Not Your Typical Outdoor Fare

 This is the time for eating out and having barbecues.Yet burgers and hot dogs may seem too ordinary to celebrate warm days and dinners outside. Instead try a Greek or Turkish twist.It gives that al fresco meal and extra lift.

Regular contributor Dave Tanis gives this exact spin  for his recipes seen today in The New York Times Wednesday Food section. He gives some lift to tje average salad. He does what many Greek andTirkish chefs and home chefs do - adding some pickled veggies. he makes pickled beets with a sweet -sour  brine of coriander and cinnamon .Hard boiled eggs are also added to his and they come out a delightful bright pink color.  Since these and the beets are already pickled fresh lettuce and cucumber spears are also added. The salad can keep for a week in the fridge.What would follow thos? Think a veggie pie, not made with spinach like typical spanokopita but one rife with Swiss chard,and softened leeks. Creamy cheeses such as ricotta and feta give it body and protein It;s wrapped in a buttered phylo dough which makes for a crispy crust.Nutmeg and sesame seeds give it a more Hellenic twist.

Dessert isn;t the typical smores.Mr. Tanish gives wamut truffles , again walnuts play an important part in  Greek baking.This only has a dusting of cocoa, so it;s not the typical fudgey truffle.It also has coconut and sweetened with honey and sugar. The spicing is cinnamon and cloves along with ginger for bite .There is a dose of Gran Marnier , much like other truffle bite.Olive oil moistens the whole mixture. Everything is first pulsed Ina food processor the olive oil is applied to the hands which moistens the mixture. They're rilled int tablespoon sized balls and can be rolled into coconut or cocoa powder. Refrigerate over night or just  a  few hours.Pull out of the fridge and hour before serving. The spices could be varied so one flavor isn;t as overwhelming. There should be about three and a half cups of walnuts used for this.Keep in mind that this could also be made for any other barbecue too.

There's nothing like a Greek spin on outdoor foods. Try bring a taste of the Eastern Mediteranean to the back yard. It'sa great way to celebrate the warm weather,

New Diet New Spin

 Sometimes your body tells you to go on a diet. Kidney stones, gallstones, stomach issues, they all gently dictate that maybe we should eat healthier  and better.  THe foods have to get better.The old habits have to be replaced by new.

I'm discovering this as I found out I'm plagued by kidney stones.These are not little grains of sand..They're huge , honking rocks that are causing blockages. They have to be blasted out of me in what's known as a ureterscopy where a laser is inserted and used to destroy the offending stone. I've had kidney stones for years but they didn't;t become troublesome until some urine tests came back abnormal. Further investigation led to a giant stone in the ureter the tube that takes the urine form the kidney to the bladder. Stones are caused by a number of bad food and drink choices. After all ,like the liver ,the kidneys are filters, filtering any liquid we ingest. I quickly found out my diet soda habit had to be quit.Dark colored colas like Coke and Pepsi (along with other brands) are full of phosphoric acid .This acidifies the urine which produces crystals which eventually become stones.I 've switched to lighter  ro clear colored sodas like Poppi which is lower in sugar along with Fresca. It also helps to try to drink as much water as I can to let the stones flow out (although this can be hard, especially if you're not a water drinker like me)>

Salty foods are also off the table. I can still have chips but they have to be the lightly salted kind. Some fast foods are allowed but only in moderation. Burger King's Impossible Burger is ok to eatbut only once or twice a month.The fries should be the kid portion size. Even taco Bell is allowed with such options as been soft and crunchy tacos.My favorite ,the veggie power bowl with chicken is a fine dinner thanks to the chicken , fresh veggies (just go easy on the tomatoes) and beans. At home I find forgoing the Gardein nuggets which are high in  damaging sodium.Their chicken strips ,made with pant based meat are healthier,especially when dipped unflavored olive oil and then so air fried they resembled chicken fries. Surprisingly the usually healthy veggies like spinach and kale are definitely off the table. Both contain high amounts of potassium . LUckily there is my other favorite  broccoli which I can eat just steamed  and plain. Certain fruits are now forbidden too. Bananas are off the table along with avocados. Coconut is frowned upon too. However I can eat as many strawberries and blueberries  as I want which I love with coconut cream  (which is weirdly allowed.)

Keeping kidney stones at bay requires a new diet.Some foods are old friends. Some old friends have to be forgotten. It's a new world navigating what right and what's good for me.

