Archive for the ‘Considered opinions’ Category
Good evening Dear Readers:
I haven’t written since March 10, and for that I apologize. Even WordPress started nagging me about it! I’m still not working, but working ON it. I have some more gluten-free stuff to share, and I may have a big decision to make soon. But more on that as it happens, since I haven’t been offered anything in the top hiring state in the nation in the 8 months I have been actively looking for a job. Nuffin’.
Enough of that.
Remember the blog post I did on lunch bags a while back? Updates: I’ve got more sewing done, and the last of the lunch bags is complete. I have decided to retire the book Lunch Bags, at least for a while, until I have more inspiration or someone asks for one. This interesting lunch bag is the reason I bought that darn book in the first place. I even found the same fabric used in the book, but kept getting vexed by the directions. Finally, I finished it, more or less just like the book, even though I’m not carrying a lunch bag around anymore.
A triumph over. . .oh, heck, it’s finished.
There ended up being three of these Zipper-top Lunch Bags on page 71, two of which looked like this:
One of three lunch bags
I gave one to my Buddhist leader, and this last one went to faithful reader Aunt Kathy. Surprisingly, I had enough materials left to make a third, although I kept thinking this was a fourth. (I went to Tulane at night, so I can’t count.) I hate wasting fabric and supplies, so Neighbor K got this version:
A wilder version of the Zippered Lunch Bag
If you’re wondering why I call it that, it’s because I used black on the bottom and for whatever reason, I’d previously cut more Insul-Fleece with this fabric to line it with:
And the screaming red liner for lunch bag 3. Told you it was wilder.
I forgot to take a picture before I gave it to her, so yes, if you’re reading this, K, these pictures were taken in your kitchen when I brought the pug back in. (K also was the recipient of the first bicycle lunch bag.)
A note about Insul-Fleece–it won’t keep lunch icy cold for a long period of time, you’ll have to stash the bag in the fridge at work, or at least carry something that won’t spoil easily.
I’m not sewing that much, mostly on the weekend. I’ve got a couple of things to stitch up this weekend and I hope I get them all finished on time.
OK, now through the bedroom to the HeatCageKitchen garden on the back patio. NOTE: I am NOT making escargot from the snails I keep finding. Yuck. I just toss them over the fence and tell them to go find a new life.
So the gardening is, well, it’s going, and if you remember the little tomato survivor, it finally turned red and became part of a garden salad.
The one, lonely winter-surviving tomato.
Incidentally, that plant is starting to come back, as you can see from the greenery at the bottom. Need to trim off the brown parts so the green can thrive. I think I waited a bit too long to use the tomato, because it became a bit, oh, you know, odd, like it was over-ripened, but not too far. Hate to toss that hardy plant after the multiple freezes it went through.
I also had my computer in the shop for a few days, and before I picked it up yesterday I ducked into Garden Ridge a couple of doors down. I saw lots of hanging planters for both tomatoes and strawberries, including one that you plant bell peppers on one end and tomatoes on the other. A hanging salsa grower? I’m game.
So I gathered up a few ingredients including mint, lettuce, Italian flat-leaf parsley, two garlic shoots, and one hardy tomato and made a gourmet salad. Ready? Here it is.
Le Salade a la Amy Garden. You would pay top dollar for this in a snooty restaurant.
Those dark colored leaves are lettuce from the “city mix” I planted several months ago. For whatever reason, that was pretty much everything I harvested, and a little has grown back. Oh, boy.
Sure, I put a bit of salt and fresh-mixed dressing on it–who wouldn’t? Of course it was tasty, but I put too many mint leaves in it. Not earth-shattering, just a little potent.
Speaking of salads, I have gone back to doing the lettuce-in-a-jar thing after a few months of not doing it, mostly because of the very cold weather. While we didn’t get any snow this time around, not many folks are interested in cool, crisp lettuce when the heater is on and the fireplace is lit. You want warm. . .much as I love salads, this winter, I gave it up for a while.
So you probably know my penchant for seeking out stuff on sale, particularly meat on sale, and at SuperTarget, I can definitely get lucky.
The steak to start with. No, Fancy Feast was not part of the deal.
This particular steak was a good flank steak, and the kind that’s organic grass fed and all that. But what to do with it?
