Rib Off

I lost.

Empanadas

I'm back and eating! Last post was in October and that was a blur. November, December, and January...boy I got some blogging up to do! I have been taking pictures of my food conquests so I'm ready to share now!

First, let me say that lard piecrust is very versatile. Not only can it be a dessert, but also a salty fried thing! I took my piecrust, added a little less water to create these sueann friendly empanadas. Normal empanadas have cheese in the filling.

Use your standard piecrust recipe but instead of 2 cups flour use half corn meal and flour.

Filling:
1lb. turkey or beef, fried with lots of salt and garlic granules
Chopped onion - fried with meat
2-8 hot peppers - habenero will kick your ass so try a mild pepper, especially if you are a white person.
maybe throw in some left overs that will blend well. I think I threw in some chickpea salad ... everything tastes great fried huh?!

Roll out a large pinch of dough, about two golf balls. Flatten but not so thin it breaks the crust. Fill and fold over then squish ends tightly. You may need some water or egg to seal the closure. It is very important to seal or it will come apart in the frying process. I sort of braided the ends together.

Deep-fry until golden brown - I say about 1 minute each side 350-degree oil. If this is SueannFriendly use corn, safflower, canola, or peanut oil.

I tried these in lard and it made my tummy hurt. Lard in the dough AND in the oil was too much. It also tasted meaty and oil heavy.

cake

Sueann Friendly Chocolate Cake:
Throw all ingredients into a bowl and mix it.

2 C flour
2 C sugar ( use 1 C white sugar 1 C splenda)
3/4 C cocoa
2 tea baking soda
1 tea baking powder
1/2 canola oil ( safflower or olive is ok)
1 C Almond milk ( or Oat Milk, if desperate water with 2 tb. canola mayo...or just water)
2 eggs
1 tea. vanilla (real vanilla extract is awesome! I recommend spending the $ for it!)
pinch salt
1 C Hot Coffee (added last!)

Bake 350 for 15-20 minutes...this cakes bakes fast to me so watch it. It is best when pulled out a little early.

I haven't figured out the frosting yet. I once made frosting out of lard and lots of powdered sugar. My system was s-l-o-w--e-d by the vast amount of lard. I felt heavy, slow and sick. So don't do what I did. I have tampered with just cocoa powder, powdered sugar and water...that is ok. But to get some health into my body I've used fruits.

Tomato Tart

I was reading an old Martha Stewart and came across a recipe for tomato tart. Martha's recipe was full of great tips...and like her magazine, full of things I did not have readily available to me. Not only that, but her recipes are rarely Sueann Friendly. So I take it upon myself to take her ideas and make them my own. Take Tomato Tarts! I do not have all those great heirloom variety tomatoes, or an enormous tart pan the size of a bike wheel. But I do have a cute tart pan and some garden tomatoes! So here we go ladies and gents, a Sueann Friendly Tomato Tart!

Recipe: Pie crust (sueann friendly recipe coming soon!)
Two medium tomatoes sliced evenly.
Chopped up basil, pinch salt and pepper
Put this all together! BUT to make it even better, add cheese to the botom of the crust BEFORE you put tomatoes in it. This will keep the crust grom getting soggy. For a sueann frienndly version, use oven roasted garlic cloves and mash this into the bottom of the crust.

Bake 355 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Fish Balls and Thai Salad

I have been on a Thai food kick lately. I also wanted to add more Omega Fattys into my diet so here we have a marriage of the two! Fish Balls and Thai Salad! The Balls can be deep fried, or fried in a pan in a patty.
Recipe: Fish Balls
Canned fish - salmon or mackerel debone if you can.
couple pinches of salt and pepper
2 tsp. of Cumin, coriander, granulated garlic (or one clove fresh)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour

Mash it all together then drop by the spoonful or make into patties and fry!

Recipe: Thai Salad
1 cucumber
2 Serano chilies diced
half an onion
Chopped up cilantro
Add other salad veggies that you want - ones that are crisp though. No tomatoes.
Dressing: 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 Tb. sugar

Add it all together and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Impress Dates with These Dates!

