Stealth Cooking

Pork Tenderloin with Apples

2009-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Remember all those apples that were picked just a few weeks ago? There's still a few pounds left, so it's time to add apples to anything and everything! Here's a main dish that features pork and apples, and they seem to have an affinity for each other.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tsp sage
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 tsp)
2 apples, pared, cored, and thickly sliced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Slice the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices. Rub the pork slices with sage. I used rubbed sage, but sage leaves work just as nicely. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage rubbed pork to the skillet. Cook until the pork is brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork slices and cook until the second side is brown. Add the apple slices, the red wine, and the chicken stock. Cook for several minutes, until the stock begins to thicken and the apples begin to take on a nice wine color. Check to make sure the pork is cooked through, then serve. To serve, dish several pieces of pork onto each dish, then add some apple and onion on top, and drizzle with a little of the wine sauce.

The addition of red wine makes the pork and apples take on a beautiful dark red color. I used a petit sirah for this dish, but pinot noir would be equally nice. Use a wine that you like to drink with pork.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: There's many meats that are healthy. Look for cuts that are low in fat. Pork tenderloin is a healthy choice - especially if you remember that a single portion is 3 or 4 ounces. That's about the size of a deck of cards. By cutting the tenderloin into slices, and serving it with a sauce of apples and onions, no one will miss a larger serving size!

Foolish Pasta (Soup)

2009-10-28T15:54:00.001-07:00

First of all, this is a soup - not a pasta dish. One of the reasons for the name. The other reason for the name of this dish was the mispronunciation of the real name of this dish "Pasta e Fagioli". We'd slaughter the Italian pronunciation and call it Pasta Fool or Pasta Fazool, even though the latter is actually a pretty decent way to pronounce the name of this delicious Italian soup. However you pronounce the name of this soup, or whatever you end up calling it, you'll enjoy a vegetable soup with lots of flavor, and some pasta, too.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)

1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
up to 2 cups additional broth or water
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 cup small whole grain pasta
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chervil
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt

4 Tbs shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a stainless steel soup pot. Saute the mushrooms, onion, and celery in the oil oil until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the Parmesan, to the sauteed vegetables. The pasta can be any kind of small pasta. I've added small whole wheat shells to this batch, but I've also made this with elbows, salad pasta, orzo, or spaghetti broken into one inch pieces. Add additional water or broth if the soup cooks down and gets too thick. Simmer until the pasta is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes. Ladle into bowls, and top with each bowl with Parmesan cheese.

Note: Instead of cannellini beans, I've also substituted red kidney beans, white northern beans, or garbanzo beans, essentially whatever kind of bean I had in my pantry at the time.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Have your family help you name some of your culinary creations. You'll come up with some fun names, and will also help the family want more of food that's good for them!

Greek Salad

2009-10-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite summertime salads. Some of the ingredients can be found throughout the year, and even during fall I can still find all of them fresh at the farmer's market. Whenever I make this, I always feel like a fresh summer breeze has just blown in.

Ingredients:

4 cups mixed salad greens
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 large tomato, cut into wedges and diced
(or 1 cup grape tomatoes)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese
up to 4 Tbs of vinaigrette type salad dressing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Pour a small amount of salad dressing over the greens and mix well to combine. Serve.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Ever notice how some salads are drenched with dressing? Or maybe you have someone in your family who likes to pour half a bottle of dressing on top of their greens. While salads are extremely healthy, too much dressing works to spoil the health benefits. Dressing the greens before they're served means that you control the amount per serving. That way, no one will ever has a chance to pour half a bottle of dressing on their salad!

Cornbread

2009-10-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

What am I going to do with all of the applesauce I just made? For one thing, I use it in many recipes. When a recipe calls for oil, I'll substitute applesauce for half of the oil. Here's a good example.

In addition to applesauce, this recipe has vegetables in it, too!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup masa harina
1/2 cup polenta
2 Tbs corn meal
1 cup bread flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 cup milk (or soy milk)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs butter, softened or melted
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs applesauce
2 egg whites
1/2 cup corn kernels, cut from cob or frozen
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped pepper, red or anaheim chile
1 tsp canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Chop onions and peppers and place into a microwave safe cooking bowl. Heat for 1 minute on high to soften. Let the vegetable mixture cool. Mix masa harina, polenta, cornmeal, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add milk, sugar, butter, oil, applesauce and eggs whites. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold corn, onions, and peppers into cornbread mixture. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with canola oil, or use a paper towel to distribute the oil lightly over the surface. Pour cornbread mixture into pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. These may also be made into muffins. Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 9 to 10 servings.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Applesauce is a good stand in for oil in many recipes. Baked goods, especially those with a sweet undertone, can usually hold up to substituting applesauce for 1/2 of the oil. In this recipe, I used a small amount of butter to retain rich flavor, a small amount of oil to help develop the "crumb" of the cornbread, and then applesauce for the rest of the oil. Try this out with some of your favorite home recipes. The one thing to remember is to use smooth style applesauce, chunky style applesauce won't give you the same results.

