Kathy's Home Kitchen

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Bring People Together

I was in the middle of cooking our big Sunday family dinner when my husband came in the kitchen and asked, "Why do you like doing all this cooking? It's so much work."

I didn't even have to think about my answer.

"Because I love bringing people together and making them happy through great tasting food."

That's what it's all about for me. 💕💕

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Munch More Mushrooms

I love mushrooms. Their earthy-meaty umami flavor and their slightly chewy texture make them one of my favorite additions to omelettes and stir-frys.

Luckily, they are really good for you too!

According to the Cleveland Clinic here are 7 reasons you should eat more of these delicious fungi.

Immune system boosting antioxidant compounds are found in mushrooms that can help decrease inflammation and cell damage. Some studies have also shown that there may be a link in higher mushroom consumption with a lower risk for cancer.

Lower blood pressure. Mushrooms are high in potassium which can help lower blood pressure.

Weight Loss--Mushrooms are a great low fat meat substitute which can help support both weight loss as well as a healthy heart.

Good supply of vitamin D. Some mushrooms are exposed to ultraviolet light which transforms the compound ergosterol into Vitamin D.

May protect brain health. In a study where 60 year olds ate 2 cups or more of mushrooms every week there was a lower incidence of mild cognitive impairment.

Heart health- compounds found in mushrooms have been found to help prevent plaque build up in your blood vessels.

Gut Health-fiber and nutrients in mushrooms help to keep your gut microbiome balanced.

Watch this cool video on how button mushrooms are grown!

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Apple Carrot Beet Juice

I decided to make some fresh juice tonight, to infuse our family with a boost of fresh vitamins and minerals. Maybe this will help us fight off the nasty cold that's going around here in Cleveland this fall.

Apple Carrot Beet Juice

*a juicer is necessary for this recipe

Ingredients:

3 apples-quartered (I use Granny Smith- I love the tartness, but ifyou want sweeter juice you can use Honeycrisp or Fuji apples or whatever your favorite kind is)

4-5 carrots washed and stem ends cut off

1 beet-stem end cut off and cut into quarters

1 lemon or lime-most of the peel sliced off

1 inch of ginger

1 inch of turmeric-optional

Wash and prepare all the ingredients. I core the apples and quarter them to keep the seeds out. I don't peel the carrots, ginger, or turmeric but you definitely can if you wish. For the lemons, unless you enjoy some of the bitterness from the peel cut the ends off so they are flat and then cut off most of the remaining peel.

2. Turn on your juicer-make sure a pitcher or a cup is placed under the spout to catch all the juice! (I only say this because I've almost forgotten to do it myself!)

3. Start dropping your fruits and veggies in the juicer tube. I usually put in a couple pieces of apple with the ginger and turmeric first.

4. Juice the carrots

5. Juice remaining apples

6. Juice the lemon or lime

7. Stir everything together

8. Pour into your favorite cup and enjoy a glass full of delicious vitamins.

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Costa Rican Style Gallo Pinto

A couple of years ago, my husband took me to Costa Rica for our 28th anniversary.

I can't wait to go back.

The country is a lush green rainforest paradise with several volcanoes as well as desert-like mountainous areas with sheer cliff faces that drop into the Pacific like Big Sur, California.

Pura Vida! is one of the most common sayings in Costa Rica- which effectively means "pure life" or "simple life" and boy do they know how to live it.

Everyone we met there, whether in the hotels, or just out in the little towns and villages were warm, open-hearted, and wore the biggest most genuine smiles.

The food seemed to reflect the wonderful spirit of the Costa Rican people. One of my favorites was a simple rice and bean dish that was served every day as a staple with breakfast.

Here is my version.

Costa Rican Gallo Pinto:

*make-ahead tip- cook both the dry beans and the rice according to packages.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black beans (you can use canned beans if you don't have time to cook them in advance

2 cups cooked long grain rice

1/2 large red pepper-diced

1/2 cup onion-diced

1/2 -1 jalapeno-diced

1/2 cup bean water

1/2 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cinnamon

salt

Pinch of cayenne-optional-we like a decent amount of heat

Cilantro

Saute all the veggies in a large nonstick pan over medium heat in vegetable oil for about 2 min. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper and stir for about another minute.

Stir in the cooked beans, the bean water, and the rice. Continue stirring until rice and beans are hot. Stir in cilantro and serve. In Costa Rica this is often served with breakfast and accompanies eggs and fresh corn tortillas.

*It is best to use fresh dry beans that you cook the night before-they are more flavorful and have a better texture, but canned beans may be used if you don’t have time to cook the beans before. 

