Coach BJ’s So Simple RED POTATO SALAD

December 5, 2020November 11, 2021

Coach BJ’s So Simple RED POTATO SALAD

So simple…who would’ve thought! Red potatoes are colorful, nutritious and delicious – here’s a tasty side dish and a plant-based carb fix! Just mix the potatoes with Sweet and Sour Mustard Salad Dressing to make a picnic treat any time of the year. It’s fun to take to a summer family outing but I love it for a winter picnic too!

Ingredients for SO SIMPLE RED POTATO SALAD by Coach BJ

So Simple RED POTATO SALAD
Serves: 4
1.5 pounds red potatoes, about four large, (microwave, boil or roast), cubed
1/2 chopped medium red onion

Cook the red potatoes using your method of choice. When cool to the touch, cube the potatoes. Place in a medium bowl along with the chopped red onion. Pour Sweet and Sour Mustard Salad Dressing (recipe below) over these ingredients then toss lightly until coated. Chill for 1 hour.

NUTRITION FACTS
Amount per Serving
Calories 118 Calories From Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 1g
Protein 3g

Sweet and Sour Mustard Salad Dressing: A great colorful way to top off your salads with your favorite mustard dressing.
Serves: 4
1 lemon, juice from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons sweet and sour mustard (or your favorite)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon Mirin rice cooking wine or sweetener of choice
add ceyenne or black pepper and salt to taste

Combine all ingredients. Pour over red potatoes and red onion. Chill for an hour before serving. Refrigerate in covered container.

NUTRITION FACTS
Amount per Serving
Calories 23 Calories From Fat 1
Total Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 240mg
Total Carbohydrate 2g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 1g
Protein 0g

Happy Plant-Based cooking with Coach BJ!

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020

CABBAGE and POTATOES CURRIED STYLE

CURRIED CABBAGE and POTATOES INDIAN STYLE

Add some spice in your life with this easy-to-make Indian style vegetable side dish. Mustard seeds and plenty of spices enhance the flavor of the cabbage and potatoes dish. It has eye appeal, as well as tummy appeal!

Serves: 4 || Prep Time: 20 minutes || Cook Time: 15 minutes

4 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and julienned
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and julienned
1/2 green or red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth, lo sodium
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch asafetida

Optional: Add brown rice and Roti to make this side a full meal. ++++++++++++++++

In a small amount of vegetable broth, heat the mustard seeds in a pan for 3-4 minutes until the mustard seeds appear to be cooked.

Add and stir potatoes, curry, broth (as needed), turmeric and asafetida to the pot; cover and cook on medium-low for 4-5 minutes.

Add the cabbage and bell pepper when the potatoes are almost cooked; stir and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add cayenne pepper and coriander powder, toss gently. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts:Calories 108 Calories from Fat 3, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 121mg, Total Carbohydrate 24g, Fiber 7g, Sugars 9g, Protein 5g

Tom loves to throw this easy meal together. We love Indian! Enjoy!

April 15, 2018

Smashed Potatoes

Rustic Smashed Potatoes are so yummy! Here is a quick method to use and cook a variety of potatoes. We usually have yellow, red and sweet potatoes on hand. Use yellow potatoes as the base, red potatoes are so creamy and sweet potatoes, of course, add a slight sweetness. OR use any type you have. So just grab a few…no peeling needed…easy to mash with a simple hand-held potato masher. In no time you’ll have a pot full of cooked potatoes. Add your favorite leafy greens to make an outstanding side dish.

Serves: 8 || Prep Time: 15 minutes || Cook Time: 15 minutes

6 medium yellow potatoes, 1 1/2″ cubed (do not peel)
1 medium red potato, 1 1/2″ cubed (do not peel)
1 medium sweet potato, 1 1’2, cubed (do not peel)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk, as needed
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

++++++++++++++++

Place prepared potatoes into a medium pot and cover with cold water. Boil about 15 minutes until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Drain (reserve hot water to wilt leafy greens) and add nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, salt and pepper to a serving bowl. I use a hand-held masher to smash the potatoes by adding milk, little by little, until desired consistency is reached.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 117 Calories from Fat 4, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 127mg, Total Carbohydrate 23g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 0g, Protein 3g

Add leafy greens:

To make the potatoes even more nutritious, add your favorite leafy greens
Tear greens into bite-sized pieces and place into the reserved hot potato water for 2 minutes to wilt
Drain and stir greens into potatoes

I have eaten rustic smashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I love the chunkiness and creaminess of this dish and you can’t beat the lovely color!

