Avocado & Comice… a Great Pair of Pears

The Avocado and the Pear

Short and squat, Miss Comice Pear rolled into his office. “I want you to defend me,” she exclaimed, blushing a rosy red.

The lawyer, whose desk plaque proclaimed him to be the Honorable V. H. Avocado, LL.M., sat back and picked up his pen. “What is the charge?” he asked.

“They say I’m harboring a load of sugar. They accuse me of doing great harm. But it’s not true!” Comice was distraught.

“Calm down,” replied Mr. Avocado. He adjusted his dark green jacket over his rather-rounded middle. “Perhaps if you began from the beginning?”

“Dr. Aitkin was the first to accuse me. He got Dr. Dukan to testify, too. They say I hold too much sugar for a weight-loss diet.” Comice sighed. “Yes, I have some sugar. But it’s mine… naturally! And it adds just a few calories to those that come from my healthy fats, fiber and protein.” She smiled. “I do people lots of good.”

“Sounds to me like it’s a case of the good out-shining the bad.” Mr. Avocado nodded. “I’ll take your case. I think we’ll make a good pair!”

The Pretty Comice

Many juicy fruits make excellent choices in a balanced, healthy-eating program. These valuable additions to lean meat and dairy, good fats,  and low-starch veggies  give your meals variety.

Pears are particularly useful for their whole raft of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients work as  antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Pears digest easily and most people are not allergic to them. Their fiber fights cancer (especially of the digestive tract),  diabetes, and heart disease. Dr. Moreno (who gave us the 17-day diet) allows two watery fruits a day on his healthy-eating program.

And what makes V.H. Avocado so honorable, you might ask? Isn’t he a little, well, too fatty to be good for our health? How wrong you are. The fats in avocado are of the good variety. Its main kind (oleic acid) protects heart health. It’s also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. These most desirable inflammation fighters are hard to come by, but they are plentiful in avocados and walnuts. Be sure to include these foods in your balanced diet.

The fats in avocado also feed our brains = an excellent food for kids

And surprise! Avocados are a source of complete protein. You get all 18 amino acids in avocado, a fact vegetarians pay attention to. That’s because most plants only contain some of the essential amino acids muscles need. So vegetarians usually have to mix and match to make sure they get all of them.

Here is a totally delicious recipe that pairs an avocado pear with comice pears. You’re welcome! You’re also welcome to makes substitutions. The recipe contains the healthiest combination of foods I know. But if you don’t have one of the ingredients, make it with another. As long as it’s similar, you can’t go far wrong. If you prefer, add 1 teaspoon maple syrup instead of the stevia I recommend. It adds 10 calories per serving and 2 more grams of  sugar.

Important announcement

Leave the skin on the pear and scrape up and eat all the dark green flesh next to the skin of the avocado. That’s where more than 50% of the nutrients hang out.

Avocado stuffed with creamy pears and walnuts
Great for breakfast, lunch, or mid afternoon snack (serves two)

• 1 ripe avocado, halved
• 8 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 comice pears with skin, cored and chopped
• 2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
• 1 small shake of stevia (equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar), optional

1. Cut the avocado in two, lengthwise, and throw away the seed. Leave the flesh in the skin and place each half on its own plate.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mound half the cottage cheese mixture into each of the cavities of the two avocado halves. For a creamier version, blend the cottage cheese before mixing.
3. Serve with a small spoon to scoop out the avocado’s flesh and enjoy it with the sweet fruity nutty cheese mixture. Be sure to scrape the flesh right down to the skin, to scoop up all the precious nutrients. So good!

Note: For each of two servings: Calories (kcal) 338.2, Fat (g) 20.8 of which 3.3 g is saturated, Sodium (mg) 466.8, Potassium (mg) 715.6<, Carbohydrate (g) 25.5 of which 9.7 g is fiber and 12.1 g is sugar, Protein (g) 17.4, Vitamin A (RAE) 20.4, Vitamin C (mg) 13.6, Calcium (mg) 95.6

On her way out the door, Comice Pear turns and asks,” What does the V. H. on your desk plaque stand for, anyway?”

Her attorney smiles. “Very Healthy, of course!”

Probiotics: Sour cabbage is sweet!

Will and Isla carefully chop through mountains of cabbage.

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

“Sing along,” says Vinny, waving his arms furiously in time to the music.

“In the old days,” he went on, “people made their own sauerkraut so they would have veggies to eat during the long winters.Your great grandpappy was a sauerkraut-maker extraordinaire. People came from all over to buy his home-made kraut. Now, we just go to the deli. It comes in jars or cans. I like the Polish kind best myself. But it’s good to keep the old ways alive. Keep chopping!”

“Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,” sings Will at the top of his lungs. Isla just hums, too busy to get involved in the lyrics.

Today we know that the old ways were healthy ways. Sauerkraut is what you get after cabbage is well salted and allowed to rest for a few weeks in a crock, closed off  from air. Salt pulls water from the cabbage to make a brine.  The little bugs that thrive in this environment are good bacteria. They make the brine acidic, in a process called fermentation. These healthy bugs go by the name probiotics. They work against the bad bacteria in our stomachs to improve  digestion.

Many people think the healthy bacteria protect us in many ways… like keeping inflammation in check, reducing allergies, preventing constipation… But the science is still young. Just to be on the safe side, many doctors and nutritionists recommend two servings of probiotic foods a day.

Probiotics are found in fermented foods… like pickles, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, and, of course, sauerkraut. You can also get probiotics in supplements. But unless you’re taking antibiotics, which wipe out the good bugs along with the bad ones, it’s best to rely on real food for your probiotics.

Meal suggestions

Sauerkraut is best served raw, because high heat kills all those cute little helpful bacteria. But you still get the nutrients in the cabbage. It’s packed with vitamin C!

Put well-rinsed raw sauerkraut with soft poached eggs in the morning. The meal has a nice tang and makes a satisfying start to the day.

At lunch, sauerkraut makes a tasty addition to salad. But what I like best is putting a big scoop into the bottom of my bowl before pouring hot soup over it. Yummy!

For dinner, Vinny has modified Dr. Mike Morano’s recipe for Bavarian chicken, starring a heap of sauerkraut.

Vinny’s Bavarian chicken, à la 17-day diet
serves three

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 large apple, cored and chopped
• 8 ounces sauerkraut, canned, low sodium, and well rinsed
• 12 medium Brussels sprouts, stemmed and cut in half
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed
• 1/2  teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 cup chicken stock

How to put it together

I like sautéing the onions, ginger, and garlic in my large soup pot to get started, using a bit of oil. But if you don’t want any oil,  just skip this step.

Put all the veggies and spices into the pot over medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Chicken

Before you start cooking the veggies, put a  small chicken in the oven to roast or prepare three boneless chicken breasts for  the barbecue. If the meat is ready first, keep it warm, then serve the chicken on top of the veggies.

Alternatively, poach the chicken breasts in the soup pot, submerged in the liquid. Add the chicken after the liquid has come to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the meat to cook through, about 20-30 minutes. This method is easier, but I like roasted or grilled chicken better .

Garnish

• 2 teaspoons fresh dill weed, chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Paprika boosts metabolism and fresh dill contains vitamins.

This dish is one of my favorites. The stove-top veggies are good with lots of  lean meats… tasty even for folks who don’t like cabbage (or Brussels sprouts).

Nutrition

The veggies (per serving): Calories (kcal)100.1, Fat (g) 3.6, Sodium (mg) 377.0, Potassium (mg) 433.1, Fibre (g) 5.1, Vitamin A (RAE) 27.4, Vitamin C (mg) 48.7, Calcium (mg) 60.9, Folate (DFE) 51.4.  The chicken: a 6-oz breast has 252 calories and 46 grams of protein.

A German meal is all I need
To make my day complete.
It’s hard to keep account of all
The cabbage that I eat.

Related link

17-day diet – An intro to this balanced way of eating, with a list of all the related links on Vinny’s blog

Garbage soup

DIY with a different soup every time

On a winter’s night after a long day’s walk, a ragged beggar finds himself in a quiet farming village. He dreams of a warm fire and a hot meal. He knocks on the door of a tidy house. A pair of eyes peer out at him from behind the printed curtain. But no-one opens the door. At the next house a young woman with a crying baby tells him she has nothing to spare. He is even turned away from the Ukrainian church, where a few women are sewing together on a patchwork quilt.

Watching them, he gets an idea. He pulls three buttons carved from the bones of an old ox’s tail off his ratty old coat. At the door of the local grocery Co-op, he waves the buttons in the air.  “Watch me make a delicious soup with these magic buttons,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

He invites shoppers to come taste some over at the church, where he had seen a large pot on the kitchen stove in the hall. “Bring something for the pot,” he says. “Anything at all. An old turnip, some potato peels, a few chicken wings… “

Any kid who has read Aubrey Davis’s Bone-Button Borscht knows how the people couldn’t resist a good show. They turn up in droves.  Dandelion leaves, turkey necks, withered beets, the last of the sauerkraut, a chunk of bacon fat… it all goes into the pot of slowly simmering water. EE i  ee i OHHHH!

The old man, and everyone else who comes out that evening,  is well-fed indeed.

We too always have home-made soup on the go, much the same way as the old man did. In a plastic bag in the freezer, we save up roast bones, left-over veggies from dinner, the ends of the celery and fennel, bits of squash and apple cores etc etc. It all goes into the big soup pot with some water, enough to cover. I throw in some bay leaves, sticks of cinnamon, pepper corns, garlic bulbs and lots of love. It simmers for two or three hours. After the soup has cooled, I move it to the fridge in the summer or the garage in the winter, to cool overnight. Next day I scrape off fat hardened on the surface, throw it out and warm the pot once again to turn the gelatinous stock  back into a liquid rich with nutrition and flavor. Then I strain it through a colander. I store 4 cups of the stock in plastic containers marked with the date and put them in the freezer.

I can get eight containers or more from one pot.

Once or twice a week, I use the stock from one of the containers, along with fresh veggies and left-over meat or an egg, to make some soup for lunch. Each small pot serves four. That’s a lot of food from a single bag of  food scraps…

Use your garbage soup stock as a base for a meal made from whatever you have on hand. It’s perfect for every-day cooking. No recipe required. Here are three ideas to get you started:

• Borscht – chopped beets, cabbage, onion, carrot and garlic, with leftover ham or sausage
• Mushroom soup – mushrooms, barley, leeks, left-over chicken or turkey
• Cream of squash – butternut  squash or pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, lentils and curry. Puree once the veggies are soft to the fork. Serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or nondairy substitute.

 This is what I used yesterday: leftover smoked pork chop, potatoes and one tablespoon of their cream, and pesto. Plus, fresh spinach, leeks, green onion and asparagus.

Need more directions than my DIY recipe ideas? Check out this fabulous site for wonderful recipes for healthy nutritious soups  that don’t break the bank. If you have some favorite soup links, please share them .

Soups can be low in calories but packed with all the goodness of fresh veggies, spices, herbs, meat and slo-carbs (if you want them). They make a perfect lunch or dinner meal on the 17-day diet. Once you try them, you’ll be hooked for life.

Reuse, recycle, and rejuvenate. Tap into your creative juices and make soup today… with bone buttons!

Ready to eat!

eGgs and veG… Happy Easter, Breakfast!

Humpty on the half shell

“What experiments are we doing, today, Vinny?’ asks Will, poking his head into my basket of vegs.

“SO many ways to cook eggs for breakfast,” says Vinny with glee. “We’re going to try three fast ones.”

Way #1 (Humpty Dumpty on the half shell)

“For the most fun,” continues Vinny, “We’ll start with Humpty scrambled right inside his own shell.”

“Who says Humpty was an egg?” asks Isla.

Spin 3 minutes

“What else could he be?” Vinny scratches his head. “He fell off a wall and got scrambled. Just like our eggs. Once we’re through with these beauties, nobody will be able to put them back together again!”

We select a small beet from the basket, scrub it, cut it into bits  and put it into a small pot of water on the stove. Then we drop an egg into the toe of Grammy’s panty hose. We race around the house spinning the egg in front of us until we’re flat out of breath.

Don’t bother

We also spin another egg relentlessly in our salad spinner for a couple of minutes. But this isn’t nearly as much fun or as good an exercise. (Plus, it doesn’t work.)

Then we tenderly place the eggs in the beet water and bring it all to a gentle boil. After 8 minutes, we move the eggs to a cold-water bath.

To serve, slice the eggs in half and pair them with whole-grain toast. Ta Da! Spreading the scrambly egg on the warm, crunchy toast…  it’s an exciting Easter treat indeed! Brighten with a touch of  horseradish and some of the chopped red beets if you want more oomph. You need to soak the eggs much longer than we did to get the red to seep into the shell.

Way #2 (Microwaved)

Microwaved eggs in a hummus bed

“I don’t have time to cook eggs in the morning,” claims Will and Isla’s mom, as she rushes around organizing lunch boxes, homework, and snowsuits while the clock ticks persistently toward 8:30am.

“But you have to eat something before you go to work,” says Vinny. “And the kids will do better at school with a little protein behind them. My eggs take no more than 2 minutes to cook.” Vinny grins. “I use the micro!”

Vinny finds a small, deep bowl and puts 1/4 cup beet hummus in the bottom. He zaps it for 30 seconds on high. Then he digs a small hole and breaks an egg into the hummus. He covers the dish with a  plate and sets the power at  7 and the timer for 1 minute. Some 60 seconds later, we’re ready to dig into a creamy egg poached in hummus. Time varies depending on the oven and how you like your egg. I like my hummus spicy. I also like to serve this dish topped with some Greek yogurt and ground black pepper.

For variation, fill the bottom of the bowl with salsa or sauerkraut or with any other left-over cooked veggies you have in the fridge. Roasted broccoli or cauliflower is nice. It’s the technique I’m pushing here… easy and full of possibilities for a protein- and vitamin-packed start to your day.

Way#3 (Pan-poached with spinach and mushrooms)

Use a cast iron fry pan or a nonstick fryer to whip up another easy eggs-and-veggie dish. Vinny’s weekend breakfast treat uses a cup or two of rinsed baby spinach and three or four mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.

Lightly coat the fry pan with canola oil. Stir fry mushrooms until they start to brown. Add a half teaspoon of chili paste and stir. Add the washed spinach and cover.

When the leaves wilt, arrange veggies in a circle and make a hole in the centre. Add another small amount of oil. Break an egg into the hole and cover the pan. After a minute or so add a splash of water to the hot pan and cover again. Check once the steam has subsided. Add more water if the egg needs more cooking. Let it all evaporate. Take the whole works out with a spatula and place on a pretty plate. Enjoy.

For a change, try sauteing leeks and mushrooms. Or steam up some broccoli slaw for your egg nest. Top the egg with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or sauerkraut.

Pan-poached eggs with leeks

Breakfast Health Benefits

These egg dishes are perfect if you are looking for high-protein low-carb breakfasts. Perhaps, like me, you’re following Dr. Morano’s 17-day diet? I’ve been eating eggs done ways 2 and 3 for 2 months. I  now boast a healthy BMI and resolve to keep it there!

Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol is not as bad for your heart as originally thought. You can safely eat an egg a day. In return you get a large dose of protein and selenium and a goodly amount of riboflavin, vitamin B12 and phosphorus. Egg’s choline helps protect your memory. The veggies provide balance and a host of vitamins and minerals. And the yogurt and sauerkraut provide probiotics for better digestion. The hot sauce gives your metabolism a boost first thing in the morning, a good thing for weight control. These breakfasts kick butt!

If you need more than one egg to take you through the morning, boost the number of egg whites.

Egg microwaved on a bed of roasted veg

It’s a riddle, by the way. You’re supposed to guess what Humpty is. We can thank Alice (of  Through the Looking Glass fame) for the answer… It’s an egg. Humpty’s VERY provoked.

Related links

The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – An introduction to this balanced and effective eating plan. Follow the many related links here to recipes, theory and nutrition.

Lemony Snicket is the ticket!

Lemon water – Miracle Worker?

Dr. Mike of 17-day diet fame advises us to have a glass of warm water with half  a lemon squeezed into it every morning…  the minute we get up! I admit at first this sounded dire… like voodoo… a magic potion sort of thing.

I don’t like sour. But in the interests of scientific experimentation, I gave it a shot.

The first morning out, I could barely bring this bothersome brew to my lips. But I managed. Grudgingly, I had to admit… it tasted fine!

But WHY was it such a key part of the doctor’s meal plan? Skeptical, I dug deeper for info and came to understand. Lemon water does seven important things:

1. Boosts your immune system.
2. Helps your blood stay alkaline for optimum functioning. How that happens and why it’s important is explained here.
   
3. Helps with weight loss if you’re overweight  AND with weight gain if you’re under weight. Why? Check out above link.
   
4. Aids digestion, nudging your intestines to move toxins out of your body.
5. Increases urination. Washes bacteria from urinary tract.
6. Decreases wrinkles and acne. Purges toxins from blood for clearer skin.
7. Regulates adrenals to help keep you hydrated and unstressed.

So there it is. I’ve been drinking lemon water in the morning for 2 months now and it seems to be working. Walking’s no longer a trial – just fun! I can slug through snow for an hour every morning without breaking a sweat.  I’m continuing to lose weight, getting closer to my healthy goal nearly every morning. Unfortunately, I still have wrinkles…

Beth, another writer on WordPress, agrees with me about the usefulness of lemon water. She says just one dose and her blood sugars are down all day! How good is that as a measure of lemon’s effectiveness.

Make your lemon curd with stevia and enjoy it guilt free

Lemon Curd

I can’t blog about lemons, without telling you about lemon curd. My daughter and British son-in-law, happily,  introduced me to this delicacy. It’s served with scones for tea in England or with your morning toast. I spoon a little on fresh berries for added tang. Sometimes I use it as icing on a low-sugar cake or muffin. Best yet, mix it half and half with low-fat Greek yogurt and eat it like a pudding or mix it with fruit for a fabulous dessert.

If you can find Meyer lemons, snap them up. They’re tiny, perfect, juicy fruits… a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. Crazy weather in California lately makes them scarce this year. So you may have to settle for whatever you can get.

I make my lemon curd with whole eggs, sweetened with stevia to reduce my sugar intake. I’ve given quantities for sugar and stevia so you can take your pick.

Lemon Curd

Makes about 2 cups

•     3 eggs
•     1 cup sugar or 1 and 1/4 teaspoon  stevia powder
•     1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 and a half large lemons)
•     1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
•     1/4 cup cold butter (half a stick, preferably unsalted)

How to make it:

Whisk over simmering water until it thickens

1. Simmer 1-inch of water in a medium pan over low heat. In a medium metal bowl whisk eggs and sugar (if using) for about 2 minutes until smooth. Whisk in lemon juice, stevia (if using in place of sugar), and zest.
2. Put the bowl on top of the pan (it should fit snugly, but shouldn’t touch the water). Whisk the mixture constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as you stir, until it begins to thicken. It foams and froths for about 5-10 minutes. Then it turns creamy thick in an instant. Remove from heat immediately. DON’T let it boil.
3. Whisk in the butter, one slice at a time. Wait until each piece almost disappears before adding the next. Spoon into a clean glass container and allow to cool with a piece of plastic wrap laid on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
4. Refrigerate until needed. This lemon curd keeps for 2 to 3 weeks.

Use this on cycle 3 of the 17-day diet. For a serving of 1/4 cup: 84 calories, Fat 8.0 grams, Sodium 67.5 mg, Potassium 36.7 mg, Protein 2.4 g, Vitamin A 88.4 RAE, Vitamin C 4.6 mg, Calcium 11.3 mg, Folate 15.8 DFE

And if you’re in need of a little light entertainment?  Kids of all ages turn to Lemony Snicket for dire diversions. You may have to read a few of his books, though, to get the most out Lemony’s unfortunate series of events.

Happy Reading! Happy Eating!  Have fun on the road to good health

Lemon curd and Greek yogurt parfait

Related links

The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – An introduction to this balanced and effective eating plan. Follow the many related links to recipes, theory and nutrition.

The secrets of lemons – An overview of the many ways to tap into the healing powers of lemons

Simply squash

Squash-o-copia:   butternut, acorn, and ambercup

Simple! Vinny says. Roasted squash is such a delicious, low-fat side dish. Enjoy it during cycles 2 and 3 of the 17-day diet.

The roasted butternut was so good my significant other ate the skin! I suppose that’s one way to boost your fiber – but not one I’d really recommend . Squash tastes wonderful with lean poultry or pork.

Tip: to make the squash easier to cut, pierce it with a fork and bake it in the microwave for 60 seconds before slicing it.

