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Get Charmed by Chia Green Tea

A few weeks ago I was eating lunch at an elementary school and sitting next to the building sub.  She was drinking something pale green and there were things floating in the liquid! I asked what the heck it was and learned that every morning she makes green tea and puts a spoonful of chia seeds in it.  I was struck by the fact that she did it every day.  To my mind that meant that there was good reason for this drink. So I felt I would investigate it myself regardless of my memories of weird chia pets that were advertised on TV decades ago.  Image

So I googled chia seeds and found this paragraph in Wikipedia:          “According to the USDA, a one ounce (28 gram) serving of chia seeds contains 9 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of protein, 18% of the recommended daily intake of calcium, 27% phosphorus and 30%manganese.[7] These nutrient values are similar to other edible seeds, such as flax or sesame.”   That is a whole lot of nutrition.  I also read that ancient Mexicans like the Aztecs cultivated it as a major staple food.

WebMd had some kind words for chia seeds, mentioning their Omega 3  fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.  It suggested they can be sprinkled on foods, put in breads, and used in beverages.  The focus of the WebMd article was whether they help with weight loss.  It concluded that more study is required before such claims can be verified.

Nuts.com had a list of seven benefits to eating chia seeds.  I would be happy to have 3 or 4 of those benefits!  So chia seeds in my tea? Maybe yes!  Image

I personally have always felt green tea was rather blah in flavor.  I drank it occasionally but not with any enthusiasm. The addition of chia seeds to tea might be fun I thought.  I tried them a week ago and I think I am hooked!

Here is my simple recipe.  I make a large mug of green tea using one tea bag, be sure to let your boiling water cool a minute before adding the tea bag.  I brew for 3 minutes.  Then I add ½ a teaspoon of local honey.  Bechdolts is my source for great honey. The typical honey in  your supermarket is somewhat suspect as to quality.  Best to get it as close to the bees as possible!  Many people think there are health benefits for allergies to local honey.  Maybe, I just think it tastes much better and is not adulterated as I fear much commercial honey is these days.  I digress.

Anyway, I put a tsp of chia seeds in a small dish, add about ¼ cup of filtered water and let it stand as the tea cools.  In about 15 or 20 minutes I add the chia seeds which have swollen with water to the tea.  Stir well. I like to put a couple ice cubes in a glass and add the chia tea.  Sometimes I put it in my water bottle and take it to where ever I am going.    Image

You can use any type of tea.  I have several flavored green teas and chia seeds are great in all of them.  It works fantastically in plain green tea.  I love the addition of these slightly weird slippery balls of chia seeds spinning around in my tea.  They make it much more interesting to drink.  I like to stir it up or swirl it around so I get a few slithery seeds in each sip.  I am positive it will work great for your favorite herbal tea or black tea.  So use what ever tea you prefer and have a silly iced chia tea time!

Some recipes put as much as a tablespoon of chia seeds in each cup.  I suggest you start with a teaspoon and see how you like it before considering increasing the amount.  And many recipes just put the chia seeds right in the hot tea without soaking them; feel free to do that if it makes life easier!

My healthy green tea is much more playful and nutritionally improved by this small addition.  I get nutrients and fiber and fun! I find myself drinking more green tea, maybe 3 or 4 times as much as I used to.  This hydrates my body in this hot weather which is a real benefit.  It is cheaper and considerably healthier than commercial ice teas which can be laden with sugar and a variety of not so healthy additives.  Goes without saying that it is gluten free too!

Try it and you will be happily hooked on chia tea too.

Fruity Frozen Chocolaty Popsicles

A frozen fruity tasty treat can be found at your local Giant grocery store.  Chocolate covered strawberry fruit bars, six in a box with only 90 calories per treat!  As a bonus, the price for a box of these beauties was pretty reasonable. The flavor is excellent, not too sweet, fresh strawberry flavor and a tasty chocolate coating. I gobbled mine up far too fast….can’t wait to enjoy another bar.    strawberry pop

They are found in the frozen treats case and are the store brand; made specifically for Giant Food Stores, a chain in Pennsylvania, Maryland and a few other East Coast states.  My New England friends are probably out of luck.  Let me know if you can get them in your geographical areas.

