Bargain Hunters International

This post should have been posted prior to the last one!

My friend Jenny took me to a really cool international supermarket here in Indy.  WOW!  You just don't see that kind of selection at our regular chain stores and markets.  I was in heaven and at the same time having a mental overload.  I'm not a professional with food, by no means, but I do fancy myself a culinary experimenter.  Ok.. that's just fancy talk for:  I'll take a recipe and jack with it after I've at least made it once the proper way first.

Standing in that sea of variety of produce I had only heard about in exotic recipes, my mind reeled.  I wanted to buy everything in large quantities because I'm a "stocker upper" by nature and did I mention the prices beat the chain stores???  After spending I don't know how long in the produce, we found our way to the meat section.  Ok... same situation!

They had fish of all kinds and even squid, octopus and even crawfish and probably some other stuff too.  The fish was so fresh that when you told the guy behind the counter what you wanted, he cleaned and gutted it to order.  And the meats... wow... chicken (of sorts I never heard of), turkey(smoked), lamb, goat, beef.  I'm not into eating organs... but they had a variety of that.  Then they had meat that was slaughtered in a special way in order to satisfy certain religious needs.  Whoa.. overload all over again.

But I was on a mission to find Shiritaki noodles.  Dr. Davis has a recipe in his book Wheat Belly that calls for them.  They are a wheat-free noodle, made of tofu and/or mung bean?  Upon that visit, somehow I overlooked them completely, but I discovered they had a TON of tofu blocks on sale.  19 oz. blocks of medium firm tofu for less then 60¢ each.  So yeah... I got like six of them.  I've never used tofu, but I know it is a great protein source!  You can't beat that price and you can make them taste like anything you want!

I went back 2 days later with the hubby and picked up 6 more blocks and then found the Shiritaki noodles and picked up a couple packages of those as well as another off brand dry tofu noodle.  In the next post I'll share what I did with them, I don't want to ramble on too much in one post!  (See prior post for Tofu Spaghetti - for some reason that posted prior to this one)

Tofu: Quick and Easy Spaghetti

With 12 blocks of tofu sitting in my fridge with a "sell by" date quickly approaching, I had to do something, but what?  I didn't have any recipes, let alone a clue, as to what to do with it!

So, hello internet.  I found out that most people prefer the texture change in tofu after it has been frozen... something about it becoming more chewy?  Ok.. you can freeze it, awesome.  I'm into that!  So I followed the instructions I found and pressed out the water and vacuum sealed them individually and threw 10 blocks in the freezer.   I saved 2 blocks from the freezing process and plan to turn one, if not two, of them into Tofu Chocolate Mousse.  Oh yeah, you knew it had to be something with chocolate first off didn't you!  But since I don't have all those ingredients yet, I gotta wait.

As for the Shiritaki noodles and the off-brand tofu noodles I had purchased, I put the off-brand to good use.  I also discovered that they are VERY handy when you want something fast and convenient.

So the dry packaged, off-brand tofu noodles got turned into spaghetti with the help of some Prego sauce and my stovetop.   It wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked upon cooking them up that first night.  Fortune would have it that after marinating in the sauce overnight for leftovers the next day they were "really good" in my hubby's words.  The texture was a bit chewier then regular pasta, but that doesn't bother me or my hubby a bit.  So I will remember that next time I make this spaghetti, I will try to let them marinate in the sauce before I actually cook them up in order to kick up the flavor a notch or two.

You have no idea how happy this makes me to discover this quick and easy meal idea!!!

 I feel so liberated to be able to use my pasta recipes now that I have this great substitute for regular pasta!   I also LOVE the fact they are packed with protein and nutrients whereas regular pasta is just empty calories.

Confessions of a Cocoa Freak

So I have now lost 25 lbs since going wheat and gluten free.  It would seem that I have stalled in the weight loss department at the moment, but the good news is that I have not gained any.  I sort of fell off the "sugar wagon" for a bit.  Oh yeah... I'm trying to avoid refined sugar and if I make anything that calls for it, I use Truvia.  

I had purchased a large bag of 60% cocoa morsels from Sam's Club, so you know it was a big bag!  I would have preferred more pure chocolate and less sugar, but that is the highest they had.  I had planned on making up some wheat-free chocolate cookies and freezing them so I would have them in a pinch to satisfy an urge or to slip into my hubby's lunch as a treat.  I ran low on Almonds after making up some Focaccia "bread" and freezing it and didn't get to the cookies. 

