How to Cook a Leg of Lamb

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I was inspired to roast a leg of lamb after Ioannis
Michanetzis (a fan of startcooking.com) sent me his recipe for a marinated, roasted leg of lamb.

Ioannis, an Officer in the Greek Navy,
is currently a ship’s captain, with aspirations to have a cooking site
specializing in healthy and unique Mediterranean Dishes.

Ioannis’s original recipe was a bit more involved than
the recipe I’m doing here, but I would like to thank him for giving me the
opportunity (and permission) to adapt one of his specialties for startcooking.com readers.

****

At my grocery store, there were two choices of leg of lamb
being offered. Both were from Australia.

I am going to demonstrate how to cook the smaller 5-pound boneless roast shown on the top in the picture above. The larger 9-pound roast on the bottom is a “bone-in” cut. For beginner cooks, the smaller
boneless roast is easier to carve. Besides, it just fit into my 15-inch long
roasting pan, and my larger roasting pan is not as photogenic!

The steps involved in making this boneless leg of lamb are:

  1. Make a “spice-rub” with garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano and black
    pepper.
  2. Rub it all over the roast.
  3. Put the roast in a plastic bag
  4. Pour fresh lemon juice, olive oil and wine over the
    roast in the bag
  5. Put the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight.
  6. Remove the lamb from the bag and roast it in the oven.

The Marinade

(Marinate is the verb, and marinade is the noun. So, you
marinate the lamb with a marinade. Got it? Who’s on first?)

Step 1. First make a spice-rub by measuring out:

  • 3
    cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2
    teaspoons of dry oregano
  • 2
    teaspoons of dry thyme
  • 2
    teaspoons of dry rosemary
  • 1/4
    teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper

Put these ingredients into a small bowl…

…and mix everything together

Now, for the liquid part of the marinade, measure out:

  • 1/2
    cup (4 oz.) of olive oil
  • 1/2
    cup (4 oz.) of lemon juice, fresh squeezed
  • 2 cups (16 oz.)
    of dry red wine

My wine merchant suggested a very reasonably priced Merlot
() for the dry red wine.

The Boneless Leg of
Lamb

(FYI – It’s just the hind legs that are used for “leg of
lamb”)

Rather than working directly on the counter top, I set the
lamb down on some paper towels on a baking sheet. This is more sanitary.

Cut the plastic outer wrapping off the lamb, making sure not
to cut through the netting as well. (If you bought your lamb at a butcher shop, it may well be
hand-tied with string instead of netting.) The
netting (or string) holds the lamb together in that nice shape. Do not remove it until after the lamb is roasted.

Step 2. Rub the garlic dry-rub spice mixture all over the lamb.

Step 3. Put the lamb in a large plastic bag and set it on a dish. I used a two gallon sized zip-lock bag. (You
need the dish just in case the bag leaks when you put it in your refrigerator.
You wouldn’t want the marinade to spill all over the inside of your
refrigerator!)

Step 4. Pour the lemon juice, olive oil and red wine over the lamb
(in the bag.)

Squeeze out as much of the air as possible from the bag, and
seal it closed. As a precaution against
the bag leaking, wrap a second bag around the marinating lamb.

Step 5. Set the bag in a dish and let the lamb marinate in the
refrigerator for several hours or overnight -up to 24 hours.

Step 6. Roasting the Boneless
Leg of Lamb

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before
cooking it.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. degrees.

(
450º F = 230º C = gas mark 9)

Snip the corner of the bag and squeeze the marinade out into
the sink. It will no longer be usable.

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels.

Put 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoons of freshly ground
pepper into a dish. Season the entire
lamb with the salt and pepper. (You put the salt and pepper into a separate dish first
for sanitary reasons. You would not want to be going back and forth between
touching the raw lamb and your main salt and pepper holders.)

Place the lamb on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part
of the boneless leg of lamb.

(I strongly recommend using an oven-proof meat thermometer
for roasting a leg of lamb. This should allow you to peek through the window of
your oven door without opening the door and changing the internal temperature
of the oven. Every time you open the oven door, it takes a good ten minutes for
the temperature to get back to its original setting)

Set the lamb into the 450-degree oven and roast for 20 minutes.

(
450º F = 230º C = gas mark 9)

After the 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 325º Fdegrees (
325º F = 165º C = gas mark 3-very moderate) and continue cooking
the lamb until the internal temperature is to your liking.

Approximate Roasting
Time for a 5-7 pound Boneless Leg of
Lamb:

(Source: United State Department of Agriculture)

Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled:

Roast 325°

(165º C)

APPROXIMATE

Roasting

Time

Internal

Temperature

Rare

20 to 25 min./lb

135 F.

(57.2 C)

Medium-rare

25 to 30 min./lb

145 F.

(62.8 C)

Medium

(to medium well)

30 to 35min./lb.

