CHEF SAMBRANO Food Articles Video Recipes
Kabocha or Japanese winter squash, or Japanese pumpkin is a very good squash to use, generally green but orange ee on the inside or yellow ee orange ee, it resembles pumpkin, imagine Linus "Hey where's the Great Kabocha Charlie Brown?" Ha ha.
Anyhow you can find Kabocha in most markets these days, from your chain market to your local co-op or health food store, if you haven't tried it yet, you should, and if you can get one that is organic.
Here's a simple soup you can make and all you need to do is have onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, celery, organic vegetable oil, water, some Spike TM, some thyme, bay leaf, Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Agave nectar to sweeten and balance flavor if you wish.
AUTUMN KABOCHA SOUP
1 small Kabocha 3-4 pounds, cut in half, drizzled with some vegetable oil or olive oil, and roast it in a 400 deg. f. oven for about 30 minutes or until it softens. Take it out, and remove any seeds, and scoop out the flesh reserve it in a small bowl.
Mince 2 large sweet round onions
Mince 6 cloves fresh garlic
Mince 4 inch of fresh ginger
Dice 6 large tomatoes
Rough chop 6 stalks of celery
In a medium pot stainless steel, add in about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, heat it up over medium high heat, and sauté the onions, garlic, ginger for about 2 minutes careful not to burn it. Cook it or sweat it out, then add in the tomatoes and celery cook them until very soft.
Then add in 2 quarts of filtered water, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 1 hour.
Strain out the liquid, return liquid to pot and heat over medium heat, add in the Kabocha flesh and cook for about 20 minutes, using a good quality hand blender, blend the flesh of Kabocha with the broth. Season with Spike, thyme, bay leaf, Bragg vinegar, sea salt sparingly, and fresh ground black pepper. For sweet add some Agave nectar.
Spike seasonings no sodium, safe for diabetes and hypertension.
Agave Nectar, low glycemic, safe for diabetics, but first check with your professional health care provider, doctor, and or dietitian or nutritionist.
Fall meals, autumn is here, low sodium, low fat. But comforting, and delicious, ready for this, Beef and Pumpkin Stir Fry.
1 small pumpkin, quartered, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted in a 400 deg. f. oven for about 30 minutes or until soft. Seeds removed. Do not mash the flesh, if it's still firm, scoop them out with a melon scooper, and set aside, scoop as much as you can, you won't use all of it.
5 oz. of flank steak sliced thin across the grain
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Marinate the beef pieces in the olive oil, onion powder and salt for 10 minutes.
1 tbsp. veg. oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 cup sliced round onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
SAUCE
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. wheat free tamari
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1. Heat up a wok over medium high heat, add oil, garlic, ginger, and stir fry until fragrant.
2. Stir in the beef, and cook until just turns color, add in the onion and mushrooms, cook for a minute, add in the sauce and toss, right before it finishes, add in a few scoops of pumpkin, if it mashes a little that's okay. Season with Spike or Mrs. Dash
3. Serve with brown rice
Vegan Tacos, here's a spicy low sodium Eggplant Tacos recipe, simple to make, not too time consuming, here I'll use some ready made corn taco shells to save time.
1 pack ready made taco shells
2 large eggplants, skinned and cubed about 3/4 of an inch
Vegetable oil for frying
First, get large skillet, add enough oil to cook the eggplants, remember that eggplants to soak up oil so allow for this, don't be afraid to add a little more oil if you need it, that's the way they cook. So cook them, and season them with black pepper only at this point. Remove from heat, and turn of stove.
Now we'll make the sauce.
2 tbsp. veg. oil
1 shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf cracked
10oz. can of low sodium tomato sauce, pick a good brand or an organic one if that concerns you.
4 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Mrs. Dash to taste
Return skillet to medium high heat, add oil, when hot, add in shallot and garlic, stir until fragrant, add in bay leaf, and then the tomato sauce, chili powder, coriander, lime juice, sea salt, and Mrs. Dash to taste.
Once you have tasted and adjusted your seasonings, the recipe is a mere guide, add in the cooked eggplants, and warm it up well.
Heat up your taco shells and fill them with the eggplants, because it's a vegetable, I don't garnish it with any veggies, or cheeses.
Serve them up with refried beans, or some Spanish rice.