Five Star Apple Sauce

2009-10-22T18:04:00.001-07:00

This sauce is reminiscent of one from my husband's childhood. His grandparents had just one apple tree. However, that one apple tree had five different kinds of apples grafted onto it. Every fall he would help his grandfather pick apples, then he'd help prepare the apples for the sauce his grandmother made. He'd enjoy that sauce throughout the year, right up until the next year's apples began to ripen, and it was time to start the process all over again.

This sauce is a mixture of 5 apples. I like to use a combination of sweet and tart apples, but just about any combination will work. This year I used Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Black Arkansas, Rome, and Braeburn. We picked the Golden Delicious, and the rest were purchased at an organic apple farm stand. My mix this year was based on availability! You certainly don't need to can the sauce, unless you happen to have an extra 50 pounds of apples like I do. Instead, make a small batch. Enjoy some with dinner tonight, then keep on enjoying any that might be leftover for several meals during the week.

Ingredients:

5 pounds apples - 1 pound each of 5 varieties
2 cups water or apple juice
1 - 2 cups sugar (optional)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Quarter apples, cutting out and discarding any spots with insect damage. Place apples in a large heavy bottomed stainless steel sauce pan, adding enough water or juice to make sure the apples don't stick. Bring apples to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until the apples are tender and begin to fall apart.

Run cooked apples through a food mill, discarding skins and seeds. Return sauce to heavy bottomed pan and bring back to a boil. Add lemon juice, then add sugar to taste. Sweeter apples will need less sugar than tart ones.

If canning sauce, prepare jars, lids, and screwtops by washing thoroughly. Fill a large stockpot or canner with enough water to cover filled jars. Keep jars and lids in hot water until ready to use. Fill hot jars with applesauce, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles by running a non-metalic knife around the edges of the jar. Wipe the top of jar with an impeccably clean washcloth, removing any traces of applesauce. Fit with a jar lid, tighten with a screwtop and place filled jar in canner. After all jars are in the canner, adjust water heighth so that jar tops are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring canner to a boil, cover, and boil canned applesauce for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars sit for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water bath, and let sit overnight or until cool. Check lids to make sure they are sealed, and label your sauce!

Makes 5 pints of applesauce

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Share stories about food. This applesauce is famous in our family because of the story of how a little boy helped his grandparents. If there's a healthy food that's full of family memories, learn how to make it - or re-create it, and make new memories with your family. The kid in all of us eats up stories as much as we eat up our dinners.

Marion's Apple Crunch

2009-10-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

It's fall here - finally! Fall arrived in Sacramento this year with a huge storm, one that knocked out power, and our internet, for a full day. That fall storm left just as quickly as it arrived, so that thoughts of picking fall apples seemed a likely possibility. Our family went up to Apple Hill just outside of Placerville one day last weekend, where we spent a morning picking organic apples at one of the u-pick orchards. Even after the heavy winds and rain of the storm, there were plenty of apples. That said, you'll be seeing several of my favorite ways with apples. Here's a family favorite.

Ingredients:

4 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 4 cups)
a sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp butter, cut into bits
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread apples slices in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle the apples with a little cinnamon and the butter bits. Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Add the egg to the flour mixture and mix until moist. Spread the flour topping onto the apples. Bake the crunch for 30 - 40 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and crunchy.

Serves 6

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Picking apples at a u-pick orchard has many benefits. Enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of apples trees against the sky. When choosing your u-pick orchard, do look for orchards that grow organic apples. More pesticides are used on apples than on any other food, so organic apples are always best!

Beet Borscht

2009-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Borscht is a lot like minestrone in that every cook has their own special recipe. Here's mine. It's loosely based on a recipe I saw years ago in Alex Hawkes book on Vegetable Cookery. Wow!! It really was years and years ago, as his book was published in 1968, and I got my copy around 1970. I like this particular recipe because it uses lots of beets, a good thing then beets are ripening and ready to be pulled from the ground. I also like this recipe because it's so thick that it's really like a tasty stew. Finally, I like this recipe because the bright red color brings the reds of the fall leaves into the house and onto the table.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb flank steak
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped raw beets
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Low fat sour cream or Greek yogurt

Directions:

Slice the flank steak into 1/2 inch strips, then cut the strips into small bite size pieces. Pour the olive oil into a heavy bottomed soup kettle over medium heat. Add the flank steak pieces and onion and cook until the flank steak is nearly done. Add the beets, stock, water, carrots, tomato paste and vinegar to the pot. Cook until the beets are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual serving bowls, and top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream or yogurt.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Make sure to top the soup with either sour cream of Greek yogurt. It makes the soup beautiful, and fun to eat. Kids will probably try to add just a little bit of white topping with the deep red soup. Adults may find that swirling the two colors together makes a pleasing bowl. Either way, it's a pleasing presentation that enhances flavor, too.

