What's for dinner on Good Friday? Meatless Clam Chowder

by Susan Fox
I know it sounds odd to say meatless clam chowder because isn't clam chowder meatless anyway? It's not. Most clam chowder recipes call for bacon and if you start with a soup stock, it's got meat juice in it. That's a "no no" on Good Friday if you are Roman Catholic, and a "no no" all the time if you are vegetarian. So here's a great vegetable stock and a delicious, healthy clam chowder. If you don't grow your own herbs, Watkins spices really make a big difference in the flavor. I've tried it myself with Watkins and without Watkins, and I can attest to the flavor difference. Ingredients do matter.

I make my stock in large quantities and freeze the rest. So not all of this is needed.
Chop one bunch of celery, one bunch of bok choy (this really makes the best soup ever, and use the whole thing, leaves and stalks), 4-5 carrots, 3 big onions, 15-20 cloves of garlic, 1 turnip, 2 parsnips. Put in a huge soup pot, cover generously with water. I use a 16-quart soup pot. Turn on the heat. Add 1 teaspoon Watkins Parsley, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon Watkins thyme, 1 teaspoon of Watkins Orange Peel. Add salt, Watkins Granulated Black Pepper and/or Watkins Cayenne to taste. Also cut a couple of wedges of fresh lemon and throw them in the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two hours. Let cool, and strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing the solids to extract the liquid.

Use 10 to 15 cups of the vegetable broth in this recipe. It will not make a thick clam chowder, it will be healthy, buttery and milky, but not thick. However, the more soup stock, the more thiner the soup, so start with 10 cups and see what you think.

Boil three or four big diced red potatoes in the rich vegetable broth. I don't peel them, but I do cut out the eyes because I read they contain a poison. You can put more potatoes in if you want. I try to use less because I am diabetic and on a diet. I get a big can of Chopped Sea Clams at Costco with a net weight of 3 pounds 3 oz. It's mostly liquid. I separate the liquid and the clams, and at this point I mix the clam juice with two tablespoons of flour. You can add more flour if you want a thicker soup, but I am always aiming for a low carb option. It's possible to use none. Pour all the clam juice into the vegetable stock. But not the clams! Chop or thinly slice three stocks of celery and put them in the soup.

Now I am going to create a Clam Chowder Herb Blend. This stuff makes the soup incredible. Blend 4 tsps. Watkins Oregano, 4 tsps Watkins Parsley, 2 tsps Watkins Marjoram, 2 tsps Watkins Dill, 4 tsps. Watkins Thyme, 4 tsps. Watkins Basil, 1 tsp. Watkins Sage, 4 tsps Watkins Rosemary, 2 tsps. tarragon and 1 tablespoon of flour. Crush in a mortar or blend in a blender. Store in a resealable plastic bag to refrigerate.

Thinly slice two or three large onions or chop if you don't want to notice the onion slices. Chop 10-15 cloves. Put both in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, and saute in butter (or if you are allergic to butter, use olive oil or ghee (clarified butter). If you use ghee, you'll need to add more salt at the end. Use enough so the onions don't burn. Add three teaspoons of the Clam Chowder Herb Blend. Do it over low heat. Do not allow it to brown. Can you pierce the diced potatoes with a fork now? If so, throw the sauteed onions into the boiling soup pot. Add either whole milk, half and half or cream to the soup until it is creamy. If you are lactose intolerant, use lactose free whole milk. If you think it's too thin add more flour, but mix it carefully in some broth first or you'll have clumps of flour. Keep it hot, but don't boil once you put the milk in. The cream will make it thicker and creamier, and will have less sugar than whole milk if you are diabetic. Add the clams. Simmer about 20 minutes. Add salt to taste. I sometimes add a couple of palmfuls depending on how much it needs. Add pepper to taste. Add cayenne pepper if you want it spicier. Add paparika to taste. Enjoy with corn bread or crackers. Or just eat with salad if you are watching your carbs like me!

Cinnamon French Toast for Diabetics

My husband and I had a craving this Sunday morning for French Toast, so I tried this recipe, which is basically my own. It was luscious with Bonne Maman Peach Preserves. But the bread and the sweetener made it better for diabetics.
4 slices Milton's Whole Grain Bread
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk (less fat means more sugar, so if you are diabetic always chose the most fat)
2 tablespoons of Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar (a low glycemic organic sweetener)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon (Watkins award-winning high-oil Korintje cassia cinnamon is about twice as flavorful as the Ceylon variety, and is the best quality cinnamon available anywhere. It is also the only kind that stabilizes blood sugar. Commercial brands containing the Ceylon variety don't do this.)
3/4 teaspoon Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla.
Beat salt, eggs, milk, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla until fluffy. Soak the bread in this mixture. I like to really soak it, so the bread almost falls apart. Heat butter in a no stick omelet pan on high heat and cook each slice until it's just brown. Butter and serve with sugar-free syrup or preserves.
Susan Fox

