Rouxing The Day

 One of the bases of  a good thick soup is roux. This is a mix of flour cooked into a kind fo sauce with butter.It may sound fancy but it's pretty easy to make.

I wanted it as the base for my celery soup.It's cold weather here and a good thick, soup is just the thing for a frosty  day. I used half a cup or eight tablespoons of Acme's Signature all  purpose flour.

It was cooked with eight tablespoons of Melt plant based butter.

It was lumpy at first and I had to add another tablespoon of Melt. After several figure eight stirs it became a nut brown sauce. It was time to add the veggie broth and mix of celery and potatoes.I also sliced up a clove of garlic and added salt and pepper to enhance the soup's flavor.

It took three cups of celery and a can (around sixteen ounces or about two cups) of sliced potatoes.I also added half a cup of almond milk.

Keep in mind you can also use cow's milk or even cream for a richer flavor along with using real butter.

 

It was simmered over a medium flame until the celery turned a bright, vibrant green. This took about twenty to thirty minutes.

The soup was thick and creamy although you don't really need roux to make it thick.It  did add a lovely flavor to the bowl and I may use it in making a vegan chicken bisque.

Roux is a great way of adding body and flavor to any soup. Try it when you want tomake a thick potage for a cold day.It makes for a wonderful and easy to create base.

Fall Soups

 It's time to think of homemade soups now that cooler Temps are here.It's an easy cook , especially  on a busy work day or weekend.

For me it's time for homemade celery and potato soups.All soups should start with a good stock.I like Acme's Signature veggie broth

Celery sometimes needs a lift.This is,where canned potatoes come in .I used Acme's Signature brand.

The recipe calls for a chopped white onion which may over power the taste of the celery.

 

I used Acme's Signature onion powder along with three clovrs of fresh garlic to flavor it.Before adding the broth I sautéed the veggies in a mix of Greek olive oil and three generous tablespoons of Melt plant butter.Salt and pepper were added for flavor.

Once the broth was added, it was ahalf hour of slow simmering.You could add chicken to this if you want to make it heartier.

The end result was a tasty soup.that's perfect on a chill night.Keep in mind that the celery can be swapped out for kale.You could also add carrots too for color and sweetness.

The days are getting cooler.Make a hearty soup.fpr a warm supper.Its,perfect on a chill fall night.

Pasta Thick And Thin

 There are so many different kinds of pasta out there. What do you choose from?A delicate  angel hair or a robust bucatini? What holds sauce better Strads or pasta or the chunky , twisty kind? There are so many to choose from - yet which is the right one?

Keep in mind that not all pastas work with sauces or even as sides.Long strands or twiny ones like spaghetti which means twine and angel hair are perfect for those sauces that don't have chunks of tomatoes in them. Creamy sauces such as  carbonara or an Alfredo sauce work well with these too. These also make the perfect side pasta , especially with chicken or seafood. Definitely use the thinner and flat shaped linguine for any of the clam sauces or to accompany lobster Fra Diavolo.As for salads  - no. There;s a reason you rarely see any of these "long" pastas with mayo at a backyard barbecue. You could use the spaghetti or angel hair if you do want to make Thai peanut salad but that's about it. What about these pastas in soups? There is a trend now to make spaghetti soup which is a kid pleaser. Normally , however smaller  chunkier pastas are used for different kinds of soups. Think smaller orrichete or orzo along with pastina and wagon wheels for this. These are easier to manage on a spoon than slippery strands of angel hair or fettuccine.

What are the thicker pastas? Fusilli is one and it can be short corkscrews or long resembling thick coily  hair. The first is good with a thick  sauce rich with tomato chunks and mushrooms. I also think this kind makes for the perfect salad too.Mayo, even the vegan kind sticks to it as does a vinaigrette. It also is a great foil for celery and tomatoes as well as torn broccoli and cauliflower bits. Rotelli  is one of those rare chunky pastas that also works well in soup too. It's perfect with a hearty beef based minestrone. A thick and fun pasta to make is bucatini. Meaning little mouth in Italian it's as thick as a drinking straw and is perfect with a Bolognese sauce. You can use a ground beef sauce like that or be a bit more creative and try it with leftover London Broil cubes added to the sauce.Thicker pastas would also be great with vodka sauces as well.This a a creamy blend of whole cream cooked with tomato paste and a splash of vodka. The sauce can also work with calamarata , which look like short dense tubes. Try this kind too with a sauce brimming with veggies like broccoli,  and whole tomatoes.