Food as Art vs It Tastes Really Good ... But

2009-10-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I experimented with a chicken dish, chicken breasts cooked with shallots, garlic, peaches, and pinot noir. Yes, the autumn wine crush has me thinking of wine, and wanting to cook with it, too. However, this was one of those dishes that just didn't work. My husband summed it up nicely when he said, "Maybe it's best not to show readers purple chicken, but it tastes really good." So, it's back to the drawing board on that recipe, but it's also a good time to make a quick aside on how presentation really does count, even at home.

It's not that I'm new to presentation flops. No, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Last St Patrick's Day, I had two young grandsons staying at my house. I thought green eggs would be a great way to start off the day! So, I scrambled up some eggs and added lots of green food coloring. They were really green! I was pretty sure they'd enjoy them. After all, they enjoyed the book "Green Eggs and Ham" when they were just a few years younger. Well, the green eggs didn't go over nearly as well as I imagined. The youngest took one look and asked if there was bacon and toast, and never took one bite of those green eggs. The older of the two boys said they looked "most unappetizing" but taste great ... just close your eyes when you eat.

He said a mouthful there. We eat with more than our mouths. We do more than eat to simply fill our belly and our dietary needs. There's the tastebuds, looking for sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and the 5th taste, umami or savory tastes. There's the nose, smelling and identifying different ingredients. There's the mouthfeel - the texture of food - crunchy, smooth, liquid, hard, chewy, soft. Finally, there's the eyes - seeing food and sending images of delightful tastes (or disgusting ones) to our minds.

Robert Indiana knows the importance of the visual. His "EAT" sculpture, shown here atop the Farnsworth Museum in Maine, blinks on and off and is fascinating with it's visual presentation. Some restaurants go to great lengths, or heights these days, with their presentation techniques. It's not something I often think about with home cooking, and rarely talk about here, but making foods look delicious, then plating them to enhance that delicious look, does have a place, even at home. Green eggs and purple chicken both would need considerable dressing up to make them palatable to most eaters. Picky eaters probably won't touch them.

So, I'll go back to the drawing table, make that a culinary cutting board, and will work up a recipe with chicken, shallots, garlic, peaches, and pinot noir soon. But, you can bet the chicken won't be cooked in the pinot noir, so it won't turn out purple!

Corn Fritters

2009-10-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

The last sweet corn is coming in from the fields. These fritters make excellent use of corn. They taste amazing when made with fresh sweet corn, but also taste pretty darn good when made with frozen corn kernels. This recipe was inspired by a similar one in The Joy of Cooking.

If you've never scraped corn kernels from the cob, it's an easy task. Peel back the husks and remove the silks. Place the cob in a bowl to catch the kernels and to keep the corn juices from spattering too much. Now, hold the cob by the bottom end and use a knife to cut off the kernels. After you've removed the kernels, use the back of the knife to scrape the "cream" from the base of the kernels. This cream adds depth of taste to your dish, as well as making cut corn creamy.

Ingredients:

2 ears of fresh corn (about 1 cup)
1 egg
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 tsp olive or canola oil

Directions:

Cut the kernels and scrape the juice from the corn into a large bowl. Separate the yolk from the egg white, adding the yolk to the corn, and putting the egg white into a small, clean bowl. Add the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper to the corn mixture. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, but aren't dry. Fold the egg whites into the corn mixture.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Drop the corn batter into the skillet, forming fritters about 3 inches in diameter. Cook the fritters for 2 or 3 minutes until brown, turn once, and brown on the second side. Don't press the fritters down! Serve at once.

Serves 4, 2 small fritters each.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: These fritters only taste sinful! Usually fritters are deep fried, and wouldn't be found anywhere near a healthy diet. These, however, are pan sauteed using just one teaspoon of olive oil. Plus, they're chock full of corn. Even though we usually think of corn as a vegetable, it's technically a grain. Like many grains, corn is a good source of complex carbohydrates as well as fiber.

Pomegranate Salad

2009-10-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

So, here's another thought about trying new foods. When was the last time you bought a pomegranate? This is the time of year to get them. Wizened looking red globes, with bright orbs inside. The orbs are seeds, proper introduction of their given name, arils. The arils are sweet and tasty, fun to pull apart, and full of nutrition. One pomegranate will yield up to a cup of arils, enough for several recipes.

To get the arils out of their large red globe, cut the pomegranate in half. Most often I hear that removing the seeds is best done underwater. This is accomplished by filling a large bowl with water, submerging the pomegranate and separating the seeds from the with pith. However, I've regularly just pulled the seeds apart, keeping the seeds and tossing the pith. It can be as messy or as controlled as you like. My grandkids love doing this, and it does get a bit messy when they do it! I'm sure they always pop a few arils in their mouths as they're pulling them apart, but what a great snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups salad greens
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
2 Tbs feta cheese
2 Tbs chopped pecans
2 Tbs salad dressing

Directions:

First off, have fun removing the arils from the pomegranate. It's really quite easy, so don't let this unusual fruit intimidate. Pile salad greens on plate. Add pomegranate arils, cheese, nuts, and dressing.

