I love this time of year. Yes, I know, weird, right? Not so. January is the month of citrus, cold weather, and warming soup. Now that I have shown you all how to make your own chicken stock, (or even in the crockpot,) now is a good time to start using that beautiful elixir to warm those bones after a hard day out in the cold.

The trick with soups is to pick a few flavors that go well together, and showcase them. I have talked before about the Flavor Bible – it really should be on any serious cook’s shelf. (Link goes to my Amazon Store.)

Carrots are in season now, same with oranges. What goes well with them? A quick glance in the Bible tells me that fennel seeds or cumin works. Cumin would be an interesting choice, but my son might object to the adult flavor, so fennel it was. A great addition to this dish is freshly chopped parsley. I didn’t have any, and my son would object to the green “floaties.” Sometimes you have to know your crowd.

The great thing about this soup is that it is gluten-free, has less than 30 carbohydrates per serving, and the recipe can feed 8 people. A lot of pre-made soups use gluten or corn starch as a thickener. We will be using the natural thickening power of the carrot’s body, and a bit from the addition of a small potato.

It makes a great side dish, or a great starter to a more substantial meal. I can tell you it is definitely kid-friendly; my son had three servings!

Carrot Fennel Orange Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds carrots
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 lemon peel strips
• 1 small potato, diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups orange juice
• to taste Salt
• to taste Pepper

Method:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots; sweat until the vegetables start getting soft.
2. Add garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, lemon peel strips, and bay leaves. Cook for a minute more to release the oils.
3. Add potato, chicken stock, and orange juice; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely soft.
5. Remove bay leaves; puree with blender or stick blender until smooth. If necessary, add a little more orange juice if the soup is too thick.
6. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
7. Serve up in the biggest bowl you can; it won’t last long.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 145, Fat 4.62g, Saturated Fat 2.26g, Cholesterol 11.25mg, Sodium 1085.72mg, Total Carbohydrates 22g, Fiber 2.5g

Last Kitchen 101 post showed us the method traditionally used to make a chicken stock. I  can hear what most people jump to when they see a post like that – “I just don’t have time to spend fussing over something as complicated as that.”

That statement blows my mind. Mind you, I am a chef by trade, so most of my lessons in the kitchen began in a “professional” establishment. I have no problem spending a day skimming a sauce, or preparing pasta from scratch. It’s fun for me.

Thing is, I don’t normally slave over a preparation, unless there is a need for it. In the case of my post on stock, there is one skimming, (in the beginning,) that’s it. It’s easier that way. I am not a person to fuss over a preparation. I like things to take care of themselves, with a minimum of hassle.

This recipe is the answer to that. With around 30 total minutes of actual kitchen time, you can have your beautiful stock. The trick is to set it, and (almost) forget it. It will take a good 20 hours, but the results are worth it. Best yet, it can be set overnight before bed for the first step, then the second step can be done before you head off to work. Once you get home, your stock is ready to be strained.

Before We Begin

Before we start, let’s recap some previous posts for a head start on today’s task.

• Butchering a chicken. Once you have your chicken cut up, use the carcass for the stock – the perfect way to stretch your dollar. If you don’t have a chicken to cut up, the bones from a demolished roasted chicken will work fine.
• Secret Laws of Stock Making. We will be following those concepts here shortly.
• Check out the traditional method for making the chicken stock here.

Making Chicken Stock in the Crock-Pot

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken (or turkey) carcass (about 2 lbs.)
• 1 gallon (4 liters) cold water
• 2 teaspoon cup white wine vinegar (or red wine if you prefer.)
• 1 small sized onion, peeled, chopped into 1 inch slices
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 rib of celery, chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 inch of ginger, sliced in half
• 1/2 bulb garlic, chopped in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/4 bunch thyme

Method:

Here we are pulling a bunch of bones from the freezer. This is my main tip; save those roasted chicken or turkey carcasses. Once they start flying out of the freezer door at you, it’s time to make stock.

Get the main tools needed for stock making in the crockpot. This is all you are going to need. A crockpot, and some bones.

Fill the crockpot, pack the bones in there. The manufacturer suggests that the crock pot not be filled past the 3/4 mark. As you can see here, I totally ignored that. I would find out later the impact of that decision.

