Ecology Cooking Tip

In the morning, I boil a pot of water for tea.  Yum!   I pour the extra boiling water over my sponges in the sink.  Also:

• I put my sponges in the dishwasher when I run it.
• I recently read in our local paper that another way to disinfect your sponges (which can harbor a TON of bacteria) is to put them in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.
• The other recommendation was use one sponge for dishes and another for cleaning the kitchen to prevent cross-contamination.

What’s your favorite kitchen tip?

Crab Cakes – Gluten Free

Tis the season for crab!  Here’s Brenda’s recipe for Gluten-Free Broiled Crab Cakes
Group A:

• 1 lb of crab meat, picked over
• 1 tsp cider vinegar (for blue crab) or lemon juice (for dungeness crab)
• 1/3 cup finely minced parsley

Group B:

• 1 egg well beaten
• 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 – 3 tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1 tsp prepared mustard

Pick over crab meat to remove tiny shell pieces.
Sprinkle cider vinegar or lemon over crab meat and gently mix.
Gently mix parsley into crab.

In a separate bowl mix, Group B ingredients together and then add to Group A ingredients, mix gently, but completely.  Form balls for cocktail portions, or into paddies for meal portions.

Spray broiler pan with oil spray before placing crab on broiler pan.

Broil, high, on each side until brown.
(3 to 5 minutes or more depending on your oven.)
Stay close – these cook very quickly.

This recipe also works great for Salmon cakes (use cider vinegar) using either freshly cooked salmon, (good way to use left-over cooked salmon) or canned salmon.

Quick Cocktail sauce

• Good Quality Ketchup
• Add horseradish and lemon juice to taste.
• Optional – capers

Shared to AdventureBuddies by Brenda M. Goodwin, MBA
Principal, GoodWin Leadership, Executive & Leadership Coaching
Chair, Registration and Logistics at Professional Coaches, Mentors and Advisors

Raw Food Recipe: Healthy, Low Calorie, Easy and Delicious

I call this Silky Soup.  It’s a rich, nutritious, beautiful and super easy. Serve as an elegant appetizer, a snack or lunch on a hot day.  The avocado adds richness and it’s a way to use the parts of mango you might otherwise discard.  It looks like a lot of steps, but it’s fast and easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber (make sure it’s a firm/thin cucumber or remove large seeds)
• 1  medium to large apple
• 1 mango, ready to eat
• 1 medium Avocado, soft and ready to eat
• fresh mint leaves
• 1 Lemon

cut fruit from seed for 3 sections to work with	Massage Mango Seed to get all the juicy bits
Make squares with a dull knife; scoop out with spoon	Scrape the skin with a spoon

Make soup in a food processor:

• If organic, rinse cucumber, apple, mango,  avocado, mint & lemon.
• If not organic, wash with your favorite vegetable wash (we like Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap); rinse thoroughly.
• Zest just the outer layer of the lemon, set aside.
• Squeeze the juice of the lemon, removing any seeds, set aside.

• Peel cucumber, halve and remove any large seeds.  Roughly chop to yield approx 1 1/2 cups.
• Peel apple and roughly chop to yield about 1 1/2 cups.  Larger apple makes the soup a bit sweeter.   Granny Smith apple will make it more tart.  Experiment to see what you like or you can even use an apple that’s a bit past its prime.
• Cut mango halves away from large seed.  Cube with dull dinner knife right in the skins.  Scoop out the cubes into a bowl.   Reserve the skins and seed.

• Put cucumber,apple & 1 tsp lemon juice in food processor.  Pulse until blended.  Taste and enjoy the cool flavors.
• Squeeze every last ounce of juice and bits from the mango seed into the food processor. Scrape the mango skins so that you get everything you can from that luscious ripe fruit.  Discard seed and peel.
• Add about 1/4 of the cubed mango bits.
• Add 3 to 4 mint leaves (removed from stems)
• Pulse all of this until smooth.
• Peel avocado and scrape all the yummy bits into the mixture being careful not to add any skin or stem.  If your avocado is large, start with just 1/2.
• Pulse until smooth and taste.
• Add another tsp of lemon juice and 1 to 2 mint leaves  and pulse just to blend but that so you can still see little bits of green.  Taste to see if you like the flavor or would like a bit more lemon or mint.
• Gently stir in most of the mango pieces now or after you put the mixture into bowls.
• Pour into small bowls using a silicone spatula so that you get every last drop out of the processor.
• Top with a bit of  lemon zest and top with just 2-3 remaining mango pieces for color.

Have you ever seen Agatha Christie’s Poirot peel a mango? It’s art!   There is a real technique to “peeling” a mango.   Use a sharp knife (well, yes. all your knives should be sharp , and we like using a carving knife).  On a cutting board,  insert knife lengthwise into mango and carefully cut around the big seed.  This will give you 3 sections – 2 with the “meat” of the  mango and the seed.  On the 2 outer halves, (on a cutting board) you can use a dull dinner knife to cut both ways to make squares.  Then, cradling the section in your hand,  scoop out the squares with a spoon just as you would an avocado.

Use silicone spatula to get every last bit out of processor

Serve in small cute bowls or mugs

Stay tuned for vegan quinoa tabouli recipe

Never EVER cut into your hand with a sharp knife. I know this sounds silly, but I’ve seen my sister suture herself after cutting a bagel  into her hand.  Even expert, experienced chefs can make really stupid mistakes.

An AdventureBuddies’ Birthday Cooking Card (click on the link to see one of my favorite sites)

Ecology Cooking Tip for Tea Drinkers

Do you pre-heat your teapot?  Then do you pour that hot water down the drain?  Or do you have boiling water left over in your kettle after making your tea?