160 F

(72.0 C)

Well done*

35 to 40 min./lb

170 F

(77.0 C.)

*Most people avoid cooking lamb to “well done”. It will be tough and dry.

There are several factors that will affect the cooking time:

  • The
    shape of the roast
  • The
    internal temperature when you first put it in the oven
  • Bone-in
    roast will require extra cooking time
  • Fluctuations
    in temperature of your own oven.

My 5 pound Leg of Lamb was removed from the oven when the internal temperature of the Lamb reached 140 F. degrees – medium rare.
It took a total of 1 and 1/2 hours to cook, which was considerably less time than what the USDA guidelines had recommended.
This is why a meat thermometer is absolutely essential when
you are cooking a roast.

When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it
rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will increase by about 5 degrees while the roast is resting out of the oven.

With a pair of kitchen scissors cut through the netting (or string)….

…..and remove it completely.

Slice the lamb into 1/2 inch thick slices across the
grain. (Here and here are very some very good pictures that show how to carve a bone-in Leg of Lamb.)

I roasted some carrots and small red potatoes separately….

….and served them with this Boneless Leg of Lamb.

Enjoy!

Approximate Lamb Cooking Times:

Source: USDA Last modified – May 2007

Cut of Lamb

Size

Cooking
Method

Cooking
Time

Internal
Temperature

(Fahrenheit
/ Celsius-Centigrade))

Lamb Leg, bone in

5 to 7 lbs.

Roast 325°

(165º C)

20 to 25 min./lb.

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C

25 to 30 min./lb.

Medium

160°F /56.9°C

30 to 35 min./lb.

Well done

170°F / 62.4°C

7 to 9 lbs.

Roast 325°

15 to 20 min./lb.

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C

20 to 25 min./lb

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

25 to 30 min./lb.

Well done

170°F / 62.4°C

Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled

4 to 7 lbs.

Roast 325°

25 to 30 min./lb.

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C

30 to 35 min./lb.

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

35 to 40 min./lb.

Well done 170°F / 62.4°C

Shoulder Roast or Shank Leg Half

3 to 4 lbs.

Roast 325°

30 to 35 min./lb.

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C

40 to 45 min./lb.

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

45 to 50 min./lb.

Well done

170°F / 62.4°C

Cubes, for Kabobs

1 to 1½”

Broil/Grill

8 to 12 minutes

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

Ground Lamb Patties

2″ thick

Broil/Grill

5 to 8 minutes

Medium °

160°F / 56.9C

Chops, Rib, or Loin

1 to 1½” thick

Broil/Grill

7 to 11 minutes

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C

15 to 19 minutes

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

Leg Steaks

¾” thick

Broil/Grill 4″ from heat

14 to 18 minutes

Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

Stew Meat, pieces

1 to 1½”

Cover with liquid; simmer

1½ to 2 hours

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

Shanks

¾ to 1 lb.

Breast, Rolled

1½ to 2 lb.

*Braise 325°

1½ to 2 hours

Medium

160°F / 56.9°C

*Braising is roasting or simmering less-tender meats with a
small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.

Digg This!

Recipe: Boneless Leg of Lamb

serves 8

  • 1 (5 pound) leg of lamb – boneless
  • 3 cloves of garlic – crushed
  • 2 teaspoons of dry oregano
  • 2 teaspoons of dry thyme
  • 2 teaspoons of dry rosemary
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice – fresh squeezed
  • 2 cups of dry red wine
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper

Combine in a small bowl the garlic, dried oregano, thyme, rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.

Rub the garlic and spice mixture all over the lamb.

Put the lamb in a large plastic bag and pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine.

Squeeze out as much of the air as possible from the bag and seal it closed. As a precaution against the bag leaking, wrap a second bag around marinating lamb. Set the bag in a dish and let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. (After 20 minutes of cooking the oven temperature will be lowered to 325 degrees)

Remove the lamb from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade, it is no longer usable.

Combine the 2 teaspoons of salt with the remaining 3/4 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper. Season the lamb with the salt and pepper.

Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast the lamb for 20 minutes at 450 degrees then lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue cooking until desired internal temperature is reached.

·       Rare135 F. (57.2 C)

·       Medium-rare 145 F. (62.8 C)

·       Medium 160 F. (72.0 C)

·       Well Done 170 F. (77.0 C)

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.


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Cod with Salsa

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Cod is a very mild tasting white fish.  Salsa, particularly fruit salsas, add the perfect zing this delicate
fish.  Choose something like pineapple or mango
peach. (The pineapple salsa I chose at
my supermarket had a bit of a kick to it, whereas the mango peach salsa had a
sweeter, more delicate flavor.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and, if you’re going to
serve your fish with mashed potatoes or  rice start cooking them immediately, then prepare the fish.

