Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 44
October 6, 2012
Eat– for Good Health
Spruce up your salad routine with a seasonal spin, Spinach Salad with Poached Pears. Don’t pomegranate seeds look like jewels? Macadamia nuts add flavor.
Ingredients
Poached pears (recipe follows)
6 quarts baby spinach leaves (18 oz.), rinsed and crisped
1 jar (6 oz.; 1 1/4 cups) plain roasted, roasted and salted, or honey-roasted macadamia nuts
4 ounces fresh chèvre (goat cheese)
1/3 cup mild olive oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Preparation
1. With a slotted spoon, lift pears from poaching liquid; reserve liquid. Slice pears lengthwise or cut them into about 1/2-inch chunks.
2. In a large bowl, combine pears with spinach and macadamia nuts. Coarsely crumble half the cheese over salad.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons reserved pear-poaching liquid (save remaining for another use; see notes), mustard, honey, and thyme. Pour over salad and gently mix to coat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and crumble remaining cheese over salad.
Poached pears: In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, combine 1 bottle (750 ml.) dry red wine, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 thin strip (3 in. by 1/2 in.) lemon peel (yellow part only), 2 star anise (or 1 teaspoon anise seeds and 1 cinnamon stick, 3 in.), and 1 vanilla bean (6 in.), split lengthwise. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel 3 firm-ripe Anjou pears (1 1/2 lb. total), cut in half lengthwise, and core. Place pears in wine mixture. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are barely tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let pears cool in liquid, turning occasionally, at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to 3 days.
October 5, 2012
Wordsmith– I also write books
Congratulations to the winner of the miniature high heel key finder, Alicia Sandre of Des Moines, Iowa. Thank you to all of you who entered. All will receive a special bar of soap, No. 9 Goat’s Milk, triple milled with shea butter to gently nourish your skin. It’s made by Sprouts Farmers Market.
Wordsmith– I also write books
Today my book DEEDS OF DECEIT is featured on writer Tabitha Blake’s blog for her month of Happy Hauntings!
http://tabithablake.blogspot.com/2012/09/please-welcome-kathleen-rowland-to-nn.html
Thank you, Tabitha, and for your interest is the ghost made by heroine Bayliss’ Jones former boyfriend, I was asked to be on it. I made the ghost myself a few Halloweens ago and still set it up at my creepy doorway! Please visit Tabby’s Nocturnal Nights blog above, and enter a contest for a key finder. You can also read the first chapter about the ghost!
There’s a ghost in DEEDS OF DECEIT made by Bayliss Jones’ ex-fiance’. When employed, Todd was a set designer. Now he designs to get her under his control by scaring her.
October 3, 2012
Eat– for Good Health
Before we co-authored GOLD STANDARD OF THIN, our daughter Janice (now a senior at CSU Chico) made the pizza-delivery guy her regular date. After gaining ten pounds, they had to break up. He was no good for her. The slice he brought was about 380 calories, full of saturated fat and sodium. Janice started making her own smarter option using a whole wheat pita as the crust. Here are some of her ideas for tossing up a lighter personal pie for about 250 calories: 1) lean protein with chicken breast, spicy lean turkey sausage, prosciutto. Chop toppings into small pieces and spread evenly. 2) Switch from traditional pizza sauce to canned crushed tomatoes. Drain well and coat dough with a thin layer, and then sprinkle with minced garlic and basil. Lately Janice is using less tomato. 3) Ease up on fatty cheese. Switch to the part-skim variety. 4). Veg out. Saute’ mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Finish with peppery arugula and a drizzle of olive oil. Keep Parmesan and red pepper flakes handy.
October 2, 2012
Eat– for Good Health
Roasted Apple-Rosemary Chicken is good served over brown or wild rice with a generous field greens salad. Calories for the whole shebang are 300, and much less fat than one single slice of cheese pizza. Funny thing about pizza– there’s a lot of talk about easing up on fat-not-light cheese, but pizza parlors don’t do it. Nevertheless, tomorrow I’ll have ways to shape up your pizza.
photo is courtesy of Miha MateiIngredients for 4 servings
4 small crisp apples (such as Empire or Braeburn), quartered
2 leeks (white and light green parts), halved crosswise and lengthwise
6 small sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 small chicken thighs and drumsticks (4 of each, about 2 1/2 pounds total)
Directions
Heat oven to 400° F. In a large roasting pan, toss the apples, leeks, rosemary, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and nestle, skin-side up, among the vegetables.
Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the apples and leeks are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
October 1, 2012
Eat– for Good Health
Are you ready for a change of seasons? Here it is, October, and in Southern California the temperature hit 100! That’s ice cream weather, but ice cream makes us fat. This afternoon I made RASPBERRY MOCHA MADNESS SWAPPUCCHINO. This frothy, frozen treat packs only 82 skinny calories and 2 grams of fat. Please note the use of fat free Reddi-wip. If any of you are on the GOLD STANDARD OF THIN (99 cents to buy) plan, you know all about it. Many are moving away from dairy and toward soy milk for reasons of lactose intolerance, and I choose the lighter versions used in the recipe below.
The photo and recipe are courtesy of Hungry Girl.
Ingredients
1/2 cup light chocolate soymilk, cold
1/4 cup sugar-free calorie-free raspberry syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon Coffee-mate Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
2 no-calorie sweetener packets
1 1/2 cups crushed ice or 8 to 10 ice cubes
2 tablespoons Fat Free Reddi-wip
Directions
In a tall glass, combine coffee granules, powdered creamer, cocoa, and sweetener. Add 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to dissolve ingredients.
Add soymilk and raspberry syrup, then transfer to a blender. Add ice and blend on high speed until thoroughly mixed.
Pour into your glass and finish off with whipped topping. Enjoy!
September 27, 2012
Wordsmith– I also write books
Thank you to all of you who entered the FALLEN EVERMORE contest to win the purse jewelry key finder. The winner is Christina Alcan of Los Angeles. I am heading to the mailbox to mail her package. The answer to the question, “Who is Sophia Mercola’s client accused of medicating her son into a coma,” is Jade Harris. Yes, she is a wacko. Anyway, thank you, everyone. I’ll be running another contest in November for another keyfinder. Enter again, please!
FALLEN EVERMORE contest winner is Christina Alcan of Los Angeles. Thank you to all who entered. I’ll have another contest in November.
Wordsmith– I also write books
Today is the final day for drawing the winning name for my FALLEN EVERMORE contest. Enter to win a purse jewelry gadget called a key finder. It will not cost you anything to enter. The answer to the question is in my romantic suspense novel, FALLEN EVERMORE, and you can “buy” it for free on Smashwords using the coupon YX82N. Who is Sophia’s client accused of medicating her son into a coma? The answer is at the beginning of Chapter Three in FALLEN EVERMORE. Please email the answer to me at this addy: kathyrowl@aol.com and in the subject line, write “Key Finder.” Be sure to give me your physical address. I will draw names entered out of a box and announce the winner today, Thursday, September 27th, at 3 in the afternoon, Pacific time. Don’t be shy!! I will mail the cute gadget below to the lucky winner!
September 26, 2012
People Appreciation
Lily is a new Muppet. Sesame Workshop, the non-profit arm behind Sesame Street, uses Lily to promote ways to eat within a budget and locate community assistance programs. This information is valuable for parents who watch Sesame Street with their children. “Fourteen million American children have limited or uncertain access to food” and “9.6 million of these children are under the age of 6,” (Reuters). In order to increase awareness of many poverty-stricken children in the U.S., country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly hosted Growing hope against Hunger. Lily’s family doesn’t have enough food when her parents don’t have jobs. The Paisley couple stated, “Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children.” Every week I bring canned goods to our community food bank.
Media credit: Sesame Workshop
September 25, 2012
Eat– for Good Health
Scientists now know there’s an entire underworld “pharmacy” beneath the ocean’s surface. Discover the latest breakthrough oceanic cures for arthritis, PMS, wrinkles, and even cancer. Nori, the seaweed “paper” wrapped around sushi rolls, has a high concentration of omega-3s, healthy fats that optimize nerve communication to improve mental speed and clarity. It’s also rich in vitamin B12 which is crucial for cognitive function, concentration and memory. I like to cut it into strips and put it on top of salads and rice dishes. If you’ve ever had sushi, chances are you’ve had a taste of Nori without even knowing it!
Nori seaweed typically comes from the beautiful shores of Japan, where high quality nutrition is deeply ingrained into their culture. Here are a few other treasures from the sea:
Sea kelp tablets found in health food stores are rich in iodine, a mineral needed for thyroid function. A bonus from research, sea kept helps block formation of cancerous tumors and causes existing tumors to shrink. Interesting that the Japanese who consume sea kelp have a low rate of cancer. Spirulina draws out toxins. This blue-green algae’s chlorophyll binds to toxins and sweeps them from your body. It’s powerful and used by people who have been exposed to radiation. Spirulina tablets are found in health food stores. Sea salt is full of minerals (magnesium and calcium) that reduce most PMS symptoms, reports the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The Journal of Women’s Health notes, reduced fluid retention, breast tenderness and bloating more than 40%. I’ve replaced my salt shaker with unrefined sea salt. For those of us over 55, our doctors sometimes suggest we take glucosamine supplements to ease joint pain. Crushed seashells are the main ingredient in Glucosamine.
Many health miracles come from the sea.
