Swedish Red Cabbage and Apples

November 6, 2015March 19, 20163 Comments

A traditional dish served during the Christmas season in Sweden. Pair the Swedish red cabbage and apples with Finnish meatballs or as a side dish with just about anything. A bright and colourful addition to your festive holiday dining! Easy to make in advance. This dish is actually better the next day. Enjoy your red cabbage/apple dish in the summer since it is equally delicious served cold. Any leftovers will disappear quickly from your fridge.
Note: I have used olive oil instead of the traditional butter, so you can served cold. Yumm!!!

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INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 organic Granny Smith, Macintosh or other slightly tart apples
1 large onion, chopped
1 red cabbage (1 lb. before trimming)
3 Tablespoons sweetener
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon red currant or hot pepper jelly
salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot.
2. Add chopped onions and saute until translucent on medium low heat.
3. While they are cooking, peel and chop the apples and add to the onions stirring occasionally.
4. Remove the inner core of the cabbage and roughly chop. Add to the onions and apples and cook for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low if it is boiling.
5. Add the salt, vinegar, spices, and sugar substitute. Cook covered for 10 minutes.
6. Add wine and jelly and cook uncovered for 5 minutes longer.

I try not to overcook this dish as texture is a very important part of food appreciation. Crunchy and chewy textures slow you down and help you eat more deliberately and more joyfully.

Red cabbage is an excellent source of vitamins C and K and a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamin B6, and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also a good source of vitamin B1, B2, calcium, vitamin A and protein. One cup of boiled cabbage has just thirty-three calories. Cabbage is good for reducing your risk of cancer and possibly of Alzheimer’s disease. In the laboratory, red cabbage protects against oxidative stress in the brain, reducing the buildup of plaque and again reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s. Also, a Chinese study found that women who ate the most cruciferous vegetable such as cabbage were at half the risk for breast cancer as those who ate little or none.

Tasty Cucumber Salad

October 31, 2015February 21, 201612 Comments

This Dill~Cucumber Salad recipe is so easy and simple to make with just a few ingredients. It is very refreshing and delicious in summer and equally as good during the winter months.

Chilly Dilly Cucumber

An excellent salad to accompany those tasty Finnish meatballs, meatloaf, smoked salmon and as a side dish for any meal. I brought the cucumber salad to my neighbour’s place. We had this salad with smoked salmon, capers, lemon, cream cheese and rye crackers. The cool cucumber salad cuts the richness of the smoked salmon in a most pleasant way. Since we are all of different nationalities, we discussed and critiqued other country’s versions of cucumber salad. The election was over after we counted the votes. My Dill~Cucumber Salad won!
Chilly Dilly cucumber will not be making any speeches. However, his winning secret is in the dill ~ a subtle, delicious flavour that really enhances the cucumber.

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INGREDIENTS
1 medium cucumber thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons avocado or salad oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix the vinegar, water, sugar substitute, salt and oil together and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar substitute
2. Add the dill and cucumber slices.
3. Refrigerate for several hours to let the flavours meld.
TOP SEVEN ALKALINE FOODS: The cucumber is one of the most alkaline foods (#3) that you can eat. Combined with the effect of the apple cider vinegar, it will help to make you body alkaline or at least closer to a neutral pH when you are eating acidic proteins. Both meat and even fish and chicken are acidic. Your body wants to stay alkaline or at least closer to a neutral pH to stay healthy along with fighting off and prevent disease. Eat your veggies!

BONUS: This is a very tasty cucumber salad recipe! Until you make this cucumber recipe perhaps for the first time, you will know what you have been missing! My taste testers (friends) tell me all the time. You will make this salad again and again!
HEALTHY OIL
This salad contains 2 tablespoons of healthy oil, which is my variation to the traditional Finnish cucumber salad. Not only does it prevents the cucumber slices from sticking together it is so good and healthy for you. If you recall the true story about Lorenzo’s oil. (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed oil and olive oil) will know the miracle of oils. We don’t know everything about food/medicine. Some people have a shot of oil in the morning to start their day!

CUCUMBER TIPS and benefits!

Better Than Swedish Meatballs

October 23, 2015February 21, 201610 Comments

Another great comfort food for game day and those cold winter nights! Everybody loves meat balls! Swedish meatballs are famous possibly because of IKEA . Better than Swedish meatballs are Finnish meatballs. I make them in quantity, serve them or make ahead and freeze until the big event! Deeeelicious!

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INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup cream or milk
1 pound lean ground meat
1/2 pound ground pork
1 onion, minced
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter for frying
1 tablespoons minced parsley
1 cup milk and 2 tablespoons flour (optional for sauce)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Soak the bread crumbs in cream.
2. Mix together the ground beef, ground pork, minced onions and soaked bread crumbs.
3. Mix together the beaten eggs, salt, allspice and minced parsley. Add to the meat mixture and combine well but do not overwork.
4. With about 1 teaspoon of the mixture, form meatballs avoiding “packing” the meat, which makes for tough meatballs. Melt butter in a frying pan and put in the meatballs a few at a time. Shake the pan to swirl the meatballs, cooking them on all sides.
5. After all the meatballs are fried return them to the pan and cook another 25 minutes or alternatively place in a 300F oven for 25 minutes.