Rub about 2 teaspoons of butter in a baking dish large
enough to hold ¾ pound of cod.

Place the cod in the baking dish.

Spoon 1 cup of your favorite salsa over the fish.

Bake the fish in a 350 degree oven about 25-30 minutes. With a fork, test to see if the fish is
cooked; it should be totally white in color in the center of the cod. It is
should not be clear (see-through) but opaque.

Serve the cod with rice and broccoli cooked in the microwave. This is an incredibly fast and healthy meal
to serve for dinner tonight!

Enjoy!

P.S. For a great New England classic, check out my video on Baked Cod with a buttery bread crumb topping.

Recipe: Cod with salsa

serves 2

  • 3/4 pound of cod
  • 2 teaspoons of butter
  • 1 cup of salsa

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees,

Rub about 2 teaspoons of butter in a baking dish large enough to hold the cod.

Place the cod in the baking dish.

Spoon 1 cup of your favorite salsa over the fish.

Bake the fish in a 350 degree oven about 25-30 minutes.

With a fork, test to see if the fish is cooked through and flakey

Adapted from: allrecipes.com


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8 Winter Soups to Warm Your Belly

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minestrone soup

A hearty bowl of hot soup is great on a cold, winter’s
day.  Here is a selection that will satisfy
both the hearty and the finicky eaters in your family.

  1. Baked Potato Soup This recipe is fantastic!  It is so thick you could use a fork to eat it!
  2. Split Pea Soup with turkey sausage is really hearty and healthy at the same time.
  3. Tomato Soup never tasted this good from the can.  (A grilled cheese sandwich on the side is a must!)
  4. Mixed Bean and Vegetable Soup, made with lots of root vegetables, has just a hint of curry powder to give it a slightly exotic flavor.
  5. Pumpkin Soup:
    This no-fuss soup, made with canned pumpkin, is ready in a pinch if you don’t have hours to spend
    in the kitchen.
  6. Tuscan Bean Soup Fresh herbs are a must for this flavorful, aromatic, and easy to make soup.
  7. Chicken Noodle Soup
    If you’ve got leftover chicken, some pasta in the pantry and a variety
    of vegetables in the fridge, you’ve got the makings for a soup that’s
    hearty and is made in less than 30 minutes.
  8. French Onion Soup Crusty bread and melted cheese make this soup not only delicious but fun to eat as well!

PS.
For those of you lucky enough to be surrounded by sunshine and warm weather, this cold Gazpacho is perfect for dinner tonight.


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4 Cooking Mistakes You Learned From Your Parents (and how to fix them)

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Photo by A6U571N

Have you ever noticed that bad home cooking, the kind you choke down out of politeness to friends and family, is almost always bad in the same way?

Bland, soggy vegetables. Tough, chalky meat. These are the meals that have you longing to get home to a bowl of cereal (or at least reaching for another glass of wine to wash it down).

Most bad food tastes alike because we are usually making the same mistakes in the kitchen. And since horrible cooking is rampant among my parents’ generation (you were a very lucky child if you didn’t grow up hating spinach), I assume this is where most of us learned these bad habits.

The good news is that if you avoid the four most common errors you’ll be able to cook almost anything decently well.

4 Cooking Mistakes You Learned From Your Parents (and how to fix them)

Mistake #1: Overcooking

By far the most common reason food is ruined is overcooking. When vegetables are cooked too long they lose their vibrant color, sweet flavor and crisp texture, making them far less appealing. Remember that most vegetables can be eaten raw, so cooking should just enhance their flavor and make them a tad easier to chew.

The same is true for meat. Beef, pork, poultry and seafood all taste worlds better when they aren’t burnt to a crisp. Overcooking meat ruins the texture, making it dry, chalky and hard to swallow. Perfectly cooked meat should be tender and juicy.

If you source your proteins from high-quality, reliable farms it can be safely cooked to temperatures a few degrees below those recommended by the USDA. They suggest the higher values to protect the meat companies (not you) from being sued for letting their animals bathe in their own feces. Yes, good meat is more expensive. But if you like meat and don’t like E. coli it is an excellent investment. If you do buy industrial meat (or industrial fruits and vegetables for that matter), there is certainly a safety concern and you should be aware of the risks of undercooking.

Solution: Err on the safe side.

The best way to avoid overcooking is to check the food before you expect it to be done. If it’s veggies take sample bites during the cooking process, and don’t be afraid to stop earlier than a recipe says if the taste is good. If it is meat, cut into a thick piece and look for signs of rawness. Keep in mind that meat will continue cooking after you pull it from the heat, so if it is really close consider letting it rest off the fire for 5-10 minutes then check it again. You can always cook something more, but can never cook it less.

