Cranberry Almond Muffins

These are yummy and very festive...serve with cream cheese spread or butter.  (I forgot to put the sliced almonds on top--but they're just as good!)


Cranberry Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 c. flour (can use whole grain if preferred)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 16-oz. container sour cream (can substitute all or part with plain yogurt)
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1/4 c. salad oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 2 T. sliced blanched almonds

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients.  With a fork, blend eggs, milk, oil, almond extract, and sour cream.  Stir into dry ingredients--batter will be lumpy.  Fold in cranberries.  Pour into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle tops with almonds.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 18-24, depending on size of tins.

Enjoy!

Salmon Quesadillas

This is a quick and nutritious lunch, great for the kids, delicious for everyone.  You might be one of those who don't cook with canned salmon, but it's health benefits are terrific, and it's a great change from tuna.  Give it a try!
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You'll need:

• 14.75-oz. can salmon, drained and broken up with a fork (leave the bones--they're a terrific source of usable calcium!)
• flour tortillas (whole wheat preferred), or whole grain wrap
• fresh garlic
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• dried basil
• pepper

In a skillet, saute 2 minced cloves of garlic in 1 tsp. of oil.  Stir in salmon, 1-2 tsp. basil, and 1/2 tsp. of pepper.  Stir and cook until heated through.

Spread butter over one side of a flour tortilla; place butter side down on the griddle.  Sprinkle with 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese.  Spread 1/2 c. salmon mixture over half of tortilla.  Fold over, cook on low 1-2 minutes.  Flip and cook an additional minute.

Cut in wedges and serve with guacamole and salsa.  Serves 4.

Great served with tossed green salad or selection of cut-up fresh fruit and cottage cheese.

A few of my favorite kitchen tips

Every cook develops her own set of time- or work-saving tips over the years.  Here are a few of mine:

• Warm a lemon in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before cutting and juicing it.  You'll get a lot more juice.
• With all that extra lemon juice, just freeze it in an ice cube tray, then pop into a freezer container.  You'll always have lemon juice on hand.  (Did you know that bottled lemon juice is acidic and fresh is alkaline?  All the bad guys--viruses, bacteria, fungus and yeast, and even cancers--thrive in an acidic environment in your body.  A friend of mine who underwent treatment at the Cancer Center of America said they told her to drink/sip fresh lemon water all day--a truly anti-cancer prescription.  Generally, fresh fruits and veggies are alkaline.)
• Buy the industrial-size cans of applesauce, tomato sauce, or salsa at warehouse stores like Sam's or Costco; then open and pour into glass canning jars (leaving some head space) and freeze.  A huge $$$ savings over buying those smaller sizes.
• When you've finished the dishes, microwave your dishcloth for 1 minute on high.  Kills the germs and thus any smell.  I learned this tip from a microbiologist friend of mine.
• Remove labels from tuna cans or other similar sizes and wash in the dishwasher.  Keep a few on hand to spoon excess fat from meats--just let harden and throw the whole thing away.
• Buy the largest packages of ground beef from the warehouse stores.  Fry up the whole batch with some chopped onion, drain fat, and freeze in smaller portions.  SO handy for quick suppers: soups, tacos or taco salad, pizza, sloppy joes, and casseroles.
• Hem up some 1'x1' squares of colorful fabric for fabric napkins.  I have a big assortment and just wash them with the kitchen linen.  It's a big savings over paper napkins and it looks elegant and cheerful on the table.
• I bought a large stack of bar mop towels at Sam's, cut them in half and hemmed them.  I use one during a cooking session just to wipe my hands on, which are always wet.  No cross-contamination with other hand towels in the kitchen and with a big stack just dedicated to this purpose, I use them freely.

I'd love to hear some of your handy tips--care to share any?

Jellied Vegetable Salad (a.k.a. Perfection Salad)

This is a really old salad recipe, going back I suppose to the time powdered gelatin and refrigerators came into being.  I found a version in a 1942 cookbook, with variations in two other cookbooks I have, both of which are called "Perfection Salad."

I was delighted to discover that it has all ingredients I can have on the candida diet, with the exception of sugar, which I substituted stevia for.  A very refreshing change on a limited diet, and a new taste for summer.  I might add that this would be a good way to get some extra veggies in your kids' diets!
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• 2 packets powdered gelatin
• 1/2 c. cold water
• 1/4 c. cider vinegar*
• 2 T. fresh  lemon juice
• 2 c. boiling water
• 2 tsp. stevia or to taste (original recipe:  1/2 c. sugar)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. finely shredded cabbage
• 2 c. finely sliced celery
• 1/4 c. chopped green pepper
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced radishes
• (Optional:  1/4 c. cooked green peas, 1/2 finely chopped cucumber)

In a medium bowl, soak gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes to soften.  Add the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, stevia, and boiling water, stirring well.  Chill in the refrigerator until slightly thickened, then stir in all the vegetables.  Pour into an 8x8 pan or 2-quart mold and chill until firm.  Cut into squares and serve on lettuce leaves with *mayonnaise spread on top.  Serves 6 to 8.