Why eat squash? Besides the satisfying taste, squash comes packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Its vitamin A protects your eyes, bones, and reproduction. The antioxidants protect against cancer. And minerals, like potassium and magnesium, protect your heart and kidneys. Besides this its fiber aids digestion and the omega 3 fatty acids, especially high in spaghetti squash,  have just been shown to be vital to heart health. Here are two simple ways to take in all this goodness!

Simple recipe #1: Roasted butternut squash

• oil to grease the baking dish (e.g. Pam)
• 1 small butternut squash, about 2 lbs (the pale ones in the photo)
• ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. With a heavy knife, cut off the top of the squash near the stem, then slice it  crosswise, into circles about 3/4-inch thick. Scoop out seeds and membranes.
3. Place circles  in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Combine orange juice and maple syrup and drizzle over squash wedges.
4. Roast for 30 minutes or until they’re soft when poked with a fork. Spoon syrup over wedges before serving.

Serves 4

Per Serving:

Calories 134.1m Carbohydrate 32.0  grams (fibre 3.7 g, sugar 9.1 g), Protein (g) 2.4, Vitamin A 1207.0 (RAE), Vitamin C 52.9 (mg), Folate 64.2 (DFE), Calcium 119.7 (mg), Sodium 10.0 (mg), Potassium 838.8 (mg)

Simple recipe #2: Baked acorn squash

• half an acorn squash (the dark green one in the photo)
• 1.5 tsp(s) coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 0.25 teaspoons cinnamon, ground

What to do:

1. Bake at 375F for 40 min cut side down in a little water until tender.
2. Add coconut oil to center, melt, and add syrup.
3. Finish with the cinnamon a dash of salt and pepper.
4. Bake another 10 min until liquid is absorbed.

serves 2

Per serving

Calories (kcal) 99.2, Fat (g) 3.5 (no trans fat or cholesterol), Sodium (mg) 4.4, Potassium (mg) 395.7, Carbohydrate (g) 17.9 (Fibre 2.1 grams, Sugar  5.6 grams), Vitamin A (RAE) 19.4, Vitamin C (mg) 11.9, Calcium (mg) 45.4, Folate (DFE) 18.3

Related links

Squash salads

• Vinny’s squash salad with lo-cal Caesar dressing
• Salad dressed with cilantro and  Jaspee de vendee from the Plum Palate

Squash stuffed with ground meat and beans

• Vinny’s lo-cal turkey chili filling
• Butternut and beef bake from the Crafty Expat

The 17-day diet

• The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – Vinny’s intro to this meal plan
• Why did the Roman chicken cross the road? – 17-day diet, Cycle 1: Lean protein and cleansing fruits and veggies
• Grocery List for 17-day diet– Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Green tea for two – Green tea is a staple on the 17-day diet
• Hummus… Pretty in Pink! - A basic slo-carb food for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet
• Kasha falling star – Slo-carb food for cycles 2 and 3… and gluten-free, too!

Kasha falling star, Put it in your pocket

Never let it fade away… ♪♪♭♪

Put Vinny’s recipe for mushroom and kasha soup in your pocket, too, and try it out on a rainy day. It’s great on cycle 2 of the 17-day diet… or on any other day!

At the same time, if you aren’t of Ukrainian or Russian descent, try out an ancient grain that might be new to you. That would be kasha.

Actually, I misspoke. Kasha, otherwise known as toasted buckwheat groats, is NOT a grain. It’s a flower bud. How lovely is that!

We eat it on Christmas Eve, when we prepare 12 traditional Ukrainian delicacies to usher in the season. But once buckwheat is in the cupboard, we use it as a side dish with stews and in cabbage rolls and other hardy foods through the winter.

Kasha (or buckwheat groats)

Kasha is perfect for people on gluten-free diets, as well as for folks on the 17-day diet, looking for good protein content in a slo-carb complex food.

Substituting kasha for refined grains adds nutrients, flavor and texture to your meals. Ready in 15 minutes, kasha is quick-cooking and versatile.

Leslie Beck, RD, Canada’s leading nutritionist, says, “Kasha is closer to being a complete protein than other plant sources, including soybeans, since it contains all eight essential amino acids in good proportion. In particular, kasha contains significant amounts of the amino acid lysine, which makes it unique as a grain substitute, since this amino acid is typically lacking in most true grains.”

One cup of  kasha gives you 20% of your daily fiber. It is also full of  B vitamins and important minerals, like magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure.

Another special benefit is that kasha is high in rutin, a flavonoid that strengthens blood vessels and prevents blood clotting. Kasha is truly good for your heart!

As it’s gluten-free, it’s also suitable for people with celiac disease.

Buckwheat lasts up to 3 months in the fridge  or 6 months in the freezer.

Use kasha wherever you would use rice. It’s also great as a cereal, as a filler in ground meat, as a replacement for pasta, and as an alternate for oats in cookies and muffins. But the recipe I’m sharing here is for soup. M-M Good.

Mushroom and kasha soup
(adapted from The Shiksa In the Kitchen)

While you’re cooking up this delicious soup, perhaps you’ll want to sing. Listen to “Catch a falling star” here - tralala!

• 1/3 cup dried mushrooms, soaked in 3 cups boiling water
• about 2 tablespoons canola oil, separated
• 1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock (the soup thickens if you keep it in the fridge a day or two)
• 1 cup kasha
• 6 okra, washed and sliced (optional)
• enough salt and lots of pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, add 2 teaspoons oil and saute the sliced mushrooms. Let the slices brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set the sauteed mushrooms aside.
2. In the same pot, add 2 more teaspoons of oil and sauté your onions and garlic for 5 minutes until they start to brown.
3. Add the last 2 teaspoons of oil and then the carrots & celery.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, drain the dried mushrooms but keep the soaking liquid. Dice the mushrooms and toss them into the pot. Once the vegetables are cooked nicely, stir in the soaking liquid. Keep the  gritty stuff at the bottom from getting into your soup.
5. Once the mushroom stock is bubbly, add the sautéed mushrooms, stock, kasha, okra, and bay leaves. Bring everything to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the kasha is cooked through and the soup is thick. Season to taste. Garnish with grated cheese or roasted pine nuts if you like.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving contains: Calories (kcal) 286.6, fat (g) 8.6,  sodium (mg) 582.1,  potassium (mg) 909.3, carbohydrate (g) 43.2 (fiber (g) 6.1, sugar (g) 7.3), protein (g) 13.2, vitamin A (RAE) 245.7, vitamin C (mg) 7.6, calcium (mg) 45.3, iron (mg) 2.1, folate (DFE) 73.7.

Mushroom and kasha soup

But how does it taste? Fabulous. It may take a few times out of the gate before you get to LOVE the essence that is kasha. It tastes nothing much like rice or even oats. To me, it has a meatiness, in keeping with all the protein it packs. The unusual flavor of kasha marries well with the earthiness of mushrooms. Kasha definitely perks up with a little salt. But don’t overdo it for your heart’s sake. The Worcestershire sauce gives the soup a real kick, almost like sweet and sour soup. Keep tasting until you like the result.

To your health/Na zdorov’ya!

Kick up your heels for kasha!

Related Links

• The beet goes on – beets increase your stamina in sports. Make some beetniks.
• The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – Vinny’s intro to this meal plan
• Why did the Roman chicken cross the road? – 17-day diet, Cycle 1: Lean protein and cleansing fruits and veggies
• Grocery List for 17-day diet– Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Green tea for two – Green tea is a staple on the 17-day diet
• Hummus… Pretty in Pink! – A basic slo-carb food for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet

Hummus: Pretty in Pink!

Awhile back, we roasted us up some tasty garbanzo beans to zap our good health with fiber and minerals. That bland little bean, which is part of the legume family… comes into its own, though, in the near Eastern dish known as hummus.

Let me introduce you here to the Cinderella of the hummus crowd, a beet and garbanzo duo that knocks your slippers off!

All hummus recipes, like all princesses, are royal treats. But the one I’ve posted here fits beautifully into my glass salver.

This recipes calls for only 2 tablespoons of oil, replacing the tahini and oil in other recipes. But the beauty of this dish comes from the pickled beet. How something sour could deliver such a good taste sensation is beyond me.

Be sure to add the cumin, too, as this spice bumps this simple recipe up another notch. Although we usually only use a little, spices can pack in a lot of nutrition. Cumin provides many health benefits thanks to its fiber, thiamine, and a whole whack of minerals – Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Manganese! See what I mean?

Once you’ve dressed your hummus for the bowl, dig in and have a great time! Here are a few ideas for showing off this dainty.

Let it shine on a lunch-time salad plate

• Use it as a dip with your raw veggies at lunch.
• Spread it thick and creamy on a slice of whole grain toast, instead of jam.
• Use it instead of mayonnaise when building a sandwich.
• Mix a little with the yolks of hard-boiled eggs and serve up some sassy deviled eggs.
• Toss a spoonful into your scrambled eggs or omelets.
• Use it as a coating for oven-baked fish fillets.
• Mix it up with tuna or salmon instead of bread crumbs to make fish cakes.

Ruby Pink Hummus

1 pickled beet (about 3 ounces)
1/4 cup pickled beet juice
2 cloves of garlic
1 19-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons  sesame seed oil
Juice of 1 smallish lemon (up to 1/4 cup)
Sea salt to taste
1/2 tsp or more of cumin
toasted pine nuts and chopped green onion to garnish

Process beet, garlic, chickpeas, beet juice, and oil in a food processor until it becomes a smooth paste.  With processor running, add lemon juice.  Check consistency. If it is too thick, stream in more pickled beet juice.  Season with a little salt and a lot of cumin, to taste.

Serving of 1/4 cup: Calories (kcal) 130.0, Fat (g) 4.9, Saturated Fat (g) 0.6,
Sodium (mg) 284.8, Potassium (mg) 168.7, Carbohydrate (g) 18.1 Fibre (g) 3.2, Protein (g) 3.8, vitamin C 3.2, Calcium (mg) 28.1, Folate (DFE) 54.0

I was prompted to try this after seeing a similar idea on Simply Young and Thrifty. Thanks so much!

Theory: This dish is ideal for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet. That’s when you start adding legumes back into your meal planning, along with starchier veggies like sweet potatoes and squash. You can also include more lean meats and seafood options. Still no grains, though. They come in cycle 3.

The idea is to confuse your metabolism by giving it a higher number of calories one day, followed by a day of low calories from foods in cycle 1. Going back and forth between higher calories, then a lower amount, keeps you from plateauing. You should continue to lose weight, Dr. Mike says.

It’s February 19th already and I’ve just finished up cycle 2. I enjoyed the extras and the variety. But going back and forth between high- and low-calorie days confused not only my body, but also my poor little mind! Is this an on or off day? I keep asking myself.

Weight loss in cycle 2 slowed considerably. I lost only 2 additional pounds. That makes it a pound a week, which isn’t all that bad. I’m satisfied that the trend is still downwards. And I now have just 10 pounds more to go, to reach my goal! On to cycle 3!!!

This princess is pretty in pink as she rides off to find the glass salver brimming with delicious ruby hummus

Related Links

• The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – Vinny’s intro to this meal plan
• Why did the Roman chicken cross the road? – 17-day diet, Cycle 1: Lean protein and cleansing fruits and veggies
• Grocery List for the 17-day diet – Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Green tea for two – Green tea is a staple on the 17-day diet
• Garbanzos, Gangnam style – Roasted garbanzos and nutrition
• Behind Mr. Beans back door – Everything you have never wanted to know about beans (but should have)

Green tea for two – A Valentine treat!

My 100th post! A toast to Valentine’s day

 Happy Valentine’s day!

Forget red. Paint your Valentine’s Day green this year!  Host a green tea party and do your heart a favor. A beautiful smile, fresh breath and glowing skin are only some of the ways  the green brew can improve your love life. Even better is the boost it gives your memory, as well as your metabolic rate.

A better memory can only mean better grades at school,  better performance at work, and a better chance you’ll remember to do something special for your sweetie on the 14th February. And if you don’t already know, a faster metabolic rate means a sleeker look. You’ll be hotter…  burning more fat all the time – even while you’re in couch-potato mode. All that should earn you some brownie points with your heart’s desire!

You’ll also hit a home run with Dr. Mike Morano. My favorite diet guru recognizes just how good green tea is for you as you work to keep your weight in check. He advises drinking green tea three times a day on his 17-day diet. Make it a habit, he says. It’s good for you, even once you’ve reached your goal. Anything that keeps your metabolism revving in high gear is great for maintaining a healthy weight.

All kinds of tea are good for you, though. For instance, if you want to pig out on some greasy chips and hamburgers one night, drink oolong tea and double the amount of fat that passes right through you, unabsorbed.

Speaking of what passes through, consider the strange Panda dung tea.  At over $200 a cup, it’s the world’s most expensive tea.

An entrepreneur in China grows the tea using panda poo from nearby breeding centres. Pandas eat only wild bamboo. According to Sky News, more than 70% of the nutrients are passed in their excrement. What a great way to recycle!

And how about the weirdest tea in the world… a tea made from caterpillar poo. Known as Pu-erh Tuocha  (Camel Breath), ounce-for-ounce it costs about the same as gold. Master Gao-Que, a third generation Taiwanese tea master, says it’s one of the most labor-intensive teas in the world. To prepare it people have to go through a pile of tea leaves with a magnifying glass and pick out the little poo pellets with tweezers.

As tea leaves are the only thing the caterpillars ever eat, tea is the only thing that passes through their digestive tracts. No meats, no pesticides, nothing dirty at all, the master says. And the taste? According to several personal accounts on the Internet, it’s thickly mellow, elemental, earthy, gamey or meaty — smooth.

……………………………………………………………….

Matcha (powdered green tea): herbal, grassy

After reading about these exotic tea drinks, I bet you’re just in the mood now to settle for green tea. And you won’t go far wrong. Green tea offers great taste while delivering many valuable health benefits, says a Harvard health study.

But from personal experience, be sure to follow the directions on the label. If it says “Steep for 3 minutes,” for heaven’s sake take out the tea leaves after 3 minutes. Otherwise, ARGGGG! My overly long steeped senchu green tea hit the back of my throat with a pitchfork… soooooo bitter. The only way I got it down was by drowning it in milk.

Brewed properly… only one meager teaspoonful per cup of water heated to 74F and steeped for three minutes and not a second more…. green tea tastes LOVERLY.

Everybody loves tea

Tea is one adult drink kids can enjoy too. For the shorter set, I suggest a caffeine-free herbal sort, like mint or roibus (African red bush tea). Notch up the taste into the kid-o-sphere with honey or maple syrup.

While you are all enjoying your tea party, why not sing along to the Tea Tea Tea Tea Tea Tea Song! It’s especially happy!

Make Valentine’s Day extra lovin’ this year with green tea for two!

xxoo

Related links

• The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – Intro to this great meal plan
• Why did the Roman chicken cross the road? – Cycle 1: Lean protein and cleansing fruits and veggies
• Grocery List for 17-day diet - Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Hummus… Pretty in Pink! – A basic slo-carb food for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet

Why did the Roman chicken cross the road?

She was afraid someone would caesar!

But take heart, boys and girls. Although this post describes the first meal in my 17-day-diet series, it’s not about a salad. It’s about that sissy Miss Chicken.

We want to make her a little bolder. A little braver. We’ll also give her the power to keep you healthy and sleek. To do all that we’ll partner her with the color orange! (Not to be confused with Agent Orange.)

Orange in this recipe comes from a juicy cara-cara orange and carrots, firm dark red ones known as Asians.

Cara Cara oranges, from California’s San Joaquin Valley, are in the stores now,  January through April.  Outside, they look like the common-rabble navel orange. But cut it open and you’re greeted with brilliant  pinkish red fruit, like the flesh of a pink grapefruit. The taste, though, is  exceptionally sweet, with a tangy cranberry-like zing at the back of your throat.

Naturally sweet, carrots are healthy additions to your diet, low in calories and fat. Indeed, these crunchy roots deliver tons of goodies like β-carotenes, vitamin A, minerals and antioxidants.   Cara Caras also give you vitamin A, plus a lot of C, fiber and lycopene. Lycopene is one of those characters from Auntie Oxidant’s family. Oranges and carrots fight cancers, arthritis, obesity, and heart disease.

Chicken is a healthy, filling food. For one thing, chicken meat without the skin is a lean source of protein. One 6-ounce serving contains 48 grams of the stuff. Chicken is also rich in potassium and calcium and has no carbohydrates. Dark meat has a few more calories than the  white but has the added benefit of lots of iron.  Grill it or bake it for the best nutrition. Avoid deep frying. If you stir fry chicken, use a light spray of oil on the pan and add a few spoonsful of water once the pan is very hot to finish the cooking with steam. If you’d like to marinate the chicken first, stay away from fatty or sugary dressings and instead try just a little bit of lemon juice… or yogurt and seasonings. Below is  one delicious way to cook up your chicken and eat it too!

Ready for the oven

Roasted orange and thyme chicken
(Two servings, suitable for Cycle 1 of Dr. Mike’s 17-day diet)

• 2 chicken breasts (10-12 ounces)
• 1 orange, sliced and quartered. Save two thin slices for garnish (I used a blood orange)
• 2 large carrots, peeled, cut into sticks, and boiled for 10 minutes
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons red chili paste
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• dill to garnish

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Toss the precooked carrots, orange slices and onions in olive oil. Place in a baking pan and preheat the oven to 375°F. Add olive oil to the chicken and put them on top of the veggies. Decorate with an orange slice or two. Add the orange juice and thyme to the baking  pan.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the veggies are soft and the chicken browns. Stir the veggies halfway through.

Many thanks to Of Pots and Pens for inspiring me to try pairing oranges and chicken – spectasty!

I posted my introduction to Dr. Mike Moreno‘s 17-day diet last week. Stay tuned for more on this topic in the next weeks.

As an aside, kids need a healthy meal plan, NOT a diet. But because Dr. Mike bases his guidelines on real foods, no pills, no purchased foods in cans, bottles or bars, no injections… the whole family can safely follow his advice. Supplement the plates of family members who have no weight issues with foods from cycles 2 and 3 while you hunker down with cycle 1. Remember, it’s only for 17 days!  Bonus: you’ll all learn the basics of healthy eating, together. This is the most flexible and balanced approach to weigh control I’ve ever tried. And I’ve tried a lot of them.

Whether or not you want to control your weight, I think you’ll enjoy these recipes using foods on Dr.Mike’s shopping list.

Related links

• The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano – Intro to this great meal plan
• Grocery List for 17-day diet - Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Green tea for two – Green tea is a staple on Dr. Mike’s diet
• Hummus… Pretty in Pink! – A basic slo-carb food for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet

The 17-day diet, starring Dr. Mike Morano

A doctor’s plan for rapid results

Vinny moves over to let Sharon talk about her adventures with the 17-day diet

Ok. Right off the bat my radar goes up. Anybody knows you can’t expect to lose weight fast… and keep it off. But Mike says, yes you can! He promises results that last. It’s right there on the front cover.

I crack the book open. His first words to me are, “Just give me 17 days.”

This diet gets results, Dr. Mike says, because it balances food and exercise to adjust your body’s metabolism to burn fat, “day in and day out.”

The first 17 days offers fast weight loss.

The second 17-day cycle ups your calories to confuse your metabolism. This feast-famine thing prevents your body from adapting. No plateauing. It keeps you interested. It also works to help you lose weight, as long as you are feasting on a fairly low-fat diet. I had confirmation recently in the journal Metabolism that this approach is scientifically sound. This bodes well for Dr. Mike’s diet!

The third cycle helps you move closer to your goal by establishing healthy eating habits, like proper portion size,  with the foods you really like. Think pasta and alcohol!

And the last cycle is maintenance. This phase is actually the hardest for most dieters and where many fall down. Including me. Three years ago I was at my goal weight. Then I broke my shoulder, and all the weight I lost crept back.

Mike doesn’t promise you a rose garden. You have to stop eating unhealthy junk. You’ve got to eat veggies, fruit and lean meat. You learn to keep your portions down, cut down on fatty, sugary, and salty foods, and move your butt (Mike’s words). You won’t feel so hungry you have to crack open a tub of chocolate crackle ice cream at midnight. You’ll succeed… because it’s only for 17 days!

Dr. Mike peppers his pages with scientific studies that prove his points. He also gives us some tasty recipes to show us how to use the foods he builds his diet on.

He hooks me with all this and I decide to give it a try.

I wanted to lose that nasty weight I’d piled on since the shoulder fiasco. In September, I saw a picture of myself. I looked decidedly in need of attention.