ENJOY!!

February 3, 2018March 22, 2020

ColeSlaw with Fruit

One of my favorite sides – coleslaw with fruit! It’s easy to make tasty plant-based coleslaw with pre-packaged coleslaw mix or, of course, you can make your own slaw. To add visual interest and ramp up the taste, just add various fruits. In this case golden raisins, Granny Smith apples and colorful grapes. The bottom line…it is nutritious, easy on the eyes and fabulous tasting!

Serves: 8

1 (12-ounce) package coleslaw mix
1/2 onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, quartered
1 cup golden raisins (divide)
1/3 cup raw cashew nuts (soak overnight or microwave)
1/3 cup water (to be used for cashew soak)
1 Granny Smith apple (core and cube with skin, soak in lemon juice)
1/2 lemon juice
1 tablespoon Stone-ground or Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup or, as needed, non-dairy milk
1/4 cup (or more ) black or red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (sprinkle on top)

Pre-soak: In the 1/3 cup water, soak 1/3 cup cashew pieces overnight or soften in the microwave for a few minutes.

Dressing: In a food processor, puree pre-soaked cashews with onion, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 apple with skin, 1/3 cup golden raisins and mustard. Add non-dairy milk, as needed, for desired consistency. Blend in food processor until dressing is smooth.

Combine Dressing with Slaw: Place slaw in a large serving bowl. Mix the prepared dressing into the slaw. Add remaining 2/3 cup raisins, 3/4 cup cubed apples and grape halves to the slaw; toss gently. Sprinkle celery seeds on top. Refrigerate a few hours so that the flavors meld.

ENJOY THE RECIPE

November 7, 2017November 7, 2017

Roasting Plum Tomatoes

Just call me a tomato snob! I really miss our home-grown heritage tomatoes during the colder months in Pennsylvania. Usually after October any store-bought slicer-type tomatoes are just so dull and not even worth purchasing. Of course you may choose to can tomatoes to savor their fresh taste. But I’ll talking about using tomatoes in sammys and on salads.

So here are two tips around this flavor challenge. If you have more tips, we’d love to hear from you!

(1) We have found that store-bought cherry tomatoes are still rather tasty during this season. We use in salads and in some soups.

(2) We have found roasting store-bought Italian Plum Tomatoes will get us through the winter. They are inexpensive and accessible but still rather flat tasting during the winter, that is, until roasted. After roasting they are taste busting gems! I roast plum tomatoes in my toaster oven about once a week; wrap left overs in the parchment paper which they were roasted on and store in the refrigerator so they are handy to grab.

HOW TO ROAST TOMATOES
TOMATOES (PLUM) – ROASTED: Juicy caramelized tomatoes – use to enhance sauces, in salads, on sandwiches or just pop into your mouth for a tasty nutritious treat. It’s easy to make small batches in a toaster oven. They are particularly yummy in the colder months when store bought tomatoes are so tasteless.

Serves: 8 tomatoes || Prep Time: 10 minutes || Cook Time: 30 minutes
8 fresh Italian Plum Tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt substitute
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

++++++++++++++++

Preheat toaster oven 400°F. Cut fresh tomatoes in half lengthwise, cut out stem. Place halves in a medium sized bowl, pour tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. Stir until all surfaces are coated. Sprinkle with dried basil, salt substitute and garlic powder; gently toss. Place halved tomatoes, cut side up, on parchment paper; roast for about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 26 Calories from Fat 0, Total Fat 0g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 9mg, Total Carbohydrate 6g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 1g, Protein 1g

October 14, 2017

Delicata Squash – I’m in Heaven!

Fresh Winter squash are showing their faces at farmer’s markets, vegetable stands and grocery stores in the area. It’s that time of year. I’m in heaven – Delicata Squash! Just to hold them in the palm of my hand is exciting, just my size. This gem is characterized by a cream colored delicate rind with green stripes.