Susan Fox's Blue Ribbon Chili

Spicy and Delicious: Make it as hot or as bland as you want. 2 lbs. lean ground beef 2 tsp Watkins Meat Magic 2 tsp. red wine Olive Oil 1 lb buffalo ground beef (gives it extra flavor & protein, very healthy for growing children) 1 lb ground beef 2-3 big onions sliced thin 1 eggplant chopped 2 zucchini chopped 4 chopped fresh tomatoes One ball of organic fresh garlic about 20 cloves chopped, or if you can't get organic, it's better to use Watkins Garlic Granules as it's more flavorful than regular fresh garlic. 1 or more tsp of Watkins Calypso Hot Pepper Sauce to taste. 6 oz (half bottle) Watkins Tropical Salsa 2 cans (14.5 oz each) of S&W Ready Cut Diced Tomatoes 2-3 cans red kidney beans 1 can (6 oz.) Tomato Paste 5 tbsp. Watkins Chili Seasoning (more or less to taste) 1 tsp Watkins Rosemary (more to taste) 1 tbsp. more or less to taste of Watkins Cumin 1 tbsp of Watkins Chili Powder if you want a hotter taste. It's optional if you are using the Watkins Chili Seasoning. About 20 fresh mushrooms sliced 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar to taste. If you don't like it sweet, use less or none. Salt & pepper to taste. In a frying pan, brown the beef and buffalo. Before you begin browning it, put in about 2 teaspoons of Watkins Meat Magic throughout the meat (Shake Meat Magic thoroughly before using, and don't think more is better. You only need a small amount to bring out the flavor of the meat) and once it starts cooking add about 2 tablespoons of red cooking wine. Set the cooked meat aside. If you used lean hamburger, it is not necessary to drain the fat. Coast a large frying pan with olive oil. Add more as needed to prevent burning. Now add onions, garlic and eggplant. Saute on medium high heat for about 10 minutes or longer. Now add zucchini and fresh tomatoes. This is actually the French vegetable recipe Ratatouie which is the basis of all my tomato/onion sauces. Saute uncovered until the flavors are mingled, about 10-15 minutes. Put the Ratatouie and the meat into a large soup pot, and turn on medium initially until it starts boiling. Now saute the mushroom in olive oil in the same pan you used to cook the meat or the vegetables. Meanwhile add the tomato paste, Calypso Sauce, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, Rosemary Cumin, Chili Seasoning, Chili Powder and Tropical Salsa to the sup pot. Also throw in a palm of salt and some pepper to taste. I use Watkins Purest Granulated Black Pepper or I will grind in some Watkins Garlic Peppercorn Blend. Add the cooked mushrooms. Stir. On the stovetop bring to a boil and simmer on lower heat for one hour. Add the brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. At this point if it's not hot enough for you add more chili powder and calypso. You probably will need more salt, and you can add more brown sugar to taste. Cook another 10-15 minutes. For garnish, serve with diced onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, Watkins Red Pepper Flakes or Watkins Calypso Hot Pepper Sauce. It's also great served with Watkins Good Tastings Bread made with beer. The bread will make it a complete meal.

The best dish soap I've found

by Susan Fox
I was in Louisiana for two weeks, and I bought Dawn Orange Dish Soap. I have sleep apnea and I use a C-Pap machine, which has to be washed regularly with vinegar and dish soap. I don't want to fly with dish soap and vinegar, so I always buy them when I get where I'm going. It's becoming quite common to travel with these machines as another traveler greeted me by holding up an identical machine on this trip. Well, I did my usual wash-up of the C-Pap, crawled into bed and put the clean nose piece on my nose. And it smelled like horrible orange! I tried later in the week rinsing and rinsing, but still it smelled like horrible orange.
Why did I never notice this before? At home, I use Watkins Liquid Dish Soap, part of our new natural plant-based home care line. It cuts through grease, leaves no noticeable scent, and I can wash my C-Pap machine, hook it to my nose with pleasure. It also comes in four fabulous scents: Aloe & Green Tea, Lavender, Lemon and Orange. They don't offend the nose like the commercial brand scents. And you can only smell them while you are washing dishes -- not afterwards. That's because there's no phosphates, dyes, SLS or Cocamide DEA.