I began with daily walks lasting an hour or more at 5–6 kilos/hour. At the same time, I tried cutting back. I have a sound understanding of what’s in the foods I eat. It was a matter of discipline.

I lost 7 or 8 pounds, then plateaued. Leading up to Christmas and 3 months into my weight control program, I had lost only 10 pounds… just one-third of the weight I needed to ditch. After all the holiday celebrating quieted down, I was up 3 pounds again! Dr. Mike to the rescue!

Day 1 of my 17-day diet was 11 January 2013. Today marks day 17. I’ve lost 8 pounds. That’s the same amount of weight it took me nearly 3 months to lose the old way. My total loss since September 2012 is 18 pounds. I’m  more than halfway to my goal!

The 17-day diet is full of all the super foods Vinny loves. And it gets results. Fast. Thanks, Dr. Mike! I’m so looking forward to meal-planning as I head in to my second 17-day cycle… semi-fasting and somewhat feasting!

Related links

• Why did the Roman chicken cross the road? – Cycle 1: Lean protein and cleansing fruits and veggies
• Grocery List for 17-day diet - Let’s go shopping! The foods for the three cycles are color coded. Pay attention. It’s easier if you focus only on cycle 1 foods (red) while you’re still in the 17-day accelerate phase. On day 18, take a look at cycle 2 And so on. Less confusing!
• Green tea for two – Green tea is a staple on Dr. Mike’s diet
• Hummus… Pretty in Pink! – A basic slo-carb food for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet
• Kasha falling star, put it in your pocket – Buckwheat (or kasha) – A fabulously nutritious slo-carb option for cycle 2
• Talkin’ Turkey with chili – A lean-meat option with beans, for cycle 2
• Simply Squash – Two easy ways to serve this delicious slo-carb option for cycles 2 and 3
• Lemony Snicket is the ticket – Lemon water every day is one key to effective weight management. Plus, find an easy recipe for lemon curd and all the delicious things you can do with it.
• eGgs and veG – Happy Easter, Breakfast! - Lots of ideas for protein- and vitamin-packed breakfasts
• Something’s fishy – Learn about the link between omega 3 and fish
• Garbage soup - Use your left-overs to make delicious and nutritious soup for pennies
• Sour cabbage is sweet – Find out how sauerkraut, probiotics and Bavaria link up
• Avocado and comice: a great pair of pears – Make room for fruit and avocado diet in a healthy, weight-loss diet
• Hungry enough to eat an ox? – Take time to enjoy a family meal once or twice a week. It’s good for the soul!
• Cinderella soup stock becomes a princess – Dress up homemade soup stock for everyday pleasures and few calories

Garbanzos, Gangnam style!

There’s nothing fishy about it!

Hey…Hey… Foxy Lady. Wop wop.. wop wop wop. You gotta try this healthy recipe! Garbanzo beans, AKA chick peas, are the talk of Pinterest right now… hot hot… hot hot hot.

Folks are roasting them whole by the bushel and popping them into their mouths as a handy snack. The bland little beans belong to the legume clan. They’re also the main ingredient of hummus, which is galloping out of more than one refrigerated case at the grocery store these days, in its many guises.

What’s all the fuss? People are looking for gluten-free fiber with a burst of nutrition. Garbanzos fill the bill. One cup of the stuff gives you half the fiber you need in a day, in a single serving. It also delivers 15 grams of protein and 85% of the daily manganese you need, as well as plenty of other minerals.

Manganese is special. We don’t need much of it, but this useful mineral is great for our health. Manganese battles free radicals to reduce risk of  heart disease and cancer. It helps make collagen to speed wound healing and oil achy joints. It partners with iron in the blood  to help prevent anemia. And last but not least, manganese works with calcium for strong bones that resist breaking.

Toasted chick peas can be spiced up any way you like. But I thought we would gallop along to the Korean rap tune from PSY and try on a whack of Korean spices for size. Koreans love soy sauce, soybean paste and red pepper paste. These sauces are enjoyed with onions, garlic, scallions, ginger, sesame oil, and crushed sesame. It’s no surprise, after having trotted along to Opan Gangnam Style myself, that powdered red pepper is the most popular spice in Korea!

I’ve tried roasting chick peas before,  mildly seasoned  two different ways. Really, they were a bust. That’s why I say go all out with the seasoning on chickpeas. Or don’t bother with them at all.

Also, be very careful with the timing. A second too long and they taste like dust. Or bunny pellets. Just not good.

But roasted chickpeas would be such a great snack  if only I could get them right! So I thought it was worth persevering… for the manganese, alone. Here’s what I came up with.

PSY’s  roasted garbanzo beans

2 cups canned chickpeas (1 15-oz tin)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon red chili paste (or more if you like things nice and hot)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves chopped garlic

I took the dresses off this batch but it isn’t necessary

Preheat the oven to 375̊ F. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse very well. Put them on a towel to dry a bit. Some recipes say to take the transparent coverings off the beans. I’ve done this in the past, but this  time round I left them on and the result was better than ever. Put the beans in a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Toss until the beans are evenly coated.

Spread them out in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Toss the pan every 10 or 15 minutes. Don’t let the beans blacken. Watch carefully the last 10 minutes or so. They’re done when they’re dryish, a little rubbery in the mouth, not too crunchy! Turn the oven off and let the beans cool in the hot oven. This will dry them further, without turning them to sawdust. Just the way you want them.

When they’re completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to a week (as if they’d last that long).

For a serving of 1/2 cup: Calories (kcal) 180.3, Fat (g) 4.7 including 0.6 g saturated fat, Carbohydrate (g) 28.7 including 5.6 g fibre, Protein (g) 6.5, Sodium (mg) 585.1, Potassium (mg) 248.0, Calcium (mg) 47.5, Vitamin A (RAE) 5.0, Vitamin C (mg) 6.5, Folate (DFE) 86.0.

It’s pretty clear grown-ups would like this tasty treat. But how popular are they with the shorter set? I called in my trusty taste tester to find out.

“Absolutely fabulous,” says Isla. “Oppa Gangnam Style!” Translation: Awesome! I say: you don’t taste the heat from just 1 teaspoon red chili paste. You feel only the slightest nip. Most of the flavor comes from the soy sauce and ginger. If you’re making these for PSY, though, and not the kids, you might like to shake a little cayenne into the mix. Wop Wop Wop Wop!

Source:

Search for roasted chick peas or garbanzos on Pinterest and you’ll find hundreds of recipes. Here’s one I used for inspiration, from The Improv Kitchen. Thanks so much!

Avast! It’s a Pita Pan Bread Snack-Platter

She may not be Tinkerbell… but she does have wings!

Shiver me timbers, Matey! If flour lived in Never-Never Land, enriched white wheat flour would play the part of  Captain Hook. Arrrr. It’s bad to the core. In fact, it’s bad precisely because it doesn’t have a core. After milling, only the endosperm remains. The bran, which gives us fiber,  goes first in the grinding process.

But even worse, wheat’s heart of gold, the germ,  is beaten out too. The germ is banned from white flour because it produces an oil when ground. The oil goes sour quickly, shortening flour’s shelf life. But with the loss of wheat’s germ, so goes most of wheat’s goodness.

Some vitamins are added back after the grinding, thus the nickname “Enriched”. But enriched flour is still no treasure chest. Humans just can’t copy exactly all the wonders of the real thing. So forget Invisibles Wonder Bread. Bilge! Made from unbleached wheat flour, it’s the Smee of Never-Never Land. It tries…  but it just doesn’t measure up.

Nothing beats whole-grain wheat flour for natural goodness. But it can be hard to find. Where oh where is the Peter Pan of our flour saga hiding? At Bulk Barn. the flours marked “whole wheat” had unbleached wheat flour near the top of the ingredient list. Same at Natural Food Pantry. So I sent Tinkerbell out to find our hero. When she came back, she said I should be looking for stone-ground whole-grain wheat flour to play the good guy. As long as it’s labeled whole grain it’s the real thing. Stone-ground is a bonus.

Why does stone-ground whole-grain wheat flour mark the spot? It’s the only kind of flour where the endosperm, bran, and germ all remain in their original proportions. Because the stones grind slowly, the germ stays cooler. The oils aren’t broken down by heat as much and the vitamins are preserved better. Only small amounts are ground at once, so the germ’s oil is well distributed, to reduce spoilage.  Because stone-ground flour is coarser  than the roller-ground stuff, oxygen has less chance to break down the oils and its nutrients. Bakers and health nuts alike prefer stone-ground whole-grain wheat flour because of its texture, its sweet, nutty taste, and it’s  good nutrition.

Many folks today say Peter Pan is a Lost Boy. These people stay away from all kinds of wheat flour, even whole grains. But unless you are allergic, or sensitive, to gluten, I think this trend is a bit over the top. The science on this just isn’t in yet.

As a general rule for good health, I’d rather see people steer clear of sugar than wheat.

Try this easy bread recipe that kids can make themselves in no time flat. It’s like a tasty, banana-flavored pita bread, without the pocket! Sprinkle a little fairy dust and make a snack platter you can fly away on to the land of good eating!

Pita Pan Bread Snack-Platter

Make the bread

1 large ripe banana
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces or 170 grams) stone-ground whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
A tablespoon or two of coconut or canola oil

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash banana with fork.
• Combine flour, sugar,  and spices, and mix them into the banana, just until a dough forms. Knead once or twice to bring into a nice ball.
• On flour-dusted work surface, cut the dough into 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a round disk. Roll each disk into a thin, flat round, about 4 or 5 inches across.
• In a hot frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until it sizzles. Fry the dough rounds, in batches, about  45 seconds on each side or until browned. Add more oil to coat pan, as needed.
• Cool on wire rack. Store in refrigerator or freeze, separated between sheets of wax paper, in large resealable plastic food-storage bag. Makes 6  pita pan breads.

Make the snack platter

Cut each round into four pieces. Decorate the pieces with the following, alone or in combinations of your own liking:

• Peanut butter
• No-sugar-added jam
• Honey
• Cream cheese
• Pepper jelly
• Home-made nutella
• Almond flakes, pistachios, or cashews
• Dried cranberries, raisins, or apricots

I’ve tried this out on all sizes of pirates, young and old. They all say, “Thank you Pita Pan!”

Fave fotos à la 2012

A year in review, through Vinny’s favorite pictures. The pictures are a fun way to index some of  the posts you liked best. Should old acquaintance be forgot… click through and remember!

Low-sugar cookies

“Skinny” brownies

Vinny goes back to school

Beet treat

Yak’s Sherpa pie

Kale and coconut oil

Eggs pickled pink

Drowning in sugar

A scoop o’ soup

“Happy Trails” mix

Sun and sand dollars

Oh! Canada!

Dragon fruit!

Lunch at Hogwarts

Quinoa goes to a party

Black Hack meets OObleck

Eggs from the Land of Time

Blue eggs? Experiment!

Lower-fat escargots

Tea party à la St-Paddy’s Day

Yoda soda

Nutella from scratch

Let them eat snake

Pint-sized portions

Picky food monsters

Beetniks

Plateful of Mg

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Here’s to a happy new year!

Thumbs Up! Awards and Feedback

We’re delighted to have received a number of lovely awards and comments from you over the past year. It’s encouraging to know that people are reading some of the stories we’re putting together and starting conversations with us about them. Even better, it’s nice to be making new foodie friends in the stratosphere, both young and old.

Vinny has tagged some pretty great sites in return, and if you click on the various badges, you’ll find short reviews of some entertaining food blogs.

In an attempt to put all the feedback in one place so I can tidy up the screen for you, here are a few other places you can go to for feedback:

• 2012 in review – what was hot on Cook Up A Story!
• Comments  About Vinny
• Feedback on the blog Cook Up A Story
• Comments about the book Cook Up A Story that we received at the Blurb bookstore before they changed this feature

Thanks again to all of you who  have checked in here over the past year and to those who have contributed your own thoughts and efforts toward mindful eating. Wishing you everything your hearts desire in the year ahead!

A Few Crunchy Numbers to Munch On… What was hot in 2012?

Low-sugar cookies

“Skinny” Brownies

Vinny goes back to school

Choco-beet cake

Yak’s Sherpa pie

Kale and coconut oil

 

 Click the pics to view the posts   The carrots are cooked! Thanks to the WordPress gurus, we now know our blog, Cook Up A Story, got 11,000 views in 2012. People from all around the world logged on to read Vinny’s 41 stories over the year and to check out the 242 pictures we uploaded. I know there are lots of blogs out there with far bigger readerships, but I’m thrilled with the faithful following we’ve grown over the past year. Thanks so much to my readers who make blogging such a lot of  fun!

The busiest day of the year was April 5th, with 575 views. The kids from Mohawk Gardens Public School poured all over Vinny’s blog that day, leaving helpful comments wherever they went. Their most popular place to comment was Feedback. The post Mini chefs tackle dishes with maxi nutrition documents the kids’ efforts at cooking up stories. Check it out!

Lower-fat escargots

“Happy trails” mix

Stevia… safe and natural sweetener

Tea party on St-Paddy’s Day

Yoda soda

Nutella from scratch

The largest share of the audience came from the United States (4,611), followed by Canada (3,107) and the United Kingdom (761). Other countries in the top 10 were Australia, Germany, New Zealand, India, the Philippines. the Netherlands, and the Russian Federation.

But Vinny had visitors from more exotic places too… like Gabon, Brunei Darussalam, Afghanistan, Albania, and Mongolia…  103 countries in all.

People came back again and again to check out posts on diet soda, home-made nutella, and custards. But they also liked reading up on unusual foods and ingredients…  like stevia, beets, dragon fruit, turr, quinoa, kale, and escargots. The popularity of a post may have been related to how close to the top of the index list it sat. But not entirely…

Dragon fruit!

Lunch at Hogwarts

Quinoa goes to a party

Eggs from the Land of Time

Blue eggs?

Eggs pickled pink

New in 2013 I’ve organized Vinny’s blog posts to appear in the right margin by category and tag. That way, people can see at a glance what topics are covered in particular areas.

Do you have suggestions to help make the blog better? Are there some topics you’d like Vinny to write about? Do you have a favorite post you’d like to mention? We’re looking forward to another active year of fun and good eating on this site. Please do leave a comment or drop us a line. Why not follow Vinny and let’s cook up some stories together!

Help, I’m Drowning in Sugar!

Sculpture by Salvador Dali, Dali Museum-Theatre, Figueres, Spain. Photo by me!

If, like me, you’ve found yourself drowning in a tsunami of baked goodies this holiday season, perhaps you’ll want to make a New Year’s resolution.

Repeat with  me: In 2013,  I promise to choose fruit instead of baked sweets for treats, snacks, and dessert.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012 is going out of here with a bang!

My thank you goes to Fae’s Twist and Tango for nominating Cook Up a Story for Blog of the Year 2012. The honor arrived just under the wire, December 31.

Fae’s blog is the work of a storyteller, like Vinny’s! She publishes articles about travel, food and recipes, with a twist and tango  —  fun to read.  Fae has posted many good recipes, but one that’s caught my eye is borscht, a soup we love with lots of beety goodness.

To pay it back, I nominate three extraordinary blogs in turn. These great food blogs highlight what I value most: good writing, wholesome foods and family traditions.

Local Kitchen – When explaining why she promotes cooking “local,” Kaela says, “I’m too poor to be elitist and too foul-mouthed to be holier than thou, so really: taste was my only option. Come join the conversation and discover how wonderful local food can be.” You won’t be disappointed when you visit her site.

My French Heaven – “We must feed our minds and spirit with the things that we love the most,” says Stéphane Gabart. “Mine are food (mostly eating it), hospitality, and design. So here is my little blog. I will try to make it more than just food and pretty pictures. I have a lot to share about what I think it means to feed/nourish oneself and others.” Check this out for the gorgeous photos and stay for the ideas!

This Lunch Rox. Healthy lunches made fun – Lots of  ideas for getting a picky kid to eat the good food in his (or her) lunch box! Jamie says, “Over time I developed a passion for healthy cooking.  Preparing wholesome food for me and my family brings me more joy than I ever dreamed possible and the lunch boxes are an extension of that. Long story short… I am mama to two beautiful boys who inspire me to create lunches that make healthy eating fun!”

Wishing everyone, everywhere, a healthy and happy year as we head into 2013!

From Vinny et al.

Angels we have heard on high

Tell us to go out and buy!

So says Tom Lehrer, mathematician, teacher, lyricist, pianist, composer, singer/songwriter and all round great guy. He wasn’t much impressed with the consumerism that Christmas often embodies. His little holiday ditty from the 1960s is just as relevant today as it was when he penned it:

Christmas time is here, by golly,
Disapproval would be folly.
Deck the halls with hunks of holly,
Fill the cup and don’t say when.

This year we’re trying to fill our cups and plates, not with folly, but with great-tasting foods that feed our bodies and minds with goodness. Our host of angels are made from a low-sugar, low-fat biscuit recipe that kids can roll out and cut into fun Christmas shapes. I used these little darlings, decorated in inert gold leaf, to brighten up my apricot trifle.

The good: Apricots are nutritious. They are a source of  lycopene, vitamin C and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) to boost our disease fighters, dietary fiber to aid digestion and control blood sugar, and vitamin A to protect our eyes.

The bad: A lot of the calories in apricots come from sugars.

The good: There aren’t that many calories, really, in the grand scheme of things, and we need a little sweetness this time of year.

Dried apricots have an even higher concentration of vitamins and nutrients, but are also slightly higher in carbs. Dried apricots are usually treated with sulfites in order to help preserve their shelf life and bright coloring. Untreated dried apricots are much darker in color, and can be found more easily in health food and nutrition stores. Your choice.

Vinny’s apricot trifle

I’ve linked to the original recipe  for an apricot tart, by Thom & Aimee. My version is a bit different. I used a thin slice of angel food cake for the crust. I don’t like a pastry crust and the nut crust I tried instead was a disaster.  I made my custard with evaporated skim milk, not cream. I used stevia to sweeten the cream and only 80 grams of sugar to sweeten the paste. The result was plenty sweet enough. What else. Oh yes, I used ground dried apricots and candied ginger to flavor the paste, not ground almonds. My technique was a little less demanding, too.

The ginger was terrific and even my picky eater liked it… although he did ask what I ADDED to the custard while forking through a piece of it. I smiled and said nothing. I decorated the top with canned apricots (with the syrup rinsed off), as well as the golden angels. The apricots were too much for the little guy. They were left on the side of the plate. Maybe next time?

Hark, the Herald Tribune sings
Advertising wondrous things
God rest ye merry merchants
May ye make the Yuletide pay
Angels we have heard on high
Tell us to go out and try

Try new nutritious foods and ways of cooking, that is…

 Merry Christmas everyone! Peace and love to all  __So says Vinny Grette

PS – If you are interested in having me post the exact recipe, let me know. I could do it up some time soon in the new year.

You are my sunshine!

Vinny and I just got an early Christmas present. Casey of  Case of the Munchies has given us a Sunshine Award! What could be warmer at this time of year than to be recognized for working with children? A fellow Canadian, Casey takes beautiful photos of mouth-watering food that he’s prepared by following his own instincts, while interpreting recipes he finds inspiring. He has a casual, happy style so suited to the Sunshine Award. I’m delighted that he has honored me in turn. Visit his site and take a gander.

To pay it back, I’d like to nominate a few of my own favorite blogs for the Sunshine Award, in no particular order.

• Jason’s Bites, a beautiful blog full of delicious food ideas. Jason says, “the whole point of my blog was to show everyone how eating healthy can be DELICIOUS and awesome!”
• Stefan’s Gourmet Blog lives up to its promise. Stefan enjoys preparing unusual dishes and choosing accompanying wines, with flair. Lots of good ideas and an excellent guide for learning new cooking techniques. Loads of great photos, too.
• One Regular Guy Writing about Food, Exercise and Living Longer is full of well-referenced material on maintaining good health throughout a long and happy life. I always learn something from reading Tony’s blog. Well worth checking into.
• Planet Snazzy, where fellow Snazzians can find cheery info on food, fashion, fun, and fitness! Lots and lots of great info on this site.
• Simply Young and Thrifty is a cheerful, bright page, fun to click into. Amy says, “I am a foodie, a deal lover, and a student of the world.  Staying healthy and happy is my priority.   As I experience life, I hope to share ideas on how to nourish the soul, strengthen the body and mind, and stay young and curious.”

In lieu of a bunch of silly personal info that I’ve already posted previously here and there, I’ll offer up a song that says it all. Dear readers, you make me happy when skies are grey. Listen up, this little ditty says it all! It’s a good note to end on.

Count Down to Christmas, Sugar Free!