The first ingredient is strawberry puree followed by water, sugar, coconut oil, chocolate liquor, cocoa powder, etc.  There is even a touch of carrot juice in there.  No gluten in these bars; the box is marked gluten free and this product is manufactured in a peanut free facility.  There is dairy and soy in these bars, albeit a small percentage for sure, these things are at the lower end of the ingredient list.

I love that it is only 90 calories and the first ingredient is a fruit puree.  Safe for me, low in calories, made with real fruit as the first ingredient which is pretty rare in a fruit pop.  Get a box and enjoy them guilt free when the heat index goes up later next week!

Blueberry Smush Delish!

There are times when nothing but ice cream will do.  After a long tiring day and not much in my tummy I ate an omelet for supper.  It was pretty tasty but I had seen this article on ice cream blends in a food magazine at the library and was craving to try one. There were more than a dozen mixtures pictured, all based on vanilla ice cream and fruit and at least one or two other ingredients like a sauce and cookies/nuts.

There was one combination I was sure I had all the ingredients, ice cream, bananas, nutella sauce and cornflakes.  Seemingly simple with clean, clear flavors.  Upon some reflection I decided to replace the banana with some fresh blueberries I had purchased at a farm stand. Bananas seemed too bland and I adore blueberries with ice cream.

I put two small scoops nutella of ice cream in a cereal bowl, about a quarter cup of blueberries, a spoonful of nutella sauce and I dumped the cornflakes over it all.  Maybe ¼ cup of them.  I didn’t measure any of it.  I let the dish stand 2 or 3 minutes to allow the ice cream to soften.  Then using a spoon I blended the goop partially together before diving my spoon deep into it to try and get some of all four ingredients.

OMG, it was freaking crazy tasty.  The nutella sauce which is toasted ground up hazelnuts and chocolate/cocoa was wicked good against the other flavors. The corn flakes gave a nice crunch and the blueberries were bursts of fruity yumminess.  blueberry smush

I would say that this dessert is more than the sum of its parts. I was skeptical about cornflakes in ice cream but they worked well and didn’t get soggy.  The nutella was the star of the dish as far as my taste buds were concerned.  I could barely stop long enough to take this photograph as I suddenly knew I had to share this revelation with you my readers!

Now I need to go back and write down some of those other blends.  One had pureed peaches with bourbon and smoked almonds.  Oh, I think I must try that smushed up treat and soon!

 

Red Beans and Rice, So Nice and So Easy!

Yesterday I got a strong hankering for red beans and rice.  Deciding not to wait I started a batch last night.  Since I worked all the next day from morning until dark my crock-pot became the preferred method for cooking this old school delicacy.  I put a cup of dried beans on to soak overnight.  I didn’t have plain red or kidney beans.  What was in the cupboard was a mixture of four beans including white navy beans, black beans, red kidney beans and some pink speckled kidney beans.   Image

This morning they were swollen with bean water but needed to be cooked so I rinsed them off well and tossed them in the crock-pot set on high to warm it as well as some onion chopped, a bay leaf, ½ a pound of bulk sausage chopped up and about 4 cups water.  Since I had not used the andoulle sausage the original recipe called for I added some extra seasonings: ½ a tsp of paprika, a garlic clove, a pinch of red pepper, a scant ¼ tsp smoked paprika, and ½ tsp. hot sauce specifically some green sauce.  I turned it to low before leaving at 8.

When back home eight hours later I added 2/3 cup raw brown rice and a ½ tsp of sea salt, and a few grinds of pepper.  I left for my second job at the library. Four hours later on returning I added a touch more salt and stirred it up well.  Image

Heavenly; creamy just like all the reviewers of the recipe I started with were longing for.  It was as good a creamy beans and rice as I have ever eaten. I think mine got extra creamy from the long slow cooking I gave it all day.

If you make it feel free to use what you have and modify as necessary.  But, be sure to wait to add the salt as it can make the beans tough.

Below is the recipe I had originally located on food network and modified to make today with a few additions I plan to make from now on. I didn’t have time this morning to chop celery and fresh red pepper. I think they will be great additions next time I make this Hispanic classic. If you use the andoulie sausage you can cut back on the hot sauce and spices. I made a bit less than this recipe; see my measurements above if you want a smaller amount.  Since I didn’t have the spicy sausage it is a bit different flavor wise. My modified recipe made 2 big servings plus a quart I put in the fridge for future meals. If you want more; use the proportions below.

