Alpha Phi Hot Crab Casserole Dip

This one came from Mom's Alpha Phi recipe book from the 70s.  Peg Fredericksen gets credit, whomever and wherever she is.  I think I've had this at least 100 times in my life to date ... and look forward to each and every of the next 100 opportunities to enjoy it!!

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese 

6½ oz. can crab meat, lightly drained

2 T. grated onion 

1 T. milk

1/3-1/2 C. slivered almonds*

¼ t. salt

Dash Tabasco

1/8 t. White Pepper

2-3 C. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Dip size Fritoes

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, crab meat, onion, milk, slivered almonds, salt, Tabasco, pepper, and half the cheese.  Place in 1 quart casserole dish and cover with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes right before serving.  Serve with Fritoes.  Serves 8 to 10 and leftovers can be reheated in a 325°F oven.

           

 * Slivered water chestnuts are a nut-free, lower fat alternative.

Spicy Queso

Coming off of R's first Whole30, yesterday was Dairy Reintroduction Day.  I was searching for a great cheese dip for our first firepit lighting and BBQ of the season, and came across this.  It got RAVE reviews from our friends, and thus is the inaugural entry.

If you like it spicier, bump it up to 2 jalapeños - I found this was just about right for us.  We dipped veggies or Tostito scoops in it, but it would be terrific poured over nacho chips, perhaps with chili as well.

Source:  Sommer from A Spicy Perspective

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 2 chipotle chiles, diced (canned in adobo sauce - don't wipe it off!)
• 1 1/2 cups half & half
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounce cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
• 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 8 ounce smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables - I found the Pampered Chef chopper works magic to get all the bits and pieces to the right size.  You want everything pretty small for this one.
2. Saute the butter, shallots, garlic and jalapeño in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the half & half and chipotle peppers.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, so the half & half can scald then lower the temperature to medium-low. Stir in the cream cheese and mustard.
4. Slowly start adding the shredded cheese. Stir and add by the handful, until the sauce comes together. If you prefer your cheese sauce a little thinner, add an extra splash of half & half. 
5. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a slow cooker or fondue pot.

NOTE: If you don't like smoky flavor, use all sharp cheddar.

Sweet Potato Souffles

When I was doing my second Whole30, I really struggled with wanting something dessertish.  I'm sure this is more common than not.  I'm also sure that's part of the point of it all - to break the auto-behavior of wanting something to eat after dinner, say in front of the TV (insert all sorts of standard admonishments about mindlessly eating calories in front of the boob tube here).

I ran across Kendra's Mini Sweet Potato Souffle recipe on her blog, and tried it.  First time didn't go so well, as it just wasn't good ... I'd undercooked the sweet potatoes or something - just wasn't yum at all.  Kendra's a pretty killer cook, so I figured I'd better try again.  Secret was baking the sweet potatoes in their jacket until they were virtually mashed potatoes in skin - and voila.  Great consistency, and a nice natural sweetness from the potatoes emerged.  Make sure your banana's good and ripe... the mushier the better.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, baked for 90-120 min until it's WELL WELL DONE!!!
1 banana peeled, on the riper end of the spectrum
1/3 C. pecans (or walnuts or almonds)
1/3 C. flax seed meal
1 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Baking Soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1/3 C. coconut oil, softened or melted
1 t. Vanilla (omit for W30)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  Peel the sweet potato, then puree the sweet potato and banana together in a blender or food processor.  Add the nuts, flax, soda, powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and puree the heck out of it all.  Add the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla, and once more blend well.

These will be sticky little things ... if you have silicone muffin liners, use them.  Next best option is 5" parchment paper squares pressed into the muffin liners.  Third best option is regular muffin liners.  I've used souffle dishes that have been well oiled as well ... do what works best for you and what you have on hand.

Fill your containers 3/4 full, allowing room to rise.  Bake for 25-30 min until the tops are golden brown.  It's ok if the insides are a bit soft.  Let them cool a bit before diving in to let them set - enjoy!

Best Baked Sea Scallops Ever

Oh my goodness, ran across an amazing baked sea scallop recipe recently.  It was so simple - yet the flavors just exploded.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
16 sea scallops, rinsed and drained
5 T. butter or ghee, melted
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, chopped
3 pinches ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf preferable)
1 c. Bread crumbs (optional - I omitted to keep this Whole 30 compliant)
1/4 C. olive oil (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 deg.

