Popcorn with Cinnamon, Honey and Parmesan

Think sopapillas meet popcorn with a cheesy twang! A healthy and delicious alternative to buttered popcorn.


INGREDIENTS

6 cups air popped corn
1 tbsp honey
1/3 tsp. butter (optional)*
1/3 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp grana padano or parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 – Pop corn. If you do not have an air popper, you can place several tablespoons of kernals into the bottom of a brown paper bag. Fold top over and cook at 70-80% power for 2-3 minutes.

2 – Place honey and, if using, butter, into small microwave safe bowl. Warm for about 10 to 20 seconds.

3 – Toss popcorn with honey.

4 – Immediately add cinnamon and cheese. Toss well. Eat immediately.

Note: If calories allow, you can add more butter (or it can also be made with none at all). On days where I need to increase fat, I add up to a tablespoon of butter for a really special treat!

~ Recipe makes one serving (and is a good source of fiber, protien, calcium & iron)~

Lemony Kamut with Pinenuts

INGREDIENTS
1 c. (uncooked) Kamut® Grain/ Shiloh Farms (188 g.)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
.33 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
0.5 tsp. black pepper
0.25 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp (.25 oz) pine nuts, toasted (see below)
.33 tsp kosher salt



1 – Bring 3 cups water and .33 tsp kosher salt to a boil, add Kamut
grain and boil, covered for 90 minutes.
2 – Drain Kamut grain and allow to cool.
3 – In large mixing bowl, wisk together olive oil and lemon juice.
4 – Add parmesan, nutmeg, black & red pepper, lemon zest.
5 – In a skillet on medium-high heat, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly, for about a minute or until slightly brown and fragrant.

6 – Add kamut and pine nuts to oil and lemon mixture.
7 – Toss to combine.
8 – Refrigerate for several hours. If made one day in advance,
the flavors really have a chance to meld.

Tip: To toast pine nuts, place in pan atop stove, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes or until toasted. Be careful--these burn quickly!


Recipe makes 4 1/2 servings (3 oz or approx. 2/3 c. each)

Breakfast Chai Amaranth

Amaranth, a traditional grain in Africa, Himalaya and Mexico, can be considered a nutritional powerhouse. Like quinoa, it is one of the most complete protien sources available from a plant source. It is small and beady in texture; this may not be for everyone. Personally, I love it as a savory side and, now, for breakfast, too. For this recipe, I chose to use the crock pot for ease of throwing ingredients in before bed. You could do this on the stove top, but expect the mixture to take about 35-40 minutes to cook. Personally, I can't wait this long to eat breakfast!
A warm and spicy breakfast offering, reminicent of a chai tea latte.

If you are concerned about Saturated fat, you could always substitute the coconut milk for light coconut milk.  For me, I just make the rest of the day vegetarian and it all balances out.


INGREDIENTS:
1.5 c. dry amaranth grain
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp dried cranberries
¼ c. dried apricots, chopped
¼ c. prunes, chopped
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 whole cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
4-5 whole cloves
3-4 peppercorns
7 oz. coconut milk
2 ½ c. water
1 – Fill crock pot with 1 ½” to 2” of water.
2 – In a heat proof bowl that will fit into your crock pot, add amaranth, honey, cranberries, apricots, prunes, cinnamon stick, cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, coconut milk and water.
3 – Using a scrap of cheese cloth or a tea infuser, combine cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns and drop this into the mixture.
4 – Cook 8-10 hours (overnight) on low heat setting.
5 – Garnish with your choice of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Pictured here is with a dollop of Greek yogurt; up until this addition, the recipe was Vegan. Offering this with non-dairy yogurt will allow this to remain a vegan offering.


Recipe makes six 2/3 c. servings

Chicken Stock

You can also use this recipe for: Turkey Stock, Duck Stock, Pheasant, etc...
As the weather turns chilly, many of us will be making soups and stews. This is the stock that I use as a base for many of them. Truth be told, I use this stock year round to cook my grains in and add to various recipes. All of the ingredients are approximate. You really cannot do much to mess this up; the flavor is in the bones.

In addition to being far more flavorful than the store bought variety, this will cost you a lot less and contains much less sodium.

___________________________________________________
* * * Time Saving Tip * * *

I don't always have time to make stock when I have a carcus or bones lying around. This is when I will throw them into a bag in the freezer and make the stock in a week or so when I plan on being home for an afternoon. ___________________________________________________

INGREDIENTS:
Leftover chicken bones* (with or without meat)
2 Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
1 Onion
5 cloves garlic, in skin
1 bouquet garni (bundle of fresh herbs tied together--not necessary but adds another layer of flavor)
1 tbps olive oil
1 c. white wine**
water to cover; more as neccesary

1 - Toss bones, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and, if using, bouquet garni
ingredients together with olive oil and spread in a roasting pan.

2 - Cook for about an hour, in a 400 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes.

3 - When the vegetables and bones are brown and carmelized, pull pan out of oven, immediately placing ingredients into a stock pot.

4 - Deglaze the pan: pour wine in and use wooden spoon to scrape up all those little bits of flavor. Pour mixture into pot.

5 - Cover everything in the stockpot with water. Simmer away for several hours, adding water as necessary.

6 - Strain off liquid and discard the bones, veggies, etc. Allow to cool to skim off fat.

7 - Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze in 1-2 cup portions, defrosting as needed for recipes.

* This can be done with bones from beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc. For darker meats, I might use red wine instead of white.

**If you do not want to use wine, a cup of water with a 1 -2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar stirred in makes for a nice substitution.

VEGETABLE STOCK:

Increase all of the vegetable ingredients above by at least two. For garlic, I might break up an entire bulb. Roast in the oven the same way as for chicken stock and once in stock pot, add a teaspoon of black peppercorns and 2-3 bay leaves. Strain and store.

SEAFOOD/ FISH STOCK:

I use a completely different method for this and will post this at a later date~

BEEF and GAME STOCKS:

The same can be done with beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc, however for darker meats I usually deglaze with red wine. All of these are great for flavoring grains and soups, just remember that some are really pungent (pork stock, particularly) and will be a little to strong for "delicate" applications!

Pictured above is some finished chicken stock. Notice the rich, dark color. Flavorful, low in sodium and less expensive than the stuff from a box or can. Notice a layer of fat on the top, this will skim off easily after the stock has been cooled for about an hour in the refrigerator.