Instant Mashed Potato Pancakes :: good!

Have a box of instant potatoes and not sure what to do with them?

This morning I had a hankering for potato pancakes so I did a search for any recipes that might be brave enough to incorporate instant mashed potatoes.  I found an Instant Mashed Potato Pancakes recipe at Food Wishes.  Food Wishes is a foodie blog including recipes with video instructions by Chef John.

I made these Instant Mashed Potato Pancakes for breakfast and followed John's recipe, except I had to add a little more instant potatoes to mine to get the correct consistency.  Next time I'll add less water.  Another slight adjustment I made to the recipe is omitting the vegetable oil because I cooked these on my Grandmother's non-stick electric skillet.

They are pretty darn good all by themselves but perfect with a dollop of sour cream as suggested.  I put my pancake in a bowl my dad made back in 1967.  He used to throw a lot of clay around back then and our whole family has cherished pieces of his handmade pottery.

Chilled Gazpacho Soup Recipe :: Low Sodium Fat Blaster!

Gazpacho is the taste of summer.

Chilled and served in either a mug or spooned into a bowl, this soup is similar to Vegetable Juice but in a fresh, hearty, tangy, peppery way that takes things to the next level in comparison.  There are many different ways to make this soup and today I'm sharing my personal recipe.  You can control the levels of flavors and spice to your preference but I like to add extra Tabasco to turn up the heat.

If summer brings you a bumper crop of vegetables, this is the perfect way to use them quick and gobble them down even faster!  This is a chilled soup that everyone can appreciate because it's full of health, flavor, and refreshment.  Just the thing to help take the edge off a day of hard work in the outdoors under the hot sun.

Because this is my personal recipe, it contains only a little salt, however, the use of white wine makes up for the lack of sodium and adds a delicious level of flavor!

Gazpacho Soup by biologie-me.blogspot.com

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 28 ounces canned tomatoes, no salt added or low sodium
• 3 C low sodium tomato juice
• 2 1/2 C cucumbers, diced
• 1/2 C carrots, peeled and diced
• 3/4 C each green and red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 shallots (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 C red wine vinegar
• 1/3 C fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 C each fresh oregano, basil and parsley, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, process the tomatoes, tomato juice, cucumbers, carrots, green and red bell peppers, onion, shallots, & garlic until smooth.  Transfer to a large pot.  Whisk or stir in vinegar, lime juice, paprika, herbs, white pepper, and Tabasco sauce until thoroughly combined.  Refrigerate for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld and the soup to chill.  Serve in mugs or small bowls with a hunk of fresh bread on the side.

Cherry Limonade Beverage Recipe :: Easy and Refreshing

Parched?
Try this refreshing drink to quench your thirst.

After hiking or biking the trails there is nothing more refreshing than a Cherry Limónade. It's so easy to whip up and it's addictive!

Here's my recipe:

Cherry Limónade Drink Recipe by Biologie.
Serves 1.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup ice
• 1/2 Cup Limeade
• 12 0z can of Cherry 7up or similar soda pop (diet or regular)
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 2-3 slices fresh lime

Directions:

1. Add one cup of ice to a 20-ounce Mason jar.
2. Pour limeade over the ice, add flavored soda pop and stir.
3. Top the drink off with a cherry and fresh lime slices.

Enjoy!

My Home-made Kim Chi

Kim to the Chi!

If you've been following my blog you know how much I've been craving homemade Korean kimchee.

I developed a taste for kim chi in high school while living in Japan. All of my close friends from that time in my life are of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese descent so I experienced a lot of delicious, authentic oriental dishes and I miss them (and my friends).

Now that I'm in Texas I can't find kim chi anywhere so I learned how to make it from scratch at Koreancuisine (Anna Kim) on YouTube! I've been eating it plain on top of steamed Kokuho Rose rice, spooning it into my Roo Hoo Rook Korean noodles, and making kim chi potato salad. I still have quite a bit left to use up so I'm constantly searching for more recipes to incorporate the kim chi!

