PRODUCT of the WEEK: Indian Fare's Shelf-Stable Madras Lentil

This is a great, simply, affordable dish; Trader Joe's sells it for $1.99 (may vary by area), and I've seen it offered for more at Ralph's, a southern California chain. All natural ingredients--no chemicals, no sugar, no flour. Just tomatoes, onions, lentils, kidney beans, cream, salt, butter, cumin, sunflower oil and red chilies.

It's a little spicy, and you have to like Indian food--but even if you don't, it's great warmed up in the microwave. Delectable!

MENU Mondays: Black Olive, Jalapeno and Onion Dip

This is very easy to make and it's very tasty; you can use veggies or water crackers with the dip--tortilla chips, not so much.

Equipment: mixing bowl, skillet, spatula, wooden fork or spoon, knife.

Ingredients: 1 small can sliced black olives, or 3/4 cup diced black olives; 1 small onion, diced and sauteed, 2 garlic cloves, pressed; 2-4 roasted or sauteed, diced jalapeno peppers, 16 oz. sour cream; 1/2 block light cream cheese; paprika, salt, pepper and dill to taste.

Notes: Mix all ingredients together after sauteed veggies have cooled; chill and serve.

TIPS Tuesday: Pass...on the Salt

This week's tip was going to be about the equipment needed to run a kitchen on a no-refined-carbs diet. However, I'm still putting that list together. (a cutting board, yes, but what else?....)

Meanwhile, let's talk about salt--do you really need so much of it? As a salt-lover, I've been amazed at how little salt I really need. I'm not giving it up--after all, iodine is a nutritional requirement. But, setting aside nutritional values, too much sodium can lead to hyper-tension and range of other problems. It's tempting, when not using refined carbs in your cooking, to over-salt food.

Instead, try upping the quantity of other spices--paprika, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, cayenne--you use, along with fresh herbs, like dill, mint, parsley and basil. As well, onions (and this includes red onions and scallions) offer distinct flavor to dips, dishes and salads that may well obviate the need for salting the food.Vinegars (wine, balsamic, rice--watch this last one, as sugar is often added to it) also provide flavor when used judiciously.

While your at it, consider choosing unsalted peanut-butter, and unsalted nuts, when shopping for these items. You will be surprised at how little you miss the salt.

RECIPE Fridays: #4 - Vegetarian Chili

This is a nice spicy, low-fat, very low-refined carbs (is Tempeh a refined carb? Don't think so...If not, then this is a zero-refined-carb recipe) Vegetarian Chili. This is a variation on many, many veggie chili recipes--some of which call for either textured vegetable protein or soy 'meat.' I use Tempeh in place of those items; you could also used diced and sauteed fresh mushrooms.

You will need: 1 cup of water; 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube; 1 28 oz. can of Diced, Peeled Tomatoes; 1 15 oz. can of Black Beans; 1 15 oz. of Red Kidney Beans; 1 small onion; about 15 small cubes (half-inch width) of Tempeh; 1 large Red Pepper, diced; spices: cumin, chili power, cayenne, pepper, salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce. 

Frying Onions, Red Peppers and Tempeh

1. Cut up and fry the Tempeh with a little olive oil and Worcestershire Sauce. Cut up and fry in a separate skillet the Red Pepper and Onions.

2. Take a 4 quart pot, fill with one cup of water and the bouillon cube, bring to a simmer.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans and as much of the spices, to taste, as you like. Continue simmering, while stirring occasionally.

4. Finish frying the tempeh, onion and peppers. Make sure the tempeh, onion and peppers have a tiny bit of char on some of the pieces.

5. Add the tempeh, onion and peppers to the main pot; stir, and let simmer on the lowest possible heat for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Turn off heat. Let the chili sit, settle, mingle flavors and congeal a little to reduce the liquid component. It's best if you refrigerate in the same pot overnight, then spoon into a bowl and microwave that on a low setting for three minutes to warm up. Enjoy.

RECIPE #1: Awe-Ful Onion Dip

You can make real onion dip that is not from a package, doesn't contain chemicals and is very low in refined carbohydrates. You will be full of awe - 'awe-ful' - at how yummy this is. Five steps and five pix are below:

1. ASSEMBLE IT: 
You will need....
*Mixture: one 16 oz. container of sour cream; two big dollops each of plain yogurt (not vanilla) and mayonnaise (fat-free or vegan).
*Spices: a few shakes to taste of...black pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, paprika. A tiny shake of cayenne pepper powder.
*Onions: one large onion OR one medium onion and a small onion OR three or small onions.
*Raw Veggies: baby carrots, or vegetable strips - squash, zucchini, cucumber - for eating the dip.


2. MAKE IT:  You need to....
*Chop up the onions first and saute/fry them up in a skillet with margarine, oil or butter. Color should range from translucent beige to deep brown; a few crispy, full caramelized/fried pieces are good. Once done turn off heat, and let cool
*While onions are cooking, stir the wet ingredients (sour cream, yogurt and mayo) together in a bowl.
*Add in the spices. Mix further.
*Prepare any cold veggies to use as implements for eating the dip.



3. MIX IT: You need to...
*Add the lukewarm/cool onions to the mixture.
*Stir this mixture up really well.






4. COOL IT: You need to...
*Use a spatula to empty the mixture into a plastic storage container (i.e. Tupperware, etc.). Refrigerate for at least six hours - preferably overnight.

5. EAT IT: You need to....
 *Use baby carrots, zucchini, squash or carrot strips to scoop up the dip.



 NOTES: Don't omit the yogurt and mayo - this adds some flavor to the sour cream, and provides some tang. Onions should caramelize, just cook them through, but don't fry or leave them too uncooked. Make sure they cool down before adding to dip mixture. Stir the wet ingredients first before adding spices. The dip is MUCH better after a prolonged period of refrigeration - flavors mix together, and the barely beige mixture turns a nice brown...the way onion dip is supposed to look.