Add cold water. Make sure the water is cold! The reason for that is the cold water softens the gelatin for better extraction. If you put hot water in there, you will make your life harder here. See the Secret Laws of Stock Making.

Add a splash of vinegar, cover, and set for 10 hours of cooking.The vinegar helps the extraction of the calcium in the bones. It also makes the stock taste a bit more acidic, which brightens the flavor a bit more.

Cut the Aromatics for chicken stock. We have here carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and ginger. These are known as aromatics. Keep the vegetables large, so they don’t break down while the stock is simmering. Some people will argue that carrots don’t belong in a stock. The choice is personal. I like carrots. So there.

Add bay leaf, peppercorn, and thyme. The thyme is dried, but fresh will work well if need be.

After 10 hours, add the vegetables, cover, and set on low for another 10 hours. You don’t add the vegetables until later because they would just turn to mush and discolor your stock.

See – it’s too full, and you can see that the liquid spilled out. I learned my lesson… it was too full, and I lost at least 2 cups of awesome goodness. You can tell the stock is fantastic by how long it takes to get the paper towel off the stove. Gelatin is a great glue. You heard it here first!

Finished stock – look at the loveliness. After 20 hours of very slow cooking, your house will smell fantastic, the kids will ask what you are making, and you will be ready for the next step.

Set up a strainer, grab some oven mitts, and strain the mixture. Make sure you pull the works slowly so you don’t have your bones and vegetables falling into your strained stock.

Throw out your waste. Be sure to double bag the waste – it will be hot!

Here is what the strained liquid looks like. Now, you aren’t going to win a culinary competition with this stock – but the gelatin content is second to none!

Here you can see I only get about 3 quarts (liters) worth here. That’s because I lost at least 2 cups on the stove from filling the crockpot too much. This recipe should give you at least 3 liters in the end.

Conclusion

Okay, so that is how you can make your stock hands-off. A little bit of work, (around a 1/2 hour worth,) will get you a nutrient-rich stock for pennies compared to a purchased broth. I’ve shown you that it can be done with a minimum of work, so get to it – show me what you can do with it!

Your Turn!

So, what do you think of this hands-off method of creating stock? Which method do you prefer, the traditional way, or this hands-off approach? Let me know in the comments!

Let’s start today’s lesson off with a question – why do we find ourselves constantly using this?

We are conditioned to believe that our lives are far too busy to make the real stuff, therefore we need to buy the convenient powdered product. Hell, you might not know this, but most major hotels, restaurants, and retirement homes base their whole cooking program on these products.

Why? The answer is convenience, cost of labor, and ease of planning.

The impact of using these products is not fully known. I can tell you a few things though – reading through he ingredients are a quick way to show you that you aren’t just getting chicken goodness out of the deal. It’s a tragedy though – you will soon see how easy it is to make a huge batch of chicken stock for yourself.

A while back, I promised you a video on making chicken stock. I humbly apologize for not having the skills needed to make that video with a Windows Machine. Instead, I figured a traditional post would be the way to go.

Before we start with today’s post, let’s recap some previous posts for a head start on today’s task.

• Butchering a chicken – http://welldonechef.com/k101-butchering-a-chicken.html. Once you have your chicken cut up, use the carcass for the stock – the perfect way to stretch your dollar. If you don’t have a chicken to cut up, the bones from a demolished roasted chicken will work fine.
• Secret Laws of Stock Making http://welldonechef.com/kitchen-theory-the-secret-chef-laws-for-great-stocks-and-broths.html. We will be following those concepts here shortly.

Making Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

• 6 whole chicken carcasses (about 10 lbs.)
• 15 quarts cold water
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or red wine if you prefer.)
• 2 medium sized onions, peeled, chopped into 1 inch slices
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 rib of celery, chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 1 inch of ginger, sliced in half
• 1 bulb garlic, chopped in half
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 bunch thyme

Method:

Grab the biggest pot you have. You will need to have at least twice as much room as you have bones. You will be cooking this stock over a long period of time; having twice as much water as your bones will ensure you get a good calcium and gelatin extraction from your bones.

