Friday Food Links

Bringing you a few interesting food related articles each week!

What’s a Hegan? This is an article on a new “trend”. Click here to read the article.

Seen any brown tomatoes lately? No? Well you might! The Kumato might be coming to a grocery store near you. Click here to read the article.

Find out what eight foods that helps fight stress. Ladies especially should sneak a peak at this one. Click here to read the article.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Beef Stroganoff

I’m going to be honest with you - I’m not the biggest Beef Stroganoff fan. I don’t know if it’s because my mother never really made at home or if it’s the name, but I never have really been a fan. (And yes, it I needed to say that twice) BD however does like it, so I figured I’d make it for him one night. Sometimes I’m a good girlfriend.

Like everyone else in the world we have pretty hectic lives so we like to use the slow-cooker a fair amount. It comes in handy, especially when neither one of us are getting home before 8pm. So when I decided to make Beef Stroganoff I thought I’d see how it would come out in the good old crock pot. I’ve made Beef Stroganoff before in a more traditional way, but was never really impressed with it. I started this recipe the same way I do my pot roast with golden mushroom soup and then built the recipe from there.

Beef Stroganoff

*Serves 6-8

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 lbs thick cut top sirloin

- 2 10 ¾ oz cans of Golden Mushroom soup

- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced

- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1 tablespoon minced garlic

- ¼ medium onion, thinly sliced

- 2 cups beef broth

- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
- 3/4 cup sour cream

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

- splash of water

- S&P

- Egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving

Preparation:

1. Take the sirloin and remove the extra fat. Cut into 1 ½ inch chunks. (Think large bite-sized pieces.)

2. In a large slow cooker combine: soup, beef broth, mushrooms, mustard, garlic, and onion. Whisk to combine, then add sirloin and stir to incorporate. Add a few good turns of black pepper.

Friday Food Links

Bringing you a few interesting food related articles each week!

Kraft Foods to reduce salt levels in food! Considering I went off on a small tangent last week about salt use, I thought I’d include this article. They plan to reduce the level by 10% over the next two years. Check out the article to see how many pounds of salt this could eliminate. Click here to read the article.

Government wants to ban the sale of junk food in schools. My entire senior year of high school my lunch consisted of Hostess mini muffins and a yoo-hoo. I miss the days that I could eat anything. Click here to read the article.

Bobby Flay has a reality show coming in Fall 2010! America’s Next Great Restaurant will have contestants competing for a chance to open their own restaurant. Flay and the other judges will be potential investors. Click here to read the article.

Cure for peanut allergies on the way? Maybe so within the next three years. Click here to read the article.

Recall: Products Containing Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein. An up to date list as of March 16th. Click here to read the article.

Top Ten: Foodie Words

I’m avoiding work today. Here’s my Top Ten Favorite Foodie Words.

10. Mirepoix

Why? Because it makes you sound like you know what you’re doing.

9. Worcestershire Sauce

Why? Because I love when people try to pronounce it. Even I screw it up sometimes!

8. Kaasdoop

Why? Um it means a gouda fondue – yum.

Wonton Mission

There are a few things you need to know about this dip:

• The inspiration behind it was solely the desire to make wonton chips. Seriously, I’m not joking.
• I debated between calling this zesty or spicy.
• I took many more pictures of the process to share, but my camera didn’t like me today. She’s an old lady, what can I say?
• I ate all of this dip for dinner tonight. Can we push beach season back a few more weeks?

 So last night BD had Sam the Cooking Guy on and I kept glancing at it while cooking, cleaning, and doing homework. One of his dishes was guacamole and instead of tortilla chips he used wontons to make chips. He’s all about healthy eating on the show and claimed there are very little fat and calories in them, which I could care less about. (Just ask the cellulite on my thighs.) However, the idea of using wontons as chips really intrigued me, so all day I’ve been rolling ideas around in my head for some kind of asian-esque dip to serve them with. I’m sorry but guacamole deserves tortilla chips. (You can check out my guacamole recipe here, btw.) What I came up with is kind of a deconstructed Crab Rangoon. It wasn’t my original intentions but after I started wolfing it down like a cat on tuna fish and thought about the flavors that’s how it worked out.

Friday Food Links

Bringing you a few interesting food related articles each week!

