Glazed Corned Beef & Steam Fried Cabbage

Glazed Corned Beef

(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup Apricot Preserves

¼ cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tbsp. Soy Sauce

4 ½ lb. Corned Beef, rinsed

1 cup Water

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the apricot preserves, light brown sugar and soy sauce.  Set aside and start working with the corned beef.

Coat a roasting pan or other large pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the piece of corned beef in the pan and add the water.  Tightly seal with foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 2 hours.  Remove from oven and drain all liquid.  Baste the corned beef with apricot mixture and then return to the oven uncovered for an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.  You can baste the corned beef several times with the apricot mixture during the final cooking time.  Remove the corned beef again and cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing across the grain and serving.

Note:               Corned beef is usually made from the brisket cut of beef.  This is

                           the most common type of corned beef.  However, you can find

                           it also made from the beef round roast.

Note:                Corned beef is the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meat.  It is usually

                           served with cooked potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Steam Fried Cabbage

(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Butter

2 cups Chicken Broth

1 large head Green Cabbage, coarsely chopped

To taste Salt & Black Pepper

Directions:

In a 3 to 5 quart covered sauté pan, bring the butter and broth to a boil.  Add the cabbage to the liquid and combine.  Reduce the temperature to simmer and cover.  Continue cooking for about 45 minutes or until cabbage is tender.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Note:               This cabbage dish goes well with the “Glazed Corned Beef”

                           recipe.  Just add potatoes and carrots to make a traditional

                           St. Patrick’s Day meal.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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March is Coming

The month of March is almost upon us.  We have to get through an extra day of February (leap year) first.  One of my 1st cousins once removed will be 8 years old (really 32) on Wednesday.  Happy Birthday, Kyle!!!  Most of us probably don't know too many "Leap Year" babies.

Well, back to March.  Surprisingly, March is a very busy month.  The first big thing is "Daylight Savings Time" starts.  We get an extra hour of light in the evening.  I still haven't fully adjusted to the move from April but I better get ready.  Remember to change batteries (Smoke Detectors) that weekend.  We "Spring Forward" on Sunday morning (2:00 AM) the 11th.

Basketballs "March Madness" starts this month too.  Many people will be filling out their brackets and hoping their team can win it all.  In my area, there are Missouri and Kansas fans fighting over who is the best and which one will go further.  My hopes are on another area team.  My team is Creighton University out of Omaha, Nebraska.  I graduated from there a few (many) years ago.

Spring comes this month.  Hopefully that will mean no more snow or cold temps.  However, I'm not holding my breath on that thought.  I am looking forward to seeing nature come alive again.  My wife loves seeing all the new born animals.  Especially the farm ones.

Now for the most important thing that happens in March!  I'm Irish so you must know what that means.  It's St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) and the start of my 2 day birthday celebration.  I missed St. Patrick's Day by 5 minutes.  So I've always made it a big 2 day event.  We just don't have numbers associated with it anymore.

Being Irish and March coming, there will be 3 days of recipes.  An easy slow cooker "Corned Beef & Cabbage" dinner.  Then two recipes of "Glazed Corned Beef" & "Steam Fried Cabbage."  On Friday, I have an "Irish Soda Bread" recipe that is very easy and will go well with either of the dinners above.  Be sure to check them out and pass them on.  That's why I'm doing it early.

Have a great week and I forgot to mention the "Northwest Missouri State University" men's basketball team as they begin their tournament road to a chance for a national championship in Division II.  GO BEARCATS!

Pasta with Tomatoes & Olives

Pasta with Tomatoes & Olives

(Vegetarian Dish)

(2-3 servings)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. Butter

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves Fresh Garlic (large)

¼ cup Shallots, diced

12 each Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

12 each Kalamata Olives, pitted & halved

½ cup White Wine, your choice

6 oz. Sundried Tomato Basil Fettuccine, cooked (see note)

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/8 cup Fresh Basil, chopped

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Once melted, add the garlic and shallots for about 2 minutes.  Follow with the tomatoes and olives for another 2 to 3 minutes before adding the wine.  Heat the wine through and add the pasta and stir to combine.  Next add the Parmesan cheese and basil to the mixture and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.  If pasta mixture is too thick, add a little of the pasta water or some more wine.  Serve immediately with my garlic bread recipe.

Note:               I used Fettuccine from Artisan Italian by Dakota Earth.  You can

                           buy their products in a few stores in Sioux City, IA and Sioux

                           Falls, SD or online at their website, DakotaEarth.com.