Plop the bones into the pot. You can rinse them first if you like. One benefit to rinsing is that there will be less impurities to skim later. (Translation: less work for you!)

Next, you want to use clean, cold water. I am adding white wine vinegar to the water at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 2 quarts. (Notice the extremely accurate measuring?)

Add the water to the pot, and fill until the water is about twice as high as the level of the bones. Turn on your heat to medium and wait for the works to heat up.

Once the mixture starts to heat up, the impurities and fat will rise to the top. First, lower the heat to the lowest it will go. Then, take a clean ladle, and using a circular motion, push the impurities to the sides of the pot. You can dip the edge of the ladle into the water and collect the scum in the bowl of the ladle.

Here you can see what I am talking about. This step is optional, but something you want to do. The work you do here will ensure your stock is clear later on. Never let the stock come to a boil – that will make it cloudy as well.

Now, cut up your vegetables into large chucks. They will be sitting on top of the simmering pot for more than a few hours, so don’t be afraid to cut them into large chunks. We call this cut “mirepoix” in the professional kitchen. Some people will argue that carrots have no place in a chicken stock. I like them in there because they flavor the stock, and make it golden. These are called aromatics. I don’t like to put them into the stock at the beginning. I’ll explain later. How much do you use? A rule that I use is 10% of the weight of the bones. For 10 pounds of bones, that’s 1 pound of vegetables.

After a good 8 hours of simmering, put your aromatics in. Some people will argue with me on that. I go by what gets results. I have found the best way is to put the flavoring agents near the end of cooking.

Here you see what the aromatics look like at the finish. This was after 6 hours of simmering. If you put them into the stock at the beginning, then cook it for the full 20 hours or so, they will break down into your stock and make it more like a puree.

Strain your stock into a holding vessel. (You see I have a huge bowl here.) Don’t rush this step, slow and steady is the key. I have rushed this before, only to have the bones and vegetables fall into my clean broth. Notice the oven mitts? That’s for you, as I am sure you don’t have Teflon hands like I do.

Here is what the end result looks like. I am used to a clearer product, but this one will do. As you can see here, there is a lot. That’s okay – it freezes well, and is easy to pull out and use.

So, here is the final product, complete with it’s packaging. In all, I got 10 liters of stock here, all for the cost of the bones, a bit of vegetables, some spices, and a bit of time. This is going into to the freezer for later use.

That’s all there is to making a great stock. I have shown you how you can use your stove to your advantage, and have a product that has great nutritional benefits over the convenience product you buy in the store.

Your turn

Now that you know how to make chicken stock, what do you plan to make with it?

Sauerkraut is an awesome food. It’s packed with vitamins, probiotics, and lots of goody-goodness. (That’s a culinary term that I just invented right there!) Some people have an aversion to it, I find that it’s because they’re used to opening the jars you find in the pickle aisles at the grocery store. You know who they are – the ones loaded with the most sour briny concoction ever.

You’re best off buying the organic, bagged version. Keep in mind, that it’s not always available. You could make your own, (but not in time for dinner.) (I can see a post on that one day – remind me sometime!)

Two things that make sauerkraut better are: caraway seeds, and apples. Around here people seem to have an aversion with pork and fruit – but I grew up with it. The sweetness with the tartness of the apples lend a subtle dimension to the sourness of the kraut. It’s like putting a phone book up to your chin before it socks you with it’s five finger sauer-death punch.

In my research, I found that a lot of people “finish” the sauerkraut by cooking it with a little potato. What this does is smoothes it out, and makes it more palatable (for normal people.) Sure, I can eat it right out of a jar – but I also grew up eating it. Other people’s lips pucker inward, their faces threaten to implode. Some people just can’t hack it. Wimpy people.

Either way, adding the best parts of the season’s produce will turn an ordinary dish into something people will talk about. One word of caution: people may walk in and crinkle their noses to the smell of cooking sauerkraut. (My child especially.) A bit if reassurance is in order. Soften them up with a few lagers, and all will be good. (Apple juice for the little one!) For the ladies, save some of the cider for a bit of an aperitif before supper. Can’t hurt!

No picture for this dish today. There wasn’t a point in taking one as the pork loin turned out too dry. Word to the wise: when you are cooking a dish, then find it is not done by the time you need to go get your four-year-old from the daycare, Murphy will visit your kitchen.

