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Strawberry Habanero Jam
My mom was a canning fiend when we were growing up on Monte Sano Mountain. She canned jelly, bread & butter pickles (I have her recipe and when our cucumbers come in this summer, I’ll post it), spaghetti sauce, preserves, pickled okra, jam, tomatoes, dill pickles, green beans, apple sauce, pickled peaches, etc. You name it, she probably canned it. Almost everything she canned was from produce grown in our garden.
We moved up on the Mountain on June 29, 1972 (yes, I have a weird gift for remembering obscure dates!), so it was too late to have a garden our first summer. But the next summer, we had a nice little garden. My poor brothers moved tons of rocks (not literally tons, but it probably felt like it to them!) to get that first garden space prepped. They did the bulk of the wheelbarrow hauling, while my sisters and I helped pick the rocks out of the dirt. After a few years and countless hours of work, the garden blossomed (pun intended :-).
My parents were all about edible landscaping. Mom had a beautiful herb/wildflower rock garden with some azaleas and other flowering plants from my mimi’s house. However, the bulk of the landscaping was edible. I think my dad probably got this practical approach to “landscaping” from his father. My grandfather had a huge garden! Big gardens are especially helpful when you have five kids to feed. We grew lettuce, squash, cucumbers, spinach, peppers, horseradish, corn, okra, peanuts, cabbage, potatoes, and prize-winning tomatoes. Yep, Dad won an award one year at the Madison County Fair! He was so proud; we even had the ribbon framed. What I wouldn’t give for one of his tomatoes! They were so good, we’d go out to the garden with a salt and pepper shaker, pick a tomato, and eat it like an apple. Sometimes we sprinkled it with salt and pepper; other times we ate it plain. I can remember how it was still hot from the sun and how the juice would run down my arm. Oops, I got lost in a happy memory, time to get back to today’s topic: jam.
We also grew our own fruit – apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, and even grapes. Mom used the fruit to make jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters. In the blog last week, I posed a question – What is the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves? Well, it made think back to jelly and jam making with my mom and grandmother. I tried to recall what they said about the different types. If memory serves me correctly, these are the six different fruit concoctions we made:
1. Jam: Bits of mashed fruit, pectin, and sugar. I loved my Mom’s plum jam, with fresh plums picked from our trees.
2. Jelly: Fruit juice, pectin, and sugar. It was clear, no pieces of fruit. Mom’s famous jelly was her spiced grape jelly. In the summer, she made it with fresh juice from our grapes. In the winter, she made it with Welch’s grape juice. Wish I could find her recipe.
3. Preserves: Whole fruit, with pectin, gelatin, or something to make it set, and sugar. My grandmother made strawberry fig preserves with whole figs and strawberry Jell-O. It sounds weird, but it was delicious! I’ll post the recipe when our neighbors have figs to share.
4. Marmalade: Citrus peels, sugar, and pectin. Mom and I made orange marmalade once, but I don’t remember much about it…might be time to make some more.
5. Butter: Puréed fruit cooked down with sugar and spices. No pectin needed. Apple butter is my favorite, but I also like pear, sweet potato, and pumpkin butters.
6. Spread: Made without sugar and low-sugar Sure-Jell or some other type of pectin. We didn’t make this very often.
My latest culinary experiment was strawberry habanero jam. I made traditional strawberry jam last week, but added some chopped habanero peppers to one jar. I wanted to try it, but didn’t want to commit to an entire batch. I make pepper jelly, but I typically use a variety of peppers. For this strawberry pepper jam, I chose just habanero peppers because I wanted a pepper that had enough heat to stand up to the sweetness of the strawberries. It was really good and the heat was perfect for us. However, feel free to use red jalapeño peppers if you want a little less heat. We bought more Camarosa strawberries from Dennison’s over the weekend and decided to make another batch. This time, I made one jar of traditional strawberry jam and then added peppers and apple cider vinegar to the rest of the batch. It’s pretty tasty with a nice burst of sweet strawberries and then a spicy after-bite that lingers. I think it will be good poured over cream cheese and served with crackers. I could also see it as an excellent ice cream topping. I would probably enjoy the combination of sweet, spicy, and cold!
The recipe and instructions were tweaked from the Sure-Jell package insert (http://www.kraftbrands.com/surejell/howto_cookedjam.aspx). Canning is new to me so I don’t feel totally comfortable advising people on how to can and process jam. I’ve included some basic instructions in the recipe, but please follow the instructions that came with your canner. I’m hoping to improve my self-taught canning skills by taking a two-part canning seminar at Harrison Brothers Hardware. Yay, I’m excited to learn more and gain some confidence in my canning ability. If you are not local and want more canning knowledge, you might want to check with your local County Cooperative Extension Office or Botanical Garden to see if they offer canning classes. Here is the recipe for my latest experiment with an important note at the beginning…
*Note: Usually I put ingredient notes at the end of a recipe, but this one is important to me. Please use caution when handling hot peppers. I have asthma and the capsaicin from peppers can trigger an asthma attack. So, I use a mask when prepping the peppers – washing, seeding, deveining, and chopping them. I also wear my trusty non-latex gloves. Luckily, I have glasses that usually protect my eyes, but I also have a pair of back-up kitchen goggles if they are extremely hot peppers. I might look like a dork, but I’m a safe dork :-).
