Flaxseed....an Egg Substitute!

I'm a big fan of flaxseed, it's high in omega 3's which are great for your heart health. I bought some flaxseed meal and I'm having a lot of fun trying to find new ways to add it to my meals.  I blend up at least a tablespoon in my smoothies and I recently found a great new way to incorporate even more flaxseed into my diet....mixing ground flaxseed (or flaxseed meal) with water makes a great substitute for eggs in baking!

It seems like I'm always out of eggs when I need them so this is a great alternative.  I have a big bag of flaxseed meal on hand and it takes just a minute to mix the equivalent of just one egg.  One large egg is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal mixed in 3 tablespoons of water.

I wanted pancakes tonight and I was out of eggs so I used this alternative and it worked great.  I challenge you to try it at home!

Who Put Tofu in My Smoothie?

Yes, it can be done AND it tastes good!  A smoothie with tofu?  And let's add some baby spinach in there too.....I promise you won't even taste it.  You're probably thinking I'm crazy, but try it, I think you'll like it.  It's packed with protein and is a great way to get your day started. 

Blueberry Soy Smoothie
Serves 2

1 banana (frozen if possible)*
1 cup frozen blueberries*
1 cup baby spinach
6 oz silken tofu**
2/3 lowfat milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 tablespoon honey 

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. 


*Frozen fruit works best because it keeps the smoothie really cold and eliminates the need for any added ice. 
**Look for silken tofu in the Asian isle of your grocery store.  It's shelf stable and is usually found in a box.
The tofu adds some great texture and creaminess to the smoothie. 

Frozen Veggies Are Your Friend!

I love frozen vegetables for several reasons: 

1.  They are pretty much the same price year round (even the sales are somewhat predictable)
2.  Frozen vegetables are picked and flash frozen at peak ripeness.  This means that you are purchasing the best quality product in terms of flavor and nutrient density. 
3.  They generally come prechopped and ready to go=timesaver!
4.  There are several premixed options out there (mirepoix-carrots, onion, celery, pepper and onion blend) that are recipe ready.  Mirepoix is a blend used in many soups and the pepper and onion blend is perfect for fajitas and other Mexican dishes. It's like a game for me to see how many veggies I can add to my favorite recipes and frozen vegetables make this really easy.  Have you ever tried blending steamed cauliflower into your mashed potatoes?  If you steam it well and blend it thoroughly your family and your tastebuds won't even know the difference and you will have the added benefit of extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.  I used to do this with my husband and sister often.  I recently let them in on the secret but I made sure that they liked my recipe before I clued them in. 
 

Makeshift Meals

So today was the last Sunday of the month which means two things....

1.  I have time to actually make a meal and
2.  It's the end of the month so my grocery budget is gone.

This meant that it was time to get creative and to use up those items that are leftover from earlier in the week or  use what I have stocked up in the pantry.

I knew that I wanted to bake something sweet for dessert but I also remembered that I was out of eggs.  I did however have ground flaxseed meal so I decided to use my flaxseed as an egg substitute and make some brownies.  I had also found a mixed bag of butterscotch and white chocolate chips in the cupboard so I planned to just toss those in to my brownies.  As I started preparing my brownies I realized that I was also out of all purpose flour.  No worries, I had wheat flour and coconut flour in the cupboard so I improvised again.  I knew that the flaxseed was a valid substitute but to be honest I wasn't sure how the wheat flour/coconut flour combo would affect the taste and texture of my brownies but at this point I had nothing to lose.  So, I tossed together a quick pan and they were a success!  They weren't quite as sweet as the base recipe and were a bit crispier but they still satisfied my sweet tooth.  I love taking existing recipes and modifying them to incorporate the ingredients that I have on hand.  I also love to rename the recipes and jot them down with all of my special modifications, so here's my modified "kitchen sink" brownie recipe:

Kitchen Sink Brownies
(I cut the larger recipe in half so that I didn't have tons of leftovers so the measurements might seem a bit strange!)

