French Oven

My French Oven has arrived!!! This was an item on my registry that made me smile ear to ear even as I put my scanner over her bar code in Williams Sonoma months ago. It is so beautiful! In case you are unaware, this is only the most amazing pot EVER. It holds heat and distributes it evenly to whatever you are cooking. It is great for risotto, soup, braises.. and it boils water quickly. You can fry, poach, boil, roast, bake -- it can really do everything, and do it well. It can be used on the stove top, or in the oven.

I picked Michael up from the airport last night (he obviously survived his bachelor party this weekend), and when I dropped him off at home we saw a few wedding presents had arrived over the weekend. We opened them up and when I saw my Le Cruset, I started jumping up and down and yelling "Its here! Its here!" He was really confused and wanted to know why I was acting like a lunatic. Is this not how everyone responds to this gift? You mean its only me??

Ah, she looks so beautiful sitting there on the stove. My love, we have many happy years in front of us. I have been away on business this week but have asked Michael multiple times how she is doing in his house without me there. He for sure thinks I am crazy. But he will not care once he sees the magic we will make together.

I promised Michael my first meal in the French Oven would be a pot roast. I have actually never made a pot roast before, and as you know I do not eat red meat, however I will be a good fiance this weekend, consult my girl Ina, and give it a go. Stay tuned...

Love,

Sam

Kale Chips

Yes, that's right. Chips... made from kale. Now before you go telling me I am ridiculous, just try it. I told my friend Jill that this idea was absurd, and I did not understand how a short 15 minutes in the oven would turn these antioxidant packed green leaves into delightful chips. But it did and they were.

We actually used Swiss Chard this time around, as kale was no where to be found in this Fresno grocery store. Jill says its better with kale, but the rest of us thought the chard worked great!

Rinse your kale and dry thoroughly. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil... or I think a spray version olive oil would be even better. I just bought a can at Trader Joe's, so useful. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt, or whatever you prefer.

Pop it in an oven at 350 for 15 minutes and I promise this will be a great alternative snack when you want something crunchy!

Love,

Sam

Healthy Guacamole

Summer is around the corner, and this weekend I learned a great new recipe for a healthy guacamole dip from my friend Christy. We made it twice during our girls weekend and felt pretty guiltless eating it and laying around the pool. Although avocados are a healthy form of fat, they are still high in fat and calories, and lets be serious - its pretty easy to mow through a bowl of guacamole without even noticing.

Replace some of the avocado with a white bean (we used butter beans but I think the original recipe called for cannelloni beans) and you have added protein and a fraction of the calories. It was delicious!

Rinse the beans under water. Using a pastry cutter (or food processor) combine 1-2 avocados with 2 cans of the beans.

Add your own choice of spices to make the guacamole how you prefer. We added the juice of 2 limes, garlic salt, cumin, chilli powder, and salsa. Serve with whole grain tortilla chips or vegetables. So easy and healthy!

We may have also enjoyed with "skinny girl" margaritas. Ingredients below and find the recipe here: http://www.bethenny.com/skinny_margarita.htm

Love,

Sam

FIBER!!

I took a life-changing nutrition class in college and learned about the multiple benefits of fiber. Ok, maybe non life changing, but life-style changing. I learned about all the crazy scary things that can happen later in life if you neglect this very important part of your diet. Do you know we should be eating around 25-35 grams of fiber per day??!! Even this self-proclaimed fiber enthusiast finds this a challenge.



I am always looking for new and delicious ways to add more fiber to my diet. My sister recently told me about flax seed meal. Flax seed, in all forms, is an excellent source of omega oils and fiber, both soluable and insoluable. There’s some evidence it can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. It contains omega-3 essential fatty acids, the "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. It also has lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities.

You can buy it in oil capsules, by the bottle as an oil for salad dressings or cooking, as a seed, or in this finely ground form. I find the flax seed meal to be a really easy addition to many recipes. You can add it to any baking recipe... and I also find its really easy to add into most breakfast menus. My sister adds it to a tablespoon of peanut butter on her toast.

Recently, I have been adding my flax meal to my oatmeal or cream of wheat in the morning. Its very finely ground and does not change the taste or texture. I cooked my Cream of Wheat according to directions on the box, then mixed in a couple of tablespoons of the flax seed meal. Top it with a bit of fruit and milk, and you have a fantastic high-fiber start to your day! Even my fiance, a cream of wheat puritan, has become a convert!

Love,
Sam

Chicken With Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Ok, so this dinner sounds reeeeeeeeeeeeal fancy, but again, so easy. And please don't think that I all cook is chicken and sweet potatoes. I promise to post more variety. And besides, I had been living on that vegetable soup for a week - it was time for another comforting meal!

This dinner was a combination of 2 recipes I saw on the food network this week. The first was the goat cheese stuffed chicken, and the second included a recipe for the balsamic vinegar glaze. The salty creamy goat cheese was great with the sweetness of the vinegar.

First I made the balsamic vinegar marinade by combining about 1 cup of good balsamic vinegar, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, a bit of orange juice, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. I used bone-in and skin-on chicken breast. I generally prefer baking/roasting chicken breast like this because it keeps it moist and adds more flavor. I marinated the chicken breast a little over an hour and then placed them on a baking sheet. I separated the skin from the meat, and stuffed the sliced herb goat cheese and whole leaves of basil under the skin. Then I sprinkled them with salt and pepper. I baked the chicken at 375 for about and hour. The goat cheese stays under the skin while it bakes, it wont ooze out like a softer cheese. Meanwhile, I took the marinade and transferred to a pot on the stove top and cooked on low while the chicken was in the oven. It reduced down and was thick and sweet! I used it as a sauce after the chicken came out of the over.

I served the chicken with sweet potato fries (slice, sprinkle with olive oil and kosker salt and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes) and a green salad with and orange vinaigrette and toasted walnuts (from the other half of the orange from the marinade).

You can see I love using the same ingredients, oven temperature, and flavors in each dish for the same meal. This makes things easier and everything blends well together. I hope you try this one!

Love,

Sam

Vegetable Soup

To survive the frigid winters of Southern California, it is important to learn how to make great soup. Tonight I made a vegetable soup with brown rice and topped it with greek yogurt. Trust me with the yogurt!

I started with olive oil and black pepper and let the pepper sizzle a bit in the pan. I added chopped brown onion and about 4 cloves of garlic. I added salt. Then I added almost an entire bag of spinach and let it wilt down. Then I added one large can of diced tomatoes, plus an extra can of water (you can also use vegetable or chicken stock for more flavor). Using my favorite current kitchen electronic , i blended these ingredients to make the base. I generally add Swiss chard or kale, but tonight I used spinach because that is what was in the fridge. I also added a handful pf parsley. I love adding greens to my soup base because its a great way to get some added vitamins into this already healthy soup. And I love the healthy green color it turns!

This stick blender is vital to soup making, as many recipes call for a smooth consistency. But if you ever try to add hot soup to a blender, it will blow the lid off!

After I blended the greens, tomatoes, onions, and garlic together, I added diced yellow squash, another large can of the tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and the brown rice. I let the whole thing simmer while I went to the gym, which was probably over an hour and bit too long because the soup lost its green color. I added a head of chopped cabbage about 10 minutes before serving. It added a great crunch to the cooked vegetables.

Yes, this is a light dish and maybe not be enough for some. You can also add shredded chicken or serve with a loaf of crusty bread. Or better yet, beer bread! But that is for another post....

Love,

Sam