Nothing beats a good pasta dish. It can be made with thin stands like angel air or thick like bucatini. Serve it with the right sauce and enjoy a delicious dish.

New Summer Dishes

 It's always fun to experiment with classic summer ingredients in new ways. The results are always fun , new dishes that are tasty. best of all they add to already established recipes. amping up their flavors.

This is true for a new salad I found in The New York Times Food section. I put a vegan spin on it, subbing in vegan mayo for the egg based one and oat milk based yogurt for the Greek kind

This may look like potato soup but it;s actually a pickle (yes pickle!!!) and celery salad. Both are chopped into manageable pieces and mixed with the mayo and yogurt. There should be a tablespoon of mayo and a quarter  of yogurt. However this was about a cup of yogurt and three to four tables spoons of mayo. It's more of a homage to cucumbers floating in  sour cream where the slices are bathed in the sour cream. The recipe calls for chopped red onion too however a generous sprinkle of onion powder works better.

Scallions are another summer crop that add flavor to summer recipes. I've  added chopped ones to a soy sauce for a more flavorful dipping sauce and marinade.

This is taking two to three scallions and cutting them into bite size pieces. Add to half a cup of soy sauce mixed with a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, This counterbalances the saltiness. Olive oil is drizzled in for a silky texture. I love this over potstickers but it also makes a great marinade for steak. I love the flavor of salty and sweet plus the bite of Spring onions. They definitely enhanced the flavor of pot stickers I made.

Simmer ingredients can be remastered into new dishes. Try these two , the pickle and celery salad and the scallion marinade for a flavorful season. They are great additions to any cook out or picnic.

A Simple Spring Salad

 Spring comes and our thoughts turn to all things fresh and green. There's nothing that exemplifies this more than a new kind of salad bursting with flavor. It's a chickpea , scallion and celery mix  that's good as a main dish or as the perfect side.

I found this recipe in one of the emails from one of the many food sites follow. I made it completely vegan by switching out the recommended sour cream and using Hellman's Vegan mayo as part of the dressing.

I cut the scallions into bit size pieces , getting rid of the tips which can be tough to chew.

As for the chickpeas, i used Goya 's for a change . Only drain half the  brine. The remaining half will be part of the dressing.

Then it was cutting up the celery . Use about five to six stalks, including the heart.

                                                         This is without the dressing

The dressing was five tablespoons of the vegan mayo mixed with about two tablespoons of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. A tiny dash of salt  and a grind of fresh black pepper rounded it out.

This is a chunky salad to mix so I'd recommend using a wooden spoon to completely coat the pieces. You can add salt and a little freshly ground pepper for bite. I like this salad a lot. The flavor mix is a combination of bite from the scallions and mild from the chickpeas and celery. I know it's going to be made a lot this summer as a perfect side to burgers and dogs. You could add green olives for more flavor and color but don't go overboard with them. 

This is  different kind of salad but it's sure to be a classic. Make it for any Spring meal or party. It is fresh and green, bursting with flavor.

A Classic Redone

 The vegan celery soup from  blog The Simple Veganista is  now a classic go to recipe. It's a easy boil and simmer of chopped celery , onions, potatoes and garlic in Not Chick'n broth. However change was needed. The onion was a bit too overpowering so I went with another recipe suggestion  - chopped leeks.

Leeks are a wonderful addition and have the most subtle, sublime flavor. They're an allium which puts them as a cousin to garlic and onions. Yet their taste isn't overpowering  - which is perfect for the soup.

The other ingredients stayed the same. There were four to five cups of coarsely chopped celery.

Then the leeks which are about two cups here.

Keep in mins you don't have to cook them first as you do for other classic leek dishes like leeks on toast. They are washed, chopped and added to the pot to be sauteed with the celery.

I usually saute the veggies in a mix of olive oil and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I decided to switch out the olive oil and sub in vegetable oil. It does make for a lighter flavor, perfect to bring out the sublime of the leeks.

Both were cooked until they were bright green for about eight to ten minutes

The original recipe calls for five garlic cloves but I used three fat ones, finely chopped.

Then two cans of diced potatoes. You could follow the recipe on the website and use white or Yukon Golds. Adding the canned ones was easier.

Then it was five cups of water and two Not Chick'n cubes and simmered for another ten minutes. It was then blended with an immersion blended for a creamy texture.

The taste was perfect, lighter and fresher tasting than the onion version. It's the perfect Spring soup and a great first course at an Easter dinner. I love the leeks in it and how they don't overpower the celery. The flavors work in tandem with each other. They also don't overpower the potatoes or the garlic.