 

Here we are, boys and girls, December First! It’s that magical time of the year when we start celebrating all things family, beginning with that special couple 2000 years ago who  rejoiced together  in a stable over their new-born son.

One fun tradition of the season is the Advent Calendar. Kids everywhere will be pushing back the flaps on a small door marked with the date. Many will find a sugary candy waiting for them. One gulp and it’s gone… nothing to show for it but empty calories. And so it goes, as they count down the 25 days until Christmas.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our family turns to Jacquie Lawson Cards instead. She offers a sugar-free advent calendar every year for our enjoyment. Each day unveils a new musical animation with stories, games or  puzzles. Once opened, these animations can be replayed again and again, with no added calories!

This year Jacquie brings to life a winter wonderland in a mountain village. While we wait for the next day of December to arrive, we can decorate a tree in our own special cottage, listen to Christmas music or work a puzzle. There’s a nominal fee for all this fun but we think it’s well worth the price.

If computer animation isn’t your thing, you might like to make your own advent calendar. That way, you can choose your own nutritious treats, like nuts or dried fruit or even  coupons for family outings or games, or decorations for the tree. There are many ways you can deliver these treats. You are limited only by your imagination. Check out Martha Up Close and Personal  for a few ideas.

Or how about  a daily advent treat from Fun Kids? Subscribe to a free podcast and get a new song every day in December until Christmas. Open iTunes to subscribe.

click on pic to order

While we’re on the topic of Christmas, perhaps I could shamelessly plug my own offering. How about the gift of healthy eating for a family you know and love?  For $4.75 US you can download a copy of Vinny’s e-book Cook Up A Story to your iPad or iPhone. Vinny’s main dish is stories and  recipes for the kids, where good food sets the mood. The whole family can sample a side order of basic  nutrition facts along with the fun.

This is my gift to you dear readers: four inexpensive and sugarless ways to enjoy the holidays! HoHoHo!

The Queen’s Beets – Let Them Eat Cake

“Woe is me!” sighs Marie.

Marie Antoinette found herself  bored silly. She had everything she wanted. If she clapped once, her servant would come with a tray full of chocolate cake. Twice got her steaming mugs of cocoa and cream. Three times and she went mad over baskets of truffles and éclairs. But she wasn’t happy.

Bad teeth made her head ache. If something amused her, she hid her black smile behind her fan. To wear her palace gowns, she had her corsets pulled so tight, Marie could hardly catch enough breath to shout, “Off with their heads!”

“Do something!” she ordered the King.

Louis shook his own head and consulted the court surgeon.

“We have no good way to patch up bad teeth, short of pulling them all out,” the doctor said. “To keep the ones Marie has left, she must eat less sugar.” As he took his leave he added, “And your wife needs more exercise.”

Louis loved his wife and wanted to see her well and cheerful. He ordered his chef to make a glorious cake with no sugar. The result was a confection of chocolate, nuts, and veggies, sweetened with a magical herb called stevia. Louis had it wheeled in to his wife’s dining salon on a cart lit by a single gold candle. “This,” said Louis, “is what we will eat with our tea from now on. When we want other sweets, we shall eat fresh fruits and berries. When we want a snack, we shall eat nuts.”

Marie pouted. But Louis insisted. So Marie took a small slice. Sugarless icing crowned the cake. A hint of chocolate cream oozed from the burgundy center. Marie daintily slid her golden fork under the tip of the slice and raised a royal crumb to her lips. “Mmm,” she said. Then she placed the whole forkful into her mouth. “Chocolaty and moist,” she proclaimed. And she ate it all up.

When she asked for another piece, Louis shook his finger back and forth. “Not now, my dear,” he said. ” But perhaps you would like to dance?” He held out his hand, his wrist flounced with lace, and asked his violinist to play. He whirled Marie around the floor. They leaped. They twirled. They chasséed like pretty ponies. On they went until Marie was gasping for air.

Marie flopped into the down feathers of her brocade lounge and laughed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed that, ” said Louis. “We shall dance every afternoon, until we are in the best of shapes, as befits our royal station.”

“WHAT in coronation was in that cake,” Marie asked. “I haven’t felt such energy since I was a girl!”

“It’s hush-hush,” he said. “We wouldn’t want the masses to hear of our secret ingredient. They could start demanding high prices. Worse yet, they might keep it all for themselves.” He paused. “But if you promise not to tell…” Louis hid his mouth behind his hand and whispered in her ear. All he said was: “Beets.”

“From this day forth,” Marie announced with a flourish,”We, The Royal House, will settle for nothing short of beets. The peasants, let them eat cake!”

And so, with a regular program of dance combined with sensible eating, she and Louis took control over their health. They may not have lived happily ever after… but they felt better trying.

To learn how the royal beets worked their charm, check out my previous post.

Royal Beet Cake

serves 10 or 12 people

75 grams (2.5 ounces) dark chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
80 ml (1/3 cup) canola oil
30 ml (2 tablespoons) coconut oil, melted
400 grams raw beets, yielding 300 grams roasted grated beets
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
40 grams (1/3 cup) cocoa, unsweetened
50 grams ground almonds
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
150 grams (1 cup) whole wheat pastry flour
4 teaspoons stevia powder (to equal 300 grams or 2 cups sugar)

Icing

4 ounces light cream cheese
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 teaspoon stevia powder or to taste (to equal 75 grams or 1/4 cup sugar)

1. Trim 3 large beets, clean skins with a dry towel, oil them with canola, and roast them in a sealed casserole at 400F for 60 minutes or until you can pierce them with a fork. Then cool, peel, grate, and measure correct amount.

2. Melt chocolate over hot water in a pan on the stove. Combine with other wet ingredients.

3. Whir dry ingredients in a food processor to add air, then fold them into wet ingredients. Pour into 1-litre (4-cup) cake pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake at 350F for 40 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack: 10 minutes in pan, then remove and cool completely.

5. When cool, slice horizontally.

Icing

Whip cream cheese and milk together. Add cocoa and stevia to taste. Ice first layer, place second layer on top and ice it too. Decorate with fruit if you like.

Nutrients per serving, based on 10 servings:
288 Calories. 19 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 642 mg cholesterol), 23 g carbs (4.6 g fiber, 5.8 g sugar), 9.3 g protein, 71 mg calcium, 3.1 mg iron, 357 mg sodium, 427 mg potassium, 74 DFE folate, 4.4 mg vitamin E. Leave off the icing and ave even more calories!

Here are three recipes that inspired me: Passionfruit project, Nutrition Guru, and Greenfingers. My original recipe came in at over 650 Calories per serving, most of it sugar and fat.

P.S. My story of Marie is imagined. Although the real Marie is famous for having said, “Let them eat cake!”, it’s likely not true.  Read the facts here.

The beet goes on

People who are into sports could take a winning tip from Sonny and Cher’s top-100 hit of 1967. You heard it here first, guys… The beat goes on was code, man. Yeah. They’re saying like eat your beets, and you’ll run harder, longer, faster!

It’s true. Lots of science backs this up, but the latest news came out this spring…  45 years after Sonny and Cher gave us the word.

A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that eating 7-ounces of baked beets 75 minutes before exercise helped racers run three percent faster during a 5K. Better yet, in the last 1.8 kilometer, they ran five percent faster. Being able to up your performance  like that means you torch both your opponents and major calories.

The secret is all those nitrates in beets. Nitrates  help deliver more oxygen to your muscles, so you don’t get tired as fast  during a race.

Juice them, soup them, or put them in cake! And don’t throw out the leaves. They’re  totally delicious, especially when you use them to make my favorite dish, beetniks.  No, the name of this dish is not referring to Sonny and Cher in the 60s. Beetniks turn up at parties in western Canada, especially weddings and Christmas gatherings, when people expect to have a great time and good food. They’re not hard to make, especially if you start with frozen dough.

Click to try out these beet recipes
Then lace up, go out and  run your personal best!

Beet Juice

Beet soup or borscht

Beet cake (see my next post)

Baked beets  or roasted beets with tahini sauce

And my personal favorite…
Beetniks!!!

2 or 3 dozen larger beet leaves, washed
(In a pinch,  you can use red chard leaves)
Bread dough, a pound or so
(I use whole-wheat frozen bread dough)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or 2 tablespoons butter)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup milk thickened with 1 tablespoon flour (or 1 cup cream)
Handful of fresh dill

Get ready…

• Defrost frozen bread dough in the fridge overnight
• Wash the beet leaves and leave them to wilt and dry overnight in a tea towel. If using chard, cut the ribs out
• Chop the onion and garlic
• Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets

Get set…

Beetniks

• Heat the oven to 350°F.
• Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a golf ball and roll it in your hands into a sausage. Wrap a beet leaf  loosely around the middle of the dough, leaving the ends unwrapped.
• Place the rolls on a cookie sheet, an inch apart.
• Cover the pan of rolls with a damp, clean kitchen towel and let the bread rise for an hour or so. While one tray of rolls is rising, prepare more for a second tray and so on.
• Once the rolls have risen, bake them 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• You can freeze beetniks at this point and save them for a special occasion. If eating right away, continue to the next step.

Cream sauce

• Sauté the onion and garlic in coconut oil in a large pan until soft.
• Remove from heat and stir in the flour, then add the milk slowly, stirring until well mixed. Return to the heat and continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Keep warm and when ready to serve, add salt and pepper to taste, then  stir in the dill.
• If you are using cream (very rich, but if for a special occasion, oh well?), stir it into the sautéed onions and garlic (no flour needed)  and allow it to simmer until it thickens. Add dill last.

Go!

• To serve, put three beetniks per person into the warm cream sauce and let them simmer away until they’re hot. This takes more time if the beetniks are frozen than if they are fresh out of the oven. That’s it!
• Serve beetniks with meat and veg or with other treats that come to us from Canada’s west via eastern Europe…  like cabbage rolls or barbecued marinated lamb.

Of course, beetniks use the leaves of beets, not the roots. That makes it a different animal from what scientists tested in the study up front. But you won’t go wrong with beet greens. They’re loaded with minerals to keep your blood and bones strong…  making you a better athlete!

Just so you know, a 1-cup serving of beet leaves provides you with 15 percent of the daily recommended value of iron, a mineral vital to your red blood cells, which carry the oxygen to your muscles. Iron also regulates cell growth. Besides iron, the same serving of beet greens also contains 15 percent of the calcium you need every day to keep your bones healthy.

So… Go beets! Go kids! Run, run, run! It’s just like Cher was trying to say. Beets help you go on, and on, and on, and on…

Photo from Ravenous Penguin

“Skinny” Brownies? Tricks for treats!

Halloween demands chocolate!

As it happens, a very chocolaty recipe jumped right onto my screen just after Halloween, from Chew Out Loud.

Health-conscious bloggers like Vinny, however, might think this recipe seemed a tad high on sugar (2 1/2 cups). So I tried this recipe using stevia in place of sugar.

Chew’s method for working with chocolate, using boiling water and hot fat, worked wonderfully.

Figuring out how much stevia to use was challenging, though. I would have needed a cup and a quarter of the Stevia Sugar I usually use… and I didn’t have that much left in the jar. So I used the pure stevia powder I had on hand instead. I needed only 2 teaspoons of this stuff. I started off with just 1 teaspoon in case my math was off. The batter wasn’t sweet enough, so I added another teaspoon. The batter now tasted sweet but also a little bitter. This has happened with other batters I’ve made and the cookies turned out well. So I added a half cup of apple sauce to replace the bulk lost when I removed the sugar… and forged ahead.

Don’t over bake!

The result? Disappointment. Liquid fat bubbled up around the pan during baking. When I bit into my brownie, it was, well, dense. Maybe I baked them a bit too long – my toothpick came out clean and there should have been a few crumbs… But the sweetness was good, so I served these brownies with whipped cream to my dinner guests the next day. They all liked them, but the ladies left some behind – too rich…

So I ran the recipe through eaTracker. OMG. Who would ever want to know that each of my eight servings had 555 calories and 39 grams of fat?!? Even the sugar was too high per serving… from the 6 squares of semisweet chocolate, I guess. Also, could the super-dense texture have been the result of no baking powder?

I reworked my recipe with these thoughts in mind and tried again. I wanted the sugar to be around 5 grams per serving and the fat around 10 grams… and the taste, GREAT.

I replaced half the fat with apple sauce, adding fiber to replace the bulk normally occupied by sugar. I upped the unsweetened chocolate and reduced the semisweet chocolate. I used three whole eggs instead of 2 eggs plus 2 yolks. I lowered the flour and salt and added some baking powder. I increased the stevia and substituted coconut oil for butter.

With this new recipe, if you cut it into 16 servings, we approach my goal. If we make 32 pieces, we can enjoy chocolate with a guilt-free conscience!

Taste test result: “Good!”

But just how good is it? We put my skinny recipe up against my original from Chew’s. Both were tasty, neither one overly sweet. Chew’s brownie was dense and rich with flavor. Mine tasted just as chocolaty, and the sweetness from more stevia was a plus. The texture was dense, but lighter than Chew’s. There was no hint of apple, even in the skinny recipe, which had twice as much of the stuff.

Vinny says you CAN have the great taste of a chocolaty brownie and eat it too… with less than half the calories and no added sugar. It just takes a little know-how.

Skinny Halloween Choc-Choc-Chocolate Brownies

one 9×13 pan makes 16 (or 32) squares

1/3 cup (1 ounce) processed cocoa (unsweetened)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water
3 ounces unsweetened good-quality chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used walnut oil)
2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Stevia, equivalent to 2 1/2 cups sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of pure stevia)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4  cups (5.6 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4  teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces  semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (Really! Keep them BIG)
ground pistachios to decorate (idea from The Plum Palate)

Skinny brownies

Put oven rack at second-to-lowest position and preheat to 350F.  Make foil sling:  Leave enough foil hanging over edges of pan to grab.  Cut corners on the foil and fold it into corners and up sides of pan.  Grease foil and set aside.

Whisk cocoa and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth.  Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts.  Whisk in oil and melted coconut oil.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Whiz salt, baking powder, stevia and flour in a food processor to mix evenly and add air. Fold into batter with spatula until just combined.

Fold in semisweet chocolate pieces.

Transfer batter into pan, spreading it into corners.  Bake for about 25-33 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.  It’s done when toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.  Do not over-bake, or brownies will be dry.

Toothpick should have crumbs

Transfer pan to wire rack and cool for half an hour.  Remove brownies from pan using foil sling and put them back on wire rack to cool completely.  Cut brownies into 16 or 32 squares.

How skinny are they?
Serving is 1/16th of the pan.

Calories (kcal)	187.3
Fat (g)	13.3
Saturated Fat (g)	6.0
Cholesterol (mg)	36.1
Sodium (mg)	69.1
Potassium (mg)	139.0
Carbohydrate (g)	17.6
Sugar (g)	6.8
Protein (g)	3.8
Vitamin A (RAE)	19.1
Calcium (mg)	33.2

This is as healthy as I can make them!

Mini Chefs Dish up Maxi Nutrition

This spring Cook Up A Story caught the imagination of a public school teacher in Burlington, Ontario. John Highley, who teaches at Mohawk Gardens Public School, said, “If we can  get the word out to schools, this thing might take right off. I see teachers using Cook Up a Story as a resource in their classrooms for nutrition/health units from grades 1 to 6, as well as the grade 5 chemistry unit.”

Through John’s efforts, the Grade 6 Chefs Challenge started on March 21, 2012, and ran for nine weeks. Taking part were 18 students, 11 and 12 years old.  Each group of 6 students cooked up an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert over three weeks, using  recipes from Cook Up a Story. While waiting for things to cook, they read some stories.

Young chefs season some Birdies on a Stick

Their Language Arts teacher encouraged them to post on the book’s blog, also named Cook Up A Story. Comments from the kids came in all through the website. I answered their questions and encouraged the kids to keep cooking. Click on “Contact” in the main menu at the top of the screen and “Readers’ comments” on the right to see some of these exchanges.

Vinny Grette, host of the book and author of this blog, is a boy on a mission. He’s out to show children how to eat well for good health, through stories. Vinny’s come up with a half dozen of them… tales where good food sets the mood. He uses these adventures for kids 6 to 12 years old as bridges to recipes, nutrition and food facts. The package aims to encourage healthy eating for the whole family.

Tourtière!

“It’s satisfying to hear how excited the kids were about getting into the kitchen to make delicious foods from healthy ingredients,” says Sharon Rudnitski, the writer behind Cook Up A Story. “They started off with Birdies on a stick, seasoned chicken wings roasted on skewers, with less salt than the usual fare. Then they tried their hand at Mademois-Ellie’s meat pie, a party food in French Canada known as Tourtière. And they finished with Melting moments, a chocolate cookie high on taste and fiber and lower on saturated fat and sugar.”

Says Sharon, “The best thing about this after-school program is seeing my ideas being used the way I had hoped they would. With childhood obesity on the rise and nutrition so much more in the news today, I wanted to do something that might help today’s kids navigate all this buzz without feeling threatened.” The word “fat,” never passes Vinny’s lips except to talk about the merits of olive oil versus butter.

Kids get answers

“My website is full of  lots of foodie fun,” says Vinny, while snacking from a fiery bowl of dragon fruit. “I like to write about stuff that kids and their families can savor together. My hope is that the book gets kids interested in good, healthy food basics, so that they want to learn more. When they tap into the website, they can flesh out their nutrition smarts.”

“Vinny is the 12-year-old boy who lives inside all of us, regardless of the passing years,” Sharon muses rather wistfully.  Inspired by kitchen adventures for as long as she can remember, Sharon used her degree in food science to launch a publishing career with the science arm of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Now she enjoys bringing her healthy-eating messages privately to kids in the community.

Sharon published Vinny’s efforts last summer. The book is  illustrated by Pierre Sylvestre who has 20 years of experience as animator and storyboard artist. It’s available through Blurb Bookstores, an on-line publishing service that distributes books around the world. Click on  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3118045 for more details.

Much thanks to John Highley for making the Grade 6 Chefs Challenge such a success!

Come, Mr. Tally Man, Tally Me Bananas

Not only monkeys eat bananas,,, kids like them too

“Um, Excuse me… Sorry. Mr. Tally Man?” asks Fozzie Bear. “Uh, what’s that? What’s a tally man?”

Sesame Street’s guest star Harry Belafonte answers this burning question once and for all. The singer tells his muppet pals the tally man is a very important person. Without him, people in northern countries would have no bananas.

“Daaaaay yo! No bananas?” I holler. “What would kids ever do without bananas?”

“Right on!” replies  Chiquita, a well-known pint-sized banana expert who is watching her favorite program with Vinny. “Mashed bananas is one of baby’s first solid foods. They’re just so easy to digest and hardly ever cause allergies. Perfecto!” She snatches one from the bowl on the table and peels off its skin. “What would a peanut butter sandwich be like without the occasional banana slice thrown into the mix? Bananas keep it all from sticking to the roof of your mouth!”

“Well, Chiquita,” I say, not quite able to keep from showing off. “There’s a bit more to bananas than their creamy feel. Bananas tote along a mineral called potassium.  For some bizarre reason, the sign for potassium is a capital K. The big K on a food label means a big bonus for your muscles, nerves and brain. K reduces blood pressure and risk of stroke. K also helps your bones absorb  calcium to stay strong.”

“That’s all good,” says Chiquita, “but how about this?  Bananas bring you a bunch of  feel-good chemicals that pull together to keep you from getting depressed. And vitamin B6 in bananas helps you sleep and keeps you calm.” She smiled. “You’re not the only one to know a little about bananas.”

“Pass me a banana, quick, then,” I say, “I’m starting to feel a little crazy!” Vinny peels a ripe one and gulps it down. He smiles slowly, then passes the peel to Chiquita. “Yes, I do believe I’m starting to feel calmer. But it seems to me you need help from this banana, too,  in another important way.  Maybe you should press the inside of the peel to that humungous pimple on your nose. It’ll dry it out in a flash.”

“That’s rich, Vinny” says Chiquita, with a toss of her head. “When I’m finished with this slimy old banana skin, I’ll save it for you. You can throw it into your garden to spruce up those sad-looking flowers by your front door you call roses.”

“Daylight come, and I want to go home,” I sing, ignoring Chiquita. “I love that song! It makes me want  to bake some cookies. These ripe bananas will be perfect for mixing up some Skinny Monkeys.”

So Vinny and Chiquita get started in the kitchen. Here’s the recipe they use – low on fat and calories (just 47 in each cookie) and high in protein and fiber.

Bananas, chocolate, nuts, and oats – so good and good for you, too!