See, your four-year-old won’t want to go home. He’ll pitch a screaming fit, and you’ll spend 20 minutes trying to get him into your front door. If this happens to you (with as much regularity as me,) then before you leave, be on the safe side – turn the oven down to 300°F. You can always increase the temperature when you get home to finish the roast.

Roasted Pork Loin with Apple-Spiked Sauerkraut

Servings: 6

Pork Loin

• 2 pounds pork loin roast, tied
• 2 tablespoon caraway seeds, divided
• 1 tablespoon Smoked paprika
• to taste salt
• to taste pepper

Sauerkraut

• 2 cups sauerkraut
• 2 medium apples, peeled
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 small potato, peeled and held in water
• 2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute (optional)

For the Pork Loin:

1. Season the pork loin aggressively with the salt and fresh black pepper. Remember that since the pork loin is thick, this is your only chance to really get the flavor enhancement from the salt and pepper, so don’t be stingy! While the fat renders, it will carry the salt throughout the meat, seasoning it. (That’s why the fat is the best tasting part of the pork!)
2. Rub the smoked paprika and one tablespoon of the caraway seeds into the loin. Your hands will get a little bit dirty, but make sure you get it in all the nooks and crannies of the meat.
3. Set the meat aside so you can complete the following steps. If you have critters in the house, (like a dog named Hershey,) make sure they can’t lick the meat. You have seen where they can put that tongue, right?

For the Sauerkraut:

1. Place into a casserole dish, then mix in the remaining caraway seeds. Some people aren’t fussy over the sour taste of sauerkraut. (Hey, it’s named “Sour” for a reason!) If you desire, rinse the sauerkraut in water to wash away the sourness of the final dish.
2. Grate the apples into the dish, add cider and mix thoroughly.
3. Put the seasoned pork loin on top of the sauerkraut mixture, then place the dish, uncovered, into a 450°F oven for 10 minutes. This is to caramelize the proteins and fat for maximum flavor later on. (It has nothing to do with sealing in juices – I hate hearing that!)
4. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F, cover the casserole dish and cook the pork loin until a thermometer comes out at 145°F. (Around 15-20 minutes per pound.) If you don’t have a thermometer, err on the side of caution – allow 15 minutes per pound. You can always put the roast back in to cook more, but you can’t uncook an overdone piece of meat.) Try and time it so if your four-year-old refuses to come home from the daycare, you won’t overcook your meat.

Finishing the Sauerkraut

1. Remove the pork loin from the casserole, and put it aside, covered with foil, to rest. Don’t be tempted to cut into it just yet – unless you aren’t sure about how well it is cooked. (That’s why it is so good to have a thermometer – you cut the guessing on whether it is done!) If you MUST cut it to check doneness, cut it from the middle. If it’s underdone (read raw) in the middle, them push the pieces back together, cover, and put back into the oven. If it’s a slight shade darker then pink, then don’t despair – it’ll continue to cook while it’s resting. We call this “carry-over cooking”.
2. Transfer the sauerkraut mixture to a saucepan. Over low heat, grate in the small potato and add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the mixture. Continue cooking until the sauerkraut is shiny, and you can’t taste the starch from the potatoes anymore. You will be left with tender, soft sauerkraut.
3. Optional: Taste the mixture. If it’s too sour for you, you can add a few teaspoons of sugar (or substitute) to the mixture and stir it in. It’ll make it a sweet-sour side, and some people like that. Apples are the natural way to sweeten the sauerkraut, but some people’s taste tends to the sweeter side. I told my wife she could sprinkle some sugar on the top if she so desired. Why wreck the briny goodness combined with the golden drippings from the pork?

