone muffin pans.
My take on this:

In a large glass bowl, whisk together:

1c corn flour

1c rolled oats

1/2c buckwheat flour

1T baking powder

1/2T Lowry's Garlic Salt

1/2T Little's Chili-Lime Seasoning

Combine the following in a smaller bowl:

1 can corn—drained

2 lg. pasture raised eggs

2oz. *1/4c raw, unfiltered honey

4oz. *1/2c Moroccan EVOO

8oz. *1c plain Greek yogurt

6oz.± low sodium vegetable broth or water - only if batter is too thick.

Other good additions would be grated Parmesan cheese, chopped canned jalapenos, finely diced sun-dried tomatoes, (chopped garlic stuffed large olives-?)

***My daughter-in-law bought me a kitchen scale several years ago. Best thing ever! She's a Pastry Chef and strongly recommends WEIGHING ingredients whenever possible for better accuracy. It also saves on having to clean measuring utensils. Just put whatever it is you need on the scale, zero the setting, and then the amount you need will register as a negative amount as you (for this recipe) squeeze, pour or spoon it into the bowl, all perfectly 'measured' by weight. 

When each bowl is well combined, and the oven is ready, pour the second into the first. Mix again, then fill each muffin—mini-bread cup 1/2—3/4 full. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese or everything bagel seasoning.

Bake until the tops are nicely browned or until a toothpick used to test comes out clean - about 20 minutes. Then drop the oven temperature to 325° for another 15 minutes. . .Lin

Sorry this appears so choppy, it always happens when I copy and paste text from an outside source to this site. I also can't remove the open space below without losing all the text above 😕 odd programming or crabby software I guess!

 

An Expanded Garlic-Cheese Biscuit—Muffin Recipe

😃 — WOW — 😃

I just realized. . .This is recipe #2,000!!!

I think some variety of this will be my go-to 'bread' recipe. In fact, next time I make this, I might try baking it in a loaf pan. There are other variations I'd also like to experiment with. Different spices, seasoning and other flours. I thought I only had 1/2c corn flour, but I was wrong, I found another package, or I would have made up the difference with buckwheat flour. In spite of the name, buckwheat flour is actually also gluten-free. I also bought coconut flour the other day when I shopped. Ohhh, so many fun possibilities! Here's today's recipe though, which is just a bit of an expansion on the original one I posted last week.

Preheat your oven to 375° In a big glass bowl, whisk together:

1c almond flour

1c corn flour

1T baking powder

2T ground flax seed

Put these ingredients in your blender and pulse until they're mixed, then blend a minute or so:

14-16oz. cottage cheese
6 cloves of garlic
3 jumbo eggs

1T± dry oregano

1/2T dry dill

1/2T garlic salt

Pour the blender contents into the flour bowl and stir until well mixed. Then add whatever cheese you like in whatever amount you want. Today I used about 2 cups of Taco Blend cheese.

Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins or directly into silicone muffin pans. Add more shredded cheese to the top of each, or sprinkle them with Everything Bagel Seasoning.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Cool, then serve with. . .Well. . .Just about anything! . . .Lin

Chicken-Mushroom-Vegetable Alfredo

6-8oz. pasta - Cook the pasta about half way, then drain and rinse in ice water until well chilled to turn this into resistant starch. While this is chilling, combine the following ingredients for the sauce.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce

1/2-1c chicken bone broth

1/2c Marsala cooking wine

Simmer the sauce over low heat, season with black and cayenne pepper, granulated garlic and garlic salt until it bubbles and thickens a bit. Sauté 8oz. mushrooms over low heat in 2-3T black truffle oil. Add a little more Marsala. When the mushrooms are nicely browned add the chopped vegetables:

4 big ribs of celery
4 seedless mini peppers

1/2 large onion

Simmer over low heat, covered until the celery is crisp-tender. Add 1 can drained-rinsed diced water chestnuts, the chilled-drained pasta and 11oz. roasted chicken. Mix together gently, pour into a glass baking dish and sprinkle the top with 4oz. crushed salad croutons. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Serve with a big mixed green salad, which is what I'll have next time. This time it was some of those red white and green lemon-butter vegetables. . .Lin

Another Red White and Green Vegetable Adventure

After making this (of course) I hit on the right wording for my search line, to find my original post for these ingredients.

