Friday, March 29, 2024

Garlic Dipping Oil


Garlic Dipping Oil for bread is a classic combination of lovely dried herbs, fresh garlic, and flavorful olive oil to dip crusty bread in for an easy appetizer. Just as good as any restaurant! From lifecurrentsblog.com.




Garlic Dipping Oil


Ingredients:

1 garlic clove peeled
¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Moisten the garlic grater with a little cold water. Hold the grater with one hand, and with the other hand, hold the garlic clove between your fingers while holding the root end. Move the garlic around on the grater making sure not to make contact with your fingers. Discard the root end of the garlic.

2. Add the oil to the garlic in the dish, and mix in the remaining ingredients.

3. Dip crusty bread of your choice into the dipping oil.



Thursday, March 21, 2024

Sausage and Rice


Indulge in the savory flavors of our quick Sausage and Rice, a one-pot wonder that’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners. This dish features a hearty blend of aromatic smoked sausage and tender rice combined with the subtle sweetness of caramelized onions and bell peppers. Experience the rich and delicious taste of this flavorful Sausage and Rice dish, ideal for those evenings when time is short – it’s done in under 30 minutes! – but the craving for a delicious, home-cooked meal is strong. From diethood.com.



Sausage and Rice


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
14 ounces smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices (uncured and without problem ingredients)
1 small yellow onion, diced (if tolerated or omit)
1 green bell pepper, diced
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste (if tolerated)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth (without problem ingredients)
2 cups Minute White Rice, you can also use Minute Brown Rice
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish


Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet.

2. Add the sliced sausage to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned, stirring frequently.

3. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausages from the skillet and set aside.

4. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Stir in onions and green pepper; season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 more minute.

6. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

7. Stir in the rice and previously prepared sausages.

8. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.

9. Remove from heat and stir.

10. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.



Thursday, March 14, 2024

Creamy Red Pepper Dressing


This sauce is amazing for anything! Salads, sandwiches, or even as a dip! This IC safe recipe was created by Kerri Cole (@icfood4u). From callieknutrition.com.




Creamy Red Pepper Dressing


Ingredients:

1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (if tolerated)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon Just Five Homestyle Ranch mix (check for problem ingredients)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon roasted red pepper juice
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 roasted red pepper


Directions:

Blend all in a blender or food processor and use on salads or as a sauce on sandwiches, wraps, chicken, or burgers.


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Cheesy Zucchini Quiche


On Jakk’s blog he states: Like many people just diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis, the IC diet seemed very daunting and being a vegetarian made it even harder. I was quite scared to eat any food as my bladder was at its most upset and I felt the effects of trigger foods either very shortly after eating them or the very next day. Not wanting to incur the wrath of my bladder, I tried not to experiment with cooking and only followed recipes that I found online that were either IC specific or had little to no problem ingredients. This recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Quiche, which fell into the later list if only because of the onions (which I do not think that I am sensitive to), was one of those first recipes that I had tried and it was so good that it spurred a small period where I was obsessed with trying different Quiches. I always seemed to have pie dough ready to defrost in the freezer and there were even a couple of times that I put all of the ingredients together for this quiche over the weekend and froze it for use later in the week! Both Andrew and myself absolutely loved this recipe! (In fact, as I am sitting here typing this, I am becoming more and more tempted to get up and run to the store for some zucchini!).

Before I leave you with the recipe, I do want to give you a couple of tips. First off, pre-made pie dough from the grocery store will seem very tempting for this recipe. If you do go this route, don't forget to first check the ingredients to make sure there are no problem ingredients; I'm sure store-made dough must have some preservatives that may bother your bladder. For that reason, I use a homemade 3-2-1 pie crust that I found and it is included below as part of the recipe. Secondly, this recipe is much easier to make if you have a mandolin; it makes it easier to finely slice the veggies. If you don't have a mandolin, try to cut as thin as you can. Also, I have found that once cooked, the zucchini and onion create a lot of liquid. Each time I have made this quiche I have forgotten about that and my end product becomes extra liquidy (even though draining the liquid is in the recipe). I imagine that if you were to follow the recipe the right way and you drain some of the liquid from the vegetables before adding the rest of the ingredients, it would prevent this from happening and your end result will be much more quiche-like. And lastly, if you are sensitive to onions, remember that you can either leave them out or substitute with either chives or scallions. Anyway, enjoy and happy cooking! From theicveggie.blogspot.com.




Cheesy Zucchini Quiche


Ingredients:

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 stick (8 Tbsp) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 Tbsp ice water

Filling
3 Tbsp butter
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 large onion, thinly sliced (if tolerated or substitute with chives or scallions or leave out)
2 large eggs
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper (if tolerated)
2 cups part skim shredded Mozzarella


Directions:

Pie Crust
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until the mixture is aerated. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the ice water and mix just until the dough comes together. (Add the last tablespoon of ice water if necessary, but don’t overwork the dough or it’ll become tough). Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then use it in the pie or tart recipe of your choice.

Filling
Preheat your oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crust into a 1/8-in.-thick circle before transferring to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the crust to 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate and flute the edge. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and beginning to bubble. Add the zucchini and the onion; cook, stirring frequently, until both are tender - the onion will become translucent and the zucchini will change color slightly. Drain the liquid off as best as you can and let the mixture cool for a bit. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and seasonings until they are well blended. Stir in the cheese and then mix it with the cooked zucchini and onion. Once everything is well mixed, add the completed filling to the prepared crust. Bake on a lower oven rack for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and the crust is golden brown. Cover the edge of the quiche loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking, only if needed to prevent over-browning. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe will make 8 servings.



Friday, March 1, 2024

Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza


A delicious pesto pizza featuring bacon-basil pesto on top of a crisp homemade pizza crust, with salty bacon, chicken and freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella. From bakedbyrachel.com.




Bacon-Basil Pesto and Chicken Pizza


Ingredients:

Dough:
1 cup water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 3 cup all purpose flour

Pesto Sauce:
2 cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup bacon (without problem ingredients)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese (if tolerated)
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

Additional Ingredients:
Whole milk mozzarella shredded
1 chicken breast
2-3 slices bacon (without problem ingredients)
Ground black pepper (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Prepare dough: In a measuring cup, combine warm water (115-120°F) with active dry yeast and sugar. Allow yeast to proof.

2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and salt. When yeast is ready, turn mixer on low and slowly drizzle in liquid. Increase mixer speed and continue mixing until dough comes together. Add additional flour as needed until dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm location for at least one hour.

3. In a medium skillet, cook 6-7 slices of bacon (or more as desired). Finely chop of half of the bacon for the pesto sauce, while reserving the rest for topping. In the same skillet, cook chicken breast over medium heat until cooked through. Shred chicken and set aside.

4. Add basil leaves and garlic to a food processor. Blend together until only fine pieces remain. Add Parmesan cheese. Blend until combined. With food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in enough olive oil until a spreadable consistency is reached. Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Stir in bacon.

5. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Gently stretch and shape dough to desired size. Add to a cold oven. Heat oven to 425°F. When oven is ready, remove pizza crust.

6. Spread bacon-basil pesto sauce in an even layer. Top off with shredded mozzarella, followed by bacon, chicken and finally a sprinkle of ground black pepper.

7. Bake pizza for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispness is reached. Slice and serve.


Notes:

Recipe serves roughly 3-6, yields 1: 10-inch pizza.