If you like mushrooms this is a recipe I created. It’s probably too late for your diner tonight, but maybe you can try sometime.

First with the whole artichoke – cut the top 1/4 off, and clip the tops of each of the outer leaves then boil for 30ish minutes. The leaves will peal off easily when done.

Now, peel off all of the leave and put them in the warm water because you will eat them later. Peel off the leaves until you get down the heart of the artichoke – there will just be some fuzzy stuff on the top. Use a spoon to scrape off the fuzz and you will then have a part of a stalk with the heart on top.

The heart will be soft, use the spoon or knife to scape it off. Chop it into little pieces and then let it sit in some italian dressing while you fix the rest.

Now, take out a muffin pan and put a small pad of butter into each hole.

Brown some sausage. .25-.5 lbs depending on how many you are fixing. For 4 hearts .25 lbs and about 9-12 large mushrooms should do it.

Turn the over on to 350.

Put the muffin pan with the butter in the over while it is heating up to melt the butter (but take it out once it is melted)

Take each mushroom (make sure to wash them first) and pull out the stem (do not throw them away). Peel back the edges of the cap so it makes a larger base. The edge of the mushroom kind of folder under and towards the stem, you are going to pull it back gently so it is now standing up, and slightly titled out. It makes bigger whole to stuff the mushrooms with more of the yummy-ness.

In a bowl mix the sausage, the marinated artichokes (with the dressing still on them), some Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup) and about 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Take the remaining stems, and mince them and add them to the mix as well.

It should be a fairly thick, but sticky mix.

Now, with each of the mushrooms, place one in each muffin hole, and put a sizable dollop of the filling on top of the mushroom and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Put it in the over and let it heat through until the cheese is melted, but not so long that it burns. 10-ish minutes ought to do.

While that it cooking place 1-2 table spoons of miracle whip or mayo into a small serving dish. Place that at the center of an 8 inch plate, and pull out the artichoke leaves and quickly arrange them in a circle starting at the center serving dish.

You can then service the artichoke leaves and dipping sauce, with the mushrooms. They will be done at the same time.

If you were trying to be fancy I would add some red bell pepper garnish to off set all of the green from the artichokes.

Enjoy!

In winter time it is hard to imagine anything better than an nice hot bowl of soup. This is a great recipe that can be made in advance and eaten for as long as you still have a hankering for it. This started out as a recipe I found online. It had WAY too much thyme and not nearly enough other good things. So I had to improvise. This is the result. I hope you enjoy it. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb leek (3-4 large). You can also use celery. Use about 1/2 the amount of the leeks.

• 2 lb baking potato, do no peel, just get the eyes out, and leave the rest of the skin. Cut into small chunks (6-8 medium total potatoes)

• 2 Tsp. salt

• 2 tsp. Fresh oregano (is best). But you can use dry oregano if needed. It takes about 2x as much dry as fresh 

• 1/2 Tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 bay leafs

• 1/2 cup onion

• 3 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 Tbls butter

• 2 Tsp soy sauce

• 1 quart home made chicken broth

• 1 quart half-and-half 

• 2 tablespoons green onions (thinly sliced, green part only)

• Fried Onions

• Ham (optional)

Directions

1. Remove the roots, and cut off the dark green part of leek. Basically if it is tough, remove it. Cut it into small slices for stir frying. Be sure to remove any dirt.

2. In large saucepan, combine potatoes, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, half of leeks, and 3 cups water; cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 until potatoes are very tender – your going to have blend them up, so you will want them very soft. Discard bay leaf when it is all done.

3. Once you get the potatoes and such boiling start on step 2. Heat the oil and butter. Then stir fry the other half of the leeks, garlic and onion in the oil until soft and starting to brown. Then add the soy sauce. Once these are done, and the potatoes are soft – add them together. 

4. If you have a hand blender use that to puree the potato mixture in the soup pot. 

5. Stir in half-and-half. Heat soup over low heat just until heated through, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Sprinkle soup with sliced green onion to serve.

6. Sprinkle with the green onions and fried onions. ENJOY!

   BE HAPPY – ENJOY LIFE!

Matthew Stearmer

This was really tasty! I found a base recipe online and then had to modify it of course. Here is the final delicious result. Even Janille – who is not a squash fan – ate it and said it was good. And unlike some of my soups that you must eat in moderation if your trying to watch your weight this is one you can pretty much just indulge in.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped, about 2 cups
• 6 small clove garlic, minced
• 3 small carrot, thinly sliced so they will cook quicker. Shredded is fine to.
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 4 medium zucchini, diced. You do not have to remove the seeds
• 2 apples, peeled, diced
• 5 cups chicken broth made with bay leaf
• 1/4 cup curry powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and peper, to taste

In a 8 qauart saucepan, melt butter over low to medium heat; sauté the onion, garlic and carrot slowly until onion is clear and the carrots are soft Add zucchini, diced apples, chicken broth, and curry powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. When everything is mushy – then you’re done.