When I had a “regular” job (that is, one I knew I was going to every day) my favorite single-girl payday meal was a steak salad I created with the usual lettuce/tomato/cucumber, and added either sugar snap peas, avocado, or some other veggie that looked real good that day. My preferred steak was the Flat Iron Steak, which I’d never heard of before but eagerly tried and loved.
The dressing is one of my favorites from Suzanne Somers’ Get Skinny On Fabulous Food, (page 149) with six tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, two tablespoons lemon juice, two cloves of garlic, and salt with freshly ground black pepper. Whiz that together with your hand blender or mini blender, and set that aside.
I discovered flat iron steaks while prowling in Kroger’s meat department one day. They were, at the time, relatively inexpensive, although the price has gone up considerably in the last couple of years. I would get a big one, use my little meat tenderizer tool thingy and get it cooking. Of course I wouldn’t eat the ENTIRE steak at one time; they are usually as long as my forearm. Depending on the size of the steak, I would have one third to one fourth on the salad, and then cut up the rest for more delicious salad later. Sliced thinly and against the grain, the steak and the accompanying salad veggies are wonderful together with that simple vinaigrette.
Yum. I need to make that dressing again soon. Shaking oil & vinegar in a jar is easy, but that one is fantastic.
My method for cooking just about any kind of steak is simple: stash it under the broiler in the toaster oven. Oh, wait, you want to do it on top the stove? OK, here you go: cast iron pan, a little olive oil, heat on high while you prep your steak (salt/pepper, whatever.) Once you know it’s screaming hot, toss that steak in and IMMEDIATELY turn down the heat to medium. DO NOT go check Facebook because you will ruin a good steak. Do not do that, either.
After a few minutes, when you can easily pick up the steak with tongs, a fork or other implement, flip it. Don’t pull or scrape the steak from the pan–if it’s stuck, leave it until it’s not stuck anymore, which shouldn’t be more than a few minutes, like 5 to 7. (You did put oil in the pan, right?) Cook on the second side until it’s done to your liking–red, pink, completely cooked through, whatever. I prefer some red/pink in the middle, because I will microwave the leftovers later and I don’t want to overcook them.
Really, you should leave a steak to rest for five minutes before you cut into it. Some of us are impatient, but I do it most of the time.
This particular steak I cooked on top of the stove, but because I have more time on my hands than most, I decided to marinate it before hand.
Ahh, there’s the rub! Lemon zest, garlic shoots and finely chopped rosemary from the garden.
I’ve said this before, I love the garlic shoots, and if you’ve never tried growing garlic, it’s not difficult. I haven’t yet harvested any, because I don’t think it’s time, but I’ll keep you posted.
To the chopped stuff, I tossed in some olive oil–I didn’t measure, but I’d say it was between a quarter cup and an eighth of a cup. Mixed it all together, along with some salt and pepper, dropped the steak in and coated both sides, put some plastic wrap on top and stashed it in the fridge.
After the overnight bath
The next day I just used my steak-cooking method and it came out wonderful:
That’s what a steak is supposed to look like!
After the requisite rest period, it looks like this when you slice it:
Oh, yeah. . . .
Yes, it was a really good steak. Twice. The lemon, mild garlic and rosemary infused the meat with a mild but distinct flavor that was tasty, but not overpowering like some marinades and flavorings can do. I don’t mind a stronger flavor, but this was certainly worth the time and effort. I’ll do this again sometime, maybe with garlic cloves rather than the shoots (which I probably won’t have much longer anyway once I harvest.)
It’s gluten free! (By virtue of having no bread/wheat around, of course.)
You could always do this on a grill, too. . .I just didn’t. Feel free to grill and let me know how it turns out, please.
It was a good night, and I even had a glass of wine after dinner. With more sewing done and projects given away, it was a pretty good weekend.
More to come in upcoming blog posts.
Enjoy!
Good afternoon, Dear Readers:
My sincerest apologies for my lateness in updates. As they say in IT, I have once again been OBE, or “overcome by events.” No, I’m not getting married, but you know if I were, I’d be working on how to bake my own wedding cake. Gluten-free, of course. And then some chocolate has been involved.
One thing I have been doing is some overdue sewing stuff. I’ve used up quite a lot of leftover pieces, have one overdue Christmas present to give (he knows about it) and am buzzing through stuff that has been sitting anywhere from one month to ten years to make. I completed two lunch bags and gave one away this weekend, along with three vinyl rain bonnets. At some point, the scraps will be either sold on Craigslist, donated, or, last resort, bagged up for the trash or recycling bin.