5/6 cups granulated sugar
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP flaxseed meal + 3 TBSP water (egg substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/8 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup total butterscotch and white chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Grease a small square or circle baking pan.  Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl.  Add flaxseed and water mixture and vanilla extract.  Combine both flours, cocoa and baking powder in another bowl; stir into sugar mixture.  Spread into prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle with chips.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely and serve.
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Why stop with dessert?  So I carried my creativity onto dinner.  My refrigerator was really empty except for an open can of black beans, about half a can of chicken broth and some limes.  I had a great idea to make some kind of black bean dish.  After searching online I found a black bean soup recipe that used the black beans and limes but that I modified to use up some other ingredients that I also had on hand.  I took the basic recipe and added the chicken broth (in place of some of the water) as well as red and green bell peppers and some ditalini pasta.  This made for a great mexican minestrone soup that I served with garlic bread.  Yum!  Here's my modified recipe:

Southwestern Minestrone Soup

1 TBSP canola oil
1/3 cup diced green peppers
1/3 cup diced red peppers
1 small onion
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
 2 cups water
1/2 cup salsa
juice of one lime
dash garlic powder
1 1/3 cup cooked ditalini pasta

Heat oil.  Add onions and peppers and cook 2 to 3 minutes.  Add chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add black beans, salsa, water and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lime juice and garlic powder.  Puree half the black bean mixture in a blender or food processor and return to the pan.  Add pasta and serve. 

I'd love to hear about your favorite makeshift meals! :)

Dinner for One: Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salsa

My husband travels a lot for business so I've had to learn to adjust not only my dinner preparation but also my shopping to plan my meals for one.  Lucky for me, he is a much pickier eater than I am so his business trips are a great excuse for me to try out some new recipes and to eat a bit healthier (my diet consists of mostly vegetables when he's on the road).  Today I tired a quick and tasty new recipe inspired by Eatingwell.com but with a few modifications to make it for just one and to incorporate the ingredients that I already had at home.  Here's the basic recipe.

Baked Sweet Potato with Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 can black beans rinsed
As much prepared salsa as you would like (you can also substitute canned or fresh tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin

Directions:

1.  Wash the sweet potato and puncture several times with a fork
2.  Microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked all the way through
3.  Drain and rinse the black beans
4.  Mix black beans in a bowl with salsa, cumin and any other spices or vegetables that you would like
5.  Remove the sweet potato from the microwave and allow to cool 
6.  Microwave the bean mixture for 3 minutes
7.  Cut open the potato and peel if desired.  Top with salsa and serve.  

This was a great, tasty and easy to prepare dinner that I will definitely try again.  It was even better followed up by some soy ice cream :).  Enjoy and happy eating!

Food Safety: Reusable Grocery Bags

Many of us have recently changed our grocery routine to include using reusable canvas or cloth grocery bags.  While this is great for the environment, it can be hazardous to our health if we don't follow some basic food safety principles.  Here are two tips to follow to not only help save the environment but to keep your food safe as well. 

 

1.  Wash the reusable bags in the washing machine with soap and water after each use.  All kinds of food goes in and out of these bags and cross contamination is a definite risk.  It may seem excessive but it's a simple step to take to ensure your families health. 


2.  If you purchase meat ask the clerk to place it in separate plastic bags.  Raw meat can carry bacteria and other contaminates that will be removed in the cooking process but can easily cross contaminate other foods.  Many stores actually have a policy not to place the meats in the canvas bags or at the very least insist on wrapping them in a plastic bag before putting them in the canvas bag. 

Finally one addition food safety tip for grocery shopping:

3.  Start your shopping trip with ready to cook, packaged shelf stable foods and finish with the perishable foods like meat, dairy and fresh fruit and vegetables.  Many of these products are safest at refrigerated temperatures and starting with them items can raise the temperatures above the safe zone. 

Personalized Recipe Books

I love trying new recipes whether it's borrowing one from a friend, trying out one that I saw on Food Network or just stumbling across one online I'm constantly trying something.  The problem is that months later, when I want to recreate that meal, I can't ever seem to find the recipe.  So, I purchased a personalized recipe book (I found mine in the journal section of Barnes and Noble) and I have gotten into the habit of handwriting all of my favorite, use again recipes on the index cards. 

In order for this to work you have to do it right away or you will forget and that recipe will just get lost.  Today I made my favorite pancake recipe and wanted to make sure that I didn't have to spend another 15 minutes some day down the road searching for the recipe.  So, while my pancakes were cooling, I jotted down the recipe on an index card and filled it away in my own personal book. 

These books are great tools to declutter your kitchen and make great gift ideas.