Category Archives: breakfast

April 30, 2018 · 6:34 pm

Air Fryer Bagels

I love bagels but not the kind in grocery stores. Our time living in New Jersey spoiled me for fresh, NY style bagels. I’m not returning to the northeast anytime soon, so I’m making my own. I won’t heat my Florida kitchen using the oven, either, so here’s my take on air fryer bagels using a recipe I found in the Weight Watchers’ Facebook group.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
coarse salt for coating

Directions:

Combine flour and yogurt and mix well. Allow dough to rest 30 minutes and then knead 4-5 times.
Bring 1 quart water to boil in a large saucepan.
Separate dough into 4 spheres. Shape bagels by punching the middle of each sphere and spinning the dough until desired shape.
Drop each bagel into the boiling water, turning after 2 minutes.
After boiling bagels for a total of 4 minutes, remove to drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle tops with coarse salt.
Place bagels in air fryer and set for 390° for 7 minutes.
Remove and enjoy with your favorite cream cheese or jam!

Do these bagels taste as good as NY bagels? Not even close. However, they’re good enough, and these bagels are only 2 SmartPoints® on the Weight Watchers® program!

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Filed under Bagels, breakfast, Healthful Eating, kitchen equipment, pastries

February 20, 2017 · 12:14 pm

No Grits, No Glory is the title of a book (Southern Ghost Story #1) by my author friend, Elaine Calloway. She lives in Georgia, so I’m assuming she likes to eat grits as much as she likes writing about them. Elaine, if you drop in for a visit, I’ll cook you some. 😉

I’ve revised my method of cooking grits since I bought my first electric programmable pressure cooker, and grits are now a regular dish on the menu in my home. Here’s how I do it.

RECIPE

Hasty Tasty Grits

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup grits (NOT instant! No self-respecting Southerner eats instant grits.)
4 cups + 1 Tbsp. water

Directions:

Preheat your pressure cooker, either stovetop or electric. Add butter to melt.
Add grits and stir. Add salt.
Carefully pour in water and gently stir.
Seal cooker and bring to pressure (or if electric, set for 7 minutes).
Cook under pressure 5 minutes stovetop, 7 minutes electric. Then immediately remove from heat (or hit “cancel” on your electric cooker.
Allow pressure to drop on its own (referred to as “NPR” or natural pressure release.)
Carefully open the pot. Using a long handled spoon, stir vigorously until grits thicken (Be patient. This can take a minute.)
Serve immediately, or melt in 1/2 cup cheese for cheese grits. CAUTION: Grits will continue to thicken, so if you aren’t serving immediately, delay opening your cooker. Evaporation doesn’t start until you break the vacuum seal on the cooker.

Pressure cooking grits takes as long as cooking them on the range, but it’s easier. You’re free to prepare the rest of your meal instead of standing over an open pot stirring. I’ll take that trade any day.

There you have it. Be sure and check out Elaine’s book No Grits No Glory for more Southern flavor. It’s a fun read. I’m ready to tackle the entire Southern Ghosts series now.

And remember, y’all don’t have to be Southern to enjoy a bowl of grits. 😉

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Filed under breakfast, grits, Healthful Eating

Tagged as Pressure Cooking

November 28, 2016 · 8:26 am

HASTY TASTY STEEL-CUT OATS

I like my grains whole and my food fiber high, so I decided to try steel cut oats for my morning oatmeal. Steel cut oats take a long time to cook. There are even recipes for slow cooking them overnight so they’re ready to eat the next morning. That isn’t my idea of a Hasty Tasty Meal.

Then I read an article about pressure cooking steel cut oats. I’ve been a pressure cooker enthusiast since the early 1970s, so this article got my attention. Now I eat steel cut oats for breakfast, and my oatmeal cooks in minutes. From start to finish, my oatmeal is ready in half the time it would take to cook stovetop, and I don’t have to stand over the pot and stir.

Here’s my recipe for a single bowl of oatmeal. (Note: Do NOT use the directions on the box of steel

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cut oats. You need only a 1:3 oats/water ratio when cooking under pressure because steam is trapped and there’s no evaporation.)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup steel cut oats
3/4 cup water
salt to taste
1 cup water for the pressure cooker

Directions:

Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker pot.
In a microwave-oven-safe bowl (my old Corelle works just fine), combine steel cut oats, water, and salt.
Place bowl on a rack or trivet (Most pressure cookers have either a trivet or steaming basket accessory you can use to keep the bowl above the water)
According to your manufacturer’s instructions, close the lid and bring to pressure. After it reaches pressure, lower heat just to maintain pressure and time for 5 minutes. (If using an electric model, select 8* minutes on the timer)
Allow pressure to drop naturally (approximately 15 minutes).
Quick-release remaining pressure according to your pot’s manufacturer’s instructions, carefully remove the lid, and then lift the bowl from inside the pot (I use silicone mittens for this as the bowl will be hot).
Stir the oatmeal until thickened.
Sweeten as desired. Enjoy!

To make 4 servings, use the pressure cooker pot and combine 1 cup oats with 3 cups water. Add 1/4 tsp. salt. Also, add a teaspoon of butter, if desired. Follow the same time and pressure as for one serving. Stir and then serve directly from the pot. Makes 4 one-cup servings.

For creamier grits, cook 12-15 minutes under pressure. Allow pressure to drop on its own. It’s not faster than traditional methods, but it’s easier because you don’t have to babysit the pan.

*The pressure is slightly higher in stovetop pressure cookers, which is why I suggest a longer cook time for electric models.