Strawberry Habanero Jam
4 pints strawberries (5 cups crushed)
1 box fruit pectin (I use Sure-Jell)
7 cups sugar
¼ cup habanero peppers, finely chopped (seeded and deveined if you want less heat)*
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon butter or margarine, optional (to prevent foaming)
Prepare you jars: Wash your jars and bands in warm soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Then, I sterilize them for a few seconds in clean, boiling water and let them drain on a clean towel on the counter. Pour boiling water over the flat lids and let them soak in hot water until ready to use.
Prepare the strawberries: Wash berries and remove the hulls. Crush the berries 1 cup at a time with a potato masher for the most uniform results. Do not use a blender, food processor, or hand blender. Crushing by hand yields the best results. Measure 5 cups of crushed berries and pour them into a large, sturdy pot.
Measure the sugar in a separate bowl. Seven cups is a lot of sugar, but you must measure exactly if you want the jam to set. If you prefer to use less sugar or a sugar substitute, you can use Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Recipes.
Stir the box of pectin into the crushed berries in the pot. Add butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if you want. I tried it once with it and once without it, both batches foamed about the same. So, feel free to leave it out if you want to. Turn the stove to high and bring the berry and pectin mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) while stirring constantly. Stir in the peppers, apple cider vinegar, and the sugar. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil exactly 1 minute, while stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Skim off any foam. Ladle jam into prepared jars, filling to within ⅛-inch of the top. Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean cloth or paper towel. Carefully place the flat lid on the glass rim. Then screw on the band. Place jars on elevated canner rack. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add more boiling water if needed. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Process the jars for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the canner and sit them on the counter. After jars cool, check seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. If the lid springs back, the lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
Let jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate open jars of jam for up to 3 weeks. Yield: about 8 cups.
Strawberry Shortcake Pie
Earlier this week I went with a friend to pick fresh strawberries at a local farm. We each picked two gallons of berries! Putt planned to dry most of her strawberries (yum). I had other plans for mine: I removed the hulls and froze a large bag of whole berries for future smoothies, margaritas, and mojitos; baked a pie; and ate plenty of them plain, only washed. They were all delicious!
Today, I made my first batch of homemade strawberry jam. Or is it preserves? What is the difference between preserves and jam? That might be a future blog post. I originally planned to make a quick and easy freezer jam, because I’m a little intimidated by canning. But then I realized I’ve canned pepper jelly, so this is probably about the same.
I made eleven jars of jam: eight regular, one jar of jelly (the last jar had no pieces of fruit, so I think that is jelly), and two strawberry habanero. It sounds like a strange combination but I think it will be good on cream cheese and served with crackers. I love hearing the sounds of the lids popping. I can hear them as I type. I would include the recipe in today’s blog, but I just followed the directions inside the box of Sure-Jell fruit pectin (http://www.kraftbrands.com/surejell/howto_cookedjam.aspx). Everything worked out fine until I was cleaning up the kitchen: somehow, a tiny Mason jar fell down into the garbage disposal. I didn’t realize this until it was too late. Yep, little bits of glass all in the disposal. I think Matt and I will try to fix it this weekend. This will be the second one we have repaired (never stick flower stems down a disposal, it will likely clog it!). We never had a garbage disposal growing up, so that’s my excuse for my disposal accidents.
We support local farms when we can. We are fortunate to have several wonderful farms in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. If you live outside the area, I hope you will support your local farms and farmers markets. Here’s some information about three of our favorite farms that provide local, fresh, and delicious strawberries (among other things)!