Mistake #2: Under-salting

A little salt goes a long way, and sometimes just a pinch can save an otherwise bland and boring dish.

If you’re wondering why a healthy eating blog is recommending something that everyone tells us is unhealthy, keep in mind that 75% of the sodium eaten by Americans comes from processed foods. So if you’re cooking fresh food at home you’re already winning the salt war. Besides, if it’s getting you to eat more vegetables then it is a really good thing.

Watch this video for more about the science behind how salt affects your health.

Solution: Use a little more salt, then more if necessary

I recommend finding a decent sea salt for flavoring dishes. It adds a dimension and complexity you just don’t get with standard iodized salt. If you’re concerned about the possibility of over-salting a dish but are curious if more salt would help, take out a few bites and sprinkle a little on. You should be able to tell right away if it will help.

Keep in mind though that over-salting can taste even worse than under-salting, and is much harder to fix. Always be careful and just add a little bit at a time until you get the balance right.

Mistake #3: Not enough acid

This one took me awhile to figure out, but it can transform a dish when used properly. Acid adds a slight sourness to foods that can be exceptionally powerful for brightening dull, uninspired dishes. Sour is also the opposite of bitter, so adding a touch of something acidic is usually the best way to fix a dish where the flavors are unbalanced.

Solution:

A squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar is sometimes exactly what you need to take a dish from just OK to absolutely delicious.

Mistake #4: Using bad ingredients

I saved this until the end because I say it all the time on Summer Tomato, but this is really the most important step. It’s February and asparagus couldn’t be any more out of season, so don’t buy it. There are plenty of seasonal ingredients at your local grocery and they will taste worlds better (and be cheaper) than anything artificially ripened and/or shipped from another hemisphere.

Solution: Cook with the seasons

Even if you can’t make it to the farmers market every weekend, you can still find seasonal (if not exactly local) ingredients in your grocery store. If you live in Minnesota and can only find California broccoli this time of year, so be it. But you don’t need strawberries from Chile or tomatoes from a greenhouse in the middle of winter, and they won’t taste good anyway. Here’s a great seasonal food chart if you don’t know where to start.

What cooking mistakes have you learned to fix?


Summer Tomato

“Natural” Sugar Substitutes and Artificial Sweeteners: For Better Or For Worse?

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Photo by Steve Snodgrass

It’s no secret that I don’t like sugar. But something funny happens every time I recommend people eat less of it: I get bombarded with questions about whether this or that sugar substitute is a good choice.

Sometimes people ask about more natural or “less processed” sweeteners like honey, agave or molasses. Other folks want to know about calorie-free sweeteners like stevia and sucralose (Splenda). But the gist of the question is always the same: what should I eat if I want to have something sweet?

My answer, to many people’s surprise, is to pick whichever one tastes best with what you’re eating (even if it’s plain old cane sugar) and don’t worry about it.

The thing about sugar is no matter what form it comes in, it’s still sugar and is not good for you. Moreover, foods that require sweetening (e.g. pastries) usually have enough other unhealthy ingredients that swapping out the sugar isn’t going to make a huge difference. Sure maybe molasses has a little more vitamin D, or agave ranks a little lower on the glycemic index (because it has more fructose, similar to high-fructose corn syrup), but that doesn’t change the fact that these are still highly concentrated sources of sweetness and should never be eaten in large quantities.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat them at all. There’s room for small amounts of sugar in a healthy diet, and it doesn’t matter much where it comes from. Don’t forget to keep everything you eat in perspective. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow, then how virtuous would you feel for ruining your grandmother’s famous apple pie recipe by swapping out sugar for Splenda? We all know pie isn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but some experiences have more value than nutrition alone. As long as you don’t choose experiences over health every single day, those occasional indulgences are not going to kill you.

Artificial sweeteners have other problems as well. Despite their lack of calories, evidence shows that people who use non-caloric sweeteners do not weigh any less than people who don’t use them, and there is no evidence that they help with weight loss. People tend to think they are being virtuous if they choose lower-calorie foods over higher-calorie foods. But without an obvious benefit, what is the point exactly?

Lack of effectiveness is not my only issue with artificial sweeteners. Some studies have suggested that consuming calorie-free sweeteners enhances a person’s appetite and cravings for sweet foods, and this has been proposed as one of the reasons they are not effective at helping people lose weight.

The safety of several of the most popular sugar substitutes has been questioned as well. Though I’ve never found any of the arguments about the dangers of saccharin (Sweet’N Low) or aspartame (Equal) particularly convincing (the original studies were flawed and currently both are officially considered safe for human consumption), they are relatively recent additions to the human diet and the long-term consequences for you as an individual remain unknown. So if you really want to cut back on sugar enough to suffer through the taste of these of these impostors, keep in mind that you are essentially volunteering yourself for a long-term human health experiment that may or may not work out in your favor.