Panera Bread will start posting calories on their food items! I’ve seen the calories and fat in some of their sandwiches and soups. Its ridiculous and it affects me eating there overall, not just what I order. In my opinion, why not try to change the items to be healthier overall? What can I say? I’m a dreamer. Click here to read the article.

NY State Assemblyman Felix Ortiz wants to ban salt in all NY restaurants! Specifically in the use of all food preparation. (Um, what about baked goods that require salt?) And if a chef does use salt they could face a $1000 dollar fine per use. First of all, I agree with processed and canned foods cutting down the level of sodium. Those levels can be ridiculous. However when it comes to fresh food? I don’t think just cutting out the salt during preparation is the problem. I think the bigger problem would be individuals pouring it on top of their meal AFTER its prepared. In the article there is no specific mention of removing salt shakers from each restaurant. I grew up in a house where there was no salt – ever. My mother believed that you got plenty of salt naturally from your daily diet so you didn’t need extra. It wasn’t until I was 20 years old that I discovered that I am a rare breed that does need extra salt in my diet. According to my cardiologist about 2000mg more a day. I have Neurocardiogenic Syncope and it took three days in the hospital, 15 tests, and a prescription for salt tablets for my mother to finally keep salt in the house. However, I still agree with my mother, most people don’t need the salt shaker but the little bit put in food prep isn’t going to make that much of a difference. *steps down from salt-box* Click here to read the article.

Possible 18% tax on pizza. Researchers are recommending adding a tax on pizza to curb the consumption of it. Similar to the junk food and soda tax ideas… and cigarettes and alcohol. When will it end? Click here to read the article.

A knock off from down under

I call this Aussie Chicken because it’s my take on Outback’s Alice Springs Chicken. This is a dish that dish both the boys love. It’s usually a go-to meal at our house because we almost always have everything on hand for it. It’s not the prettiest plate to look at due to the mound of toppings it has, but is really is such a tasty dish and will satisfy the hungriest of men.

Aussie Smothered Chicken

*Serves 4

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts, pounded ½ inch thick

- 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (crimini or button)

- 1 medium onion, sliced

- 1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese

- Butter for sautéing, few tablespoons

- Your favorite chicken grill seasoning. I used this one.

- Ranch or Honey Mustard

- S&P

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This dish is one of my mom’s. While it seems humble and incredibly simple, I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t fall in love with it and go back for seconds. I grew up eating this dish which is my mother’s version of a traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu. There is something so comforting about going to her house and eating her cooking again. My mother has always been able to hold her own in the kitchen.

I will alternate between her version and mine, which is more traditional. My mother’s is great for a crowd because there is less prep work.

Mom’s Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

*Serves 4-6

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds chicken (4-5 breasts)

- ½ pound of ham, sliced thin

- ½ pound American Cheese, sliced thin

- 1 box Shake ‘n Bake original (SNB)

- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- S&P

Potatoes O’Brien

We are big fans of breakfast food here and we are always doing something different. Generally though, we are mercy to whatever random items are in our fridge or freezer at the time. That is when frittatas and breakfast burritos come in handy. But today’s post is about potatoes. We have been working our way through a 15 pound bag recently and I decided to make potatoes the other morning.

Potatoes O’Brien is a fairly standard breakfast item. Traditionally this dish is fully pan fried with peppers and onions. But since I’m not exactly patient when I’m hungry, I don’t always want to wait for my potatoes to fry in the am. Plus I like that these are a little softer and thus more versatile in my opinion.

Friday Food Links

Friday Food Links: A few interesting articles I've discovered in the last week.

How clean are those bagged salads?

I was a little afraid to read this article to be honest. I use these salads a lot. Shamefully, I don't always rinse them. Maybe I should invest in a salad spinner... I've always wanted one. Click here to read the article.

Best bets for Organic buys:

An article about which organic foods are worth the extra price and which you could skip. Click here to read the article.

Save money at the Supermarket!

I clip coupons, buy at wholesale clubs, and in general try to watch my pennies. When I started using coupons a year ago I was shocked at how much I saved just on stuff I would buy anyway. Roughly $30 a month, which for me is a little more than a tank of gas. This article shares some other "secrets". Click here to read the article.

Pantry Rice Pilaf

This is a very easy side. In fact, I tried to keep it as uncomplicated as possible. I think the hardest part is cutting the thin spaghetti. If you’re like me, everything you need to make this version of Rice Pilaf is in your fridge or pantry. That’s why I dubbed it Pantry Rice Pilaf.