I did this today from memory and it turned out well. I'm a huge fan of really good radishes. The fresh, crispy, milder ones, not the ones that burn your mouth like horseradish though. These that I bought recently at Aldi were wonderful.

I had Brussels sprouts, little yellow onions, honey and lemon, so I decided to put this all together after talking (messaging) about it with my niece, Marie, who's also a huge foodie.

Wash and prep the following vegetables. Cut the radishes and Brussels sprouts in half and the onion in quarters:

11 big radishes

17 Brussels sprouts

4 little yellow onions

When those are ready and in an appropriate sized baking dish, put the following in a small pan to make the sauce.

4T butter or ghee

2T local organic honey

1 lemon - zest and juice

1t corn starch

about 1/2t good quality garlic salt

a big shake of black + cayenne pepper

Melt the butter / ghee and honey over low heat. Once that happens, be sure to whisk this continually until it thickens. Pour over the vegetables.

Microwave for about 15 minutes at 70% heat, stirring a couple times during cooking. Or bake along with the rest of your dinner, until the vegetables are cooked as you like them. Once the Brussels sprout core area is tender, and the other vegetables seem cooked, it's ready.

Serve with a burger plate, grilled or baked: chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp, etc. . .Lin

Crunchy EVOO Tuna Salad

I've switched from water packed canned tuna to only buying tuna packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

When combining it with the other ingredients, DON'T drain it! The olive oil will reduce the amount of mayonnaise you need, resulting in a healthier tuna salad.

Chop all the vegetables shown into a medium size glass bowl.

3 seedless orange mini peppers
3 stalks of celery
5-6 green onions
4 big radishes
also — 4-6 sweet hot pickles

Next add the tuna and oil, breaking that up with a fork. Add just enough mayonnaise to hold everything together the way you like, about 2T of grainy brown mustard, some black and cayenne pepper, and a little garlic salt.

Mix well and serve over fresh baby arugula.

I had this for lunch with one of those biscuit-muffins I made earlier and a side of cucumbers and tomatoes. . .Lin

Garlic and Cheese Biscuit-Muffins — Gluten-Free

Preheat your oven to 375°

In a blender jar, combine and blend these ingredients:

1½c cottage cheese

3 lg. cloves of garlic

3 lg. pasture raised eggs

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium glass bowl:

1c almond flour

½c corn flour

½T baking powder

½T oregano

1t dry dill

¾t garlic salt

Pour the blender ingredients into the bowl, add ½c shredded Dubliner cheese, stir to combine. Using a large serving spoon, spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins or a silicone muffin pan.

Top each with a little more grated cheese for a chewier top, or omit to keep them fluffy.

Bake until golden brown, mine were in the oven for 35 minutes. These would be great with soup, vegetable casseroles or chili.  .  .Lin

Delicious Vegetables!

I so wish I had taken a picture of these gorgeous vegetables before chopping and cooking!

I was looking in my refrigerator, knowing I wanted to gently cook a big pot of vegetables for my dog Oliver, and also to go with different meats for dinner for myself.

So with that in mind I kept raw garlic and onion out of the pot, which are toxic for dogs. With so many beauties clamoring for my attention! I settled on these this time.

1# green cabbage

4 med. carrots

2 med. zucchini

1/2 orange bell pepper

2 big skinny sweet red peppers

Wash then rough chop everything into a 4qt. pot where you've melted 2T coconut oil. Sauté everything until it sizzles a while then add 1c of water. Also add seasonings. 

Today I used 2T Better Than Bouillon - vegetable, a good shake of my ground black+cayenne pepper blend, 1t or so of curry powder and a small shake of Lowry's Garlic Salt, not enough to cause any problems for Oliver. You could also just use sea salt.

