Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

adapted from Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes

serves 6

Prep time:  10 min

Cook time:  slow cooker 8 hours

2 (16-oz) cans Great Northern beans, undrained

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14-oz) package smoked turkey sausage, sliced

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 medium carrots, sliced

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine first 11 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Remove and discard bay leaf.

Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Orange and Oats Chewies

Orange and Oats Chewies
adapted from Best of the Bake-Off

Makes about 60 cookies

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut

Heat oven to 350F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, shortening, butter, orange juice concentrate, orange peel and eggs; mix well.

Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Stir in oats and coconut.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until light and golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute then transfer to rack to cool completely.

From The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog

What kind of camera/lens/equipment do you use? 

I have Canon Rebel XSi . I use mostly a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens and sometimes the standard Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens.

Any suggestions or hints to have great food photos? 

Yesss!!!! Never use a flash. Most of my photos are taken outside on my back porch on a table in the shade. Get in close. People want the drool factor.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Crockpot Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing (Regular is fine but I like zesty better. Sometimes I use a packet and a half.)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending how cream cheesy you want it)

Place the chicken in acrockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it. Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small pot over low heat and pour over chicken. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. You can leave it in there all day. If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. Serve over pasta or rice.

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

adapted from Allrecipes

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped
1 pound Italian sausage ( or ground beef...I like sausage better)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce ( I used one Garlic and Onion and one Sausage)
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced ( 9 rounds)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. 
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and sausage (or beef ) over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or so. Add spaghetti sauce and Italian seasonings, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, 1/2 sauce mixture, Provolone cheese, sour cream, remaining ziti, remaining sauce mixture and then mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted. You may want to cover it for the first 20 minutes with foil and then let the cheese melt and brown for the last 10 minutes.

Sage's Knockoff

Raspberry Ice Cream:

1 bag frozen raspberries, can thaw
2/3 c cashews
1/2 c coconut shavings
rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk...about 2 cups or so
honey
1 1/2 bananas

Hot Fudge:

1/3 c agave
1-2 T honey
1/4 c coconut oil (melted)
1 T or more raw cacao powder

MIX WELL!

yum!!!

Tips on Heartburn

1) Store some chewing gum at home. Whenever you are having heartburn or acid reflux, you can quickly chew it, it can generate more saliva and relieve the effect.

2) Take raw ginger. Some people find it very useful by taking raw ginger while having heartburn.

3) Apple Cider Vinegar. Although Vinegar contain acid, it surprisingly aids heartburn very much for many people as vinegar might be able to stop stomach from producing more acid. Have some slices of apple when you are taking apple cider vinegar can strengthen the effect.

4) Take celery. Many doctors advice heartburn patients to take more celery. Celery is the best alkaline food to fight heartburn. Celery juice has the same effect as well, you can make a juice blend with 30% celery, 30% cucumber, 30% leafy greens, and 10% carrot. This blend can not only relieve the heartburn, it can provide your body with every nutrient and amino acid your body needs.

Relieving Heartburn

By Juliette Aiyana, LAc

I may be developing acid reflux disease. Every few months, I experience heartburn but refuse to pop antacids or those OTC acid blockers. Can I prevent acid reflux and treat my bouts of heartburn naturally?

The symptoms of acid reflux can cause discomfort and embarrassment. And if left untreated, acid reflux can damage the esophagus. In Chinese medicine we classify acid reflux as a heat disorder commonly affecting the stomach and/or liver energy systems. Heat and fire flare upward bringing the acid into the throat. Acupuncture, dietary changes, and Chinese herbs can quickly relieve your symptoms. To find relief, consult a TCM herbalist who will devise an herbal formula for you based on your unique signs and symptoms. You should not have to take herbs long term if you eat an energetically balanced diet. The Chinese herbal formula Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang (“bupleurum powder to spread the liver”) alleviates symptoms in many people within about one to two weeks, but it should not be taken for an extended period of time.

Poor digestion results in damp heat accumulation in the stomach, leading to acid regurgitation. Foods such as mung bean, tofu, soybeans, wheat, dairy, aloe, banana, cucumber, lettuce, olives, seaweed, summer squash, tomato, and melons, can help cool the stomach and heal energetic imbalances. Foods to help prevent food retention include orange peel, fennel, potato, rhubarb (in moderation), bamboo shoot, pineapple, lemon, barley, hawthorn berry, and malt.

Liver qi is responsible for the smooth flow of energy throughout the entire body. Excessive heat will cause it to move upward and invade the stomach, creating heat there. Try eating dark leafy greens, bitter greens, leeks, quinoa, anise, ginger, basil, turkey, and ocean fish, which help cool and circulate the flow of liver qi.

In all cases, avoid spicy, greasy, fried and oily foods, processed foods, high-fat meats, sugar, and more than two servings of caffeine a day. Reduce your stress and anger, and don’t eat if you are angry or upset. Avoid overeating and drink alcohol in moderation—alcohol generates the heat that leads to acid reflux. I recommend that my heartburn patients abstain from alcohol completely for two to three months and, afterwards, imbibe fewer than four drinks a week.

Juliette Aiyana, LAc, has been a natural health practitioner since 1992. In 2001, she founded Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs in New York City (www.amazinghealing.com).

The apple cider vinegar is known as the most effective treatment for acid flux. Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one glass of water and you can drink this in your every meal. Having this kind of treatment will help your stomach have a calming effect and lessen the quantity of digestive fluids it produces.

Aside from this, fresh apples, bananas and other fruits are helpful in curing your acid reflux. Fruits that are rich in enzyme such as pineapple and papaya can also be included in your meal as they help in the easy digestion of the food we eat.