Healthy meals for the Fall season, in this post I'll focus on my condition, high blood pressure. So we'll keep it all on the low fat, low sodium wave, keeping our weight down, and our pressure close to the normal, you know at least the 120/70 range or something like that.
I'm gonna make a simple beef stew, and here are the ingredients.
2 lbs. of Chuck cubed
2 tbsp. veg. oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 large carrot sliced 2 inches
2 medium russet potatoes cubed
1/2 cup celery tops chopped
2 cups of beef broth low sodium
1 cup of light beer
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. white pepper
1/3 tsp. sea salt
Preheat a large enough saucepan (stainless steel) over medium high heat.
In a bowl, dredge the cubed beef with all purpose flour.
Add oil into pan, heat up a minute, and then brown the cubed beef until brown and the juices start to come out.
Add in the 2 cups of broth and the beer, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes, then add in the potatoes, carrots, and cover, simmer for 15 minutes, then add in the celery tops, rosemary, white pepper, and sea salt. Cook for about 10 minutes. Off the heat, let it rest uncovered.
Easy to make, serve with brown rice, or an all grain baguette.
Tip: Have about 4 oz. of this stew, with more veggies and fruits, do not add more salt, though using Mrs. Dash, or Spike brand no sodium flavorings is good for your hypertension/high blood pressure.
So you're a sufferer when you intake gluten? And you love to eat pizzas, hmmm, that's a tough gig right there my friends, because for myself it's a hypertension issue and gout and kidneys, so I do understand the need to eat the right foods, however in the real world out there, we do have a difficult time finding a good eatery that cooks the foods that are safe for us. For myself, I'm always asking politely at the counter or to the waitstaff, "Can you please have the chef not use any salt? Thank you." Some establishments are jaded when I ask them politely, like I'm some kind of freak, but I have to ask, if I have a heavy dose of salt, I can feel my pressure rising, my head can feel the pressure honestly.
Gluten free can be found in some health food stores that have their own deli, or at vegan digs, more than likely these establishments understand full circle how important it is to cater to the gluten free brethren. Here is a recipe I tweaked for you to use, to make your very own pizza. Now for the toppings, I'll give you some ideas on what is safe to eat, the gluten free items. We need to watch certain canned sauces have flour in it from wheat to act as a thickener, so even canned and bottled sauces that you might think is safe in actuality may not be, so take good precautions when purchasing canned and bottled foods, look for "Gluten Free" printed on the packaging.
GLUTEN FREE PIZZA CRUST
MAKES 2 12 " PIZZAS
2 cups tapioca flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
3.5 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. xantham gum
2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. agave syrup nectar
1 1/4 cup warm filtered water
1 1/4 tsp. raw sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
ENGER G Egg Replacer 3 tbsp. with 4 tbsp. water mixed to replace 2 eggs
1/3 tsp. gluten free mirin.
Get 2 12 pizza pans, and grease them with olive oil to prevent sticking, and use some rice flour to dust it, let it sit on the side until ready.
In a separate bowl, place the four different flours in there with the other dry ingredients,.
In a cup add in warm water with yeast and dash of sugar.
Add the yeast water to the dry ingredients, add the oil, egg replacer, agave syrup, and mirin.
Now mix the dough, which will not resemble regular wheat flour dough, it will be a resemblance of batter. Using a rubber spoon, divide dough into the 2 pans, using your hands press firmly onto each pan, it'll be messy, rinse hands occasionally, continue to press into a nice pizza crust.
Let pans rest for up to 20 minutes so the dough has some chance of rising.
Preheat oven to 400 deg. f.
Place pans into oven and bake each one for 10 minutes. Remove and heat up your broiler.
To make a nice topping, brush some olive oil onto each crust with Italian herbs, top it with your favorite veggies, organic tomatoes, onions, eggplants, etc. Vegan mozzarella cheese, stick each pan one at a time under broiler for 5 minutes to melt the cheese, careful not to burn your pizza.
* Note slice your eggplants thin so it cooks through quickly, if you want thick slices, sauté the eggplants first to pre-soften them.
Thanks to Cafe Viva New York for a nice picture of a vegan pizza, topped with vegan cheese and vegan sausage.
High Blood Pressure and Hypertension patients need not suffer from boring diets, remember portions matter. Gone are your days of eating a 12 oz. slab of prime cut, doused with Kikoman Soy Sauce, and 2 huge ass scoops of white starchy rice, and lots of rich butter on a toasted cut of French roll.