Our favorite appetizer to bring to parties now are these pecan stuffed dates wrapped with bacon! I would like to take full credit for the recipe but I got it off of Paula Deen Cooking from the Food Network. These are so delicious! It is like breakfast in your mouth! But...so much more because of the full bodied flavor of the date and pecan. The sweetness of the date is a perfect companion to the salty bacon - the pecan adds good texture. I have baked these in the oven several ways. You can bake at 375 and turn them over until the bacon crisps. I have turned up the heat to 500 and found the cooking time is half but the likelihood of black bacon bits is high. I have also grilled them in an aluminum disposable pan. That really helps with the grease and cleanup but you have to baby sit the grill. But with a beer, or very sueann friendly Mike's Hard Apple, that is not a problem! By the way... Aren't the men suppose to be the grill masters? I guess I got a liberated grill master because I do the grilling.

OH! One time we wanted to eat these appetizers for dinner - just make a nice salad and these...nice "light" meal! But I was out of bacon! So I free bird it and took out some pork, smashed it thin and spread pureed dates and pecans on it. I wrapped the pork, toothpicked them and baked at 350 for 15-20 minutes. FABULOUS! I do recommend adding a little salt to make up for the bacon effect but otherwise bon apatite!

Pecan Stuffed Dates Wrapped with Bacon

Get whole pitted dates, stuff it with a pecan. Set aside. Take all the bacon out of the package and cut into thirds. This should be enough to stretch around the date. You can use tooth picks to fasten but usually the bacon sticks to itself. Put on baking sheet fold side down to keep bacon from unraveling.

CHERRIES!

So...sick of...eating cherries. I tried this BBQ Cherry sauce recipe. It was gross. I tried making Cherry juice. It was OK. So I got frustrated and pitted all my cherries. All 20 lbs. of them and froze them. I'll think what to do with them later. Oh, I know. You can eat them fresh right? I did, for two weeks. Let's say, I was very regular and on toilet duty.

I AM PUMPED!

My husband wanted something chocolate one night. He was half joking that I should whip something up. Well, it was a good thing I had energy because I "discovered" Sueann Friendly Chocolate Fudge ice cream! OHMYGOD it is the best chocolate ice cream I have had.. I mean... if it had real brownie chunks in it then it would be the absolute fave! The recipe is very simple!
Beat 4 egg whites into stiff peaks - Then in another bowl add 5 Tbl. hot water, one cup cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar and 4 egg yolks - mix well. Then fold in the egg whites - freeze or add into your ice cream maker. YOU WILL LOVE THIS! 100% milk and soy free!
If yours comes out too watery I suggest adding 1 Teas. of xanthan gum or guar gum!

Mayo

I didn't like any of these recipes. Well... it just didn't work out for me and I prefer the Best Foods Canola Mayo. It has a wonderful, full flavor. My Mayo was very light - a little lemony. I used Emeril's recipe which was the best of the two so here it is:
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a food processor or blender, blend the egg and lemon juice for 10 seconds.
With the processor running, slowly pour in the oil through the feed tube. Mixture should thicken. Add the pepper and salt and pulse once or twice to blend.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. Best if used within 24 hours.

On the subject of mayo - it is amazing how soy oil is the most brands. Start looking at the ingredients of your favorite foods and you will realize how much soy you are eating!

Fairies Are Alive! And Taste Good Too!

Yes, I know...I am way too into this mushroom thing. Well, just so you know, I am getting a little fatigued by it too! But I want to draw you attention to that Fairy ring of mushrooms in your yard! You can eat it! Of coarse, you should check to make sure the species is edible, and that pesticides are not used on that patch of grass. Then pluck the caps and saute with oil or butter for a chicken like flavor of goodness! We had ours with eggs - later I added them in fried rice! The stems are too tough so stick with the caps! Bon Appetite!