If you have a really good hand blender you can use that. Just be forewarned that they do not chop the seeds very well. So if you only have a hand blender you may want to remove the Zucchini seeds before cooking. Add Sugar, salt and pepper to taste. To make it a little fancier you can add a spring or two of parsley on top.
Serves 8 to 10.

This is the image from the original recipe. I did not take my own photo this time.

And  a Swedish Chef video for the heck of it.

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!

Matthew Stearmer

Musaman curry is very easy to make and oh so delicious. It can be made vegetarian or with chicken beef or even Shrimp if you like

If you are not familiar with Thai food, this is a great one to start with. It is very easy to make and I’ve never met anyone yet who did not eat all of it. Even my kids will eat it without complaining one bit. Savannah actually walked into the kitchen today when I was cooking it and said "What is that delicious smell!" and was excited to eat it. How’s that for a recommendation!

It is kind of like a peanut sauce Thai stew.

There are a few specialty ingredients, they are very cheep and last forever, but you do have to have them to make the Musaman.

MUSAMAN CURRY: 4-6 serving depending on if you are serving anything else with it.

2 Tbls vegetable oil

3 Tbls Red Curry Paste (specialty stores will carry this)

1 Can Coconut Milk (about 14 oz)

6-7 oz of Water

1 Lbs Chicken – or less if you are trying to conserve. It really tastes just as good with or without it. If you do not use the chicken, increase the potatoes by 50%.

2 Medium potatoes (if you are using meat – 3 if you are going vegetarian)

2 Large Carrots

2 Tbls Fish Sauce (specialty store)

4+ Tbls Sugar

2 Tbls Tamarind Liquid (specialty store)

1/3 Cup peanuts

1/3 Cup Cashews (I like the cashews better and would even just do all cashews if I was not worried about the price at all. Cashews can be more expensive than peanuts.

PREP WORK

Take the potatoes, carrots, and then the chicken into 1 inch cubes.

Now your ready to cook

Over medium heat in a large pot with a lid, add the oil and the curry paste. Heat until you can smell the curry and it starts to bubble. Stir constantly.

Add 1/3 of the coconut milk and stir into the curry. Keep stirring until it is mixed together and starts to bubble again.

Add the chicken and stir fry until the outside of the chicken is no longer pinkish

Now, add the rest of the coconut milk, and while that is heating through fill the coconut milk can half full of water, and wish it around so you get all the milk you can, then poor it into the mix as well. Keep Stirring.

Now put in the potatoes and carrots (you should add them right as the pink goes away in the chicken so you will need to have them cut before hand. If you try to chop them now the chicken will get over cooked waiting for you to get done.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, and peanuts and cashews.

The potatoes will stick up above the liquid a little. They will get covered as it cooks more.

Stir all together and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it go for about 25 more minutes.

Now remove from heat

You can eat it an start enjoying it right now, or you can save it for later. The longer it waits the better the flavors will mix. It is kind of like clam chowder, it should age about 24 hours before serving. But if you cannot resist, you can still enjoy it now. This make as a great hold over meal for those busy days when you still want to eat something delicious but fast.

This has just a bit of a kick to it, but not bad at all. If you are a little more sensitive to the spice you can reduce the amount of curry used.

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!

Matthew Stearmer

I know that I just got done talking about doing more vegetarian meals – which I fully intend to do – but this is a recipe that I had intended on putting up before and just never finished. So I’m going to somewhat hypocritically post it now – with the assurance that I’m not going against my word. Eating more veggies does not mean I cannot still enjoy life!

And this is about as good as steaks can get in my opinion. and it is about as easy a rub as you can make. And like many things in life it is the simple things that really stand out.

Here is all you will need

Sea Salt

Oregano

Cumin

Favorite cut of beef

Some water

So, take your beef steak and sprinkle the sea salt on it. Use a water bottle to spritz water on it so the salt begins to dissolve.

Now, sprinkle Cumin and Oregano on it and really push it into the meet. You can add a little more water as you go to make sure it really sticks

Now, let them sit like that for as long as you have. If you can wait over night great. If not try to give it an hour.

