Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 40
February 5, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
Is it something about our childhoods that has made tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons the rage? A terrific tomato soup can be made with 3 cups vegetable broth, a 28 oz. can of tomatoes (chopped) with added fresh parsley and basil. The grilled cheese croutons from rustic whole grain bread and lighter American or cheddar is appetizing. Calories per serving is 200.



February 4, 2013
Places– of Charm

If there’s one thing the Netherlands is famous for, it’s tulips. Photographer Normann Szkop has documented the colorful fields of Anna Paulowna, a town at the northern tip of the country’s North Holland region. To capture the 100-plus image set, Szkop took to the skies, revealing the millions of flowers that dot the landscape, forming an enormous patchwork quilt of color. Claython Pender, the pilot that helped the photographer to capture the aerial images, documents the journey on his personal blog, and Szkop hasuploaded all the photos to Flickr.
VIATHIS IS COLOSSALTWISTED SIFTER
SOURCENORMANN SZKOP (FLICKR)CLAYTHON PENDER (BLOGSPOT)
RELATED ITEMSPHOTOSPHOTOGRAPHYFLICKRHOLLANDNETHERLANDSFLOWERSTULIPSAERIAL PHOTOSNORMANN SZKOP


Eat– for Good Health
Are you in the mood for Italian? Here’s my light recipe for Veal Marsala. Ingredients are for four servings at 235 calories each.
1 lb veal scallopini
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup beef consomme
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry marsala wine
1 cup mushroom, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
1
Dredge veal in 3 tablespoons flour. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and consommé, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
2
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add veal, cook 1 1/2 minutes. Turn veal over; cook 1 minute. Remove veal from pan.
3
Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add consommé mixture, mushrooms, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until thick. Return veal to pan; sprinkle with parsley.


February 1, 2013
Places– of Charm
My Southern California garden now includes Lenten Roses.I can think of only two deficiencies to these evergreen perennials. The flowers nod down to face the earth, useful perhaps for pollinating insects but not for gardeners with creaky backs. You have to crawl around and manipulate the blossom upward to savor it. The effort is worth it. With only a passing resemblance to a real rose, the thick-petaled beauty is actually saucer shaped and blooms in various shades of lime green, rose pink and plum purple. You can temper the nodding effect by placing the perennial in a raised bed, on a hillside or in a tall container.


January 29, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
Turkey & Lentil Meatloaf
Pre-heat oven to 350
1lb ground lean turkey
2 cups cooked green lentils
1 T olive oil
2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp Mrs. Dashes (salt substitute)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
- Heat oil in a large skillet over med/med-high heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic, celery, and carrots, and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine turkey, cooked lentils, the veggies you just cooked, and all the remaining ingredients.
- Combine all ingredients.
- Spray a loaf pan and add mixture.
Glaze:
2 T ketchup
2 T maple syrup
- spread/brush glaze over loaf (or loaves)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.


January 28, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
The optimum vegetarian meal compliments ingredients that result in complete protein– all essential amino acids. Cuban Black Beans and Rice is a filling, delicious entree.
Ingredients serve 4
2 1/2 cup(s) water, divided
1 cup(s) uncooked brown rice, any variety
2 tsp olive oil
1 3/4 cup(s) (sliced) uncooked red onion(s), chopped, divided
1 medium banana pepper(s), cubanelle or other sweet pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
31 oz canned black beans, two 15.5 oz cans (undrained)
1 tsp table salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2/3 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped, divided
1 medium fresh lime(s), cut into 6 wedges
Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil; add rice and cook as package directs.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of onion and all of the pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and oregano; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in beans and their liquid, remaining 1/2 cup of water and salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for flavors to blend, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and 1/3 cup of cilantro.
To serve, spoon beans over rice; sprinkle with 1/4 cup of remaining onion and 1/3 cup of remaining cilantro; squeeze fresh lime juice over top. Yields about 3/4 cup of beans and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.


January 23, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
My husband Gerry has a dinner request. Using my Hawaiian nickname, he says, “Kakalina, let’s have spaghetti with beef meat balls.” What could be better? Gerry likes Ragu sauce because that’s what his mother used, but he likes spaghetti noodles left long. He will probably remind me not to break them in pieces like his mother preferred. I miss my mother-in-law, one of those genuine and caring special people.
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine egg, water, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper and combine. Add ground beef, broken into chunks, and mush with your hands to combine. Form into meatballs about 1″ in diameter and place on a broiler pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until meatballs are no longer pink in center.