Brown Farms: Their farm is in New Market. Directions from Huntsville: take North Parkway/231 North, turn right on Joe Quick Road, turn left on Walnut Grove Road and follow the signs to the farm (it will be on your left). If you can’t make it to the farm to pick your own or buy fresh berries, you can buy their strawberries at local Star Market Supermarkets (the one in 5 Points usually carries them this time of year). Address & Phone: 384 Walnut Grove Rd New Market, AL 35761, 256-828-0710
For more information about Brown Farms: http://www.pickyourown.org/ALhuntsv.htm
Dennison’s Family Farm: This farm is a little further away in Elora, TN. They sell already picked strawberries at the farm or you can visit one of their cute little strawberry “houses” in Madison (across from City Hall in front of Hartlex Antiques on Hughes Road), Fayetteville, and Winchester (please call for exact locations). They also have a community supported agriculture (CSA) program if you are interested in trying one. Address & Phone: 98 Milner Switch Road, Elora, TN 37328, 931-937-8162
For more information about Dennison’s Family Farm: http://dennisonsfarm.com/ or info@dennisonsfarm.com
J. Sparks Farm: I’ve only visited this farm once, but I got a behind-the-scenes tour with the owner’s sister. It is a nice farm, and it is a little easier on the knees picking the strawberries standing up since it’s a vertical hydroponic farm. The strawberries (and lettuce) were wonderful. I’m not sure if they are growing strawberries this year, but I hope to see them back at the Greene Street Market at Nativity when they open for the season next week, on May 3rd! Address & Phone: 312 Esslinger Drive, Gurley, AL, 256-776-9881
For more information about J. Sparks Farm: http://www.jsparksfarms.com/
My public service announcement for local farms is over. And now back to the blog…
Today’s recipe is not healthy, vegan, nor is it gluten-free*. It is a once in a while splurge-worthy dessert – Strawberry Shortcake Pie. Actually, for us, it is a once every 5 year splurge. It’s a fairly simple recipe and it’s not the most outrageous dessert I make, but for some reason, we just don’t have it very often. I’ve known my husband, Matt, since 2007. I baked this pie for him the first time in May 2007 and haven’t made one since. I figure we are good until April or May of 2017! Wow, that sounds like a long way away!
I guess this recipe originally came from a magazine because my mom pasted an old clipping into her photo album cookbook. At the bottom of the recipe, it says, “continued on page 120.” Page 120 is not included in her cookbook. I’ve always wondered what was on that page! I’ve stayed fairly true to the original recipe, only made a few changes: 1) My pie plate is 9.5” instead of 9” so I increased the crust ingredients just a bit; 2) I omitted the red food coloring, I think the glaze is perfectly lovely without the added coloring; 3) Changed the name, instead of Strawberry Glazed Whipped Cream Pie it is now the Strawberry Shortcake Pie (it reminds me of the homemade shortcakes I made as a child); and 4) I sliced some of the larger strawberries, whole berries make slicing the pie challenging.
Strawberry Shortcake Pie
Shortcake Crust:
1½ cups biscuit mix (I use Bisquick)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
scant ⅓ cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 450º F. Place biscuit mix and softened butter in the bottom of a 9.5” or 10” pie pan. Pour in the boiling water. Stir mixture with a fork until it forms a soft ball and leaves the side of the pan. Don’t overwork the dough or you will end up with a tough crust. Use your fingers to pat the dough evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan. If you are good at such things, you can press the dough over the rim of the pie plate and then form the dough into a neat, decorative design on the edge. I’m not so good at that, so I just use my finger (or a fork) to make an indentation on the top edge of the crust. Use a fork to dock the crust – poke holes along the sides and bottom of the crust to allow steam to escape and keep it from puffing up. Bake 10-12 minutes until it is golden brown. If you have pie crust shields, you might want to use them to keep the edges from over-browning, but it’s not necessary. Just check the crust after baking about 9 minutes to make sure it turns golden and does not burn. Remove crust from the oven and let it cool.
Strawberry Filling:
6 cups fresh strawberries
½ cup water
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Fresh whipped cream, optional garnish
Wash and drain the strawberries. Save a few pretty ones for a garnish. Remove the hulls from the rest. Crush 2 cups of the strawberries and set aside. Cut the remaining 4 cups of strawberries into halves, quarters, or slices (whatever you prefer; I just don’t like slicing into a pie with large, whole berries). In a medium saucepan, stir together the water and cornstarch. Mix well. Add the sugar and stir in the 2 cups of crushed strawberries. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until clear, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter. Strain the mixture using a strainer, chinois, or a clean piece of cheesecloth. Arrange the 4 cups of strawberries in the cooled pie shell. Pour the warm glaze over the strawberries. Make sure all the strawberries are covered with the glaze. Refrigerate several hours until set. Garnish with whole strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Serve. This is not a pie that ages well. It is best to make it the day you plan to eat it. It gets a little soggy and isn’t as pretty the following day. It still tastes delicious. Yes, I’ve had leftover strawberry shortcake pie for breakfast the next day! Makes 8 servings.
*Healthier Version: I think this could easily be made gluten-free by using the gluten-free baking mix from King Arthur Flour of Pamela’s Products. I just haven’t tried it yet. Also, I noticed at Publix there is a “new” Gluten-Free Bisquick. I have not tried it either. I stuck to the original Bisquick because I wanted the taste from the childhood. You could also make your own crust; a crumb or nut crust would be delicious. Or even use a spelt crust (I saw them recently at Garden Cove and Earth Fare). To make it vegan, I think margarine or coconut oil could be used to make the crust (just gotta check the biscuit mix to make sure it is vegan). The rest of the recipe only has 1 tablespoon of butter to make the glaze “glossy!” I think coconut oil or margarine would make it plenty glossy.
