Olive Oil

I've heard some very unusual uses for olive oil and that it is very healthy to the body. I hope to win a copy of a book that explains its many uses. The book's intro states:

From ancient times to present-day, olive oil has been used for everything from health ailments to beauty and housekeeping and so much more. Now evidence shows that a diet based on olive oil can add years to your life and may even prevent some diseases. Health author-journalist Cal Orey has consulted top doctors, nutritionists, olive oil producers, and chefs, getting the most up-to-date information on the many benefits of olive oil, such as:

Health Improvements: Relieving arthritis aches, Inhibiting breast and colon cancer, Preventing diabetes, Reducing pain, Staving off ulcers, Fighting impaired memory

Home Cures:  Soothing diaper rash, Reducing hair loss, Cleaning your house, naturally, Minimizing stretch marks and wrinkles, Zapping ticks and conditioning your pet’s coat, And more information that everyone worldwide should know!

I use it to brown chicken and to put into the spaghetti noodle water. I've heard that some people of the pentecostal faith use it for anointing purposes. Maybe I'll be able to read more uses if I win the book. Please feel free to post your personal uses of olive oil (in case I don't win the book)! 

You know Olive Oil is a right costly commodity. I found a dollar off coupon HERE

From The Freezer To The Microwave - Tomato-Vegetable Soup and Clam Chowder

I crave soup from time-to-time, especially in the spring and fall. I love this old book, so I share some of it occasionally. This book is from the time microwaves first came out by a company that is now out of business. It's easy to take the information and update the processes ourselves. I like this book because when I make food, especially soup, I like to make a lot and freeze it for later meals. To read this more clearly, left click and the left click again.

Crock Pot Honey Dijon-Apple Pork

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (2 to 2 1/2 pound) rolled boneless pork roast
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

In 4- to 6-quart crock pot, combine onion and apples.

In small bowl, combine honey, mustard, coriander and salt; mix well. Spread on all sides of pork roast; place roast over onions and apples. Cover; cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.

Remove roast from crock pot; place on serving platter. Cover with foil.

In small saucepan, combine cornstarch and water, blending well. Add apple mixture and juices from crock pot; mix well. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring occasionally. Cut roast into slices. Serve with sauce.

Portabello Mushroom Burger

I started dieting today and I decided to try this burger. I forgot to take a picture since I ate it at work for lunch, so I searched for a picture that looked the most like it. I had no idea there were so many recipes for a portabello mushroom burgers. The one in the picture to the right uses the mushroom as the meat.

Mine actually had meat in the middle and I used the mushroom as the bun, like the one pictured on the left.

I brushed both sides of each mushroom cap with worcestershire sauce and put them in the microwave for 45 seconds, just to lightly soften them.


Then I lightly sprinkled garlic salt on the inside of each cap. I made a reasonable sized patty from ground beef and cooked it in the microwave for 3 minutes. I drained the fat and patted with a paper towel. I placed the patty between the caps like a bun and added a slice of tomato and a couple of rings of onion and some lettuce. It actually was very good. The problem I had was that it was too big for my mouth. I had to take one of the portabello caps off.


I actually probably will make it again. Next time I will also try this ketchup recipe.


RAW KETCHUP
1/2 cup dried tomatoes, soaked in water 15 minutes
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Use ketchup to season a burger or serve with veggies and herbs.


Serves 3-4.


Apparently, this is also a vegetarian and raw food diet favorite. I am not a vegetarian so I used meat. Here is the raw food diet recipe.


PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGER
2 cups cashews
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins or dates
1 teaspoon honey
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 bunch fresh dill
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar


Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Prepare portabello mushrooms by cutting out their stems. Fill mushrooms with pate. Add any of the following to complete the burger: tomato, red bell pepper, onion, lettuce, olives, chives, sprouts and some kind of savory sauce. Cover burger with leaf of lettuce or another mushroom. Garnish with herbs and serve with a side of veggies.


You can check out Markus Rothkranz' Raw Food diet here at HealthCures101.com.

*This is a HCG diet and Scarsdale diet friendly recipe. 

Valentine's Day Recipes

Breakfast: Valentine Pancakes with Maple-Raspberry Sauce

Make breakfast special with these heart-shaped buttermilk pancakes topped with a sweet ane easy-to-make raspberry-maple sauce. Other than tasting great, they can also be made ahead a reheated for an any-time treat.