It is naturally gluten free and a fantastic accompaniment to a number of classics from enchiladas to tacos.  So easy and tastes authentic without any fancy effort or ingredients. Enjoy!

 

Slow cooker red beans and rice

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 celery stalk chopped

1/3 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp. hot chili powder

1 bay leaf

Pinch crushed red pepper

½ tsp hot sauce
1/2 pound smoked Creole seasoned sausage ( andouille), cut into small pieces
2 cups dried red beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 quart water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice (about 3 to 4 cups)

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine the onion, garlic and sausage. Stir in the beans and water and season, to taste, with pepper. Cover and cook on low heat until the beans are tender, about 7 1/2 hours (on high it takes between 3 1/2 to 4 hours). Remove 1/4 cup of beans from slow cooker; mash until smooth, then sir them stir back into slow cooker, add salt. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes on low or 15 minutes on high. Remove the beans from the cooker to a serving bowl. Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice-

Glorious Gnudi to Enjoy!

A while ago I saw this interesting recipe for something called gnudi.  It appeared to be a lot like gnocchi but with spinach built in.  I kept putting off making it and finally, out of curiosity more than anything I made some this past Saturday. And no, I am not sure how to pronounce it.  I think the g is silent so it sounds like “nudi” when I say the word.

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I found a similar recipe on Food Network, made with wheat flour, but what was really interesting were the comments.  A lot of whining about how they fall apart while cooking and words as to how bland they are.  Many comments later I was ready to make them with a few modifications. Despite all the negative comments this recipe got 3.5 stars so I knew it had something going for it.

I made sure to get as much liquid out of the spinach as humanly possible.  I even pressed the spinach in a strainer using a paper towel to force out as much liquid as could be expelled.  Then I was careful to chill the dough well.  And I remembered, for the most part, to turn down the stove temperature once I put the gnudi in.

My best friend’s mom made these but she called them “maflda” according to Bernie.  Unfortunately Sparky has been gone for many years and I cannot confirm that name.  I do know they remind me of her fabulous authentic Italian home cooking.  They have a delicate ricotta and Parmesan cheese flavor and are pillow like bundles of yummy Italian flavor.  I declined to serve them with marinara as both recipes I found suggested. I like them with a touch of butter and Bernie says that is how her mom served them.  I think the marinara sauce would cover up their delicate and subtle symphony of flavors.  The nutmeg in them has an affinity with spinach and really makes the flavor perfect, don’t leave it out.

gnudi on plate

GF Gnudi Dumplings

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (if it seems watery drain it for a while)     I didn’t see the need but some in the comments on line suggested draining.
1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (best quality you can afford)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg [I used nutmeg from a jar I had recently opened and it was really fresh smelling and worked great.]
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I didn’t measure; just ground a bunch up!)
6 tablespoons all-purpose gf flour, plus 1 cup for coating

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  I used one that was wide but not that deep for ease of plopping in the dumplings.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.

gnudi dough and formed dumplingsUse two spoons to form mixture in to small, slightly flattened balls about an inch to 1 ½ inches in diameter.  I used my favorite gf flour which is mostly brown rice flour with some potato starch and tapioca flour; see previous posts for a recipe. Use it in my pie dough and brownie recipe.

Put the cup of flour in a low flat bottomed bowl or on a plate. Roll the formed gnudi in the gf flour to coat, tapping off the excess. Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; I like to work in batches of 12. Remove the cooked gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes.

Place them in a serving platter and dot with small bits of fresh butter.

I served them as a starch along with some chicken kebabs but I am guessing they could go with most any protein or even standing alone as the entrée.

I served some to my family on Sunday as an appetizer and everyone but the two year old adored them.  He ate most of his but wasn’t quite as thrilled as the adults were!  i have some in that Tupperware container you see in the photograph.  I will be having them for supper tonight!

They aren’t that difficult to make; easy to form with a spoon.  Just follow the recipe pretty closely and you will be thrilled with the end results. Manja, manja!