And while I sew, I’ve been binge-watching the cool crime drama known as Burn Notice. Since I get the DVDs from the library, I’m not watching them in order. I’ve seen seasons 4, 5 and 6, and have 7 and 3 on order, along with a prequel called The Fall of Sam Axe. The last one is a movie where they take one of the supporting characters and bring him to the fore to show how he got to the current day point. I saw a couple of episodes originally in 2010 when it was new, because I was dating someone who watched it and liked it. I found the DVDs on the shelf a while back and have made it my mission to see every episode through the end of the series. The final season has numerous requests for it, and last I checked, I am 17th in line. The only downside is that I will never be as smart as Fiona, the “trigger happy ex-girlfriend.” Oh, well.
I’ve got a roast in the crock pot, and will be making more of the white bean mash later this evening. But I have a few things to tell you about, so here we go.
First, from faithful reader Aunt Kathy, another gluten-free funny from a comic strip called Speedbump:
Aunt Kathy finds these and I love them. ‘Cause if you can’t poke a little fun sometimes. . .you’re no fun.
Opinions on my recent pineapple upside-down cake were “great” (Neighbor R), “really good” (Neighbor K) and “I didn’t care for it” (Neighbor T.) I thought it wasn’t as good as K’s, and I probably won’t make it again anytime soon, but K felt like mine was better than hers. Weird, huh? Neighbor R also really liked it, and I thought it was pretty good too, but I needed to know that T didn’t care for it–feedback is important, right? (I was only using up a pineapple anyway.)
While shopping in SuperTarget last week, I’ve discovered a new product from Smuckers, a fruit spread sweetened with stevia-based Truvia instead of the chemical Splenda:
Truvia-sweetened strawberry preserves!
So far it’s just blackberry jam and strawberry preserves, and there hasn’t been much fanfare on it. The ingredients also include malitol, which is also used in sugar-free chocolates. If you continually nibble on those sugar free chocolates. . .don’t leave home. Seriously. But a tablespoon of strawberry preserves is 15 calories; on top of a 45-calorie rice cake, well, you do the math. May have found me a go-to nibble with no consequences. The strawberry is indeed pretty good; next time, I’ll try the blackberry. Look for the green label and tops. You can find out more here.
New trend? I hope so. I do miss jam and jelly sometimes.
The HeatCageKitchen garden is still going strong. From the blooming Meyer Lemon tree to the high sprouts of garlic and green onion to the little tomato that just won’t quit, I’ve got it going on. This is not without challenges, of course, but there is green stuff. The monster pineapple plant has finally gone to its new home in a backyard, and I’ve been promised some pineapples if it ever bears fruit.
![IMG_0174[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/img_01741.jpg)
Lots of flowers, but dunno about the day when I can pick me some Meyer Lemons. When I asked my gardener friend about it, he said, “you might get one or two.” Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dude! I don’t know how old that puny strawberry plant next to it is, but I’m thinking it’s going to get replanted to get more sun, like in a hanging basket.
Get a load of the garlic, shooting as high as the sky:
Anti-vampire insurance. Not sure about zombies.
I like to go out there and nibble on the green shoots. Yum. They’re not as strong as the actual cloves, but I wouldn’t go kissing anyone after nibbling on them.
The Enigma Tomato, about the size of a golf ball.
We have had multiple freezes since this plant was purchased a year ago, identical to the dried up stem next to it. I have no idea why, how, or for whom this tomato still exists. But it’s growing and hanging in there, as well as the plant beginning to regenerate. Maybe I’ve got Jack’s Magic Tomato Plant; I’ll see how this finishes off.
I’ve got plenty of mint, parsley and green onions for whatever I decide to create:
A little water and they GROW!
And rosemary until the Twelfth of Never:
Just plant it. Grows wild. Great stuff.
Oh, that bucket next to it? Yeah, there are two of those that were planted with lettuce. Not much since that snail got in and feasted on it. <burp>
Ditto for the radishes–I had two growing with foliage, and some inconsiderate nocturnal creature came by and nibbled all the greens down. Now I’m not sure if I have any growing, or just two, and I’ll need to dig them up in the next month or so and look for red orbs. The article I read about planting radishes said that the colder the better, and you’d see the tops of the radishes peeking out from the soil. No such luck, despite several freezes, and no other evidence of anything, only shamrocks coming up.
