Author Archives: Julia Ann

Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

gives a change to your menu.  Do you serve mostly southwestern, southern, midwestern meals, Italian, Indian, or Mexican cuisines?  Here is a recipe for Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl. As cooks, it is so easy to get into the habit of fixing the same thing over and over particularly if your family is busy and on the go.  I have found by serving one type of cuisine, there is a likelihood of having all the ingredients. However, when you like to cook, it is challenging and fun to try something different.

Some tips regarding Oriental cuisine:

1. Fast cooking at a high temperature is a key to Oriental cuisine.
2. The chief protein in the Oriental diet is the soybean: as in soybean oil, soy milk and soy sauce.
.3. The rapid, minimal cooking helps preserve the flavor, color and texture in Oriental cooking.

This Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl is a simple lunch or dinner dish.

 Add a fruit gelatin salad, crusty bread and fruit cup for a quick week day dinner.

Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

Recipe for Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl

Julia Ann
Stir-fried vegetable with pork and brown rice for a quick light meal. A good way to use left over meats.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • BROWN RICE

Instructions
 

  • BROWN RICE
  • Put broth and rice in large saucepan, bring to boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes.
  • When broth is absorbed and rice is tender, stir, recover and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
  • BASIC SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
  • Put sugar, wine, vinegar, soy sauce and catsup in small saucepan, heat to boiling.
  • Stir cornstarch into water until smooth.
  • Add to sugar mixture; heat and stir until thickened. Keep warm
  • VEGETABLES
  • Slice and dice all vegetables.
  • Heat wok or 12 inch non-stick skillet until hot, not smoking.
  • Add oil, stir to coat pan and add meat stir to brown, remove meat, keep warm.
  • Add onions, carrots, cook 1 minute.
  • Add peppers and broccoli, cook vegetables 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the meat to vegetables.
  • Add the sweet and sour sauce to skillet cover and bring to a simmer.
  • Serve over brown rice.

Notes

If using left over meat or poultry, just heat thoroughly with vegetables before adding the sweet and sour sauce. Inspired by The creative cooking course, the American Homemaker's Academy 1973.
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 A Versatile Oriental Vegetables and Rice Bowl

You have many options to develop your own special Oriental Vegetable and Rice Bowl by changing the vegetables, the rice and the meats. The basic sweet and sour sauce can have many changes of taste by using pineapple juice, and the pineapple in the vegetables, brown sugar, or different vinegar.

Here are some suggestions to complete the meal.   Enjoy Your Oriental Vegetables and Rice Bowl.

Inspired by The Creative Cooking Course, The Creative Homemaker’s Academy 1973.

cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes for your cooking experience.

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinabox©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk.Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office.” nettabelleschoice.com and cookbookinabox.com. All rights reserved.

Peaches: Canned and in a Cake

How To Can Fresh Peaches

Canning Fresh Peaches and Baking a Cake

Canning fresh peaches and baking  a cake makes for good eating, not for dieting. 6 pounds of Velvet peaches from the farmer’s market made 6 pints of canned sliced peaches in a light sugar syrup: 1 cup sugar to 3 cups of water. After washing the peaches,  boiling water was pour over them for about 40 seconds, lifted out of  hot water into an ice water bath to cool and loosen the peel enough to slide off easily. I sprinkled on some lemon juice to prevent browning then cut the peaches in half-inch slices.  These peaches were freestone, that is, the peach stone came out easily.

Before the canning, I washed the pint jars in the dish washer and left them until ready to fill.  I also boiled lids and jar rings in water, kept hot until ready for use.  By canning in a hot water bath, I started the water boiling in the canner before starting. The sugar syrup also was made ahead to have hot, close to boiling point, to add the sliced peaches for 5 minutes.  The hot peaches were put into pint jars,  sugar syrup was added leaving 1/2 inch space; lids and rings were put on.  The pints were put into the boiling water of the canner, covered to boil for 20 minutes. (Process time varies at different altitudes.) The jars were lifted out, carefully, and set on a towel to cool.  The lids will pop when they are sealed.  After cooling 24 hours, they can be stored on the shelf.¹

 Did you know fresh peaches are recommended in weight control?

There are less than 70 calories in a large peach, and no fat.  Yes, there is sugar, a carbohydrate, however it is a natural sugar which also have vitamins and minerals, unlike the carbohydrates eaten in cakes, cookies and sodas.  Other benefits to eating fresh peaches are vitamin A and C, fiber and potassium.  Add them to cereals, smoothies, cottage cheese, yogurt, lettuce salads or baked ham.²

Now how about a recipe for Peach Upside Down Cake with calories!

PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE RECIPE

Peach Upside Down Cake

Julia Ann
A buttery moist cake topped with sweet fresh peach slices with a syrup drizzling over it.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup unsalted melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven *325 F for 10-inch glass pie plate; 350 F for 10-inch cake pan.
  • **Place foil on bottom shelf to catch any dripping juices.
  • ***Wash and slice peaches into 1 tablespoon lemon juice, gently coat peach slices.
  • Mix brown sugar with melted butter in a small bowl.
  • Spread evenly on bottom of pie plate or cake pan
  • Add toasted almonds.
  • Drain juices off peaches; arrange peaches on sugar-butter mixture.
  • Measure and blend dry ingredients in bowl.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add eggs one at time, beating after each addition.
  • Beat in almond extract.
  • Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk, beat after each addition to blend.
  • Pour batter on top of peaches.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes, test for doneness by inserting tester in center; it comes out clean when done.
  • Serve warm with whip cream or ice cream.

Notes

*Baking in glass takes longer to heat up, but maintains temperature. If there is much sugar in the recipe, it is best to bake at 25 degrees lower to prevent burning the sugar before it is baked through. **Putting foil in the oven while it is preheating brings the foil up to the oven temperature. The sheet will catch any juices while baking. ***Adding lemon juice to the fresh sliced peaches prevents browning. This is drained off before using the peaches.
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 Additional information on canning, freezing or drying
Inspired by ³Gourmet Magazine, 1993.

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Savory Baked Sweet Corn Recipe

Netta Belle’s Choice Savory Baked Sweet Corn

Julia Ann - Summertime Corn

Slected fresh corn from a local farmer’s market. The husks will be removed to prepare the ears of corn for parboiling.

Indiana sweet corn is at its peak; the yellow and/or white kernels are full and crisp with sweet milky juice. Corn on the cob, or roasting ears are the summertime treat, to be eaten and preserved by canning or freezing. Corn is a versatile vegetable used in soups, salads, side dishes, cornbreads, and entrees.  There are multiple uses of corn from corn syrup, snack foods, pet foods and ethanol.

The nutrients in corn are fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B 3, manganese and vitamin B 5 and antioxidant benefits. There are 143 calories in 1 cup of corn, not counting added butter when eating corn on the cob.  Fresh picked corn is best used the same day, or kept cool or refrigerated or has been in the shade at the farmer’s market.  Heat causes natural sugars of corn  turn to starch losing some of its sweet taste. Select corn with full kernels, when punctured the juice is white.  Fresh corn will have green husks tightly around it and not dried out.

Corn can be steamed, cooked in boiling water, grilled in the husk, microwaved or put in the oven to bake in the husks. Whole corn is cutting the kernel off the cob; fixing  cream corn is cutting the  kernels off the cob, then scraping sides to get the sweet milky juice.

Savory Baked Sweet Corn Recipe

I purchased the corn for  Savory Baked Sweet Corn  soon after the corn had been brought in from the field at a local farmer’s market.  It was a yellow and white variety with plump firm kernels, rows complete to the very top of the ear. The husks and silk were removed. The water was heated in a kettle until boiling, corn was added to come to boil again for 7 minutes. When done, the corn was put in ice water to cool before cutting. This is also prepares corn for freezing. Four large ears of corn were used to get the 2 cups of corn.  The kernels were cut off, the cobs were scraped to get the sweet milky juice. The corn was set in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Savory Baked Sweet Corn Recipe

Julia Ann
Summer fresh corn is just right for a Savory Baked Sweet Corn Casserole. A dish for family or a pot luck dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Casserole
Cuisine American
Servings 6 -8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon butter to grease a 1-quart casserole dish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter casserole dish.
  • Combine flour, sugar, seasonings in large bowl.
  • Melt butter to cook onion until softened.
  • Add the milk, beaten eggs, cream corn, buttered cooked onion, cheese, parsley and crumbs to the dry ingredients.
  • Stir to blend well.
  • Pour into the buttered casserole.
  • Sprinkle top with paprika.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until set.
  • Test for doneness by inserting knife in center and it comes out clean.

Notes

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* Turmeric is a medicinal root with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties grown in South Asia of India and Pakistan.  The rhizomes are boiled, dried and ground into a powder for use as spice for cooking and in curries.  The orange-yellow color spice has a slightly hot peppery flavor and will color the food yellow when cooked.

