So Long Johnny. There's a New Salt in Town.

Once upon a time, I enjoyed a good barbecued steak. There were certain things I could count on when cooking that steak, such as; the beef was always grass-fed from our farm, it was always cooked until the cow had just stopped mooing, and the steak was always shared with someone special named Johnny. 

Those were the good ol' days.

When I found out about my food allergies, our way of barbecuing had to change. And so did my special partner. See Johnny was no good for me. Oh sure, he made me feel itchy and tingly all over, but he also caused an ache in my belly that would last for days. I loved him, but all he knew how to do was hurt. So I ended my lifetime love affair with Johnny. Cold turkey. I'm not saying it was easy or it happened overnight, but somewhere in the aftermath, something started to change. I realized that I didn't need to be in a relationship with an abusive seasoning full of soy, wheat, and random fillers. I needed the real deal.

The back of the Johnny's Seasoning Salt bottle says "Pure Magic." Then it lists the ingredients: salt, sugar, paprika, pepper, dehydrated garlic, soy sauce powder (made with soybeans, wheat, salt, and malto-dextrin), cellulose gel, and citric acid.

I wonder if the magic is in the genetically modified soybeans, the cellulose gel, or the malto-dextrin. (For the record, I looked up cellulose gel and was assured that it is vegan, so that's one less thing to worry about when barbecuing meat.☺)

This new relationship is so simple. There are no funky ingredients and you can name your bottle of salt whatever you like. I'm calling mine Steve. 

And I'm sure we'll live happily ever after...

Somebody forgot to add the pepper.

~ Steve Just Seasoned Salt ~

3 Tb. sea salt

2 Tb. garlic powder

1 Tb. onion powder

1 Tb. coarse black pepper

2 Tb. paprika

1 Tb. sugar

pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix together. Store in a dry covered container.

Enjoy!

~The End~

Uh-Oh Enchilada Sauce

One of our favorite meals is enchiladas. When I found that our go-to sauce had MSG in it, I decided to make my own.

Problem was, I decided this after returning home from town. You know, when the grocery store is a distant memory and all you can think about is how a 16 oz. latte should never spend that much time in a 4 oz. bladder.

But maybe that's just me.

I was determined to make enchiladas though, because I cannot deviate from the meal plan. I will not. It's impossible. Because my brain had already informed my stomach that enchiladas were on the way.

I cannot disappoint my stomach.

I would really love to be able to tell you that I found the perfect enchilada recipe and just happened to have all of the ingredients just lying around, but that wouldn't be entirely true. You see, I did find the perfect recipe, but somehow in my rush to "create", I turned the page before all of the ingredients were added.

My brain didn't get the memo.

I just kept adding ingredients. From another recipe.

Oops.

Good news. It was another tomato-based recipe, so with a little "peaking and tweaking", dinner was saved.

I will never, ever, ever buy another can of enchilada sauce again. But in order to recreate this sauce again, I need a record of what I did. So, not only is this a recipe, but somehow, it has become my therapy for an "almost oops". The enchiladas that almost weren't.

Uh-Oh Enchilada Sauce

~an original~

1 C. onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tb. unsalted butter

1 quart canned, diced tomatoes (or stewed, broken up well)

1 C. tomato sauce

1 (7 oz.) can diced green chiles

1-1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. sea salt

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. basil

2 Tb. chili powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

In medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Coat bottom of casserole dish with sauce. Dip corn tortillas in sauce to soften. Fill tortillas with your favorite filling. We like black refried beans, shredded chicken and monterey jack cheese. Roll tortillas and set side by side in dish. Pour sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle more cheese and black olives if desired. Bake in preheated 375 F. oven for 20-30 minutes.

This made enough to fill 2-13x9" pans. If you don't want to make that much, put the remaining sauce into a freezer container for future use.

If at first you don't succeed, give it a taste and try again!

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap and Fight Back Fridays at The Food Renegade.



Substitutions...the Basics

Before I plan my meals for the week, I always take a quick inventory of freezer, pantry and bulk items that I have tucked away everywhere. Then I make my meal plan and write any grocery items that I need on a separate list. Or, in a pinch, on the back of my meal plan. Which I usually lose in the grocery store. But that's a whole other issue that is best saved for another day.