Hope you enjoy!

ps. here is one of my favorite pictures of our trip. This little guy was right outside our hotel room. :)

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Easy Ground Beef Stir Fry

My husband has been very motivated to get healthy this year. He does cardio by playing men's league hockey three times a week, weight lifting, and by eating right. He came home from weight lifting one night saying he wanted a simple ground beef and veggies and that's it. That sounded kind of boring to me. So I thought, why not make it like a mix between a fried rice and a basic taco meat. Here's what I came up with. It is now my husband's favorite meal!

Let me know what you think!

Beef Stir Fry

1.5 pounds lean ground beef-- I use 92% lean (you can also use ground turkey)

1.5 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (if you like really spicy feel free to add more!)

1.5 tsp oregano

4 eggs (I use 2 eggs and 1/2 cup egg whites)

1/2 onion-finely diced

4 cloves garlic-finely chopped

About 8 mini red peppers thinly sliced

About 6 mushrooms/shitake or button work great in this

2-3 Tb vegetable oil-I've been using avocado oil lately

1.5 cups Spinach- rinsed, dried and chopped into ribbons (kale works too if you prefer)

Fresh parsley-optional

Cooked Rice

Teriyaki sauce drizzle on top

Jalapeno optional

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dark mirin

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Teriyaki Sauce Directions

Heat soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a slow simmer and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Continue to simmer about 5-8 minutes until it thickens to desired consistency. Allow it to cool while making the stir fry, sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Beef Stir Fry Directions

1. Start cooking rice.

2. Cut up onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, and spinach.

3. Put all the spices (cumin, salt, crushed red pepper, and oregano) in a little bowl and combine.

4. Crack eggs into a bowl and add egg whites.

5. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.

6. Add a Tb of oil to the pan.

7. Brown the ground beef.

8. Add all the spices and cook for another minute.

9. Remove ground beef from pan and pour into a large serving bowl.

10. Add more oil if necessary to the pan and saute the mushrooms and peppers for a minute or two and then add onions, and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent.

11. While veggies are sautéing, whisk the eggs and egg whites together until fluffy.  

12. Add more oil to the pan if necessary and pour the eggs into pan.

13. Cook just until the eggs begin to set up.

14. Pour the beef back into the pan and fold into the eggs.

15. Cook until the eggs are fully cooked and distributed like in a fried rice mixture. Stir in fresh parsley if desired.

16. Pour back into the serving bowl. 

Serve over rice (or cauliflower rice for Keto) or just by itself and drizzle with teriyaki sauce.

Enjoy!!

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup

For several months now, my work-out crazed husband has been loving the turkey sausage, kale soup that our local grocery store sells. It’s a delicious Keto friendly- high fiber meal, that is also quick to heat up. In other words, a perfect meal for someone like him who is trying to release weight and build muscle. 

For the last two weeks however, our store has been out of it and they told me it may not come in for another week. :(

I had been wanting to try to make it myself anyway, so I figured now was the time.

This is what I came up with and it passed the test. He said it tastes very similar but he likes my version even better.

Ingredients:

1 pkg turkey or chicken sausage meatballs

1/2 onion diced

4 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno seeded and diced-optional

2 carrots diced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cayenne--if you don’t like spice you can omit this

4 -6 sprigs of lacinato kale chopped into ribbons

48 oz of chicken broth

rice/noodles optional

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Pour in 1-2 T of vegetable oil. Lately, I’ve been using avocado oil. It has a high smoke point and a light flavor. 

2. Add onions, jalapeños, and carrots. Saute about 2 minutes until the onions are just translucent. Mix in the garlic and saute 1 minute. 

3. Add all the spices (thyme, salt, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and cayenne) and give it a quick stir.

4. Pour in the meatballs and brown them, slightly. 

5. Pour in the chicken broth. 

6. Once the broth is at a good simmer, stir in the kale. Let the soup simmer for about 15-20 min. Make sure to taste for the seasoning level and adjust as needed. If you want or need carbs, feel free to add some cooked white rice, barley, or some small pasta to this soup. 

Hope you enjoy!

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Sunomono-Japanese Cucumber Salad

I learned how to make this from my Japanese mother-in-law. I love it because it's light and crunchy and soo delicious. It's great as a light appetizer or for a palate cleanser after heavier dishes like a chicken curry, or as a quick snack on those days that nothing else really sounds good to eat.

Ingredients:

2 large English cucumbers, thinly sliced

2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 T apple cider vinegar

2-3 radishes, thinly sliced-optional

1 scallion, chopped finely-optional

Directions:

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and then slice as thinly as possible. You can use a mandolin slicer for this but it's not necessary. (just please be careful of your fingers when using a mandolin. My mom almost sliced the tip of her pinky finger off using one--in spite of my warnings!)

