Beauty in NJ

All this within a 15 minute drive or less from home.

Ann & Jane - Crowd Pleasing Black Bean Salsa

Thank-You, Wayback Machine Web Site

I was looking at some old posts trying to find exactly how I made some of the old Engine 2 recipes based on Jeff Novick's SNAP/Fast Food meals. There were 5 of them I used to make a lot from an article entitled 1 Dish Baking Meals, printed back in 2012. Well, many of the recipes are basically the same, with just a different starch used. I just wanted to refresh my memory of what, if any, changes I made.

I noticed not only were some of my linked photos to products used gone, but the link to the article itself was broken. (sigh)

Off to the Engine 2 web site to do a search to get the new link. I know they revamped the site and gave The Daily Beet a new url, but I was so saddened to find they removed many of the old recipes. The site used to have hundreds of them, and now the Daily Beet lists only 33, all fairly recent. I suspect the old ones are now only available in the Engine 2 Meal Planner and the occasional post to the blog.

So, like Mr. Peabody said to his boy, Sherman, so many times in the past, "Let's go to the Wayback Machine"!

I found it! Here is the link to the article, 1 Dish Baking Meals, from The Daily Beet blog, originally posted on June 14, 2012.

And here's the entire article, in case even that page vanishes in the future:

1 Dish Baking Meals

June 14, 2012

We like to batch cook food in the beginning of the week, so that the rest of the week is easy. We have a few dishes that are similar to casseroles, they are easy to make and last the entire week in the refrigerator.

You can make these in any size baking dish. If you have a large family, simply use a larger baking dish, if you are cooking for 1 or 2 you will want to use a small baking dish, it’s really that simple. You will want to cover these so they don’t overflow in the oven.

Oatmeal crisp: (Great for breakfast or dessert)

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a baking dish layer the following:

1 layer of frozen fruit (any kind you like, you can use 2 different fruits if you like as well, we like peaches and blueberries)

1 layer of quick cooking oats (about an inch thick)

Next add: No oil/unsweetened Non dairy milk. You can do half water/half non dairy milk if you like.Pour non dairy milk over the oats so they are well covered.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the non dairy milk has absorbed into the oats (there shouldn’t be any liquid).

This works in any size baking dish, you can have it for breakfast or dessert and it will last in the fridge for a week.

Kids LOVE this one!

Mexican Casserole:

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a baking dish:

1 thin layer diced tomatoes

1 layer frozen brown rice

1 layer chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

1 layer frozen spinach

1 layer black beans

1 layer mixed veggies or corn

1 layer of chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

Sprinkle with chili seasoning.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until it’s hot 

You can serve it on corn tortillas or whole grain tortillas or just plain 

Polenta bake:

Pre-heat oven to 350

1 thin layer of chopped tomatoes

1 layer of sliced polenta rounds

1 layer of sliced mushrooms

1 layer frozen spinach

1 layer chopped tomatoes (thin layer)

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning

Bake for 35 minutes or until the mushrooms look done.

Potato Nachos Bake Pre-heat oven to 350

1 thin layer diced tomatoes

1 layer sliced cooked  potatoes (we slice them in rounds)

1 layer black beans

1 layer frozen spinach

optional: 1 more layer of sliced cooked potatoes

1 layer diced tomatoes

sprinkle with chili powder

bake for 35 minutes

Baked Ziti – Pre-heat oven to 350

1 layer chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning

1 layer cooked whole grain noodles (gluten free works just fine)

1 layer of sliced mushrooms

1 layer of frozen spinach

1 layer chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or you can grind cashews for the top. (it is not needed, and if you have heart disease, diabetes or are trying to lose weight, you are best to keep this off)

Bake for 35 minutes

Breakfast Quinoa Bake: Pre-heat oven to 350

1 very thin layer of non dairy milk

1 layer cooked quinoa

1 layer of any frozen fruit and cinnamon

Bake for 25 minutes

Enjoy!