Skinny Monkey Cookies

• 3 bananas
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup cashew cream (or peanut butter)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon
• stevia equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar (or less… but sadly, I like it sweet)
• chocolate chips to decorate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for about 20 minutes, then drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Top each cookie with a chocolate chip. Bake 10-12 minutes.

After 10 minutes baking on a silicon pad, the cookies tasted very moist, almost too gooey. I put them back in the oven for another five minutes. The cookies never became crispy. Not much risk of burning these babies, I’d say. They tasted moist and chocolatey but a bit bland.These cookies taste best warm. I nuke them in the micro on low power for 5-10 seconds, until they feel warm to the touch. I have to say, they weren’t much of a hit with the kids at room temperature.

Freezing Directions:

Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze. To serve, zap on defrost in the microwave until they feel warm to the touch.

Baking tip: Remove the plastic monkey BEFORE you put the pan in the oven….

Servings: 30

Thanks to once a month mom for this nutritious kid-friendly recipe idea featuring bananas.

For interest’s sake, here’s one more,  not-so-skinny treat, featuring fried bananas and brown sugar. It comes to us from the Philippines, where banana cue is a popular street food.

(1 banana = 0.422g of potassium, 13% of your daily requirement)

Yackity’s Life-Ever-Lasting Tibetan Pie

Recipe for eternal youth

My last time out I told you the tale of how Yackity came to live on a farm in Canada. It was a fine life, and Yackity learned how to grow many kinds of foods and make lots of delicious and healthy meals. But there was one dish that her mother had made for her which was always a favorite.

We can imagine inhabitants of Shangri-La baking Yackity’s one-dish dinner for their pampered guests. Its healthful ingredients likely held the key to their long lives!

Yackity shared her recipe with me and I pass it on to you today. If you have trouble finding the ingredients in your area, feel free to make substitutions. This recipe is made to be tampered with.

It would be a shame if you had to toss the yak out of Yackity’s pie. But I realize not everybody is as fortunate as we are to have a yak farm near by. You can always substitute some other lean red meat… emu, beefalo, even pork (surprisingly lean these days). Try to stay away from beef if you can.

Check out this chart, and make up your own minds. See how the calories, cholesterol and fat are all so much lower for yak compared with beef?

4 oz. Meat Comparison Yak Beef Beefalo Pork Chicken Calories 154 300.71 212.53 195.58 220.09 Cholesterol 49mg 89.31mg 65.57mg 89.31mg 93.84mg Fats 6.10g 19.42g 7.14g 6.84g 8.69g Protein 24.7g 29.3g 34.6g 31.4g 33.2g Yak nutrition analysis provided by Midwest Laboratories, Inc., a USDA-Accredited Lab. All beef, beefalo, pork and chicken analysis provided by USDA.

Without any more fuss, here’s how to bake this pie.

Yackity’s Tibetan Pie

You need

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (I used a large purple-skinned sweet potato, which is white inside – yummy! Tibetans grow lots of potatoes, so use whatever kind you like.)
• 2 tablespoons real butter (Yaks are a source of milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter for Tibetans)
• 1/4 cup milk (I always use skim)
• 1/4 cup raw barley (very Tibetan)
• 1 onion, diced (I used a leek – kids like the mild flavor)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 pound ground yak
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (not very Tibetan, but it’s all I had…)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled goats cheese (yak cheese isn’t commonly available…)

Get ready

1) Scrub the potato and slice it into one-inch pieces. Boil until soft, then rinse in cold water. Take the skins off and mash with butter and a little milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

2) Add the raw barley to 1 cup boiling water in a small pan on the stove.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes or till tender. Add a 1/4 teaspoon salt the last 5 minutes.

3) Peel and chop the carrot and garlic.

4) Spray an oven-proof deep pie dish with oil.

Get set

1) Heat the olive oil in a fry pan. Add the carrot and cook until soft. Add onion and garlic, and stir until onion gets limp. Remove to a plate.

2) Add more oil to the pan, then add the yak and  cook on medium heat until brown.

3) Add cooked barley and flour. Put  the cooked veggies back in the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes, or until thickened.

Go!

1) Put the meat filling into the deep dish, then top with the mashed potatoes.

2) Crumble the cheese over the potato crust. At this point you can refrigerate to serve later.

3) To reheat, put the pie into a 350F oven. When the topping is brown and bubbly, the pie should be hot enough to serve – about 35 minutes.

If you can find yak meat where you live, what are you waiting for? Buy some. It’s good for you and so delicious. Even a kid would like this pie. The sweet potato and barley lend a delicate flavor to a dish already raised out of the ordinary with the unusual meat.

Yackity is ready now to say goodbye. But before she leaves you, she would like to tell you one other fascinating factoid: Chewbacca and the Wolf Man both wore costumes made of yak hair. How cool is that?

Related link

Yackity’s Yaks – Read part I of this amazing tale and learn more about the biology of these wonderful animals.

Yackity’s Yaks

Let me tell you the strange tale of how a Sherpa lass called Yackity ended up on a ranch far from home and got to the meat of the matter.

One evening, while Yackity fed her animals their usual treat of puffed maize, a cruel wind picked her up and blew her far away from her haven in the Tibetan mountains.

When Yackity came down to earth again, she found herself all alone in a land that reminded her of home.  Pine trees, grassy fields,  worn rocky outcrops, and many bright flowers felt familiar.

But other things looked strange. Tall whispery trees bent their branches down to a small stream that flowed past their roots. Prickly bushes along the fences drooped from the weight of red berries. Black birds with a blood-red patch on their wings flitted among the reeds.

“Where am I,” Yackity wondered aloud. As she looked around, she was surprised to see an old man walking toward her. What surprised her was his age. Where Yackity had come from, people retained their youth right up to their time of passing. Yet this old fellow seemed fit and spry… running through the fields, shouting “Clara!  Micheline! Jasper!”

“Hello there!” Yackity waved, finding she could magically speak to the old man in his own language. “Who are you calling? And where am I?” she asked.

“You’re on one of the few Yak ranches in Canada,” the man replied. He spread his arms. “I was calling the animals so you could meet them. That’s why you’ve come, isn’t it?” He smiled. “My yaks roam across 750 acres of  lush vegetation here. They  nibble on willow when they are ill and feast on raspberries when they are pregnant. They need only half the food a cow eats and find most of it for themselves. I give them some hay in winter, though. Winters are cold here, but their shaggy hair and extraordinary body chemistry equip yaks to thrive without much shelter, regardless of the weather.”

“What’s so special about their body chemistry?” Yackity asked. “I kept yaks myself in my homeland and never heard of  any super powers…”

Jasper, the hardy yak

“I could yack about that forever!” exclaimed the old man. “The main thing is their humungous red blood cells. When it’s cold, yaks breathe slowly, storing oxygen in them. When it’s hot they just breathe faster. Their body fat differs completely from other animals as a result.”

“That’s odd,” Yackity went. “The only meat I’ve ever eaten is yak. It doesn’t have much fat at all.”

“That’s right” said the ranch owner. “Yak meat IS lean. It has just half the calories of beef, the meat people eat most often here abouts. Yak meat has one-third less saturated fats, the nasty ones, and one-third more of the omega 3s and linoleic fatty acids, the ones that are good for us.”

“Oh,” said Yackity, speechless for once. “What I like,” said Yackity, licking her lips at the thought, ” is the delicate juicy flavor. We say yak meat is what keeps us Tibetans limber enough to climb the mountains until we’re well and truly old. If you have some around, I’ll make you my favorite dish for you!”

The old man had a large supply of it in his freezer.  Tune in next week to learn how Yackity made her Tibetan pie.

To this day you can still find Yackity on the ranch in Canada,  thriving on yak meat and other treats from the land, while helping the old guy care for his animals.

Tibetan pie half undressed, so you can see what’s inside

Many thanks to Rosemary Kralik, for allowing me to post photos of her animals. Rosemary runs Tiraislin, a yak farm just west of Ottawa. She sells her meat from her farm and at the Ottawa Farmers Market. Her yak products are delicious and so good for you, too!

Related Link

Yackity’s Life-everlasting Tibetan Pie – A great recipe for Sherpa pie and some simple science facts about meat. Yak meat comes out on top in every way… a super meat!

I’ve got a loverly bunch of coconuts, tra la

Click on the coconut to hear Grampa’s song

My Great-Great-Ever-So-Great Grampa used to sing about coconuts at the top of his lungs. But he wasn’t much into eating them. Although he loved fine dining, his choices rarely included stuff that was good for him. Broccoli? Yuck! Brown bread? No way! Bring on the butter and the whipped cream!

I thought he was crazy to refuse a slice of  Gramma’s coconut cream pie. He turned his nose up, too, at her sticky coconut macaroons. Instead, Grampa chowed down on butter tarts.

Grampa could uncover a health food in a church casserole with one whiff of his nose. He’d have it chucked off his plate before you could say pat-a-cake. So when I started seeing raves popping up all over the Internet toasting  the health benefits of coconut oil, I figured Gramps was just ahead of the curve.

In his day, coconut oil was reviled for having sky-high amounts of saturated fats (usually dubbed the bad ones). Today, bloggers are trumpeting it as super healthy. Its benefits are not due to the awesome omega-3s everybody loves now. Instead, it contains an unusual blend of short and medium-sized fatty acids.

People swear coconut oil helps with weight loss because its rare fats raise our metabolic rate. One of its fats (lauric acid),  found elsewhere only in mothers’ milk, is said to boost our immune system. It’s also rumored to cure serious illnesses like AIDS, thyroid problems and Crohn’s disease.

But let’s not jump on the band wagon too early. The medical community is still studying its effects. Results are promising but far from conclusive. In the meantime, here are a few things people agree on.

• Unprocessed raw coconut oil offers the most benefit.
• Virgin coconut oil does not raise the risk of heart disease, like saturated fats do.
• Coconut oil is stable when used for cooking at high heat.
• Virgin coconut oil is better than butter and trans fats but not as good as liquid vegetable oils. So whatever you do, don’t replace olive oil or canola oil with coconut oil. But feel free to use coconut oil instead of butter or shortening in your baking. In fact, you can use 25% less oil when you do this.
• If Oprah says so, it must be true!

Even if coconut oil turns out not to be a miracle food, it is still useful in high-temperature cooking to flavor other super foods…  kale, for example. Kale is just a SUPER super veggie! But it can be hard to “like.” However… if we team kale up with chocolate and coconut oil, it tastes amazing!  So without further ado, here’s Vinny’s recipe for baked chips – super crunchy – made from kale. Thanks to Averie Cooks for the idea! My apologies to someone on WordPress who also posted, but I just can’t find it again.

Let’s make some veggie chips! (“Crisps” in Britain)

Kale chips baked with chocolate and coconut oil

• 1 bunch kale
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons honey or the equivalent in stevia (I used 1.5 tablespoons of Stevia Sugar)
• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted
• pinch of sea salt

Too easy!

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Wash kale, removing ribs. I cut them off with scissors.
4. Dry thoroughly. I used my hair dryer – only took a minute!
5. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces. MUST fit neatly into mouth because the baked chips are too crunchy to bite in half.
6. In a large bowl, whisk cocoa, sweetener, and coconut oil.  Add dash of sea salt. The syrup that I sweetened with stevia tasted bitter (gasp!), but the baked chips tasted wonderful (whew!).
7. Massage the chocolate sauce into the kale.
8. On a large baking sheet (or two…), arrange kale leaves in a single layer.
9. Bake 10-15  minutes, until kale is crispy.  The time varies with the batch – use your cooking sense.
10. Turn oven off and prop the door open to let the chips air dry.

Kale chips come out of the oven kind of, well, black. But they aren’t burnt – trust me!

You won’t believe the chocolaty rush you get, as these chips dissolve in your mouth. Would Grampa have liked this snack with  all its crunchy goodness? Sadly we’ll never know. He passed away at a regretfully early age from a stroke. Perhaps if he had only eaten more kale and veggie oils…

Bouquets!

Everyone deserves a little recognition now and then. So today, I’ll take a minute to shine a light on two wonderful bloggers.

First, let me present Peri Avari, the talented writer of  Peri’s Spice Ladle.  Peri says, “If you are looking for newer and healthier food options to match your healthy lifestyle: the answer lies in Indian food.” Sounds good to me. It’s not just her Parsi-inspired cuisine that makes this blog a popular destination, with over 500 followers. It’s also her warm writing style and her faithful presence in our in-boxes that brings people back, offering good food, along with good thoughts, words, and deeds.

Next, I introduce you to BeautifulSimpleMeaningful, Sophie—wife, mother of two, and from what I gather, academic on a sojourn with her family in Belgium where they are experimenting with role reversal—is a woman after my own heart. Neither novel ingredients, complicated recipes, nor time-consuming techniques for creating basic foods like bread or tofu in her own kitchen faze her. Her motto pretty well sums it all up: “I only have time to cook once a week. So it had better be good.”

I’m so grateful to these two women for nominating Vinny’s blog for three awards circulating about the blogosphere recently.

Earlier this month Sophie kindly put us up for the One Lovely Blog and the Inspiring Blog awards. This is not the first time we’ve been nominated for these honors but it is no less exciting to be given them by such a great blogger. Thanks so much!

Then today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Peri has tagged us for the Reader Appreciation award! There’s no doubt about how much we appreciate receiving it. Heartfelt thanks, Peri. As this is the first time Vinny has been given this award, we must fulfill these rules:

Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to his/her blog
2. Include the award logo in your blog (see column at the right)
3. Answer the questions below (and I have answered them in italics)
4. Nominate the blogs you enjoy reading, link them and let them know that they have been nominated (with pleasure)

First, the Q and A:

• What is your favorite color? Pink – is there any other color?
• Favorite flower? Hibiscus (or orchid, or lily… so hard to choose just one)
• What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Roibus tea – not only nonalcoholic, but also caffeine free… and pink!
  
• Do you prefer Facebook or Twitter? Facebook - I don’t have a smart phone – wish I did
• What’s your passion? Children and gardens
• What’s your favorite pattern? Plaid
• Do you prefer giving or getting presents? Both!
• What’s your favorite number? 1,000,000, especially if there is dollar sign in front of it
  
• Favorite day of the week? Tuesday, the day I post (usually…)
  

As I have already nominated a number of  blogs for the One Lovely Blog and the Inspiring Blog awards, I’ll move right along. My selections for the Reader Appreciation Award (no particular order) go to these fabulous reads:

• Gastronomy Mommy – A like spirit with a blog packed full of stories and recipes about healthy eating
• Cornaby’s – a fun read full of honest assessments about the recipes she tests. Jana, our 300th follower, is also the winner of a free copy of Vinny’s book
• A High School Foodie – a  real live 15-year-old chef who reminds me of my own imaginary friend, Vinny Grette
• Running in Mommy Land – an eclectic writer who gets plenty of reader appreciation
• iGame Mom – an informative stopover for families who surf the web, and who doesn’t these days?

To all my faithful readers, so happy to have you along. Please keep reading, commenting, and trying Vinny’s recipes. Let’s get cooking!

Little Annie Okra

Fiber Bonanza!

Annie Okra hits the target every time when it comes to scrubbing out our innards. Also known as “lady finger,”  this nutritious green pod is rich in fiber as well as some other gluey stuff. This duo helps digest your dinner.  Moving food particles smoothly on their way through the gut, they keep us regular.

Okra is one of the few green veggies that offer lots of antioxidants, with all the benefits they bring for our eyes, skin, heart and lungs. Other vitamins in this little parcel are B, K, and folate.  B vitamins promote healthy cells. K is an aid in memory, prevents blood clotting, and promotes healthy bone and prostate. And folate is kind to babies. The pods also deliver minerals.

Like Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter from the days of the wild west in America, Okra thrives in hot weather. So it’s not likely we will find it locally in Canada. But I did find it imported at our local grocery store, looking fresh and firm.

If you do have a hot sunny spot and you want to grow Okra, you’ll be rewarded by glorious hibiscus flowers, which turn into the pods we eat. Okra is a cousin of the Mallows, from where we originally got marshmallows! But that’s a sticky story for another day.

Speaking of sticky, some people dislike Okra because when it’s boiled, as in the famous southern dish called chicken gumbo, it gets slippery or even, GASP, slimy. But the Plum Palate recently posted a recipe calling for roasted Okra. Okra roasted in a little oil doesn’t get slimy, and that’s a good thing .

This recipe also calls for corn on the cob, which is at its peak this time of year. You can scrape the kernels off the cob with an ordinary paring knife, whether the corn has already been cooked or is still raw. Good both ways.

Like Okra, corn comes with a lot of fiber. On the bad side, it also come with lots of sugar. But if you are like me and only eat corn in the fall when it’s fresh from the farm, go ahead and eat as much as you like.

Finally, you can use up any pumpkin seeds left over from previous recipes Vinny has recommended, and in the process give yourself another big dose of antioxidants. Pumpkin seeds are crunchier roasted, so take a minute or 10 and heat them up in the frying pan until they start popping and you smell their lovely aroma.

So let’s get cooking!

Roasted Okra, with Sweet Corn and Pumpkin Seeds

Serves four as a side dish

You need
1/4 pound  (or more) fresh okra, stems and tips trimmed
4 ears of cooked (or raw) sweet corn, with kernels sliced from the cob
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
sea salt
pepper

Get ready

• Preheat oven to 425C
• Toast pumpkin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until seeds start to pop, about 8 minutes. Add paprika and stir for a minute or so until well combined and fragrant. Remove from heat and add sea salt, to taste. Transfer to the bowl of a mortar and pestle and grind the seeds.
• Combine Okra in a bowl with 1 teaspoon oil and a little salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• In another bowl, do the same with the corn.

Get set

• Put Okra in a single layer on a flat cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper and roast for 12-15 minutes. Shake pan every 5 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, add cooked corn kernels to the pan. If the kernels are raw, add them at the 5 minute mark.

Go!

• Once veggies are browned, put them into a serving bowl and top with crushed pumpkin seeds.
• Finish with a generous dash of paprika.

The Plum Palate says: “Corn is sweet on the tongue. The Okra comes across as mild but robust. The salty pumpkin seeds add crunch and spark.”

This recipe for the incredible Annie Okra is easy!

PS: Annie Oakley. one of the first American women to become famous world wide, was a champion for women’s rights and a star performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Annie died in her early 60s in 1926 from pernicious anemia caused by inability to absorb vitamin  B-12.

Annie’s premature death goes to show that vitamins are indeed important. Annie, get your gumbo!

Auntie Oxidant Rides to the Rescue

Auntie Oxidant is hitch-hiking in your veggies. Give her a ride with this delicious creamed soup!

Auntie Oxidant is a kid’s best friend. Who wouldn’t want to have a powerful protector like her on their side? She’s a real fighter who guards our cells and disarms invaders that cause disease… good to have around.

Auntie O lounges about in fruits and veggies. You probably know some of her family already. Meet:

• Vitamin A – hiding in ORANGE fruits and veggies, like carrots and sweet potatoes
• Lycopene – swimming in cooked tomato dishes, like catchup
• Vitamin E  – holding hands with vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds
• Anthocyanin – showing off  in RED or BLUE foods, like beets and red carrots

Known in the science world as antioxidants, these nutrients protect cells from free radicals.

”The amount of antioxidants in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.”
- Dr. Richard Cutler, former Director of the National Institute of Aging, Washington

Free radicals are trouble-makers – formed when oxygen molecules are ripped apart.

Oxygen comes into our bodies in the air we breath. It arrives in pairs of oxygen atoms, with each pair bound tightly into a molecule. We can’t do without the oxygen twins for more than a few seconds. They are essential to life.

But the twins have some powerful enemies. Smoking, alcohol, air pollution, infection, sunlight, radiation… all these things tear at the oxygen molecules, breaking the twins apart.

The separated oxygen atoms are freed at a price – they each lose one electron. The deprived oxygen atoms go on a rampage… stealing electrons from other molecules and damaging cells. Cancer, stroke, sunburn and even aging itself are triggered this way.

Antioxidants ride to the rescue. They use their own electrons to rope those crazy radicals in and tie them up before they can do harm. Without Auntie O, we sort of rust away, from the inside out… or in the case of sunburn, from the outside in!

The Bottom Line

Scientists agree that eating lots of fruits and vegetables lowers your risk of heart disease and certain cancers. A diet rich in veggies and fruit keeps you healthy, through and through.

If your kids won’t eat their veggies in chunks, try them on a delicious pureed soup. Why not start with Auntie O’s favorite, adapted from Cooking up a storm, dish by dish.

