[chris_at_lucas_RN]

I think part of our problem, as a society in America (I'm sorry, I know we are not all from the US, but this might be of interest to members of other nations as KFC, McD's, etc. keep spreading out and spreading out--and making us all spread out in the process!) is that we eat so much processed food.

Even most soy products are now so processed their health benefits are minimized and they look and taste like some of the worst! (We have tofurkey at our family Thanksgiving meals, and it is every bit as baloney-y as the real thing....)

I've always liked to cook from scratch, I only rarely use mixes (although I've been known to buy them if the price was right and there weren't too many no-no's in the ingredient list!), and once I get portion control under control, well, honey watch out!

Anyway, I thought it might be neat to have a make it from scratch, healthy foods thread.... Sometimes pounding the **** out of what you are cooking for dinner can be stress relieving too! And most of what I make doesn't take much time....

I'd love to hear how others "cook from scratch!"

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

I hadn't made fresh pasta in about ten years and finally (after looking for the past 3 years) have not one but two (don't ask) pasta machines, the kind you c-clamp to the counter and crank.

I made this last night and my husband (picky eaters have nothing on him!) actually pronounced it "good." I thought it was stupendous!

It was also very easy and you don't need the pasta machine to make it, you can roll it out like pastry and cut it in strips or squares, or with cookie cutters if you want to be a little more creative.

Recipe----serves 6 as a side dish, four as part of a main course, or 2 in my house.

In a large bowl combine 1-1/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt and stir with a fork to get it combined. Make a hole (like you would in mashed potatoes for the gravy) and break into it two large eggs. Some people add a little water as well, but I have found that this makes the pasta a little mushy. (That's desirable though if you are making chicken and dumplings. In that case, use only one egg and use one of the egg shell halves to measure one "shell half" of water. Add to the middle and continue.)

Using the fork, mix the eggs, gradually getting more and more of the flour mixed in, until it's too stiff to use the fork, then use your hands.

Grab up every little bit of the dough into the ball that forms, and kneed it for five or ten minutes, until it gets nice and elastic and stops sticking to your fingers. It won't get shiny, but it will have the feel of a stiff bread dough.

Cut it into four pieces, and cover three of them with a piece of plastic wrap to keep it from drying out (it will, and really fast if you are working in a breeze as from a ceiling fan). If you are using a pasta machine, run the dough through it several times to continue the kneeding, finishing with the shape you want (fettucine, spaghetti, etc.). If by hand, roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it is as thin as you want it. Slice it in strips, use a cookie cutter, or whatever.

Drop the dough into rolling boiling salted water (1-2 tbsp salt in 4-6 quarts of water), the more water the better. Or, you can boil it in broth. Boil for only 3-5 minutes for al dente. Don't worry if it sticks together a little bit before boiling, you can get it to loosen up by stirring the boiling pasta gently.

This pasta will taste like nothing you've had out of a package, and will be a little more substantive in the chewing.

We finish ours with a spritz of olive oil, a handful of shredded parmesan, and a couple of snips of parsley or fresh vegetables like broccoli, chopped raw tomatoes--use your imagination and make it different every time!

[Miss Calculation]

Hi Chris--
Besides processed food being stuffed with things you can't even pronounce, it's expensive! Take hummus for example....a little (1/2 cup or so) container is around $3.50 in the grocery store. You can make it in your blender in 5 minutes:
1 can garbanzo beans
1/4 c tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 T water (or more to aid in smooth blending)
2 T olive oil
3 T lemon or lime juice
Spice to taste (garlic, onion, salt, pepper, red pepper...whatever you like.)

[Katnip]

Funny you should mention this. I was just thinking how people are blaming fast food places for the obesity epidemic. But who forces people to eat there or to eat convenience foods.

Does anybody remember when going to a fast food place was a treat reserved for a couple of times a year?

Junk food like chips and sodas were only served at parties for special occaisions, not an everyday event.

Mom made dinner every evening. It wasn't always fancy, but it was fresh. (I'm not saying it has to always be up to the mom to do this).

We claim to be too busy too cook, but a lot of meals can be made in the time it takes to sit and wait in line at a drive-through, or to call and have a pizza delivered. And making meals can become a family project.

A little planning on days off can get you good, wholesome and easy to access food during the week.

Here's a website that might interest you. It's an American version of a movement started in Europe a few years ago called Slow Food:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

I love homemake hummus! Used to make it quite a bit, but I was the only one eating it. (There isn't a smilie for an expanding nurse! LOL)

And I checked out that "slow eating" website. How cool is that!

Another healthy "recipe" (I put quotes, because it really is too simple to be a recipe.....)

Chicken breasts (or fish fillets) on stovetop in 15 minutes or less. Little or no fat, probably a wee bit more sodium, but heck, you gotta have some or food just tastes weird!

Spray a pan (small if only one or two or three pieces, larger if more) with a bit of butter flavored spray (or swish a little olive oil or a little butter or a little canola oil.... just a wee something to keep from sticking)

Lay the fillets in the pan. Half the time I don't even wait for them to thaw, just stick 'em in there.

Give a little dusting of seasoned salt. My personal favorite is Adobo with cilantro.

Put it on low to medium. If you put a lid on it, it goes faster, but pay attention, 'cause it can go from frozen to too-done real quick. I sometimes also put about an ounce or two of water in, if I put a lid on.

Done in 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets and heat of stove).

We love them.

[Tweety]

Hey Chris. With me being in school, I confess to sometimes eating too many veggie burgers, veggie chicken nuggets and whatnot.

When I do cook from scratch, it's usually from cookbooks like Vegan With A Vegance, 150 Vegan Favorites, How It All Vegan, among others. I am not a vegan vegetarian, but there are some awesome recipes here.

I do eat tofu stir fiy once or twice a week with fresh vegetables, but alas lately I've been using pre-made sauces I get in the store.

I buy hummus usually weekly. As easy as it is to make you'd think I would make it myself. The last time I made it though, I used fresh garlic and you couldn't get near me without being blown away. LOL

I know what you mean about cooking being stress relieving. It's a nice "hobby" to learn to cook from scratch. It's even on my profile here that I created before starting school, as one of my hobbies.

I've lots of tofurkey products over the years, latest has beent he "sausage" and they aren't bad mixed with spaghetti sauce. But your right, with all the fat, salt and other chemicals it's benefits are negated.

Kat, I've been to that site before, but working 12 hour shifts and school....well you know.