Hush Puppies for the healthier eater

When you think of comfort food what comes to mind? Almost anything fattening and that really sucks. When it’s cold and rainy outside a nice big salad is the last thing I want. I want some comforting foods like Mac’ and cheese, fried chicken, casseroles, etc.

Now if you are from the south (which I am not) you have eaten a few Hush Puppies in your life. They are delicious! Perfect little fried bit sized fried balls of carbohydrates. How American is that? The first time I made these delectable little morsels I was in culinary school and I was surprised how easy they were to make. In the last couple years I have been trying to recreate classic comfort foods in a healthier way and these Hush Puppies are one of them.

 

BAKED HUSH PUPPIES

 Ingredients

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. gluten free flour

1 tsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 c. fat free milk

2 beaten eggs

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. melted butter

½ cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese

 

Instructions

Sift dry ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients and stir only until blended. Place approximately 1 tablespoon batter into well-greased small muffin tin wells. Place muffin pans on sheet of aluminum the size of the pan to prevent over browning. Bake in hot oven, 425 degrees, for 15-20 minutes. Makes 44 hush puppies.

 

 

Typically Hush Puppies are fried but if you wanted to you could do the same with this recipe. But I baked them because you save hundreds of calories this way and to me they are just as good. Also, lately I've been trying to stay away from gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley, because it damages the lining of the small intestine, leading to the body’s inability to absorb essential nutrients and vitamins. This can slow your metabolism and prevent weight loss. No bueno! There are many foods in your local grocery store that come “Gluten free” now. I used “gluten free” flour in this recipe. By simply using lower fat ingredients such as fat free milk and low fat cheese you can cut calories significantly. 

Sometimes Braising is better!

If there is one thing I can avoid when cooking, that is making the meal a long process. Maybe I am impatient, or just plain hungry! So I can usually whip something up in a jiff! However, there are times when I want to take time with my meal and plan ahead. I like having something that is slow cooked and deep in flavor.

 

You know when you go to Mexican restaurants and they serve that really yummy-shredded beef? Well that beef has been cooking in liquid for hours, a process called “braising.” Braising the meat makes it able to shred effortlessly.

 

How do you choose a beef for braising? Well, you can pretty much braise anything but the kitchen sink in any kind of liquid, but what is great about braising is that you can use the cheapest beef!  Forget the 13 dollars per pound Filet Minion. I usually go with the beef chuck, or the beef shoulder. These cuts are the toughest, making the tenderizing braising process perfect!

 

 

 

Lindsay’s Mexican Braised Beef

 

Ingredients:

4 lbs Beef chuck, cubed

1 onion

4 dried ancho chilies, soaked for 15 minutes, seeds removed

6 oz tomato paste

3 cloves garlic

2-3 cups water

 

Directions:

Season cubed beef with salt and pepper. In a large, deep pot, brown beef. In a food processor, blend onion, chili, tomato paste and garlic. Add to pot and submerge beef mixture with 2-3 cups water. Simmer and braise for 2 hours until beef is tender and liquid is reduced by half. Shred beef in pot with 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

With my braised beef recipe, I combine Mexican flavors with my own Lindsay twist that can be paired with many other foods. I like to use them in tacos. I lightly fry up a few corn tortillas, make a little salsa by combining chopped tomatoes, cilantro, corn, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and topped off with some sliced avocado. To assemble, put a couple spoon fill’s of beef on the tortilla, top with corn salsa and avocado, and your taste buds will be in heaven! 

"Fig Tree Cafe" in Venice beach

I don’t think I've ever met anyone who doesn’t like the beach, and living in Los Angeles, California, we have some great ones! Depending on the kind of beach experience you want to have dictates the beach you go to. If you want to go to a high-end area beach, you can go to Malibu Colony’s beach, or if you want a little low key but fun beach you can go to Santa Monica.

This past weekend while dropping off my boyfriend at his weekly football game in Venice, my friend Ashley and I decided that we would layout and catch some rays at the Venice beach. The weather was a beautiful 78 degrees without a cloud in the sky. The boardwalk was packed with its usual colorful characters, almost like the beach version of Hollywood blvd. As we wondered down the boardwalk, observing the interesting shops and street performers, delicious smells of foods came from every corner restaurant. After looking at the specials and menu’s from a few different restaurants, we resided at a place called “Fig Tree Café.” Sort of a breakfast all day kind of place. Famished, we quickly try to order, but the service was off to a bad start, but the waitress finally came to take our order.

I ordered the “Goat cheese, Caramelized onion, and shitake mushroom scramble, with potato pancakes” and, because I deserve it, a glass of champagne! Now I'm not kidding when I say that that was the best scramble I have ever had!! I mean, the ingredients were simple and pretty basic, but something about the creamy and tangy goat cheese, with the sweet caramelized onions and the smooth, chewy shitake mushrooms all together were DELIcIOUS!! Not to mention, there glass of champagne was HUGE!

All in all, I thought the ambiance of the café was relaxing with a view of being right on the beach, and it was very entertaining as the traffic of people from all walks of life passed by.