The Watkins brand is also more economical. I used to typically use one huge bottle of Dawn in six weeks. I bought it at Costco. I would pour and pour it into the sink hoping it would take off that baked on food easily. I thought more would help. It didn't. So when I got the tiny Watkins Dish Soap Concentrate -- only 24 ounces for $6.99, I used a skewer to punch a tiny hole in the lid so my husband wouldn't dump the whole bottle in the sink in one sitting. The bottle lasted six weeks. But just a little bit actually did remove the baked on food easily. I really wouldn't use any other brand of dish soap now. My friend, Mary, said the same thing about the Watkins All Purpose Cleaner, available in the same scents. She had an old greasy fan to clean in her house and the grease just dripped off. My friend Phoebe loves our natural plant-based window cleaner. She uses it to clean the laminate in her kitchen. Because this formula is coconut-based, it won’t break down the bonds of plastic on window films and is ideal for tinted windows.

Buttermilk Pie from Louisiana!

Wow, what a way to enjoy Wakins famous vanilla and cinnamon! Here's a great recipe for Buttermilk Pie from Plantation Country in Lousiana! When I was in graduate school in Kentucky, I became addicted to Chess Pie, which is similar to this one. Now, my son's favorite pie is Mississippi Mud Pie, which is a chocolate version of of the Chess Pie. Now this one is a cinnamon-buttermilk version. Phenomenal. Bon Appetite!

Buttermilk Pie

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon Watkins Purest Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 lb. melted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Mix the first six ingredients on slow speed until well blended and uniform. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Pour into an unbaked 9" pie shell and bake at 350 degree F for 40 minutes or until set and brown on the top.

It needs a butter crust. Here is my Mom's famous pie crust recipe to boot. Sift together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Watkins Aluminum Free Baking Powder,1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, then put in 1/2 cup softened organic butter. Cut with a knife, then flour your hands and rub the butter and flour together until thoroughly mixed. Add 1 teaspoon water and mold into a ball. Roll it out and put in the pie pan.
Susan Fox

Pork Chops a Les Herbs de Provence

We don't sell it, but you can make it with Watkins products!
I was pleasantly surprised recently when a customer called and asked if Watkins had Les Herbs de Provence. "What is that?" I wondered. I looked online, and it is a mixture of aromatic plants native to the Provence region of southern France. It includes rosemary, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, thyme and lavender flowers. Some mixtures contain tarragon. It is mostly used to flavor grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavor into the cooked food. Watkins has all the ingredients except for the lavender flowers, which I got at Whole Foods.
I mixed up 1 tablespoon of Watkins Organic Rosemary, Watkins Marjoram, Watkins Organic Basil, Watkins Bay Leaf (chop a couple of them up), Watkins Organic Thyme, and lavender flowers.
If you later find that is too much lavender, add less next time. Lavender is what gives this mixture its sweetness.

Then flop your pork chops in a beaten egg and coat them. Then coat them in a flour mixture made with two cups flour, Watkins Organic Paprika, some of the Herbs de Provence, salt, pepper. Saute the chops in butter until the coating sticks nicely. Put them in an oven proof glass cooking dish and place a slice of one onion on each chop. Then cover them in orange juice and bake covered one hour at 350 degrees. Enjoy with rice. The sauce is great. God bless you. Susan Fox

Ingredients do make a difference to your cooking

Ingredients do make a difference to your cooking.
I've had this recipe for "Fresh Apple Pie" for decades, but I just made it tonight using Watkins ingredients. It was unbelievable. The "pie" -- really an ultra rich cake that is easy to throw together -- was actually better than ever because I used Watkins Cinnamon and Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla.
Watkins award-winning high-oil Korintje cassia cinnamon is about twice as flavorful as the commonly used Ceylon variety, and is the best quality cinnamon available anywhere. Plus it's the kind of cinnamon you can stick on your kids oatmeal in the morning as a means of reducing the amount of sugar needed to sweeten their hot cereal. And it is the only kind of cinnamon known for its blood sugar stabilizing properties. Diabetics can enjoy this cinnamon on some sugar free pudding or ice cream and reduce their blood sugar.
Watkins Vanilla is made from the world’s finest Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans—brewed using a process perfected over the course of a century. Our blending of ingredients makes the flavor bake-proof and freeze-proof as well as double-strength.
Anyway, here is the recipe.
Fresh Apple Pie
4 cups coarse diced apples (these are large chunks -- like one-eighth an apple. Don't peel it. Leave the skin on)
Add 2 cups sugar and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup Wesson Oil, 1 cup chopped nuts
2 beaten eggs, 2 teaspoons Watkins Original Double Strength Vanilla.
Mix and add the following:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Watkins Purest Ground Cinnamon
Mix and bake in a 9"x13"x2" pan at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Topping
6 tablespoons melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cream or milk
1/2 cup coconut
Mix ingredients together and spread on the cake immediately after it comes from the oven. Then place the cake under the broiler as fast as possible. Broil until tiny bubbles appear and it looks toasty. WATCH TO KEEP FROM SCORCHING. You know this cake tastes better after it has sat for at least six hours. So try and plan ahead and make it the day before its needed by your guests.