Refrigerator Pickles
We make and eat lots of refrigerator pickles (sometimes known as cucumber/onion salad) at our house. They are quick, easy, versatile, and it’s a great way to use extra cucumbers. I learned how to make them from my Mom. I think she learned how to make them from Nanny, her grandmother. We had a large garden growing up and we had loads of cucumbers. There are just so many bread and butter pickles one can eat, and then it’s time to make refrigerator pickles or cucumber/onion salad. Whatever you call it, it is tasty!
Refrigerator Pickles
3 cups sliced cucumbers (about 4-6 small cucumbers)
1 cup sliced onions (I use 1 small red onion and 1 small white onion)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
1½ cups white vinegar
I like the cucumbers and onions sliced very thin so I use either a mandoline slicer or a food processor. But hand-slicing works great too (and there is less equipment to clean!). I usually leave the peel on the cucumbers, but you can peel them if you prefer.
Mix the cucumbers and onions in a larger container with a tight-fitting lid (I use a large Pyrex container or a large Mason jar). Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour in the vinegar. Mix well. You can eat them immediately but I like to refrigerate them for several hours (or even several days). I just shake (thus, the tight-fitting lid) or stir them every day.
Variations:
– Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
– Add sugar, stevia, honey, or agave to cut some of the tartness.
– Add fresh garlic for an added flavor kick.
– Add thinly sliced green or red bell peppers.
– Add jalapeño pepper slices.
– Add fresh herbs (parsley, dill, chives, etc.).
– Mix it up with different onions: white, Vidalia, yellow, purple (or even shallots).
– Try different vinegars: apple cider, white vinegar, or even a splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar.
– Drain off most of the vinegar and stir in some sour cream or plain yogurt and dill for a creamy side salad.
Ginger Ale Carrots with a Kick
I volunteered at WLRH earlier this week for their spring fund drive. While waiting for the phones to ring, the volunteers were sitting around, chatting about cooking, recipes, food blogs, etc. Someone mentioned they wanted a recipe for glazed carrots. I told them about a recipe Alton Brown made on Good Eats that I would share on my blog sometime in the next few weeks.
Typically, I’m not a huge fan of glazed carrots; they are a tad too sweet for my taste. But I like ginger ale and chili powder so I tried Mr. Brown’s recipe a few years ago. They were delicious! I have since tweaked the recipe a bit (kicking up the heat), but I stayed fairly true to Alton’s original recipe. Here is a link to his original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/glazed-carrots-recipe/index.html
Coincidentally, yesterday I was at Garden Cove and they had carrots on the sale table – .75¢ for a large bag of Georgia carrots! I couldn’t pass up such a bargain. So here’s my spicier version…
Ginger Ale Carrots with a Kick
2 tablespoons butter (margarine or coconut oil)*
3 cups sliced carrots (3-4 carrots, thinly sliced)**
½ teaspoon salt
12 ounces ginger ale (I used Reed’s Original Ginger Brew)
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne, chipotle, or Aleppo pepper, optional
1 tablespoon maple syrup (honey or agave), optional
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger or a pinch of powdered ginger, optional
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (flat or curly), chopped
Mix 1 tablespoon of butter, carrots, salt, and ginger ale in a large sauté pan that has a lid (Recipe will work in a regular pot with lid, but it will likely take longer for the glaze to thicken and reduce. A covered wok would also work great.). Cover with lid and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Cook about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, chili powder, and cumin. If you want to kick up the flavor, add the cayenne, maple syrup, and ginger. Turn up the temperature to high. Stir and cook about 4 to 7 minutes until tender (it depends on the size of the carrot slices, the ones I bought were huge and took longer to cook). Stir constantly so the carrots do not burn. The sauce will thicken and make a nice glaze on the carrots. Remove from heat. Top with chopped parsley and serve. Makes about 4 adult servings (as a side dish).
*These carrots can be made vegan with an easy substitution of margarine or coconut oil for the butter.
**I used 4 extremely large carrots and ended up with just over 4 cups of sliced carrots. Truthfully, the carrots were a tad dry. In the future, I will add a bit of water or more ginger ale if I use that many carrots. Luckily this is a really forgiving recipe and tweaks to it are perfectly fine.
Pretzel Button Snacks
This is a quick snack that is perfect for parties. Hopefully there is enough time for you to try them this Easter weekend. This is also a versatile recipe with all the different flavors of Hershey’s Kisses and M&M’s that are now available. The flavor combinations are almost endless! There are also lots of new candy colors that make this an especially cute snack! If you want to coordinate with party colors, you can even order special colors of M&M’s from their website (http://www.mymms.com/).
Variations:
- I tried these with Rolos and pecans. Not bad for a “quick turtle” candy treat. Sprinkle with a little flake salt for an extra sweet and salty treat.
