Slow Food—Healthy Food

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:

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

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

Cranberry-Orange Healthy Nut Muffins

If you don't like overly sweet muffins, this recipe might be what you're looking for.

1c organic rye flour

2c unbleached all-purpose flour

1T pumpkin pie spice

2T each: ground flax, chi seeds

1/2c each chopped: pecans, walnuts

1t each: salt, baking soda, baking powder

1T pure vanilla

1c coconut sugar

3 pasture raised eggs

3/4c each: single source EVOO

3/4c plain whole milk Greek Yogurt

2 whole Cutie mandarins - chopped

2c chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350°

Whisk the first group of dry ingredients together in the big glass bowl, then do the same with the next group in the other bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl. Mix well but quickly, only until all the flour is incorporated. Spoon into muffin cups and/or greased loaf pans. Bake the muffins about 20 minutes. The loaf pan will take an additional 5-10 minutes.

This made 24 muffins and a muffin loaf. Good for breakfast or a healthy snack. . .Lin

Cottage Cheese Flagels (flat bagels)

Well now. . .I'm NOT a bagel person, but the picture of these I saw looked really good, and I'm still trying to create a couple go-to quick, savory bread, biscuit or cornbread type recipes. These look softer than a traditional bagels, browned tops and have chopped green stuff in 'em, so I had to try making them.

The ingredients were not all listed, nor were there any instructions. I Googled cottage cheese flagels, I found what I needed, but of course I made changes. . .

1c + a little more flour

~ I used about 2/3c all purpose and 1/2c rye flour

~ next time I might try corn flour in place of the rye

1t Italian seasoning

1t granulated garlic

1T baking powder

1/2t garlic salt

1c cottage cheese

2T single source EVOO

3/4c grated Dubliner cheese

2oz. finely chopped baby arugula

1 beaten egg for egg wash

Preheat your oven to 375°

In a big glass bowl combine all the ingredients. A recipe I found said to blend the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, but I skipped that step and the cottage cheese stirred in just fine. Ideally, whisk together all the dry first, then add the rest. In putting all this into the bowl, I forgot to do the dry whisk, but after stirring with a wooden spoon and then mixing well with a little water on my hands, it all came together nicely. The recipe said 2oz. fresh spinach, but I had arugula that needed to be used, which gives these a more peppery flavor.

When well combined, form this into a fat cylinder about 6-8" long. Slice into 6 or 8 pieces, poke your finger through the middle of each one. Flatten each piece on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with a little Everything Bagel Seasoning. Bake about 22 minutes or until golden brown. These turned out well, the bottoms were also nicely browned and crispy.

Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Great with soup or a big salad. . .Lin

Brown Rice and Quinoa Tabouli

Traditionally, Tabouli - a middle eastern grain salad - is made with bulgar wheat, tomatoes, parsley, garbanzo beans, onion, bell pepper and cucumber. At least that's what Mollie Katzen included in hers in her Moosewood Cookbook. That was my first introduction to this amazing salad. If you put 'Tabouli' in the search line here, you'll see about 15 of my variations. Most people would stop at one or two, but I'm always finding new ways to make this and I don't think there's ever been one I didn't like.

Prepare the brown rice and quinoa according to package instructions then put it into a big glass bowl. To that add the following:

chopped onion - as much as you like

a big grated carrot (not shown)
1/2c hemp hearts
1-3 big ripe tomatoes - chopped

2-3oz. finely chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes
~ ~ you could omit this if you have enough fresh tomatoes
1 bunch Italian or curly parsley - chopped

1/2c each: lemon juice + single source EVOO
seasonings: black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic salt

Mix well, cover and refrigerate. Be sure to gently toss each time before serving. This will keep well for several days in the 'fridge. I didn't add beans this time since I had sprouted lentils. They were a great substitution.

Top with sliced avocado, crumbled bacon or gorgonzola cheese if you want. Tabouli (Tabbouleh) is amazing, by itself, or as an addition to any lunch or dinner. . .Lin

Steamed (hard boiled) Eggs

First of all, be sure to start with the best eggs.
Fresh, PASTURE-RAISED eggs are the only ones we should ever buy!

Have you tried this method?