There are so many varieties of winter squash to pick from, but, so far, Delicata has become my overall favorite! Why, you ask? Well let’s see: Foremost, they are so easy to prepare, my favorite method is roasting; you can eat the “delicate” skin, no peeling, yipee; when roasting they become caramelized, so creamy and naturally sweet but not too sweet; they have a somewhat nutty flavor too; perfect size for a single serving (about 6-7 inches long) and they fit perfectly into my energy-efficient toaster oven; the green striped skin is just beautiful, with golden-orange colored flesh; this delicate squash could easily be eaten as a dessert, it’s that tasty…need I say more.

Various Winter Squash at the Market- DELICATA on the far left.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love many types of winter squash, they each have their own attributes and purposes. But today it’s time to roast a Delicata. Perhaps another day I’ll cover other preparation methods.

I’m going to use it as a single serving for my lunch. So here’s the simple roasting process for a Delicata Squash:

Preheat toaster oven for 5 minutes 395 degrees Fahrenheit
Scrub squash
Place parchment paper on the oven tray
Place Delicata squash on the parchment paper
Roast for 20-25 minutes or to your liking, turn mid-way. (I love to eat the brown crusty portion of the roasted skin.)
Cool, cut in half, scoop out seeds and stringy flesh (seeds can be roasted too but that’s another post)
That’s it, eat flesh and skin – DELICIOUS

Delicata Squash - cut in half after roasting — Delicata Squash – cut in half after roasting

Eat flesh and skin of the Delicata Squash

October 3, 2017April 26, 2019

Pennsylvania Apples

FALL is in the air, that means Pennsylvania APPLES! Did you know that PA is the 4th leading state in the United States which produces APPLES? Furthermore, Franklin County is the 2nd top producer of apples in PA (after Adams County). Aren’t we lucky to live in this fertile valley and have fresh fruit available many months of the year! Beautiful orchards lined with rows of apple trees grace the landscape.

Apples are raised to use for the fresh market as well as for processed products. For us Pennsylvanians, fresh locally grown apples can be found in September and into the winter months.

HOW TO MAKE APPLESAUCE IN A CROCK POT.
Many varieties of apples are available…today we will be making applesauce with Golden Delicious, McIntosh and Cortland. But use any variety which satisfies your taste buds. I like to mix one sweet type apple, like Golden Delicious, with various other apples to give the applesauce more complexity. Of course there are a variety of methods to cook apples but the day the video was shot I had purchased a number of bags of seconds so I used a large slow-cooker (crock pot) to cook up a batch of applesauce.

Directions to cook applesauce in a crock pot:

Scrub, quarter and core apples (I do not peel to retain more nutritional value and I don’t mind if the applesauce is not totally smooth; but, if you wish, peel to make silky smooth applesauce.)
Cut into similar sized chunks, place in the pot, do not add water (add spices is you wish)
Cook for 4 or more hours on slow. (To make apple butter, it takes 10 hours or longer.)
When the apples are breaking up and have a mushy texture, it’s time to blend with an immersion blender to make applesauce.

Watch the video to see how easy it is to make and freeze applesauce to have fresh eating all year round. The video is a few years old but I still use this method. ENJOY!

September 26, 2017June 10, 2021

Roasting Chick Peas

We LOVE to snack on roasted low sodium CHICK PEAS (garbanzo beans)! Nice and crunchy like nuts without all the calories. Our toaster oven makes roasting so easy, quick and energy efficient too.

[A spin off is that we always have aqua faba (brine from chick peas) on hand to use as a leavening agent in baked goods…it keeps well in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze extra.]

The process for roasting Chick Peas is simple:

Just pre-heat your toaster oven 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes or roast in your regular oven.
Take a can of low sodium chick peas and save off the aqua faba (brine) to use as an ingredient in baked goods.
Do not rinse the chick peas, place them in a single layer on the roasting tray lined with parchment paper.
Sprinkle on your favorite seasoning, we like garlic and cayenne pepper.
Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning mid-way. That’s it!

A downside is that they are so good that we gobble up the roasted Chick Peas in a hurry and have to made more! ENJOY!!