Okay, back to my homemade recipe, the first thing you have to do after you've chopped all your veggies is soak the cabbage in salt water (brine) to pickle it, the process not only leaves a tasty amount of salt within the leaves but causes them to remain crunchy. I bought a big beverage party-bucket to soak my Napa cabbage in and it worked great! The chopped cabbage soaks for two hours then you rinse it in fresh water. It is imperative that you remember to rinse your cabbage three or four times in fresh water after it has soaked in the salt solution or it will be entirely too salty to eat. While it's soaking you get to make the "good stuff" which is a mixture of chopped green onion, daikon (Korean radish), and a sauce of apple, apple pear, garlic, ginger, and salty fish sauce (or anchovy sauce). Sounds pretty crazy, huh? It's so good!

I used my food processor to puree the sauce. It looks like applesauce when it's done but it sure doesn't smell like applesauce! I didn't have any daikon so I substituted red radishes (not the same but they will do in a pinch). Next time I make kim chi I'll be sure to have the correct type of radish, although Anna Kim did mention in her video that you can use any type of radish in the recipe. The puree, the chopped green onions, and the radish are mixed together by hand (wear rubber gloves) to complete the sauce for the kim chi.

If you suffer from heartburn while eating spicy foods you better take your antacid medicine before eating kim chi! Anna's recipe calls for 1 1/4 C of red pepper flakes! Oooo, yeah, you better believe that's hot stuff. I love it but I'm one of the lucky people who can eat spicy without detriment. Keep in mind it's a side dish and served in small portions with rice or a meal so a little goes a long way. After I rinsed my Napa cabbage and mixed the sauce into it, I spread it out in a 9x13 inch dish, covered it over with cling wrap and then put the lid on my casserole dish to sit overnight at room temperature. This allows the fermentation process to occur. Think of it as "ripening". Store the kim chi in the refrigerator for three days before eating. You can eat it right away but it will not achieve full flavor until it's allowed to chill.

Here's the recipe by Anna Kim:

Kim Chi Cravings

I recently bought Kim Chi Ramyun noodles from my local oriental market because I was craving Korean kimchi. The noodles are good because the seasoning packet has the flavor of kim chi but haven't sated my craving for cabbage kimchi!

I can't find fresh kimchee in the grocery stores or markets so I've decided to make my own.

Searching the web, I found two great videos with different recipes:

How To Make Kimchi on YouTube.com
How to make kimchi using western cabbage on YouKu.com

I'm amazed at all the different recipes out there and these are two that sounded yummy to me. There are so many variations, it's impossible to try them all. The kind of kimchi I know and love is red-orange, spicy, flavorful, and gloriously odoriferous!

If you have a favorite home-made recipe for kimchi, please share it with me!

This craving was sparked by the blog post of Kat @ Our Adventures In Japan:
kim chee potato salad

Homemade Turkey & Vegetable Soup

Soups On!

Decided on a recipe using my homemade turkey broth, I made up my own! I've been making vegetable soup from scratch the last few months because it's healthy, easy, and delicious. This is a new twist on my basic soup recipe:

Biologie's Flickr: Homemade Soup!

While this is simmering in the kitchen it's hard to keep from taking a taste because it smells so delectable, like Thanksgiving all over again but easier because it's one pot cooking! The beauty of this soup is the homemade broth and made-from-scratch yumminess plus the fact that the turkey meat is pre-cooked so the soup doesn't take long to heat and serve.

Homemade Turkey & Vegetable Soup
by biologie-me.blogspot.com

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil (optional)
  
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 parsnip, minced
  
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1 T chopped fresh sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts Homemade Turkey Broth
• 3 C roasted turkey meat, diced, skin removed
• 3 C mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, lima beans, corn)
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 T seasoned salt
  
• 1 cube cilantro "bouillon" or 1 T chopped fresh cilantro/parsley
  

In a large soup pot, heat garlic in olive oil or a small amount of broth. Add minced onion, carrot, celery, and parsnip. Saute over Med-High heat until softened. Add chopped sage, bay leaf, and the turkey broth. Bring to a simmer. Add diced turkey and mixed vegetables. Bring back up to a simmer. Add black pepper, salt, and cilantro cube (or fresh cilantro/parsley). Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serves 6

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbirds are so tiny. They are amazing little creatures. At our local zoo there is a display of various bird eggs in an indoor bird sanctuary. I always look for the tiny hummingbird egg and imagine the little nest it calls home.