- Spelt pretzels are also very good in this recipe for people on a wheat-free diet! I like the spelt pretzels from Newman’s Own.
- Removing the wrappers from the Kisses takes the most time (aside from the cooling). To save time, you can use jumbo chocolate chips, sometimes found in the baking aisle. They won’t be as chocolatey, but I bet they would still be delicious.
- You can also use chocolate disks or wafers found at cake supply stores (like Lynelle’s in Huntsville).
- Future experiment: I think mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would be delicious, but I’m not sure how they would look (not that it really matters, since the taste would be so good!).
- I don’t think the peanut M&M’s are as “cute” as the regular sized M&M’s, but they still taste good!
Pretzel Button Snacks
1 bag pretzels (squares are perfect; round, or traditional also work)
1 bag Hershey’s Kisses (most any flavor would work)
1 bag M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces (most any flavor would work)
Preheat oven to 300º F. Line a baking sheet (preferably with sides) with parchment paper. Cover with a single layer of pretzels. Place a Hershey’s Kiss in the center of each pretzel. Carefully move the baking sheet to the oven. If you jostle them too much, you might end up with lopsided pretzel buttons (not that I did this or anything :-). Bake for about 2½ to 3 minutes. Watch them while they cook; you don’t want them too melted. You want them just melted enough to hold an M&M. Remove baking sheet from the oven. Immediately, press an M&M into each melted Kiss so it looks like a button. Don’t press too hard or chocolate will squish everywhere. Allow the chocolate to harden before storing or serving. You can either do this at room temperature (if you have enough time) or in the refrigerator (if you have enough space). Store in an air-tight container.
Purple Goodness in a Glass
Around our house, smoothies make a quick, healthy breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert. We pick blueberries every summer at MaryMac Farms and then freeze the berries for use year-round. Smoothies are one of our favorite ways to enjoy the berries. This smoothie recipe can be a base for other smoothies – add some extra frozen bananas, peaches, strawberries, or cherries. Yes, we keep all of those in our freezer!
Helpful hint: We also have lots of bags with little cubes of things in the freezer. When we have extra yogurt, fruit juice, wine, pesto, lemon juice, fresh herbs, apple cider, and tomato paste, I freeze it in ice cube trays. Then pop them out and store them in resealable bags.
- Yogurt: I like to buy large containers of organic Greek yogurt, but we never seem to finish it. The cubes are perfect for smoothies. Frozen flavored yogurt cubes make good mini popsicles (just add a toothpick when it is almost frozen).
- Fruit juice: We usually don’t finish a bottle of juice either. Hate to waste it, so it gets frozen. Perfect for smoothies or depending on the juice, great in iced tea!
- Wine: Leftover wine doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I freeze it. The wine cubes are perfect for finishing up a sauce or gravy.
- Pesto: When the basil in the garden is going crazy, I make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. Oil the trays first for easy removal. Just thaw a cube and toss with fresh, hot pasta or mixed vegetables.
- Lemon juice: When I make limoncello, I have almost 4 cups of lemon juice! There’s just so much fresh lemonade we can drink. So, I freeze some in ice cube trays and some in larger containers for making lemon bars.
- Fresh herbs: To freeze fresh herbs (like basil, parsley, chives, and mint), just rinse, snip if they are large, place in an ice cube tray, fill the tray half full with water, freeze, fill trays with water, freeze, and then store them in resealable bags. If you initially fill the trays with water, the herbs tend to float and they might get freezer-burned. This method, though it takes more time, prevents freezer damage to the herbs. Another method is to freeze fresh herbs in olive oil.
- Apple cider: We get local apple cider from Scott’s and then freeze some in cubes for drinking hot in the winter. It is also great with tea (hot and iced). And sometimes I eat the cubes in the summer, another popsicle-like treat.
- Tomato paste: Freezing is great when you need just a little tomato paste and have leftovers from the can. It is much cheaper to buy cans of tomato paste than those little tubes. Oil the trays before filling to hopefully prevent them from staining.
Blueberry Banana Smoothie
1 banana (fresh or frozen)
1 cup frozen blueberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup juice (I used tangerine, cranberry, apple, orange, etc. juice is fine too)
¾ cup plain yogurt or kefir (any kind works – soy, coconut, regular)
Optional add-ins: protein powder, dash of cinnamon, ground flax seeds, shredded coconut, (ice cubes if you use fresh fruit, I like the cold), flax seed oil, almond butter, ginger, cayenne, etc.
Pour contents into blender container. Cover with the lid (otherwise you might end up with purple goodness all over the place!). Blend until smooth and purple. Enjoy!