Now set them on a grill and let it slowly cook. 7-10 minutes on a side depending on how done you like the steaks and how thick they are.

Every minute or so spray it with some more water to keep things moist.

Now, sit back and enjoy it – with lots of vegetables:)

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!

Matt Stearmer

Typically I’m a meat eater. I know that it is not always the best for me – but I love it. So setting to out to make a vegetarian meal was a stretch. But I happen to buy the wrong ingredient for another recipe I was making and thus ended up with a bunch of Bok Choy, and a desire to be a little more vegetarian all within a few days of each other.

After reading a book called Food Matter by Mark Bitten I had decided to cut back and move a little more to the herbivore side of the spectrum than I have been in the past.

Of course that presents some challenges.

I’ve started to develop a taste for veggies, but in my "previous life" they were designed to accentuate the meet, they were not supposed to be the main course. So this is going to take an adjustment in both my cooking habits and my taste bud preferences.

I found a base recipe for Bok Choy online and as always modified it a little to suite my more discerning pallet:)

For not having any meat in it, I have to say I was quite pleased. Even the left over tasted good the next day and I find myself willing to put it on my list of staple foods. This is an especially good recipe for weight loss.

I hope you will enjoy it!

Bok Choy Stir Fy:

Ingredients

1) Vegetable Oil – about 2 Tbls

2) Ginger – 2-3 slices or 1tsp (more if you like it)

3) Bok Choi – 1 whole large plant, or 4 smaller ones (I’m told they are sweeter)

4) Soy Sauce – 2 Tbls

5) Sugar – 1Tbls

6) Salt – 1/4 tsp (or to taste, I personally do not use very much)

7) Water – 1/4 water (more or less as needed)

Sesame Oil – 1 Tbls (more or less to taste and diet needs)

Put the veg oil and ginger in pot and heat it over medium heat until the ginger begins to smell nice

While the oil and ginger are heating cut up the Bok Choy. First, cut the leaves off so they are separate from the stalk (there and be a little stalk on them, that is fine). Now, chop off the bottom of the stalk. You’ll have a lot of large celery looking stalks. Cut them width wise so they are smaller pieces.

Now take the leaves and cut them diagonally (they will be a little longer to begin with, but will shrink in the heat).

Once the ginger is smelling nice, put the stalks in first. Stir fry until they are tender. 2-4 minutes depending on the heat level. Move it up to Med-High

Now add the leaves. Stir fry again for another 2-3 minutes until the leaves have reduced in size and are soft.

Add in the water and let it simmer for another 1-2 minutes

Stir in the Sesame oil  – and now you’re done!

It is best fresh, but it will be decent eating for a day or two after as well.

Enjoy!

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life

Matt Stearmer

Here is my Swedish Chef installment as well.

Every once in a while, some times more than more often than not it seems lately, I like to indulge from my weight loss topics and write about the funner side of food. Now, I’m not one that excludes anything from my diet really – moderation in all things as they say – but I am generally a little more strict than indulging in party drinks. Whether it is alcohol or the soda or the ice cream or the syrup there is more than enough in all of these drinks to wreak a diet if taken on a regular basis – but never fear moderation is here – and so it a little fun.

So now that I’ve taken all the fun out of the recipe let’s just get down to it before I ruin it even more. 

For those of us who eschew alcohol we often have to do so at the expense of a lot of tasty sounding drinks – sigh – the price of piety:)  But on the flip side we do remember all the fun we had the night before!

So in an attempt to get the best of both worlds here is a Virgin Lime Rickey anyone can easily make for any occasion.

Like all of my fun weight loss recipes – this is one to enjoy in moderation.

Virgin LIME RICKEY with Coconut:

Sugar

Enough – Lime Juice. Just get a bottle of it. You’ll figure out how much to use

1 – Lime

Lots – Lime Sherbet

1 Tbls Coconut Extract

1/2 cup Light wiping cream

2- 8oz Grape Soda cans

Place the sugar on a small plate with a lip or bowl. You want enough sugar to rise up 1/8 of an inch

Take the cup – dip the rim of it in water about 1/8 of an inch deep – the dip the rim of the cup in the sugar. Now set the cup aside to dry.

In a mixer put 16 oz of soda, Coconut extract, about 2 cups of Lime Sherbet, the whipping cream, and as much lime juice as you like. Mix it up in the blender.

Now poor it into the cups – about 2/3 of the way up the glass. It should be fairly thick and fairly purple.

Now fill the rest of the cup with more sherbet. If you let the sherbet cool a little it can be a think slushy layer on top of the purple layer.