I have two hummingbird feeders in my backyard. The tiny birds visit daily and I've become used to hearing them buzz near me when I'm out watering my newly planted fall garden (more on that later)! To me, the hummingbirds with their infinitely moving wings sound like miniature U.F.O.'s hovering in my airspace!

In honor of the little cuties I now present this yummy recipe:

This cake is called Hummingbird Cake because when you take your first bite you say, "Mmmmm." And then when you take your second bite you say, "Mmmm!" And eventually after doing so for several more bites you sound like a hummingbird! Or, maybe it got it's name because it's sweet and delicious. If a hummingbird could eat cake, this is the one she would choose.

The recipe is from my mom and is in our Family Favorites cookbook. My mom omits the shredded coconut garnish so I listed that particular ingredient optional. Hope you enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake

Cake Batter Ingredients & Recipe:

• 3 Cups flour
• 2 Cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¾ Cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapples with juice
• 1 Cup chopped pecans
• 3 medium bananas, mashed

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Fold in eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, pineapples with juice, pecans, and bananas. Blend well and divide into 3 nine-inch cake pans. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Cool cakes completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients & Recipe:

• ½ Cup butter, softened
• 8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 16 ounces powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons chopped pecans
• 1 Cup shredded coconut (optional)

Fold together butter and cream cheese. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Add vanilla and lemon juice and stir well. Apply to the top of all 3 cake layers. Stack layers. Apply remaining frosting to the sides of the cake. Garnish with pecans and coconut.

Mmmm. Mmmm. Hum..mmm. Num..mmm.

Note: For a lower fat version, you might prefer the following recipe from MyRecipes.com: Lightened Hummingbird Cake

Mushroom, Ricotta, and Olive Pizza

Pizza!

Got your attention, yes?

This recipe is from The Complete Low Fat Cookbook but despite that fact (which some people might take as bad news) this pizza is really quite yummy.

It makes me hungry just looking at the picture. I tried my best to make it look like the one in the recipe book!

Mushroom Riccota and Olive Pizza

• 4 Roma Tomatoes, quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon caster (aka, superfine) sugar
• 7 g (1/4 ounce) dry yeast or 15 g (1/2 ounce) fresh yeast
• 1/2 cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) skim milk
• 1 3/4 cups (220 g/7 oz) plain flour
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 750 g (1 1/2 pounds) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup (250 g/8 oz) low-fat ricotta
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
• small fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 210° C (415° F/Gas 6-7). Put tomato on a baking tray covered with baking paper, sprinkle with salt, cracked black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are starting to darken.

Stir yeast and remaining sugar with 3 tablespoons warm water until the yeast dissolves. Cover and leave in a warm place until foamy. Warm the milk. Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and milk. Mix to a soft dough, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Leave, covered, in a lightly oiled bowl in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion until soft. Add the mushrooms and stir until they are soft and the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out to a 36 cm (15 inch) circle and transfer to a lightly greased oven or pizza tray. Spread with the ricotta, leaving a border to turn over the filling. Top with the mushrooms, leaving a circle in the center, and arrange the tomato and olives in the circle. Fold the dough edge over onto the mushrooms and dust the edge with flour. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Garnish with basil.

Serves 6

Nutrition Info: Protein 15g; Fat 7.5g; Carbs 30g; Dietary Fiber 6g; Cholesterol 20mg; 1100 kJ (265 calories)

Grillin' and Chillin'

I love to grill!