Get shopping, preferably at a farmers’ market

Auntie O’s Soup of the Day

CREAM OF ORANGE AND RED VEGGIES

Makes 14 cups

You need

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 red (or orange) carrots,* cut into cubes (about 1 pound or 450 grams)
1 butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded, and cut into cubes (about 1 1/2 pounds or 680 grams)
1 red onion, cut and diced (about 10 ounces or 300 grams)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes, diced (about 1 pound or 450 grams)
1 litre chicken stock
a little salt and paprika to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or to taste, depending on acid in tomatoes
pumpkin seeds and basil to garnish

Get ready

1. Wash, peel, chop and measure the veggies. Tip: Slice the squash into one-inch rounds, then slice off the hard skin and take out the seeds. Now cut it into cubes.

Get set

 

1. In a soup pot on medium heat, stir fry the carrots for 10-15 minutes in the oil. My red carrots turned the soup a beautiful burgundy!
2. Add the butternut squash, together with the onions and the garlic, and stir fry for 10 minutes longer
3. Add the tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes more
4. Add the chicken stock – bring to a boil
5. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the veggies are squishy
6. Switch off the stove – let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes

Go!

1. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor, or use a hand blender right in the pot on the stove top (the easiest)
2. Serve warm, topped with basil and pumpkin seeds, if you like

Sources

• The free radical theory of aging matures. Physiol Rev. 1998 Apr;78(2):547-81.
• Protective effect against sunburn of combined systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 Jan;38(1):45-8.
• Plasma and lung macrophage responsiveness to carotenoid supplementation and ozone exposure in humans. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;58(12):1571-9.

* Red carrots have been grown in Turkey for centuries. Their color remains stable and adds a lovely burgundy glow to your soup. You can find them at farmers markets or veggies stores, sold as heritage carrots. They are even healthier than orange carrots because of the special antioxidant they contain,  anthocyanin. If you can’t find any red carrots, orange ones work too.

Stevia Story: Misty-Moisty Apple Cake

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Photo by  Heather Burke

This little rhyme is one of the first things kids learn about healthy eating. Apples are a food basic. One of baby’s first solid foods is apple sauce. And as kids grow, they often choose apples as a favorite snack. But are apples really so good for us?

The answer is YES! At the very least, you can expect fewer visits to the heart doctor later in life. The apple’s soluble fiber slows the release of sugar into our blood and controls insulin levels. Pectin in apples also lowers insulin levels. The effect is lower cholesterol in our blood and lower risk of  heart problems.

But it’s not just the heart that benefits from apples. Its fiber also cleans intestines. It sops up toxic heavy metals that interfere with our health. Plus, it makes us regular. In this way, apple’s fiber reduces risk of cancer. Our lungs, too, are happier when we eat apples. Two studies show two apples a week lower risk of asthma. Time-honored studies also confirm that apples benefit our bodies. According to ancient Chinese medicine, apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst, lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and increase body fluids. Vitamin C and some healthy minerals also help. All good.

Even better, an apple contains only 50-80 calories.

Sliced… and politely waiting for lunchtime

So apples can help you lose weight. According to one  study, women who ate an apple before meals lost more weight than women who didn’t. Apple’s fiber is playing a role here, again. It fills you up and  controls your sugar load. A lower body weight, of course, also helps your heart’s health. It’s all related.

Here’s a trick for packing a sliced apple in your child’s lunch box. It won’t go brown if you fit it all back together again like a jig-saw puzzle. Hold it together until meal time with a rubber band.

Apple sandwich , without bread

Or use apple slices like pieces of bread and make a sandwich! Fill your sandwich with peanut butter or homemade nutella sweetened with stevia. Then dot the spread with dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or almond slices.

Apple desserts with added white sugar are probably not doing us any favors, though. That’s why Vinny is pleased to present his Mom’s fabulous recipe for apple cake. He’s changed it up a bit, to ditch the sugar. Vinny’s cake is sweetened with stevia. And he’s used unsweetened applesauce, to add back the bulk lost by leaving out the sugar.

Sweet without sugar, naturally!

Vinny’s Momma’s Misty-Moisty Apple Cake

Wet ingredients
1/4 cup butter  or margarine, cubed, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Dry ingredients
1/4 cup (30 grams) Stevia Sugar (to replace 1 cup sugar)*
1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams )
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped peeled apples, Macintosh or Gala

Get ready

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).
2. Grease a 9-inch cake pan (2 1/2 L).

Get set

1. In a large bowl beat together butter, eggs, and apple sauce  until blended. The butter doesn’t incorporate as smoothly without the sugar. Don’t worry.
2. In a small bowl, stir dry ingredients well.
3. Stir dry mix into egg mix until blended.
4. Add apple pieces.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Go!

1. This cake is moist enough to eat right out of the oven.
2. Or you can serve it warm with ice cream, cheddar cheese, or whipped cream (sweetened with a teaspoon of stevia).
3. OR.. you can make stirred custard (sweetened with stevia) to float your slice  of cake in. All delicious.

* Read the label on your stevia package to make sure you are using the amount recommended to replace 1 cup sugar (then use a little less). Remember: A is for Apples… and apples earn their A effortlessly. Enjoy an apple every day – just for the health of it!

References:

• Chai SC, Hooshmand S, Saadat RL, et al. Daily Apple versus Dried Plum: Impact on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. July 26, 2012
• Maoshing, Ni. “Apples: The Live Longer Fruit.”  October 2008.

Stevia Story: Sand castles and cookies

Make us some sand dollars, please Vinny?

“If I owned this cottage, I would never go home,” Will proclaims. We were packing up after three weeks at a glorious lake house we rented in the Ottawa Valley, and it was hard to say goodbye.

A favorite activity there was playing on the beach. Will got Bank Street and Isla hung out on Alta Vista, one rock over, building shark pools, irrigation systems, and frog forts. Builders had to keep one eye open in case wily Willy, the water snake, popped in for a visit… but for the most part we were left unbothered.

We did work up an appetite though. “Have you got any healthy cookies for us today, Vinny?” Isla asks.

Why, indeed,” I reply. “I’ve got a batch of sand dollars in the oven as we speak.”

“Like the sea shells?” asks Will. “Awesome!”

Ten minutes later we’re all munching on tasty, sugar-free cookies sweetened with stevia, a no-calorie natural food recently proven safe in scientific tests. Nobody was the wiser.

Of course, even sugar-free cookies contain calories from the butter and flour. And butter has the bad-for-you kind of fats, the saturated ones. But I just couldn’t see making these cookies with olive oil or prune butter. Vinny’s sand dollars are little treats we can enjoy once in a while without worrying about adding to our toxic sugar load.

Vinny will be cooking up many of our favorite desserts over the next while, substituting stevia for sugar. We’ll let you know how it all works out.

In another week, the kids will be heading back to school, so let’s enjoy the sun and sand while we can. Here’s Vinny’s recipe for sand dollars to help you do just that!

Sand dollars sweetened with stevia. Cookie monster says, yummmm!

Sand Dollars

You need

• 1½ cups (200 grams/7 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup (100 grams/4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons Stevia Sugar* (equal to 1/3 cup sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon  almond extract
• ½ cup slivered or sliced almonds
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Get Ready

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray or oil.
3. Measure flour into a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and baking soda. Stir to evenly distribute.
4. Measure butter and Stevia Sugar

Get Set

1. In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon or mixer to beat butter with Stevia Sugar for 2 minutes.
2. Add egg and vanilla.
3. Beat until evenly mixed. Stir in flour mixture just until no white streaks remain.

Go!

1. Scoop up about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of dough. Dip your hands in flour and roll into a ball about 1 inch ( 2.5 cm) wide. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat, placing balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
2. Dip the flat bottom of a wide glass in flour. Press down on the cookies until they are no more than ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. The edges should crack a little to create a natural uneven look – like sand dollars!
3. Press 5 slivered almonds in a spoke design around the centre of each cookie.
4. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Use a spatula to remove cookies to a rack to cool.

Cooled cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature keep well at least 4 days.
Easy! Makes 18 cookies. Serve over rocks and brown sugar for a fun presentation, along with a big glass of  low-fat frosty milk or a few slices of cheddar cheese for a balanced snack. Tip of the chef’s hat goes to the LCBO Food and Drink magazine, Summer issue, for the idea.

* Important notes: I used Stevia Sugar by New Roots, where 1 teaspoon equals 2 teaspoons of sugar. Experiment with the brands available in your area. I was surprised that the Stevia Sugar didn’t bind the egg and butter as well as sugar does. But once I added the dry ingredients, all was well. Also, when I tasted the raw dough, I detected a little bitterness associated with some stevia products. Oh no, I thought. But the baked cookies tasted great. I don’t think anyone would notice they were sweetened with something other than sugar.

If you use pure stevia, instead of Stevia Sugar,  you use much less… perhaps as little as half a teaspoon. In this case, add some fiber to make up for the loss of volume… perhaps ¼ cup ground almonds in this recipe.

Read my post on stevia for more info.

And so the sun sets on another summer of healthy eating

Magnesium Battles the Evil Stroke

A plateful of Magnesium

Are your grandparents looking a little worn around the edges? Maybe you see them filling up on junk food or puffing away on cigarettes too often?

If so, they could be setting themselves up for a medical catastrophe known as Stroke. Holy smokes! That could be serious. Is there anything you can do to help?

If you’ve struck out asking them to quit smoking (a very hard thing to do… but oh so healthy), maybe you can get them to stock up on foods that are high in the superhero Magnesium (Mg).

Magnesium, a mineral found in some foods, has just been proven to fight off the scary Stroke.

The most common kind of stroke happens when the blood thickens enough to form a clot, which blocks a blood vessel in the brain. Researchers at the Swedish Karolinska Institute found that the risk of older folks suffering this kind of problem was reduced by 9% for each 100 milligrams of magnesium they eat each day.

Researchers think it may be because Magnesium helps lower blood pressure.

Get ready to be healthy. Chop, measure, mash, and mix before you start cooking.

Here are some foods that have mega-loads of Magnesium. Put a few of them on the menu every day.

• Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, collard greens, and broccoli.
• Nuts and seeds. Pumpkin and sesame seeds, peanuts, almonds and cashews are good choices.
• Whole grains, like brown rice, oat bran cereal, and whole grain breads.
• Beans. Black beans are a particularly good source, with 120 mg of Magnesium in one cup.
• Fish. Scallops, halibut, and oysters are all good sources of Magnesium. Choose sustainably raised fish when possible.

Vinny’s readers will already have learned about most of these healthy foods. Click on the links above to find out more.

Try the recipe below for a dinner packed full of tasty Magnesium. You won’t be sorry! It’s awesomely delicious. Isla says: “The outside and the insides of black beans are yummy!” Only a four-year-old would think to dissect a black bean, which she went on to eat daintily, one by one, off the end of her fork.

A magnesium smorgasbord, to battle the bullies that bring on a visit from Stroke
SCALLOPS WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

The part of the scallop we eat is the large muscle found inside this beautiful shell fish (royalty-free image)

Ingredients for 2-3 servings

1 pound scallops

1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon stevia sugar (or ordinary sugar or honey)
Pinch of pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon black beans (or black bean paste)
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 fresh green chili, finely chopped (optional, especially if serving kids)
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Scallops marinating

Prepare scallops

•    Rinse scallops in cool water. Drain and pat dry. If scallops are large, cut in half (across the middle, to make each piece skinnier).
•    Marinate scallops with soy sauce, stevia, pepper, cornstarch, salt, and balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes.

Prepare black bean paste

•    Rinse black beans
•    Add garlic, chilies,  and ginger root
•    mix well and mash with a spoon.

Put it all together

•    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch skillet.
•    Add three-quarters of the black bean paste, and stir fry for 1 minute.
•    Add onions and bell peppers and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
•    Add marinated scallops and cook until scallops turn white, about 5 minutes.
•    Add the rest of the black bean paste and cook for 1 minute.

Serve

•    Sprinkle with sesame oil
•    Serve with steamed rice mixed with more cooked black beans and a side of  steamed broccoli.

Tasty, chalk full of magnesium,  and oh so good for keeping Stroke at bay:).

Magnesium in a pan

References

• Here’s a tip of the hat to Cooks.com for the above recipe idea.
• More about magnesium in foods…
• High Magnesium foods slide show

Raison d’etre

A whole bunch of raisins!

Once upon a time there was a bunch of grapes. They spent way too long in the sun and ended up as raisins. Did you know? Raisins are just dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. You can eat raisins raw or use them in cooking, baking and brewing.

Raisins are usually dried in the sun. But they can also be dipped in water or put into driers that suck the air out of them. “Golden raisins” are Sultanas, which are a type of white grape. They’re treated with a gas called sulfur dioxide, and dried under a flame to give them their lovely yellow color.

Kids like raisins because they are naturally sweet. Yet they fight the  bacteria in the mouth that make holes in your teeth!

Use raisins with whole grain cereals for added goodness. Throw them into a mix with nuts and seeds and other dried fruit for a wholesome snack. Or eat them by the handful, all by themselves.

Keep reading for everything you ever wanted to know about the amazing raisin, a good “reason to be”… healthy!

All about raisins

• Raisins come in a rainbow of colors,  including green, black, blue, purple, and yellow.

• Seedless varieties include the Sultana (also known as Thompson Seedless in the USA) and Flame grapes.

• Currants are miniature raisins that are dark in color (nearly black) and have a tart, tangy flavor.

• Several varieties of raisins are produced in Asia and, in the West, are only available at ethnic specialty grocers. Check them out! Green raisins are produced in Iran.

•  In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada the word “raisin” is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with “sultana” being a dried large white grape, and “currant” being a dried small Black Corinth grape.

• Raisins range from about 67% to 72% sugars by weight, most of which is fructose and glucose.

• They also contain about 3% protein and 3.5% dietary fiber.

•  Raisins, like prunes and apricots, are also high in certain antioxidants, but have a lower vitamin C content than fresh grapes.

• Raisins are low in sodium and contain no cholesterol.

• New research has shown, despite having a high concentration of sugars, raisins fight bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and gum disease.

Eat raisins and live happily ever after! The end.

Credits: Photo is courtesy of Foodimentary!

Escargots and chocolate milk

Bon Appétit !

Escargot, if you don’t already know this, kiddies, is  French for snail. And that’s right, people eat them. In fact, many of best restaurants offer snails at high prices.

I personally knew one little girl who ordered escargots whenever she saw them on the menu, usually while we were driving in Quebec, Canada’s French province. She liked her snails with chocolate milk.

Servers everywhere shook their heads in wonder when she placed her order. On  one trip in particular she ate escargots so often we had to drive with the windows down. That’s because snails are most often served swimming in garlic butter. After a while, the air gets pretty rank.

The fact that we find escargots in Quebec is not a coincidence. The French eat 40,000 tonnes of snails each year. Most of these are served floating in hot melted butter. This method of cooking snails, however, undermines their nutritional goodness. Without the butter, snails are high in protein, low in fat.

In fact, snail pie is an option to combat hunger in Africa. Here’s why. Snail meat contains protein, fat (mainly polyunsaturated fatty acid, the good fat), iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, K and folate. It also contains the amino acids arginine and lysine at higher levels than in whole egg. Finally, it contains healthy essential fatty acids like linoleic and linolenic acids. The high-protein, low-fat content of snail meat makes it a healthy alternative food. How about that!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The things is: they’re ugly little critters!

But we should get over it and learn to love these nutritious  power houses.

After all, snails have been eaten as food since at least ancient Roman times. Apicius, the author of the oldest surviving cookbook known (it dates from the time of Jesus), gives us a recipe for snails. He preferred his snails to be fattened up on milk and then lightly sautéed. Snails are wildly popular in many countries, if not so much in English Canada and the USA. Restaurants internationally serve about 1 billion snails annually.

But let’s lower the butter content a tad. Here’s a great recipe we can try, for example, from Escargot Passion. It’s not entirely butter-free, but it IS made with less butter than usual. It’s said to be very easy.

 

Low-fat escargots, with goat cheese stuffing 

Here are the proportions for 48 snails, previously cooked in court bouillon. The recipe makes eight servings of six escargots each.

Ingredients

• 200 g of goat cheese ( or greek feta )
• 50 g of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• salt to taste
• optional – flavor with tarragon, anise,  or crushed mustard seed. I used tarragon.

See the little cup that holds the snail shells? Functional design!

You need

• 48 empty snail shells
• 8 oven-safe snail plates with places for 6 snails
• 8 snail forks
• 8 snail tongs (optional, if you’re handy enough with your fingers)
• Whole wheat baguette

How to prepare

• Knead the ingredients together until you have a smooth paste.
• In each empty shell, place a little of this paste. Then push a cooked escargot into the shell. Fill the remaining space in the shell completely and smoothly with the paste. Use  5 grams for each shell (a teaspoon). Arrange the snails six to a plate.
• Put the plates in the oven (200°C or 400°F) just long enough to melt the butter.
• Serve immediately. Be careful because the plates and snails are hot. Pick the snails  out of their shells with a special little fork. Sop up the melted paste  with pieces of the whole wheat baguette.

Tip: You can actually buy snails ready to go in cans and avoid the worst part of snail cooking – the cleaning of the live little critters. If you’re interested in this aspect of snail cuisine, see Escargot Passion in the last paragraph or read these instructions  for finding, cleaning and cooking snails from your own garden.

So don’t be shy… go ahead and try this recipe. We all know snails are what little boys are made of (along with puppy dogs’ tails)… so they must be pretty good. The hardest part is finding the canned and cooked snails, but you can do it. Let me know how you like the recipe?

There’s a nutritional powerhouse within that lovely shell

Nuts to you, cowboy

Ke-mo-sah-bee! “Trusted friend”

In a recent blog we talked about the goodness of hazel nuts. We even used hazelnuts to make some reasonably healthy homemade Nutella! If you think about it, Hazelnut and  Acorn could be twins.

The Nut twins: Acorn…

And his sister Hazel Nut

If an acorn has enough power under its little cap to sprout a giant oak tree, just think what if could do for you if you were to eat it! It’s not a secret. Even as long ago as the early days of the wild west, folks knew the power inside those tough little shells. Cowboys like the Lone Ranger, taught by  his Native American partner Tonto,  grew strong on acorns. They used acorn meal as flour, as an ingredient in mush, or pounded with meat, fat, and berries to make pemmican.

But there’s a catch. All the goodness of acorns is hidden behind  an enemy known as Tannin. Our forefathers put their crop of dried, shelled and ground acorns in bags and left them for days in a swift-running stream. This process washed the harmful tannins  away. A faster way is to boil the nuts, toss the darkened water containing the tannins away,  replace it with fresh water, and continue until the water remains clear. Tannins can ruin your kidneys if you’re not careful.

Maybe that’s why acorns are not so popular these days. They’re just too much trouble, when there are lots of other great-tasting nuts around for the taking. Acorn’s twin, Hazel Nut, is a good example.

Nothing’s like freshly ground nut butter

But there are so many more. Pistachios, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, and even the lowly peanuts  are only a few of the delicious and healthy nuts we can find by going to our neighborhood grocery store. There we can get them in the shell or out, plain or roasted, salted or spiced, whole, sliced or ground, or, best of all… made into nut butter.

Did you know? Breaking news… Nuts and seeds are one of nature’s belly fat killers. Adding these to your diet is a great strategy.

Hi Ho Silver… Away! Who WAS that masked man?

Just remember… all good things in moderation. Nuts pack lots of nutrients but at the same time provide a lot of calories ounce for ounce. I say keep the serving size down to a handful a day, and live long and prosper.

Happy Trails Snack Mix (Listen to the song while you mix this up )

Good cowboys and cowgirls need a little something to tide them over as they ride the range.  Trail mix is much better for you than dastardly useless chips (or “crisps” as they’re known in the UK). For those times when hunger pangs strike, mix together 1/4 cup of any of these things you have in your pantry:

peanuts
hazel nuts
shelled pistachios
sunflower seeds
chia seeds
dried cranberries
dried currents
dried apricots, dates and/or mangos, chopped
any other nut, seed, or dried fruit you have in your cupboard…

For every five ingredients, you can add 1/4 cup chocolate chips, if you really have to. It’s probably better to leave them out, but if you use them, choose DARK chocolate. The dark stuff contains antioxidants (cancer fighters). You may as well get some benefit from your sugar hit.

To serve

Eat a handful whenever you feel weak from hunger and your next meal is more than a half hour away.

Happy trails to you, and may we meet again!

Stevia’s a real sweetheart

Princess of sweet

Once upon a time, there lived  a magical sweetener, named Stevia. Cousin of Chrysanthemum and sister of Sunflower, Stevia was incredibly sweet. The truth is Stevia was 300 times sweeter than her ugly stepmother, Sugar. Better yet, Stevia was  sweet without any added calories. And best of all, Stevia was so much kinder than any of her catty artificial friends, who promise the same calorie-free hit but deliver nothing but trouble.

