Good Taste meets Good Health: GERMAN DINNER

Good Taste meets Good Health: GERMAN DINNER: Sauerbraten mit Rotkohl und  Kartoffelklöße Sauerbraten with red cabbage and potato dumplings   Sauerbraten Sauer...

GERMAN DINNER

Sauerbraten mit Rotkohl und Kartoffelklöße

Sauerbraten with red cabbage and potato dumplings

 

Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is a beef roast, which rests in wine/ vinegar marinade for one week before cooking it.  It takes a little preparation and patience, but you will love the meat, because it becomes really soft and juice.

Ingredients for the marinade: 

2.5 lbs. Beef roast (shoulder piece)

2 Carrots

4 Celery stalks

2 Medium sized yellow onions

4 Garlic cloves

4 Whole gloves

2 Bay leaves

10 Peppercorns

1 Tablespoon sugar

A dash of salt

2 Cups of wine

1 Cup of red wine vinegar

Wash the meat and pat it try. Cut all the vegetables in 1-inch pieces, it doesn’t have to be exact, since it goes in the marinade.

Then mix the vegetables, spices, wine and vinegar together add the meat and put in a freezer bag or in an airtight container. Whatever works for you, just make sure your meat is covered with wine and vinegar and put in the fridge for a week.

Ingredients for cooking the Sauerbraten: 

2 Medium sized yellow onions

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons of fat

4 Tablespoons of raisins (you can’t leave them out if you don’t like them)

After one week, take your meat out of the marinade. DO NOT THROW out the marinade. Pat your meat dry. Add the marinade in a blender and mix well until there are no pieces left, you have now a fabulous sauce.

Add 2 tablespoons fat in a roasting dish. Turn your stove on to high heat and add the meat and onions and brown it for a couple of minutes each side. Then add the honey and the marinade/ sauce and lower your stove to medium/ low heat. Let your meat cook for at least 2 hours with cover and turn it every 30 minutes.

After the meat is cooked, take it out and place it on a cutting board. If your sauce/ gravy isn’t thick enough add some flour or starch to thicken it up. Mix it again with a blender or hand mixer. Add the raisins, if you want and let your gravy boil for a couple of seconds.

Slice your meat, add your gravy and enjoy it.

Kartoffelkloesse

Ingredients: 

1 lbs. of Russet potatoes

2 Eggs

Approx. ½ cups Potato starch

Nutmeg

Salt

Pepper

You need to cook your potatoes ahead, because they need to be cool for the pressing process. I cook mine usually the night before.

Wash and cook your whole potatoes with skin and some salt. When they are soften, peel them

immediately and let them cool down.  Add them into the press and push them through into a bowl. (It’s a little workout). Add eggs, spices and starch to the potatoes and Knead mixture in bowl until smooth dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky.

It is really hard to determine how much starch you need, since some potatoes are starchier then others. I would probably say a half-cup.  Form the potatoes in little balls and place them on a cutting board. Work in batches, cook dumplings in large pot of nearly boiling salted water 10-15 minutes (or until dumplings rise to top).

Use slotted spoon and transfer dumplings to large bowl.

You should place no more than 4-5 dumplings in your pot at any one time in order to prevent them from sticking together or touching during cooking, which will cause them to fall apart.

Rotkraut
 

Ingredients: 

1 Head red cabbage cut in small pieces

2 Medium sized apples, peeled and cut in small pieces

2 Medium sized yellow onions, peeled and cut in small pieces

2 Bay leaves

4 Gloves

1 Tablespoon ground all spice

2 Tablespoons honey or brown sugar

1 cup of red wine vinegar

1 cup of water

2 Tablespoons of bacon fat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Red wine to taste

Add the fat in a large pot and brown the onions. Add the cabbage and the other ingredients. Mix it well and cover. Let it cook on low heat for 1.5 hours and mix it every 30 minutes.

After it is cooked add some salt, pepper and some wine if needed.

Good Taste meets Good Health: Sugar Alternative - Stevia

Good Taste meets Good Health: Sugar Alternative - Stevia: Stevia  How to use Stevia leaves Are you looking for a different natural kind of sweetener? I usually use honey in my hot beve...

Sugar Alternative - Stevia

Stevia 

How to use Stevia leaves

Are you looking for a different natural kind of sweetener? I usually use honey in my hot beverages or in sauces, but in cold/icy drinks honey doesn’t dissolve. Therefore, I bought a stevia plant in hopes of make my own Stevia syrup.

There are several different ways to use a Stevia plant.  It can be used fresh or it can be turned into a syrup. I use the fresh ones during the summer time when I can harvest them and the syrup more in the colder months.

Fresh Leaves 

First, pinch 1 to 4 big leaves from the top of the branch to sweeten a cup of tea.  Simply, steep them along with your tea bag in the cup.  Leave the Stevia in longer for a sweeter drink.

Dry leaf powder

Dry leaves are sweeter than fresh, so one teaspoon is equal to the sweetness of 10 teaspoons of sugar. So be careful when using the powder.

First, dry individual leaves between sheets of paper towels or use a dehydrator. To test the dryness the leaf should be able to crumble easily, and when that happens they are fully dried.

In order to produce a powder you need to grind the dry leaves with a mortar and a pestle into a fine powder. The powder then can be used in protein shakes, smoothies, or even in baking.

Grind the leaves

Disregard the stems

Stevia Extract

It is very simple to make extract with the powder. First, boil two cups of water.  Next, add 1 tsp. of your dry leaf powder and reduce the temperature to a simmer until it reduces and it may thickens to the consistency of syrup.