In my opinion still the strongest reason to avoid artificial sweeteners is taste. To me there is something innately unsatisfying about the taste of no-calorie sweeteners, and bad tasting desserts are a paradox of the worst kind. But the assault on your taste buds doesn’t stop there. Artificial sweeteners keep your palate accustomed to overly sweet foods (most are hundreds of times more sweet than table sugar), making it more difficult to re-acclimate to the taste of real food. So not only do artificial sweeteners ruin your dessert experience, they also ruin your healthy eating experience. Awesome, right?

I make one notable exception with these recommendations. Diabetics have a medical condition that prevents them from eating sweet foods that impact blood sugar. This includes cane sugar, honey, agave, molasses, and most other forms of natural sweeteners. The only exception is the stevia plant, which is a natural calorie-free sweetener that has been used therapeutically for hundreds of years. Stevia has been shown in some cases to reduce hyperglycemia and hypertension in patients with pre-existing conditions, and is probably the best option for those who cannot tolerate any kind of caloric sweetener. Because the benefits do not exist for non-diabetic patients and, like other calorie-free sweeteners, stevia is still hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose, I do not recommend it except in these specific clinical conditions.

What’s your sweetness of choice?


Summer Tomato

Sausage Balls

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These savory Sausage Balls are great to serve to company! They are a hearty snack or hors d’oeuvre.
This is not a light and delicate dish, so you might want to serve them with some
fresh-cut vegetables and a healthy dip just
to balance out the decadent versus healthy options you provide to your guests!

The original recipe for
these savory treats has been around (supposedly) since the mid 1960’s. As a consequence, there are hundreds of
variations to the recipe, which I’ll discuss at the end of this post.

For startcooking.com’s version of Sausage Balls you
will need:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups of flour
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons
    of baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 pound of hot sausage
  • 10 ounces of cheddar cheese, extra sharp
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 can of non-stick cooking spray

I recommend using hot sausage because it adds a really nice
zing to these sausage balls, but you could use a sweet Italian sausage, or even
a spicy breakfast sausage. (Not all sausage meat has the same fat content
which in turn does influence the final texture of these sausage balls.)

Be sure to bring the sausage to room temperature – it will
make mixing these ingredients a lot easier.

Begin by mixing (with a whisk in a large bowl) the flour,
the baking powder and the salt.

Now, remove the casings (the skin) from around the sausage
meat and put the sausage meat into the mixing bowl. It is not necessary to pre-cook the sausage
meat.

Shred 10 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. You can use either
white or yellow cheddar; just make sure it is “sharp”.

Then dice 1 medium onion.
That will make about 1 cup of onions. (I describe how to Chop, Dice and
Mince Onions here.)

Add the shredded cheese and the diced onion to the mixing
bowl.

With your (clean!) hands mix everything together with
both hands. The mixture will feel dry
and could take about 4-5 minutes to get everything well mixed.

Spray a baking sheet with sides with non-stick cooking
spray.

Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture with your
fingers, or a measuring spoon. Roll it
into a ball about 1 inch in diameter.
This recipe will make approximately 5 and 1/2 dozen sausage balls. (This sounds like a lot, but I promise you
they will go fast.)

You will have to bake them in two batches.

Set the balls on the baking sheet about 1 and 1/2 inches
apart from each other.

Bake them in a 350-degree preheated oven for 15-18 minutes
in total. Set the timer for 8
minutes. Remove the tray from the oven
and with a spatula or a pair of tongs, turn them over. Return the tray to the oven and continue baking the sausage balls for another 7 minutes.

(They can be a bit delicate to turn. You may need to gently loosen them with a
spatula before turning them over.)

Remove the tray from the oven, and if need be, with a
spatula, loosen the sausage balls and place them on a plate lined with a paper
towel to drain off some of the fat.

The sausage balls are now ready to be served as finger food,
warm from the oven.


Preparing in Advance

Once these sausage balls have been made, you can freeze them
before you bake them. Roll the mixture into balls as described above, and place
them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

Cover them with plastic wrap and…

…freeze for several hours until they are hard. Remove them from the baking sheet and put the
sausage balls in a freezer bag.

When you are ready to serve them, place them on a baking
sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let them defrost for 15 minutes and then bake
them according to the instructions above.

Variations

Some sausage-ball recipes recommend adding 1/3 cup of milk
or water, or 1 egg.

Other recipes call for garlic powder or fresh garlic,
chopped green chilies, rosemary, thyme, oregano, or Tabasco sauce.

Some suggest that you serve the sausage balls with red
pepper jam, or a mustard-mayonnaise sauce, or barbeque sauce.

