From yogurt to edamame for breakfast

Yesterday, I switched to eating edamame and oatmeal for breakfast with a piece of fruit.  I use to enjoy an almost daily diet of Greek yogurt.  I'm not sure if I can do that any more.  I want to but...

A video of a medical doctor, Dr. Klaper from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, shared the globby, gumminess that sits in our blood after eating products made from milk fats (see link below)..  He documented well the history of how we, in Western society, have significantly changed our diets in the past 100 years and the corresponding shift in diseases that correspond to that change.  He got my attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_tn3KAXNE&feature=related

Caribbean Pineapple Chicken

This is one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes!

Caribbean Pineapple Chicken

4 servings

Prep time:  10 min.  Cook time: = 20 min.

2 cans pineapple chunks*                                4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil                                       2 gloves garlic, pressed

4 tsp. all purpose flour                                    ½ cup water

4-6 Tbsp. honey                                              2-4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Zest & juice of 2 limes                                    ½ tsp. coconut extract

Pinch ground red pepper                                 2 Tbsp. flaked coconut, optional

1 Tbsp. minced cilantro, optional                    1 Tbsp. minced jalapeno

In non-stick skillet, sauté pineapple in oil over medium-high heat until slightly browned.  Remove to plates.

Rub chicken with garlic; sprinkle with flour. In same skillet, sauté chicken, covered, in pan juices over medium-high heat until browned; turn once.

Mix water, honey, soy cause, lime juice, coconut extract and red pepper in cup; pour into skillet.  Cover; simmer 12-15 minutes.  Remove chicken to serving plates.

Arrange chicken on plates.  Spoon sauce over top.  Sprinkle with coconut, lime zest and cilantro.

*original recipe was from Dole which called for fresh pineapple.  When you have it and it's ripe, it's best.

Quick Marmalade Curried Chicken

I found this delicious, go-back-for-seconds recipe for a quick chicken entree on the back of a box of Pioneer Brand Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix.  My modifications are in italics.  It is unbelievably good!

1 cup Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup ground flax seed
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange marmalade (50/50 mix of apricot and pineapple preserves)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix Baking Mix and pepper (and flax seed).  Dip chicken in buttermilk, then in dry mixture.  Heat oil in skillet.  Brown chicken.  Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cover. Simmer 20 min. until tender.  Uncover, simmer 5 more min.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 min.

sorry there's no photo yet.  It gets eaten too quickly!

Blue Key

I just found out about this wonderful organization that helps ostracized people, refugees in the world. Perhaps you felt that way once. Were homeless, isolated, treated unfairly, treated violently. I've had minor episodes with threats of violence but was never seriously hurt and never displaced. I can only imagine the psychological and emotional upheaval...

Right now, more than 43 million refugees are displaced by war, violence or persecution. That’s nearly the combined populations of New York and Texas. At UNHCR, more than 6,000 staffers around the world help open doors for refugees worldwide and have been doing so since 1951.

Won't you join me by getting your own Blue Key? It's only $5. You’ll tell them you support their life-saving work, and stand in solidarity with the other citizens, celebrities and world leaders who do so. http://thebluekey.org/

Soaked

I tried a new healthy PC recipe last night. The name is boring but the dish delighted us enough that it was on both my husband's and my minds first thing when we woke up. I'd call that a winner...

Harvest Pasta Skillet. It's a one pot dish where the multi-grain pasta cooks in a pumpkin (canned) & wine laced broth. Quick and easy, just the way I like 'em. Send me your email and I'll send you the recipe!

It calls for white mushrooms but all I had in the house was dried shitake which I soaked in boiling water for 3 minutes, saving its broth to add to the skillet later. It always amazes me how quickly something hard and dried can become soft and supple again, just as the Spirit softens us in every way when we take a few moments to soak our souls in God's purifying graces.

Next time someone tells you to go soak yourself, don't take offense. Remember the mushroom and give yourself a few moments with the Master Chef. We're so much better softer. May I remember this next time I get irritated!

So, What's for Dinner? Four generations of Italians speak with their recipes

I'm not Italian but I love how they cook, I love to eat in Italy, (what's not to like about pasta and gravy?),and I've got a wonderful Italian son-in-law.

My friend Cathy Russo goes a little further and has just published her cookbook of Italian recipes from her family for over 75 years.

"Have you ever wondered 'So, What Do I Keep in my Pantry?' If so, you’ll find the answer in my cookbook along with helpful Tips and Hints. Did you know that when baking pasta, if you reduce the time you boil the pasta by half, it will finish cooking in the oven and you won’t be stuck with mushy pasta?

"One night you may choose Steak Pizzaiola served with Rice Balls and Broccolini with Ginger. Another night you may want Fried Pork Cutlets served with Grandma’s Veggies and Orzo with Garlic & Spinach. If you prefer chicken try Grandma’s Chicken with Peas & Rice served with Ciambotta."

Check out more of the recipes you can find in her book at her website, www.cathylrusso.com
Get ready to smack your lips and catch your drool!

Pizza on the Grill, pa-leeze!

I have a new love: grilled pizza! I had my doubts... decades of knowledge of how pizza crisps on stones in the oven was hard to overcome. After procrastinating through one box of grape tomatoes, I finally dove in with a small package of Martha White pizza dough mix (I'll make my own from now on, it was nothing special), halved grape tomatoes and kalamata olives, a little olive oil, pressed garlic, red wine vinegar, and ground black pepper tossed lightly in a bowl.

The crust slid on the grill with ease of a little cornmeal and a fun new metal paddle from TPC. Grill covered for 5 minutes or so, flip and top with tomato/olive mixture, cover with fresh Parm and Mozz and 5 minutes later, you're biting into a crusty pizza you've sprinkled with fresh basil from the garden.

It doesn't get much better than that on a warm May night with the mullets jumping and a glass of wine on a moonless night and soft jazz playing in the background. Ahh...