Composting

Heart of the Ozarks Farmers Market - West Plains, Missouri

There will be cucumbers and fresh green onions at Heart of the Ozarks farmers market today. We are open 11 am - 4 pm in the parking lot at Lost Treasures, between Dairy Queen and Highland Dairy.

1755 S. US Hwy 63, West Plains, MO.

417-293-8306/417-293-7904

DIY - Frozen Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry Pops

Frozen Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry Pops

Summer is on the way, and we must prepare properly … with fresh fruit, of course. What we have here is a cool recipe for the hot summer days. You can get from using fresh fruit all you need and more .. vibrant colors and fresh flavors. You can use any fruit you wish.


Ingredients:

9 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
5 oz kiwi, peeled
6 oz mango, peeled
6 oz fresh raspberries

Servings: 4

Make a simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil; boil for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Set aside.
Puree fruit separately in the blender. Set aside in 3 small bowls.
Divide the simple syrup between the fruit purees and mix in.
Equally fill four small 5 oz cups with the kiwi puree and place in the freezer; freeze one hour.
Add mango puree and freeze 20 minutes. Insert sticks and freeze at least 2 hours. Add raspberry puree and freeze overnight.

Homemade Ice Pack

Very neat idea for them tired & achy muscles - Gotta love pintrest :) 

What's for Dinner - Enchilada Casser-Ole!

Enchilada Casser-Ole! 

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning and cumin. Place three tortillas in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers.
Cover and bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes; top with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts
1 piece equals 357 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 864 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 23 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Originally published as Enchilada Casser-Ole! in Healthy Cooking February/March 2009, p37

Health benefits of fully ripe bananas

Health benefits of fully ripe bananas:

"According to Japanese Scientific Research, fully ripe bananas with dark patches on yellow skin produce a substance called TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) which has the ability to combat abnormal cells. The more darker patches it has the higher will be its immunity enhancement quality; Hence, the riper the banana the better the anti-cancer quality. Yellow skin banana with dark spots on it is 8x more effective in enhancing the property of white blood cells than green skin version. Eating 1-2 banana/s a day increases immunity."

What's For Dinner - Skillet Grilled Catfish

Skillet Grilled Catfish

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 catfish fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

1/4 cup butter

Directions

In a large resealable bag, combine the first nine ingredients. Add catfish, one fillet at a time, and shake to coat.

Place a large cast-iron skillet on a grill rack over medium-hot heat. Melt butter in the skillet; add catfish. Grill, covered, for 5-10 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (6 ounces) equals 222 calories, 15 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 51 mg cholesterol, 366 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein.

Prep/Total Time: 25 min. Yield: 4 Servings

What's for dinner: Venison Roast

Venison is an excellent lean meat.

Venison Roast

half venison roast

2 carrots chopped

1 cup  mushrooms

half medium sized onion chopped

½ cup chicken broth

¼  cup red wine

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tbsp garlic powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1) Chop up carrots, mushrooms, and onion. Place venison roast and vegetables in crock pot.

2) Pour in chicken broth, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce.

3) Season with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, chili powder, and minced garlic. 

4) Cook on high for about 6 hours. If possible pull apart venison an hour or so before serving.

5) Pull apart roast, season as necessary for added flavor, and enjoy!

Note: If there is too much liquid in the crock pot close to serving time, whisk in a little flour to thicken it up. I continuously added in some extra pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder as it cooked for some extra flavor, so experiment as you go along. Don’t take my measurements of seasonings too seriously—just taste test and make it to your liking. That’s the fun in cooking, right? For health purposes try to lay of the salt a little. Your heart will thank you later.