Quick Cinnamon Apple Butter

Quick Cinnamon Ginger Apple Butter

 Cinnamon Ginger Apple Butter on a rice cake is one of my favorite afternoon snacks.  I like Lundburg’s Lightly Salted rice cakes topped with this simple recipe plus a dollop of plain Greek Yogurt and/or a sprinkle of sliced almonds.  This apple butter is also yummy with oatmeal and raisons or just stirred into plain Greek yogurt.

 

                             Quick Cinnamon Ginger Apple Butter

 2 cups apples with skin on cut into 1” cubes. My favorite apples for this recipe are Pink Lady, Opal, or Envy, but any of your favorites will be fine.

  • 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 2 tbls to ¼ cup fresh ginger coarse chopped. How much you use depends on how spicy you like your apple butter
  • 1 tbls cinnamon

Place apples, ginger, and apple juice in a saucepan.  Bring to a low boil and simmer covered for 10-15 min or until the apple juice has almost boiled out.  Check and stir frequently.

Cool and put into a food processor with the cinnamon.  Process until smooth.  If you like a chunky apple butter, process less.

Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

 

Recipe Of The Week…..Tofu Cutlets Marinara

TOFU CUTLETS MARINARA

Another new recipe for tofu that my husband Gene says is the best one yet.

Ingredients to “bread” tofu cutlets:

  • Extra firm tofu cut into 4, ½” cutlets.
  • 1/3 cup oat bran powdered in food processor into a flour
  • 2 tbls. no Salt Italian Pizza Seasoning (I like Frontier or Spice Hunter brands)
  • 2 tbls extra Virgin Olive Oil plus 2 tbls reserved for browning cutlets.

Mix oat bran flour, seasoning, and olive oil together.  Press onto both sides of drained and dried tofu cutlets.  Put aside until ready to brown in a skillet.

When ready to brown cutlets heat pan, add oil when pan is hot and brown tofu cutlets on both sides.

Ingredients for marinara sauce:

  • 1/3 cup diced red pepper
  • 1/3 cup rinsed sliced black olives
  • 1 tbls minced shallots
  • 2 tbls thinly sliced fresh basil sliced
  • 1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup Heinz Wellness line ketchup of choice
  • 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbls no salt Italian Pizza seasoning of choice
  • Low sodium shredded Parmesan reserved for garnish

OPTIONAL:  serve with a side of steamed veggies. Your choice of steamed zucchini, broccoli, or green beans topped with shredded parmesan drizzled with oiive oil.

Saute red peppers and shallots in oil until just tender, and stir  in olives and seasoning.  Fold in ketchup, basil and tomatoes.  Pour over browned warm tofu cutlets and garnish with parmesan.

Serves 2

  QUICK AND EASY TOFU CUCUMBER SALAD

                     QUICK AND EASY TOFU CUCUMBER SALAD

My husband Gene asked me to create some different recipes with tofu, so here’s the newest one.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup organic extra firm tofu cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber cut into half- moons (English or Persian best)
  • 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
  • 2 cups radish or daikon sprouts. If you like a milder taste use alfalfa or clover sprouts).  Reserve until ready to plate & serve.

Dressing:

  • 2 tbls low sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tbls rice vinegar
  • 2 tbls toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tbls finely minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbls finely minced shallots or green onion
  • 2 tbls sesame seeds Plus 2 tbls reserved for garnish.

OPTIONAL: ¼ cup unsalted toasted sliced almonds or peanuts

Place all ingredients (except sprouts) in a bowl and fold gently together, then transfer to a flat covered container.

Mix all dressing ingredients together and pour over veggies & tofu.  Gently toss all veggies in dressing. OPTIONAL: fold in nuts.  Cover and marinate at least 15 minutes, but better a few hours.

To serve: make a bed of sprouts on a plate and top with marinated  veggies and tofu. Garnish with reserved sesame seeds….and ENJOY!!!

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

                                      SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

 This newly created recipe is my husband Gene’s new favorite.

 Ingredients:

  • 2 cups brocolli cut into bite sized pieces
  • ½ cup snow pea pods
  • ½ cup sliced shiitake mushrooms or mushroom of choice
  • ½ cup carrots sliced thinly and cut into half moons
  • 1/3 cup celery sliced thinly
  • ½ cup thinly sliced bok choy or nappa cabbage
  • 1 cup organic firm tofu rinsed and cut into small cubes
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red pepper
  • 4 tbls coconut oil ( Divide into 2 tbls. to cook marinated tofu in and 2 tbls to cook drained steamed veggies in)
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice reserved for serving.