Note:               You can use any pasta for this recipe, but a flavored one just adds

                           a punch to the dish.

Note:               You could change out the Kalamata olive for your favorite one in

                           this recipe.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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A little Information on Tofu for Cooking

Vegetarians, no matter which type, need to get protein from a source other than animal products.  So they look to items in the "Whole Grain" area like Quinoa, Brown Rice and Barley.  These are all an excellent source of protein.  Quinoa is 100% whole-grain but is really a seed.  The following link tells you how to cook it.  How-to-cook-Quinoa-perfectly

Another group for protein source are beans, lentils and legumes.  Black beans are one of the best for protein from this group.  Legumes are from the pea family for those not familiar with the name.

Nuts, seeds and nut-butters are another area for a protein source.

Then there is "Tofu" that is very popular among vegetarians.  Tofu is made from Soybean milk that is fermented.  There are basically two types of tofu, regular and silken (Japanese style).  The regular type of tofu is made to hold it's shape, whereas the silken type is creamier and melts into the product you are making.

In the regular tofu (also known as Chinese style or bean curd) group, the tofu can range from medium-firm to extra-firm texture.  This type of tofu can be baked, sauteed or deep fried for use in many dishes.  Tofu has the ability to pickup the flavor of whatever it is being used with in a dish or recipe.

The silken type of tofu is great to use in desserts and sauces.  It has the ability to blend into any recipe, so cakes, cookies, etc. come out great.

So hopefully you have gained a little knowledge over the last two days about a vegetarian life style.  Maybe it will get you to try tofu or use some of the other protein sources more.  Even become a vegetarian of some type.  I like using the term "Vegetarian for the Day."  I can't get with the full-time life style but do enjoy  one of two days a week of going meatless.  Please let me know if you have more questions on the subject or have something to contribute to the our topic this week.

Tomorrow has a delicious recipe for "Pasta with Tomato & Olive" and is vegetarian.  Have a great day!

What is a Vegetarian and are there various types?

When most people hear the term "Vegetarian" it conjures up the idea of people who do not eat meat.  Well, reality has a little more to it.  I'll start with listing all the different types and a little about them.  Let's begin with the  easiest to follow through to the hardest.

Flexitarians (Semi-Vegetarian) are people who limit their eating of certain meats.  The most common in this group are ones who don't eat red meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc).  This group usually still eats chicken and fish.  Catholics, on their fish only Fridays, or people who eat fish but not the chicken (fowl) are called "Pescatarian."  The purest "Vegetarians" don't think of this group as really being "True" vegetarians.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians (Vegetarian) are the most common type of vegetarians today.  This group does not eat any animals (beef, pork, lamb, fowl, fish, etc.) but may eat eggs and dairy.  There are even subsets in this group.  Ovo-Vegetarian people don't eat dairy but do eat eggs.  Lacto-Vegetarian will eat dairy but not eggs.  We normally just refer to all of these people as "Vegetarian" and don't add the first part of the category name.

Vegans are much stricter in that they don't eat any animal products at all.  This includes no honey as well as the eggs and dairy products.

Raw/Living Foodists are people that only eat raw food.  They will not eat anything that has had a cooking process of any kind.

Fruitarians will only eat fruit, fruit-like vegetables (such as tomatoes, etc.) and some will eat nuts and seeds.

These are the basic 5 groups that fall under the "Vegetarian" label.

There is something else about these people that most of us meat eaters don't understand.  They don't eat food that has been cooked with meat items either.  A few examples would be: That roast beef dinner with all the vegetables cooked with it-they can't eat those vegetables.  Soup made with chicken broth.  The egg fried in the pan that just cooked the bacon even if you wiped it out.  In fact, some would not use that pan at all even if it had been washed.  Because it had been used for meat products.  That group is fairly small but you do need to take that into consideration when having someone from these groups over for a meal.  The individual coming has the responsibility to inform you of their eating restrictions when invited to share food with you.  But it is a two-way street for both sides to communicate and respect each other's views and needs.

One more thing I'd like to point out to everyone is that we are all some type of vegetarian on occasion.  There is the national "Meatless Mondays" that many of us follow or maybe it is another day during the week.  Some will do it several days a week.  Many do it without even thinking about the fact that they just had a vegetarian day.  It really is not a bad idea to follow once and awhile, but I'm still a meat & potato guy most of the time.

