Dash of Splash

Discover the SECRET names of Salt

2006-11-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

We are ALL aware of all the sodium out there ( even if we don't actually admit it!). It is easy to get 7,000 or more mg a day in just eating our regular menu. We don't even need to pick up a salt shaker. Most of the sodium we will eat is in prepackaged foods, frozen meals, restaurant food and prepacked meats and cheeses. To keep your sodium intake to a minimum it is essential to eat as much unprocessed foods as possible. Fresh veggies, salads and make our own casseroles and soups. Don't freak out it is actually pretty easy, so read on!

If you are going to buy frozen or processed foods read labels carefully and not just look at the sodium but check the serving size, it may be low sodium for 1/2 of the serving of the competitive brand. Watch for key words such as SODA, SODIUM or the symbol Na on the label.
Other such listings are Salt(sodium chloride), Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Baking soda(sodium bicarbonate), and baking powder. Plus many more, if you would like the list of the other names for sodium, e-mail me at KristiLinebaugh@gmail.com and request the list of names by which sodium is referred.
I personally love using casseroles and crockpots for recipes because you can make extra and freeze it and also once the food is in the oven or crockpot you can Forget About It ;)

++ Right now I am about to enjoy a big bowl of homemade soup I made in the crockpot this morning, it has okra, brown rice, red pepper collard greens and black eyed peas and some other goodies all made with the Canary Island Garlic and Herb Olive Oil. If you would like this recipe drop me an e-mail I will rush it right over++

Eggplant Ratatouille Serves 6-8 ( For heartier meal add lima beans as well)

1 Medium eggplant, thin sliced, sprinkle with Celtic sea salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow bel peppers, cored and sliced crosswise
2 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup chopped fresh kale
1 15-ounce LOW SODIUM navy beans, rinsed really well& lima if so desired
(Navy beans have1 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup, lima beans have 3 mg of sodium)
2 Roma tomatoes, cut into xlices
6 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon marjoram leaves
2 tablespoons Canary Island Garlic and Herb Olive Oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup of asiago cheese
Sprinkle of feta

1. Sprinkle both sides of sliced eggplant with the celtic sea salt and let drain in a colander for 2o minutes, while prepping the other veggies.

++Salting the eggplant and then rinsing off quickly allows the eggplant to better absorb the flavors you will be cooking with. All the liquid that is released from the eggplant comes from little pockets in the eggplant and when they release their liquid they can then refill with the juices of your dish++

2.Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with a drizzle of Canary Island Olive oil and rub around with your fingers. Layer half of the eggplant, onions, peppers, and zucchinini in the cassserole dish. Cover with all of the kale and beans, and spread half of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half of the garlic and half of the dried herbs. Repeat lyering process omitting kale and beans. Press down slightly and drizzle with Canary Island Olive Oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until veggies are very tender.

3. Remove foil Combine parsley and cheeses in a small bowl and sprinkle over veggies. Return to the oven and cook for 5 minute longer, until cheese is melted. Serve Hot!

The Sodium per serving was 367 mg of sodium, but if you use low sodium or no sodium beans you will really lower that number.
This recipe is an adaption of Lisa Turners recipe in the Delicious Living Magazine from September 2006

New Discovery!! Women owned business district

2006-09-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

We were having a celebration at the Cafe the other day. Cafe Latte Coffeehouse & Eatery is officially 11 years old!!!! Yooohooo!!! We were having a little party, giving away coffee and pastries and all that good stuff. Anyway, I was talking about the historic business district that we are in, I believe it is the oldest independently owned shopping district in Polk county. By independently owned I mean not only are the building owned by individuals but there are no franchises of any kind. We are a hidden treasure!! I recently noticed that we are also a business
district that all the businesss are women owned. Now that was pretty neat to discover!!! We have gift shops, salons, nail salons, a card and gift shop, a art framing shop, massage therapists, and internet marketer(& she is a Genius I have to tell ya), weight loss counselor, a bath and body shop and Cafe Latte Coffeehouse and Eatery. I have to say that Orchid Springs is a wonderful shopping district and definately a rare find now days.
Come by and eat, shop and relax,
Kristi
KristiLinebaugh@gmail.com

No time to cook the kids are back in school Dagwood night

2006-09-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

A lot of our restaurant customers are having cooking traumas because the kids are suppose to be somewhere 20minutes ago and one of them forgot their shoes the other one lost his backpack and somebody still needs to let the dog out, and who left the refrigerator door open AAAAAGH.
So our idea for calming the kitchen. It's DAGWOOD night!!!
Everybody has seen Dagwood pile his sandwiches sky high on the cartoon for years. So why not have a Dagwood night at home with the kids. The sandwiches are easy and very portable every person for themselves. The adults just have to grab whatever ingredients you have in the fridge left from the night before, chicken,veggies, cheese, salad, potato salad, tuna, onions, pickles, whatever you have in there. Line it up on the counter buy a long loaf of bread from the bakery
cut the pieces and slice the bread so there is a hinge in the back. Let the kids pile high their Dagwood creations and top it with the Canary Island Garlic and Herb Olive Oil. Wrap the sandwiches in saran wrap and you are off to the races.

No time to cook the kids are back in school

2006-09-07T17:06:00.000-07:00