In the Pantry: Tomatillos

I bet you're wondering what is a tomatillo? A tomatillo is a Mexican fruit that I like to think of as a Mexican tomato, but in reality it is a cousin to the gooseberry. I saw these lovely fruits at the farmers market and decided I had to try them out. They come in a green husk that covers their smooth green skin.

Now you might be wondering, okay so I now know what a tomatillo is, but what they heck do you do with one? I'll tell you: make Salsa Verde

Step one:

Boil the tomatillo until soft.

Step two:

Blend the tomatillos in a food processor, add fresh garlic cloves, green chiles, half onion, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Step three: Enjoy 

But, since I do not really like eating chips I added my salsa verde to soups.

The first week I made Caldo con Queso - a cheesey tomato potato Mexican soup. The salsa verde is used to add some extra spice.

Recipe: 

cubed potatoes (about 5 - leave the skins on if red potatoes)

olive oil 

[in large pot heat oil and add potatoes, cook until tender]

1 14 oz can of tomato sauce

[add to potatoes, then add same amount of water]

[simmer]

4 oz salsa verde

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cup Mexican blended cheese

[stir into the soup, serve with sour cream and avocado]

The second week I made up a spicy, yummy soup. Here's what I did:

almost 1/4 cup dried black beans

almost 1/4 cup dried pinto beans

almost 1/4 cup brown rice

~5 cups water

[heat until boiled, then place lid on and simmer]

[once the beans and rice were cooked]

[add] 2 cups salsa verde

4 chicken tenderloins

sea salt

pepper

cayenne 

[all spices to taste]

[once chicken is cooked through, cut into pieces]

serve hot with cheese and sour cream

I tell you what I love creating recipes. If you've never done it you should try it. And, if you have done it you should share what creations you've made! Maybe we can recreate them too! If you ever try making one of my recipes let me know! I would love to hear about how it worked out for you!

This was In the Pantry: Tomatillos. Please stay tuned for more fun with items in your pantry :)

     

In the Pantry: Oatmeal

I have recently discovered a deep love for oatmeal. I learned to love it in Peru and love that you can do so many things with it.

In Peru they have a version that they drink. They flavor it with cloves and cinnamon (canela) and pour more liquid into it than we do. Then you fill up a mug and drink it! It's actually rather tasty.

When we ate at the mission, however, we ate regular oatmeal. That was great too! I ate it with sugar, cinnamon, and evaporated milk.

So, why is this a must have in your pantry?
Because Oats are full of fiber and healthy protein. They contain a type of fiber that actually is healthy for your heart and can decrease your risk of heart disease. (Think about it, that's why Cheerios can claim that fact, because they're made out of oats!). Oh and it lowers bad cholesterol.

What type is best?
Personally I love steel cut oats. It lasts a long time as well since you need half the amount to make one serving. I do feel fuller longer since it is thicker. The only down side is that they take a good 25-30 minutes to cook. But, they are worth it. If you don't have time in the mornings cook them the night before and reheat in the am :)

Was only $3.99 at Harris Teeter.

And if you don't have time or the desire to switch to steel cut, you can always eat regular old fashioned. I don't recommend the quick oats, even though they supposedly contain the same amount of fiber and protein... something about genetically modified doesn't appetize me.
 

So, I want to share with you a few oatmeal options that I have been enjoying.

My most common breakfast oatmeal is High Antioxidant oatmeal.

I cook my 1/4 cup of steel cut oats in 1.5 cups of skim milk. When it is almost complete I add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1.5 sometimes 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (since cocoa and cinnamon are so bitter alone). Occasionally I will add extra milk or vanilla or maybe if I'm feeling a little indulgent a bit of butter. It is delicious and cinnamon and cocoa powder have great health benefits. If you don't believe me google it :)

This time I used old fashioned oats.

Next I tried a new fun version of oatmeal and I liked it a lot! 

I call it carrot pudding oatmeal.

That's just what it is. I cooked shredded carrots in a little bit (I mean barely any) butter with 1 tablespoon of sugar until tender. Then I cooked my oats in my skim milk. Once the oats were almost finished I added the carrots. Then I beat an egg and tempered the egg into my oatmeal mixture. I let it cook a bit more, added vanilla and a smidge more of butter. And, poof wonderfulness. (I do make a carrot pudding custard which is incredible as well!)

Next time more carrots!

Another crazy invention I had was Pumpkin oatmeal!

It was for my Orange day during my first week of vegan breakfasts. I made the oatmeal with water, added a little bit of sugar and 1/2 cup of pumpkin and some cinnamon. It is fantastic! I do love pumpkin though and I didn't need the extra fat for flavor.

Yum yum yum yum

Here's a recipe I did NOT create, that I do love. Shawn one of the missionaries in Peru would make this. It is called Left Over Oatmeal Cake.