If so, here’s something you can do with that very hot water.  Pour it over your sponges in the sink.  Or put your good knives (the ones you do not put in your dishwasher) in the sink and pour that hot water over them.    Be careful not to pick up hot sponges or knives.  Do not leave knives in the sink where they can become cluttered and then cut you.

Washing and/or sanitizing sponges is important.  You can do it many ways.  You can put them in your dishwasher when you run it.  You can soak them in a solution of bleach and water.   This hot water rinse is an interim way to clean your sponges.

If you have lots of hot water left over, you can pour it down your bathroom sink or tub.  This can help clear your drains.

Ecology Cooking: Healthy, Refreshing Dessert

Green Grapes for Dessert?  Yes!

I don’t know where this idea came from.  I’ve successfully served it for over 25 years.  Oops, dating myself

It’s so simple that you’ll probably just stop reading and dismiss the idea.  TRUST ME.  Try it and prepare to be amazing as you share it with friends.

The basic recipe from long ago:

• Green Grapes, sliced in half (I like lengthwise)
• Sour Cream
• Cinnamon

Yep, that’s it.   Mix the sour cream and cinnamon and combine with sliced grapes.  Prepare at least one hour ahead and serve only slightly chilled.

You don’t need much of the sour cream mixture – just enough to lightly coat the grapes.  The cinnamon is to taste.  Did you know that cinnamon is HEALTHY?

This is a great picnic side dish or a wonderful intermezzo or even (and maybe especially) a wonderfully light and healthy dessert.

Variations:  I’ve tried light sour cream and I’ve tried 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 non-fat yogurt.    I’ve even tried just non-fat yogurt, but think there’s something in the flavor of sour cream that works well with the grapes.

Bon Appetite!

Ecology Cooking: Avocados

Bob’s definition of a good salad:   At least one whole avocado.  You can use less oil in salads when you use avocados.  Their rich, oily flavor is nutritious and balances your high quality vinegar or lemon dressing.

To use:

• Slice Avocado in half and separate halves by twisting halves apart.
• Plop your chef’s knife into the large seed with enough force to “catch” it.   Bang it onto the cutting board and twist gently.  One hand is holding the knife and your other hand is no where near the avocado
• Seed should remove easily with a twist of your knife; if not, bang again.
• (option to this method, turn avocado over and rap sharply on cutting board, then scoop seed out with spoon – the banging loosens the seed)
• With regular dinner knife (not your sharp chef’s knife- no hand cutting), make slice shapes in avocado half.
• Then make cross section cuts so you have little squares.
• Scoop out with a spoon.  Scoop directly into salad dressing or lemon mix (below) so avocado does not brown.

This is an easy way to fully use all the yummy insides of an avocado.

Pop seed with knife

Carefully remove seed from knife

Scrape out yummy bits with spoon

 

My favorite avocado side dish recipe:

• Squeeze or ream (reamer pictured) the juice of one or two lemons or limes.
• Chop 1/2 to 1 onion (experiment with kind to find what you like)
• Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper  (optional)
• Let onion sit in lemon for a while – longer if onion is more strongly flavored, less time if sweet oni0n.
• Shortly before serving, use above method to  add avocado.  Stir gently to completely coat avocado with lemon/onion mixture.
• Serve in a bowl as a side dish
• Great over rice, as a side dish or over greens

This looks really simple and easy – it is.  It’s incredibly delish!  Enjoy

Washing Vegetables

Click to see a recent article in the New York Times about cleaning vegetables.

We use Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint soap. We buy it by the gallon and it lasts a very long time. Dilute and keep a container by the kitchen sink. It’s great for washing vegetables. Put just a little bit in a big bowl of water to rinse your veggies.

Keep a small container in your hiking pack to wash off if you get exposed to poison oak. I don’t pet dogs when on the trail because I don’t want to get poison oak on my hands.

Because it rinses so easily and cleanly, it’s a great soap for the outdoors. I’ve even found that a strongly diluted solution is sometimes effective as an insect repellent.

I keep a plastic container in the shower, again – dilute. It’s refreshing. In the winter, I use the Dr. Bronners Lavendar Soap as it feels more soothing and moisturizing.

Ecology Cooking: Favorite Tool

Use good ingredients to make good tasting, healthy meals.
Scrape every last yummy bite with a good quality silicone spatula. Did you ever notice the cooking shows that leave so much food in the bowl or pot? It really does not take any extra time to extract those yummy bites if you’re using the proper tool.
I like these spatulas because they have holes for hanging, the rounded one is especially good for scraping bowls and the set is priced right. Combine with other items on Amazon to get free shipping. These make great gifts!

What is Ecology Cooking?

Ecology Cooking is

joyfully creating dishes that are healthy, tasty

and conserve energy, resources and/or time.

Healthy Trail Tips: What to eat?

Tips for healthy eating on the trail – what’s your favorite tip?

1. Choose easily digestible foods in small portions.  Stop for snacks vs. large meals while hiking.
2. Try to plan lunch so you’re not hiking uphill directly after eating.  Why?  Blood Shunt.  Blood goes to the abdomen for digestion – away from your legs.
3. Dried fruit makes a great snack.
4. Carry extra water.
5. Anticipate long climbs and eat a little something before starting one.
6. Carry fresh fruit, cut up, in a hard container that does not leak.
7. Apples are great energy and provide hydration.  Pre-cut your apple to make it easy to eat a piece before going uphill.  Make 4 shallow cuts and wrap apple with plastic wrap.
8. Your Favorite Tip?

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