The Final Dish:

1. Once the pork loin has rested, (about 10 minutes,) cut the strings from the roast, and slice it as thick as you like. If the roast is a bit dry, (because your four-year-old ran around the house with your oven mitts refusing to give them back to you,) then you’ll want to slice it a bit on the thin side. I personally like the end, (so does my wife.) If you’re feeling generous, split it with her. Otherwise, just even off the roast before she gets home. Hey – first come, first served!
2. Serve the sauerkraut as a sauce to the sliced pork loin, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 301.58
Calories From Fat (25%) 74.83
% Daily Value
Total Fat 8.35g 13%
Saturated Fat 2.72g 14%
Cholesterol 95.26mg 32%
Sodium 1786.19mg 74%
Potassium 939.4mg 27%
Total Carbohydrates 21.37g 7%
Fiber 4.8g 19%
Sugar 7.71g
Protein 35.21g 70%

People are always asking me for advice on their next kitchen equipment purchase.

This week’s Kitchen 101 series will deal with what you need to start cooking on your own. By the end of the week, you will have understand what you need to cook on your own – with the minimal amount of hype associated with each pick.

Nothing is scarier than walking into the kitchen section of the store and figuring out what you need to have, and what to buy. There are so many options, with a lot of “science” behind each pick. Should you buy that celebrity chef’s cookware? What makes a good knife? How will you make your money last? What is the absolute barest essential you need to get started?

My goal is to cut through all the “magic,” and give you the know-how to purchase the items you need, and stretch your dollars the furthest they can go.

Each post will deal with a sub-set of kitchen equipment, as a whole it is way too much information to digest in one article. What I have lined up for this week are:

Stoves, ovens, (microwaves) – Without this set of equipment you aren’t going to go vary far. What to look for, what you actually need.

Pots, pans, and roasting pans – The trilogy of the kitchen. Find out what the experts use, and how that will save you money in the long run by avoiding the hype the marketers throw at you.

Knives – What to look for in a knife, and why. Also, I’ll let you into the surprising secrets a lot of pros have, and how that will save you hundreds, if not THOUSANDS purchasing your next set of knives.

Small wares – The biggest money pit of the whole kitchen – cut through all the clutter and get what you really need to do day-to-day cooking.

Nice-to-haves – This set is the optional equipment for the kitchen. Once you have your basics down from the posts above, you can save up your hard-earned cash and eventually purchase these. Better yet, get them second-hand and save a bundle!

That’s this week in a nutshell. I am so excited to pass off my knowledge to you, I can’t wait to get started!

Do you have a question for me? You can contact me through the Ask the Chef! page, my Facebook Fan Page, my TuDiabetes account, my YouTube Channel, or my Twitter account.

I’m sorry that I don’t have a picture for you today. My trusty Rebel T2I has developed lens issues. I’m hoping that Canon will fix it in short time so I can bring more delectable photos for you to drool over. Today you will have to suffer by my descriptions only.

I love my eggs first thing in the morning; they provide me with the fuel that I need to get my day underway. The best part about eggs is that there are many ways to cook them.

Quick trivia – did you know that the pleats in a chef’s hat are supposed to represent the many ways you can cook an egg? Back in the old days, a chef had to “prove” he could cook the eggs 100 different ways before he had the “privilege” of donning the Toque. (Chef hat) Now you know.

Here’s a fast omelette recipe that will give you the best parts of summer – with a Greek twist. Garden fresh ingredients will make a huge difference; don’t sweat it if you have to use something you bought at the store.

It’s next to impossible to get true free-range eggs where I live, (the definition of “free range” is open to interpretation – meaning the poor hen only has to have a small door open for them to “range” from the cage.) I don’t waste my money on a label – the eggs add a cost of $2 more per dozen.

Instead, I buy the Omega-3 eggs, which are slightly more expensive than conventional eggs. There are those out there that will poo-poo this. Hey, if I could find an actual farmer that can guarantee his eggs are free-range, then I will go that route. Otherwise, the flax-fed Omega-3 eggs are good enough.

For this recipe, I am using baby Roma tomatoes. Why Roma tomatoes? There is more “meat” to the tomato, and less seeds. Tomato seeds are full of water, which is no fun to sauté in hot oil. You can use the larger version if you like, or even a “regular” tomato. You just need to squeeze the seeds out first.

The Roma tomato’s garden partners are the green pepper, and the oregano that is overtaking its pot.

Finally, a nice Feta cheese and Kalamata olives complete this Greek style omelette.

