Friday, March 28, 2014

SPINACH SALAD WITH BACON DRESSING

LINK

Ingredients:

  • 1 package baby spinach (about 9-10 oz) or that much washed spinach leaves
  • 4 pieces of thick-cut bacon or 6 pieces thin cut (about 150 grams), chopped
  • ¼ cup minced onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar (or the same amount as the bacon fat)
  • A pinch of salt
  • Two pinches of pepper
  • 2 teaspoons worth sugar substitute

Preparation:

  1. Put the spinach (and other vegetables if you like) in a large bowl. The spinach will shrink down some in the hot dressing, but you need room to work.
  2. Chop the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  3. If you like a lightly dressed salad, leave about 2 Tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. If you want more dressing, leave more fat and then balance it with more vinegar and a bit more sweetener. (This dressing is a sweet and sour sort of thing.)
  4. Cook the onion in the fat for 2-3 minutes, and then add the garlic - cook for 15-30 seconds or until it is starting to be fragrant. Be careful not to brown the garlic or it will get bitter.
  5. Add the vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits in the pan. (The vinegar will seem potent, but it mellows quickly with the heat and sweetener.) Add the salt, pepper, and sweetener. Stir to dissolve, and pour the dressing over the spinach.
  6. Toss the spinach (tongs work well) until coated. Transfer to individual plates or bowls and top with bacon bits and other toppings as desired.
Makes three ample servings as a side dish.

Friday, March 21, 2014

CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Here's How:

  1. Prepare the solid ingredients - sauté and season any raw meats and vegetables. About 1 to 1½ cups of these work well for one quiche - more if there is no or little cheese. About 1½ to 2 cups total solid ingredients for a 9" pie pan is about right.
  2. Spread meats and vegetables into a deep-dish pie pan.
  3. Spread shredded cheese on top of the other ingredients.
  4. Make the custard, using either a bowl with whisk, or (my favorite) a blender. A standard quiche might use 4 eggs to 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid, and this amount works well for a deep-dish 9" pie pan. You can use cream, milk, unsweetened soy or almond milk, or a combination. Include seasonings as desired. I usually use salt, pepper, an herb or two if not already in the pan, and perhaps some dried mustard powder.
  5. Pour the custard over the solid ingredients, and put onto center rack of 375 F. oven for 30-45 minutes.
  6. Begin checking at half an hour. You want the outside to be done (a knife inserted comes out clean), but the center will be soft. (It will continue to cook after removing from oven.)
  7. Remove from oven. The center will cook in a few minutes. You can eat it warm, cold, or room temperature.

Tips:

  1. Make sure all ingredients other than the egg are fully cooked before adding to the pan.
  2. When layering ingredients, heaviest go in first, and cheese last.
  3. If top is browning too fast, cover with foil.
  4. Sprinkling the top with paprika is a nice touch.

What You Need

  • 9" pie pan (Pyrex works well, or dark metal. Shiny metal isn't as good.)
  • Whisk or blender
  • Eggs
  • Other ingredients as desired

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

DEODARISE CLOTHES

Before you head out to replace those stinky duds, consider the following tips and tricks for cleaning even the worst smelling bike shorts and sports bras:

Hang Dry Immediately

If you return home with a pile of sweaty clothes but don’t have time to immediately wash them, make sure you hang your clothes up to dry instead of throwing them in a hamper or leaving them in your gym bag.
Wet, sweaty clothes that remain in those piles for too long can actually start to breed mold and mildew spores that can be trapped in the fabric—even after washing!

Soak Them Completely

An easy, quick way to help kill any bacteria and freshen your clothes is to soak them in a vinegar & water mixture. Try one part vinegar and four parts water for about 30 minutes right before washing. You should also toss in a bit of vinegar or baking soda or even lemon juice to the washer water—but remember to not do this if your detergent has bleach in it!

Heat is Your Friend

When washing and drying, set the temperature to the hottest setting the fabric will allow for. This is best for cotton garments that can withstand the heat without being broken down.

Special Considerations

For any tech fabrics, you’ll want to make sure you wash the garments in warm or cool water and hang them to dry. This can mean a need for more vinegar or lemon juice due to the cooler temps of the water, but you’ll help maintain the integrity of the fabric which will in turn help to ward off bacteria.

Harness the Sun

When it comes to drying your clothes that can’t go into the dryer, use the power of the sun to safely and effectively dry the clothes. The sun’s rays are a natural bacteria deterrent, so hang your clothes out to dry on the sunniest of days and enjoy fresh, clean workout gear for months or years to come!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

PLENTY OF CAULIFLOWER ADD CHEESE

COPIED
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium-large head cauliflower
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, grated
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper
Dash salt
Optional:  chopped chives or green onion to top
DIRECTIONS:
Cut up cauliflower into manageable pieces and boil or steam until tender.  Drain off any water and mash the chunks up slightly with a fork (do not puree, however).   Stir in softened cream cheese until it is melted and blended well.  Grease glass casserole dish and spoon half the cauliflower mixture in.  Sprinkle with half the grated smoked Gouda.  Spoon remaining cauliflower into dish and top with rest of Gouda cheese.   Sprinkle with just a dash of salt, as the cheese has a lot of sodium.  If you are sodium sensitive, I wouldn’t add ANY salt.   Sometimes I add some chopped chives or green onion to the top, but this is not in the nutritional info below.  Bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Monday, March 3, 2014

FRUITS TOP DOWN LOW CARB

Fruits Lowest in Sugar

Fruits Low to Medium in Sugar

Fruits Fairly High in Sugar

Fruits Very High in Sugar

VEGETABLE LIST CHOOSE TOP DOWN FOR LOW CARB

Starchy (High Carb) Vegetables

The main vegetables to be avoided when reducing carbohydrates are the starchier and 

sweeter vegetables:

Sunday, March 2, 2014

IS IT A FRITTATA OR OMELET

OVEN BAKED FOR CONVENIENCE GREAT IDEA.