Peter Piper Picked...

Well, not a peck.  And certainly not pickled, but definitely some peppers.

I overheard a vendor/customer conversation at the farmers' market about how good these were and decided to give them a try.  Sweet peppers, like bell peppers, and so good!  If we start our vegetable garden again someday, I want to grow some of these, so I need to find out what variety they are. Aren't they pretty!

Going with the Grain

I was sorry that I didn't have good posts to both end and begin the new year, but this past year does feel like I have started at one place, walked a giant circle, and have ended up in the general vicinity of where I began almost three years ago.  At the same time, it feels like a new and better place.  

Around November, I started having issues with my limited, but by all other accounts healthy diet.  A trip to my doctor, plus one to a gastroenterologist yielded only the suggestion of trying  some digestive enzymes.  Not a bad suggestion as it was something I wondered about trying, but was a bit wary of.  Gave that a go, but as with all other synthetic supplements and vitamins before, my body was not receptive to the idea.  

By the time we had arrived in the Northeast to celebrate our younger daughter's wedding in early January, I was so frustrated that I threw caution to the wind and joined in the feasting. No issues!  I wondered what this meant and by the time we got home felt a little lost in regards to how and what to eat.  

Thankfully, I had also made an appointment with a dietitian before the holidays, and that happened a week after our return.  While she didn't offer me anything really new, it was very helpful to have someone to talk to who understood the complexity of dealing with food issues.  I was encouraged to move forward in adding foods back into my diet.

Since then, here is what I have discovered.  Whole grains and nuts are a no, but processed grains and nuts are okay.  Examples:  brown rice, no.  brown rice crispies, yes.  Oats, no. Cherrios, yes.  Almonds, no.  Almond milk, yes.  And, as much as possible, avoiding things "enriched" with vitamins.  

I have had French toast (yum!), English muffin loaf, and biscuits successfully.  I am enjoying hot tea again.  The biscuits were made with a margarine containing palm, canola, soy, flax, and olive oils.  So far, so good.  This opens worlds of possibilities to me, and it is with some difficulty that I am making myself proceed with caution.  

For the most part, I am limiting myself to the grain and nut family for the next few months, to see how I do over time.  That will be the real test.  I am also working to keep grains to no more than half my starch intake.  Right now it is about a third, and I believe that will work well.  Fruits are still a problem based on what little I have tried there, and I am in no hurry to push that issue.  In fact, I am wondering now if they weren't more of an issue than the grains all along. 

What does this look like in the day to day?

Breakfast:

Egg
Greens (Kale or chard--they are as essential to me now as orange juice was before)
Cereal or bread

Lunch and dinner:
As I have been doing up to this point.

I continue to work with a menu plan/rotation, since I am wired that way, but can easily shift things around as needed.  

We will see where things go from here.  Bon appetit!

Technology

It is great when it works, but when it doesn't, it can be a little scary.  This past week, I was fixing my lunch as usual--heating up some acorn squash in the microwave and sauteing some asparagus on the stove top.  I pressed the button on the microwave to turn on the over-the-stove light.  The light came on, as well as the vent fan, and about 3 minutes was added to the cook time for my squash.  Okaaaay.  I stop the microwave, and consider my next move.  My squash needs a little more time to heat, so I push the number 4.  It shows up as 5 on the display.  Hmmmm.  Okay, I can go with 5.  I push another number and start.  The microwave tells me to enter a second cooking time.  All right.  It doesn't like 4 anymore.  I manage to finish getting my lunch ready and make plans to replace the microwave.  

Plan A:  Replace the mircrowave.  

Get on the internet.  Do a quick search at Home Depot, Lowes, and Sears.  The brand of the microwave we currently have has good reviews, so we decide to get basically the same thing we have.  Check on availability.  Alas, we want a white mircrowave, which is not the popular item right now and will have to be ordered.  No possibility of getting it until after Christmas.

Plan B:  Forget the microwave and just get a vent hood.

Certainly much cheaper.  Can I remember how to heat up food without a microwave? Worked through all those scenarios, even looking up how to reheat rice without a mircrowave on the internet.  (Everything is on the internet!)  Since there won't be a replacement until after Christmas, I will have to do things the old-fashioned way anyhow.   

Plan C:  Look at a countertop microwave/convection oven.

Dual purpose appliances don't get very good reviews.  Toss Plan C.