Jamaican Kidney Bean Soup Spicy Goodness

 If you want a different kind of soup try Jamaican kidney bean .This is a fiery blend of goodness that can be made vegan to satisfy everyone form Rastas to vegans. A great aspect is that is can be tailored to what;s in the kitchen, Just add a few veggies and kidney beans  for a tasty marriage of flavors.

I saw the recipe and wanted to adopt to a vegetarian table. It starts with kidney beans. The original recipe calls for dried beans left to soak overnight but I found those straight form the can with their liquid also work.

Water and coconut are the base but I feel a vegetable broth adds more flavor to this I used the entire container - sixteen ounces pus two cups of coconut milk.

The beans are first sauteed in a mixture of Melt plant butter and olive oil. This is an extra step but it adds sooo much flavor to the soup. IThe spices are added.The original recipe called for Scotch bonnet but that's super hot and super fiery.

A combo of Chili powder and Berbere spice go well together. Chili powder adds a brightness and heat while The Berbere spice gives a sweet mellow heat. Then garlic and onion powder are added too  (although a chopped onion and minced garlic can also be used)

You can add any kind of veggie you want ,Jamaicans use root veggies like turnips and carrots but I also used crushed tomatoes which gives the soup a Manhattan clam chowder vibe 

I microwaved this for five minutes to tenderize the flesh.It was then cut into manageable slices and lightly mashed.I plan on using turnips and parsnips for the next time I make this.

Everything was brought to a rolling boil to really cook down the beans and yam slices. This also helps to meld the spices too.

This is one of the best soups I;ve made in a long time. I loved the spiciness and the coming together of the chili powder and Berber spice blend. It had a Manhattan clam chowder vibe like earlier stated, warm and flavorful, along with being deeply satisfying.It;s also good with rice if you want to add that later.

Jamaican kidney bean soup is a great soup to make for the weekends or week days. It's a spicy tasty blend. There really is flavor in every spoonful!!

Tasty Strips

 Gardein has produced a lot of good vegan offerings in the past years.One such product  is their chicken strips. These are versatile and are good on their own as a main dish or in salad or in sandwiches sandwiches.

I decided to make them ,seasoned and air fried.

These just needed to be dipped into a mix of olive oil, garlic and onion powders combined.

Then theywere popped into a 400 degree Farenheit air fryer for seven minutes each side.

They should be evenly spaced for just the right crispiness.

These were good on their own

I added instant microrave veggies for more substance.

It was good .The next time I will try these in salad for a delicious light supper. They;re also good with mayo on a bun.

These are great instead of the usual nuggets. They can be made cruispy and good .They;re also perfect in any kind of dish

Popping A Good For You Soda

 Sofa and good for you never really go in the same sentence.Yet there is one  - Poppi_ that changing all that.This is a tasty treat for anyone who has to give up Coke and Pepsi but still want a cold,fizzy drink.

I discovered this at the University where I work. It is big with college kids and I have seen them with the cans on campus.

I need to change my eating and drinking habits due to kidney stones. Regular sodas like the more popular ones are loaded with bone leaching phosphorus.POppi doesn't  have this.It's an all natural artesanal bread loaded with flavor.I first had the cherry and lime and then the cherry.I was instantly hooked!The taste is so good - It's as if those as a home, brew made with just picked cherries! 

I am in love with this! I want to try the either flavors like the orange and the orange cream.They also have a Shirley Temple which is a sweet,exotic grenadine flavor and they even have a Dr Pepper dupe called Dr.Pop.They even have a cola but not to worry.There are no dyes in this like the main brands. Grape and watermelon are also on my radar. They're going to be perfect for the warm weather days ahead. Poppi was created by Allison Ellsworth in her Dallas Texas kitchen. She wanted a healthier sip, one that included probiotics. She and her husband went o Shark Tank where they received the finds to go ahead to start their own soda.The rest is history and a plus for the beverage industry.

If you want a healthy soda then go for Poppi,. It's a tasty step up form all the other fizzy drinks. It's good for you and good tasting too.

Rethinking Eating

 Can people rethink the way they eat? Can those good fruits and veggies be treated the same way as potato chips and candy? Surprisingly the answer is yes.It starts with both adults and kids and it leads to a healthier life overall.

