Jalapeño & Portobello Braised Beef Over Creamy Polenta February 16, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Jalapeño & Portobello Braised Beef Over Creamy Polenta 2016-02-16 19:44:22 Serves 6 Print Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds boneless short ribs or stew meat 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced thin 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 T. red wine vinegar 1 T. quick-cooking tapioca 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1 medium onion, sliced 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, for garnish Instructions Trim fat from meat. Place beef pieces in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire, jalapeños, vinegar, tapioca and garlic. Pour mixture over meat in slow cooker. Top with mushrooms and onion. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked polenta and garnish with cilantro. Notes For serving: 1 cup quick-cooking polenta, prepared as directed with 3 cups water and 1/2 cup shredded manchego cheese added when done. By Lynn Dugan Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Bahn Mi Sandwiches February 16, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Bahn Mi Sandwiches 2016-02-16 19:38:50 Print Pickled Vegetables 4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 t. salt Sriracha Mayo 1 cup mayonnaise 2 scallions, finely minced 1 T. Sriracha 1/4 t. salt Meatballs 2 lb. ground pork 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil 4 garlic cloves, finely minced 6 scallions, finely chopped 2 T. fish sauce 2 T. Sriracha 2 T. sugar 4 t. cornstarch 1 1/2 t. salt 1 t. black pepper 1 T. sesame oil 1 T. canola oil Sandwiches 2 baguettes jalapeño cilantro sprigs mint Pickled Vegetables Place all ingredients into a bowl and let sit for 1/2 hour. Stir occasionally. Sriracha Mayo Stir all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use. Meatballs Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, gently mix pork, basil, garlic, scallions, fish sauce, Sriracha, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Using a small scoop, scoop meat mixture into 1 1/2" meatballs. Place on baking sheet and gently flatten a bit. Heat oils in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs in batches. Sear until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan. Repeat until all meatballs are browned. Place in oven to finish cooking for 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through. Assemble Cut baguette into personal portions. Cut 2/3 of the way through, leaving one side attached. Spread Sriracha Mayo on bread, top with meatballs and pickled vegetables, then the basil, mint and jalapeño, if desired. By Teri Hiben Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Rainbow Roasted Carrots February 11, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Rainbow Roasted Carrots 2016-02-11 15:09:01 Serves 4 Print Ingredients 8 large rainbow carrots 2 T. extra virgin olive oil sea salt freshly cracked pepper 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese 1/4 cup almonds, raw or toasted 1 T. chopped parsley, or fresh dill 1 T. fresh lemon juice 3 T. Balsamic Glaze (Cucina Viva, my favorite) Instructions Peel each carrot. In a large bowl, coat the carrots with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Place the carrots on a sheet pan. Roast at 400 degrees until well-charred and cooked through. The carrots will be al dente. (About 30 minutes) Place the charred carrots in a serving dish. Add lemon juice and parsley/dill. Garnish with the goat cheese and almonds. Drizzle with Balsamic glaze. Enjoy! By Jenny Lorish Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
What YOU Need to Know about the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans by Lynn Dugan February 3, 2016 by Jill Foucre 1 Comment Just recently, the Obama administration released the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines are revised every 5 years with the purpose to help us make healthy food and beverage choices and to serve as the foundation for vital nutrition policies and programs throughout the US. If you are interested in learning more, here is the Executive Summary. After sifting through the report, I have prepared some noteworthy points to highlight. Let’s start with how healthy eating is defined by the Guidelines: A variety of vegetables from all of the color groups–dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and others. Fruits, especially whole fruits Grains, at least half of which are whole grains Dairy foods (milk, yogurt, cheese and or fortified soy beverages), fat free or low fat A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds and soy products Oils This healthy eating plan is nothing new but keep in mind, many people with a goal of ‘healthy eating’ may have cut dairy foods from their diets. But dairy foods are recommended to help meet the calcium, vitamin D and potassium needs for everyone— these are the nutrients we are not getting enough of. The Guidelines recommend 3 servings of dairy daily for everyone 9 years and older. One serving equals 1 cup milk or yogurt and 1-1/2 ounce of cheese. Next, let’s look at what to limit in our eating. You may have already heard the big news: cut down on sugar and sodium and keep saturated fat intake ‘in check.’ Saturated fat is found mostly in animal protein foods. By purchasing and preparing lean cuts of meat and varying your protein choices to include legumes and fish, this recommendation is manageable. The sugar recommendation includes any sugar added to foods but does not include the natural sugar found in foods like fruit and dairy. The recommendation is to cap added sugar to about 12-1/2 teaspoons (50 grams) daily (that is, 10% of calories for a 2,000 calorie diet). This can add up quickly if you enjoy sweet desserts and sugared beverages. But know that hidden sugar counts, too. Common sources include jarred pasta sauces, energy drinks, canned fruit, and breakfast cereals. Food labels are a valuable resource to determine the sugar content of packaged foods. For sodium, the cap is 2,400 mg daily. This amount of sodium is found in a teaspoon of salt. To meet these guidelines, it does help to avoid the salt shaker at the table, but unfortunately a major part of the sodium in American diets (80%) comes from processed and packaged foods. These foods include: frozen meals, canned or pickled foods, snack foods, condiments, and soda. Cutting sodium from your diet may make foods suddenly taste bland. But over time, your taste for sodium will adapt and you will be able to use less for the same flavor. It will also be important to rely on herbs and other seasonings to bring more flavor to your palette. Your Marcel’s chefs can help you with that! Reading labels for both sodium and sugar content is the only way to know what you’re eating. However, eating foods without labels is the best kind of eating! The less processed, the better. Making small changes that stick over time is the best strategy for tackling these latest recommendations. As stated in the Guidelines, “A lifetime of healthy eating helps to prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes… it is one of the most powerful tools we have.” In the spirit of healthy eating, I am sharing a simple fruit dessert recipe, Banana “Ice Cream.” Enjoy! Banana "Ice Cream" 2016-02-03 12:12:50 Serves 2 Print Ingredients 2 small (or one large) ripe banana, peeled and sliced chopped nuts, if desired Instructions Freeze sliced bananas for at least 2 hours in an airtight container. Blend frozen bananas in a small food processor. Scrape down food processor as banana goes from crumbled to gooey and again to smooth consistency. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Or eat immediately if a soft consistency is desired. When serving, garnish with chopped nuts. By Lynn Dugan Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/