Cod with Hollandaise Sauce and Artichokes

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Looking for an easy, at home, gourmet dinner?  Get a little closer to home!

This meal serves four people!

What You'll Need:

• 2 lbs. cod (or any white fish)
• 2 artichokes (I cooked 2 but you can could more if you want)
• 3 egg yokes
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (ALSO! Have the juice of two lemons at hand [this will be explained in the procedure])
• 1/2 cup butter (divided into thirds, have extra butter at hand for dipping artichokes, mayonnaise is a good alternative though)
• 1/4 tablespoon salt
• 1 clove of garlic (peel and "smushed")
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 of a medium onion (NOT chopped, just separated from itself)
• extra virgin olive oil
• desired seasoning (for the fish)

Procedure:

Artichokes:

1. With a steamer, combine bay leaves, the juice of two lemons, the garlic clove, and the onion.
2. Add water to the level that the steamer requires.
3. Cut the "spikes" off of the artichokes with cooking scissors (a recipe told me they would soften as they cooked but I found that to be false).
4. Bring to a boil, and then simmer. Put artichokes in, cover, and cook for 25-45 minutes or until the leaves are easy to remove.
5. If you are serving four and have two artichokes, cut the artichokes in half to serve.
6. Take desired amount of butter and melt to desired consistency, or use alternative dip of your choice.

Hollandaise Sauce:

1. Before you turn the heat on, in a double boiler combine the egg yolks and two tablespoons of lemon juice.  Stir with whisk until well blended.
2. Turn on low heat so the water is hot but is NOT boiling.
3. Add your first third of butter and stir constantly until melted.  Follow same step for second and third.
4. After the third and final butter third is melted into the sauce, turn off heat and and salt.  Continue to stir for about 1 minute, then cover and set aside.
5. DON'T FORGET TO WHISK BEFORE SERVING!!!
6. Make this very close to when you'll need to use it.  The longer the sauce sits, the thicker it becomes.

Cod:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit). 
2. In 6 oz. portions, place the cod on a cooking tray that is coated in extra virgin olive oil.
3. Smother the cod pieces with olive oil and desired spices, but use the spices lightly because the hollandaise sauce will make up for the light flavor.
4. Place the tray into the oven and cook for 13-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Why Eat This?

It also contains omega-3 fatty acids which help improve the functioning of the human heart muscle.  Cod is good for people with heart conditions and diabetes.  Cod also has anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

Artichokes reduce cholesterol, and benefits the liver by protecting it from toxins and infection.  They are also high in antioxidants.

Marshmallow Cinnamon Pancakes

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Doesn't this look like a great breakfast? Nice fluffy pancakes, so rich you don't even need syrup!

What You'll Need:

• 1 & 3/4 cups of flour (it can be all-purpose or wheat, it doesn't really matter)
• 3 tablespoons white cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 & 1/2 cups of buttermilk, sour milk, or regular milk (I used whole milk that wasn't sour and the pancakes turned out fine)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used vegetable oil, and the pancakes turned out fine)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 & 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Procedure:

1. mix all ingredients in desired format (Some people mix dries and then add the liquids and egg, some just put it all together, etc. etc.)
2. This recipe makes seven 5in. diameter pancakes, but you can make any size pancakes you want. (1/3 cup makes a 5in. diameter pancake, and 1/4 cup makes smaller mini pancakes)
3. Top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and/or butter.  Syrup if desired, but this recipe makes really sweet pancakes.

Enjoy!

Why Eat This?

Studies show that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, which makes it especially good for people with type 2 Diabetes.  In some studies cinnamon has shown to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

Not to mention, who doesn't want to wake up to a warm, sweet breakfast?  Start off your day with a breakfast like this and you'll probably be happier and less tired during the day.

Home-Made French Toast

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Doesn't this look like a great breakfast?  Make it!