Maybe another time. I just wanted *something* to be successful and abundant. At this point, I can make one small salad with a few lettuce leaves, one tomato, mint, parsley, garlic shoots and possibly one or two sliced radishes.
Hey–I bet that would go over well in one of those high-end restaurants. You know, the ones that serve 3 scallops with a tablespoon of chopped fresh baby arugula with olive oil as an entree and charge $85 for it? I’ll give that some thought. A teaspoon of olive oil, a drop of lime juice, a pinch of Maldon sea salt or that pink Himalayan stuff, and all those arranged in some kind of artistic fashion on a fancy china plate. Call it Amy’s Garden Delight Salad. Let me think on this–I bet we could have them lining up through the door! (Unless I just gave Giada de Laurentiis an idea for her new restaurant.)
As a gardener, though, it’s a bit of a flop, unfortunately. But I’m working on it.
Last week was neighbor K’s final evening lecture for the year, and the last evening I would be taking out the pug and feeding him while she was working late. And as has been the custom, K brought home some delish food that was left from said event, which included meatballs with a sweet/sour sauce, corn chips with some spinach-artichoke dip (YUM), and an assortment of dessert bars, which included a lemon bar, several chocolate chip brownies, and something new with chocolate chips, coconut, and other delicious things. Mind you, the bars were sliced small this time, they weren’t big squares, thank heavens. I texted her later to tell her that everything was up to its usual high standard. MMMmmmm. . . .
However–last night neighbor R gave me some chocolate truffles and some chocolate covered acai berries. Well, they were OK, and the truffles are nice, but I don’t think I want any more for a while!
So last Thursday, I had a weird day. Four phone calls, all from people who could not pronounce my name at all. On Friday, neighbor J, one of the few males in my building, got home the same time I did. I told him how annoyed I was at the phone calls, and he said, “You want a beer?” I said, “is it cold?” He said, “No.” I can make it cold, and I did.
However, one beer was all I was interested in. He gave me one beer with another 23. Yes, a CASE of beer. I frosted up one, and cracked it open. . .and remembered why I don’t drink beer. It’s a guy thing. I took one taste and, well, let me put it to you this way–what I normally drink is water with lime or lemon and pink stuff, coffee, tea, or on occasion, a little fruit juice, or, even rarer, wine.
This was a complete shock to my taste buds. But I finished the frosty cold can without a buzz, since I was also eating at the same time. And decided that I would not say “yes” to a beer again. Last time I had a good beer was in 1991 at a place called the Crescent City Brewhouse on a date, and I wasn’t driving. That was wonderful–and I haven’t had one like that since.
The next question was what to do with the remaining 23. . .and they went to neighbor R, who does drink beer. I hope she enjoys them, and thank heavens, has room for them, too.
Please, don’t bring me beer. Thank you.
I’ve got two appointments this week, and some more work to do on sewing up old projects and either giving them away, donating them or otherwise putting them to good use. Meantime, I’m going to make me some dinner. Make yours, too, and make it good, whatever it is.
Happy Dining!
Several weeks ago I went back to Woodlands Wellness for my annual blood testing. This time, as in years past, I had to fast–no food or anything besides water for 12 hours before the blood is drawn. What does this mean?
GAWD was I hungry. And I let them know about it! I hate them starving blood tests.
Woodlands Wellness’ office (including stationery and all that) is decorated in a peacock theme, with a beautiful teal blue and black color scheme. There are also pictures of peacocks in many places, including the exam rooms.
What do you see when you get that hungry with these peacocks all over the place? One word.
POULTRY.
The followup meeting was on 11/6 to check in with Dr. Davis, and I ‘fessed up about that comment, even though I told everyone, “Don’t tell her I said that!”
Just ’cause I could, I made a couple of things to bring to The Doctor, in keeping with the peacock theme:
The big round fabric bowl is called “Hold Anything” from a book called Pretty Little Presents. LOVE that book, I’ve made at least a dozen of those, I’m sure, and given away many of them. I have six hanging around here holding stuff, and I keep making more to give away. (Hint: projects like this use up fabric, turns it into something useful for someone, and keeps it out of landfills.) This one was special, because it *had* to have peacocks. Both came out great, and I was able to give Dr. Davis a nice useful present.
And look what I saw when I was leaving:
See? They really do hold anything.
