Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tomato Salsa

Right now my hubby's tomato plants are producing like gang busters and I have been reaping the rewards.  He has been making salsa and I love it.  I have noticed something interesting, my fasting blood sugar is perfect and it all started when I started eating the salsa.  His recipe uses lime juice as the liquid.  He makes it with cherry tomatoes since we have loads of them, garlic, red onion, jalapeno peppers, seeded and de-veined, salt, and dried red pepper, I think he has been using guajillos and cilantro. 

I love this stuff and I could drink it.  I have been chowing down with my Way Better Tortilla chips, they have lower carbs than the other tortilla chips out there, you know you have the right bag, if it has a sunflower on the front.  My grocery store carries them. 

Even being bad last night with 4 sugar free Oreos and a huge glass of milk, my blood sugar was normal this morning.

We canned 6 pints of salsa yesterday.  If you want the recipe we used for canning, the Ball Big Blue Book of Canning has the recipe.  It is the Spicy Salsa.  It is fantastic.  The heat is mild for me.  It might not be for others, I just know I love it hot. 

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Cooking with Coconut Milk and Peanut Butter

The other day I had pork tenderloin chops sitting in my fridge and not know what to do with them, I decided to try something out with my wok.  I grabbed a can of coconut milk, the chunky peanut butter, and my spices.  I used coconut oil as my base, since it is better than other oils on the market.  I have a big old jar of it.  It is my go to oil for stir fry. 

Here are the list of ingredients I used:

Bangkok Blend seasoning from Penzey's Spices
Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods, Inc.
Pork Tenderloin chops
Wok
Coconut Milk
Coconut Oil
Szechuan Pepper Salt Roasted by Penzey's Spices
Bag of frozen veggies, your choice
Bulgur or quinoa instead of rice.
Prep meat: 

Season your meat with the Bagkok Blend and the Szechuan Pepper Salt, both sides.  Slice meat into strips or cubes, your choice.

Get your wok ready, I use medium high heat, add your tablespoon of coconut oil and wait for it to get hot.  Add meat, and cook until done.  Now, take the bag of frozen veggies and cook in the microwave until done.  Now, add those same veggies into the wok.  Add a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter, or if you have smooth, you can use it as well.  Add your can of coconut milk and mix.  Let it cook for about 5 minutes to get all the flavors to blend. 

Serve over bulgur or quinoa for a lower carb experience. 

I generally use my rice cooker to make my bulgur or quinoa, it is simple, no fuss.  No guessing how to cook it.  Always use double the amount of liquid to amount of dry ingredients.  It is like cooking rice.