Put cucumber slices in a strainer and massage 1 teaspoon of kosher salt into slices and let water drain for about 20 min.

Put into a serving bowl and add remaining salt and vinegars. Let sit for at least a half hour for flavors to meld.

*Traditional Japanese sunomono includes soy sauce, crab and sugar, but my mother-in-law always made it without these extras and I prefer it her way it allows you to taste the cucumber flavor more. I have also seen recipes that include octopus and wakame seaweed. Be creative and make it to your taste.

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Cooking Tip #4

If you need buttermilk for a recipe but you don't have any, you can make a quick substitute by mixing 1 cup of whole milk with 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using in your recipe.

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[kathys-home-kitchen]

This looks so amazing! I can't wait to try making it.

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Cooking Tip #3

The easiest way to get your family to eat more fruits and veggies is to not cook at all!! Simply rinse the fruits and veggies and give a quick chop to any that need it like cucumbers or carrots and set them on the table in a serving dish. If you want you can further entice them with a yummy and healthy yogurt dill dip or a sweet peanut butter honey dip.

You’ll be surprised how many disappear as your family casually grabs a handful of blueberries as they go in and out of the kitchen!!

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Cooking Tip #2

If you have a special event or dinner coming up that you need to make something for, it's best to not plan to make something for the first time that night. If you really want to try a new recipe, do a practice run a week or two in advance. You don't want to serve your mother and father-in-law-to-be something you wouldn't give to your dog...wait until you're married for a while to do that!🤣🤣

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Cucumber, Tomato, and Feta Salad

This is one of my favorite summer salads. It's refreshing and crunchy and has so much flavor when using fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers! Unfortunately, any time my garden has a hint of anything edible, the local deer family gobbles it all instantly, so I have to rely on the fresh produce at our local market or my best friend who has a beautiful garden.

Cucumber, Tomato, Feta Salad 

2 seedless (English) cucumbers-chopped into small- medium sized chunks

1 large tomato- chopped chopped into small-medium sized chunks

2 scallions, chopped 

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives-sliced 

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

Combine chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and scallions in a medium sized serving bowl. 

 Sprinkle the salt over the veggies and mix thoroughly.

Add olives, feta, parsley, and mint and stir gently. The feta should begin to break down a little and coat the cucumbers and tomatoes. 

In a separate bowl combine the olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk until the liquid comes together like a dressing.

Pour half the dressing over the veggies, mix in and taste. Everyone has different tastes, you can always add more if necessary, but it’s pretty impossible to remove dressing once it’s on!  If you don’t need the remaining dressing, store it in a sealed container in the fridge and use it within the week on a spinach and dried cranberry salad.

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Cooking Tip #1

For best results, always read through a recipe in its entirety BEFORE you start making it, to ensure you have all the necessary ingredients and to make sure you understand the order of the steps. This is for new recipes you’re trying out but also for recipes you’ve made before.

I don’t know how many times I’ve made a dish that I thought I had memorized only to realize that I’d left something important out.

[kathys-home-kitchen]

Key Lime Pie has been my oldest daughter's favorite birthday treat for as long as we can remember. Today she turned 28. So I made her another one.

This recipe is definitely more on the tart side, so if you don't like things super tart, cut down on the key lime juice. The first time I made it, I actually hand squeezed about 30 tiny key limes, which took forever! I decided either I was never going to make it again or I had to find a better way. That's when I discovered, "Nellie and Joe's, Famous Key West Lime Juice from concentrate"--a total game changer!

Click below for the full recipe.

Ingredients:

28 Squares of honey graham crackers

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp of cinnamon

1 stick of unsalted butter-melted

2 cans of condensed milk

1 cup Nellie and Joe's key lime juice (you can squeeze enough limes to get 1 cup if you really want to)

2 jumbo eggs at room temperature (most recipes call for large eggs but this one works best with jumbo- though you can still use large.)

*Fresh lime zest and Whipping Cream -to top it with. (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Process the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.

3. Pour in the sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter and process again until the crumbs come together like wet sand.

4. Press the crust mixture into a pie pan and bake until just slightly browned, about 12 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Lower the oven temperature to 325.

7. In a mixing bowl, combine the lime juice and condensed milk. Whisk on medium speed until combined.

8. Add each egg one at a time and whisk until just fully mixed in.

9. Pour into cooled pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

10. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

To make whipping cream pour 1 cup whipping cream into cold mixing bowl and whisk on high speed until it forms soft peaks. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and mix again on high speed until medium peaks form.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my daughter! Please let me know how it turns out.

Kathy