Homemade Spreadable Butter

Cook’s note. A new favorite condiment at our house. I really like using the spreadable butter they sell in grocery stores, but this is better. It has only three ingredients (two, if you omit the salt) and it is lovely on toast, corn, potatoes, or anything you would put butter on. The flavor of the olive oil comes through in a balanced way, but this is definitely a savory spread. I also think it would be great with herbs such as rosemary or roasted garlic beaten in.

1 stick (1/2 cup or 8 Tablespoons) softened (not melted) unsalted butter
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and olive oil together, scraping down sides of bowl, until fully incorporated and smooth (mixture will be runny). Beat in salt. Pour into storage container and refrigerate until set.

Adapted from http://kitchensimplicity.com/olive-oil-butter-spread/.

Converting Meters to Yards

There are several beautiful yarns made outside the US, and these ball bands have only meters listed them. Here’s how to know how much yarn you have.

To convert measurements of length:

• Yards to meters: Multiply yards by 0.9144
• Meters to yards: Multiply meters by 1.0936
• Inches to centimeters: Multiply inches by 2.54
• Centimeters to inches: Multiply cm by 0.3937 (10 cm = 4 inches)

Yarn weight:

Grams to ounces: Multiply g by 0.035

Ounces to grams: Multiply ounces by 28.57

• 50 g / 1.75 oz.
• 100 g / 3.5 oz.

The approximate Yard to Meter and Meter to Yard equivalents are below.

Quick Kale Smoothie

Cook’s notes: I used frozen chopped kale from Trader Joe’s. This smoothie is very refreshing and only has 4 ingredients.

Whiz in a blender:
1 cup coconut water
1 banana, skin removed
1 cup chopped frozen kale
1 cup fresh blackberries

Serves 2.

Broccoli Slaw with Honey Mustard

Cook’s notes: I used to make a broccoli slaw with honey roasted peanuts and balsamic dressing. I no longer eat nuts, so I needed a new recipe and prefer slaw with a vinaigrette instead of a mayo-based dressing. The apple in this salad provides wonderful crunch. I didn’t use the full amount of dressing and omitted the sunflower seeds from this recipe as well. The recipe is adapted from “The Sprouted Kitchen” cookbook by Sara Forte (Ten Speed Press, 2012).

I added diced, cooked chicken to my bowl of slaw and had a container of fat-free Greek peach yogurt for dessert.

MAKE AHEAD: The salad needs to be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Gluten-free (but always check your labels to be sure). Nut-free.

12 oz bag broccoli slaw

1 apple, such as Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp, cored and cut into small dice (leave the peel on)

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the dressing ingredients in a cruet or jar with a tightly fitting lid. Make sure the container is sealed, and shake vigorously until well blended.

Place the broccoli slaw and apple in a bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, and toss to coat.

Cover the bowl loosely and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Serve cold.

Simple Bone-In Turkey Breast

Cook’s notes: This is an A+ recipe that is very simple to make. Sliced organic turkey meat without nitrites in the deli runs about $6.99 for 6 oz. Compare this to $4.99/lb for high quality turkey breast you cook yourself.

I have made this recipe several times, and it is amazingly good. Tips:

• Cook turkey breast for 15 to 20 minutes per pound. So a 3.62 lb. turkey breast will cook at least 1 hour up to 72 minutes.
• This turkey might also be tasty on a bed of orange slices. The lemon soaks in through the whole thing when it roasts.

1 lemon, washed and sliced
1 bone-in, turkey breast half (about 3 lbs)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Spice blend: 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder, and 2 tsp rosemary blend

Heat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay the lemon slices down the center of the pan. Set aside.

Rub a thin coating of olive oil all over the turkey, over the top and bottom. Season the oiled turkey with the spice blend.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet, and place turkey skin side down in the pan.  Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the turkey has a nice golden brown crust.

Lay the turkey breast on the lemon slices, and cook for about 1 hour (15 to 20 minutes per lb.) or until the internal temperature of your turkey reaches 160F.

Allow the turkey to cool for 20 minute then slice and enjoy.

 

Source: Adapted from instructions posted to the Clean and Delicious site.

Curry Tomato Soup with Chickpeas

Cook’s notes: Man, I love me some chickpeas. This is wonderful soup from cooking expert Pam Anderson. If you like Indian food, you’ll love this soup. It is wonderfully mild but flavorful and comes together quickly. You can, of course, use a hotter curry powder to intensify the heat. I used fat-free evaporated milk. To make it vegan, use coconut milk or any other non-dairy milk.

Pam Anderson says, “Add a little frozen spinach to the pot …  just look at the healthful meal you’ve made in just minutes. Why open a can of soup when something from scratch is this simple to pull off?”

The recipe makes 6 generous cups, serving 4. Note that the curry flavor intensifies overnight. Follow the recipe as written on Three Many Cooks

Maple and Mustard Salmon

Cook’s notes: This is now my go-to salmon recipe. It comes together quickly (dinner in 25 minutes) and has wonderful flavor. It is a very easy recipe.

Helpful tips:

• I found it easier to remove the salmon skin after it had cooked for 10 minutes. When the salmon skin is crispy, and the fish is almost done, the skin will peel right off.
• The recommended safe internal temperature of salmon is about 145 degrees F. Use an instant-read thermometer to take the temperature in the thickest portion (from moreys)
• The “juice of 1/2 a lemon” is 1 Tablespoon

Follow the recipe from Dana Angelo White on the Food Network site.