Blessed Mabon my dears!
How about a health update?
And I bring you recipes in honor of the autumn festival of Mabon!
I've been icing my back off and on all my waking hours for the last 2.5 days and taking it easy. I really can't tell whether it's done much good or not. I can still feel it but I haven't had any of those grabbing spasms or had to walk hunched over to keep from straining the muscle, but then that usually only happened after at least half a day at work anyway. I've got one more day to take it easy and then it's back to work on Sunday, regardless.
I have been writing on my spn_cinema story, just not as much as I'd like. Besides, if I sat all the time I'd tighten up like an old, dried out leather boot. Not a good thing.
As suits the Autumn Equinox, I've been doing light gardening duties this morning. I spent a leisurely 10 minutes chopping up my kaput tomato plant into manageable and easily disposable pieces with my small pruning shears. It's much easier to chop up while it's still green. Learned that by trial and error over the years.
I gave my extremely shaggy oregano a pretty good haircut, gathered the long stems into small bundles and tied them upside down in small, white paper sacks with a couple of air holes. Oregano dries very nicely without loosing a lot of it's flavor.
Tues before I left work I gave in to temptation and finally replaced my 25 year old crock pot that died last year. There was a nice stack of smaller ones (4 qt) at the store for $15. Just the right size and price. Wed I used it to make crock pot applesauce from a bag of sweet tasting but rather soft and mealy Gala apples plus a couple of Granny Smiths. Just added a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and a little extra Truvia along with cinnamon and lemon juice and a splash of water. Very tasty! I need to experiment with the apples, though, mix them up a bit.
Yesterday I used the crock pot again to make a bean soup. Used to be I was a Southern girl when it came to beans: pinto beans soaked overnight, add a big old chunk of ham bone and a little onion, cook until partially broken, mashed a few and add back for a nice thick soup. Serve with hot buttered cornbread or biscuits. Alas, I needed to make a few changes for diet's sake - Black Soybeans! If you've never tried them they don't taste like soybeans, they taste more like black turtle beans. They're extremely high in protein and fiber and extremely low in carbs. Regular black beans usually have about 7-9 carbs per serving (not bad) but black soy beans only have about 1 carb per serving (pintos have around 13). I can't find them dried around here, and only one place close by has them canned, but I always keep some on hand. Unfortunately they're about 3X as much as other canned beans.
Now, recipes! Thoughtfully cut to save your screens.
2 cans of black soybeans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained (sometimes I'll use black or red beans)
1 onion, chopped and briefly sauteed (I don't care for the texture of raw, crock pot cooked
onions)
4 medium cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed at the end with the onions
4 c of chicken stock
12 oz pkg of seasoning ham (not that flavorless stuff sold in cubes but little bits and
pieces of ham pkged specifically for something like this), lightly browned
Anaheim chilies (the last ones from my plant, some green, some red, broiled until blackened
(about 3 min per side about 1 inch from the broiler) sealed in a bowl with plastic
wrap for 10 minutes to loosen the skin and then peeled, seeded and chopped. Mine are
little so about 2 store bought ones.
1 can of tomatoes and chilies (like Rotel)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp red chili flakes
S & P to taste
Add it all to the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for about 6 probably). Absolutely delicious! And so damn healthy for you. Well, probably not all the ham. *G* Easy enough to make vegetarian, though.
Today my offers are a quick jam and almond butter!
I swear I saw a recipe somewhere (I thought it was in one of my books but I can't find it again) for a jam using dried apricots and candied ginger. I did find one recipe online that I diddled around with because it called for fresh basil, too, which might be lovely, but just doesn't appeal.
2/3 cup of dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
2 cups water
1 tblsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 heaping tblspn brown sugar (omit it you like, I probably will next time because it'll be
sweet enough, I just like the taste)
tiny splash of vanilla ext. for a round, sweet taste
Bring the water to a boil, add all and simmer on low for 30 min covered. Let it cool and then use a stick blender (or something comparable) to process it to the desired consistency. I like mine with a little texture. Very nice! I might decrease the ginger just a bit next time for a more pronounced apricot taste.
I think I've posted this before but it's dead simple, you pretty much need a food processor though. You can either briefly roast raw almonds in the oven and let them cool or you can save steps like me and buy the roasted kind. I buy mine in 1 lb bags at Aldi where they're a lot cheaper. Just dump them in a food processor and let it go. The trick is that you have to give the processor time to do it's thing because just when it seems like all you'll have it a dry-ish, coarse lump, it'll start to break down into a butter. This takes about 3-5 minutes depending on how full you fill your processor. Stop and scrape down the bowl every 30 seconds or so. If it turns out your almonds are rather lacking in natural oil, you can add some neutral tasting oil (veg, canola, grapeseed or almond oil) a mere tsp at a time. Really! That's all it'll take. If you buy the un-roasted kind you'll probably want to add a little salt. Refrigerate. I love mine with raw celery and apple slices but you can use it for anything you'd use peanut butter for. You can switch around the nuts, too - macadamias, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. You can find these oils in most health food stores, too.
My next recipe I think will be this Pork, Barley and Vegetable Stew. I got a good buy on some pork steaks, I always have low glycemic and tasty barley in the cupboard and I love collards and kale. Sounds really yummy!
OK, back to writing.
And oh yeah - SUPERNATURAL IS BACK TONIGHT!