STEAK AND EGGS
1 4 oz. cut of sirloin... that's right man sorry, that'll do.
Garlic powder
1 tbsp. of safflower oil
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/2 cup of chopped sweet round onions
1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
2 eggs
3 cups of cooked brown rice (use the leftovers for later) You will use only one scoop of it alright, not the whole cooked 3 cups.
1. Heat up a stainless steel pan over medium high heat add oil, season the sirloin with garlic powder, and cook the steak for about 3 minutes per side.
2. Remove the steak, tent with foil to keep warm, return pan to heat, and begin to sauté the celery, onions, and mushrooms until soft, season with sprinkles of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar.
3. In a nonstick pan, add some safflower oil, and cook the 2 eggs to your liking.
Arrange the plate with the steak, sauteed veggies and cooked eggs, do not use any salt, learn to accept the flavors of all the items without salt. You can add pepper to it.
Here's a simple dip, I'll call this the Organic Japanese Shrimp Dip which is gluten free.
All of these ingredients can be purchased at a health food store, though the dip is vegan and organic, I find a battered shrimp deep fried marries this dip pretty good, considering the shrimp is battered in gluten free batter, such as a rice flour and arrowroot mixture with some Ener G egg replacer. But this is just the dip.
1 cup of Bragg liquid amino
1/2 cup Eden Mirin gluten free
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. raw sugar
1 tsp. minced green onion
1 tsp. organic safflower oil
Mix all of the ingredients and chill.
This dip is a good one for gluten free tempuras which I'll cover later on.
Below is the brands of organic and gluten free products out there that may be alien to you.
Eden Mirin, gluten free.
Shiro Miso, gluten free and great for soups, dressings, salads, and dips.
Bragg Liquid Aminos, instead of soy sauce. No GMO, no additives, add some water to thin it out if you have high blood pressure, use with caution but if you don't have any sodium issues and just a gluten issue this is a good one. Refrigerate after opening that's what I do.
Diabetes is a killer, it is a disease that is knocking out people in America with unbelievable numbers! Diabetics need to watch a lot of things concerning their health, Type 1 or Type 2, watching their sugar intake, or their glycemic levels. The more fibers, whole foods, and low sugar is what should be prepared. Fortunately, Diabetic meals need not be too complex to put together, as a matter of fact, God made life easy, man made it more difficult. So our diets have gotten worse in the past, so for the future let's keep it simple, easy, and healthy. There's no need to hire a Cordon Bleu chef, all you need is proper education on the disease, and read books on cooking, take cooking classes, and learn from other diabetics, dietitians, and healthy chefs.
CHICKEN SALAD
3 cups of poached chicken breast, skinless and boneless, diced.
1/2 cup fresh chopped kale
1/3 cup chopped sweet round onion
2 tbsp. of organic pickles chopped
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cover and chill.
3. Best to be used within 2 days.
You can add any green or fruit that's organic to enhance your salad. Experiment.
Vegenaise from Follow Your Heart brand, is totally egg free, and dairy free, no preservatives, and makes a mayonnaise lover switch teams, this is vegan.
Try mixing this with some organic hot sauce, and some organic ketchup, or organic mustard. It makes great vegan dressings and dips, very simple to use.
Here is a a pumpkin pie filling from scratch that is gluten free, it takes some time to prepare, so if you are one to not utilize a can of pumpkin filling here is a recipe that I tweaked from a local aunty.
1 small pumpkin (organic)
1 tbsp. cinnamon powder
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. rice flour
3 tbsp. Ener G Egg Replacer + 4 tbsp. of water (mixed well)
1 cup rice milk
2 tbsp. water
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract (Mc Cormick Pure Vanilla isn't organic, but it is gluten free, shop online to find an organic brand, try looking in your local health food store)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 deg. f.
1. Cut the pumpkin in quarters, and bake until soft, about 30 - 40 minutes, remove cool, and remove seeds, and scoop the soft meat into 1 3/4 cups.
2. Mix the softened pumpkin with the raw sugar, mix. Then add in the sea salt, ginger powder, cinnamon, and rice flour and mix. Then add in the Ener G mixture, and mix in the rice milk, water and vanilla extract.