Note: this recipe is not Paleo in the strictest sense. There is the Feta cheese, and the extra-virgin olive oil. (Preferably non-filtered.) There is a lot of controversy in those circles over whether you should heat olive oil because of PUFA’s, etc.. Look, to me it’s less complicated. Use a good quality olive oil, and stop freaking out about minutiae. In my world it’s infinitely better than using an industrial processed corn or canola oil.

Greek Style Omelette with Baby Roma Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta Cheese

Servings: 1
Calories: 729
Carbohydrates: 8.3 g

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 baby cherry Roma tomatoes, sliced
• ¼ large yellow pepper, diced
• 4 Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 large eggs, Omega-3
• 1 teaspoon water
• ½ ounce feta, rinsed and crumbled
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper, freshly ground
  

  Method:

  1. Sauté tomatoes, peppers, and Kalamata olives in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until the tomatoes and peppers have softened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside. This will be the filling mixture.
  2. Wipe pan, heat remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Meanwhile, whisk eggs with a teaspoon of water, salt, pepper, and chopped oregano until the eggs are homogenized.
  3. Place eggs into the heated pan. The eggs should start setting immediately. Lift the edges of the egg with a spatula and allow the uncooked egg mixture to run underneath. Wait a few seconds, then repeat lifting the edges. Cooking it in this way will take about 2 minutes. Once the bottom is set fully, flip the omelette over, and turn off the heat. This will allow the eggs to cook in the pan with the residual heat. (About 1 more minute.)
  4. Look at the omelette like a clock; place the filling mixture on the bottom half of the omelette, and sprinkle the feta cheese over the mixture. Gently fold the top over the mixture to make a half-moon shape. Lift the omelette out of the pan onto a plate; serve immediately.

I recently read a nice message on Facebook from my Aunt the other day. You can read the result on my post over at my personal blog.

Today we concern ourselves with the nitty-gritty. How to make this difficult dressing that will KILL the competition!

The Competition:

Sure, the dressing itself might cost peanuts:

Sure, the stuff is 3.99$ for 500 mL. Not bad, a cost of 8.00$ per liter. Let’s look into the ingredients, shall we?

Straight from Renee’s site, here are the ingredients:

Fresh buttermilk, canola oil, vinegar, water, frozen egg yolk, salt, fructose solids, cultured, dextrose, whey powder, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, xanthan gum, flavour.

Wow.

The only problem I have is when you are paying for something that is just not all that convenient. Plus, when you are just getting vegetable oil flavored with milk products, I have a problem with that.

Why is canola oil the second ingredient there? If you read between the lines here, you get what looks like a basic vinaigrette – oil, vinegar, water, egg yolks, and seasonings, (including dextrose.) To that they have added buttermilk, whey powder (presumably to bulk up the milk flavor.) Finally, there are two things that disturb me – Xanthan gum, (a thickener and stabilizer,) and flavour.

What does flavour mean anyway? What kind of flavor?

A Caveat

Look – the point is not attacking this stuff – please keep that in mind. A lot of people will reach for this because it is convenient. I mean, who has buttermilk these days just hanging out in the fridge? (You Southerner’s DON’T answer that!)

What I want to offer is an easy alternative to buying that convenience product.

Go look over at my Personal Blog for a quick video on how the following recipe is executed. I made this recipe in 2 minutes, with a hovering wife in the background. It is not as convenient as grabbing it off the shelf, but I think you can agree that it’s not that inconvenient!

Southwestern Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 3 chives (with flowers), minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 drops hot sauce

Method

1. Grab a clean, tall mason jar with a lid. Combine all your ingredients together inside the jar, Cap the jar with the lid; shake vigorously while dancing. Ignore the looks from your spouse or partner. You’re making Southwestern Dressing, Baby!
2. Keep tightly covered in the fridge for up to the same expiry date as the buttermilk. If it lasts that long, it will keep.

A nutritional comparison:

Just for giggles, here is the nutritional breakdown for my recipe, based on Living Cookbook 2011 stats. Note that I don’t make the serving size 1 tablespoon because NO ONE only eats a tablespoon of dressing at a time!

Nutritional Information from the Competition?

With this Nutritional Information, keep in mind that a normal person would eat 3 times that amount in a salad just to make it taste good!

For a real serving of this stuff, we are looking at 180 calories, 3 grams of carbs from sugar, and not much of anything else.