When it reaches the consistency you like, strain it through cheesecloth.  Once it has cooled, store in the refrigerator to increase shelf life.  Just like that you now have an organic healthy sweetener. 

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Tomato Sauce made with Jersey Tomatoes

Tomato Sauce Made with Jersey Tomatoes

New Jersey, the Garden State, is well known for its vegetables and fruits, particularly for its tomatoes.

Tomatoes have a high nutritional value; they are packed full with vitamin C.  They contain an important phytonutrient called lycopene that has been proven to help fight aging, as well as, contain anti-cancer properties.  It appears to be particularly effective against prostate and colon cancers.

Tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid carnitine, which has been shown in research to speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by over 30 percent.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-surprising-reasons-to-love-tomatoes.html#ixzz3lStepvCn

I love tomatoes not just because of the high nutritional value, but more notably the variety in which they can be used.  One of my favorites is the little cherry tomato that is great for salsa or bruschetta.  Next would be beef tomatoes that are great sliced with some mozzarella cheese.  Lastly, plum tomatoes are great for making tomato sauce.

Everyone loves a good tomato sauce; unfortunately, store bought tomato sauces are high in sodium and sugars! 1/2 cup of tomato sauce could have up to 15 grams of sugar and 400-500mg of sodium.   According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars men should eat in a day is 150 calories (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons) and for women 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).  So by eating a store bought cup of tomato sauce, you might reach your sugar intake for the day. In order to prevent this and save your health a great idea would be to make your own tomato sauce.

Here is what you need to make your own homemade tomato sauce, and if done right the sauce will be able to store for months.

Ingredients

•  25lbs of juice plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded (to peel, cut a small “X” on the top and drop in to boiling water for 10 seconds and drop in to an ice bath. Skin will easily peel off.)  (see “blanching” below) 
•  ½ cup of olive oil
•  6 medium onions, diced
• 15 cloves of fresh garlic (or more to taste), finely minced
• 4 cups of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves (or 3tsp dried)
• 5 sprigs of fresh oregano (or 3tsp dried)
• 6 bay leaves (remove when done)
• 8 sprigs of parsley (or 6tsp dried)
•  4 teaspoons of sea salt
• 3 carrots (1/2 of that should be grated and added to sauce, the other half should be added at the end of cooking and then removed)
• 3 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)

Instructions

1.  Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Add diced onion, garlic and grated carrots.
3. Sauté for 6-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
4. Add tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, parsley and sea salt.
5. Simmer on low hear for 3-5 hours or until cooked down and starting to darken
6. Add carrot piece for the last 30 minutes to absorb acidity.
7. Remove spring of herbs and pieces of carrot
8. Use an immersion blender to purée sauce until smooth.
9. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
10. In the meantime prepare your jars. In order to sanitize your jars, I place them in the dishwasher and turn on the sanitize cycle. When your sauce is done, place the hot jars on a top of the kitchen cloth on the counter. With the help of canning funnel, ladle sauce into the jars, reserving ½ inch headspace. Use a nonmetallic spatula to remove any trapped air bubbles, and wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth. Place on the lids and screw bands and tighten. After a couple of hours you will hear a “popp” and your sauce is sealed. You can store them in the refrigerator to improve shelf life or in cold space.

Blanching

The skins of some vegetables e.g. tomatoes, onions, and fruits e.g. peaches and plums will need to be removed before they are ready for use in a recipe.

Otherwise, the skin’s texture can become chewy and rubbery after cooking, and nobody will enjoy that. Blanching is also used with some vegetables like asparagus, corn, peas, in order to keep their color vibrant once canned.

Instructions

1. Wash your vegetables or fruits under cool water.

2. Prepare and ice bath by filling a large bowl or your sink.

3. Fill a large stainless-steel pot two-thirds full with water and bring to boil over high heat.

4. Using a slotted spoon, gently place one item at the time into the boiling water.

    Boil for 30 seconds, remove the item with the slotted spoons, and immediately plunge it into the ice bath. Continue until each item has been blanched.

5. Peel of the skin of your vegetable or fruits, they should slip off easily.

6.  Cut the tomatoes in half and use your fingers in order to remove the seeds and also squeeze the tomatoes. The less water the tomatoes are having, the thicker and creamier will be your tomato sauce. Alternatively, you can use a food mill for this process.

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Gluten- free Bread

Buckwheat Bread

“Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Because its seeds are eaten, it is referred to as a pseudocereal.” – Wikipedia.com Therefore, Buckwheat contains NO GLUTEN, which is great alternative for people with celiac disease or gluten-intolerance.

Buckwheat Bread

My family has used Buckwheat for years for different recipes, for example for pancakes, waffles or breads.

My favorite gluten free bread recipe:

Ingredients:

• ·      1lbs Buckwheat Flour
• ·      2 yeast packages
• ·      1 teaspoon sugar
• ·      0.5 cups Oil (I used sunflower oil)
• ·      1 cup luke warm water
• ·      1.5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• ·      2 eggs
• ·      1 bundle herbs like parsley or chives or basil (cut in pieces)
• ·      3 tablespoons roasted onions
• ·      5 oz hard salami or peperoni (cut in small pieces)
• ·      2 garlic gloves (minced)
• ·      2 teaspoons salt
• ·      0.5 cup tomato pieces (can)

·      add on’s:

o   0.5 cup cheese

o   1 cup zucchini slices

o   1 cup carrot slices

o   1 cup of mashed potatoes (white or sweet)

o   Instead of salami or peperoni you can use ham

Directions:

This is very simple, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well, then add all the wet ingredients and mix all the ingredients together and add them in a oily bread pan. Bake at 356 for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy.
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