Ingredients

Pancakes:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Maple Raspberry Sauce:

• 3/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Cooking Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine.
2. Make a well in the dry ingredient. In the well add the buttermilk, egg and butter. Stir to moisten. It will not be smooth.
3. Grease and heat griddle over medium low heat. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle Cook about 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes. Turn and cook about 1-2 minutes more or until just cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. With 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut pancakes into hearts.
5. For sauce: In medium microwavable bowl cook raspberry jam with maple syrup on high; stir to combine. Continue to heat in 30 second intervals, stirring to combine, until raspberry jam is melted

Make-Ahead

Pancakes can be made ahead, cooled, then wrapped well and frozen up to 1 month.

Tips & Tricks

Reheat frozen pancakes in toaster. Reheating them this way they will have the very thin, crunchy layer on the sides of the pancakes.

A microwave can also be used to reheat frozen pancakes. Reheating them this way the pancakes will have a uniform soft texture.

Recipe from Kaboose

Dinner: Romantic Meat Fondue

The Meat

Choose a tender cut of beef such as tenderloin (recommended) or sirloin. The more it is aged the better. Meat should be cut into ¾ inch cubes and have all fat and sinew removed. Plan for six ounces of beef per person.

Meat Fondue Recipe

You can use your crock pot or fondue pot.

INGREDIENTS
Beef tenderloin or sirloin
Oil (vegetable, canola, peanut etc.)

DIRECTIONS
1. Trim fat and sinew from beef and cut into ¾ inch chunks. Blot with paper towel and put in refrigerator while oil is heating. 2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer to fondue pot. Do not overfill the pot. About half full works best.
3. Spear a chunk of beef with fondue fork and place in hot oil. Cook until beef is done to your satisfaction (approximately 30 seconds for rare, 45 for medium-rare, and 1 minute to well done).
4. Remove from fork and transfer to plate (fondue fork will be very hot). Eat with sauces of your choice. 
Serve with green salad, steamed vegetables or rice. 

Pork and Winter Squash Stew

2 lbs boneless pork loin
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes (4 cups)
6 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices (2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (undrained)
chopped fresh sage leaves or parley (optional)

Spray 4-6 quart crock pot. Place all ingredients inside except for sage (to be used for garnish).

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving. Sprinkle with sage or parlsey.

Crock Pot Baked Onion Dip

This is a great dip!

Cook onions in your crockpot until they caramelize; then mix in several kinds of cheeses until they melt.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Preparation:

Using at least a  2-quart crockpot, add olive oil and butter on high setting. Let the butter melt and then add the onions and stir well. Turn to low heat and cook for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and brownish in color. Add remaining ingredients, stirring as you put them in. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours until cheeses melt. Stir a time or two during the cook time.

Serve with crackers, breadsticks,, baguettes or french bread strip. Keep warm in crockpot on low or Warm setting for up to 2 hours.

Makes about 3 cups of dip.

*shortcut: caramelize onions on stove top and then combine all ingredients into crock pot for about 1 and half to 2 hours.

Tip: If you don't want to serve from the crock pot, you can transfer dip mixture to oven proof container and place in oven on 400 to lightly brown the top. Then you can just heat it up in the microwave or on low on stove top occasionally.

Tomatoes

Wikipedia describes tomatoes as a non-lethal throwing weapon and a good source of lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, believed to fight free radicals that may cause cancer. (Lycopene is also present in watermelon, papaya, pink grapefruit, and guava).

It's found in anything tomato: ketchup, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc. 


Tomatoes are the number one plant in home gardens in America. They're even grown on apartment balconies.

They are easily stuffed with ground beef and cheese or other ingredients and cooked in the microwave.

They are great sliced and used as a pizza topping.

If you think about it, how would we live without them?

Remember when catsup is about all that was in the stores?

I remember sitting at the table when I was a kid looking at the bottle and wondering why it was spelled that way but we didn't say it that way.

These days ketchup is all you see in the stores and it's spelled and pronounced the same way!


Why the difference? Here's a couple of ideas about that.


Catsup Versus Ketchup


World Wide Words (about Ketchup)