OPTIONAL:  ½ cup choice of chopped raw,  unsalted peanuts, walnuts, shelled pistachios, or peanuts

 Marinade Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tbls honey
  • 4 tbls minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbls minced shallots
  • 1/3 cup coconut water
  • 2 tbls rice vinegar
  • 1 tbls Eden natural mirin
  • 1 tbls toasted sesame oil

Mix all ingredients, pour over tofu cubes in a flat container with a lid.  Marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes, but best overnight.

 Place all veggies, denser veggies first in a large non -stick skillet with ½” water.  Cover and steam until barely crisp.   Drain well.  Heat 2 tbls coconut oil in pan, add drained steamed veggies and toss well. 

In a separate pan, heat 2 tbls coconut oil and add marinated tofu.  Cook over medium heat stirring gently until marinade thickens.  Fold into steamed veggies mix.    OPTIONAL: Add nuts of choice.

Serve over a bed of cooked brown rice.

ENJOY!!!

Simple Easter or Passover Brisket Recipe

Simple Easter or Passover Brisket Recipe
4 lbs brisket, chuck roast or beef short ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325. Season brisket, roast or ribs to taste on both sides. Place in a baking dish and cover either with foil or a lid. Roast for 4 hours.
Remove the roast from the oven and shred with a fork. If roast not pulling apart easily, roast for another 30 min. Raise heat to 425 .
Toss all shredded meat in the rendered fat/meat juices. Put back in the oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes until carmelized on the ends.
Serve with veggie of choice . I don’t like potatoes or grains with this very rich and heavy dish.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN

This is one of my husband, Gene’s favorite meals, sans the cooked ground meat since he is a vegetarian. So easy to make and a tasty no pasta, all vegetable dish.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN
1 large spaghetti squash cooked (either baked at 350 until tender when pierced with a knife or microwaved until tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside until cool.
Veggie mix:
• 1 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
• 2 tbls. minced shallots
• 1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
Water saute all above in a covered skillet until barely tender.
Add in EVOO, seasoning of choice and Optional ground meat until fully mixed.
• 2 tbls EVOO
• 2 tsp No Salt Italian Herb seasoning mix ( I like Frontier Brand Pizza Seasoning blend or Spice Hunter Pasta Seasoning blend.
OPTIONAL:
• 1 cup cooked ground turkey, chicken or beef seasoned with any no salt Italian blend herb mix.
Reserve the following ingredients until after folding in Veggie Mix:
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley (reserve a tsp or 2 for garnish)
• 1/ cup sliced black or green olives rinsed to remove salt
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove and discard any seeds. Shred flesh with a fork. This will produce “spaghetti-like shreds. Fold Veggie mix and Optional ground meat into spaghetti squash shreds. After well mixed toss in Parmesan, parsley, and olives. Microwave for 30 sec to 1 min. Plate and garnish with chopped parsley.
Serves 2-4 depending on if used as main course or side dish.

EASY HOMEMADE DOG FOOD

Sometimes I like to alternate my whippet’s “go To” Honest Kitchen meal with a week or so of homecooked. Below is a simple, easy to prepare recipe that sits well with my sensitive whippet’s GI tract. The Holistic Vet Blend vite/min mix is formulated to balance the nutrition needs of your dog.

RACIE AND REESE’S FAVORITE HOMECOOKED MEAL

1lb choice of ground beef, chicken or turkey

5tbls mix of finely ground spinach, yellow squash & apple

½ cup finely ground carrot

1 cup low sodium chicken broth (Pacific makes a good one)

1 tbls coconut oil

1 5/8 cup choice of well cooked basmati rice, long grain brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato or russet potato

2 tsp Holistic Vet Blend Limited Ingredient Vitamin and Mineral Mix formulated to balance above recipe.

Canine LIMITED Premix – Dog Supplement for Homemade Food

Saute ground meat in coconut oil, add cooked grain of choice and all finely ground veggies mixing well. Add chicken broth and cook down to desired consistency.

When cool mix in Vite/ Min so evenly distributed.

Makes about 6 cups food. Racie is 25 lbs and gets 2 ½ cups daily.

 

No Sugar Chocolate Or Carob Treats

Chocolate Or Carob Treats

INGREDIENTS (organic preferred)

  • Approx. 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder (add a bit more to form patties)
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1 tsp stevia powder.  I like 365 Brand in the small canister or 1/8 cup pure ground green stevia powder. VIP: Add stevia in small amounts and taste for sweetness as brands vary in taste/intensity.
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
  • 1 pinch Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt (optional)

For variations choose from these additional ingredients:

  • shredded unsweetened coconut
  • raisins
  • dates chopped
  •  chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Crushed raspberries
  • Grated lemon peel
  • Cinnamon
  • Chopped banana chunks
  • Crispy rice cereal

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Melt oil in a small saucepan and fold in the stevia, vanilla/almond flavor, cocoa or carob powder, salt.  VIP: Add stevia in small amounts and taste for sweetness as brands vary in taste/intensity.