I hope this has been helpful to you.  This blog today didn't touch on the health side of the issue.  I'll leave that up to you to check out.  Tomorrow, I'll touch base on proteins for these groups with "Tofu" being the main one.  Friday's recipe is a vegetarian pasta dish I'm sure you will enjoy.

Another Video from my Latest KQ2 Appearance

One blog reader from last week's blog sent me some additional information on cooking and baking with egg substitutes.  Please read below.

For anyone interested:

Egg Substitutes for Baked Goods

In a typical recipe for baked goods, eggs generally play one of two roles:binder (to hold the recipe together) or leavening agent (to help it rise). Sometimes eggs play both roles at once. Determining which purpose the eggs primarily hold in the recipe you are considering will help you determine what options for replacement you might have. 

 As a rule of thumb, if a recipe for baked goods calls for three or more eggs per batch (with a typical "batch" consisting of 36 cookies, one pan of brownies, one loaf of bread, or one cake), egg substitutes generally do not work. The consistency of the finished product comes out poorly. Pound cakes, sponge cakes, angel food cakes, and other popular desserts with relatively high egg content do not turn out well in egg-free cooking. In these situations, it is usually best to make something else. 

There are commercial egg replacement products on the market. Be sure that you are considering an egg replacement, not an egg substitute. Egg substitutes are generally marketed in the dairy portion of the grocery store, and are designed for cholesterol-conscious people, rather than for egg-allergic people. They contain egg, and are unsafe for those with egg allergies. Commercial egg replacement products (such as Ener-G brand Egg Replacer®, a popular powdered product that is available in natural foods stores across the U.S.) generally will work for either binding or leavening purposes. As with any other product, be sure to read the ingredient statement to ensure that the product is indeed safe for your child. 

Eggs as a Binder

For recipes which use eggs primarily as a binder (such as drop cookies), possible substitutions for one egg include: 

• 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed 
• 1/4 cup of applesauce (or other pureed fruit) 
• 3-1/2 tablespoons gelatin blend (mix 1 cup boiling water and 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, and then use 3-1/2 tablespoons of that mixture per egg) 
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water; let stand 1 minute before using 
• Commercial egg replacement products (see above) 

Keep in mind that the addition of pureed fruit may impact both the taste and the density of the finished product. 

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum can be added to egg-free cakes and cookies, as well as milk-free ice cream, to bind and add texture. Use about one teaspoon per recipe. Xanthan gum is a white powder derived from the exoskeleton of a bacterium. It is cultivated on corn sugar. 

 

Eggs as a Leavening Agent

For recipes which use eggs primarily as a leavening agent you can try a commercial egg replacement product (see above) or the following mixture: 

• 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon baking powder per egg.

Note: this mixture calls for baking powder, not baking soda. The two products are not interchangeable. 

Egg White Glaze

Occasionally recipes will use egg whites as a glaze, with the beaten egg whites brushed onto the top of the item before it is cooked. One good option here is to use melted margarine instead of the beaten egg whites. 


I was on KQ2 TV yesterday morning doing a cooking segment with Bob and William.  The recipe was from the cookbook for "French Dip Panini" and they loved it.  Here is the  link KQ2.

This week is about being a "Vegetarian" and what that means.  It should be interesting because some of us do it occasionally and don't even think about it.  I will also talk about "Tofu" and the different kinds and how to use them.  Of course, Friday there will be a "Vegetarian Recipe" for an easy entree.  Have a great week.

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

(12 servings)

Ingredients:

1½ cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Baking Soda

¼ tsp. Fine Sea Salt

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

½ cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk or Almond Milk

1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar

1 cup Mashed Bananas (very ripe)

¼ cup Canola or Safflower Oil

1½ tsp. Pure Vanilla

1/3 cup Semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together and set aside.  In another bowl, mix the milk and vinegar together and let stand 2 minutes to thicken.  Now add the sugar, banana, oil and vanilla to the milk mixture and mix until well blended.  Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and divide the batter between the 12 regular sized paper muffin cups in your muffin pan.  Each should be about 2/3 full.  Place muffins in a pre-heated 400 degree oven and bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until browned.  Use a toothpick inserted in the center to test for doneness.  The toothpick will come out clean when muffins are done.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Serve warn or at room temperature. 

Note:               If not needing to be a vegan recipe, you may use regular milk.

Note:               If chocolate is not an option for you, use chopped toasted

                           Walnuts instead.

Note:               You’ll need 3 medium bananas for this recipe.  The very

                           ripe bananas give the best flavor.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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