SAVORY ENTRÉE IDEAS USING GREEK YOGURT!

I have been hearing a lot of about Greek yogurt watching popular cooking shows on television, so I decided to purchase and taste some for myself and see what all the talk is about. Like most new foods that are considered "healthy" they sit in my fridge forever!  Finally I decided to eat the new yogurt and now I am completely "sold" and will NEVER go back to eating what I thought was good yogurt previously.  To say the least, the taste made me literally close my eyes and take a moment to savor the creamy taste that I now enjoy at least once a day. 

Today I made tacos for dinner and I decided that instead of sour cream I would use the Greek yogurt instead.  The brand of Greek yogurt I use is called, The Greek Gods.  I used the "Honey Flavor", which has a considerable amount of more calories based on the 1-cup serving size in comparison to the plain or "Traditional" flavor, in the same brand.  For the tacos you will need a teaspoon or less for a single taco so the extra caloric intake is guilt-free.  The sweetness from the honey and the tartness from the plain yogurt base was a perfect contrast with the heat from the salsa and taco seasonings, which made the entire taco melt in my mouth.  

The Greek Gods website offers many savory entrée ideas and here is one of my favorites:

Greek Yogurt Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Greek Gods Greek yogurt-Plain
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated peel of a lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (preferably fresh squeeze)
• 2 tablespoons oregano, finely chopped, fresh
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• 2 wholes clove garlic, peel and dice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground or to taste
• 4 whole chicken breasts without skins

Directions:

1. Combine our Greek Gods Greek Yogurt, lemon peel and juice, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. 

2. Put the chicken into a dish and spread about 1/4 cup of our Greek Gods Greek Yogurt over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining Greek Gods Greek Yogurt. 

3. Place the chicken on a rack in a baking pan and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through. 

4. Spoon the Greek Gods Greek Yogurt over the chicken and serve. 

Ready to eat! Enjoy it with a salad and "a side of bread"!

Recipe Serves 4

YUMMY TASTING FONDANT

This cake is absolutely beautiful. Tracey Best Cakes makes wonderful looking cakes. Check out her photo stream on Flickr (by clicking on the picture) and order a cake for your next event.

Looking at this cake it looks very yummy!  From what I know about cake baking there is probably a layer of buttercream under the fondant and we all know that buttercream is really good and irresistible.  The one thing that I hear about fondant is that it is tasteless.  As a self-proclaimed cake decorator I wanted to do some research to find a better tasting fondant. 

Here is one recipe that I want to try in the NEAR future along with all the marshmallow concoctions that I have seen being put together. 

Enjoy.



ROLLED BUTTERCREAM FONDANT

Ingredients


1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

2 pounds confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.In a large bowl, stir together the shortening and corn syrup. Mix in the salt and vanilla flavoring, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until it is a stiff dough. If you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment. Otherwise, knead by hand. If the dough is sticky, knead in more confectioners' sugar until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

2.To use, roll out on a clean surface that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar until it is 1/8 inch thick or thinner if you can. Drape over frosted and chilled cakes and smooth the sides down, or cut into strips to make bows and other decorations.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 140
Total Fat: 4.6g
Cholesterol: 0mg

Recipe from Allrecipes.com (c)

GLUTEN FREE DILL ONION BROWN BREAD

Recently I went to a vegan cafe.  I ordered loaded nachos and I SWEAR that I had chili with meat and cheese in the "not cho cheese".  Later I learned that the meat I thought I was eating was bean curd and the "not cho cheese" I was eating was actually peanut butter! WHAT! No way! I do not believe it.  So this yummy meal led me to look at other vegan and something "free" meals.

When walking out of my local grocery store I noticed a flyer for gluten-free bread.  Being 100% honest I have no clue what gluten is.  I don't know what it means to be free from it or anything.  Reading the brochure I noticed that an allergic reaction to gluten looks like a lot of other illnesses.  Here are a list of "reactions" or symptoms of being allergic to gluten:

•Indigestion
•Heart burn
•Irritable bowel syndrome
•Itchy skin rash
•Fatigue
•Diarrhea
•Constipation
•Flatulence
•Acid reflux
•Unexplained weight loss /Unexplained weight gain
•Irritability
•Behavioral changes
•Headaches
•Abdominal pain
•Eczema
•Disturbed sleep


This is just a small portion of the possibilities.  If you are suffering any of the above symptoms or those found by a simple Google search for keywords "gluten allergies".

