Healthy Recipes to Share

I really hate processed snack foods. Which is why I love this unfussy recipe for journey cakes from the Narragansett writer Lorèn Spears (published in Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England):

• Preheat over to 375 degrees
• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan
• While the water's still boiling, mix in 
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 2 cups of cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup of dried fruit or chopped nuts
• Transfer the mixture to a greased 8-inch square pan and bake for 25 minutes

I cut up the finished product into squares then eat them as you would granola bars. You could add honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar to the baking mixture, but I'm personally sick of the "tyranny of sweeteners." I like letting the delicate sweetness of cornmeal come out on its own.  

@coyote Unprocessed snack foods is an awesome concept.  

A quick and easy summer meal: Middle Eastern Salad Tacos

https://www.feastingathome.com/middle-eastern-salad-tacos/

@grace, thanks for sharing this taco recipe.  It sounds great!

Ok, this is not a healthy recipe, but this article today had me laughing out loud.
Enjoy:

Guy Fieri - the Last Unproblematic Food Person

Found another great recipe this week - Baked Veggie Egg Nests:

1 green zucchini

1 yellow zucchini

1 leek (not the green tips)

handful baby carrots or 1 small carrot

6 organic eggs

2 sprigs fresh thyme or fresh lemon thyme

salt/pepper/parika

Grated manchego or pecorino cheese
spray oil

Grate by hand or food processor - all veggies. Press out moisture Put in large mixing bowl. Separate the eggs - keep each yolk separate individually, pour the whites into the veggie m ix and stir well. Add herbs and spices to taste. Spray 6 ramekins or a large muffin 6-pan with spray oil.
Press handfuls of the veggie mix into each cup, making a small indentation on top/center of each. Place 1 yolk gently onto each cup (no crisis if any broke, recipe still works). Sprinkle some grated cheese on top of each and
Sprinkle more salt/pepper/paprika on top of eggs. Bake in 350F oven for about 1/2 hour, til eggs are set but not overcooked.. To test doneness, poke a finger on the side/veggie portion of a cup, if it comes out wet/slimy, egg is not set.
Let cool for just a couple of minutes before trying to remove each nest, use a butter knife around the sides to loosen, use a small plate to flip it so you get it right side up on the plate. We had this for dinner with toast and salad. Leftovers reheat well, and if you have extra veggie mix, just bake it in another oven proof dish without eggs.

@laura-f, this sounds wonderful.  For the moment I've stopped reacting to foods -- knock on wood! -- although I'm being extra careful with my choices.  But I think my body would enjoy this.  

@deetoo

You can omit the grated cheese on top, it's totally optional. And you can jigger the veg proportions to suit your needs (e.g., more carrots less zucchini).

Let me know if you try it!

I am dragging the Tang/Hawaiian Punch/Kool-Aid topic over here from Random Predictions.

First of all, I am losing it laughing. Hawaiian Punch. Toxic bright red sugar that tastes like a fruit orgy gone wrong. Pillsbury Funny Face drink mixes. Talk about inappropriate names and images in advertising that would not be ok today!! Not that they were ok then. There was Goofy Grape, Freckle Face Strawberry, Injun Orange, Chinese Cherry, Rootin' Tootin' Raspberry and Loud Mouth lime. You can find the images online. I think they were slightly cheaper than Kool-Aid?

I've always liked Tang. Tang popsicles are good when it's really hot.

Seeker, I forgot-

A few days ago, I had a bottle of left over cola from some take-out we had. I had a pair of badly rusted garden pruners I accidentally left out in the rain, so I used the leftover cola, which was starting to go flat, to clean them. After half an hour soaking in a plastic cup, they were shining. Horrifying to think what it does to stomach lining. I try to avoid it, but dang, sometimes on a really hot day, I cave.

@Polarberry

I keep some Mexican Coca-cola on hand, it's one of the few things I can stand to ingest when I have a migraine that seems to help. No judgment.

I get migraines too, bad ones, usually on the left side. I'm a Pepsi girl, but it sure does help with the nausea. Do you remember the cola syrup our moms used to keep in the house? I always used to complain my mom never used enough of it on the crushed ice lol

there used to be a soda pop that came in a can that was brightly colored in purple, fuchsia, and orange.  It was terrible and made my throat feel scratchy, but i would fall for it every time, because of the colors.  Come to think of it, that is exactly the color scheme of the room i am in right now.

@polarberry

Woke up with one today - reached right for my Mexi-Coca-Cola stash! Feeling better already...

Matter of fact, I didn't really know about the syrup til I was an adult. My grandfather was a doctor, and so he would give us medicine. It wasn't til long after he died that I got a stomach bug and my pharmacist at the time recommended it. It didn't work so well on me for that, apparently I'm more of a real ginger beer gal...

I'm glad you're feeling better. They are awful.

I am miserable right now. I have one that is making me so ill I did something I rarely do,took medicine. Woke up with it. I might go lay down.

@polarberry

Hmmmm... something in the air....

Woke up at 6, ate/medicated, back to sleep til 9:30, lunch at 10 was spicy potato chips and the Coke... will probably nap again...

Try going to YouTube and enter "Binaural Beats Migraines" - there's a 3 hour long audio track (look for the spinning lotus as the video). I use noise cancelling headphone and listen while I nap, really helps the pain and nausea.

Thanks, Laura. Jut woke up. Not as severe but still pretty bad. Going to have a Pepsi and go lie down again. Too sick to eat.

Red Beans and Rice

(Got this a long time ago on a home wine making forum from someone in Louisiana)

1 lb Red Kidney Beans

8-10 cups chicken broth

1 large red onion, chopped

1 Bell pepper, chopped

4-5 green onions, chopped

2-3 cloves minced garlic (or as much as you like)

1 large smoked hamhock or 3/4lb pickled pork  (I just dice up 3/4lb of normal ham)

1-1 1/2 lbs mild or hot smoked andouille sausage, sliced

1 or 2 bay leaves

Soak the beans overnight in water, if possible. Saute red onion, bell pepper, green onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot (dutch oven works well) until translucent.  Drain the soaked beans, add to pot and add enough broth to cover.  Add sausage, ham and Bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Cover with lid and reduce heat to simmer. Let beans simmer for 3-4 hours or until desired tenderness.  (When the beans are simmering, make sure to stir to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot, more so near the end when they start to form a rich red gravy.  If the gravy starts to get too thick top off with broth or water.)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over your choice of rice and with nice crusty bread.

Since I got this from a winemaker, I'll also give some pairing advice. :)  This works great with a nice mid bodied red with good acidity and not too much oak:  Red Burgundy, Oregon Pinot Noir, Chianti, Beaujolais

NOT a healthy recipe, but....it is summertime!

Put an orange vanilla ice cream bar in an iced tea glass. Pour an orange soda over it (or orange sparkling water for less sugar)

Stir until ice cream bar falls off stick and drink is creamy. Add metal straw and drink cold. Assuage your guilt by telling yourself we need drinks such as these to deal with COVID and Twitler.

EDIT-The best seltzer to use for this is Polar brand Orange Vanilla. It tastes amazing on its own, too, and no sugar. As good as soda.

@polarberry

Ok, but my god, WHERE'S THE VODKA?????