Servings: 2 snack-sized servings or 1 meal-sized serving
1 Can of Coconut Milk = 2 Recipes
I love coconut milk, but don’t have many recipes that use an entire large can. Most recipes use a cup or less. The large cans of coconut milk have almost two cups. When I find the tiny cans of coconut milk, I stock up. But I don’t find them very often. So, what to do with the leftover coconut milk? Many possibilities: Thai coconut soup, smoothies, sorbet, rice pudding, coconut oatmeal, pina coladas, etc. But, I thought it might be nice to have two recipes that go well together which use one entire can of coconut milk. So, I give you Curried Coconut Spaghetti Squash and Coconut Pigeon Peas and Rice. Coincidentally, each recipe also uses half an onion!
Curried Coconut Spaghetti Squash
I originally found this recipe on an interesting paleolithic diet website: (http://www.paleoeffect.com/recipes/paleo-coconut-curry-spaghetti-squash-a-delicate-vegan-side/)
I don’t eat paleo so I took a few liberties with the recipe. Ok, I took a lot of liberties with the recipe. Wasn’t really in the mood for green curry or cilantro so I used red curry and hot pepper flakes. Also, added some orange peppers because it sounded like a good idea. I was craving sunny orange and yellow food. This certainly fit the bill!
This is a nice, light vegan side dish that is great served with Coconut Pigeon Peas and Rice.
Curried Coconut Spaghetti Squash
1 medium spaghetti squash
6 ounces coconut water or plain water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ a medium-large onion, chopped (or 2 large shallots)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red curry paste
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
1 medium red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon honey (or agave)
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup cashew pieces (raw or toasted)
You can bake spaghetti squash in the oven at 350º F for 45 minute to an hour. However, it is mid-March and we are experiencing record temps in the mid to upper 80s here in North Alabama. Do not want to turn on the AC yet so I used the microwave to avoid heating the house.
Some people bake or microwave spaghetti squash whole, but I prefer to cut them. Wash the outside of the squash. Dry it thoroughly. The rind is tough so it can be a little tricky to cut, so use care when cutting it. Wrap it in a towel, place it on a cutting board and use a large knife to slice it lengthwise from stem to end. Then use a spoon or a sturdy ice cream scoop to scoop out the seeds and the stringy stuff. This is similar to how you clean a butternut squash or a pumpkin.
Place the two halves cut side up in a microwave safe container (I use a Pyrex pie plate). Fill the cavities with either coconut water or regular water. Pour a little extra water in the bottom of the container. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Rotate the squash halves and pour a little more of the liquid over the cut edges – this keeps them from drying out. Microwave another 5 minutes. Let them rest for about 5 more minutes. Then, use a fork to shred the squash so that it looks like strands of spaghetti.
In a large sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Add the spices, salt, and the bell peppers. Sauté for another 2 minutes. Stir in the honey and coconut milk. Turn the heat to low, add the spaghetti squash and the cashew piece. Mix and serve immediately
Coconut Pigeon Peas and Rice
Pigeon peas are one of my favorite legumes. They are also known as tropical green peas or gandules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_pea). You can buy them canned or dried in most major grocery stores or international markets. In Huntsville you can get them at Publix, Garden Cove, Kroger, and Earth Fare. If you use dried, just soak them for a few hours, rinse, boil for until tender, and then drain. If you use canned peas, drain them for this recipe.
I have a friend and former neighbor, from Puerto Rico, and his specialty was pigeon peas and rice. It was one of my favorite meals and I looked forward to the days when Hector cooked. Over the years, I’ve tried to replicate Hector’s recipe, but nothing can top the original. Therefore, I decided to create my own version of Pigeon Peas and Rice. This is a vegan, curried version with coconut. It’s totally different, but I still like it. Hope you do too.
Coconut Pigeon Peas and Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ a medium-large onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon curry powder
1½ teaspoons salt (or less if you want to keep the sodium low)
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups rice, rinsed (basmati, jasmine, or brown long-grain rice)
¼ cup dried unsweetened coconut
1 cup coconut milk
2¼ cups water
2 cups cooked pigeon peas
Heat olive oil and coconut oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, turmeric, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and tender, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and coconut. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Then, gently stir in the pigeon peas. Cover the pot. Turn the temperature to low. Leave it alone for 20 minutes (no peeking!). Remove from heat and let the rice sit for another 5 minutes. Fluff/stir the rice and peas. Serve.
Date Nut Bars
I have been sick for the past week, so I’m a little slow with posting. Haven’t really felt much like cooking or eating either. However, now I’m taking medicine that must be taken on a full stomach. I’m not a huge fan of eating in the morning. I love breakfast foods, but there is something about eating them early in the morning that is unappealing. I get this honestly from my mom. Having these tasty date nut bars around should make it easier to eat in the morning so I can take my medicine.