I’m referring of course to the shifty Splenda, Aspartame, Saccharine, Sucralose, and Acesulfame. Evidence suggests that these artificial sweeteners are contributing to cancer, brain disorders, and sugar dependency problems. They are used in soft drinks, packaged puddings and jellos and many other processed food that are labeled  sugar free.

Sugar imposters

Artificial sweeteners are no-nos for kids or pregnant mothers.

Food processors of course know that people want to cut back on sugar. To hide the  sugar, they use different members of the sugar family in their foods. That way, sugar can be scattered across the ingredient list, not staring you right in the eye at the top.

Here are some of the more notorious of Sugar’s relatives:  Corn sweetener, Dextrose, Fructose, Fruit-juice concentrate, Glucose, High-fructose corn syrup or HFCS (a particularly lethal individual),  Lactose, Maltose, Molasses, and  Sucrose. Whew!

But what if you crave sweetness once in a while? Well, you may have to make your own treats. I use maple syrup or honey in place of  white sugar. Even with these products, I’m still adding volume-for-volume the same number of calories.  To get ahead of the game, I reduce the amount I use in the recipe. And besides, these natural sweeteners come with benefits:  maple syrup is a tree sap full of cancer fighters and honey is baby food for bees, with many extras to offer people who eat it too. Maple syrup and honey are a good choice as long as the recipe calls for only a little sweetener.

If you need a lot of sweetener, though, try looking to our gentle Stevia for help. It’s natural, it has no calories, it’s safe, and if you use the right amount, it’s sweet without any aftertaste. For centuries South Americans have used  Stevia in herbal teas. Decades ago, Stevia made friends with the Japanese who even used it in Diet Coke! By 2000,  Agriculture Canada was experimenting with Stevia in various processed foods, as a safe, calorie-free substitute for sugar.

Stevia – it’s natural! Photo courtesy of healthFA.

But if   it’s so good, why aren’t food processors using it as a sweetener of choice here?

It comes down to money. You can’t patent a natural product. So years ago, Stevia’s rivals lodged complaints and Stevia  became illegal in processed foods in the US, Canada, and the UK. Until recently, artificial Splenda remained safe as Queen of Colas.

That’s why  I could  hardly believe who it is we have to thank for a new sweetener we have today, based on the Stevia plant…  Coca Cola! They came up with a way to harness the calorie-free sweetness of stevia  in a patented product called Truvia.  Truvia  is a spoon-for-spoon substitute for sugar. It’s in foods like  VitaminWater Zero, Sprite Green, and Blue Sky Free. Pepsi has also come out with a Truvia competitor. And in Canada I’ve spotted a similar product called Stevia Sugar in health stores. I’ve tried it and it’s great. I use the tip of a spoonful in my coffee and there’s no bitter aftertaste at all.

Stevia Sugar…, Truvia’s sister

Since 2008 when Stevia was approved for use in food in the US, Truvia has become the second best-selling sugar substitute, beaten only by  Splenda.

Side effects?    Studies show that Stevia is safe at normal consumption rates. Truvia might, however, cause diarrhea in a few people, especially people with bowel problems.  This problem comes from the sugar alcohol used to cut the sweetness of Stevia. But it takes an awful lot of  Truvia to cause this difficulty and, again, only in a few people.

So I say let’s give Stevia and her offspring,  Truvia and siblings, a whirl. Stay tuned for some recipes and more episodes in the Stevia Story. Good night and sweet dreams!

Sodas sweetened with Stevia, available in Canada

Related links

• Sand castles and cookies – Make some cookies with stevia
• Misty moisty apple cake – Avoiding sugar with apples and stevia

Inspiring blogger? Who, me?

Many thanks to fsszj of Household arts and science fame for awarding me the Inspiring Blog Award.

It’s an honor to be recognized by a person like fssz.  Her blog is the epitome of the art of home management. She covers such topics as arts and crafts, cooking, education and research, family relationships, health and nutrition, hospitality, human development,  and most importantly, real-life responsibilities. fsszj somehow finds the most wonderful and popular recipes and household hints ever. Do look this one up. You won’t be sorry you spent the time.

Inspiring: from the verb Inspire – to encourage or stimulate. Synonyms – Exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, swaying, stirring.

Eureka! Now I get it. My blog is definitely intended to get people stirring – stirring up simple healthful tasty foods in their own cozy kitchens. I’m into trying to get  families excited about spending time together around the table. I galvanize folks, or at least try to, into taking a little time to make meals special. I feel exhilarated when  people remember where they came from enough to cherish their family’s traditions. I try to sway people of all ages into trying new foods that they cook from scratch with unprocessed ingredients.

So if just a few of you make a few small changes in these directions, or feel inspired to continue on a path you’ve already embarked upon, maybe  my efforts here are worth while. Thanks to fsszj for making Vinny feel appreciated.

Here are a few other blogs I’ve been reading lately that make me feel inspired. I hope they will do the same for you. Nominated in turn for the Inspiring Blog Award are:

Behind her smile’s blog – inspires me to continue with my efforts to bring healthy tasty foods to kids and their families

Health demystified – inspires me to live a balanced life

Apronhead – inspires me to look at the world with clear eyes through beautiful photography and provocative thinking

Awesomely awake – inspires me to be creative and mindful in helping to raise children

quête saveur – a flavor quest

- inspires me to try new foods from another culture

Happy blogging, happy cooking, and, most important, happy eating!PS: Stay tuned for a fun-lovin’ post called

Nuts to you, Cowboy

and a slightly more serious effort,

Stevia’s a real sweetheart!

Jubilation! A royal cake for Canada Day

Oh, Canada!

Our home and native land is celebrating a birthday! Isla says: We need to bake a cake. Of  course we do. I should have thought of that myself!

First, I thought about making a Victoria sponge cake, named after an old by-gone queen. But it  doesn’t make the grade as a food suitable for posting here, where we like to feature healthy eating for kids of all ages… Darn!

Then I made a wonderful discovery. Canada’s queen (Queen Elizabeth, of course, who is also, not so coincidentally, Queen of England) came up with a perfectly delicious cake  around the time of the last world war that should have done very nicely. I made a couple of adjustments to the sugar and fat components (see above comment pertaining to healthy eating ), and away we went! Sadly, The Queen mustn’t know how to bake very well… My cake turned out flat as a pancake. Or perhaps it was my adjustments???

Whatever, I had two options: make another cake and stack them, as I explained in my directions, below. Or ice the single layer I had already and call it a Canada Day pizza.  Regardless, I’ve  adjusted the technique a little, which you will see reflected in my instructions, in an attempt to get the cake to rise a bit more successfully. If you try it, let me know how it comes out?

I’ve updated the icing, too,  using goat’s cheese and low-fat cream cheese, based on an idea I found on WordPress recently.  Then I smothered the whole thing in raspberries, long-known as a super food, and super good too. This buys nicely into the pizza idea.

Then Isla had the best suggestion ever: let’s make it a flag cake! So the pizza became a very respectable looking flag, and the end result was fit for a queen… Or for a country’s birthday party.

Have fun on Canada’s birthday and dig in to the best healthiest birthday cake ever!

Canada Day Flag Cake

Vinny’s Jubilation Cake, with a polite curtsy to Queen Elizabeth

• 6 oz (170 g) dates, chopped and with any stones removed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1/3 cup (100 g) honey
• 2.7 oz  (75 g) butter, softened (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) canola or olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavouring
•  1 and 3/4 cup (190 g) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 150 g chopped pecans (optional)

Topping

5 oz chevre (goat cheese), at room temperature
4  oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 lemon, zested
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup maple syrup, in honor of Canada Day (or icing sugar if you want a pure white background for your flag)
1 pint fresh raspberries or any red berry in season
1/3 cup raspberry jam (if making the layer cake)
1/3 cup whipped cream (if making the layer cake)
1 tablespoon raspberry jam (to paint the maple leaf)

How to mix it all up
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) prepare two 8×12″ pans by spraying them with oil and lining them with parchment paper. You only need one pan for the pizza flag.
3) Combine in a small pot the dates and hot water. Bring to a boil and allow dates to bubble for a few minutes, stirring until the dates become sticky, like a thick jam. Add the baking powder, mix slightly, and stand back! It makes a good show.
4) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, oil, and honey. Add the beaten egg and vanilla and beat until creamy.
5) Whiz the flour, the second amount of baking powder and salt in a food processor for 30 seconds. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Pour in date mixture, and mix all together gently.
6) Pour batter into one of the pans. Transfer pan to the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let stand.
7) For the layer cake, make another batch of cake dough and bake a second cake in the second pan. You can freeze the cakes at this point wrapped in tin foil. Thaw and frost them on the big day, as follows.

Presentation
1) Cream all icing ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2) For the layer cake, spread 1/4 cup raspberry jam over the first layer. Then spread 1/3 cup whipped cream over the jam. Top with the second layer.
3) Spread the cheesy icing smoothly over the top of the cake and along the sides.
4) Make a cutout of a maple leaf. I reduced this image to half size.

Soggy Maple Leaf cutout

5) Dilute 1 tablespoon raspberry jam with a little warm water or lemon juice until it is spreadable. Use the cutout to paint a maple leaf in the centre of the cake with jam, then remove the cutout. Make a  row of raspberries on each end of the cake. Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day, Everybody! And no, this isn’t Vinny!

One Lovely Blog Award

Thanks so much to Household Science and Arts for awarding me the One Lovely Blog Award.  Especially so, as the honor comes from such a wonderful and prolific blogger herself. Her blog covers arts and crafts, cooking, education and research, family relationships, health and nutrition, hospitality, human development, organization, pet care and animal advocacy, and most importantly real-life responsibilities… but especially, great food. Every week there are many posts to contemplate, from a woman who thinks the family is the cornerstone of our society. Do check this one out.

I’m asked to reveal seven things about myself …. SEVEN! I can barely think of one. Anyway, here it goes, seven things I love:

1) The honesty of children

2) The serenity of the great outdoors – camping, gardening, hiking

3) Taste sensations – any good cooking efforts will do

4) Traveling, even if only down the road 30 miles. I’ve come to be known as an adventurer with confidence issues.

5) Family – mine in particular, but also the whole idea of family life in general.

6) Art and creativity of any kind

7) A good  novel every week, especially if it has something to do with food

For your reading pleasure, I put forward  these blogs, in turn,  as worthy of the One Lovely Blog award (in no particular order). NINE of them!

Meliovore

Every college girl

Grandma’s fun factory

Maggie’s one butt kitchen

The Blissful adventurer

Peri’s spice ladle

Eggkins

Apron head

Frugal Feeding

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Pop a little corn – the Bertie Bott way

Every-flavored popcorn

Rain pounds against our skylight. We can hardly hear the movie above the noise, as Harry Potter and his friend Ron swap their Bertie Bott Every Flavor Beans with their friends. Toast, sardine,  grass, and dirty-sock flavors are all up for grabs.

“Can we go to the candy store? ” Isla asks, watching Harry suck on a toffee bean.

“Pleeeease?’ adds Will for good measure.

“Let’s pop some corn, instead, and test out a whole bunch of flavors of our own,” I say.  It was awfully  wet and windy, outside.  “We can try different kinds of corn, all kinds of oil and lots of spices – it’ll be so much fun!”

Isla gives me a thumbs up. Will says: “Do you have any of that homemade Nutella left we could try?”

Nodding yes, I headed for the kitchen with the kids close behind.

Here’s what we dig out of the crannies of my cupboards:

• some yellow corn kernels and some white corn kernels
• brown paper lunch bags
• olive oil,  walnut nut oil,  and black truffle oil (OK,  I admit it  -  I am a bit of a food junky)
• sea salt,  black pepper,  chili powder,  curry  powder,   garlic  powder,  cinnamon, maple  syrup,  homemade  Nutella,  Tabasco  sauce,  Bangkok  sauce,  and Parmesan cheese
• a bunch of little white dessert bowls
• two mixing spoons
• a set of measuring spoons and my favorite measuring cups

Here’s what to do:

• Turn on The Popcorn Song, to keep us in a popping mood. I think you’ll recognize it once you hear it… listen up, it’s GREAT!
• Measure 1/4 cup of white kernels into one bag and 1/4 cup yellow kernels into the other bag. Fold the top of the bags closed, twice. Tear the fold in two places toward the center, about a half-inch apart, and fold down the paper between the tears to fasten the fold tightly. Don’t use tape, as it burns.

• Put the bags one at a time into the microwave and set the oven on high for 2-3 minutes. WATCH CLOSELY. If the paper smokes turn the oven OFF. Also, listen to the pops. When the racket stops, turn the oven OFF.
• Divide the popcorn into the dishes: three with white popped corn, three with yellow popped corn.
• Taste the two kinds of corn without any flavoring at all. What’s your favorite?
• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of oil on each dish of popped corn. Try a different kind on each dish of white and yellow corn.

Then add a bunch of flavors to the bowls and toss. In different bowls, we tried:

• 1 tablespoon Nutella
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, a sprinkle of salt, and a few dashes of Tabasco
• a few shakes of salt from the salt grinder and some freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon Bangkok sauce

The idea is to see if we can find some great snacks that get away from melted butter and sugar and use instead healthier fats and spices. But you can go ahead and try anything you like. Next time, I’ll try adding a little yeast. I’ve heard it’s a great flavor boost and adds protein and vitamins too.

The kids taste the popped corn from the various bowls and deliver their verdicts.

• Third prize goes to: Parmesan cheese and garlic powder, with truffle oil, on white corn
• Second prize: Nutella, with olive oil on yellow corn. The oil helps keep the corn crisper for longer, as the Nutella adds unwanted moisture along with its goodness.
• Fanfare please… First prize goes to: Maple syrup and cinnamon with walnut oil on yellow corn!!!

Some thoughts:

The kids liked the yellow corn best – it’s what they’re used to. But I really liked the white corn. It was tenderer and had a more intense flavor. Both corn kernels were the same price, and about a seventh less than packaged microwave popcorn. Why pay more for high-tech wrapping that pollutes the planet?

Three cups of air-popped corn without the added oil or flavorings is 93 calories. It contains lots of fiber, some protein and some iron. We use a little of the healthier unsaturated fats so that the flavorings stick to the kernels better. The type of oil changes the flavor. I loved the truffle oil with just a little salt and pepper. I didn’t miss the butter at all – especially with the Parmesan corn, my personal favorite.

Once you find a favorite, you can up the quantities and make a big batch for rainy movie afternoons.

Take it easy with any sauce that is more watery than it is oily. It makes the corn soggy – not cool.

Will and Isla won’t be trying brussels sprouts or dirt-flavored popcorn, no matter how much Harry and Ron rave about those kinds of beans. But we’ll definitely be getting out the corn kernels and spice jars the next time we hunker down for a wet afternoon with our favorite movies.

Cheers!

References:

More popcorn ideas Thanks to SquawkFox for the inspiration for this food experiment .  Check out the comments there, too, for more cool ideas.

Popcorn nutrition Here, you can also compare the nutrition of popcorn with other snacks – popcorn wins nearly every race!

Food Stories Award

Cook Up a Story (the website) has just been nominated for a Food Stories Award. Many thanks to CJ of Food Stories Blog for this honor. The official award site is http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/. Check it out. It’s an informative place to visit if you like food .

The award requires me to post some random fact about myself, which I’m sure will not be of the remotest interest to anybody out there… Nevertheless, in the interests of playing along, and as an adjunct to eating and writing and children, I also adore flowers. I have a big garden that relaxes me whenever I spend time in it.

I have a few favorite food blogs which I enjoy visiting. I would like to nominate these five for a food stories award, in turn.

• The first is   A hundred days of real food. Challenged by Michael Pollan’s In defense of food, this family shows how you can cut processed foods from your grocery list. Do look this one over at your leisure – a great read and a thrilling family saga!
• Then, I just love Household Arts and Science. This oh-so-prolific blogger sends out more than one post a day. In any week I find three or four that are especially interesting for me. Well worth a look.
• Next, I suggest you look at Foodimentary, especially if you’re more into food facts than recipes per se.

• For food photography par excellence, I think you’ll love looking at The Plum Palate. Her photos of even the simplest ingredients, like this slice of lemon, are striking. They set off her delicious recipes  highlighting seasonal foods very nicely. This blog has a healthy approach to eating that Vinny loves.

• Last but not least is Come Due Maiali /”Like two Pigs”, where you are sure to find some truly gourmet recipes, featuring exotic ingredients and provocative commentary. Enjoy!

- Sharon

Win a free copy of “Cook Up A Story!”

Win your own copy!

Yes, it’s true! All you have to do is publish a review for Vinny’s book Cook Up A Story, somewhere on the web. Include a link to Vinny’s book details.

Then on Vinny’s Feedback page,  let me know where you’ve posted your review.

On 30 June, I’ll put all the published reviews into a hat and select the winner of a free copy of Cook Up A Story.

Bonus: If anyone succeeds in getting a public library to buy and circulate a copy or two of Vinny’s book in June, you get three chances to win the draw for a free copy. Often, all it takes is for a library to get requests from two or three people in a community. Ask your friends to help

Where can you find a copy to review?

Go on-line to the Blurb bookstore,  and click on “Preview” for Cook Up A Story. During June, the whole book will be available there for your viewing pleasure.

You can publish your review or comment on Facebook, Twitter, your own website or even on the Ottawa Library’s website if you happen to have a library card.

Why should you bother to review Cook Up A Story?

Effort

• It’s worth a look. Much thought over 8 years went into Cook Up A Story. Result: 80 pages of stories, recipes, and fun for families who want to eat more healthily. Writers, food scientists, chefs, artists, and tasters and readers of all ages were on Vinny’s team.

Simplicity

• It could interest kids in home cooking.  A few stories for kids might be just the push families need to start passing healthy cooking skills to the next generation.

Hope

• It could help sort out confusing advice regarding food choices. Starting early with food basics gives the whole family the info they need to choose wisely.

Ideas

• Vinny Grette covers many food issues people worry about today,  from all sides. Learn the basics from Vinny’s book, then get refreshers through Vinny’s web site as you try your own food experiments.  Teachers, nutritionists,  parents and grandparents find Cook Up A Story not only useful, but also fun! Read some comments.

Spreading the word

• You could help others. Vinny relies on people like you to tell folks about Cook Up A Story. This self-published book is printed only when you order it. The cost includes printing, tax, and shipping, plus $2 that Vinny donates to children’s programs in the community.  Blurb occasionally offers discounted prices. Of course, people can visit Vinny’s website any time, at no cost at all!

So go ahead. Let your friends and fans know you’ve read Cook Up A Story and help spread the message. Mindful eating is only a click away.

You may be the lucky winner of a copy of Vinny’s book for June!

Mares eat oats and does eat oats

Banana oat cones are healthier than ice-cream. They are also ridiculously tasty!

“Why do mares and does eat oats?” asks Isla.

“Oats look to me like dry little paper bits,” says Will. “Ugh. Does Bambi’s mom know something we don’t?” Will adds.

“Well,” says I, stalling for time over yet another why question. “Mom’s are usually right.” I smile. “And people eat oats, too. They’re good for us, but I can’t remember exactly why. Let me get back to you.”

I look into this burning question and guess what? Oats are another of our super foods! That’s why you find oatmeal porridge or oat cereals for breakfast on many popular weight loss diets, even ones that feature low-carb eating.

Groats, steel-cut, stone-ground, or old-fashioned rolled… the type of oats makes little difference to the nutrition you get – they’re all good. All these kinds of oats are made from the whole grain. Like other whole grains, they are great sources of fiber. But they have more of a special kind of fiber than other cereals. It’s called soluble fiber and it helps keep cholesterol in your blood down. Its fiber and protein also make oats slow to digest into sugar, a feature called low-glycemic. This means oats gives you a steadier level of sugar in your blood… so you stay full longer and you’re less likely to get diabetes. Oats is also a good source of good fats, the unsaturated omega fatty acid kind. Extensive studies show these help keep your heart healthy longer.

Just stay away from instant (or quick-cooking) oats. They are more processed than other oats. Time saved when making instant over old-fashioned rolled oats is minimal, but with instant, you lose the low-glycemic benefits.

Confirmed meat-eater that I am, I’ve never been a fan of breakfast cereal. So I’m overjoyed to learn that I can make cookies from regular rolled oats. The two recipes here are easy enough that even little kids can join in making them. One recipe doesn’t even need baking… just mix it up, roll it into balls and eat. Neither has flour, so they can be enjoyed by folks on a gluten-free diet. And both are sweetened mainly from fruit and maple syrup. You can even leave the maple syrup out if you need to. I served the oat balls in ice-cream cones, convinced that presentation makes a difference to kids.