Here is a recipe for gluten-free dill onion brown bread:

Gluten-free dill onion brown bread is a moist yeast batter bread, made with whole grain gluten-free flours, dill seeds and dry minced onions. This savory gluten-free bread makes a great grilled cheese sandwich!


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes Ingredients:

•3 cups gluten-free high fiber flour blend (see note)
•1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum OR xanthan gum
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon ginger
•2 teaspoons whole dill seeds
•2 teaspoons dry minced onions
•1/2 teaspoon granulated onion powder
•1 tablespoon dry yeast
•1 large egg, room temperature
•2 tablespoons honey
•2 tablespoons softened butter
•1 cup buttermilk, lukewarm
•1/4 cup water, lukewarm
•1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
•1 tablespoon softened butter or oil to brush on brush during and after baking

NOTE:

Spice, seeds and dried onions - Read labels carefully and avoid products processed in facilities that process foods that contain gluten.

Van Gogh's Side of Bread

Vincent Van Gogh my favorite artist's relationship with food was portrayed as complicated. Like his fellow Protestants, he equated virtue with an absence from the luxaries of life. Van Gogh demontrated this especially in his food choices, which he often reduced to its essence, "bread." For Van Gogh, bread was pure nourishment or fuel, much like potatoes were the essence of sustenance in his painting The Potato Eaters painted in 1885 with oil paints on cavas.


Vincent Van Gogh (The Potato Eaters) Art Poster Print - 13" X 19" $3.99
Vincent Willem van Gogh (The potato eaters) Framed Art Poster Print - 13" X 19" $19.99

The Bread Art Project

Turn your love of bread into a peice of art that can help fight childhood hunger.  The Bread Art Project created by the Grain Foods Foundation will give $1 to Share Our Strength, the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America for each peice of bread artwork that is created on their site http://www.breadartproject.com/ under the workshop link.

On their site you can use toast templates and flowery shapes to decorate your favorite type of bread from country white to oatmeal.  After decorating you can share with all your friends.   

Grain Foods Foundation is a joint venture of members from the baking and milling industries, and allied suppliers formed in 2004. Its mission is to advance public understanding of the beneficial role grain-based foods play in a healthful diet.
 
A Side of Bread Decor
By: Aleesha Nash
 

BREAD ART FEATURE: PETITPLAT MINIATURES

Today I was wandering around the web like normal and I do not remember how but I landed on Etsy - the site where people can sell their handmade items and on the front page was a picture of a plate of bread. I did not know exactly what the item was but when I clicked on it ... it opened up a completely new pocket of interest for me that I did not even know I had. MINIATURES!


How cute the replicas are of our enormous lives!

Here is some information about the artist that I found during my online travels and now I am sharing them with you so that you can feel creative enough to pull out that stash of polymer clay and get to work! LOL

PetitPlat started in 2009 after the founder, Stephanie, went on a search for a new hobby! She ran across some miniatures and it instantly brought back childhood memories of playing with Barbie and miniature plastic foods. PetitPlat features very realistic replicas of the foods we enjoy everyday like waffles, cupcakes, ice cream, sandwiches, and of course the "Breads on Bakers Tray" (featured in pictures). Stephanie creates each piece by hand and there are no two pieces alike. Please visit PetitPlat's website and Etsy site for more information and to shop.

PetitPlat
http://www.petitplat.fr/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PetitPlat

CRUSTY & WARM FEELINGS

When you hear the word "baguette,” what do you think of? I know that I instantly think about a warm piece of bread that is crusty on the outside, soft, and warm on the inside. YUM!

Feelings can be sort of like this and when we are dealing with conflict I think, it is important to get familiar with your personal baguette of feelings! :-)

So when you get mad what comes out? Is it anger, resentment, hate, fear, frustration, mistrust, passivity, blame, or what about jealousy?  When we are angry at someone what are we really feeling on the inside that makes us lash out with the crusty feelings? Things like love, disappointment, pain, fear, regret, sadness, rejection, insecurity, or hopelessness are some things that come to mind.

If we take a moment to think about a time when we allowed our crusty feelings to take over and lead us through a conflict that ended with hurt feelings... go back in your mind and think about how you were really feeling. Were you disappointed that someone hurt you?  And instead of stating that you were disappointed, you lashed out and yelled at him or her about how he or she is "always" doing something to you!

Anyway - I know I have had my share of crusty arguments but I think going forward I will attempt to deal with my conflicts better by getting to know myself better and getting in touch with my warm center and then letting the warm and soft feelings come out when I am trying to resolve or prevent a conflict!

Now what will you think of when you hear the word "baguette"?