I eventually found myself nibbling at the bag of morsels, yeah yeah... I'm a chocolate freak at times!  I can honestly say that I didn't hit that chocolate like my past self would have because if I did... I would have put on a bit of weight.  To end my little daily raids I had to take a stand!  I decided to vacuum seal up the morsels into an assortment of 1 & 2 cup packets that now reside safely in the cabinet awaiting to be made into healthy little cookies free of added sugar.  I know I will not waste a vacuum sealed bag to open and nibble on it's contents because I wouldn't be able to reseal it.  So I call that a little victory. 

Sorry I don't have any recipes in this post.  

But I will be sharing a bunch of stuff I have discovered that may interest you in my next few posts.  Forgive me for missing in action for a bit, we have been dealing with some issues of serious illness in both our families and needless to say it can take somewhat of an emotional toll at times.  A few days last week, I found myself watching episode after episode of a TV drama I found on the internet that I had never seen before.  It was a way to keep my mind turned off from those things I didn't want to think about for a while.   Luckily, this food thing helped to bring me out of it and I started researching recipes and cooking again.  

See you soon!

Focaccia Breadsticks

One thing I love is the smell of bread cooking, especially if it has wonderful things like sun dried tomatoes, garlic, oregano and etc in it.  The is Olfactory Heaven!    I just baked up Dr. Davis' (author of Wheat Belly) Focaccia Bread recipe.  Wow... I love that smell.  I made it flat and cut it into breadsticks.  For lunch, I plan on having one with some multi-colored bell peppers and Tuscan Herb Hummus I picked up at Sam's Club last night.

I can totally see eating this with soups, salads and Shiritaki noodles with pasta sauce.  I have yet to track down Shiritaki noodles to try them.  When I do, I'll let you know what I think!  Dr. Davis suggests making bread slices from this recipe and using it for sandwiches!

Sorry but I didn't get shots of it in progress.  I only remembered my camera at the end!
I got a little distracted when I started having issues unlocking my food processor bowl to dump out the almond meal.  Weird... took me 30 minutes and then when it did become unlocked, I honestly don't know how it happened!  I must have a kitchen elf hiding somewhere!  I also tried separating eggs with my hands like the chefs do on tv... yeah... not a pretty site for the first timer.  Needless to say I was a gooey mess.  So I just decided to shuck the yellow back and forth from one half of the shell to the other until the egg whites separated completely.  After that... I was just ready to get on with it and totally forgot to take pictures.

Focaccia Bread Sticks

2 cups almond meal
1 cup shredded mozzarella or other cheese
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, finely sliced
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a food chopper or processor, pulse cheese until reduced to a small granule size consistency, similar to couscous.

In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, cheese, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, rosemary, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and sundried tomatoes and mix together.  Set aside.

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer until stiff.  Blend in egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of olive oil at low speed.  Pour egg mixture into almond meal mixture and mix together.

Form dough into desired shape or shapes with your hand.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove and brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle the top with some sea salt.  Return to oven and bake 15 minutes.

(Ok... the sea salt I had was kind of big and turned out to be kind of pointless so I scraped it off.  I'll be getting a smaller granule size of sea salt soon because it will taste more awesome with it on top.)

Below I cut my bread into breadstick.  They have a nice outer crunch to them, perhaps because of the use of a baking stone... not sure, but never-the-less.  They make GREAT breadsticks!

Bacon Crusted Veggie Quiche

This recipe got two thumbs up from me and my hubby.  We no longer eat pork so I substituted the bacon for turkey bacon.  Turkey bacon didn't really keep it's crunch after I baked this quiche, so if it is crunch you are looking for.... you might want to go with the pork.
The fun of recipes are tweeking them to make them your own!  I will be

Bacon Crusted Veggie Quiche

16 strips (1 lb) of bacon cooked through but not too crisp. (I subbed turkey bacon)
1 cup Swiss Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
4 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion ( I had 1 heaping cup already diced and just used that)
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Line a 9 or 10-inch pie dish with bacon strips while still hot. Cut off any excess bacon that hangs over. Chop the excess and set aside.  (I didn't have 16 strips to use so I just lined the bottom with no excess to trim)

In a medium bowl combine eggs, sour cream, salt and pepper until well mixed but not foamy.  Add zucchini, onions, mushrooms, chopped bacon, and Swiss cheese. (At the last minute I realized I only had 1 mushroom, so I added Red Bell Pepper)
Pour slowly into pie plate over bacon.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, roughly 24-30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Top with sliced tomatoes and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place under broiler until golden brown.  (I skipped this step because I ran out of Parmesan cheese and as for the tomatoes, I served a big salad with them on the side)

Serve warm.  I served mine with a big side salad. 