3. Take the 8 inch pie crust that is below this post (Gluten Free Pie Crust), fill the pie shell, place in center rack in oven, and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Ener G Egg Replacer can be found in natural food stores, it is an awesome substitute for eggs. It binds baking dishes very well as if using real eggs.
This is a gluten free pie crust recipe, if anyone has a gluten problem when eating, this recipe is safe. Gluten a component in wheat is harmful to some, so without wheat in this recipe it is safe for anyone. Gluten has been known to give others allergies as well, so if you find that staying off of wheat products makes you feel better, then try these as we continue to learn about good eating and good health. As I move on through life, and my journey to keep from getting to level 4 kidney failure, I want to dedicate the rest of my life in helping others find solutions to their problems, gone from my blogs will be anything that has zero value. I hope you can turn others on to my blog posts, and share information.
GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST
1/2 cup of Earth Balance Original Natural Buttery Spread chilled
1 1/2 cups of rice flour
4 tbsp. of iced water (key needs to be ice cold)
Directions:
In a bowl, add in the rice flour, and spoon the Earth Balance spread inside, make sure that it is chilled and not at room temperature, you want the crust to be flaky. Work the spread and flour together until just mixed, then add in the very iced cold water, using your fingers, work the dough and form a ball.
Place the dough in the center of an 8" pie pan with a nonstick spray lining the bottom and sides to prevent it from sticking. Work the dough up to the sides, and using a fork, poke some holes on the bottom of crust to prevent it from bubbling.
Preheat oven to 400 deg. f., place pie pan in for about 12-15 minutes until brown. Remove and cool, and now you have a vegan, gluten free pie crust to bake a pie in.
You can make a simple pumpkin pie buy purchasing a vegan/gluten free can of pumpkin filling, you're set, simple and hassle free. If you do want to make your own from scratch fillings since you've made your crust from scratch, stay tuned for future blogs posts and filling recipes from scratch.
Earth Balance brand can be found in most health food stores across the country and even in selected chain supermarkets.
What is gluten again? In Latin, gluten "glue", holds together wheat products such as breads, it gives in its elasticity, and the ability to rise and form. Now I'm not going into technical aspects of gluten, however gluten in foods can be an intolerable thing for people with diseases such as celiac.
So if you can't eat glutenous foods, what kinds foods should you avoid?
- white flour
- duram wheat
- graham flour
- triticale
- kamut
- semolina
- spelt
- wheat germ
- wheat bran
Foods made from wheat includes most of the time:
- pasta
- couscous
- bread
- flour tortillas
- cookies
- cakes
- muffins
- pastries
- cereal
- beer
- oats
- gravy
- dressings
- sauces
Gluten Surprises foods that may contain gluten:
- broth in soups and Bouillons cubes
- bread crumbs and croutons
- fried foods
- imitation fis
- lunch meats and hot dogs
- matzo
- most chips and candies
- salad dressings
- self-basting turkey
- soy sauce
- rice and pasta mixes
Check labels to be sure there is no gluten in the products you are about to purchase
So what's a good source of gluten free foods?
- amaranth
- arrowroot
- beans (kidney, black, soy, navy, pinto, etc.)
- buckwheat
- corn (look for pure corn tortillas)
- flax
- gluten free baked products (made from corn, rice, soy, nut, teff and /or potato flour)
- kasha
- millet
- potatoes (sweet potatoes are best)
- quinoa
- rice (brown or wild rice)
- sorghum
- soy
- tapioca
AMARANTH is sold in most natural food stores.
How to cook? 1 cup of whole grain amaranth, with 2.5 cups of boiling water for about 18-20 minutes. Do not over cook it becomes sticky or gummy. In has a mild and sweet nutty flavor. It' a hard thing to substitute this with white rice, but if you do have an ailment, try this.
ARROWROOT is sold in most supermarkets, it is a fine addition to your gluten free lifestyle. It is a good thickening agent for soups, gravies, and dressings. Instead of using AP flour which contains gluten, arrowroot is a perfect substitution. Have a cup or so of arrowroot slurry to thicken liquids.
ORGANIC CANNED KIDNEY BEANS I personally don't have the time to soak and beans overnight and cook them, fine if you do, despite this, I purchase good quality canned organic beans from companies such as Eden and it is non sodium, so these are a great alternative to help you get your proteins.
