In skillet, heat bacon fat on med. high.  Add rice and stir until golden brown.  Add onion and garlic, cook three more minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir only once after ten minutes.  Check rice for doneness by tasting a few of the top grains.  Add water and cook five minutes more if necessary.  6 servings.

Not as hard as I thought, after someone informed me that grits are actually the same thing as polenta.  Who woulda thunk it.

• 2 cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 c. uncooked quick cooking grits (ick)
• 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/3 c. fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan; gradually add grits, stirring constantly.  reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, five minutes or until stick, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients.

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I know, this sounds disgusting, but I have great plans to do this with real slow cooking grits.  And whole fat sour cream.  I am assuming this is a Cooking Light recipe, what with all the low fat stuff.  I found it stuffed in my cupboard when I went for a Hydrox cookie.

1/2 c. vodka

2 tsp. crushed whole allspice

2 tsp. crushed cinnamon stick

10 crushed whole cloves

Cover with plastic wrap; let sit at room temp. for 8 hours

Strain vodka mixture; set aside

In bowl mix:

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. soy sauce

2 tsp. hot sauce (I use Frank’s)

4 crushed garlic cloves.

Set aside.

Roughly grate 4 cored and quarted medium tomatoes, discard skin. Scrape tomatoes through sieve to make 1 cup pulp; set aside

Cook 1/4 c. sugar and 6 T. red wine vinegar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a deep brown caramel, 6-7 minutes.  Carefully stir in tomato pulp.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until thick, 4-5 mins.  Remove and discard garlic from soy sauce mix, then add to skillet.  Bring to a boil, add 1/4 c. tamarind pulp along with vodka mixture and cook until thickened, 10-12 mins.

Refrigerate for up to 2 month.

And for all that work you get 1 cup of super yummy, very low sodium steak sauce. (I use the super low sodium soy sauce, but you don’t have to.) It is worth the trouble.   Recipe based on one from Secrets of the Still by Grace Firth, published in this incarnation in Saveur.

Technorati Tags: steak sauce, home-made condiments, low-sodium

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini; sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in paprika and cinnamon. Add quinoa to skillet; toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to baking dish. Cover and chill. Rewarm, covered, in 350°F oven about 15 minutes. Mix in cilantro and serve

Pierce squash with a fork; place on paper towels in microwave. Microwave at high 15 minutes or until tender. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove spaghetti-like strands.Combine cooked squash and next 6 ingredients (through olives) in a large bowl; toss well. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Add to squash mixture, tossing to coat. Cover and chill.

From Cooking Light December 2005

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This salad is so good that even my carnivorous, bourbon swilling friends liked it.

Technorati Tags: salad, spaghetti squash, greek food, healthy food disguised as tasty food, potluck food

Combine boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 10 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve 1 1/4 cups soaking liquid, and chop mushrooms.Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine, and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Add mushrooms, cheeses, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir gently just until the cheese melts. Serve warm.

From Cooking Light December 2005.   Did I mention that I love this issue?  I wore my first one out, it fell apart and I had to throw it away.  The same goes for December 2004 and May 2005.  Completely randomly someone left these three issues at work for me the other day.  SPOOOKY.  So I am putting all the recipes that I liked on here before I destroy these ones.

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I made this for a friend who was all sick and stuff a couple of weeks ago.  She was a vegetarian so I made it with vegetable stock, and it was taste-o-tastic.  She did not throw it up.  That is always a good sign.

Preparation

Remove meat from turkey wing; chop and reserve 1/2 cup. Reserve remaining turkey meat for another use. Separate wing bone at the joint; reserve drumstick portion of wing. Discard remaining bones.Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add Anaheim chile; sauté 30 seconds. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add reserved drumstick bone, collard greens, salt, red pepper, and black pepper to pot; cover with water to 1 inch above greens. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.

Drain collard greens in a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Discard turkey drumstick bone. Return cooking liquid to pan, and cook over high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 40 minutes). Add greens and reserved 1/2 cup chopped turkey meat to pan; reduce heat, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Serve warm.

–Cooking Light Dec. 2005

Technorati Tags: collard greens, vegetables, side dish, things my husband hates

Preheat oven to 425°.Drizzle a jelly-roll pan evenly with oil, tilting pan to coat.

Combine grated onion and potatoes in a sieve; squeeze out excess moisture. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine potato mixture, flour, and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, squeezing out excess liquid. Shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty; place on prepared pan. Lightly coat tops of patties with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 30 minutes or until lightly browned, turning every 10 minutes. Garnish with green onion strips, if desired.

Technorati Tags: latkes, holiday food, jewish food, potatoes, oil, yum, i want latkes right this minute

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add carrots; cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Place carrots and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently.

Technorati Tags: vegetables, carrots, yum

From Cooking Light December 2005 (pretty much the best issue ever if you hadn’t gathered.)

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Don’t cook the carrots for 20 minutes.  They get all mooshy and gross.  Unless you like mooshy and gross.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add bacon, broth, water, salt, pepper, and beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until beans are very tender. Uncover; cook 5 minutes.Drizzle beans with vinegar, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

From Cooking Light Dec. 2005

Technorati Tags: side dish, green beans, bacon