The vegan celery soup is a classic recipe can be varied. Subbing in leeks for the onion is inspiring, creating a flavorful new taste. It's perfect for the days ahead.

CBDelicious A Different Kind Of Add In

 Can your food make you mellow? Possibly. Certain flavors make us feel happy and comforted - hence comfort food. Yet can it make us feel mellow? Thanks to a new add in from CBDistillery , yes.

I decided to give this a try. After all this December is super stressful, thanks not only to the holidays but the sudden and deadly surge of Covid-19. Could I add just a pinch of hemp to my cooking to relax everyone? Why not? I decided to try CBDelicious, CBDistillery's latest product. The company is known for their tinctures, gels, gummies and topicals which don't turn you into an instant stoner. CBD oil helps with sleep along with pain and anxiety, the last we're all suffering from these days. It also helps with inflammation.

Their latest product comes in a small container.

It's an apricot colored powder with no taste so it can be easily be mixed into anything.

I put a pinch in my vegan celery soup, just to experiment.

The soup is one  of  my favoritse to make and eat.I did feel more relaxed afterwards however although that could be partially due to the wonderful blend of celery, onions and potatoes.

Again, CBDelicious would be better in a hot herbal tea around bedtime. Any product that can produce a relaxed feeling is better when it's  taken at night. 

This holiday season will go beyond the usual stress of cookie baking and gift shopping. Add a pinch of CBDelicious in your beverages or favorite dishes just to cope. It's a good way of dealing with this month and life will give you.

A Good Old Fashioned Celery Soup

What do you do with a bunch of celery? Use it in salad? or as a crunchy snack. However it's winter and that calls for soup. I decided to try an update of my Mom's recipe.

Unfortunately I didn't have it. Mine is a mashup of improvising on a recipe I found on The Daring Gourmet blog. I varied it and add whatever I could remember of the family recipe.
It starts with celery which I had in abundance from making lobster salad with the lobster balls I made last Monday.

I sliced the stalks and the heart into chunks the way my Mom did.

It was sauteed in organic butter (I know I shouldn't have this on a cirrhosis diet. but I felt it would add a rich flavor to the potage)

Half went in, (about  a quarter cup)

A third of a cup of a flour was added to create a roux with the celery. This thickens it. The Daring Gourmet called for a whole onion and garlic to also be sauteed. I nixed these and added a heaping tablespoon of onion powder by McCormick.

I let all this cook down for about ten minutes before adding an entire container of vegetable stock.

This is Acme's Signature line and it's a rich broth. Then it was Almond Coconut milk

And three cups of Almond Breeze's almond coconut blend. 

It was cooked down for another ten minutes as another dash of onion powder was added for more flavor and an extra three teaspoons of flour was added to thicken it. I didn't add salt but freshly ground pepper for more flavoring and bite.

It was a delicious hot bowl. The celery chunks cooked down for still crunchy on the inside , soft on the outside texture. There was also a lovely buttery aftertaste and a smoothness to the soup.

This celery soup, a mashup of recipes, is the perfect dish for a cold February night. Make it for dinner to ward off the chill. It's lovely and green, a reminder of Spring and summer to come.

Ultimate Veg The Best Vegetarian Cookbook Ever!

It is still hard to cook for vegetarians, despite the explosion of the Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers phenomena. You can't serve these for every meal. You have to come up with different dishes with different flavors  Thankfully Jamie Oliver comes to our rescue with a new cookbook. There's nothing but meat free dishes in it.

Ultimate Veg: Easy and Delicious Meals For Everyone (Flatiron Books 2020) is the must have recipe book for those home chefs cooking in a vegan and vegetarian household. The book is written in Oliver's in your face style and it's refreshing to see the first pages begin with recipes. There are help pages and guides but they're at the end of the book, not at the beginning. Chef Oliver gives good hints and tips as well as urging to grow our own veggies. Vegetables lose their nutritional values as soon as they're picked. Having a garden, whether it 's a plot of land, bucket, pot or even a grow bag.He also delves into what is a portion along with how much should we eat.(about five portions of fruit and veg per day according to UK standards.) he also urges to eat the rainbow which is reflected in all his recipes. He explains why  as in eating purple veg and fruit is good for maintaining healthy blood pressure and muscle function. why, purple produce  is full of  life saving potassium. There's also a section on fats and Chef Oliver explains the differences between the various oils. He also recommends using organic butter and staying away from margarine because it is hydrogenated.