* same goes for the other beans, search for organic beans in cans or find them dried in bulk sections at your local health food store.
Let's take a look at what's in your bag of snacks, and let's take a look at a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch, and learn what some of these ingredients really are, and if they are really good for your health.
The ingredients are as follows:
Whole Corn..........................Could be GMO, good or bad? You to decide look up GMO
Vegetable Oil, Corn, Canola, Soybean and/or Sunflower Oil........ Most likely it's a GMO product.
Maltodextrin (Made From Corn)...... it adds to processed foods, as a thickener or to add body to a product, though it made from a natural product such as corn, because it is processed, it has no nutritional value. It can give people allergic to corn the same symptoms, such as rashes, asthma, hives, and itches.
Salt, it is heavily laced with salt or sodium, 12 chips is considered 1 serving, and is 180mg of sodium, though listed as 8%, most people don't eat just 12 chips, they'll consume more, and studies have showed that these junk foods that don't have any nutrition will leave one still hungry and hence will eat more. High blood pressure people say, "Nay!"
Tomato Powder, it is made from tomatoes, but again it is so highly processed that it has zero nutritional values whatsoever.
Corn Starch, is used to help thicken other foods, on its own it is alright and pretty safe.
Lactose, is a natural that is found in milk and dairy products, if someone is lactose intolerant, it can have adverse effects, such as sore stomach, or passing gas.
Whey, is a protein from milk when making cheese, it is the liquid that remains after the milk curdles. The dangers of whey is that if someone is lactose intolerant it can give them the side effects as that of lactose.
Skim Milk, again, this is a dairy product and can have the same effects as Lactose and Whey.
Corn Syrup Solids, just call it corn syrup that was manufactured with the liquids removed, all the same, like corn syrup, it is very sweet, and not good for diabetics, it is considered 3/4 or 75% as sweet as cane sugar or sugar beets, so this is very dangerous, and other side effects can be muscle cramps, head aches, just but a few. Doritos diabetics?
Onion Powder, processed from onions to add flavor, this is highly processed and loses all nutrients. However I use this on some of my cooking, mainly for flavor enhancement, it just has zero nutrients, eating raw onions will have significant nutrients. If you are allergic to onions or garlic, don't eat Doritos Cool Ranch.
Sugar, what can I say? Diabetes!
Garlic Powder, see Onion Powder.
Monosodium Glutamate, a.k.a. MSG, that food enhancer added to Asian foods, and as preservatives in canned and packaged food. High blood pressure? Say "Nay" to this. Some side effects that it had on myself were, headaches. For others it was flushing, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, numbness, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, nausea, and weakness. Say "Nay" to MSG, the FDA mandates food operators to list MSG on their products, though the FDA claims it safe, it is one of the most controversial ingredients in the past.
Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), now look at all that it is derived from. So if you are a lactose intolerant, "Nay!" Hypertension? "Nay!"
Dextrose, is made from starches such as rice and potatoes, the starches is converted to sugar to form a sweetening agent, so with that said, are you a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic? Well, watch how much Doritos Cool Ranch you ingest. What's the answer for health, do you eat this at all? "Nay!"
Malic Acid, comes from citrus fruits, though harmless, some people will have a reaction such as migraine headaches.
Buttermilk, it is generally safe for people that can consume milk. Buttermilk is made by adding an acid to milk that curdles it. Hence for a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch, the buttermilk is processed into a powder rendering it useless as far as any nutrients. And of course it is a dairy product, not good for lactose intolerants, should one eat this? Maybe, go ahead and chance it, you may get sick!
Natural and Artificial flavors, again because the natural is highly processed there is zero nutritional value, and as for the artificial? Say "Nay!" to this bag of chips.
Sodium Acetate, used to add flavor to chips, it is sodium so again, if you got hypertension? No good!
Artificial Color(Including Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5). As for Red 40, this has been a known culprit for people losing focus, lacking in concentration, and in some cases cancers were linked to Red 40. As for Blue 1, it is a petroleum derived additive, so it is not natural, it is studied to be the cause of cancers in animals, hypertension, and loss of body functions, do you really want this? I think the answer is a big "Nay!" Yellow 5, is used as a coloring for what else? Chips, and Doritos Cool Ranch is a perfect match up, what gives Doritos that yellow color? Well it isn't Mother Nature. A.K.A. E102, it is found in pills, shampoos, all kinds of unnatural products, when consumed one can get sick from nausea, cramps, skin rashes, migraines, and many others even cancers. Austria and Norway have banned the use of this chemical, I say "Yay Dat!"
