Crockpot Ketchup (C1)

Modified from a recipe on BalancedBites website

This was taken in part from a recipe on Diane Sanfilippo's website, and modified a bit in both ingredients and the process.  It's still a bit of an in-the-works project, as it is a bit thicker than I like my ketchup -- but the flavor is to die for!

1 small onion, diced
2 green/granny smith apples, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches of cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (next time: 2.5 Tbsp, see note below)
1/4 cup water (next time: 2/3 cup, see note below)
6 oz tomato paste

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and stir to combine. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 4 hours.  I have a small crockpot (2 quart) that I use for making my own individual portions of food items, so I used my small crockpot.

After 4 hours, remove the crockpot from the heating element and let it cool just a bit and then put in your food processor or blender.  Be sure not to fill your blender too full, as warm items tend to expand. Blend until smooth. 

Since this is fairly chunky to begin with, what I did was I put it in my larger Ninja and blended the heck out of it, then transferred to my smaller one and blended until I thought it was ready, and then kept blending. 

Once blended, place the ketchup into glass containers and allow it to come to room temperature before refrigerating.

NOTE:

1. This was still fairly thick, and I'm thinking that it was because my small crockpot runs a bit on the warm side, so next time I will increase the water from the original 1/4 cup the recipe calls for, to 2/3 cup, and also add 1/2 Tbsp extra apple cider vinegar, possibly at the very end of the cooking process for the extra being added.  Another option is to cook less time, thereby keeping more of the water in the crockpot and not evaporating as much.
2. If you are making this in C3, you can also add 1 Medjool Date (that's what I did), but it really is not necessary, as I think it's sweet enough as it is.

Simmie's Foolproof Mayonnaise

Simmie Sinow

This recipe is the result of trial and error with several different recipes online that didn't quite "cut it" for me.  This is now my 100% foolproof recipe using a stick/immersion blender.

The foolproof part of it, I believe, is in:

• the size of the egg yolk
• using egg yolk only and not a whole egg
• the temperature of the egg yolk and water
• Using a blender cup or the cup that comes with your blender and not your mason jar!

This recipe requires a stick blender. This method WILL NOT WORK in a regular blender.

Are you tired of struggling with making mayonnaise in a regular blender? How about the oil dribbling that has to be done so slow that it almost feels like you're not adding any oil to it at all? For about 3 minutes, no less!

Well fear not, this is a recipe that will take about 30 seconds start to finish, if that; probably closer to 10 seconds.

THE RECIPE!

Here we go.  First the ingredients:

Put the following in a blender cup. Do not use your mason jar for this unless you want failure!!

1 Jumbo egg yolk, cold
1 Tbsp water, cold (as in from the refrigerator door or ice cold)
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 heaping tsp dry mustard

Swish it around a bit until you can see that it's well blended....no little bits of the mustard powder floating anywhere. Do not use your blender for this part!

Then add, all at once:
1 cup olive oil (in C3, you can also use walnut or canola oil)

Place the head of immersion blender at bottom of the blender cup and switch it on (set it to high, not low).
As mayonnaise begins to form, slowly tilt and lift the head of the immersion blender until all the oil is emulsified. Make sure you don't see any sneaky remnants hanging onto the side of your blender cup!

Season to taste with salt.  Personally I think this tastes great without salt, but everyone's salt level is different.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

How long will this be good?  It should last at least two weeks.  Mine is usually good at 20 days and goes bad before it hits 22 days.  But then again, mine doesn't usually last long enough to find that out!

Ketchup - Oh! To Have Sweet Ketchup Again (C1)

Simmie Sinow

Have you tried making your own ketchup?  How has it gone, using recipes you find out on the internet?

Are the results coming up short in replicating the sweetness that you're used to in ketchup from the store, like Hunts Ketchup or Dole Ketchup?

Me too!!!

Would you like something like this?

This morning, I decided I was going to figure out why all the ketchup recipes that I've tried all come out on the tart side instead of the sweet side, and to come up with something workable. It only took me throwing out one batch to land on what satisfies my ketchup craving!

Don't get me wrong, there are some great BBQ and Ketchup recipes on sites just about everywhere, but they left me wanting that sweetness.

I discovered that the tomato paste was what made the ketchups and BBQ sauce recipes tart.  That was like manna from heaven, knowing that.  With that, I proceeded to look at other recipes I have where I've added sweetness, like the No-Nightshade Ketchup from the He Won't Know It's Paleo website. By the way, that stuff rocks big time -- it's really good, but more of a thick and very sweet sauce than it is ketchup. Good enough even to take a spoon and eat it out of the jar.

Keeping in mind that Pumpkin adds sweetness, I decided to head in that direction. Previously, I'd made ketchup and BBQ sauce and used applesauce for sweetening and that did not work. Then another time, I tried a little bit of coconut aminos (since they are more sweet than salty) and that didn't do anything. Oh and yeah, honey was one of my experiments too -- BZZZZTTT!

So the following is what I came up with.  Let me mention that this makes a lot of ketchup -- 1 quart. Also, make sure to use Vegetable Stock and not beef or chicken, as the vegetable stock is the lowest in salt and will not turn your recipe upside down.

15 oz can Tomato Sauce
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock (see note below on this)
15 oz can Pumpkin Puree
1 small onion diced small OR 1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 crushed Garlic Cloves OR 1 tsp Garlic Powder/Granulated Garlic

If you want it a little on the smoky side as well: 1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk well, until all ingredients are well combined.

NOTES:
Cooking? If you use the powder for the onion and garlic, there is no need to cook on the stovetop. If you use chopped onion and smashed garlic, you'll want to simmer for about 20 minutes, then throw in your blender and blend until smooth.

