Friday, June 27, 2014

MaMa's Garlic Sauce

My mother in law made this sauce the other night for a large family dinner as a second option for dipping boiled shrimp. It was marvelous, and a big hit! I sent the leftovers home with my sister, which (by Murphy's Law) meant my husband of course desperately needed Garlic Sauce for his lunch the next day. 

He survived without his Garlic Sauce, barely, and I celebrated by begging his mother to teach me how to make it that night. We now have a small jar of this on the counter, and life is good again. 

This would be excellent drizzled on tofu, cooked veggies, mashed potatoes, rice, chicken....you get the idea. 



MaMa's Garlic Soy Sauce 

Ingredients: 
1/8 cup oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup soy sauce 
3-4 teaspoons sugar (or to taste) 

In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. It is ready when a wooden chopstick or spoon stuck into the oil puts it bubbles. 

Remove from heat to let cool slightly. Test the oil by dropping a piece of the minced garlic in- if it sizzles and gently starts to cook, your oil is ready. (If it sizzles violently and immediately turns dark brown, your oil is too hot.) 

Add your chopped garlic to the oil in the pan, and put it back over medium-low heat until the garlic is fragrant and cooked through. Test it by fishing a piece out and trying it. It should be nutty, slightly sweet, and not bitter or overly spicy. 

Remove from heat, allow to cool, and pour your garlic oil into a glass container. When completely cool, add soy sauce. Finish the sauce by stirring in sugar, to taste, about 3-4 teaspoons. 


Enjoy! 

Turkey "Pasta" Casserole



This meal was what happened when I wanted to do a simple pasta bake for the family...while still being able to stick to my low-carb meal plans. Turns out, cauliflower is an incredible substitute for most starches - noodles, breads, rice, mashed potatoes, etc. There are a lot of ways to prepare it, and each more delicious than the last!

To chop the cauliflower quickly, with zero mess, I used my Vitamix blender. I filled the canister half full of cauliflower, topped it off with water, pushed it to medium speed, and turned it off nearly immediately. The result was finely diced cauliflower that cooked quickly in my sauce.



Enjoy!


Aunt LoLo's Turkey "Pasta" Casserole
Serves 6
(Each serving equals 1 Lean, 3 Green, .33 Condiments)

Ingredients:
24 oz. ground turkey (measured AFTER cooking and draining) (4 Lean)
29 oz. canned tomatoes with their juice, pureed (6.5 Green)
8 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese (2 lean)
20.25 oz. cauliflower, finely chopped (11.5 green)
4 wedges Lite Laughing Cow Cheese (4 healthy fats)
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 tsp. smoked paprika (1 condiment)
1 tsp. granulated garlic (1 condiment)

1. In a skillet, brown your turkey. Drain and measure out what you need for your casserole. Set any extra aside for another meal.

2. Return meat to the pan, add your pureed tomatoes, cauliflower, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and granulated garlic.

3. Cook over low heat until the flavors are well blended, about 20-30 minutes.

4. Add your Laughing Cow cheese and stir to combine.

5. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover, and cook on low until the cheese is melted. (Optional - stir the cheese in, if you like.)

Enjoy!

PS - I told my kids this was Pizza Soup, and they enjoyed it quite a bit. *Grin*

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Chinese five spice pulled pork

Inspired by a recent obsession into all things kamado (a type of ceramic charcoal grill), I put together an Asian-fusion pulled pork tonight in the crockpot. The results were delicious- moist, flavorful, and delicious. Enjoy! 
(This recipe works as a lean in a low-carb diet. I added no sugar to the rub. I added a large Caesar salad on the side to make it a complete Lean and Green meal.) 

I used a "Crock-Pot Pork Roast." Not entirely sure what made it different, other than some slow cooker-specific directions on the back. 

Aunt LoLo's Chinese Five Spice Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 medium sized pork roast
1/4 cup Chinese five spice powder (mine was a blend of orange, clove, cinnamon, anise, and ginger)
Salt, to taste

Place your roast in the cooker and dump your seasoning on. Use your hands to pat the rub into the meat, covering all sides. If you have a rack for your cooker, put the meat on a rack. Add 1" of water to the pot and cook on high 4-6 hours (6 if frozen), until it is fall-apart tender. 

Remove to large bowl and shred with two fork. Season to taste with salt. 

Serve with rice and/or veggies. 

Enjoy!