* Organic apple cider vinegar, raw and unfiltered (like Braggs), is permitted on a candida diet if you have no reactions to it.
**I make my own mayonnaise that has no vinegar or sugar.  Many cookbooks have recipes for this.

Beef-lovers salad

You can use either canned, cubed beef (I get mine at Costco) or leftover roast for this recipe.  Veggies are approximate amounts; just adjust to taste.  Serve on a bed of mixed greens or use as a wrap filling.  Really delicious!

In a bowl, blend:

• 1 1/2 c. cubed cooked beef
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced celery
• 1/3 c. thinly sliced broccoli stalks, outer fibers cut off
• 1/4 c. diced red onion
• 1 hard-boiled egg, diced
• 1/2 c. or so mayonnaise mixed with 1 T. prepared horseradish
• salt and pepper to taste

M-m-m-m...

Yummy collard greens

Collards are a vegetable I've never known anything about or eaten, until recently.  A friend fixed them for us one night at dinner and I've been hooked ever since.  They're incredibly healthy and mild-tasting, and I've noticed they're among the least expensive vegetables we have right now.  Perfect combo!

Prepare the veggies:

• one bunch collard greens, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 plum tomatoes, diced

In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in extra virgin olive oil for a minute or two.  Add the greens and tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to blend, then cover and turn down heat.  Cook on low, stirring occasionally until tender, about 12 minutes or so.

You can season with a splash of wine vinegar just at serving.

A quick blender lunch

I call it "Avocado Gazpacho" and it only takes minutes to make.  It's wonderfully healthy and satisfying, great for a candida or gluten-free diet, as well as vegetarian.  My recipe is for two servings, and please note --all amounts and ingredients are up to you!  I like mine chunky but just blend it to desired consistency.  It's great cold for a summer soup, but you can use hot water for cold weather eating.


In your blender or VitaMix, cut up and combine:

• 1/2-1 tomato
• 1/2 c. cucumber
• 1/3 c. green pepper
• 1/2-1 green onion
• 1/2-1 stalk celery
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/2 avocado
• 1-2 T. olive oil
• garlic salt (or if you're brave, fresh garlic and salt)
• approximately 2/3 c. water or chicken broth

M-m-m, good!

Candida "Bread"

I've posted before about something that can serve as a basic "bread" for those on a strict candida diet, Cauliflower Pancakes.  I discovered a nice modification I use when I run out of cauliflower...use eggplant!


I peel and cube a whole eggplant and use 5-6 eggs in the blender, with a little salt.  Bake them similarly on a non-stick griddle.  They take a bit longer to bake, and as with the cauliflower ones, I turn them over, back and forth, a couple of times so they are gooey inside.


I use the pancakes for...

• Cinnamon toast!...butter, cinnamon, stevia
• Tacos!...seasoned meat, veggies, avocado, mayonnaise (I make my own) & salsa
• Sandwiches!...tuna, chicken, or turkey salad loaded with diced veggies and lettuce
• Toast and jelly!...butter and cooked cranberries with stevia & vegetable glycerin (my jam)
• Handy wraps for just about anything!...mayo or butter, sliced leftover meat or sausage, etc.

I've even put baked ones in the toaster oven and crisped them up...and they become crackers.


Anyway, they're sure a blessing when you're going through a low-carb season.  Give 'em a try!

Cabbage wraps

If you're looking for an alternative for sandwiches, try a cabbage wrap!


Just use an outer cabbage leaf like you would a burrito wrap, fill it with mayo, meat, veggies, cheese, fold it up like a burrito, and voila!  A very yummy and healthy lunch.  There is no 'cabbage-y' taste, just a satisfying and filling crunch.  Cabbage leaves also don't wilt as quickly as a lettuce-leaf wrap.  And cabbage is a powerhouse of nutrition, a vegetable I think we probably all need more of in our diets.  (The kids might even like it!)


A favorite of mine is a homemade chicken or salmon patty with red onion, tomato, avocado slices, and mayo.  Yum!

Help for your soups

I learned a great health tip this year in one of my candida-diet cookbooks for cooking soups.

People who are dealing with candida tend not to absorb nutrients as well as they should, so a candida diet should focus on obtaining the highest quality nutrition possible.

Soups should be cooked only until the veggies are done but slightly crunchy.  I think I have overcooked my soups forever, but now that I do it this way, I love the flavors and textures.

So now, this is my soup-making process:

• Make my own broth ahead of time, chill, and de-fat it.  My pressure cooker is fantastic for this; I freeze it in quart jars.


• I pre-cook the meat I will use:  chicken, hamburger, roast, sausage.  This, too, can be done in large batches ahead of time and frozen.


• To prepare, I bring the broth and meat to a simmer and add the vegetables.


• I cook the soup from 5-15 minutes, depending on the vegetables, the less time the better.

Delicious!  Try it and see if you don't notice a difference.  :-)