It’s all in the SAUCE!
WHITE SAUCE: You can add a few tablespoons of flour to the drippings in the frying pan, cook and then add a cup of milk to make a white sauce to serve with the Finnish meatballs*.
BROWN SAUCE: is served with Swedish meatballs.
*The single addition of the ground allspice is what really elevates the Finnish meatballs.

These Finnish Meatballs Are Rough Looking Because They Are Soft And Tender As Any Tenderloin Steak!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS ( TIPS ): As a main course, Scandinavian MEATBALLS are classically served with lingonberry preserves, cucumber salad and dilled or mashed potatoes. For a crowd of people, you can serve these savory meatballs as a snack or an appetizer. You simply leave the meatballs in a slow cooker for hours and let people help themselves. Place shish kabob fine wood skewers in a glass next to the meatballs. Let people help themselves. Include assorted raw vegetables as finger food; sticks of raw celery, carrots, bell peppers (not ghost peppers), cucumbers and green beans (slightly blanched). If you make the meatballs ahead of time, they are just as tasty reheated on game day! These meatballs are high in protein and will keep you going for hours.
VARIATION: Mix chopped spinach into your meatball mixture before constructing the meatballs. Once I tried it for fun and I got future requests. It’s actually quite good!

YOUR FOODIE TIP
Do you have garlic smell on your fingers when you have finished handling garlic while cooking? Or, onion odour on your fingers after chopping onions?
You can either:
1) Scrub your fingers
2) Purchase a stainless steel bar and wash your fingers gently with this bar.
3) Rub your fingers along the back of your stainless steel knife.

Pick no 3. Rub your fingers along the back length of the knife! Grasping the knife with all 5 fingers ~ see diagram . You’ve got a knife in your hand anyway. You will save on the cost and having to store the stainless steel bar or won’t be scrubbing your skin until it’s red. Your fingers will be immediately wonderfully odourless! It only take a second.

Chili Recipe ~a winner

October 16, 2015December 20, 20234 Comments

Winning Chili Recipe to Remove the Fall Chill!
Another great fall dish is chili. We had a taste testing dinner and this was absolutely the winner! (I have one book just devoted to chili.) This is such a versatile dish that takes well to freezing as well as serving to a crowd. The guests can serve themselves. A great dish for those fall sports parties. Those TRUE CHILI aficionados claim there should only be meat and no beans in chili. What the beans do is to maintain you blood sugar at a steady even level with no spikes and you have energy for hours. A fantastic meal for diabetics.
FAST FOOD: When you have to stop at a fast food place in lieu of starving, chili is a fabulous choice. Better than salads since these will come with dressings filled with sugar and preservatives. I will also freeze dishes like chili in individual oven proof dishes. When I come home from a busy day, I immediately take one out the the freezer, defrost and bake. Serve with a salad with your homemade dressing and it’s a tasty, satisfying and healthy meal. This recipe seems like there are a lot of ingredients but you will find almost all of them already in your pantry and the flavour is worth it! Perfect for game day!

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INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup dried black beans, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 cup dried red kidney beans, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 jalapeno chilies, stemmed and seeded
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb. cubed beef chuck or blade steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin seed (ground)
1 stick cinnamon 3 inches long
2 28 oz cans diced or crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz can stout beer
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion for garnish (optional)
1 cup strong cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)
1 diced avocado pear for garnish (optional)
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the beans into separate pots and cover with 3″ of salted water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook covered, stirring occasionally until beans are tender about 60 minutes.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of the olive oil and the diced onions 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, green pepper, celery, and chilies. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, adding more olive oil if required.
3. Add meats and cook until brown.

4. Add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cocoa and tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes and then add tomatoes and beer.

Add beans (drained).

5. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 1 or 2 hours.
6. Ladle into bowls and let people help themselves to the garnishes.

Serves 8 to 10 adults

Your Foodie Tip – Onions

October 16, 2015October 29, 20152 Comments

Every day when you cook something you almost invariably have to cut onions. It appears to be unavoidable. Well, how are you cutting your onions?

If you cut your onions horizontally, you may have these unmanageable round rings in your soup and pick up the pieces on your spoon the soup can easily splatter. Don’t wear your good white blouse!

I remember Julia Child discuss this as well. Cut the onion in half from the root end to the tip and then slice. That way the slices are manageable when eating a soup or another dish. No long circular strands hanging down.

Please don’t cut off that stem. If you leave the stems on your onion, you will have a handle to use to do your fine dicing. If you watch the chef’s on TV dicing onions like a human Cuisinart, they never show cutting the end of the onion do they?
Well that’s a problem especially if you have no stem or handle it is difficult and not so elegant to deal with the end. This is so much easier!