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Pomegranates are another of those red fruits, like the grapes that make wine, that have high amounts of polyphenol antioxidants. Eating the whole seed means that you're getting a good dose of fiber in addition to all of those antioxidants. Getting kids to help prepare meals will get them invested in their portion of the cooking. Here's an easy part of a meal for kids of all ages to help prepare, and enjoy!

Fennel Salad

2009-09-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Haven't had fennel before? If you like celery, it's got the same crunch. If you like licorice, it's got a similar taste. An oft overlooked source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, fennel is also a good source of phosphorous and folic acid. As far as fiber is concerned, a 3-1/2 ounce serving packs 3.1 grams of fiber. Don't know what it looks like to buy some? It's usually available fresh in the fall, so you might start seeing some soon.

To prepare, cut off the base and wash. Save the tough stalks and leaves. Stalks add a delicious flavor on grilled meats or vegetables, and the fronds are a great addition to salads and soups. The base itself can be sliced vertically through the bulb, then either added as is to roast vegetables, or sliced crosswise thinly and added to salads.

Today's recipe focuses on a salad with fennel.

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb
1 orange (or 1 can of mandarin orange sections)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
3 cups mixed salad greens
1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs sherry or champagne vinegar
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash, halve, and slice the fennel bulb. Mix salad greens with fennel fronds and mound 1/4 of the greens on each salad plate. Top with fennel, orange slices, cheese, and pecans. Mix olive oil with vinegar and herbs. Pour salad dressing on each salad, then add a grind of salt and pepper to each salad.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Try something new! Today, this week, this month. Just make a commitment to trying a new food every so often. After all, you won't know if you like it if you don't try it! That's what I always used to say to my kids, and what I now get to say to my grandkids. Sometimes we find foods we really like, and sometimes we find ones we'll never buy again. Ultimately, we broaden our tastes and increase the variety of foods we eat. This not only creates and builds interest in different foods, it increases the variety of nutrients our foods supply.

Grilled Cob Corn

2009-09-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple technique for grilling corn on the cob. This works especially well when you've already got the grill heated up for something else. Throwing on corn just makes life that much easier. The trick to these is to get them all ready to eat before you grill them! To pick out the best ears of corn, look for ones that feel well filled out all the way to the tassel end. Also, look to make sure there's no insect damage near the tassels. That will be easy to see.

Ingredients:

4 fresh ears of corn
1-1/4 tsp butter/olive oil blend
1 tsp barbecue seasoning
1/2 tsp ground salt

Directions:

Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each large enough to encase one corn cob. Shuck the corn and pull off the silk. Rub each cob of corn with 1/4 tsp butter/olive oil blend. Shake a little barbecue seasoning and salt on the corn. Wrap the corn in the aluminum foil, folding the edges together so that the juices won't run off. Place corn on hot grill and grill for about 10 minutes, turning cobs every minute or two, so that it will cook evenly and won't burn. Peel off aluminum foil and serve.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Here's a great way to cut back on butter when you're serving corn on the cob. We all know how easy it is to overdo the butter when you butter corn at the table. I love to put lots of butter on, so that the salt really sticks to the corn. The secret to this corn really is preparing it for eating beforehand. This small amount of butter and oil keeps the spicy blend and salt on the corn. With the special seasonings, I don't miss all that melted butter and salt. A second secret is not to have the butter or salt shaker available at the serving area or the table. That way, it's a lot easier to eat your corn right away, cutting out the additional butter and salt.

Fajitas

2009-09-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

I made these fajitas with chicken breasts, but they can also be made with a lean cut of beef like flank steak. I often omit the meat altogether to make a vegetarian version. This dish could be one of my personal all time favorites. It combines ease of preparation, healthy ingredients, and great taste. Tomatillos aren't a commonly known vegetable, but they're excellent in this dish. They're pictured below, along with a red pepper, an anaheim chili, garlic and onion. The papery husks are easily removed, then the entire tomatillo can be chopped and added to the fajita mixture.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, about 1/2 pound meat total
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup vertically sliced onion
1 anaheim chile pepper, sliced crosswise
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 red pepper, vertically sliced
4 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1/2 fresh lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 tortillas
tomato salsa
grated cheese

Directions: Slice chicken breast into 1/4 slices, then cut slices into 1/4 inch widths - so that the resulting pieces of chicken are about the size of french fries. Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken and cook until the pieces lose their pink color. Push to the sides of the pan. Add onion, peppers, tomatillos, and garlic. Cook until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir to combine chicken with vegetables. Squeeze in fresh lime juice and add cilantro. Soften tortillas by heating a second non-stick skillet. Heat each tortilla for approximately 1 minute per side until soft and pliable. Make fajitas by filling a tortilla with 1/4 of the meat and vegetable mixture and topping with salsa and some grated cheese.