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Green Beans, Red Potatoes and Pasta

Green Beans, Red Potatoes and Pasta

     Fresh green beans from the garden are crisp, delicious seasoned with oil, lemon, pecorino romano cheese, and herbs. Many cook fresh green beans ‘all day’ with bacon or ham and maybe with potatoes.  The idea was canned and overcooked green beans were  best!  My thoughts of frozen green beans just didn’t have the right taste.

     Seasoned potatoes, steaming pasta and warm fresh bread are considered comfort foods in times of stress.  Foods higher in carbohydrates causes changes in the brain; serotonin, a brain chemical for giving feelings of well-being, is increased. Stress drains the serotonin in the brain giving rise to negative feelings.  Coffee, chocolate, and sweets are first thought for stress, however the sense of well-being is short-lived with a sugar-high, blood sugar level drops leaving frazzled. feelings.*  Green beans are rich in nutrients of folate, manganese and vitamins: C, K, A, B6.  Pasta is a complex carbohydrate as potatoes.  They are digested slowly providing energy over long period of time.³

Green Beans, Red Potatoes and Pasta

Green Beans, Red Potatoes and Pasta

Green Beans, Red Potatoes and Pasta

Julia Ann
A comfort food dish of pasta and fresh green beans and red potatoes and light sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Vegetables and Pasta
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 6 quarts of water

Instructions
 

  • Bring water to boil in large kettle.
  • Add green beans, bring back to boil 6 minutes.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
  • Set beans aside.
  • Add potatoes to same water, cook until soft.
  • Remove potatoes with slotted spoon, drain and set aside.
  • Add pasta to vegetable water cook per package instructions.
  • When al dente, save 1 cup pasta water.
  • Drain pasta and rinse briefly with cold water
  • Heat olive oil and butter in 12-inch skillet.
  • Cook onion, garlic and celery until soft and onion translucent.
  • Add green beans, potatoes and pasts to skillet.
  • Sprinkle seasonings, except cheese, and pasta water over and stir to blend,
  • care not to mash potatoes.
  • Simmer to heat through.
  • Pour into serving dish or serve from the skillet.
  • Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and pasta.

Notes

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Serve a simple salad: spring lettuces, tomato, avocado, green onion and black olives with your favorite salad dressing.

Tomato Avocado Salad

                      Tomato Avocado Salad

Reference:
*Yeager, Selene and the Editors of Prevention®, 2007. The Doctors Book® of Food Remedies.  New York: Rodale, Inc. (Yeager 2007, p. 6

 

 

 

 

 

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(July 19, 2013)

 

Beets with Balsamic Vinegar

Serving roasted beets with balsamic vinegar.

Serving roasted beets with balsamic vinegar.

Beets with Balsamic Vinegar

Beets are available June to August at the farmer’s markets.  They are available year round in the grocery. Harvard and pickled beets are most common recipes used.  Beets with Balsamic Vinegar can be served hot or cold in a lettuce salad.

I trimmed the greens to about 4 inches top of beet and left root attached. It is recommended steaming for 15 minutes to prevent loss of vitamin B, manganese, potassium, vitamin C and benefits from the red or yellow pigments. After washing, I put them in a Presto Pressure Cooker with 1 1/2 cups  water and cooked under pressure for 15 minutes.  After briefly cooling in cold water, the skins easily slide off without peeling.  The beets were cut into 1-inch  pieces into an oven-proof dish.

I blended the canola oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. This was  poured over the cooked beets and stirred to coat the pieces.  They were baked at 425°F for 10 minutes and served hot.. Beets not eaten were refrigerated and later added to a lettuce salad.

Beets with Balsamic Vinegar

Julia Ann
A tangy taste to beets to eating hot or cold. Add to a lettuce salad for color and great taste.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Vegetables
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 6-8 beets 2 inches in diameter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 F
  • Prepare oven-proof dish for baking.
  • Wash and trim beets, leaving 4 inches of stems on top and the root end.
  • Steam in pressure cooker or steamer for 15 minutes.
  • Briefly cool in water.
  • Slide the skin off the beets.(Use plastic glove to prevent staining hands.)
  • Cut beets into 1-inch cubes, lay in baking dish.
  • Whisk together canola oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Pour over the beets turning to coat evenly.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Remove to serving dish.
  • Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

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 About Balsamic Vinegar

It is not made from wine, it is made from the grape pressings which have not been fermented into wine. The pressings are of the sweet white Trebbiano grape boiled down into a dark syrup and aged in a series of barrels. True Italian balsamic vinegar is controlled by strict laws – it must be aged no less than 12 years and some even longer. The best Italian vinegar is from Modena in Northern Italy.

(Original recipe from Harvard University Dining Services)

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