Combine the melted butter, garlic, shallots, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Gently coat the scallops with this mixture, then arrange them in a casserole dish or baking tray.

If you are doing the crumb coating, combine the olive oil and bread crumbs.  Sprinkle on top.  This way is yummy - but the recipe totally stands on its own without :)

Bake in preheated oven until scallops are done, 11-14 min.   Sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot.

Mother's Day Belgian Waffles

This is my go-to for Mother's day ... and yes, until this year I've had to make them.  Made them this morning for no particular reason - and of course forgot to take a picture.  I'll update this later when the opportunity arises.

Thanks to Saveur.com - my absolutely favorite online cooking magazine - for this one.  I haven't changed it one tiny little bit.

Maurice Vermesch baked these waffles (properly called Brussels waffles and, in Belgium, topped with just confectioners' sugar) at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, but only after he sold them at the 1964-65 New York fair did they soar in popularity in this country. Vermersch's daughter Mariepaule wouldn't divulge her family's recipe, but we think we've come very close. One tip she did reveal: Aunt Jemima self-rising flour produces a flavor that is the most like that of the original waffle.

Makes 8.

Ingredients

1 ³⁄₄ cups self-rising flour, preferably Aunt Jemima brand

1 tsp. granulated sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 ¹⁄₄ cups water

¹⁄₂ tsp. vanilla extract

16 tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

4-6 cups whipped cream

2 pints ripe, in-season strawberries, hulled and halved

Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Heat an electric Belgian waffle iron until very hot.

Meanwhile, combine flour and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 ¹⁄₄ cups water, egg yolks, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Whisk in melted butter. Beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy, 1–2 minutes, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Gently but thoroughly fold half the egg whites at a time into batter.

Pour about 1 cup of the batter (or enough batter to fill pockets in iron) into hot waffle iron; immediately lower waffle iron lid and cook until waffles are golden-brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Separate sheet of waffles into individual waffles. Repeat process with remaining batter.

To serve, put each hot waffle on a plate, top with a pile of whipped cream and strawberries, and sprinkle with some confectioners' sugar.

Please note for anyone with egg allergies, but who are trying out baked eggs ... this does NOT qualify.  My 2 yr old couldn't get enough of these ... until I noticed the tell tale red splotches showing up around her mouth.  Had to find a creative way to get it out of her hand.  Poor thing has a rough afternoon ahead of her.

Bigger than my head!

Wow, this has to be the biggest cantaloupe I've ever seen. Super curious to find out whether it's sweet or bland ... 

Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

Oh yum. Certainly not whole anything compliant but oh yum.

Joyce Ellwanger's Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

This one came from Penzeys Spice company - my favorite and only source for spices and seasonings.  It started as a mail order company out of Wisconsin - I'm so fortunate that one of its retail stores is actually within about 15 miles of my house.  Yay me!!  Truthfully though, with free shipping on orders over $30, costs me less in gas and tolls to just order it and wait a few days than go to the store, towing 3 kids behind me surrounded by glass jars of spices.



Kudos to Joyce Ellwanger who provided this recipe - my kids and husband also thoroughly approve :o)



Ingredients
   1 Cup flour
   1⁄4 Cup sugar
   1 tbsp. baking powder
   1 tsp. cinnamon
   1/2 tsp. salt
   3 tbsp. oil (I like olive oil)
   1 egg, beaten
   1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
   1 Cup milk
   1 Cup oats
   1/2 Cup raisins

Topping:
   2 tbsp. sugar
   2 tbsp. flour
   1 tsp. cinnamon
   1 tsp. melted butter



Directions Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the oil, egg, vanilla and milk. Stir only until moistened. Gently stir in the oats and raisins. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle each muffin with topping. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12



Nutritional Information Servings 12; Serving Size 1 muffin (66g); Calories 200; Calories from fat 80; Total fat 9g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 250mg; Carbohydrate 26g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugars 7g; Protein 4g.

Sweet Potato Paprikash - let's have seconds ... and thirds!

Yet another huge win on the whole food journey with my dear husband.  He took a huge food step with me in February with his own Whole30 and I couldn't be prouder of him for branching out from his culinary comfort zone.  He started out disliking sweet potatoes and after several weeks has voluntarily included them in his food repertoire. 