After going back and forth between Plan A and Plan B, we decide to go ahead with Plan A, since it would be something we would have to do anyway if we were to need to sell the house for some reason.  In the meantime, the thing that is driving me the most crazy is not having the light over my stove.  To make sure I don't accidentally turn it on, I did the Big X.

The one good thing is that over the stove microwaves are a lot less expensive than they were when we last bought one.  And that is a technological plus. 

Not quite the same, but perfect for this season.

I was at IKEA a couple of weeks ago, looking for items for my travel cooking kit.  As I browsed through the cooking section, I came across this spatula.  It was larger than that old cooking spoon I had, but the same basic shape.  I decided to get one and see how I liked it.  With doing so much roasting and sauteing of my winter squashes and potatoes, this utensil is perfect.  I can stir things around and then scoop them up when they are done.  A great find!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am doing a lot of peeling these days.  My current peeler is from OXO, and I wanted to get at least one more so I have a clean one available when I need it.  Looking at their site, I saw that they have a professional version that doesn't have the ridges in the side, which are terribly hard to keep clean.  Plus it comes with replacement blades.  Another great find!

And finally, when at IKEA I bought a couple of knives that I will use now and take traveling.  Big knives have always seemed rather scary, but with all the chopping I am doing these days, especially with the butternut squash, it was time to get used to using one.  I must say, it does make my work much easier, and I am happy to have this addition to my cooking arsenal.

 

Taste of Fall

It has been hot, hot, hot, and dry, dry, dry around here.  At least something is happy in all this summer weather:

Our bougainvillea is blooming away--a happy spot of color.  The crepes are starting to bloom as well.  Now, if we can just get some rain to green things up a bit, it would be quite pretty in our back yard.  

In my last post I mentioned my "pumpkin pie" that is one of my two snacks.  It is an easy recipe and very tasty so wanted to share it with everyone.

No-crust Pumpkin Pie

1 29 oz. can of pumpkin puree (not the pie filling)
6 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 14 oz. can coconut milk (full fat)
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Break eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat well.  Add remaining ingredients, mixing well (a whisk works well for this).  Pour batter into two 9 x 7 baking dishes.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 10 minutes (set for 1 hour and then test to see if it is done).  Let cool. 


I divide each dish into six servings and place each serving in a small container.  This recipe also freezes well, making it a very convenient snack.

Sprouts--Welcome to the neighborhood

Around the first part of September a new grocery store opened not too far from us.  Like a mini-Whole Foods, Sprouts carries organic and natural produce and products.  Happily it carries most of the soy products I use because of my husband's allergy to dairy products.  Two especially great items are a soy cream cheese and soy sour cream, both of which have enabled me to add back some favorite recipes to our menu.

In keeping with the food theme, I wanted to share a recipe I am working on.  It is a cross between King Ranch Chicken and chicken enchiladas--something less fussy than enchiladas, but with most of the flavor.  The ingredients in parenthesis are ones I would use if diet allowed.  If anyone gives it a try, let me know what you think.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1  4 oz. can chopped green chilis
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
(1/2 teaspoon chili powder)
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

4 oz. sour cream 
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

8 corn tortillas, torn into quarters
(1 cup grated cheddar cheese)

Combine first 8 (9) ingredients in a skillet and heat until lightly boiling.  Stir in sour cream, and simmer.  Combine 1/4 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir into sauce until thickened, but do not let it boil.

Layer half of the tortillas in a shallow casserole dish.  Spoon half of sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese.  Repeat.  Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

The Humble Whisk--thankfulness for useful tools

As I was making waffles this past Saturday, I thought about how much I enjoy my set of whisks.  My parents brought me the set from Italy several years ago.  While they are not tools I use everyday, I do enjoy having them when I mix batters.  A feisty elderly woman I visit in the nursing home shared her disgust with me over the "wire thing" the activities director was having them use to mix a cake batter.  Give her a big spoon, thank you very much, and she would get that batter mixed.  Her comments made me smile inside.  How we like our particular tools!

What a predicament when a favorite tool starts to wear out and we can't find a replacement.  My cooking spoon gets used most everyday, and it is looking worn (especially considering that it is probably at least 40 years old--thanks, Mom, for passing it down to me).  Another like it just can't be found, though.  It is plastic, making it suitable for my non-stick skillets.  The end is flat, so it is ideal for stirring, and the spoon shape lets me use it for serving our meal.  I just don't know what I will do when it finally bites the dust.  

So, a salute to all those gadgets that make our everyday activities easier and more enjoyable and the people that created them!