Cut a slice of the lime – dip it in sugar, cut it a little more than half way through and put it on the edge – just for a little extra party flare. With it on the edge the aroma will help enhance the lime flavor, and with the sugar on it you can eat it whole when the drink is done.

Enjoy!

Be Health – Enjoy Life!

Matt Stearmer

And here is a desert recipe – from the Swedish Chef just for fun

Lucky for me my mother saved this recipe for me. I had this Cafe Rio sweet pulled pork alternative recipe posted on my blog and then the server got erased! And the last back-up I had was 2 weeks old. So this recipe was a gonner. Thankfully my mother loves me and happen to save the recipe, and now I can put it back on my blog.

So for those who missed it the first time – enjoy. For those who wanted the recipe, but could not find it here it is again:)

And to make it a little more fun, here is a video you all might enjoy. This is not that spicey, but it has a little kick to it.

From a weight loss perspective you’ll need to be a little careful on this. It is a little fattier and made with more sugar than is generally good. But I am a firm believer in moderation and enjoyment. We can enjoy most things in moderation.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pulled Pork alternative

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Roast

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Red Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp. Cumin

salt to taste

8 oz. Coke

1 cup chicken broth

4 cloves garlic

2 small onions

Toppings: green chili enchilada sauce, tomatoes, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and lime, if you like them.  (Just be careful – moderation in all things!)

For the Saucey

Ingredients:

1/3 cup ranch dressing

1/3 cup whole milk

1/6 cup mayo

3 Tbsp. tomatoes and green chili mix

Garlic to taste

Tapatio sauce to taste

(This is not a time intensive recipe, but it will take some waiting time.)

The night before: Combine the first amount of brown sugar, cayenne, cumin and salt.  Rub on roast.  Put in a crock-pot set on LOW and cook all night.

*You will need to add some water to keep it from burning on the bottom. Adjust the amount of water by how your crock-pot works.

(A real key here will be to just rub the roast down on the top and sides.  Do not put it on the bottom that will be in contact with the heated surface.  You do not want to the sugar to crystallize.) You can even cut slices in it and get some of the run inside as well. This makes it even extra yummy

The next morning: Add coke, chicken broth, garlic and onions.  (If you are in a hurry, add a little more water and turn up to HIGH, but if you are going to serve for dinner continue on LOW and add enough chicken broth to almost cover the meat.)

About one hour before serving: Shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar.  Now, mix the Saucey (it should be a little drizzly).

(Since this is part of a weight loss regime here is what I would suggest.)

Cover the plate with baby spinach, add hand full of chips and crush them (Your only need enough to get a chip or two in each bite.)  Then place a few dollops of refried beans around the plate and about 2 to 3 oz. of the shredded pork.  Cover with the green enchilada sauce, the Saucy mix and top with tomatoes and the other toppings to taste.

BE HEALTHY – ENJOY LIFE, Matthew Stearmer

Potato & Leek Soup

This is a traditional Irish Soup commonly used in Ireland. It is a little thin, as it is a puree, and it it all veggies and milk products. So not as filling as some soups can be – which is not good from a weight management strategy, but it is very taste and generally good for you. As with most things on my blog, just eat in moderation and you can enjoy it.

Can tastes just a good cold as it does hot in my opinion so it can be served as a Vichyssoise.

It is a very light flavor and would go well with most meat dishes. Because the fat content is a little high in this one you’ll want to pair it with a leaner meat like a chicken.

Enjoy!

    * 4 lbs potatoes, peeled and sliced
    * 2 lbs leeks, washed and sliced – just the white part and up to where it starts to turn green (but not the all green very fibery stuff). Basically you will need 4 of these.
    * 1 onion, chopped
    * 4 celery stalk, sliced
    * 3 bay leafs
    * 10 cups chicken stock or broth – This taste better with stock and you can make your own easy enough. When you prepare the chicken for the rest of the meal, just get some chicken with bone and skin. Put all of that in pot while you prepare the rest of the chicken. Boil those scrapes and you’ll have a great tasting chicken stock.
    * 1 1/2 cups of milk
    * 4 tablespoons butter
    * 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
    * salt & pepper
    * 1 1/2 cups of half & half
    * 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives for toping
 

Chop up all the veggies. Put them in the chicken stock with 3 bay leafs. Boil until the veggies are tender.

Pull out the bay leafs. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and heat through till the butter is melted.

Now, pull out a hand blender and let that run until the whole mixture is mostly smooth. It should be just a little chuchy, but not much.

Now, all you have to do it decide to eat it cold or hot.