Here is my version, both with and without buttermilk:

With Buttermilk

All natural ingredients in my recipe, A full 160 calories less, almost 1 gram of sugar carbs less, less sodium, and gasp! Less sat fat as well. Definitely a case to DIY – because it is so easy!

If you don’t have buttermilk, then by substituting the whole milk and sour cream:

Without buttermilk - 'cause who has that stuff lying around?

As you can see, it still comes in at a 1/3 less than the competition, with still less carbohydrates!

There you have it! What do you think,will you be buying the “convenient” stuff, or will you make your own?

Sometimes there is so much information out there that you don't know what to follow!

You know what? I need to take a moment out here and tell you all a little something. (While I am still searching for the best way to put videos together so I can pump out that content for you all!)

I am not in any way, shape or form saying that I totally subscribing to the Paleo or the Primal WOE. (Way of Eating)

I know that comes as a bit of a shock, but I came full circle with the whole circus. when I was diagnosed, it became clear to me that I was only going to get my blood sugars under control by going the low-carb route. That naturally led me to the Primal Blueprint, and the Paleo Solution.

I read those books, no DEVOURED them. I subscribed to a lot of sites that were in line with the philosophy. I went that way for a bit.

Thing is, all the information was just too much. Conflicting paradigms, don’t do this – do this. It seemed too much.

I recently stumbled over a really awesome post over at Whole Health Source. In it, I noticed a gem. See if you agree:

I think that an optimal diet for lean healthy people is probably not restricted in macronutrients, and if anything a diet biased toward carbohydrate is better for overall long-term health than one biased toward fat.  However, obesity and diabetes are important factors in health, and if a person finds that reducing carbohydrate attenuates them, then it’s worth considering.

I totally concur here. The reason being is that I notice with the complete cutting of carbs you will find the weight gain from the reintroduction because of a rebound effect. That is, when you limit that one macro nutrient for so long, you become less insulin resistant. That’s cool in the context of insulin, but the endocrine system is NOT all hinged on one hormone. Leptin, etc., are just now thrust into the picture.

As a type 1 diabetic, I learned fast about low carbing to get the blood sugars under control. I also learned about the swing later from introducing them back.

What has worked for me is allowing the carbs in the diet, adjusting for insulin needs, but also exercising at low-level intensity mixed with HIIT workouts 3 times a week. The walking/hiking is always at a fasted state, with recovery carbs and insulin injections to allow the carbs to replenish the glycogen levels. I am now at a stable weight, but I can still eat the carbs.

I know that in the short term I can go low carb to lose the weight, but then I can reach stasis later by reintroducing the carbs. In my books, that is far better.

I think too many people put too much weight on one diet, or WOE. It is a little more complex than that. The only thing that I insist is to eat REAL foods as much as possible.

What do you think? Am I on crack? Let me know in the comments!

I am on a challenge to go Primal for 25$ per person per week. Yesterday I talked about how before we get started on our Budget Primal Challenge, there are a few things that need to be worked out: Inventory, Flyers, Shortlisting, and Menu Planning. Today I answer BJ’s question about paleo prep time and cost:

BJ Wrote:

I will be thrilled if you can pull this off!!! It is costing us way more than that, and the time we spend in the kitchen is unbelievable. At our house, there’s 5 of us (one of whom is a celiac) and the kitchen is warmed up at 6:00 a.m. every day. 3 out of the 5 want to give it up….I’m not one of them tho so I’ll be watching you!

Watch below BJ, this is for you!

Total cost for the day will be posted tomorrow!

I wish I had the original video, I guess that’s how it rolls. Did I suck?? Tell me what you all think in the comments.

My last post had me talking up how I was going to go Primal for 25$ per person per week. You’re ready to go right?

Whoa! Before we get started on our Budget Primal Challenge, there are a few things that need to be worked out: Inventory, Flyers, Shortlisting, and Menu Planning.

I walk you through my MADNESS and share how us chefs get it done! You can do this at home as well, it just takes a couple of hours, is all.

After all, AREN’T you worth the time and effort? With the money you can save by this simple step, you could invest it in a side of grass-fed beef later on!

Mise en Place, super important!

Let me know what you all think in the comments.