Serves 2

This recipe is easily doubled or more, depending on the number of diners.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Read the label when you're purchasing tortillas. Some of them are still made with lard, not the best product for a healthy diet. However, there are some excellent healthy brands. I find some organic ones for a good price at my farmer's market. I've also had some excellent ones from the store (along with some not so excellent ones). A brand I find here that's consistently good is made by La Tortilla Factory. Their Smart & Delicious Original is pretty tasty.

Pulled Chicken Sandwich

2009-09-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a super quick supper dish. You can grill the chicken on your backyard grill, cook it on the stove top, or for the quickest dish yet - purchase a precooked chicken and shred the breast meat.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, about 1 pound total
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup barbeque sauce

4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

Coat chicken breasts with chili powder and cumin. Heat grill or stove top pan until hot. If using stove top method, add olive oil to pan, then add chicken and cook until the juices run clear, about 6 minutes per side. Remove chicken. Add second teaspoon of oil to pan, then add onion, red pepper and brown sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to brown. The brown sugar will hasten the browning time. Add the garlic to the pan, along with the chicken stock and barbeque sauce. While stock and sauce are heating, shred the chicken. Use two forks to pull the cooked chicken apart into long shreds. Return the shredded chicken to the pan, mixing it into the sauce. Heat buns, and mound with chicken mixture.

Serves 4.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Who doesn't love barbeque? So, use your favorite barbeque sauce! I pick up a bottle or two of our family's favorites each year at the Rib Cook-Off. It's a sure fire way to get your crew ready to bite into these. These have been lightened with the use of some chicken stock, but no one will know the difference!

Chili Relleno

2009-09-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a chili relleno recipe that combines ease of preparation with good taste ... and a bonus, too. It's got a good dose of healthy vegetables, along with milk, eggs, and cheese. I've had some of my friends say this should be my signature dish. You'll have to try it and see if you agree.

Ingredients:

2 7-oz cans whole green chiles

4 oz (1 cup) reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend

2 Tbs flour

6 oz evaporated milk or soy milk

2 eggs

1/4 tsp pepper

4 oz chili salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove seeds and membranes from green chiles. Flatten half of the chiles in a 8x8x2 baking dish. Cover with 1/2 cup of the cheese blend. Flatten remaining chiles in the pan and cover with remaining cheese. Separate eggs into 2 bowls. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat eggs yolks until blended, then stir in flour, milk and pepper. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture. Pour egg and milk mixture over chiles in baking dish. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover and pour salsa over the top and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Anaheim chiles are a mild chili. If you want to make sure this dish is mild enough to please everyone, kids included, make sure to remove the seeds and membranes before flattening the chiles in the dish. The seeds and membranes have the most capsaicin - and it's what makes hot foods hot! If you like a little more heat, just leave the seeds and membranes in!

Seattle Steaks

2009-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful steak in Seattle that originated at a friend's Let's Dish Store in Marysville, WA. Victoria, who owns the store, makes these up so people can pick up healthy, prepared meals and cook at home - in a hurry! Don't feel obligated to buy grass fed beef, you can certainly use this recipe on any kind of steak you like. I think you'll enjoy the coffee and pepper crust - tasty!

Ingredients:

4 4-oz grass fed beef steak portions

1/4 cup ground coffee
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp canola oil (1 tsp for regular beef steaks)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat canola oil in an ovenproof skillet until very hot. Sear steaks in pan for 1 or 2 minutes per side to seal juices. Place pan in oven and continue cooking until done to your liking. Medium rare will take about 4 or 5 minutes. Let steaks rest for an additional 5 minutes before serving.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This recipe calls for grass fed, organic beef, which requires a slightly different cooking technique than commercial grade beef. Grass fed beef tends to have less marbled fat throughout the meat, so steaks need to be quickly seared with oil on the outside, then finished at a lower heat, so that they will be juicy and tender. If you're using commericial beef, simply reduce the amount of oil, and increase the oven temperature to 400.

Spicy Chicken Thighs

2009-09-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Think those boneless, skinless chicken breasts are too expensive? Me too! But, with all those chicken breasts flying off the shelves into consumers baskets, what happens with the rest of the chicken? Spell Good Prices!! Chicken thighs can frequently be had for a fraction of the cost of breasts, which is good news for the cost conscious. Here's one of my favorite ways to cook them!

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Combine spices, including salt and pepper in a small bowl. Remove skin from chicken thighs. You can also remove the bone, or leave it in, whichever way you prefer. Rub chicken thighs with spice mixture.

Heat the canola oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken, turning pieces as they brown. When chicken is brown, add wine and chicken stock to skillet. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until done, about 5 minutes if boned and about 10 minutes if the bones were left in. When chicken is done, the juices will run clean when pierced with a knife or fork. Remove chicken, and pour any remaining pan juices over the chicken as a sauce.