A few weekends ago we grilled some turkey dogs, steak medallions wrapped in turkey bacon, and Cajun boudin. I added some soaked oak chips to the coals just before I laid the meat on the grill. Smoking the meat and veggies with oak, mesquite or pecan chips is a must in my opinon.

Everything looked so good I had to take pictures! The summer we bought our first grill I went to Half Price Books and bought the book How To Grill by Stephen Raichlen. It's a very useful book for newbie grillers. I highly recommend it!

We immediately fell in love with grilling and literally grilled every single weekend for about two months straight. Every time I grill my husband raids the fridge looking for every single piece of meat and vegetable that is even remotely grill-worthy to add to the grill. It got so crowded on our grill, we eventually ended up buying two grills: one for veggies and one for meat!

I've never tried a gas grill because I love grilling with charcoal. Currently, we use plain old briquettes but I'd like to try natural wood lump charcoal because I hear it's the best choice. As you can see from the pictures, we make enough food to feed an army even though there are only two of us. We grill it all up and refrigerate the meats and veggies so we can eat them throughout the week.

My favorite things to grill: portabella mushrooms, button mushrooms, peppers, onions, salmon, and last but not least, marinated steak!

My favorite thing to do while grilling: sitting on the patio in the shade listening to the radio while drinking a beer and chatting with my husband.

Sweet Potato Fries

From Biologie's Kitchen With Lovin'

These guys are called Fries but in reality they are tasty Baked goodness.

I heard a rumor about Baked Sweet Potato Fries and how yummy and amazing (not to mention healthy) they were but I was a bit skeptical about the whole mess.

Plain baked sweet potato fries might be great but not exciting enough for me so I needed something more! How about adding a bit of finely grated Parmesan cheese, fresh rosemary, and a dash of garlic powder?

After pulling a batch out of the oven my first bite was taken with a moment of doubt followed by a quick "taste bud check" to evaluate the finished product. My taste buds said:

"More please!"

The recipe is simple and healthy. It's a sweet-savory treat!

Rosemary Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 5-6

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• Fine sea salt, to taste (hint: a little goes a long way)
• 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 Cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

3. Peel the sweet potatoes

4. Cut sweet potatoes into strips about 1/4 inch wide


5. Place cut strips into a large bowl and add oil, salt, rosemary, and garlic powder - toss to thoroughly coat

6. Set aside 2-3 T of grated Parmesan cheese in a small container to sprinkle on after they are baked

7. Add the remaining Parmesan to the bowl of sweet potatoes; toss thoroughly to coat


8. Spread out the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer

9. Bake 10-15 minutes, then turn them over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes

10. Fries are done when browned around the edges (or until desired crispiness)

11. Sprinkle reserved Parmesan cheese on hot baked fries

12. Serve immediately

I'm telling you ~ these are Yum!

I love sandwiches.

I absolutely love sandwiches. One of the simple pleasures in life.

The Sandwich.

One of my favorite masterpieces consisted of the following:

· toasted pumpernickel, very thinly sliced
· fresh guacamole
· sliced tomato
· salt and pepper to taste
· provolone cheese
· german mustard
· red onion, very thinly sliced
· cucumber, thinly sliced medallions
· smoked turkey, fat free deli sliced
· black forest ham, low-fat deli sliced
· green leaf lettuce

On the side:

· side salad
· big glass of ice water with a slice of lime

Okay, so to make the masterpiece:

Toast the bread slices and spread fresh guacamole on one slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place tomato slices on the top of the guac. This is important! Tomatoes must snuggle up to the guac for the best flavor combination (in my humble opinion)!

Place the provolone on top of 'matoes and spread mustard on cheese. Layer the turkey and ham in folds (like how the deli does) on top of the cheese.

Lastly, add very thinly sliced onions and cucumber on top of the lunchmeat and top with the green leaf lettuce. Don’t use iceberg! That's not lettuce, that's bland water masquerading as lettuce and lacks most of the nutrients and goodness found in green leaf lettuces like romaine.

You now have a Masterful Sandwich of Yumminess!