January 15, 2013
People craft– taking care of yourself
I learned that my next door neighbor and friend, R., died a few days ago in Japan. Her husband, N., was receiving his third bone marrow transplant there. She’s been THE CAREGIVER, taking care of her husband, also a great guy, her first grade daughter and seventeen-year-old son who go to school here in Irvine, CA. R. had high blood pressure but was under great stress, and she died of a stroke at 48 years old. Medical researchers aren’t sure exactly how stress increases the risk of heart disease. Stress makes high blood pressure worse. If you are under stress, your blood pressure goes up. R. didn’t feel she had time to exercise and didn’t think much about what she ate. Chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood clots, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
What Are the Warning Signs of Stress?
When you are exposed to long periods of stress, your body gives warning signs that something is wrong. These physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral signs of stress should not be ignored. They tell you that you need to slow down. If you continue to be stressed and you don’t give your body a break, you are likely to develop health problems. You could also worsen an existing illness.
I am missing my dear friend and wish I had talked with her more about feeling stressful over her husband’s long illness.


January 11, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
Low fat tamales for dinner!
That’s right, one serving is 210 calories. The recipe below serves 16. Have a party or cut the ingredients.
Filling
2 pounds pork tenderloin, 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon canola oil, 1 medium onion, 1 medium bell pepper, 3 garlic cloves, 1 plum tomato, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried chili peppers, crushed 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup tomato paste
Dough
4 cups masa corn flour, 4 teaspoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 cups pork broth (reserved from cooking the pork), 18 to 20 dried corn husks
Instructions 1. Prepare the pork by placing it in pot and adding enough water to cover the meat. Bring it to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the meat is tender.
2. When the meat is done, remove it from the broth and set aside on a plate to cool. Reserve the broth. When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred it with two forks adding enough broth to keep it moist.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion, garlic and peppers until tender. Add the tomato, cumin, chili peppers and salt. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup of the broth and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Puree the sauce in a food processor and then return to the pan. Add the pork and heat through.
5. Soak the corn husks in a large bowl of hot water for about 15 to 20 minutes turning occasionally until they are pliable.
6. Prepare the masa dough by combining all ingredients and mixing together until mixture clumps together, adding more broth if necessary. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Divide into 16 small balls.
7. Drain and rinse the corn husks. Pat dry and keep covered with a damp towel. Tear two or three corn husks into 1/4 inch strips to use for ties.
8. Assemble the tamales by flattening a corn husk on your worktable. Spread one ball of dough over the husk leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides. Add about 2 tablespoons of filling to the center. Roll up lengthwise into a cylinder and wrap with the corn husk. Secure the ends by tying with a strip of husk. Repeat with remaining dough, filling, and husks.
9. Place prepared tamales in a steamer basket and set over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover tightly, reduce heat and steam for about 30-45 minutes. Check frequently and replenish water if needed.
Serves: 16


January 8, 2013
Eat– for Good Health
For dinner I’m making Salmon Spinach Salad. My husband, Gerry, asked me to make it because he’s playing tennis right after dinner and wanted something light. One serving is 280 calories. I think most families have lighter and heavier meals naturally, depending upon schedules. A popular diet is “calorie-cycling”, and one example is Dr. Ian Smith, M.D.’s Shred: The Revolutionary Diet. In his diet people switch days from 1000 calories to 2000 calories, and the idea is to shake up the metabolism. For me that’s too many calories because I’m 5’4″ and presently weigh 130. My goal is 120, and I would need to average 900 calories a day to lose weight. Therefore, if I “cycled calories”, I would toggle between 600 and 1200; 600 + 1200 = 1800; 1800 divided by 2 = 900. If you are on the Gold Standard of Thin plan, Secret Number One is your personal formula. You need to consume 300 to 500 calories less than your body requires. If a person weighs 145 pounds, divide this by 7 to get calories per day for losing 2 pounds per week, which is 1015 calories. If a person weighs 200 pounds, he or she can eat a lot more and lose weight.
Ingredients
1 salmon fillet (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat balsamic vinaigrette, divided
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup cubed avocado
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon sunflower kernels, toasted
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
Directions
Drizzle salmon with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Cut salmon into two pieces.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss spinach with remaining vinaigrette. Divide between two plates. Top each with half of the salmon, avocado, walnuts, sunflower kernels and cranberries. Yield: 2 servings.