Then there are some recipes that do not ask you to turn the
sausage balls over half way through the cooking time. I think that they tend to get a bit over-cooked on the bottom this way.

Instead of the flour, baking powder and salt, 1 and 1/2 cups
of Bisquick can actually be used for this recipe. Bisquick is a pre-mixed base for making
things like biscuits, pancakes, and other baked goods. If you are new to cooking and do not have
flour and baking powder in the cupboard, a small box of Bisquick may be the
thing to purchase. You can always make
pancakes with the leftovers! (Be
sure to buy the “Heart Smart” version as it is free of trans fats).

Many recipes call for 3 cups of Bisquick, 1 pound of sausage, and 12 ounces of cheese. That’s it. I tried making these and found them to very dry and hard.

***

I do hope everyone at your party enjoys startcooking’s
version of Savory Sausage Balls!

Recipe: Sausage Balls

serves 12

  • 1 1/2 cups of flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 pound of hot sausage
  • 10 ounces of cheddar cheese – extra sharp
  • 1 medium onion – diced
  • 1 can of non-stick cooking spray

Remove sausage from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Shred the cheese. Dice the onion.

Remove the sausage from the casing.

Add the sausage, cheese, onion to the flour mixture. Mix everything together with your hands.

Form into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange sausage balls on baking sheet with sides

Bake (in two batches) for 15-18 minutes in 350 degree preheated oven, turning once.

Serve hot.

Makes 60-65 balls

Freezing instructions:

Place uncooked sausage balls on wax paper lined baking sheet with sides. Freeze several hours until hard. Remove from baking sheet and put the sausage balls in a freezer bag. When ready to bake the sausage balls, place them on a baking sheet which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let the sausage balls defrost for 15 minutes and then bake according to the instructions above.


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10 Tips To Save Money While Eating Healthy

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Collards, Carrots and Lentils

Collards, Carrots and Lentils (click image for recipe)

Most people consider it common knowledge that healthy food is expensive and unhealthy food is cheap—that’s why we’re all so fat, right?

But for most people it does not need to be this way. Since I upgraded my healthstyle not only have I lost weight and become healthier, I have also managed to save more money.

How?

In a nut shell, I started cooking more at home.

It is a sad reflection on our culture that so many people rely on fast food for their daily sustenance, and my heart goes out to those who truly cannot afford better. But I contend that many of the bad decisions we make about food each day are more an issue of (perceived) convenience than price.

Last I checked burritos in San Francisco averaged over . And if you have properly set up your kitchen you will find it actually takes less time to cook a healthy meal than it does to place and fill your order at El Farolito.

Every penny counts in this brutal economy. Here are a few tricks you can use to save a buck and get a little healthier too.

10 Tips For Eating Healthy On A Budget

  • Cook at home The most important change I made to save money was to turn cooking at home into my default option rather than rely on neighborhood eateries as my go-to cop out. Eating out is expensive, no matter which way you cut it.
  • Shop on weekends If you already have fresh food in the fridge you will be more motivated to cook for yourself instead of going out and spending money. Make the habit of buying food ahead of time and you won’t be as tempted to waste money going out.
  • Shop seasonally When choosing what to eat, taste trumps health 90% of the time. (That’s why you rolled your eyes when I suggested you eat fewer burritos.) If you really want to start eating healthy you must want to eat vegetables, and that will only happen if the ones you buy taste delicious. Seasonal, farm fresh produce can completely change how you feel about vegetables and fruits—it also tends to be the best deal in the produce section.
  • Shop at the farmers market In my experience the best tasting produce in a chain grocery store is at Whole Foods. But if you have ever been shopping there you know what a dent it can put in your wallet (this does not apply to their non-fresh items, which are competitively priced and often cheaper than other stores). Rather than handing over your Whole Paycheck or settling for less than inspiring options at Safeway, do your weekly produce shopping at your local farmers market. If you shop intelligently (see below) you can get 2 meals for the cost of one burrito.
  • Focus on leafy greens Leafy greens like kale, chard, collards, spinach and broccoli are some of the most nutritious, least expensive things you can buy. And this is true at any grocery store, not just the farmers market. Frequently, half a bunch of kale with some beans, grains and herbs is my entire dinner and costs around .50. It also takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. Can you beat that?
  • Buy in bulk Canned beans are fine, but dried beans taste better and are way cheaper. Grains from the bulk bins at your local health food store are only pennies per serving. Cook these staples in large batches and save them in your freezer for cheap, quick and nutritious food anytime. This is also true of lentils. Just add some greens and you’re good to go.
  • Eat less meat This is probably the easiest way to save money. Whether at the grocery store or at restaurants meat is always the most expensive thing on the menu. I do not advocate a vegetarian diet, but limiting meat to once or twice a week is an easy way to cut back on both calories and expenses. If you are worried about protein (you needn’t be) you can eat beans, eggs and lentils instead.
  • Use fish from cans Fish is an important part of a healthy diet, but fresh fish can be expensive (especially the wild sustainable kinds). Canned salmon, sardines (boneless, skinless), smoked mackerel and anchovies are inexpensive alternatives for protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Make fruit dessert If you think the farmers market is expensive my bet is you spend most of your money on fruits. I am the first to admit that fruit can be very expensive, especially summertime berries and stone fruits. While I do recommend you invest in some high-quality farmers market fruit, it will be easier on your wallet if you consider fruit a treat.
  • Think long term I am not arguing that buying every single food item at the farmers market is the cheapest way to shop, but it is almost certainly the healthiest. Our hedonistic tendencies may incline us toward cheap, greasy foods but you should consider what you are really paying for in the long run. Poor diet can be attributed to most cases of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and a generally difficult, painful life. And I probably don’t need to convince you that a farm fresh salad costs less than a hospital trip and a lifetime of medication. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive, but unhealthy eating can cost you your life.