What You'll Need:

• 4 medium sized eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup white cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 4 slices of Texas toast bread
• butter

Procedure:

1. In a large lasagna dish, mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla together with a wire whisk.
2. Place the Texas toast bread slices into the mixture and allow them to soak in the mixture on each side of the bread slice.
3. Place a skillet on the stove and turn the stove onto a low-medium heat.  Butter the skillet to prevent sticking and place one to two slices at a time on the skillet.  Cook each side of each slice for no longer than 3-3.5 minutes, or until the slice is fluffy and cooked.
4. Feel free to make some Home-Made Whipped Cream to top your french toast.  Don't like whipped cream?  What about sweet butter?  Follow the instructions on the Home-Made Whipped Cream recipe, but whip the mixture longer to turn it into soft butter instead of whipped cream.
5. Top it all off with maple syrup!

Enjoy!

Why Eat This?

Eggs are high in vitamins and minerals, nutritious, and low in calories.

There are 54 antioxidants in maple syrup.  These antioxidants include anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic.

Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms

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Doesn't this look good?  Learn how to make them in this blog!

What you'll Need:

• Butter
• 51-60 white shrimp (frozen; it should be a bag of a pound of shrimp, I honestly don't think it matters what kind of shrimp, but this is the kind I used)
• 12 oz of scallops (frozen)
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (have more handy)
• 3 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp chives
• 1/2 of a garlic clove
• at least 20 medium sized mushrooms
• salt
• pepper

Procedure:

Mushrooms:

1. Rinse mushrooms and pat lightly to dry
2. Remove stems and put them in a bowl to save for later
3. Place mushroom caps on a cooking sheet and gently brush them with olive oil.

Filling:

1. Thaw the scallops and shrimp and remove shrimp of their shells.
2. Mince the scallops and shrimp, two mushroom stems, and half a garlic clove (You can use a processor like a Magic Bullet but I think it makes the seafood pasty and hard to work with, but I guess it all depends on the consistency you want the filling to be)
3. Mix these ingredients with the olive oil and vinegar.  Add the chives, some salt, and some pepper depending on the flavor you like.
4. Spoon the filling into the mushrooms (if there is leftover filling don't worry)

Cooking:

1. Preheat oven to approximately 300 degrees (my instructions said 425 but I think it cooks the mushroom too fast and leaves the filling partially uncooked)
2. Cook the mushrooms between 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling has a pinkish hue.

Enjoy!

Have leftover filling?  Use it on toast!

1. Butter a small pan on medium heat
2. Put filling into the pot and cook until the shrimp is pink
3. When filling is cooked top it on a piece of toast

Why Eat This?

Mushrooms are packed with antioxidants, they provide a good source of fiber, and they have high glutamic acid levels which are known to enhance flavors in foods.


Scallops, in addition to their delectable taste, contain a variety of nutrients that can promote your cardiovascular health, plus provide protection against colon cancer.



Shrimp are an excellent source of selenium and unusually low-fat, low-calorie protein.

Home-Made Whipped Cream

Can't go to the store?  Too lazy to drive there?  Just make some whipped cream at home!

What You'll Need: 

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 tbsp of white cane sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Procedure:

1. Take the cream, sugar, and vanilla and you can do one of two things:
1. Quicker way: Put the ingredients into a bullet container (or something similar to the Magic Bullet) and whip until it is the consistency of whipped cream
2. Longer way: put all ingredients into a plastic container with a tight lid and shake until it is the consistency of whipped cream.
2. When the whipped cream is ready just use a spoon to place it on whatever you'd like!

Don't want whipped cream?  How about sweet butter?  Just keep blending/shaking the whipped cream and it'll turn into soft butter (refrigeration is suggested before use of the butter so it holds its shape better).

Why Eat This?

Well, look at the ingredients in Reddi-Wip® whipped cream:

INGREDIENTS:

Cream, nonfat milk, corn syrup, sugar, mono- and diglycerides, natural and artificial flavors, carrageenan, nitrous oxide (propellant).