2 Pictures of Esselstyn Recipes

Well, I said the other day that I bought a cauliflower to make those Cauliflower Steaks. Here's the proof:

I finally made them up yesterday, using the Pizza Hummus. They took 40 minutes in the oven to get them to where I liked the texture. Is it so bad that I ate the entire thing by myself for lunch? I guess not, because I was still hungry after eating it all (it made this full tray and half of another) so I had a sweet potato afterwards.

And since it's been such gloomy, rainy, and sometimes chili weather here in NJ the past week, I decided instead of my usual old-fashioned oats with a banana and spinach for breakfast I would make Ann Esselstyn's version of steel cut oats, as she made them in this video. I've made steel cut oats before, but usually with fruit. I've made savory old fashioned oats before, too. But somehow this particular combo - the steel cut savory, made with kale and nutritional yeast (I forgot the mushrooms. Oops!) - is so tasty and hearty, it just warmed me up and gave me hope that we'll eventually see the sun again.

Another good thing about this meal - I followed the directions on the package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats and used 3 cups of water to 1 cup of oats, so besides this bowl, I also have Mason jars of breakfast for the next 2 days in the refrigerator now.

More recipe photos as I make them. As mentioned a few times already, I haven't really been cooking anything new, but with the weather changing, I hope to switch some of my current weekly meals to hearty soups. I have a few hundred soup recipes I haven't tried yet and hope to do at least one new one per week. Keep your fingers crossed I don't back out and just stick with the super simple tried-and-true meals I've been doing all summer. 

PROCESSED PEOPLE - Plant Based Documentary 2008

For some reason, Jeff Nelson is allowing this movie and extended interviews to be viewed in their entirety on YouTube. You'll find a  number of our heroes in here, including Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick!

Thanks, Jeff, for doing this.


The 40 minute documentary



The extended interviews.

Ann and Jane - Cauliflower Steaks

Darn! I KNOW I made these more than once at home, and would have sworn I did a blog post on them with photos, but I'm wrong - the only trace of this meal on my entire computer is the written recipe itself.

Cauliflower Steaks
makes 4 steaks, plus pieces

1 head cauliflower (find a large one)
1/2 cup Our Hummus
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (white works best for color)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut a head of cauliflower in half, then cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch "steaks" about 4 or 6 in all, and place them flat in the prepared pan. Lots of tiny bits may fall apart; that is okay. Place them all on the pan. (2 pans may be needed if cauliflower is large)

Make the sauce. Combine the hummus, nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons water, green onions, and parsley and stir. Spread this sauce over the cauliflower steaks and over the extra pieces. Sprinkle the remaining balsamic vinegar in thin lines over the top of all the coated cauliflower. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Check, and continue to bake longer if the steaks aren't soft enough. The steaks should be soft and browned on the top and bottom. Actually, the longer these cook, the better.

These things are delicious! I've made them using plain hummus, Pizza Hummus, even did them once using a can of refried beans instead of hummus, and they're delicious either way. Then again, I love cauliflower even roasted plain with nothing on it, so I may be a bit prejudiced.

I like Ann's idea of adding some red pepper to it, and next time I make it I might use the Pizza Hummus that I always have in the refrigerator (Hubby's daily lunch preference) and toss in a bit of pimiento or finely diced roasted red pepper. 

Mmmmmm! 

Today is grocery day - I hope they have some nice cauliflower, because now I have a hankering for this! With a few days of below 90º coming up, I don't mind lighting the oven again.

Dr. Goldhamer and Dr. Lisle in Vegas

It was supposed to be a Q&A session. People for months were told on the private UWL FaceBook group and during weekly Weight Loss Wednesday webinars to "save their questions" to "ask the doctors themselves during the Q&A in Vegas."