What are your favorite money saving tips for healthy eating?

This post was originally published on May 20, 2009.


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9 Healthy Halloween Treats

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pumpkin patch

It was still summer when giant bags of Halloween candy started
appearing on store shelves. Then, the bakeries and cafes upped the
ante, pushing the fluorescent-orange-frosted cupcakes and cookies.
You’re conflicted: the adult in you hates Halloween hype, but the
10-year-old still salivates at the sight of all that sweet stuff. The
good news is that you and your kids can enjoy plenty of Halloween
goodies without going into sugar shock. Here are some ideas for
Halloween treats with a healthy twist.

  1. Veggie madness: Adam at Men in Aprons did a great job creating a Haunted Forest Platter: its got broccoli “trees”, hard-boiled egg “ghosts” and plenty of other creepy creatures made from vegetables.

    http://www.meninaprons.net/images/bhg_haunted_forest.jpg

  2. Easy, queasy appetizer: For an eyeball-ish appetizer, follow startcooking’s recipe for Deviled Eggs. They can be topped with either green or black slided olive “irises”. Better Homes and Gardens took it one step further in the photo below by adding asparagus eyebrows and using really great shaped plates!

    http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/recipe/l_R136435.jpg
    Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

  3. Forget the Candy: We all love candy but there are so many Healthy Trick or Treat Alternatives. Including:

    Cereal bars

    Snack packets of dried fruit, baked pretzels, nut and seeds

    Trail mix

    Animal crackers

    100 calorie packs of various products

    Single serve boxes of ready-to-eat cereal

    Raisins and chocolate covered raisins

    Fig cookies

    Mini boxes of raisins

    Individual juice drinks (100% juice)

    Single-serve packets of low-fat microwave popcorn

    Sugar-free hot chocolate or apple cider packets

  4. SOS (Save Our Seeds): If you are planning on carving a pumpkin, hang on to the seeds and roast them for a savory snack.

  5. Make Jell-O even spookier:
    If you whip up a package of orange Jell-O following the package
    directions and set some plastic spiders or other creepy crawlies on
    top, you’ve got a simple, non-fat Halloween dessert. If you are feeling more adventurous, try some Spooky Jell-o Jigglers!

    http://www.kraftfoods.com/assets/recipe_images/Spooky_JELL-O_JIGGLERS.jpg
    Photo: Kraft Foods

  6. Calling all cookie monsters: Instead of going for store-bought, try the Skinny Chef’s pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cookies.
  7. Hot spider! Ooops, that’s cider:
    Hot apple cider, which consists of apple juice, a few spices and orange
    peel, takes just a few minutes to make. Or try Real Simple’s cold Screaming Red Punch with a fake hand (shown below)


  8. Spiced up popcorn:
    Rather than making the traditional popcorn balls, why not try some of Macheesmo’s Five Spice Popcorn for a real flavor explosion! Simply Recipe’s Perfect Popcorn Recipe will guarantee no seeds on the bottom of the bowl.
  9. Pumpkins, pumpkins and MORE pumpkins:
    Carving a pumpkin is great fun but when it comes to cooking with
    pumpkins, it is a lot easier to just buy a can of pumpkin puree.
    Startcooking’s Pumpkin Soup Without the Fuss is a snap to make using pumpkin puree. Or you might want to try Pumpkin Pie for Beginners which comes out perfect every time!

    http://startcooking.com/public/IMG_9327.JPG

Happy Halloween Everyone!


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9 Tricks To Make Halloween A Treat

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Photo by pasukaru76

With extra candy, alcohol and fun everywhere, there is no point in pretending health will be your top priority by the time the weekend rolls around. But that’s a good thing.

Being healthy is important, but if you don’t learn to make room in your life for fun too then what’s the point?