My picky eater digs into this fiber-rich cone treat

“Yum,” says Will, my picky eater, spying the mound of cones on the dining-room table.

“Me too,” says Isla, reaching for a pink one.

Here are the recipes, with thanks for inspiration to those who’ve tried them before me.

Banana-Cranberry Oatmeal Cones
Adapted from Tiffany Lane Handmade

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1 c unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 c almond meal (or whole almonds ground in a blender/food processor)

2 tablespoon flax-seed meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup dried cranberries (or any dried fruit), chopped if necessary

 

Wet Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth
1/4 cup hazelnut oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond or cocoanut extract

2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, coconut flakes, almond meal, flax-seed meal, salt, cinnamon, allspice and cranberries until evenly mixed.

In another bowl (or blender), combine mashed banana, coconut oil, vanilla and almond extracts.  Then pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto your prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Be careful and check often, because mine burnt on the bottoms at 20 minutes. Delicious as is for breakfast or with soft unripened goat’s cheese (or any low-fat cream cheese).

Pemmican cones don’t need baking!

Pemmican cones

Adapted from My little bit of this and that

This recipe reminds me of the pemmican our ancestors made from nuts, seeds and buffalo fat to last them through long trips and the winter months. I think peanut butter makes a tasty substitute for buffalo grease. Serve these in cones or take some of these balls in your  backpack on a hike through the wilds.

You need

1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup pistachios (optional)
2 tablespoons of homemade nutella (optional)
1/2 cup ground almonds
pinch of salt
1/4 cup apple juice
a few chocolate chips to garnish

Mix all this together. Add more juice if the mixture isn’t sticky enough to form balls. Make little balls of dough and top each one with a chocolate chip. You can eat these balls directly, or you can bake them on a greased pan at 350F for 10 or 15 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack before tasting.

The three faces of Brocky Lee

Brocky Lee’s Slaw fortifies a lunch-time soup

Brocky Lee is a fine fellow. He’s a member of a well-recognized vegetable family, the Cabbages. Many of Brocky’s famous cousins include such luminaries as Sir  Cauliflower, Mr. Kale, the brothers Radish and Turnip, and the little Missies Brussels Sprouts and Arugula.

Brocky Lee has been highly regarded as a useful veggie in Italy since the time of the Romans. He first came to England by way of Belgium in the 1700s… ever so long ago. He made his way to America with other Italian immigrants but didn’t become popular on this side of the ocean until the early 1900s. And now we see him turning up in all the best restaurants, nearly everywhere!

Here are a few pictures from Brocky Lee’s family album.

Broccoli

Romanesco

Rapini

Brocky’s might comes down to stiff fiber, the means to sharpen eyesight, and powerful weapons called antioxidants. Bullies like Cancer and Heart Disease and pests like Flu all run when they see Brocky coming. He’s rich with precious metals like iron, calcium and zinc, which he uses to buy strength for your blood and bones. He’s just a real pal to keep around!

And now, this super guy is handier than ever. I’ve just discovered Brocky Lee’s Slaw… and although I don’t usually sanction processed food, this slaw is a fabulous time-saving way to sneak broccoli into every meal.

A slice from one of Carl Warner’s spectacular foodscapes

If you insist on showing us all up, you can make your own slaw easily with a food processor and save a whole bunch of pennies. Here’s how. Top your broccoli plants and use the little trees in stir fries. Try this excellent recipe from The Girl in the Blue Apron. She even pairs Brown Rice with Brocky Lee,  for a delicious and nutritious marriage, serving up all the food groups. Then you can put the stalks through your shredder on the food processor, wasting not one bit of the precious plant. You can even shred the leaves if you want. They’re edible. Also shred a couple of carrots and a little red cabbage, and you have a home-made slaw to last you through the week.

Easy recipes that showcase
three faces of Brocky Lee with slaw

Breakfast: Brocky faces the day with a slaw omelet, spruced up with some tomatoes

I heat a little olive oil in my skillet on medium-high and add a handful of slaw. I stir it around a bit and when the whole thing is really hot I throw in a couple of tablespoons of water and put on the lid. The steam cooks the slaw super quick. After 2 minutes or so, I arrange the slaw into a circle and pour an egg, lightly whipped, onto the skillet. When it begins to firm up, I pile the veggies on top and flip it over. I like my omelet on a slice of whole grain toast. Easy, filling, and delicious.

Lunch: Brocky Lee fortifies a bowl of clam chowder from a can. Choose low-salt soups.

Even easier than the omelet, this lunch involves opening a can of your favorite soup. I used clam chowder. Add a large handful of slaw to the soup in the pot and heat gently. Once the slaw has softened to a texture you like, serve up the soup and decorate with a dash of paprika. Supplement with a slice of whole-grain bread or crackers, if you like. Easy peasy!

Dinner: A speedy stir fry starts with Brocky Lee’s Slaw

Fry some onions and peppers in a little oil until they’re tender. Add a couple of handfuls of slaw and stir until tender. Transfer to a plate and add a little more olive oil to the hot pan. Stir-fry some chicken cubes that you’ve been marinating for a few minutes in a half cup of yogurt seasoned with cinnamon, garlic powder, ground pepper, a tablespoon of soya sauce, and two teaspoons of cornstarch. If the mixture gets too thick as it heats in the pan, thin it out with a little more yogurt, or even just a little water. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the veggies back to the pan, stir another minute to rewarm, and serve the whole thing on top of some whole wheat noodles or brown rice. Use a quarter pound of chicken per person and adjust the seasonings to your own taste.

Brocky Lee comes in many guises. We could write a whole cook book devoted to his many faces. You have just seen three of them. Each of these dishy foods is easy to make, adaptable to your likes, and wonderful for your good health. In fact Brocky Lee is considered one of the superest of the super foods. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking!

Read more
Health benefits of broccoli, a thorough review
Photo credit for Broccolo Romanesco: Judith Bruder

Hazel tames the giant Nutella

Giant Nutellas lurk about in the strangest places. Here they are, hiding on the bottom shelf in Le Bon Marché in Paris!

Hazel is deeply wise. She holds the secrets of the earth within her. Love her and she’ll tell you where to quench your thirst… for water and for knowledge. What’s more, she’ll bless you with a silver tongue for telling others what you’ve learned.

So it’s said. But is there any truth behind the power of our elf  Hazel?

Here’s what we know for sure: Hazel harnesses the power of the nut. And nuts are powerhouses of nutrition. Eating a handful of nuts a day can help prevent heart problems and weight gain. That’s why nuts are key players in many popular weight-loss programs these days.

Raw hazelnuts are half the price of the roasted, skinned ones. I’m the miserly sort, so I went for the cheapo ones.

Would you believe there are 130 hazelnuts in just one of those giant kilogram jars of Nutella? There is also a heap of skim milk and cocoa powder thrown into the mix. How can anything with so much fiber, vitamins C, B, and  E, protein, folate, and calcium be anything but good?

Well, Nutella has its detractors. For one, there is a large dose of sugar – 11 grams in one tablespoon. And then, there is the whole palm oil thing. This vegetable oil has 41% saturated fat (the bad kind, but just half what palm kernel oil has….) and no trans fats (the worst offender). So maybe palm oil is only half bad? The jury is still out, but I think there could be a place for modest amounts of palm oil  in our food.

However…  health is not the only concern opponents to palm oil have. Over-farming of the rainforest is threatening endangered animals, like the gorgeous orangutan. Our elf  Hazel would definitely be sympathetic to this cause!

Momma orangutan and baby. Photo courtesy of harrymoon, FlickR Commons

I just LUV Nutella, though, and I’ve even used it as an ingredient in my healthiest cookies ever (the recipe is in my book). So what is a nutty orangutan-loving Nutella fan to do? Well, if you have the time and the inclination, you can make your own hazelnut spread. It’s not hard if you have a food processor. You get to say how much sugar is enough, and you can simply leave out the palm oil or use olive oil instead.

Vinny’s Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate “Nutella”

1 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
1/4 cup (50 grams ) cocoa (dutch-processed is less bitter)
1  cup skim milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup skim  milk powder
2 tablespoons  maple syrup (optional, use stevia instead and unsweetened chocolate rather than bittersweet to lower the sugar by half again)
pinch salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 heaping cup (200 grams) chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or chips
3/4 cup (125 grams) chopped milk chocolate, or chips

Warm hazelnut sauce on eggy pancakes with strawberries

On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the nuts in a 400ºF oven for 10 minutes, or until their skins begin to pop. Shake them up half way through. Then keep an eye on them, because they burn easily. Burnt hazelnuts taste yucky!!! Pour the hot nuts onto an old (but clean) tea towel, gather the corners into a bundle and rub the nuts together like mad. You want to rub off as much of their skins as possible. This is hard work. Maybe that’s why the roasted nuts were twice the price! While they’re warm, blend the nuts in a food processor until they go from finely ground to pasty.

Meanwhile, warm the milk, powdered milk, maple syrup, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan. Watch it and stir, because the milk can easily burn on the bottom. Remove from heat as soon as it starts to boil.

In a glass or stainless steel bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Take off the heat a little before it’s completely melted, because you don’t want it to curdle.

Add the melted chocolate to the ground nuts and process the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the warm milk mixture bit by bit, and process until the sauce is well blended. It will be more liquid than Nutella, but don’t worry. It gets thick when it is thoroughly cool.

While it’s still warm, you can strain it into jars if you like it smoother rather than nutty. But I like the extra fiber. Makes about 2 1/4 cups. Keep it in the fridge.

Vinny served the hazelnut sauce on eggy pancakes and poured some over strawberries. He also uses it in his chocolate cookies, melting moments. The spread works fine without palm oil. Hazel the elf, in her usual charming, understanding, socially conscious, honest and tolerant way… says, “Enjoy!”

Vinny’s homemade hazelnut and chocolate “Nutella” spread gets a thumbs up!

Yield: About 2 1/4 cups or 36 tablespoons.
Nutrition information per tablespoon (From eaTracker, by Dietitians of Canada):
98 Calories
6 g fat (including 1.8 g saturated fat, no trans fat)
9.6 g carbs (including 1.2 g fibre and 7.6 g sugar)
2.4 g protein
19 mg sodium (salt), 116 mg potassium, 53.8 mg calcium
21.5 RAE Vit A, 7.4 DFE folate

Recipe adapted from The Family Kitchen. If you want to compare nutrients with the commercial Nutella by Ferrero, here’s their nutrition label.

Six great food blogs: Liebster shares the luvin’!

Liebster award

Sharing mostly free resources for young families, Florence is proactive and enthusiastic in imparting her local knowledge.

Last week when I opened my email I got a wonderful birthday present…  Mother on Edge  had given the Liebster award to Cook Up A Story! Many thanks to Florence from Cerritos, California, for this honor. Vinny did a few cartwheels, and I spent a whole lot of time gnashing my teeth, trying to figure out just which ones of my favorite food blogs I’d like to pass the honors along to.

It seems the Liebster award is given by bloggers to other new bloggers, to show them that you enjoy their work and to encourage them to keep it up.  It also helps promote up-and-coming blogs to new readers. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to their site.

3. Choose five blogs  that you enjoy and give them the Liebster award. Link to their sites and leave each one a comment informing them of the award.

Today I’m passing the Liebster Award along to these sites, in no particular order. I love reading your blogs, which are all  so worth promoting!

Super food!

Things my belly likes  Check this out for home-cooked meals using fresh, unprocessed ingredients. Casual and humorous approach to food, never a dull moment!

More fun than chocolate!

Brooklyn Supper is a place for seasonal recipes, daily food ideas,  rooftop gardening, and farmer’s market resources.

Sucrose – the dark lord of nutrition

EcoGeek  – Follow this site for the inside scoop on things that matter to our world. Hank Green devotes his blog to exploring the symbiosis between nature and technology.

Medieval feast

British food: A history  Fun, informative, and well-written, British food has never been livelier!

Nuts to you!

Emerging truth: Health and medicine  – A bit of a rant, ET is a fascinating collection of posts relating to health and medicine. Not clear, though, just who the ranter is! No matter, I do like perusing the info…

I’ll end by drawing your attention to one other site I love to visit, which has garnered  many followers and awards:  A hundred days of real food. Challenged by Michael Pollan’s In defense of food, this family shows how you can cut processed foods from your grocery list. Do look this one over at your leisure – a great read and oh so helpful!

Happy blogging one and all… and to all a good night!

Steamed pudding hot, steamed pudding cold…

“Skinny” Spotted Dick, a steamed pudding à la Vinny

Flour of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string;
If you’ll tell me this riddle,
I’ll give you a ring.

The answer to this little riddle is, ta-da,  steamed pudding! Once upon a long time ago,  all puddings in England were steamed. Spotted dick is one such pudding. First mentioned here in my previous post, it turns up on school menus all across the UK. Here in Canada, we see steamed puddings mostly at Christmas . So this recipe link  for spotted dick should appeal to folks on my side of the pond who’d like to try something different. But beware: this artery-clogging dish,  made with beef suet and bathed in eggs, should really only be eaten once in a while.

Beef suet – What’s that?

Beef suet is fat that comes from  around a cow’s kidneys. It’s the hardest fat we have for cooking… which means it’s loaded with the kind of fat we shouldn’t eat much of… the saturated kind. Rendered suet isn’t available at my local grocery store. You probably have to get suet from the butcher and render it yourself.

Put the suet in a frying pan on low heat until it melts, then pour off the clear liquid fat. This is what you keep.  Congratulations! You’ve just rendered the suet. Chill it in the fridge till it’s hard and white. Easy peasy! Now you can make your suet dough.

The fruit gives the pudding its spots. Currents, which are dried small black grapes, are used most often. But other raisins (dried red grapes), sultanas (dried white grapes), and other dried fruit (think dates, cranberries and apricots) are also used.

I can’t leave a recipe alone, though. For my skinny vegetarian  version,  substitute all ingredients for Brussels sprouts and prunes. Hahaha – just wanted to see if you were paying attention! My skinny pudding is currently (pardon the pun) upstairs steaming away. I made it with mostly  unsaturated fat instead of suet. So it still remains to be seen whether or not it will taste any good.

How to make Vinny’s “skinny” spotted dick

Get your steamer ready. Use a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. It must be large enough to hold a small, deep heat-resistant pudding bowl.  Put three metal cookie cutters in the pot to hold the bowl off the bottom. Fill the pot with four inches of water. Heat the water to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.

Make the pudding: Measure  1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup oat bran (to up the fiber), 1 tablespoon baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse them in a food processor until blended.

To reduce the saturated fat, I used Crisco vegetable shortening rather than suet. Still, 2% of the fat is trans fat, also bad. It’s just a little… but there’s no getting around the fat problem in this dessert! So… cut 1 cup chilled shortening into small cubes and add them to the food processor. Pulse six times, just until the shortening is crumbed with the flour.

Dump the contents into a mixing bowl. Work 6 tablespoons of milk  into the mix with a fork. Knead until the dough’s slightly sticky. I couldn’t “knead” very much because my dough was way too sticky. I had used 8 tablespoons of milk, so try 6 T for a more doughy dough. This dessert ends up with a feel somewhere between a sticky cake and a bread. It isn’t like any “pudding” we might be used to in Canada.

A do-it-yourself steamer

Add 1/2 cup (total) of dried cranberries and finely chopped dried apricot plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest. Knead just enough to work the fruit through the dough. Form into a round ball and put it into a round heat-resistant, well-buttered bowl. Cut a round of waxed paper to fit the bowl. Butter it and put buttered side down on the pudding. Press the ball flat. Cover the bowl with heavy-duty aluminum foil and pinch around the edge to seal.

Put the covered dish into your steamer (use an oven glove) and steam gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The pudding should be firm and golden through out. Use a cake tester.

Let the pudding cool in it’s bowl on a rack for 5 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the edge, turn the pudding upside down on your serving plate, and take the bowl off. Serve a small scoop of pudding in a cup with a dab of stirred custard sauce.

Steamed pudding served in tea cups with homemade vanilla custard (the stirred sort)

Directions for the stirred custard are given in Vinny’s post, “Custard fight.”

Would Harry Potter have liked my “skinny” version? I served it to a former British school boy and he said it was yummy! I liked it hot rather than cold, but I found it quite rich. Tasty, but a  little goes a long way. Easy to make, but some of the steps are unfamiliar. Easier the second time .

yield: 6 servings

active time: 40 min

total time: 2 1/2 hr

What’s for lunch at Hogwarts?

Rumbledethumps… with sweet potatoes and white ones.

British kids like Harry and Hermione find foods with the strangest names on their school menus. Which of these silly-sounding dishes isn’t like the others… Is it Bubble and Squeak? Rumbledethumps? Spotted Dick? Or Hash? Here’s a hint: Think potatoes.

Bubble and Squeak are best friends. The dish named after them is made with leftover veggies from a roast dinner. It’s mainly mashed-up potato and cabbage, but you can throw in carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts, whatever.

Bubble the Owl and his pal Eek come to lunch when we try a few British dishes.

Bubble and Squeak could be one of the earliest of the fast foods. A recipe for it first came to light in 1804. Now, it turns up on school lunch menus in England all the time. Fry some up for yourself and see if you can figure out how it got its name? There’s a recipe at the end of this post you can try. I like to use sweet potatoes, rather than the white ones. White potatoes are only a breath away from sugar once they get into your stomach. Sweet potatoes provide energy longer.

Rumbledethumps is a similar treat that turns up in Scotland. The ingredients are amazingly like what goes into bubble and squeak… left-over veggies. Wave your wand at my recipe below to learn how to make it fresh.

Harry might have had trouble identifying the third potato dish in my list of funny-sounding foods. That’s because hash turns up more often in  North America. Hash browns are made from raw potatoes that are grated and squeezed (to get out extra liquid) before they’re fried. Left-over cooked potatoes that are sliced (not mashed) before popping them in a frying pan are usually called home fries but are sometimes confusingly served as hash browns. Hash dishes are often served for breakfast. I usually say “No thanks,” though, when they’re offered. I’d rather fill up on breakfast foods that last longer in my tummy than potatoes do.

The remaining dish on our list, spotted dick, has nothing to do with potatoes or policemen or dogs. But it would have been a favorite with Harry Potter.  It’s a steamed pudding! (Or as they might say in some quarters in Britain, puddink… which might  possibly be shortened to  ‘dink, which may then have been repeated as dick…). Well, that’s one way I’ve heard it explained. Funny name and all, spotted dick would be popular at Hogwarts. The spots are raisins and the pudding part is made from a suet dough.  More about how to make a steamed pudding in my next post. In the meantime, here are a couple of potato recipes to keep you busy and energized.

Recipes

Rumbledethumps is ready for the oven… topped with cheddar cheese and mozzarella

Fresh Rumbledethumps – Shred a half cup of onion and a cup of cabbage. A food processor works nicely. Lightly saute them in 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil and a dab of butter, until the onion is transparent and the cabbage wilted. Mash a cup or three of  boiled potatoes with a little butter, salt and pepper and stir in the onions and cabbage. My suggestions: Add a half cup well-drained cottage cheese or an egg to the mix, or use sweet potatoes instead of white ones.

Put all this in an oven-proof dish and top with 1/2 cup shredded hard cheese. In Britain they usually always use cheddar. Pop the dish in an oven preheated to 350°C and bake until golden brown.

The cottage cheese or egg  increases the protein in the dish. Protein slows down digestion of the potato, so you don’t get an energy surge from the dish. Sweet potatoes are also digested more slowly than white ones and have added vitamins. They make a healthy substitute!

Bubble the Owl says sweet potatoes taste the best, whether they are oven roasted or fried up as Bubble and Squeak. Shrimps and maple syrup are the sides.

Easy Bubble and squeak – Use up your left-over veggies. Eat this potato dish with meat on the side, as protein slows the digestion of the potato.

• 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• Leftover mashed potato (use sweet potatoes if you have them for a healthier version)
• Any leftover vegetables: cabbage, turnip, peas, carrots, Brussels Sprouts, etc., finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fried bacon pieces (optional)

In a large frying pan melt the butter and oil together, add the chopped onion and fry gently for 3 minutes or until soft. Turn the heat up slightly and add the mashed potato and vegetables. Fry for 10 minutes turning over in the melted oil two or three times ensuring the potato and vegetables are thoroughly reheated. Press the potato mixture on to the base of the pan with a spatula and leave to brown for 1 minute. Flip over and repeat. Or make small patties, like I did.
Serve and cast a spell on your table for good health and happy mealtimes!