How about Kraft® Cool Whip?:

INGREDIENTS:

Water, corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil (coconut palm kernel), high fructose corn syrup, less than 2% of: sodium caseinate (from milk), natural and artificial flavors, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, beta carotene (color).

Do you even know what half of this stuff is without looking it up?  When you make whipped cream at home you know exactly what you are eating without having to look on a label and think "what is that?".

Culture Blend Pasta and Rice

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Doesn't that look delicious?  Learn how to make it here!

What You'll Need:

• 8 oz. Spaghetti
• 1 cup of Instant Rice
• 1 cup of mushrooms, chopped
• 2/3 cup olive Oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (Maybe even less depending on the strength of flavor you want)
• 1-2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• a small handful of Asiago cheese

Making the Mushrooms (and sauce):

1. Put the olive oil, vinegar, and soy sauce into a medium sized pan, try to mix them with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula as best as you can.  Since Olive oil is an oil it won't blend very easily until it is heated up.
2. Heat the pan up and carefully put the mushrooms in the pan.  Make sure you didn't heat up the oils too much, not only will it burn, but it could also splatter and burn you.
3. Cook the mushrooms for no more than about 3min. 30sec.
4. Set pan aside, do NOT empty out any liquids or the mushrooms

Making the Rice:

1. Since you are using minute rice this will be remotely easy.  Pour 1 cup of water into a small pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, put the rice in, make sure ALL of the rice is wet.  Then turn off the heat, put a lid on the pot, and let the pot sit undisturbed for at least 5 minutes

Making Spaghetti:

1. Get a large pot of water up to a boil, and put your 8 oz. of noodles in the pot.  You might even be able to use less noodles since this meal serves 1-2 people.
2. If you don't cook your spaghetti this way, cook it the way you cook it!

Put it All Together:

1. When putting your dish on your plate, I find it easier to put down the rice first, then the noodles.
2. Once those are on the plate, pour the liquids and mushrooms on your noodles and rice.
3. Top it off with a small handful of Asiago cheese. 

Enjoy!


Why Eat This?


Mushrooms are packed with antioxidants, they provide a good source of fiber, and they have high glutamic acid levels which are known to enhance flavors in foods.


Vinegar will clean your internal systems by killing potentially harmful bacteria, and it also helps control blood sugar and insulin levels if you ingest it after eating a meal that is high in carbohydrates.


Rice is a high source of carbohydrates. Carbs are necessary for releasing energy in your body and keeping you satiated throughout the day.  Rice also contains other nutrients like zinc, magnesium, manganese, and is an excellent source of iron, protein, niacin (Vitamin B3), thiamine (Vitamin B1) and essential fatty acids.  Rice also has no cholesterol, and it is low in fat, salt, and sugar. 

Coconut Strawberry Shake

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Doesn't this look delicious?  Well in this blog I'm going to give you ingredients and step by step instructions for you to do this at home.

What You'll Need:

• 10 medium sized strawberries (I would suggest getting them frozen for this recipe)
• 1 cup of coconut milk (I got a canned kind; if you get it in a can make sure you shake well before opening it)
• Vanilla Ice cream (My measurements for this would be three scoops that are about the size of a tennis ball?  If that's too much then just shrink it down a little bit
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 tbsp of white cane sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Shake:

1. Put strawberries, coconut milk, and ice cream into a blender or Magic Bullet and blend to desired consistency

Home-made Whipped Cream:

Refer to my Home-made Whipped Cream Recipe.

If the shake is not as sweet as you want it then add a few tablespoons of white cane sugar to it.

Why Eat This?

Coconut milk is low in calories and contains protein and dietary fibers.

Strawberries are the 27th most valuable source of antioxidant rich food that people in the USA eat, and it ranked 4th when judged with fruits alone.  Strawberries also improve your blood sugar.