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life

Matthew Stearmer

I’ve been working on my Baba Ghanoush for a little while now and I think that I’ve hit a home run now. Even the teenagers I tested it out on loved it (well most of them any way).

But 2 nights ago I tested it on some very refined pallets (some of whom had actually eaten real baba ganouche in the Middle East) and they said mine was as good as they had ever tasted. So there you go. A little shameless bragging and a great recipe.

For those trying to add more vegetables/fiber to their diet this one is great. It is a little heavy on the fat, and not so good on the protein, but as I have said before a little fat goes a long way to filling you up. It just needs to be done in moderation.

A word of warning, this is meant as an appetizer, or as a filler, not as a whole meal. If you eat this until you are full – well, that would be a caloric disaster:)

So I’m going to include 1 other recipe as well, and an idea on how to combine them for a very healthy complete meal.

Baba Ghanoush Recipe

First, take your Egg Plants (you’ll need 1 eggplant for every 5 people if it is an appetizer and every 10 if you are going to use it in the sandwiches I’m showing you here). Put the Egg plant in the oven set on 350 degrees. Cook it until the skin is almost black.

Second, while the egg plant is cooking, you have to make your own tahini sauce. This is the key to really good baba ghanoush in my opinion.

Take 1 cup of fresh sesame seeds (this will work for 1-2 egg plants), put them on a pan and roast them for about 10 minutes. Once they start turning brown you can pull them out.

Put the seeds into a blender with about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 Tbls of lemon juice and 4 cloves of garlic Blend them together adding more olive oil and lemon juice as needed for the mixture to be a little runny. It should be shake like in consistency.

Now, set a side.

Your egg plants should be read now. When you pull them out they will be very plump, take a hot pad and hold them by the stem, and run the plant under cold water quickly. This will cause the skin to contract and it will make getting the flesh part out very easy.

Now cut it into quarters and don’t breath! Maybe it is just me, but I do not like the smell of plain egg plant. Trust me, if you can get past that part, the rest is worth it:)

Use a knife to separate the flesh part from the skin. Discard the skin (that is the stinky part), and dice up the rest of the flesh into a bowl and mash it as best you can.

Now, take the tahini sauce you have made, an add about 1/2 cup for every 1 egg plant that you are using.

Use a blender to mix them well. Now add salt to taste 1-2 tsp  per egg plant will probably do it.

Now for the final preparation, If you are going to use this as an appetiser, take a red pepper, chop about 1/4 of it into small pieces. Then take the rest and slice it into strips.

Take a serving bowl and place the baba ghanoush inside, and make a swimming pool. You’ll want an edge you can put the garnish on, and a pool in the middle. Put the chopped peper in the middle, and pour olive oil into the pool. Then sprinkle with red peper flakes.

Now on the edges arrange the slices and some fresh parsley in whatever manner seams pleasing to you.

And you’re done! Get some pitas and enjoy.

Now, if you are going to follow my advice and use this as a sauce, here is the rest of what you want to do.

Middle Eastern Tomato Salad

Take 2 parts tomato and 1 part cucumber (increase or decrease the amounts depending on how much you need). Chop the tomato into chunks. On the cucumber slice off some of the skin on 4 sides. Then dice it into quarters and then into smaller chunks. I personally do not like too much of the cucumber skin. And I think that it looks nicer to have the light and dark combo on the cucumber.

Now add about 3 cloves of garlic for ever 2 large tomatoes you use.

And about 1/8 of an onion (diced) for every 2 large tomatoes.

lightly cover in olive oil and a little lemon juice. And mix it all together.

Ok, your just about ready to eat now.

If you are going to go Vegetarian style you can make up some couscous, if you are like me and enjoy a little meat you can use a nice marinated stake with this. Or do both!

On both of those, just make them as you normally would.

Now take a pita, put in some couscous. Then a layer of baba ghanoush, now the meat if you are going to do that. Now add the Salad, and then top with some more baba ghanoush.

Now you can really enjoy it!

If you are using this recipe as part of weight loss regime, then 1 half of a pita stuffed full of this good stuff will be enough for a small meal. If you are like me I find that I lose weight the best when I’m eating smaller more frequent meals, and when those meals are very filling.

This recipe if full of fiber and a healthy dose of olive oil fats. It will keep you full for a few hours for sure. And then if you’ve not had enough you can eat it again the next meal. And the next. And the next!

It is a great recipe that can be prepared ahead of time and eaten for several days. In fact it is often better to let it all sit for a few hours just to let the flavors mix better together.

Be Healthy – Enjoy Life!

Matthew Stearmer