And I bring you recipes in honor of the autumn festival of Mabon!
I've been icing my back off and on all my waking hours for the last 2.5 days and taking it easy. I really can't tell whether it's done much good or not. I can still feel it but I haven't had any of those grabbing spasms or had to walk hunched over to keep from straining the muscle, but then that usually only happened after at least half a day at work anyway. I've got one more day to take it easy and then it's back to work on Sunday, regardless.
I have been writing on my spn_cinema story, just not as much as I'd like. Besides, if I sat all the time I'd tighten up like an old, dried out leather boot. Not a good thing.
As suits the Autumn Equinox, I've been doing light gardening duties this morning. I spent a leisurely 10 minutes chopping up my kaput tomato plant into manageable and easily disposable pieces with my small pruning shears. It's much easier to chop up while it's still green. Learned that by trial and error over the years.
I gave my extremely shaggy oregano a pretty good haircut, gathered the long stems into small bundles and tied them upside down in small, white paper sacks with a couple of air holes. Oregano dries very nicely without loosing a lot of it's flavor.
Tues before I left work I gave in to temptation and finally replaced my 25 year old crock pot that died last year. There was a nice stack of smaller ones (4 qt) at the store for $15. Just the right size and price. Wed I used it to make crock pot applesauce from a bag of sweet tasting but rather soft and mealy Gala apples plus a couple of Granny Smiths. Just added a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and a little extra Truvia along with cinnamon and lemon juice and a splash of water. Very tasty! I need to experiment with the apples, though, mix them up a bit.
Yesterday I used the crock pot again to make a bean soup. Used to be I was a Southern girl when it came to beans: pinto beans soaked overnight, add a big old chunk of ham bone and a little onion, cook until partially broken, mashed a few and add back for a nice thick soup. Serve with hot buttered cornbread or biscuits. Alas, I needed to make a few changes for diet's sake - Black Soybeans! If you've never tried them they don't taste like soybeans, they taste more like black turtle beans. They're extremely high in protein and fiber and extremely low in carbs. Regular black beans usually have about 7-9 carbs per serving (not bad) but black soy beans only have about 1 carb per serving (pintos have around 13). I can't find them dried around here, and only one place close by has them canned, but I always keep some on hand. Unfortunately they're about 3X as much as other canned beans.
Now, recipes! Thoughtfully cut to save your screens.
2 cans of black soybeans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained (sometimes I'll use black or red beans)
1 onion, chopped and briefly sauteed (I don't care for the texture of raw, crock pot cooked
onions)
4 medium cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed at the end with the onions
4 c of chicken stock
12 oz pkg of seasoning ham (not that flavorless stuff sold in cubes but little bits and
pieces of ham pkged specifically for something like this), lightly browned
Anaheim chilies (the last ones from my plant, some green, some red, broiled until blackened
(about 3 min per side about 1 inch from the broiler) sealed in a bowl with plastic
wrap for 10 minutes to loosen the skin and then peeled, seeded and chopped. Mine are
little so about 2 store bought ones.
1 can of tomatoes and chilies (like Rotel)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp red chili flakes
S & P to taste
Add it all to the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for about 6 probably). Absolutely delicious! And so damn healthy for you. Well, probably not all the ham. *G* Easy enough to make vegetarian, though.
Today my offers are a quick jam and almond butter!
I swear I saw a recipe somewhere (I thought it was in one of my books but I can't find it again) for a jam using dried apricots and candied ginger. I did find one recipe online that I diddled around with because it called for fresh basil, too, which might be lovely, but just doesn't appeal.
2/3 cup of dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
2 cups water
1 tblsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 heaping tblspn brown sugar (omit it you like, I probably will next time because it'll be
sweet enough, I just like the taste)
tiny splash of vanilla ext. for a round, sweet taste
Bring the water to a boil, add all and simmer on low for 30 min covered. Let it cool and then use a stick blender (or something comparable) to process it to the desired consistency. I like mine with a little texture. Very nice! I might decrease the ginger just a bit next time for a more pronounced apricot taste.
I think I've posted this before but it's dead simple, you pretty much need a food processor though. You can either briefly roast raw almonds in the oven and let them cool or you can save steps like me and buy the roasted kind. I buy mine in 1 lb bags at Aldi where they're a lot cheaper. Just dump them in a food processor and let it go. The trick is that you have to give the processor time to do it's thing because just when it seems like all you'll have it a dry-ish, coarse lump, it'll start to break down into a butter. This takes about 3-5 minutes depending on how full you fill your processor. Stop and scrape down the bowl every 30 seconds or so. If it turns out your almonds are rather lacking in natural oil, you can add some neutral tasting oil (veg, canola, grapeseed or almond oil) a mere tsp at a time. Really! That's all it'll take. If you buy the un-roasted kind you'll probably want to add a little salt. Refrigerate. I love mine with raw celery and apple slices but you can use it for anything you'd use peanut butter for. You can switch around the nuts, too - macadamias, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. You can find these oils in most health food stores, too.
My next recipe I think will be this Pork, Barley and Vegetable Stew. I got a good buy on some pork steaks, I always have low glycemic and tasty barley in the cupboard and I love collards and kale. Sounds really yummy!
OK, back to writing.
And oh yeah - SUPERNATURAL IS BACK TONIGHT!