Additionally, to use up more fabric (including the peacock prints) I included the Petit Pochet from Pretty Little Pouches and Purses. Again, made many and given them away, although I did keep a couple for myself, and Dr. Davis can keep business cards in that one. (That’s what I’ve got in mine.)
Second place: The Woodlands Mall, as I mentioned recently, for a trip inside Oil & Vinegar, a wonderful little place I’ve written about before. Needless to say, I am still wowed, and appreciate them checking out this space from time to time. And nevermind how much money I spent in there, either.
A trip to The Woodlands would not be complete without a stop at Frost Bake Shoppe, who makes the BEST gluten-free cupcakes ever. And, yes, this chocolate-mint confection is indeed gluten-free. Ahhhh. . .this will hold you over for a while. . . .
There were, ah, pumpkin cupcakes in gluten free, but the one I wanted was the peppermint frosted cake. Oh, YEAH. I ate it with a knife and fork, and they even have their own bottled water! (I refilled that one with some of that good Woodlands water for the trip home.)
I’m not exactly sure how I got the picture that big, but OK..
I also stopped at Trader Joe’s for a few things, and then Sweet Tomatoes for dinner on the way home.
It was a long day, and a nice little short vacation for a while. Maybe after Christmas when things settle I’ll head up there on a Saturday. My doctor visits aren’t until April or May, so I might need to buzz up there for a gluten-free cupcake fix.
Ahhh. . .
Happy Dining!
Ok, so I realize this is cheating, but in the interest of getting good gluten-free info to my readers, I want to pass along Sophie James delicious post she uploaded today. Sophie is very correct. . .chocolate and hazelnut are a delicious combination. If you eat mixed nuts with hazelnuts in it, you get a smoke flavor that stands alone when you bite into one.
Remind me to reblog that recipe for home made Nutella later.
Happy Monday!
Good evening, Dear Readers:
Ah, fall is here in Houston. Not just less hot, but actually cool. Thank heavens. We did have a recurrent winter this past spring, which many of us so enjoyed, but summer inevitably came to remind us of Mother Nature’s intents and our light bills went up. Fall is wonderful, and it couldn’t come fast enough for those of us tired of sweating all the time.
Pomegranates are now in grocery stores. Never had one growing up. I LIVE for pomegranate season, and I just bought one this weekend. It’s sitting on my Butsudan, ripening a bit; I’ll have it this weekend.
And, my birthday is coming up. That means chocolate. And maybe a gluten-free pizza. I’m thinking about it, along with a birthday Grand Slam at Denny’s. It’s free on your birthday, but you do have to prove it, no matter how many Denny’s you visit.
Well, this weekend my tea kettle went out. Just like that, POOF! I bought it back in May, and a few days after I got it home, I started reading the reviews on Amazon.com for it. Kept my receipt, and at some point I will call Oster and see what they tell me. I did head to Target and buy a new one, and I hope I have better luck with this Aroma kettle. Sheeesh.
So, if you’re a gluten-free reader and headed to Paris anytime soon, I’ve got great news. Cafes and restaurants in Paris are aware of the need for gluten free, and increasing numbers of these establishments are offering “sans gluten” dishes and meals. (Hat tip: The Wall Street Journal.) I suppose all you have to do is ask, but since it’s not me who’s going, well, if you do go, let me know how you make out ordering gluten-free in Paris. The Wall Street Journal would know, right?
I don’t know if I’m ever gonna get to eat my way through Paris. Let’s just say it’s on the “bucket list.” For now I focus on eating locally. Like, my local H-E-B and Super Targets.
My subscription to The Wall Street Journal expires in December. Unless I can score another free subscription, I’m not going to renew.
Oh, and my newest favorite thing that I can’t get enough of is frozen cherries. Just take some out of the bag, add them into a small bowl, and let them thaw a few minutes. Cherries don’t freeze hard, like, say, a honeydew melon ball, so they’re ready almost in an instant. During the hot summer we had here in Houston, this was a great discovery. Ahhh. . .just be careful, because they do stain your skin and clothes.
I’m still dieting, and have indeed lost a few pounds, but it’s hard to when I don’t get to bed early enough. Sleep is essential to losing weight; I’ve learned that the hard way But when you get up before the chickens, you’ve got to make sure everything is ready for the next day, and sometimes that means you’re not in bed when you need to be. I’ve had to stop walking in the Tunnel every day because I seem to have injured myself. I’m laying off for a while, hoping the injury heals, and using a fair amount of IcyHot. Meantime, I’ve got to find time somewhere else for yoga or something. Still working on that, too.
