The Super Secret Meaty Spaghetti Sauce Recipe!

For the first time I used ground turkey and browned it up to wonderful amazing perfection!

my sauce before stirring the seasons in.

Meat added into sauce and then cooked on low for 5-6 hours in a crock pot.

Special note: if making the following recipe in a crock pot either lower the amount of water or add in more tomato paste. As this was my first time making it in the crock pot so the first serving was a little more watery than desired.

Meat Sauce

2- 12 oz cans Tomato Paste

2 Quarts water 

(if cooking in a crock pot either add one more 12 oz can or 2 cups less water)

2 bay leaves

1 Tbls oregano

1 Tbls Basil

1 Tbls parsley

1 Tbls Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/8 tsp Special Ingredient

 sliced olives

 mushrooms if desired (I hate fungus but for those that like it)

Grated Parmesan Cheese as a topping right before serving.

Cooking and spicing the meat 

Ground beef or Ground Turkey (1-2 pds)

Garlic powder

onion powder

celery salt

black pepper

Special secret ingredient

crushed red pepper

season all

Cook meat with spices until browned, draining all extra fluids then add meat into sauce.

Cover tightly simmer 2 hours stirring occasionally. Remove cover (if cooking on stove top - if crock potting change fluid ratio and keep lid on.)

cook on low another 2-4 hours stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Cook spaghetti, serve together with cheese.

Makes 3-4 quarts enough for 4 pds of spaghetti. We normally bag up the extra and freeze. 

Freezing tip is to lay out the freezer baggies on a cookie sheet, freeze on cookie sheet in freezer that way it will lay flat and take up less room.

Pork Dinner and Couscous with Broccoli

Saturday's pre-Valentine Dinner was Pork Tenderloin with raspberry sauce served with a side of Lemon couscous with broccoli.
I will be doing another dinner for valentines day but this was wonderful and healthier too!

Lemon Couscous with broccoli

4 C fresh broccoli florets
1 Tbs9. olive oil
1 C uncooked whole wheat couscous
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/4 C reduced sodium broth
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1 Tbsp slivered almonds or pecans which I used

In a large skillet saute broccoli in oil until crisp-tender. Add couscous and garlic; saute 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in broth, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5-10 min. Fluff with fork sprinkle with nuts and serve.

Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Dijon Sauce

1 pork tenderloin (1lb) cut into 1/2 slices
1 tsp garlic pepper blend
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Flatten pork slices to 1/4 (I beat mine a little but left them thicker) sprinkle with pepper blend. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat, cook pork in oil in batches (or a really large pan) for 2-3 minutes on each side. If thicker like mine where the time is longer or until juices run clean.
Remove pork from pan and keep warm. In the same skillet add jam, vinegar, and mustard stirring to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over pork.

The end result is the first picture (of course) Yum! This was amazing and I will be using the raspberry sauce for other meats as well!
This was a very tasty and wonderfully healthy meal. In fact my husband couldn't stop telling me how wonderful it was, if your stuck in a rut cooking the same things over and over again the tastiness of this meal breaks it up wonderfully!

More on Pizza - Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

So a while ago I posted my pizza recipe minus the crust. Here is a very good quick and healthy recipe that makes a nice crunchy crust.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust 

Makes 2-4 servings

• 2 cups whole milk organic mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 large organic eggs
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper out for baking sheet.
Mix cheese, eggs, flax, coconut flour, and baking powder together until a sticky wet dough is formed. Spread with a spatula to ¼ inch thickness on a baking sheet lined with one piece of parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven. Halfway through the baking process, flip crust over by sliding it off the baking sheet with the parchment paper, placing the second piece on the sheet, and turning the crust over unto the new sheet and peeling the old paper off. Return to oven until done baking.
Remove from oven, slide off of parchment paper, and flip over again for cooling. Once crust is cooled, top with sauce, pre-cooked veggies or meats, and cheese. Set crust with toppings under the broiler on high for a minute or two until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve.

What is food?

 

http://summertomato.com/how-to-find-real-food-at-the-supermarket-flowchart/

Now while we all laugh and find this chart funny the simple truth behind is that its real.

We eat to much food in America that is NOT food.

On TV I saw a health speaker that showed the audience a plate of donuts, then she mentioned that they were over three months old and not even the bugs would touch them.

Seriously if bugs won't eat it why are we?

Stick with fewer and fresher ingredients making you and your food more compatible.

Home Made Pizza

 

Pizza!

An American past time. The problem is most people like take away versions better than homemade. So I am giving my followers some tips and tricks to making and eating great pizza. A less greasy, great tasting pizza.

First off crust, I prefer wheat and there are several easy to mix bread machine varieties. If you are pressed for time your local markets offer several types. Choose one that goes with your likes and preferences, thin and crispy, deep dish ect.

Next and most important is the cheese. This is the one thing on my pizza that never changes Smoked Provolone cooked at 350 degrees or lower so it won't burn makes an amazing pizza. (10-20 minuets depending on size and toppings)

Sauce - every person has their own likes some use tomato paste, others mix tomato paste with spaghetti sauce. I use tomato sauce mixed with Pizza spices. (My favorite sauces that are non tomato are Ranch or BBQ sauce.)

Toppings - for the pizza pictured above I used Italian sausage, chicken, bacon, and olives. I also made a smaller pineapple and  olive pizza for my daughter.

Coconut Citrus Fudge

Coconut Citrus Fudge
Posted At : December 29, 2010 11:25 AM
Coconut Citrus Fudge
photo by recipe author

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus chilling time)

* 1 cup coconut cream concentrate
* 2-3 tablespoons raw honey
* 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
* 1 tablespoon orange, lemon, grapefruit or other citrus zest
* 1 teaspoon orange, lemon, grapefruit or other citrus extract (if using oil, use a few drops)

1. In a food processor, pulse coconut cream concentrate and honey until combined. Then, with the processor running, add the coconut oil in a steady stream. Add zest and extract or oil, and mix until combined.

2. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper, spoon mixture and form into a rectangle. Press with your hands to make the thickness even, about 1/4 inch thick. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

3. Remove from the fridge, and lift parchment or wax paper off the cookie sheet and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into little squares or whatever bites you like.

4. You can store these in the fridge, or even on the counter in an airtight container. The coconut cream concentrate keeps its shape well, even at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Recipe submitted by K, Tempe, AZ

I don't know about you but these sound amazing and I can't wait to try them!

Cranberry Chicken Salad

Cranberry Chicken Salad

Canned 98% fat free chicken
Handful of Crasians (dried  cranberrys)
Chopped red onions
low fat salad dressing
your favorite bread roll, or wrap

Amazingly this tastes great! I didn't add in amounts as I use huge can's of chicken from Sam's and then we eat this for days. Yes this picture is a sandwich on a salad plate so its not quite as huge as it looks.
Side salads go great with this master piece.