For Patties:

Pour onto a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until semi firm for about 10-mins. Then fold in any variation ingredients and form into bite size balls or patties. You can also roll the balls or patties in any of the variations.  Store in a container in the fridge.

For Bark :

Pour onto a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet, add variations if desired and refrigerate or freeze for 20 min or until firm. Break into bite sized pieces and store in the fridge.

For Fancy Treats:

Use a chocolate mold in your favorite shape. Simply pour your batter in, refrigerate or freeze and pop them out when you are ready to enjoy.

*These treats will melt at room temp, so please remember to store in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer.

 

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: SIMPLE SPANISH EGG SCRAMBLE

This is my husband Gene’s favorite Saturday breakfast. Also a quick satisfying dinner.
SIMPLE SPANISH EGG SCRAMBLE
1 1/2 cups Baby Spinach leaves cut into thin ribbons
1 medium jalapeno pepper minced
1/2 cup red pepper minced
1/2 cup low salt pitted black olives
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbls butter or 2 tbls olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled
Garnish with choice of any of Heinz Wellness Line Ketchups
In a non stick pan quick saute all the above veggies with butter or oil. Add in a mix of 4 eggs well beaten and crumble in 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar and 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese. Stir above mixture until egg scramble cooked.
Plate with your favorite toast and garnish with Heinz Wellness Line Ketchup.
Serves 2
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Stress Less……And How To Get Your Beauty Sleep

Some Quick & Easy Tools For Reducing Stress & Getting A Good Night’s Sleep.

For those of you who have been under stress and/or experience insomnia, I have found a few things that can help to reduce stress and give you a good’s night sleep.

For women with hormonally related sleep & anxiety issues, both of the below tools will help, but addressing the hormone imbalance in conjunction addresses the cause.

LifeFlo makes an amazing Rollon Magnesium Oil  to be applied topically.  For those that do well with essential oils Life Flo has one with lavender oil and www.TaoofWellness has 2 rollon essential oil blends, Calm and Sleep products.

What I like about trandermal delivery is that it is quick into the system, it bypasses the first circuit through the liver and you can modulate the dosages to small levels for those that are sensitive…and you get the calming effect within minutes of when you need it.

I suggest applying the mag. oil to the solar plexus area in small amounts several times during the day for those with central nervous system overloads and on the acupuncture point PC6 (two fingers down from the wrist crease, dead center on the palmar side of the hand) or the center of the palm (PC1) if you have difficulty falling asleep or wake up during the night. I keep the bottle of rollon magnesium oil on my nightstand so I can easily reach it, just turning over the bottle onto PC6 and rubbing both wrists together so my hands don’t get sticky.

Make sure you take a balanced calcium/magnesium formula to ensure your mineral needs are met.  I like Pure Essence Ionic Fizz Calcium Plus for a delicious fizzy drink, Jarrow Bone Up for those who prefer a capsule and combo magnesium powders you mix with water like Natural Calm and Moon Juice Magnesium OM.  Natural Calm and Magnesium Om are great taken about an hour before bedtime.

Eating your last meal at least 2 hours before bedtime, foregoing coffee after 4pm, minimizing alcohol/sugar after dinner and powering off all digital devices will also help you fall asleep and stay asleep easier.

Listening to a guided imagery meditation, meditating and/or taking a warm bath in Epsom salts can also set the stage for a restful sleep.

I love 365 Epsom Salts with Lavender blend, but you can add your favorite essential oils like jasmine, vanilla, ylang/ylang or bergamot  to Epsom salt for a calming effect.  If you don’t like baths, try a foot soak using a plastic container to fill with warm water and the Epsom salt/essential oil blend of your choice..

Some of my favorite guided imagery mediations are offered free on You Tube.  Check out Jin Shin Jyutsu guided imagery meditations on their official channel as well as the 30 day meditation challenges  by Deepak Chopra and Oprah also on You Tube..

To see more healthy lifestyle and healthy weight loss recipes,, please follow me on Instagram, @kaarenjordanwellnessauthor, and visit my website www.healingessncescom for great blogs, and check out my two books “Ageless Beauty From The Inside Out” and “Eat Your Way To Health”.

Stay tuned….A weight loss and wellness book is in the works….” The Tao Of Weight Loss”.