Vegetable Stock? I started with 3/4 cup vegetable stock and kept adding, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture was the thickness I desired. I wound up using 1 1/2 cups .

Is This Really Cycle 1? Yes, it is.  While it does have pumpkin puree in it, unless you're using a half cup of this, the amount you'd use on, say, a burger, you'd get so little pumpkin puree that it wouldn't even be measurable. So this is fine to use in small amounts for C1. If you're using 1/3 cup or more in a recipe, then I'd hold off and use that in C2 or C3.

All in all, it came out great! And made a lot!

While I'm not absolutely sure on the "ewww it's gone bad" date, I do know that it will keep fresh and usable for about 2-3 weeks.

Honey Garlic Meatball Sauce (C1)

Recipe Author: Stasi Blais L'Hirondelle

1/2 cup Walden Farms Honey BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup no sugar added ketchup
3 cloves crushed garlic
5-6 Tbsp water (add more if you like a thinner sauce)

Great meatball sauce! It can also be used as a marinade for chicken, etc.!

Asian Marinade (C1)

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

1/2 + 1/4 tsp tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp mashed garlic
2 tsp curry powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Equivalent to 1 pinch sugar
3/4 cup yogurt

Depending on how spicy you like your marinade, adjust the red pepper flakes accordingly!

Mix all ingredients together well, then put the item to be marinated in a ziploc bag along with the marinade for a few hours.  It is suggested that you turn the bag every 30 minutes or so to make sure all surfaces are coated with the marinade.

Indian Marinade (C1)

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

1/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp dried mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Put your items to be marinated inside a ziploc bag along with this marinade and let it sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes minimum; overnight works good too!

Make sure all items to be marinated are coated with the mixture.  What I do if I'm making this for same-day use, is I check on it every 30 to 60 minutes (for a 2-hour marinade).

Homemade Jam or Jelly (C3)

1 1/3 cup strawberries
Agave Nectar or Stevia equivalent to 2 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp water

This can really be done using just about any fruit that you want to make into jelly or jam.

Mash your fruit with a fork or run through your blender.  If you mash them, they will be more like jam; using your blender, they will be more of a jelly.

Mix in the remaining ingredients well, put in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Chipotle-Lime Marinade for Chicken (C1)

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

This recipe is good to marinade 2-3 chicken breasts.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lime zest
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp chipotle powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and use as a marinade for your chicken breasts.  Place the marinade and chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag and marinate for 2-4 hours, turning the chicken every 30 minutes or so to thoroughly coat the chicken.

Bake or grill your chicken as you normally would.  With baked chicken, it is recommended 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

NOTE:
It is recommended that you poke holes in the chicken breasts (with a fork or knife) before putting them in with the marinade, so that the flavors permeate the inside of the breasts.

Ricotta Salad Dressing (C3)

Makes about 1 cup of dressing

3/4 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients with a fork or wire whisk. Store in refrigerator.

Tofu Basil Salad Dressing (C3)

Adapted from Morinu website

Makes 1 cup of salad dressing

1 package Firm Tofu - Firm
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. apple or orange juice
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or a food processor and puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep in refrigerator for about a week.

Onion Soup Mix (C2)

This recipe calls for crushed beef bouillon. If you're in Cycle 1, you could convert this to be appropriate by replacing the beef bouillon with vegetable or chicken bouillon.

Easy! Easy! Easy to do on your own, and then you know exactly what's in it!

2 1/2 tablespoons dried minced onion
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled (for C1, use chicken or vegetable bouillon)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


AllRecipes: Onion Soup Mix Recipe

Celery Seed Salad Dressing (C3)

This sounds both easy and yummy!

This is a great C3 recipe for salad dressing.

MODIFICATION NEEDED: The only change that you need to make is to substitute some sugar replacement for the sugar called for in the recipe.

Taste of Home: Celery Seed Salad Dressing

Mint Vinaigrette Dressing (C1)

Recipe Author: 17 Day Diet Community Administrator

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Sweetener equivalent to 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate for at least two hours to let the flavors blend well.

This is a great dressing for a salad that's got some chicken and fruit in it (peaches are great with this dressing in a salad).

Easy Italian Dressing (C1)

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

Combine the following into a container suitable for using for salad dressing:

1 cup oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp onion powder

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tsp (1/2 Tbsp) mustard powder

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Refrigerate when combined.  When ready to use, shake thoroughly to stir the ingredients together well.

This can also be used as a marinade for chicken, etc.  When using it for this, it’s recommended to add some more of the Italian Seasoning to the mix.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix (C3)

What a great idea to make your own Ranch dressing to use -- make it healthier for yourself!

Low Sodium Cooking:   Ranch Dressing Mix

Creamy Alfredo Sauce (C3)

Talk about yummy!  We can always count on Chocolate Covered Katie for great recipes like this!


Chocolate Covered Katie: Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Easy Tartar Sauce (C3)

Diabetic Cooking

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar free sweet pickle relish

2 tsp lemon juice

Combine above ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Garlicked Balsamic Vinegar & Oil Dressing (C1)

Recipe Author: Ashley Kohl Scoggins Smith

Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic

A nice variation is to add a little bit of strawberry or raspberry preserves to this.

Tex Mex Dressing (C3)

Recipe Author: Sharyn Daley Costello

1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, and or some lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons agave, or some stevia to taste

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Asian Dressing (C1)

Recipe Author: Sharyn Daley Costello

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave, or half packet of stevia
pinch of dried ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!