SORRY the picture is on it's side. I don't know how to flip it using this blogsite software.  I'll make sure I don't take vertical pictures again!

"Gluten-Free" Products: The New Poison

To dismiss the warning to not eat "gluten-free" products (that contain junk carbohydrates) and say "I can do it in moderation" is like saying "arsenic in moderation is ok".

In the book Wheat Belly, Dr. Davis discusses why you should be wheat and gluten-free and why you should NOT eat "gluten-free" products.  He is very detailed in the book and he can get a bit scientifically heavy.  It is a lot to process in one sitting, you have to keep going back.

Even reading through his book, I myself even thought once in a blue moon a gluten-free pasta dish at the Olive Garden would be ok.  So then today I read his blog post "Heart Poison" about "gluten-free" products and small LDL particles.  This hit home.  This made it VERY clear.  His comment on his Facebook page drove it home even further.  It was quick and to the point.  

Facebook comment from Wheat Belly (Dr. Davis)

"The measure to follow is NOT LDL. I call this the "kindergarten version." When you measure lipoproteins (e.g., NMR lipoprotein analysis, HDL Labs, Berkeley HeartLabs, Atherotech VAP) , the REAL way to assess the particles in the bloodstream that cause heart disease and heart attack, you find (as discussed in the b

log post) that gluten-free foods trigger small LDL particles extravagantly. (For anyone interested, this is due to the process of liver de novo lipogenesis that converts carbohydrates to triglyceride-containing lipoproteins like VLDL, which then cause large benign LDL particles to become small LDL particles.) The point of this post was that consumption of a modest quantity of gluten-free foods INCREASES HEART ATTACK RISK FOR 10 DAYS when they are made with junk carbohydrate ingredients. Unless you think poison in moderation is good, NO human--children, adults, elderly, or otherwise--should be eating these gluten-free foods. And the fact that they are even sold tells us just how ignorant/stupid/indifferent/greedy the people who manufacture gluten-free foods are. (I believe it is mostly simple ignorance of nutritional principles.)"

Since I am, at the moment, taking cholesterol meds and hope to some day soon stop.  I recognize that eating such junk carbs would not be in my best interest for a healthy and longer life.  I will continue to forgo "gluten-free" products that contain the junk.

There is a company gearing up to launch gluten-free products that do NOT contain these junk carbohydrates.  I will keep you posted and will also continue to share recipes and my own progress through this wheatless and gluten-free trip.  You are not alone!

Wheat-Free Pizza #1

I was majorly urging for pizza over the weekend.  For me, I don't care if it has crust or not because I'm all about the toppings!  However, my hubby was intrigued by the concept of a wheat-free pizza crust.  I  have 3 recipes on hand to try out.  The one I made below is from a Suzanne Somers recipe contest and included in her book Fast and Easy.

It is actually for "mini" pepperoni pizza's.  After I prepped the crust and put it in the oven, I realized I should have doubled it for my purposes.  So I'm including the recipe I used and then I added to it to make it a bit more of my own.  Enjoy!

Wheat-Free Pizza  

The Crust
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste
*Basil, onion & garlic powder to taste (I added these)
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese

My Toppings
4 Chicken bratwurst
Mushrooms
Onions
Green Pepper
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese & eggs with a wooden spoon.  Add salt & pepper (basil, onion powder, garlic powder).  Add Parmesan cheese and stir until combined.  Pour into prepared dish.  Bake for 17 mins, or until golden brown.  Let crust cool for 10 minutes.  (if you notice below you can see where I did a bit of taste testing on the crust... well, ok... I was hungry!)

Sautee mushrooms, onions and green onions in a skillet.  Put in a bowl when done.  Crumble chicken bratwurst into skillet with more onions and cook until done.  Add prior ingredients back in and add tomato sauce.  Continue cooking until all ingredients are hot.

When crust is cool use a 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the mini pizza crusts, discard excess and leaving 6 rounds in place.  Top each crust with sauce, cheese and desired toppings.  Since I didn't do the mini thing, I just cut the crust into squares and topped with my desired toppings and added Mozzarella cheese!  It was yummy!  I would have probably used Prego Spaghetti Sauce if I had it, but since I didn't I used a can tomato sauce and so happy it turned out that way because the bratwurst really gave it good flavor.