Sunday, September 2, 2018
9:00am-10:00am – Chef AJ – “Eat Up, Slim Down & Get Healthy”

10:00am-10:15am – Break

10:15am-11:15am - Dr. Rosane Oliveira “Reset Your Skinny Genes With Diet”

11:15am-11:30am – BATHROOM BREAK

11:30am-12:30pm – Testimonial Session #2 with JP or lecture 

12:30pm – 2:00pm – LUNCH and VISIT VENDORS 

2:00pm-3:00pm- Joint Q & A with Dr. Lisle and Dr. Goldhamer 

3:00pm-3:15pm – BATHROOM BREAK

3:15pm-4:15pm – Healthy Eating Made Easy and Delicious – Panel with Cathy Fisher, Kathy Hester, Christin Bummer and Faith Scott

Breakout Session – JP – MEN ONLY GROUP (supporting your spouse even if you don’t understand food addiction) – room TBA 

4:15pm-4:30pm – BATHROOM BREAK

4:30pm -5:30pm - CHEF AJ & JP “ Making it Work at Home”

SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT

THIS is what it turned out to be:



A bit entertaining, yes, but nothing new, and certainly not a Q&A. People were asking questions during the live stream but Gustavo said there is no way to ask the doctors a question.

By the way, the quality of this person's cellphone (?) recording is much better quality that what Gustavo was able to record using the equipment (laptop, wireless mic, and webcam?) he had.

I'm glad I won one of the FaceBook/blog drawings and got access to this year's conference for free. I had already decided I was never going to pay another cent for these amateur quality recordings that could neither be seen or heard during the live streams or replays like was sold last year.

Getting Ready for Hurricane and Blizzard Seasons

A number of things occurred this past week to remind me that the most dreaded season of the year will be upon us all too soon - Winter.

Various crafting communities are already heavily into making winter holiday gifts and decorations.

Articles are appearing in newspapers and magazines about the hot new toys of the upcoming season.

Ditto holiday recipes and cooking tips.

A few stores are starting to put out holiday merchandise.

The Hallmark Channel won't stop talking about their Countdown to Christmas programming, even though their Summer Nights and Fall Harvest promotions are still going strong.

Harmony House is having a 20% off sale on their dehydrated food products if you use code 3831 before September 4, 2018.

But before winter, we still have the 2018 hurricane season to get through. Hurricane Sandy is still very fresh in our minds, so I'd rather be over-prepared than under.

So, what have I been doing to prepare?

Well, I'm going through our cold weather clothing to make sure everything is in decent shape - zippers working, buttons on tight, hats, gloves and scarves in good shape and cleaned.

I'll soon be dragging the quilts and blankets back to the laundromat for freshening up so when it comes time to put them on the beds they'll be ready.

I've already started to stock up on things like paper towels, boxes and rolls of tissues, dry foods like brown rice, pasta, and oatmeal, and cans and boxes of tomato products, and beans, both canned and dry. I also went through the last of the canned goods in the current hurricane/blizzard box and was sure to use up things that were near expiration dates.

I don't want so many canned vegetables for the upcoming seasons. I don't use canned vegetables as a rule, only the occasional creamed corn in one of Mary McDougall's soup recipes, and kernel corn in a cornbread one. The canned veggies I'm using up now (mostly tossing them in pasta dishes) I bought over 2 years ago - that's how rarely they're used.

Jeff Novick has been writing a lot about using the dehydrated and dried vegetables in some of his recent cooking. I've been a fan of Harmony House products for a number of years now and have a few things for items I don't use too often on hand at all times, like scallions, red and green pepper mixes. I also have some dried blueberries at the moment, and in the past had purchased diced carrots (good) and diced white potatoes (not so good). After Jeff's recent post about the soup that he makes and keeps on hand, I put the veggies he recommended into my Harmony House shopping cart. I popped a few more of my most used veggies in there, too, and waited. I know they have sales now and then, usually for 10% - 15% off. Then this morning I open my email and found the notice for the 20% off sale! Wow!

And now, a few days later (I started this on Thursday, and now it's Sunday) I unpacked the package that arrived yesterday afternoon:

These big ones are the ones Jeff suggested for that soup - green beans, onions, broccoli, and carrots, as well as the dried lentils. The smaller containers have dried mushrooms and celery, replenishing what I already had in stock. One you can't see is another small container with diced sweet potatoes. If they're as good as I hope, I'll be ordering the gallon sized container of those, too. Luckily I had already cleared out a place to store the big ones and will carry them all over into place tomorrow. They'll join their cousin, dried pinto beans, that already moved in. The small ones already have a home in one of my kitchen cabinets.

Looks like I'll have no excuse not to eat super healthy SNAP meals this winter even when buried under a few feet of ice, snow, and sleet.