Growing a Garden

For me, having a garden and cooking go hand in hand.
There is nothing like going out to the garden to pick things out for supper.

Even people with little or no room can container garden.

If you want to grow herbs, you can grow an assortment in one pot.
They are pretty easy to grow too.

Herbs will give your foods so much flavor.
You can change the flavor of a dish just by using different seasonings/herbs.

You can freeze or dry herbs for using later on.

You can grow all kinds of vegetables in containers.
The vining ones you may have to stick a trellis in the pot for the plant to grow up.
You can even grow potatoes in a pot.

You can can, freeze, or give away what you can't use fresh.

It is so nice to be able to reach into your freezer or pantry and take out what you need to make a meal.
One thing I make every year is my chunky salsa.
It is great for using in quick meals or just snacking on with chips.

 I know a gardening post on a cooking blog doesn't seem right.
But, to cook, we must have food.
And this is where the best food comes from.

Fats and Substitutions

I am not one for subbing fat with fat free or lower fat.
But, there are exceptions.

Our bodies need  a certain amount of fat to function well.
Our brain needs it.
Our cells need it.

There are fat soluble vitamins that need fat to help them do their job.
The ones that need fat are A,D, E, and K.
CoQ10 and lycopene are also fat soluble.
This is why it is best to have some fat in your salad dressings when you do eat salad.
The fat will help the nutrients absorb into your body better.

One reason that I may substitute a fat with something else is if there is some nutritional benefit.

Fruits and vegetable purees are good because of nutrients and fiber.
The general rule for fruit puree such as pear or apple is to use half the amount of puree that the recipe calls for in fat.
If you are using squash or pumpkin, you will want to use 3/4 of the stated amount of fat.

I have recently tried using avocado and that works. Some people recommend only using half the amount in avocado and half the amount in butter. Others say to use all.
I used all.
The texture was good.
The taste was a little different than with butter.
It also settled after a day and  the difference in the taste was less noticeable.
It idn't taste like avocado.
Just different than when using butter.
I really think it would complement the taste of anything peanut butter.

No matter what you use, the taste will be slightly different.
Even butter from brand to brand can change the taste a little.

I do find that when making quick breads or muffins that olive oil is a great choice.
It just seems lighter.

Coconut oil, when using the virgin organic that is unrefined and not made using hexane, is a good choice. It compliments the taste of chocolate. It is also high in lauric acid which does a body good.

I also use butter, which is great in it's own way.

Eggs, Hard Cooked the Easy Way

Do you ever hard cook/boil eggs and end up destroying the egg when trying to peel it? If you are like me, that's a big yes.
I have tried all the tricks and so far this is what works best for me.
No water needed for cooking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit/160-165 Celsius
You will need a regular size muffin pan.

Ingredients:

Eggs

Put one egg in the shell in each muffin cup.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool slightly in a pan of water and peel.

It is possible to end up with a slight discoloration where the egg rests against the pan.
It does not effect the taste.
And if you are cutting the eggs, just cut in that spot and no one will even see it.

Dice

There are lots of terms in cooking that can be used and you aren't sure what it really means.
Dice is one.

Dice is chopped into small pieces.
Some recipes may call it diced or finely diced.

Just chopping is cutting into bigger pieces.

When you chop into dice, you want all the pieces uniform and fairly small.

Smaller than dice or diced is minced.
Minced is about the smallest you can go.

Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins

There is nothing like something chocolatey and warm to start your day. They also keep well. So, make them the night before to speed things up in the morning.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 Celsius
Grease the bottoms of 12 regular size muffin cups.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil OR melted organic, virgin coconut oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
Just stir til everything is wet, but do not overmix.
Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until they test done when poked with a toothpick.
Remove from pan and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Turn out of pan(s).

Enjoy!

The olive oil will make them rise a little more than other oils you may use.
Overmixing will cause the batter to peak while baking and the peaks may crack.
They still taste good though.

Black Bean Brownies

I love these brownies. They may have a little different texture than you are used to, but you can not taste the black beans at all.
There is absolutely no flour in these brownies, which makes them gluten free.

You will need an 8" square pan, greased
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 Celsius
You will also need a food processor for mixing.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry black beans
water, for cooking the beans
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted organic, virgin coconut oil OR butter
1/4 heaping cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Rinse the black beans and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover with lid left ajar and took until beans are soft. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half.
When done, drain. You should have 1-1/2 cups cooked beans. If you have more than that, set those aside for something else.
Put the blade in your food processor. Add the drained beans. Or you can drain and rinse a 15 oz. can of black beans and add those to the food processor bowl.
Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil ,eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar.
Put the cover on the processor and turn on, blending until smooth.
Take off the lid and stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies test done when poked with toothpick.
They may just start to pull away from the sides.
Take out of oven and let cool.

I usually get 16 brownies out of a pan. They are pretty filling.

I like coconut oil better in these brownies. However, butter is more economical and tastes pretty good too.

Almond Flour

If you cook gluten free, almond flour is an ingredient that comes in handy. If you are not gluten free. it is still a great way to add fiber and nutrients to your diet.
You can use it for baking and for breading.

It can be quite expensive to buy at the store.
However, it is very simple to make.

This works great if you have a spice grinder. But, a food processor or a blender that can grind nuts will also work.
You also need a fine mesh sieve(strainer) and bowl.

Ingredients:

Plain, whole almonds

Add a small handful of almonds to your spice grinder.
Pulse off and on for a minute.
Check and if it is mostly powdered, stop.
Put the sieve over a bowl and dump in the ground almond.
With clean hands or a spoon, press the flour through it into the bowl.
You may have larger pieces of almond left.
Put them back into the grinder and pulse until fine and again press through strainer.
Repeat with more almonds until you have as much as you want.

Be careful not to grind for too long or you will get almond butter.

To keep fresh, store in the refrigerator.