Bring that back to a low boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Just long enough to release all the amazing flavors, yet not cook it all into a mushy mass. If you'd like, add some chopped nuts for protein to serve as a vegetarian main dish. The vegetables were cooked to a perfect 'crisp-tender!' Mmmm, SO good! . .Lin

Red and Green Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

This started as a vague idea - chicken and bacon, pasta with a thin Alfredo sauce. Then the vegetables came into focus, with the peppers barely making the cut, not even showing up in the photo, but they brightened and lightened this dish just perfectly!

• 4oz dry spaghetti
• 2c broccoli florets

Cook the pasta until about halfway done.

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer then cover and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, drain in a colander and rinse with icy cold water. Return to the pan and fill it with more icy cold water until the pasta and broccoli are chilled, then drain again.

The bacon came into the picture as it usually does for me. I cut up 1# and fried it for future recipes. This time, after transfering the crispy bacon pieces to brown paper bag to absorb the grease, I kept 2-3T of the fat in the pan.Heat it up and stir in 2T flour.

When this is well combined and bubbly, add some pieces of red bell pepper - about 1-1/2c. When that's once again bubbling, stir in a mix of 6oz. Alfredo sauce and 3oz. of water. Add 1/4c of cooking Sherry if you'd like. Continue stirring until this thickens.

Now add the drained broccoli and pasta and 6-8oz. roasted chicken. Combine gently until well mixed, season with garlic salt and a mix of black and red pepper. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Mmmm, I have to say, this one really surprised me! It went together quickly and is one of the best tasting things I've made in a long time. It's probably the bacon. . .Bacon makes everything better!

Be Bold. . .Be Adventurous. . .Happy Cooking! . . .Lin

Another Kimchi Adventure. . .

Today I realized I had lots of vegetables that would be great chopped up and naturally ferment into Kimchi.

when using cabbage and the right vegetables, combined with Kosher or Himalayan pink salt, no vinegar is needed and this natural method is more gut healthy

Ever since finding a milder version of Kimchi, at Northern Waters Smokehouse, a multi-faceted Duluth deli-sandwich specialty shop, I've been so intrigued and just love their  milder spin on this.

I've recreated something similar several times, but after this batch is gone, I think it'll be time for a trip over there to buy more of the Northern Waters version get myself back on track by reminding myself again what my original inspiration actually tastes like.
 
For the first part of the process, I chop-sliced the following into a big glass or non-metal bowl:

1 sm.-med. heavy green cabbage

1/2 sm. heavy purple cabbage
1 sm.-med. yellow onion
part of a purple onion
5-6 green onions
1/2 lg. green pepper
2 ribs of celery
2 carrots

Sprinkle 1/3c Himalayan pink salt over all of this and massage it into the vegetables for several minutes. It'll start pulling the water out and shrink the volume.

Let this just do its thing on the counter for a couple hours. Next add 10c of cold water and again massage the vegetables. Cover with a heavy platter to make sure everything is submerged and leave on the counter, if your kitchen is below 65°, or put in the 'fridge for 24 hours.

~ ~ Next Day ~ ~

Drain the vegetable and rinse well with fresh cold water, then let drain again. While this is happening, whisk the following ingredients in a small bowl:

2t finely ground black pepper
2t finely ground red pepper
1T granulated garlic
1T ground turmeric

1T ground ginger

1/3c soy sauce
2t sugar

Put the vegetables back in the big -washed and dried- bowl. Pour the sauce over everything and mix it all well, again with your hands, or a heavy wooden spoon. Fill quart jars. Be sure to push the vegetables down to release more brine. Use thick glass weights if necessary, to keep everything submerged.

Cover each jar with cheese cloth, using a rubber band to hold it tight on the jar. Or a circle of paper towel, secured with a canning ring or sprouting jar top. Not airtight - so gas can escape. Leave on the countertop 24-72 hours.

Check it each day and refrigerate when it until has the tang you like.

This will be best if chilled a week or so. It's fermented, so it will keep a while in the refrigerator. Great as a vegetable side dish, on a hearty sandwich . . . Lin