The recipes are divided such sections as soup and sandwiches, salads,,pasta, and the very fun Friday night nibbles to name a few. I love this book and plan on using it a lot. What is great is that that there will be leftovers which can be served the next day or later on in the week. There are so many recipes I want to try.I especially love the curries and stews section because it has such mouth watering dishes , perfect for the cold days - and nights ahead. The super comforting gumbo is on my radar. This is melange of chickpeas , and plum tomatoes cooked with celery , peppers and cayenne pepper. Another must cook  is his mushroom stroganoff, spiked with whiskey and made creamy with the addition of sour cream or creme fraiche. I do like the Friday night nibbles which can easily also make for a weekend supper. His polenta chips look heavenly , These can easily be made with leftover pulse too. it's roasting polenta pieces for fifty minutes in a 350 degree F oven. There's also a tasty tortilla dip that has cherry tomatoes and red chili mixed with cream cheese. The ploughman's nachos are another must make.It's sliced bread like sourdough, slathered with a mix of butter and HP sauce baked with sharp cheddar on top  and topped with pickled onions. Yum!!! There's also simple pickle recipes I want to try too. Every recipe from the pastas to pies parcels and bakes , along with soups, sandwiches and salads will be created in my kitchen.

Vegetarian home chefs must get Ultimate Veg :Easy And Delicious Meals For Everyone. There are dozens of delicious and fun recipes to make and try. There's no need to have faux beef every night once you have this book.

Your Secret Weapon Celery

It's as common as bread for stuffing and drippings for gravy. Yet we never give it its' due despite it' being one of the supports of holiday cooking. What is this power ingredient? Celery.

It was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Food section. Alexa Weibel, the section's senior staff editor, wrote about this wonderkind veggie. Celery is good on its' own, especially as a palate cleanser. It's even better lending its' flavor to everything from the bird itself to stuffing.The stalks go in and out of favor. Celery entered the American cooking scene during the late 19th and early 20th Century. Raw stalks were arranged in crystal vases made specifically for showing them off, There were even ornate serving sets deemed incomplete without the vases. Soon they were being served in elegant little side dishes. They were also being served on trains and train stations thanks to train boys and messengers. It was the star of Good Housekeeping's Thanksgiving 1900's issue where there were recipes for celery soup and even blended with mashed potatoes, served with peanut butter on brown bread. We have  Dutch immigrants to thank for bringing the vegetable into the public eye. They started farming it in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1847 which was then nicknamed Celery City.  Harry S. Truman put the stalk on the White House cafeteria menu. In recent years , however, it's been dismissed as a diet food, a kids; snack and Bloody Mary garnish.

That's all about to change. Celery is now a cause celebe thanks to Kim Kardashian juicing it. One of the best aspects is that it's a team player. It works well with other and even stronger flavors, yet imparts its' own citrus-y vegetal taste.Ms. Weibel gives us some interesting recipes that work not just for Thanksgiving but also for Sunday dinners too. Try the celery-leek soup with potato and parsley. This is a take on vichysoisse , with a pound of celery being the star. Dry white wine, thyme and garlic also elevate it as do parsley and bay leaves. It's the perfect way to being your Thanksgiving meal. There is also braised celery with thyme and white wine. The celery is cut into segments and deribbed to make it tender It's first boiled in salted water and then transfer to a glass baking dish.  The pieces are then layered  and again dry white wine is  added to flavor it. Herbes de Provence and peppercorns along with bay leaves, thyme  and  garlic add more complexity.For something refreshing and different there is a celery salad chock full of apples, blue cheese and almonds. The vinaigrette has coarse mustard leaves and sugar added for a completely unusual vibe.

Use celery in your Thanksgiving and other holiday recipes. It is perfect in hot and cold dishes. Try it and rediscover its' bright taste and color.

Calm Yourself With Risotto

Kitchen work is soothing work to some. There's something zen about stirring polenta or grating chocolate. The same is true with risotto. The constant stirring, usually in a figure eight  is both calming and comforting.It's one of the most relaxing tasks for a home chef.