Sodium Caseinate, is a processed milk product, casein comes from milk, naturally it is a healthy product, but in this processed form with sodium as it's partner for longer shelf life, it is bad for people with lactose intolerance, and people with hypertension or high blood pressure. So do we want to eat Doritos Cool Ranch? Ahhhhhhh, up to you.
Spice, pretty safe.
Citric Acid, safe unless you have some citrus acid allergies.
Disodium Inosinate, basically it adds flavors to chips just like Doritos Cool Ranch, like MSG, it can be dangerous for hypertension and high blood pressure, other side effects are flushed skin, numbness, sweating, swelling, and gastrointestinal problems. I say, "Nay!"
Disodium Guanylate, a.k.a. DSG, call it the cousin of MSG, it enhances flavor to instant foods like noodles, canned goods etc. You get the picture. It can aggravate gout attacks, speed up heart rates, damage kidneys, and other organs, jack up blood pressure, it is not advisable to give infants or toddlers this ingredient, an overdose of DSG can be fatal.
My personal opinion of Doritos Cool Ranch, for an artificially soaked product, it really is tasty, I do eat it on occasion, but just look at all that crap that is laced on those chips, which is really manufactured chips, with all that binders, and sodiums, man, I got high blood pressure, this crap is filled with shit I should not consume, and it is actually filled with dairy products in a processed form, but still is very bad for someone allergic to dairy, imagine all that crap in one bag! And we the consumers are blind, we don't want to read the labels, and or find out what those colorings really are.
I suggest we all learn from this and make better healthier choices when eating snacks, Frito Lay the largest manufacturers of chips is using.... how should I put this, poisons? Yeah poisons come to mind. Sure it's our responsibility to learn what is good or bad, but still, these guys are making a gazzillion bucks selling this unhealthy stuff.
Ron's pick is it a YAY or a NAY?
I say "NAY!" Not good folks, the votes are in from both sides, sorry Frito Lay I just Nayed you!
The term "spicy" means different things to different people, for some it means heat! Like in peppers with heat, with bite, such as hot Mexican food packed with heat when you eat. To some spicy means spices that add aroma and not necessarily heat, or so they say, well you get the picture.
In this blog post, I'll go over "Spicy From Scratch" a sauce just for practice infusing aromatic spices, and some heat via peppers. Okay my grasshoppers are you ready to get the spice on?
Here is something I learned from some vegan chefs, and this can be incorporated into Indian, Mexican, and some Asian dishes in stir fries.
This will make a 12 fl oz. jar of ....
SPICY SAUCE.
8 small red chile peppers, minced
1 tsp. fresh ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. raw brown sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 bay leaf cracked in half
3 tbsp. Sambal Oelek
2 fl oz. tomato paste
2 fl oz. fresh orange juice
2 fl oz. Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
2 fl oz. soy sauce
2 fl oz. olive oil
2 fl oz. filtered water
Directions:
In a food processor or strong blender, blend all of the ingredients until smooth, strain into 12 fl oz. jar with cap. Refrigerate.
How to use this aromatic spicy with mild heat sauce in a stir fry.
SPICY SHRIMP STIR FRY
8 oz. of chopped shrimp that is shelled and cleaned
2 tbsp. peanut oil for cooking
1 tsp. of minced ginger
1 tsp. of minced garlic
1/2 cup of Shitake Mushrooms, (soaked in water to hydrate if using dried)
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/4 cup of small bamboo shoots
1/4 cup of Spicy Sauce
2 tbsp. of cornstarch
2 tbsp. of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onions for garnish
1. Heat up a wok over medium high heat and add in peanut oil, stir in minced garlic and ginger stir for about 20 seconds, add in the shrimp, and cook for about 1 minute.
2. Add the Shitake, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots, and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add in spicy sauce and cook until it bubbles.
4. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water well with a small whisk or a fork, add to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then plate it, top with green onions to garnish.
For those of you with high blood pressure, and or diabetes, eating your favorite foods dining out can be difficult. Number one, most digs sell their foods with a lot of salt for the flavors, especially Asian influenced cuisines, and in Hawaii the plate lunch culture is very high in sodium and on the glycemic levels. In this post I'll trim off the sodium and sugars, but at least the flavors will be somewhat there.