The eggs cook more uniformly and peel easier when done this way. Since I like mine a little less dry than most people, I only expose mine to the heat for 10 minutes. If you like them a little more 'done,' I'd leave them over the steam for 12 minutes.

Get the water boiling, then place the basket with the eggs over the steam. Cover and set the timer for however long works best for you.

Remove from the heat, carefully drain the hot water, run cold tap water over the eggs in the pot for a couple minutes. Leave them in the cold water another 5 minutes or so to be sure the cooking process has been stopped.

Dry them, then store in the refrigerator, where they'll stay fresh for about a week.

This morning I had one for my favorite kind of breakfast. Fresh ingredients, good protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats - all for a total of about 250 calories. Later, I'll use some to make a big bowl of tuna-egg salad. . .Lin

. . .And Yet Another Zuppa Toscana Variation

I'm sure getting lots of mileage from the one or possibly two times I ordered the Zuppa Toscana at the Olive Garden 15+ years ago! Sometimes it just works that way with those of us who are diehard 'foodies' You try something and just have to break it down, and analyze it so you can recreate it on your own whenever a crazy craving hits. And for me, every time I make it it's slightly different from the last!

This happened also after my first experience with Gazpacho at La Paella, a Spanish restaurant south of Madison, Wisconsin that's no longer in operation. Their's was different from most in that, in addition to the usual tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, etc., it had carrot, vinegar and a couple other unique ingredients. It was the best ever! I'll work on more Gazpacho again this summer. But, for now. . .it's Zuppa Toscana time!

Heat a little EVOO in a heavy pot, then add:

1# pork sausage
1 lg. purple onion
~ use only 1/2c chopped fine right now

Saute these together until lightly browned.

Next the following sliced or chopped vegetables go into the pot:

1-2 lg. carrots

the rest of the purple onion
4 colorful -seeded- mini peppers
2 baby bok choy - white parts only for now
1-1/2# scrubbed potatoes - I don't peel mine
the sliced bok choy green tops
a bunch of dinosaur kale - take out the rib and slice

Sauté all this only until steamy and sizzling. Add 2c fresh cold water. Simmer a half hour, then stir in:

Several tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon - chicken or vegetable flavor. Also, (a couple bay leaves, dried oregano, marjoram, rosemary -or- a generous amount of some good Italian Seasoning) black and red pepper, granulated garlic and garlic salt. Add more water.

Next, add 2-3 drained-rinsed cans of your favorite beans, 3 tablespoons of finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and all or part of a 22oz. jar of Alfredo sauce. Add more water again if needed and check the flavors until you feel they're right. Simmer another half hour or so to blend the flavors and throw in some chopped, fresh parsley now if you want. This is great on a chilly Winter day. By itself or with a simple, fresh green salad and some crusty sourdough garlic bread. . .Lin

A Winter Viral and Pain Tonic. . .

This recipe approach takes me back to stories of remedies from those who had the reputation of small town natural 'healers' in days gone by.

Having tried SO many of the Rx and IV chemo type approaches my docs have recommended for seasonal illness as well as the list of autoimmune diseases I deal with, with no success I'm going this route for the next couple months.

A good friend sent me a similar recipe, then I found this one when I scrolled beyond it. Since it's on Facebook, it might not open for all of you, so I'm posting my photo and the ingredients here. The ONLY change I made this morning was to add a big splash (maybe 2oz.) of fresh lemon juice to my mug. I'm hoping this will help all of us with whatever-ails-us on a daily basis.

1/2c natural unprocessed local honey

1/2t each: black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
1lg. garlic clove - I crushed mine slightly then rough chopped it

Combine all the ingredients in a small glass jar. Heat the honey just a bit if necessary, to make it easier to saturate the spices and mix everything together.

The recipe says to 'burp' the jar daily, but since it can just stay on the countertop and I'll have a cup a day, I'm just resting a bigger lid on the top to keep out any dust, etc.

Once mixed well, it can be used right away. Just stir about 1/2t into a cup of almost boiling water. I'm having mine in the morning for pain and immunity, but if you need help with sleep, it might work to drink it an hour before bedtime. Here's to a healthy winter 😊
~ These spices can cause heartburn. If you're prone to that, be sure to eat something with your daily cup of this.

~ Also, put a little spoon in your mug and stir as you drink or you could end up with a big mouthful of settled spices at the end!