A few months ago, I wrote about about the McCafe Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie at McDonalds, and how terrific it is. I don’t have them every day, just once in a while, but they sure are delicious. However, after reading the McCafe ingredient list and buying one of those little blenders, I’ve been enjoying smoothies regularly—just not that one.
The basics of the McCafe are pomegranate juice, and a berry mash consisting of blueberries and raspberries. Also added is some fat-free yogurt, some ice, and yes, there is the matter of sugar from the fruit. This is what it says on McDonald’s website:
- Ingredients: Blueberry Puree, Water, Clarified Demineralized Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Raspberry Puree, Apple Juice Concentrate, Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Contains 1% or Less: Natural (Plant Source) and Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Powder, Peach Juice Concentrate, Pear Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Xanthan Gum, Pectin, Fruit and Vegetable Juice For Color.
Plus there’s the yogurt involved. Xanathan gum is a thickener; you can get it in a health food store, and doesn’t have any sugar or salt in it.
I decided to try my hand at smoothies and see what I could come up with. I get hungry about mid-morning, and the smoothie sure does hit the spot.
As you may know, I’m not a big yogurt fan—but Greek yogurt is a good thing. It doesn’t have that strong, tart taste that regular yogurt has, is quite thick, and lends itself to all kinds of dishes where a soupy consistency is unwanted. Greek is strained longer, so it has body that stands up to a lot of things. Just a couple of years ago, it was hard to find, but now it’s everywhere. Been using the Fage brand, that seems to work the best.
So thinking about the McCafe model, I bought some frozen fruit, skim milk and the fat-free Greek Yogurt. Not sure what the percentages were, I just started adding stuff: 4 ounces or so of skim milk, a scoop (about a half cup) of the yogurt, two packets of Sweet & Low—yes, harmless, non-toxic PINK STUFF—and maybe a drop of store-bought vanilla extract. (At this point, any combination of spices and extracts would add unique flavor to your smoothie.) Whiz that together, then add in the semi-thawed fruit. Blend again, and either drink it or tote it.
Target has bags of single-type frozen cut fruit and mixed frozen fruit as well as bags of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.(Hence, my new frozen cherry habit.) However, in a minute you’ll find out why strawberries are the best for smoothies. Peaches are great, but I like the variety, so I get the mixed bag, too. Honeydew melon balls aren’t my favorite, and not that great in a smoothie, but I put up with it because the frozen grapes are delicious too. I partially thaw these in the microwave on “low” for a minute—not to heat them up, just to soften them a bit. Then dump them in the small smoothie mixer and push the button until it’s all blended. Then I toss in a few of the hard-frozen strawberries, blend that until it’s nice and pink, and add it to the container that goes into my lunch bag.
Speaking of the blender, I bought one of these little ones just for AM smoothie making. I considered the more expensive ones you see on TV, but Neighbor K told me about hers. Then I remembered seeing it in her kitchen on the many days I went to walk her pug, and got one at Target that night.
After removing the blender’s contents, I add hot water and soap, run it one more time for a minute or so, dump the soapy water out, rinse it good, and drop it in the dish drain. No worries about it being clean for tomorrow. That’s Kitchen Tip #1 for today—and it works on any blender, too.
Much as I like blueberries and raspberries, there is an issue with using them for smoothies. See, I don’t drink the smoothie immediately, I store it on ice for a few hours. If I put strawberries in, it’s great, stays cold, and is nice and thick by the time I get to it. However. . .blueberries and raspberries cause this smoothie to become a solid, gelatinous mess after a couple of hours in an iced lunch bag, requiring a spoon to consume. It tastes OK, but you can’t drink this rubbery concoction, because it won’t pour—you have to use a spoon to get it out of the container. I’ve tested this, honest, it doesn’t happen with strawberries. Not being a scientist, I can’t give you an explanation for it, only a forewarning. So, that’s Kitchen Tip #2 for the day: only use blueberries and raspberries in smoothies that you will be consuming immediately, strawberries if you’ll have it later.
If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. My smoothie sits on an ice pack for about 3 or 4 hours. I do not like a gelantinous blob in my lunch bag.