1 c. butter

2 c. brown sugar

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 c. leftover oatmeal

2 t. baking soda

2 2/3 c. flour

cinnamon

bake at 350 degrees until baked. 30ish minutes

then add topping and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown

4 T butter

2/3 c brown sugar

1 c coconut

4 T evaporated milk

1 c nuts

**I am going to try to make a version with less sugar, but until then this is a great recipe!**

Other things to try.

Add oats to the top of muffins or in your pancake mix for some extra fiber! Diets in high fiber are the best diets to have!

And, I do plan to try this, but have yet to. Overnight Oatmeal! (click for link to recipe)

Love the mason jars too!

This was In the Pantry: Oatmeal. Stay tuned for more items to keep in your pantry!

In the Pantry: Whole Grains

Whole Grains. You've heard of them. Maybe you like them, maybe you don't. Well, I'm here to tell you that you NEED to eat them.

What is a whole grain? A whole grain is exactly what it says it is whole. It is not part of the grain, but it is grain in its entirety.

• There are 3 main parts of a grain.
• 
• Bran - responsible for fiber, contains phosphorus (aids in absorption of Calcium into bones), protein (can't begin to tell all of the wonderful benefits of proteins), and thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Germ - most concentrated source of nutrients, including fat, B vitamins, and iron
• Endosperm - starch (sugar chains) and protein (to make gluten!)
• You can buy all three parts separately.
• Bran: in a container that says bran, it will add fiber to what you are making
• Germ: also bought in a container, can spoil because contains fat
• Endosperm: what you know as flour.
• What is flour?
• Flour is a refined product of the grain. It is where the bran and germ are stripped from the endosperm to create a high glutenous product that serves very well in baking. It is often enriched, meaning they fortify it with iron, B vitamins, and folic acid.
• Why do I need a whole grain if it is fortified?
• Well, to put it simply you do not absorb fortified items the same way you do as when they are in their natural environment. 
• Here's a parallel, follow me with this. It is like tanning. You can A. tan outside with the natural sun, B. tan in a tanning bed, or C. spray on your tan. However, you might look tan with all 3, but you will not benefit from producing Vitamin D from the latter 2. So, nature always provides the best method.
• How many whole grains should I eat a day?
• You should eat 6 ounces of whole grains every day. Your body will greatly benefit from all of the nutrients and even the sugars. As, this complex carbohydrate serves as brain food.
• What are some good examples of whole grains I can eat?
• Whole wheat anything
• Brown rice
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn
• Amaranth (never heard of it, but read about it, GOING TO TRY IT)
• Bulgur
• Oatmeal, rolled or steel cut*. 
• Quinoa*



So many different types of whole grains!

• BY THE WAY Multi-grain does not mean whole grain, it means the product was made from multiple types of grain... corn plus wheat plus rice etc.

*Steel Cut Oats -- these are oats that are cut and not rolled. Rolled oats are flattened to increase cooking time, steel cut are just cut. They can aid in making you feel fuller longer, but they do take about 20-30 minutes to cook. They also are not nutritionally better than rolled, just fill better.

*Quinoa: Ancient Peruvian Secret (As the article I read called it)

Buy yours today!

Quinoa contains a super high amount of proteins. It contains almost if not all essential amino acids needed by your body. It only takes about 10 minutes to cook, and can be used in all types of preparations. Whether you want to eat it in the morning like oatmeal with milk and sugar (this is how I first ate it in Peru) or you can throw it with vegetables. You can eat it hot like a pasta or cold in salad form. This grain is highly nutritive and beneficial to your body. If you haven't tried it you should, and if you don't like it the first time don't give up. Because it grew on me.

Quinoa Plant

This was In the Pantry: Whole Grains. Stay tuned to find out more of what should be in your pantry!

In the Pantry: Ripening Fruit

Ever wonder why you can buy bananas that are green, place them into your fruit basket and they ripen quicker than you would like? Or wonder why when you keep your fruit in a bag they ripen practically overnight?

Here's your in the pantry tip to keeping up with your fruits.
*First of all only fruits ripen after picked, vegetables do not.
*Second of all ripening is the process of starches becoming sugars... hence why fruits are sweeter when they are riper.

Notice how when your banana is green it is tougher (starchier) and when it is yellow or brown in is mushier (sugars).

In order to ripen, fruits give off a gas hormone. All fruits give off this hormone, however some give off more than others. The APPLE, for example, gives off the most.

"I give off a lot of gas"

So, when you place apples in a fruit basket among other fruits the other fruits will ripen at an accerlated rate, causing browning probably sooner than you anticipated. Also, if one apple is bruised (a precursor to higher hormone) the entire batch of apples will go bad faster. So, when people reference bad apples, they are referring to the fact and phrase that one bad apple can spoil an entire barrel. 

Ripening Persimmon in a bag.

If you keep fruit in bags they ripen faster because the hormone they give off has no where to go making the concentration then is higher.

In conclusion, if you want your fruit to ripen faster place them in a bag or next to apples. If you want them to last longer and stay fresh, keep them out in a bowl with fresh air and no apples. Fruit should last 7-10 days after purchasing.




This was In the Pantry: Ripening Fruit. Stay tuned for more!