This is another adaptable recipe. You can make them wheat-free or vegan. If you don’t like walnuts, use pecans or another nut. Not a fan of pumpkin seeds, then just use sunflower seeds. Want real butter or coconut oil instead of canola oil, go for it. If you want them for dessert or a snack bar, feel free to add a few chocolate, carob, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips. Don’t want to grind flax seeds? You can use sesame seeds or whole flax seeds. You can add other spices – ginger, cloves, or cardamom. If you love vanilla, you can add that too. Ok, I’ll stop now; you get the point.
I included substitutions in parentheses for most of the ingredients. Don’t let that limit you though. This is a fun, easy recipe, so play around with it…
Date Nut Bars
Dry ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats, not instant or quick
¼ cup gluten-free flour blend (or regular flour)
¼ cup maple sugar crystals (or date sugar or brown sugar is fine)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie or apple pie spice blend)
pinch of salt
¼ cup ground flax seeds (or whole flax seeds or sesame seeds)
1 cup walnuts, chopped (or almonds or pecans or hazelnuts or cashews)
½ cup dried raisins (or cranberries or cherries)
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup dried, unsweetened coconut (or shredded sweetened coconut or coconut chips)
Wet ingredients:
½ cup dried dates (or dried apricots or dried figs)
⅓ cup canola oil (or butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil)
¼ cup peanut butter (or almond butter or cashew butter)
¼ cup maple syrup (or honey or agave or golden syrup or molasses)
3 tablespoons hot water
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Combine the dates, oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and hot water in a food processor. Process until it is a thick paste. Pour this date mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Press into a parchment or foil lined 9”x13” pan (I sometimes use a rolling-pin to make sure it is pressed down firmly). Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Carefully lift the parchment or foil to remove the bars from the pan. Cool on racks. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cooking with Food Sensitivities
The next few posts will likely deal with my battle against food allergies. However, I have been told by some doctors that I do not technically have food allergies, they are merely food sensitivities. Either way, they are not pleasant. This is a long post, apologies in advance.
My fight against food sensitivities started about 10 years ago. I found myself weighing over 200 pounds. I’m not a tall person, right at 5’5” if I really stretch. I was heavy, unhealthy, and unhappy. I tried dieting and exercising, but only lost one pound in four weeks. I had other health issues (hives, itching rashes, etc.) and suspected I might have food allergies. I went to my family doc and was referred to an allergist. Long story short…it was discovered that I was allergic to several molds, grasses, trees, pollen, pet dander, and dust. However, I only had mild food allergies to fish, peanuts, wheat. and oranges.
Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical professional; please do not take anything I write as medical advice. This is simply my experience with food allergies/sensitivities, a book recommendation, and a recipe. Please talk to your doctor before starting a new diet. Thank you and now back to the blog post…
After eliminating fish, peanuts, and oranges from my diet, I was still having reactions – rashes, stomach issues, joint pain, hives, itching, sinus issues, and no weight loss. A friend, who is also a physician assistant, suggested I read The False Fat Diet by Dr. Elson Haas. This book changed my life!! Haas mentions that people are often sensitive to seven common foods: 1) wheat, 2) cow’s milk products, 3) sugar, 4) corn, 5) eggs, 6) soy, and 7) peanuts. Other common food allergens include: chocolate, tomatoes, oranges, shellfish, yeast, oats, potatoes, MSG, and aspartame.
To determine food sensitivities, you can try an elimination diet, have a blood test, or have a skin test. I tried the skin test and didn’t have success with it. I tried the elimination diet but could not pinpoint my food sensitivities, so I tried the blood test. A few weeks later, I got the results in the mail. The lab results were not good: I was highly sensitive to six of the seven foods! I was also sensitive to several other foods, including one of my favorites – tomatoes!
I decided to change my life, eliminate those foods, and improve my health. I eliminated all the troublesome foods and a few others – wheat, dairy, sugar, corn, eggs, soy, peanuts, oranges, yeast, tomatoes, buckwheat, hazelnuts, MSG, aspartame, alcohol, and food colorings. Did I mention that I was a vegetarian at the time? Well, I was. But I added a little fish, poultry, and pork to my diet so I would have more variety. I also followed a rotation diet. I would eat a given food as much as I wanted in a 24-hour period and then not eat it again for several days. This can be tough, not many people like salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! It took some getting used to, but I did it. It also took lots of meal planning; I even had charts and spreadsheets. Did I mention I’m a bit of a nerd?
Before, During, and After Photos:
I followed this diet for about 8 months and increased my exercise. During this time, I lost over 75 pounds and got down to 125 pounds. That was probably a bit too skinny for me; I didn’t feel as healthy at 125 as I did at 130 or even 135 pounds. For the most part, I kept the weight off for many years. I would fluctuate between 128-138 pounds. I generally just avoided my reactive foods (particularly eggs, soy, wheat, dairy, and corn). My healthy lifestyle fell apart when I took a job that included travel and long work hours. I got lazy with meal planning, was less active, and put on weight.