I decided to do a bit more research on smoothies, and came across this book on Amazon. I have tried a couple of recipes in it, but not all of them. Some of these are pretty out there, so it just depends on testing your tolerance for new and different things. I have to say, as good as it was, the smoothie with a tomato, carrots and strawberries was not something I thought I would ever like. But once you get over the idea of this slightly weird combination, it’s not bad. (Note: I did have to pull out the big blender and chop up the carrots really small to get it to blend.) The book is divided up into chapters for things like diabetes, weight loss and antioxidants, and there are the spinach/kale/other veg combinations that I will likely not mess with. Since the book was not expensive, I’ll keep it.
The Strawberry Tomato Smoothie on page 99 consists of 6 strawberries, capped, 1 tomato, 3 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and a half cup of water. Blend it well, (I needed the big blender because of the carrots) and the book says that the citric acid makes it OK to store for lunch. Well, I’d put it on ice, anyway. A bit weird, but pretty good.
Another one I’ve tried is the Lanky Limojito on Page114, consisting of 1 lime, peeled, 5 mint leaves and 1 cucumber, quartered. I put a note that this one needs the big blender, too. Makes 2 cups, and is supposed to be an alcohol-free, low-cal substitute for a Mojito. (If you decide to throw in some rum, you’re on your own.) Hey, I just like limes and cukes–I think, but I don’t remember, that I tossed in some sweetener. This too was pretty good, but I don’t know that I’d be doing it every day.
There are a number of recipes in this book I have bookmarked but I haven’t tried yet. Most of the ingredients can be purchased at any regular grocery store. I can’t keep a full produce department in my fridge, so I’ll try them on a rotating basis.
Now listen. . . .
Twenty years ago I had a boyfriend who went bonkers because I made a salad with fresh sliced strawberries and fresh spinach. Never seen that before, myself, being from New Orleans. I made it for us one night for dinner, and he called it a “food crime against nature.” With the blended dressing on it, I coaxed him to try one bite, and he loved it. (However, I don’t think I’ve made that in about 20 years; the next boyfriend was a fussy eater.) Again, it’s testing the limits of your tolerance for new things. You never know what you will discover next that you are missing–like frozen cherries.
Williams-Sonoma also had a book in their Baybrook Mall store recently called Superfood Smoothies, which goes into the goji berries and acai kind of thing. I almost bought it, but the weird ingredients were a big turnoff. Then I saw where it said milk and dairy were “bad foods,” so I put it down and left it. Yes, if you’re allergic to dairy, it’s a bad food. I don’t have a problem with these things, and the idea of buying goji berries. . .well, I’d rather have strawberries or raspberries anyway. Heck with it. It was beautifully photographed and all that, but after I read some of the reviews, I was glad I didn’t buy it. And the incredibly nasty comments told me I was right. I like shopping at my local H-E-B, and now and again, heading to Central Market or Trader Joe’s.
Now, down in the Tunnel, there is a fast-food place you’re probably familiar with: Smoothie King. They occasionally have folks handing out samples of their wares with the idea of enticing them in for a full size version. The samples were a strawberry-banana flavor and a chocolate version. I almost bit on the chocolate, but I realized that there was likely soy powder in one or both of them and I kept walking. Soy is used as a protein supplement, but if you’re allergic like me, it’s not a good thing. I have glanced at their menu, but nothing seemed appealing at all. With the prospect of soy in one of them, I just don’t bother.
As with any allergy, you should ask what’s in it before you pay for it. (Ask me, I know.) Better safe than sorry. If they give you any lip about it, do what I do—turn around and walk out. If you’re allergic to something, you’ll be living with the side effects if you “don’t want to bother.”
Smoothies are, of course, a great way to have fruit, veg, dairy and other healthy ingredients in a convenient, drinkable form. It takes finding a good combination before you hit on the ones you like. If you’ve got a working blender, you can make a smoothie, no special equipment needed. I know about that Nutri-Bullet with 137 attachments and containers. I prefer mine–easy to use with 3 pieces and a wall cord. It fits behind the new tea kettle, between the microwave and the utensil crocks.
While not a brand new thing, you may find you enjoy smoothies and the convenience of a portable health food. If you find a good combination, post it in the comments and I’ll try it as soon as I can. (Note: anything with “mud” in the ingredient list is off the table for me.)
Happy Dining!