Serves 4.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I frequently use small amounts of chicken stock to take the place of higher calorie butter or oils when cooking. I buy my chicken stock in quart size containers, but they only last about 10 days in the refrigerator after opening. Here's a neat trick I learned from one of my daughters about keeping opened stocks. Label the top of the container, either with your open date or the toss date. That way, you'll always know when to toss out a stock if it's dated and that the stocks you use are still fresh and safe to use!

Novelle Salad

2009-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I had a salad at a wonderful restaurant in Southern California that was very similar to this. There's a certain balance between the bitter arugula greens, the pungent cheese and the sweet dressing. It's a salad that we have at home only occasionally, just to keep it special!

Ingredients:

4 cups baby arugula
1 red pepper
4 thin slices red onion
4 tsp pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces aged manchego cheese
Honey Mustard Dressing

Directions:

Prepare the red pepper ahead of time. Halve the red pepper lengthwise, remove seeds and white veins, and flatten the pepper. Place the pepper on an ovenproof pan and place under a broiler for 6-10 minutes, until skin blisters. Remove from broiler and cover pepper with a saucepan or pot cover. Let steam for 10 minutes, then remove the blistered skin, and cut into thin strips. Alternatively, you can purchase sweet red pepper strips already prepared, Mezzetta brand makes a nice tasting product.

Wash and dry the baby arugula. Arrange leaves on salad plates. Mound red peppers on top of lettuce. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Separate the onion rings and arrange on top of salad. Top with several shavings of manchego cheese. Dress salad with a small amount of honey mustard dressing.

Serves 4.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Manchego cheese is a full bodied sheep's milk cheese. It tastes a little like feta cheese, slightly more pungent and with a firmer texture. The longer the cheese ages, the sharper the taste. I've seen Manchego that's been aged for as little as 3 months to as long as 12 months. As taste increases with aging, price increases, too! But, good news, you won't need as much of the sharper cheese. If you're looking to cut the sodium or fat in cheeses, or just want to buy less, use smaller amounts of sharp, full bodied cheeses. Shave the slices thinner and place them prominently on top of your salad. You'll still enjoy great taste, just less product!

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

2009-09-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a pie crust that still has plenty of good flavor, even if it doesn't have butter or lard.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp white vinegar
5 Tbs olive oil
3-4 Tbs water

Directions:

Measure flours into a bowl. Combine oil, vinegar and 2 Tbs. of the water. Pour liquids into flour. Add more water until the dough mixture forms a ball. Roll flat between two sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Then, lift dough into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate and form edges. Cook as directed for pie, or bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes for pre-cooked pie crust.

Makes one crust, 8 or 9 inch pie plate.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Use this pie crust when you introduce a new pie (like the cheese and vegetable quiche) to your family. Break them in slowly! That way, they won't think you're doing something too sneaky to their old favorites.

Cheese Pie (or just call it Quiche)

2009-09-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

I call this cheese pie for my family, and they gobble it up. While it's still not for everyday, I've worked to make this a healthier version. The original quiches used cream, and lots of it, along with loads of rich cheese with a decadent buttery crust. This version uses a mixture of soy creamer and non-fat milk, along with less of a stronger tasting cheese. Also, the crust is made with whole wheat flour using olive oil instead of butter. Finally, I've added a couple cups of vegetables to add some texture and spices to liven up the tastes. I've used mushrooms and shallots here, but use your favorites, so this will be sure to please.

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tbs minced shallot
3 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup soy creamer
3/4 cup non-fat milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 whole wheat pie crust in a 9" pie plate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mushrooms and shallot into a microwave safe container, and microwave for 2 minutes, until soft. Drain off excess liquid. Warm soy creamer and non-fat milk in microwave for 30 seconds. Mix eggs and egg whites in a bowl. Add creamer and milk, along with cooked vegetables to egg mixture. Scatter cheese on bottom of pie crust. If using bacon, sprinkle it over the cheese. Pour milk and vegetables over cheese. Grate nutmeg on top of pie. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Top will be firm, but will still jiggle when removed from oven. Let sit for an additional 10 minutes before cutting into pie. Cut pie and serve.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Other vegetables that I've used successfully include spinach, broccoli, asparagus, onions, and leeks. I've also used lean ham pieces instead of bacon. Whichever kind of vegetable you decide to use, make sure to drain the excess liquid after steaming in the microwave.

Fried Okra

2009-09-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Fried???? It doesn't seem like anything fried can be healthy anymore. The thought of fried foods brings up the idea of foods deep fat fried, dripping with artery clogging trans fats. Well, think again. It's how you fry, how often you fry, and how much fried food you eat for each serving.