This was a surprise win.  The first few times I made it, I made half a pan with yukon golds for him and half with sweet potatoes for me ... now I just do the sweets but you can go either way.  They both were delish.

Sweet Potato Beef Paprikash

 Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
3 sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/4″ thickness. Lay a single layer in a 9×13 pan. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add in the meat, browning it, then draining off extra fat.  Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 C. water, and seasonings and cook for a few minutes, stirring until everything is well combined. Pour a layer of meat over the sweet potatoes in the dish. Layer another layer of sweet potatoes, then meat, then potatoes, then meat, until everything is used up. For best results, a meat layer should be last.  Sprinkle another 1/4 C. of water over top.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

If you need to make more - you can easily bump this whole recipe up by 50% and it will still fit in the pan.  Amounts aren't precise - I've made it with as little as a pound and as much as three pounds of beef ... the seasonings flex nicely either way.

Good luck with leftovers - we seldom have any.  If you're lucky though - they reheat beautifully.

Props to Shanti Landon at LifeMadeFull for this winner!!!

Gambas Al Ajillo (Spicy Yummy Garlicky Oily Decadent Shrimp!!!)

There's a local Mediterranean cafe that has Gambas Al Ajillo to DIE for.  I tried to make it myself.  So far this is my best recipe (based on food.com) ... still looking for others with the magic though.  This can serve as an entrée, a tapas dish, or an appetizer.

I'm sure this goes without saying, but peel the darned shrimp.  For some stupid reason, the first time I made this I totally missed that step and of course the flavors didn't reach the meat.  Dooh!



Gambas Al Ajillo

Although I haven't tested other proteins yet, another commenter wrote:  The same dish can be made with squid, cut into rings, or scallops. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread to sop up the sauce…. You will not want to waste a drop! (Make sure you are "warming" the olive oil and the butter, not cooking it off..... cause you'll want every last bit of it for the sauce).  Great input, thanks :)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter or ghee (or use all olive oil - pick your fat!)
• 2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic lover)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

In a wide, shallow sauté pan over high heat, warm the Olive Oil and the Butter; add the Shrimp, Garlic and Shallots and sauté quickly for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, paprika, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:  1/4 lb.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 233 Calories from Fat 109

% Daily Value*

Total Fat   12.1g    19%

Saturated Fat 4.3g    22%

Cholesterol 251mg    84%

Sodium 310mg    13%

Potassium 245mg    7%

Total Carbohydrates 4.3g     1%

Dietary Fiber 0.5g     2%

Protein  26.3g

Vitamin A 17%       Vitamin C 13% Calcium 12% Iron 4%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in sugar
• High in phosphorus
• High in vitamin B12

Bad points

• Very high in cholesterol

Noo Yawk City??? (Beef Saffron Stew)

Wasn't such a hot 2 days as Whole30 compliance goes. Started off perfectly yesterday with a vegetable dairy free omelet, fruit, water, and black coffee ($24, gotta love Manhattan) but then went totally off the rails at lunch, dinner (incredible Thai dinner at ViV in East Midtown), breakfast (NY bagel anyone??!!), and lunch again. I started fresh again this evening for dinner with a hearty Beef and Butternut Squash stew.

I sort of cobbled this together from a bunch of online recipes - didn't exactly measure but this is a good guess at amounts.  MAN was it good!!!

Start with:
1 lb. stew beef - browned

1 sweet or yellow onion - roughly chopped and thrown in to sauté with the beef

3 cloves garlic, chopped and also thrown in with the beef

Once this is all somewhat cooked, add and BTBRTS (bring to a boil and reduce to simmer):

4c sugar free beef stock (Swanson has a good one)

28oz can diced tomatoes

1 lg butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed

3 bay leaves

Black pepper (1/2 t.)

Sea salt (1/2 t.)

Paprika (1 t.)

Ground cumin (1/2 t.)

Ground coriander (1/2 t.)

Mexican oregano (1 t.)

Dried basil (1 t.)

Turmeric (1/4 t.)

Several (4-8) threads of saffron

Cook until the squash is soft and the herbs are rehydrated. Sorry I didn't track quantities of spices - I'll put guesses next to each but adjust to taste!!

Enjoy!