Fast forward a few years to the present. I’ve had some different health issues, not been as active as I could, and my weight is up to its highest in several years. In January, I was at 160 pounds. So I joined a Scale Back Alabama weight-loss team with three friends. The goal is to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. I would like to lose more. So far, in the first month, I’ve lost 7 pounds. I gave up wheat last week and I think that will help the weight loss. Doubt I will go totally allergy free, but I will go back to limiting my reactive foods, and become more active (my broken toe and torn up knee are not 100% but I can still walk, swim, do yoga, and go to the gym). No more excuses! The Flaming Pot Holder will likely show the diet changes. But then again, I might also post one of my favorite recipes (chock-full of allergens), because I’ve learned that occasional splurges are ok.
Oven-baked sweet potato chips are one of my favorite snacks. They are delicious, allergy free, and cover many of my snack requirements – crispy, slightly chewy, salty, and sweet. Hope you like them…
Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Chips
2 medium sweet potatoes
1-2 tablespoons oil (canola, olive, coconut, sunflower, or vegetable oil)
Kosher salt or flake salt (I like coarse salt in this recipe, but regular salt is fine too)
Preheat oven to 400º degrees F. Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes. I keep the peel because it’s one of my favorite parts, but feel free to peel them if you prefer. Slice the sweet potatoes into thin rounds (I use a slicer, but a knife works fine too, just keep the slices uniform).
Toss the sweet potato slices in a bowl with some oil. Arrange slices in a single layer on a greased baking/cooling rack, placed on top of a cookie sheet (so it catches any drips). If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just arrange the sweet potato slices on a cookie sheet (place it in the oven while it is preheating so it is hot, then you can get a bit more crispness out of the chips). Just be careful so you don’t burn yourself, I’ve done that way too many times.
Sprinkle the sweet potato slices with salt (optional, you can also make them salt-free). Place in the oven and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Turn the sweet potatoes over, sprinkle with more salt (if you want). Cook until crispy, about 7 more minutes. Depending on your oven temperature, the thickness of the slices, etc. it might take baking up to 10 minutes per side. These chips can burn quickly, it is a good to keep an eye on they while they are cooking. It took me a few batches to keep from burning them (though it still happens occasionally).
Fruity Crock Pot Oatmeal
The second Monday in February is National Oatmeal Monday and October 29th is National Oatmeal Day. So depending on your perspective, this blog post is either a few weeks late or several months early! Either way, hope you like oatmeal as much as we do. We eat a lot of oatmeal. We like rolled oats, steel cut oats, granola, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bars, and even instant oatmeal (nothing wrong with Kirkland’s organic instant oatmeal packets in a pinch).
Our favorite type of oatmeal is steel cut oats, especially in the winter. Unfortunately, they take a little longer to cook so they are usually saved for weekends. But with this recipe, you can enjoy them any day of the week. They cook in a crock pot while you sleep! Or for something different, you can make them in the morning and have delicious oatmeal for dinner.
I tend to like oatmeal that has texture and bite to it, while Matt likes it creamy. This oatmeal turns out creamy, with a tapioca-like consistency. If you use dried cherries, they make the oatmeal reddish brown (dried blueberries make it an interesting purplish brown color). It’s not the prettiest oatmeal, but it is tasty and hearty.
Update: I had an aha moment while storing the leftover oatmeal: this oatmeal is a little too creamy and sticky (for my taste, though Matt seems to like it just like it is). To change the texture, next time I will rinse the oats a few times in a strainer before I add them to the crock pot. I do this sometimes with basmati rice and it seems to keep the rice from clumping together. I think the oatmeal would benefit from this step, so time to update the recipe…
Fruity Crock Pot Oatmeal
1 cup steel cut oats (I like McCann’s Irish Oatmeal)
½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, apples, apricots, figs, dates, or blueberries)
4 cups water
½ cup half-and-half (or milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or agave (optional)
2 tablespoon butter or vegan margarine (optional)
¼-½ teaspoon cinnamon
few grates of fresh nutmeg
pinch of salt
Optional toppings: chopped fresh apple, bananas, shredded coconut, raisins (I think they get too squishy if you cook them overnight), almonds, pecans, walnuts, fresh blueberries or peaches, butter, brown sugar, honey, apple butter (my brother’s favorite oatmeal topping!), half-and-half, maple syrup cinnamon, etc. The possibilities are almost endless!
Rinse the oats in a strainer under running water. Drain. Put the oats into the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the optional toppings). Stir well. Cover with the lid. Cook on low for 5-8 hours. Stir. Serve. This is great as-is or served with some of the optional toppings.
Note about the photo: I’m not much for breakfast foods in the morning (I prefer them around lunch or dinner). So the idea of taking an appetizing photo of brown oatmeal in the morning, before coffee, was daunting and not very appealing. This photo is bad! Sorry. But please do not let it dissuade you from making the oatmeal. It tastes better than it looks (it would have to!).
The Flaming Pot Holder 