Regular contributor Pete Wells, who also struggles with weight problems wrote this fascinating piece in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Humans ave a tendency to eat foods that give them a dopamine or "happy feeling hit".It's called hedonic hunger where the tastiest and often bad ,over processed foods are craved and eaten.Yet the same theories can be applied to healthy eating too. Neuroscientist Dana Small , one of the world's top neuroscientists of food decisions learned that er own choices led her to almost developing Type Two Diabetes.Not wanting to become a diabetic she went on a diet.It wasn;t a good experience for her.All the diets she had been on were nothing more than joyless deprivation. She had to rethink eating which  she did. She looked for the sweetest priest raspberries which are low glycemic and rich in fiber.  She applied hedonic eating to healthy eating and it paid off. She followed the Raspberry Principle and made foods that she'd be excited to cook and eat. There were chicken and tofu stir fries, generously spiced with turmeric coriander ,cumin and garlic.

Anybody can be retrained to think how to eat. In England, British food journalist, Bee Wilson, founded TastEd,a non-profit group, dedicated to training teachers to show students to sniff, poke prod and ogle fresh fruits and veggies along with the all important tasting them.Ms. Wilson says "Kids have never been taught that broccoli, apples or lettuce is something they might enjoy."They've been told to eat five a day and that was it.That doesn't;t make a child want to pick up any produce and eat it. Nutrition campaigns show these good foods as chaste and the campaigns haven't changed since the 1950's.It's changing .Dr. Emmaue J. Ezekial an oncologist and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania suggest healthy eating and the occasional scoop of ice cream. It;s showing that moderation is they key to healthy eating.He nixes soda yet promotes alcohol, saying that three to four drinks a week are fine. Doing this can reduce stress, anxiety and depression.There is also mindful eating or analyzing what you eat.The secret tot his is eating slowly and concentrating on the taste and texture of the food being eaten jam Chozen Bays who has written two books a bout it suggests eating slowly, fully chewing and savoring before taking another bite. It turns out that after the third bite a tasty food like chocolate loses its' appeal.

People CNA be taught to eat right.It just takes a shift in mindset to do so.Healthy eating is within the human range .It's just up to the eater to follow this.

Crepes With An Asian Twist

 An elegant dish for Mother;s Day is a dish filled with delicate crepes.They're a lovely and lighter alternative to French toast and pancakes and can be filled with everything form meat to cheese. to sweets. They can also be filled with berries and flavored cream for a sweet brunch or dessert.

Regular contributor Genevieve Ko gave a recipe for them in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Hers take on an Asian vibe with the addition of pandam cream. Pandam is used by the Laos people, the Hmong people from Southeast Asia.It;s combining heavy cream with the pandan leaves. The plant sort of resembles a leek with it's long verdant leaves but their taste s sweet. Some compare the flavor to almonds vanilla  and coconut ,Pandan extract is also used to  give the cream a verdant color., Ms. Ko';s inspiration for this comes from Diane Moua, owner and chef of Diane's Place in Minneapolis She is a Hmong herself and her eatery reflects that,especially in the lush brunches.Where to get Pandan extract? Target sells it and the spice giant McCormick also offers it .It can be found in any grocery store however on line stores such as Amazon sell a wide variety of extracts and even powdered leaves. Keep in mind the recipe can be varied to include Chantilly cream and even cocoa flavored and rum spiked creams too,

As for the crepes, Ms. Ko assures that there's no need for a fancy crepe pan. Home chefs can use a non stick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron pan. To make the whole process a bit more relaxing set it up like an assembly line. The batter (which should be chilled overnight for best results) should be in a container with a spout or a bowl.Use a ladle or an ice cream scoop to pour onto the pan. Make sure there is oil for the pan to cook the crepes in as well as a rubber spatula and finally a plate for the finished ones.The crepe pan should be heated first and then brushed with either melted butter (for a better taste) or grape seed oil. As soon as the batter is poured in swirl it around into a thin round. Set the skillet back down over the open flame and when the crepe's edges turn brown , nudge them away from the pan with the spatula. I'ts then time to flip them over.It's time to transfer them to the plate when golden spots start to appear.For relatively good crepes use Ms. Ko's recipe of creating a batter of flour milk and egg. Instead of butter use whole coconut cream from the can for a tropical taste that will match the pandam's.

Elegant crepes with an Asian vibe make for a different Mother's Day treat.thy'd be perfect as part of a brunch or simply for dessert with macerated strawberries.It's a lovely way to celebrate Mom.