Most of the time, I do pretty well with my list. I hardly ever *ahem* forget anything. Okay, I forget more than I should, but it's because my list usually jumps ship...er...cart somewhere between the produce section and the dairy case. If you find a list on the floor with doodled daisies on it, it's probably mine!

The problem with not picking up everything at once...I usually don't realize it until half of the recipe is put together. It's a 30 minute drive, if there's no construction, one way. I have to make do or do without.

And in a recipe, that doesn't always work to my advantage.

So what do you do when that happens? Here's a list of some of my favorites. Actually, they are only my favorites as of now because my brain is misfiring today. As I remember more, I'll add them!

~Sour cream~I don't use sour cream, I use whole fat, plain Greek yogurt. It's thick, creamy and nobody knows the difference. Plus, I can still use it as yogurt!

~Vegetable oil in baking~I absolutely do not use vegetable oil! EVER!!!! Sometimes olive oil can be substituted, but not always. The oil is only in the recipe for moisture. I use unsweetened applesauce. Try it in banana bread, cakes and even brownies!

~Shortening~Let me just say, Crisco shortening is the devil. That is what nutritionists refer to as hydrogenated fats or trans-fats. Stay away from them. They kill. I use an organic shortening when I remember to buy it. It is non-hydrogenated and is made from 100% palm kernel oil. If I don't have that, I use raw coconut oil.

~Brown sugar~I happen to like brown sugar. It is refined and therefore bad for you, but I still like it. That said, I have replaced brown sugar with sucanat. Read this for more information on how sucanat is processed. Use it cup for cup.

~Quick Oats~I don't buy these. At Bob's Redmill, I buy 25# of organic rolled oats along with 3 or 4 other 25# bags of grains/flours. I have to stop short of storing grains in my children's bedrooms, so that is the invisible line that I've drawn. When I need quick oats though, I just put my rolled oats in the blender and give them a quick whirl. Voila...quick oats!

~Unsweetened chocolate~This is the first substitution I ever learned. My mom didn't buy the unsweetened chocolate baking bars, but we had a lot of recipes that called for 1 square at a time. Not a problem...use 3 Tb. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 Tb. unsalted butter. (Or coconut oil)

~Buttermilk~Use 1 cup milk and add 1 Tb. white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix it and let it set for about 10 minutes. Or, keep a can of buttermilk powder in the fridge!

~Cream cheese~Remember that Greek yogurt I mentioned above? Dump a container in a cheesecloth-lined colander. Tie up the corners and hang above a bowl overnight. I have a hook under a cabinet for this purpose, but you can also tie the cheesecloth to a wooden spoon and lay it on top of the bowl. Next morning, scrape the solid cheese from the cloth into a glass container and store it in the fridge. (Save the liquid whey to soak beans in...it helps to make the beans more digestible!)

~Sugar~I know, this is taboo. In America, we love our sugar. And it's making us sick. I love sugar too. Did you know that we are predisposed to sweet stuff as a way of recognizing safe food? Usually, sweet is good, bitter is bad or poisonous. So we can't really help that sweet tooth of ours. But we have taken sweet to a whole different level. Milk should not have sugar in it. Water should not have sugar in it. Fruit should not have sugar on it. Here's the deal. Learn to use less. Most recipes do not require the full amount called for in order to turn out. Start by decreasing the amount added to your cookies. Start small and only remove a quarter of it. In a lot of recipes, sugar can be decreased by half and not have a negative impact on the taste. Try substituting raw honey or pure maple syrup in recipes. Make sure that you use raw local honey though. Most of the honey in the grocery stores (not health stores) has corn syrup added to cut costs.

~Baking powder~I have run out of this a few times. Mix 1/4 t. baking soda plus 1/2 t. cream of tartar to equal 1 t. baking powder. Don't worry about the math, it works!

~Pam~Many people use this, I do not. I grease my pans with unsalted butter that still has the wrapper around it. Sometimes I use coconut oil or olive oil. Keep in mind what is going in the pan and grease accordingly.

Always read the ingredients before using a product. If it didn't grow in nature, don't eat it. It's that simple. Have I mastered this yet? No. I still have fantasies about being buried with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups lining my coffin. Not that it would do me any good.

But it wouldn't hurt me either!