8 strips of short ribs Kalbi cuts about 2 1/2 pounds
1 cup of filtered water
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 of Agave nectar
3 cloves garlic minced
1 inch ginger chopped
1/4 of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1/4 cup of minced green onions
In a bowl, add all of the ingredients from the water to green onions, mix it well. Then add in the Kalbi cuts and soak overnight.
*The Agave nectar is lower on the glycemic levels than sugar, and the water takes out some of the sodium from the soy sauce. This will not taste as strong as a regular Kalbi recipe but it will trim off the stuff you don't need if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Heat up grill and grill to your preference.
FURIKAKE FRIED RICE
2 cups of cooked white/brown rice mixture
1/2 cup of minced tofu
1/4 of minced green onions
2 egg whites cooked and chopped
2 tbsp. of Bragg liquid amino
1 tbsp. Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. furikake flakes
In a hot wok with some vegetable oil, begin to fry the cooked rice for a few minutes getting it that fried texture, add in the tofu, and stir for a minute, then add in the rest of the ingredients and cook through.
Bragg Liquid Amino in place of soy sauce is pretty good, just using 2 tbsp. should be safe.
Check with your dietician or doctor before trying this one.
Good Eating!
Mock Tuna Salad or Vegan Tuna Salad actually is a good replica of real tuna salad, minus any animal proteins, or saturated fats that's bad for you. If you look at this picture, doesn't it resemble real tuna salad? It does doesn't it?
These are the ingredients for my version of Mock Tuna Salad. Top row L-R; white pepper, mashed garbanzo beans, the can of garbanzo beans, Vegenaise(vegan mayonnaise) Bottom row L-R; 1 lime, minced Maui onions, dill weed, nutritional yeast. On cutting board, a piece of toasted bread roughly chopped.
Here is the stars of the Vegan Mock Tuna Salad, to the left is my favorite Follow Your Heart brand Original Vegenaise, made from vegetables, and it tastes like real mayonnaise, and I love mayonnaise this is zero GMOs, zero cholesterol. To the right is a can (15oz) of Westbrae Organic Garbanzo Beans.
The key to this dish is the toasted bread that's all minced up, that along with the smashed garbanzo beans kind of makes this texture perfect as a make believe tuna salad, and mixed with the Vegenaise, onions, dill weed, nutritional yeast, white pepper it's perfect, and you can improvise and make it how you want it to taste, I kept it simple, no salt added, just the natural flavors, and the Vegenaise does have some salt flavor but not too much, it's very healthy, great for Diabetics, High Blood Pressure patients.
Great as a snack and it rehydrates you as well if you use organic cucumbers, just top the Mock Tuna Salad right on there, or you can make a snack using whole grain crackers, or make a sandwich with it on your favorite breads.
DIRECTIONS
1. Open the can of garbanzo beans, drain the liquid, in a bowl using a fork or masher, or even a food processor, mash it to your liking. I like it kind of grainy.
2. Add in the dill weed, onions, white pepper, nutritional yeast and mix, then add in the chopped toasted bread and mix well, add in half of the lime's juice and Vegenaise, and mix it well.
3. Serve on bread, crackers, or on slices of vegetables.
If you are a diabetic or have hypertension, transforming your diet from a mostly animal based diet to a more vegetable based diet is essential. For one thing, your bowel movements will be smoother, you'll lose weight, your body naturally will start to heal. But always go and check with your doctor if you have any severe ailments and check with your dietician.
Recently I saw my dietician, and she informed me that the best thing I could do for my constant gout attacks and high blood pressure was to stay away from these foods.
- Processed foods, like sausage, hot dogs, salami, pepperonis, Spam, fast food meals, coffee, any kind of soda or canned juices, candies, ice cream, dairy, fried foods, shell fish.
Just to name a few items. Also bags of chips.
What I should eat.
- Lots of greens, fruits, vegetables, water, flavored water naturally flavored with chopped fruits, or juice from a juicer. If I do eat meat, limit it to around 4 oz, per saving, with a few ounces of starch from organics, and the other half of the plate filled with organic vegetables and fruits.
For this post I hope that you got some ideas on eating right using zero GMOs, and zero animal fats and animal proteins.