My challenge to you is to use this Halloween weekend as an opportunity to practice rational indulgence. That is, enjoy things you have a reason to enjoy (i.e. foods you like) in quantities that leave you satisfied, but don’t abandon your health or get too obsessive about what you should or should not eat.

This is not the same as practicing “moderation” (an overused word, in my opinion). Instead I’m talking about a head change. Generally the term moderation is used to mean restraint for restraint’s sake. On Halloween this might involve consciously eating only half a cookie or counting out pieces of candy for your allowance.

Boring!

Moderation is fine for daily life, especially when you are just learning to cook and eat healthy foods. But equally important is getting in tune with the real reasons you eat: taste, pleasure and enjoyment, and using this awareness to guide your behavior and create natural boundaries.

Embrace Halloween as a special occasion for you to live and enjoy, while understanding that this is not the first nor will it be the last time you get to eat a cupcake. There is no need to go out of your way to be “good” or “bad.” Just have fun and try not to think in terms of guilt or temptation. It is thoughts like these which lead to too many drinks and eating that entire bowl of peanut butter cups on your friend’s coffee table.

But, of course, for rational indulgence to mean anything it requires a context of healthy eating. If your typical daily food intake isn’t already mostly healthy, then Halloween isn’t really an indulgence so much as an excuse. But that doesn’t mean this advice isn’t applicable to you. No matter what your baseline, it is easier to indulge rationally if you are well-nourished and in the right state of mind.

Strive for the general goal of eating healthy, nourishing and satisfying foods and feel free to add a few Halloween treats along the way.

Here are 9 strategies to help make rational indulgence a little easier.

9 Tricks To Make Halloween A Treat

  1. Leave your guilt at the door. Halloween will probably not be ideal for your health, but if you are going to indulge you may as well enjoy it.
  2. Eat what you want, but not any more than that. Remember that indulgence is not a race. You don’t need to eat everything in sight just because you allow yourself a couple days off. Stop occasionally and ask yourself if you are eating for pleasure or from compulsion.
  3. Do not skip meals. Halloween usually involves late night parties and candy, things that should not interfere too much with your regularly scheduled food program. Trying to eat light during the day to compensate for eating junk food later will probably just cause you to eat even more junk when you find yourself starving at 2am—not a wise strategy.
  4. Have a healthy, satisfying dinner. You would be surprised how easy it is to skip the third mini-Snickers if you are not hungry or are even a little full. Better to be full of stir fry than trans fat and sugar.
  5. Eat protein, vegetables and healthy fats before you go out. The main danger on Halloween is sugar. Too much sugar causes blood sugar to rise and insulin to skyrocket. Ultimately this leads to insulin resistance, weight gain and more hunger. To avoid this, slow down the digestion process by eating healthy foods first.
  6. Easy on the carbs. You will probably be getting more than your fair share of sugars and starches this weekend. Minimize extraneous carbohydrates in your meals by skipping bread and rice completely. Limit carbohydrates to vegetables, fruit and legumes.
  7. Keep moving. One easy way to make up ground if you are eating extra calories is to burn them off as you go. If you are out at a party, be sure to keep moving. Walk to your destination, play Halloween Twister and be the last to leave the dance floor.
  8. Brush up. Toothpaste can make candy taste pretty bad, so be sure to brush and rinse with fluoride before you leave your house and as soon as you get home. Sugar is also really bad for your teeth.
  9. Be safe. No matter what you do or do not eat, it is always important to make good decisions when you go out on the town. Be smart and make it home in one piece or none of this advice will do you any good.

How do you practice rational indulgence?

Originally published October 28, 2009.


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Rainbow Light Everyday Fiber System, Food Based, 180 vcaps

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Natrol JuiceFestiv Dietary Supplement, 60 Count FruitFestiv, plus 60 Count VeggieFestiv Capsules Reviews

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  • Natrol – JuiceFestiv – 2 Bottles (1) FruitFestiv 60 Caps & (1) VeggieFestiv 60 Caps

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Nature Made Vitamin B-12 250mcg, 100 Tablets (Pack of 3)

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Nature Made Vitamin B-12 250mcg, 100 Tablets (Pack of 3)

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Supplement. USP verified. Recommended by pharmacists. Essential for a healthy nervous system. Vital for red blood cell formation. Vitamin B-12 also promotes maintenance and growth of tissue and helps maintain nerve cells. No artificial color. No artificia

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Life Extension Bio-pqq Pyrroloquinoline Quinone, 10 Mg 30c – 3 Bottles Reviews

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Life Extension Bio-pqq Pyrroloquinoline Quinone, 10 Mg 30c – 3 Bottles

  • Combats cellular aging
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Proti Diet Tropical Fruits Concentrated Drink Mix (7 servings)

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