Worth Buying

In an effort to purchase organic and natural (where we can, we're realistic and on a budget here!) we're incorporating a few things slowly but surely that are natural/organic and budget friendly.

Here is one. We use it mostly as table sugar.

Sold in a 24-oz resealable bag, Domino® has recently added Domino® Organic Sugar. It is "harvested and milled on the same day from certified organic sugar cane. Starting with a special single crystallization process that preserves the flavor of sun-sweetened sugar cane." It is produced from organic sugarcane and in accordance with the USDA's National Organic Program and certified organic by Quality Assurance International.

Food411.com

Food411.com

It's the ultimate online food resource. With hundreds of links to the Web's best places for all things food, you'll never be at a loss for a gourmet meal, hard-to-find ingredient or unique gift, even if you're not the next Gordon Ramsay. So give Food411 a test run. Looking for sites to order baked goods? There are over 75 links, each with a short review so you'll know what you're getting. Need a gift for the foodie in your life? Check out the Kitchen Gadgets section, with more than 50 suggestions. The same goes for food literature, wines, chocolates, kitchenware, meals delivered to your house and about a dozen other categories.

Green Junkfood

If you are in support of Green efforts, Frito-Lay uses solar power in it's Modesto, CA plant. The solar panels there generate enough energy to produce the Sun Chips line for the entire year. Frito-Lay is working to make it's Casa Grande, AZ plant completely self reliant and energy wise, as well by the year 2010.
Information obtained from Racheal Ray Magazine

Last-Minute Lasagna

Adapted from Real Simple. By using cheese ravioli instead of traditional lasagna noodles, you condense three steps into one; you don't have to boil the noodles or mix and layer the filling. You just build, bake, and serve. Hands-on time: 10 minutes, Total time: ~45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 jar favorite pasta sauce
~36 ounces refrigerated large cheese ravioli
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed dry
1 8-ounce bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, or favorite grated cheese

Heat oven to 375 F. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with a single layer of ravioli. Top with half the spinach, half the mozzarella, and a third of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of ravioli and the remaining spinach, mozzarella, and half the remaining sauce. Top with another layer of ravioli and the remaining sauce (not all the ravioli may be needed). Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Serve with salad and crusty bread, yummmmm..

I'm loving right now...

McCann's Irish Oatmeal

This stuff is great; it takes a long time to cook, but it has a yummy, nutty taste, and they are made from 100% wholegrain Irish oats, which contain all the vitamins and nutrients that rolled oat processing removes. Rolled oats are actually flake oats that have been steamed, rolled, re-steamed and toasted. The processing makes the oats lose their natural taste, texture and health benefits.

From McCann's: "Grains are essential to a healthy lifestyle and form the foundation of the food pyramid. Steel-Cut oats are inherently full of nutritional value and are high in B-Vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in salt and unsaturated fat. One cup of Steel-Cut oatmeal contains more fiber than a bran muffin and twice as much fibre as Cream of Wheat. The quality of Irish Oats and the distinctive crunchy texture make McCann's Steel-Cuts a gourmet delight."

(Lemon) Chicken Scallopini

My family really likes this, and it came from Cooking Light, so it's a healthy meal, too!

You can prepare chicken breasts scallopini-style by pounding them into thin, quick-cooking servings, or buy a package of thinly sliced chicken breast to save time. Dredge in lemon juice and breadcrumbs and sauté for about 3 minutes on each side. Watch the heat, if it's too high, even with the thinner breast, the outside will brown before it's completely cooked through. It's also good without the sauce.

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
Cooking spray
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons capers
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush chicken with juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add broth and wine to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in capers and butter.

* Note: I didn't brush the chicken with lemon juice, I actually poured a little in a bowl and dipped them in to fully coat. Also, to get a more lemony flavor, I added dried lemon peel (from the spice isle at the grocery store) to the breadcrumbs.

I'm loving right now...

Pompeian OlivExtra Canola and Olive Oil Blend

Pompeian Olivextra is a very healthy combination of olive oil, which is high is monounsaturated fat, ad canola oil, which contains beneficial omega-3. It's cholesterol and trans fat free, and contains olive oils natural anti-oxidants. It's also high in natural vitamin E. It's versatile, being great on salads, as well as for sauteing because it has a high smoke point.

Peanut Butter Chicken with Dipping Sauce

Peanut Butter Chicken with Dipping Sauce

1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 c. creamy or chunk style peanut butter
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/3 c. milk
8 chicken drum sticks
1 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. corn oil

Mix together egg, peanut butter, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk, beating with a fork to blend. Dip chicken in egg mixture; then dip in crumbs.

Place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Sprinkle remaining corn oil over chicken pieces. Bake in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Note: Instead of the 1/4 corn oil, I greased the baking pan using Canola Oil cooking spray. Then, once the prepared chicken was on the pan, I sprayed the chicken with a spritz more of the cooking spray. This reduces the fat content of the dish by removing the 1/4 c. oil, but still gives it something to help crisp it.

Also, I didn't use drumsticks; I used a few skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cut them into "fingers."

My DH loved it (so did the kids.) Next time, instead of regular bread crumbs, I am going to try Panko crumbs.

I served it with a Peanut Butter dipping sauce.

For the Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey

To the above, you can add:

1/2 cup parsley or cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of cayenne powder

Place all ingredients in a blender; blend on medium-high until smooth.

Note: I omitted the soy sauce, because I didn't want an asian flavor. I increased the water by 1 tablespoon, and increased the lemon juice by 1 tablespoon. I also didn't use the parsley, sesame, or cayenne. Because all the ingredients were smooth, I didn't have to use a blender, just whisked well with a fork.

Next time, I may try using chunky peanut butter!

Happy New Years Peas

A traditional southern New Year's dish is black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

We modified this for our tastes; turkey sausage and chicken, and added to the sauteed onions some diced carrot, celery (leftover from Christmas.) To the reserved liquid, we added some chicken base for additional flavor. We also added a little pepper, pinch of garlic, and some parsley.

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 1 pound link sausage, or your favorite
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (we used light)
  
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce

Rinse, prepare, soak, and cook peas in about 3 cups water, following directions on the package. Drain and reserve half of the cooking liquid. In a skillet over medium heat, brown sausage and onions; drain off excess fat.

Place peas in a 3-quart casserole; add sausage and onions. Stir in reserved liquid, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and barbecue sauce. Bake at 300° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.