I have a hard time giving up my fried foods. Ever since I first found french fries at a fast food restaurant with my friends, I've ordered them. I've since discovered baked "french fried" potatoes, and I think they're every bit as good. However, okra is a different story. It's roots are with my Southern aunt, who cooked up their crunch with sticks and sticks of butter. I haven't found a way to bake fried okra and come up with the delightful crunchy tidbits I so enjoy. What I have found is a way to decrease the oils used to cook them ... and to use oils that are healthier, so that the final product is still tasty, but doesn't scream unhealthy. Aah, decadence in eating without guilt. It's one of the things that makes life so good.

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced, fresh okra
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Slice fresh okra crosswise so that it is about 3/8" thick. Place okra into a bag with the cornmeal and shake until well coated with cornmeal. Heat butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet until hot, but not smoking. Add okra, taking care not to add the extra cornmeal that didn't stick to the okra pieces. Cook the okra, turning occasionally to prevent scorching. Salt just before serving.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Cutting okra thinly allows it to cook faster, resulting in less oil needed for cooking. Also, substituting some of the butter with olive oil adds a healthier fat. I've left in a little amount of butter for taste. Finally, using non-stick cookware decreases the overall amount of oil needed. This principle can be applied to many fried foods.

Organic Foods Cheaper

2009-09-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while driving, I heard a radio program about the high prices of organic foods. I respectfully disagree. Yes, they can be expensive. But, they don't have to be. Yes, there's heritage food products out there that you can only buy organically, and you can expect to pay dearly for them. Let's say, for instance, that you want to try some of the lesser known organic tomatoes like Mortgage Lifter or Cherokee Purple. You'll pay top dollar if that's the only type you're willing to purchase. But, there are several ways to eat organic fruits and vegetables and not pay sky high prices.

An easy way to save money and eat healthy is to grow produce yourself. Then, raise your produce using organic principles of rotating planting zones and not using pesticides. A package of seeds usually costs less than one or two helpings of the finished product. I bought a package of carrot seeds for $2.95, and even after eating them throughout the summer, I have dozens left growing in my garden. However, not everyone has the room to grow a garden. If you want to grow, but don't have a garden plot, many vegetables can be grown in pots, and even look quite nice on your patio or deck. When the deer kept eating my basil in Washington, I transplanted what was left of them into pots and arranged them on a second story deck.

OK, OK, not everyone wants to grow their own vegetables. Buying fresh, healthy produce doesn't have to be expensive. There are lots of growers out there who are willing to sell their vegetables for a fair price. Try farm stands, or seek out reputable growers at your farmer's market. They might not meet the federal "organic" guidelines, but talk with the grower and see what they do. No pesticides? Only natural fertilizer products? Perhaps they can't afford the high price for organic certification, or they haven't been farming organically long enough to be certified. However, their produce could still meet your needs, without costing a lot. Let's go back to the earlier example of paying top dollar for organically grown heritage Mortgage Lifter tomatoes. Hmmm, need tomatoes, but don't want to pay the price? How about buying Roma tomatoes grown pesticide free and fed with organic fertilizer. The price? Here, I can get them for a quarter of what I'd pay for regularly grown Roma tomatoes in the grocery store. Need to get it even cheaper? Only by serendipity ... I stumbled upon this tip just last weekend. Go to your farmer's market just before closing - farmer's want to get rid of everything before they go home, and the prices go from low to CHEAP!!! I got peppers for 10cents - when they're $1.50 each at the store. Tomatoes for 50cents - when they're close to two dollars at the store. The only problem with going late, selection isn't the best. You've got to take what you can get.

The final way to pay less for organic is to figure out which foods to buy organic, and which ones to buy non-organic. The thought is to buy organic is a food is a heavy feeder, one that absorbs lots of whatever nutrients are added. Also, to buy organic when conventionally grown products are typically grown with high amounts of pesticides, buy organic if you eat lots of one type of food. For example, I eat lots of salad - so I buy almost all of my salad fixings organic.

Here's a list of the foods that I buy organic, along with a list of those items I buy conventionally grown. This list originated from an article by noted MD Andrew Weil, who also studied botany and finds interest in the link between food and health. The list was further updated with information from a book called Buying Organic, which actually outlines which conventionally grown foods can be safely purchased.

Foods to buy Organic:

Apples

Peaches

Grapes (and Raisins)

Oranges

Strawberries

Lettuce

Carrots

Green Beans

Potatoes

Foods to buy Conventional:

Avocados

Beets

Onions

Peas

Bananas

Skim Milk

Yogurt

Turkey

Coffee/Tea

For me, I grow my own oranges, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, green beans, and potatoes. I do like other berries, too, and always buy them organic. I also go organic with both chicken and eggs. I buy the above items organic because I eat them so frequently. Some products, like milk and yogurt, are so highly regulated already, that organic productions doesn't make much difference. Now, about buying locally - that's an animal of a different color, and is also a topic for another discussion.

Green Salad with Figs and Goat Cheese

2009-09-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple salad with one of summer's special treats - sweet figs. I hadn't tried figs for years ... I don't know why. I've known my youngest daughter loves them, but when I saw the look of delight on her face when she bit into a fresh fig at our farmer's market, I thought I'd give then another try. Wow, I'm glad I did! Figs make their summer appearance right now at farmer's markets here in Sacramento, as well as those elsewhere in California and throughout the west. Get them quick, and enjoy a delicious treat.

Ingredients:

4 cups mixed baby salad greens

8 figs, cut in half lengthwise

4 tsp. goat cheese

4 tsp. chopped pecans

3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp. minced shallots

Directions:

Divide salad greens among four plates. Top with equal portions of figs, goat cheese, and pecans. Make dressing by mixing balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and shallots together. Pour dressing over salad.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I made these with Black Mission figs, but any variety will work equally well. There are over 150 varieties! All fresh figs are perishable, so use them quickly. With their multitude of crunchy, sweet seeds, figs are a good source of fiber.

Cold Chicken Bleu

2009-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is an easy to serve dish that can be made well ahead of time, so its' especially nice when you're not exactly sure what time you'll be serving dinner. I made this last week, and am so glad I did. I had dinner guests that I expected at 6:30. I thought dinner might be anytime between 7 and 7:30. Traffic being what it is, our guests didn't arrive at our house until 8:30pm! We didn't eat until after 9pm! But, cold chicken bleu to the rescue!!! This is a healthy take on the ever-popular chicken cordon bleu. It's still full of taste, but the taste comes from the cooking liquid, not the usual calorie and fat-laden sauce. I think you'll like this, not only for it's taste, but for it's versatility whenever you need a relaxed time meal.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp minced shallot
4 slices proscuitto or thinly sliced ham
4 tsp low fat cream cheese
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbs lemon juice

Directions:

Flatten chicken breasts, skin side down. If they are very thick, pound them with a mallet to an even thickness. Sprinkle each breast with some of the shallot, then layer each one with a slice of proscuitto and cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with lemon zest, oregano, and pepper. Roll each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Heat the olive oil in a saute or fry pan. Add the chicken breasts and brown on each side. Add the chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice. Cover and cook until the center of the chicken breasts reach 165 degrees. Cool chicken breasts in the refrigerator. After they have cooled, slice and arrange decoratively on a serving platter.

Note: To get the most from your fresh lemon, follow these simple directions. Wash the lemon to remove any dirt. Zest first, by grating just the yellow skin. You can use the smallest setting on a cheese grater if you don't have a zester. Next, roll the lemon on a hard surface to help release the juices. Finally, Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the needed juices.

Serves 6

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This take on chicken cordon bleu is great served hot, and it's also excellent cold. But, here's a tip if you decide to serve it cold ... Refrigerate!!! Chicken needs to be kept either hot or cold, not on the counter at room temperature. Some of those bad guys, the ones called bacteria, can get in chicken so fast when it's left at room temperature. To make sure your chicken is healthy, make sure you put your chicken in the frig until you're ready to serve.

Minestrone Soup

2009-08-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

There's a good reason that many of my homemade dishes don't taste the same from one time to the next. That reason has to do with my recipes. Take, for instance, my original recipe for minestrone soup. Here it is, word for word, straight from my recipe box:

Saute: sausage, onion, celery
Add: stock, tomatoes, carrots, lima beans, zucchini
Season with: parsley, sage, garlic

That's it ... the entire recipe. No quantities, no ideas on whether to chop or dice, no timing. So, as you can tell, I have my work cut out for me when I put something in writing here. I try to get as specific as I can, so that you can exactly re-create what I've heretofore been guessing at. Go figure! So, I usually get out my measuring cups and spoons, and measure after I've done my cutting and chopping. This particular recipe is based on a soup I had in an Italian restaurant. It's a showcase for summer's vegetables, and is only as good as the sausage and vegetables you put into it. So, go for the gusto and use the freshest and tastiest you can find. As you can tell, quantities don't need to be exact, and can easily be varied to make your own tastebuds happy.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced celery
1 quart low sodium chicken stock
1 pound peeled, chopped tomatoes, or 1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, scrubbed or peeled, and sliced
1/2 cup lima beans, edamame, or cannelini beans
1/2 cup small zucchini, ends removed and sliced
1 Tbs fresh Italian parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
1/2 tsp rubbed sage leaves
4 tsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Saute the sausage in a saute pan or heavy bottom soup pot, breaking it up into smallish pieces as it browns. Remove sausage from pan and drain fat. Add olive oil to pan, then saute onion, garlic, and celery. Transfer sausage and cooked vegetables to a soup pot (this is simply a pot large enough to hold the soup) and add chicken stock through sage leaves. Cook until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded together. Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with 1 tsp of the Parmesan cheese.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Even with low sodium stock, you probably won't need to add additional salt to this soup. If you can't find the low sodium variety of chicken or vegetable stock, use just 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of water. This will lower the sodium in the dish. The small of amount of cheese on top has a salty taste to it, so you'll never miss the salty taste we've all come to expect in our soups.