Melissa Clark wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her A Good Appetite column was devoted to it and the woman who inspired the piece.  Ruth Rogers, chef and owner of the River Cafe in London loves to stir her rice.The motions and rhythms soothe anxiety - and Ms Clark was anxious about creating Chef Rogers' recipe for nettles risotto. The recipe is part of a brand new cookbook River Cafe London which salutes the restaurant's thirtieth anniversary. It also celebrates the eatery's classic recipes updated for a new generation of home chefs.The nettles risotto is one of the trickiest to make. nettles are those sharp stingers that hurt when touched with bare hands. Dealing with them in a home kitchen means the rubber gloves have to come out. Luckily spinach can be subbed in  They have a rich mineral taste  like the other and taste wise they can easily be interchanged. No one will know the difference.

Ms. Clark's accompanying recipe reflects this change. There are eight packed cups of spinach involved. These are stemless because it could make the risotto stringy.Another reason why she wanted to make the rice dish is the taleggio. This is a creamy, sharp cheese from the Alpine region of Lombardy that's added last to the dish. Like most arborio dishes this one is also labor intensive. The spinach has to be placed in a colander and has to have boiling hot water poured over it to wilt the leaves.Then the water has to be squeezed out with a dishtowel before the leaves are being transferred to a food processor.There is also celery , onion and garlic that need to be cooked too.The rice is added to this as is three quarters of a cup of dry white wine and either vegetable or chicken stock.It will take fifteen to twenty minutes for it to be ready. The spinach puree and taleggio chunks are them added and stirred into it.If you want it a bit simpler then cut out the cheese and serve it with a sprinkling of Parmesan.Just remember to keep stirring or the rice will stick.

If you're looking for good food and relaxation then go for spinach risotto with taleggio. It's a soothing dish to make if you;re stressed. Even if you'e not , it's still a great dish to make on a cool Spring night.

Your Holiday Roast Your Way

With Christmas and New Year's only weeks away , its' time to think of the the man dish, the roast..Many home chefs freak out at the idea of it. There;s so much prep, and pressure to cook it correctly and give family and guests , moist juicy slices. The best way of dealing with this is picking a roast that fits the skill level. That way there's a delicious roast, with little or no mistakes.

Neophyte home chefs should look into roast chicken for their first holiday meal. It's the simplest meat to roast and the finished product is always a good one.It only takes an hour to make and prep time is almost nil. You can just rub it with butter, salt and pepper and then pop it into the oven. Herbs such as rosemary and thyme accentuates the flavor even more and you can also add a squeeze of fresh  lemon or orange juice before adding the seasoning. If you're having more than five you could get two chickens or better yet  a capon or gelded rooster.An eight pound one does take two hours to cook and there is some basting required. Yet it's not that difficult and a first time roaster can do it.Fish is another easy roast. Go for a bronzino or a trout, s slim fish that cooks up easily. It can be seasoned with ginger, garlic and Asian sesame oil for an Oriental flavor, Give it a Mediterranean flair with chopped parsley, and red peppers along with salted capers and garlic. Bring the Caribbean to the holiday table by giving the fish a paste bath of ginger, garlic clove and allspice.Roasting time is only thirty minutes so there's no worry about it drying out or constant basting.

Intermediate home chefs may want to try leg of lamb for their Christmas or New Year's dinner.Again it's an easy roast of only thirty minutes. Most cooks usually make it with a rub of garlic and rosemary. There's even a thin gravy of  red wine, diced onions and chicken stock liberally laced with rosemary, chives and parsley.It can also be made Greek style with lemons and oregano. It should be bone in roast so you can get that extra taste/ If you want a more well done meat then roast for another half an hour or hour more.Roast beef or London broil is another good main dish for intermediate chefs to make.It's an easy seasoning  of just salt and pepper, and olive oil. Small slits are made throughout the meat for garlic cloves. Roasting takes two to three hours. The meat is cooked in a very hot oven at 375 degrees F for the first half hour to brown it, then at a lower 225 degrees F for the last ninety minutes.This gives you enough time to make the sides and gravy  too.Intermediate and experienced chefs may want to try something grander for Christmas dinner such as turkey.It's an elegant way to celebrate even though it can be a bit of work. Home chefs should roast the bird breast side down for a moister meat.It should be roasted on a bed of layered celery for a more delicious and flavorful gravy. Butter should be rubbed all over the outside for tender meat.It should be basted every so often. This makes the skin cracklier and crispier  and then it should be tented with aluminum foil.The bigger the turkey the more times it needs to cook. A small eight to twelve pound bird takes three hour, one double the size at sixteen pounds takes a whopping six to six and a half hours to thoroughly cook.

Don't freak out at making the holiday roast. Pick the one that fits your experience level and run with it. You'll come out with a memorable and delicious Christmas or New Year's dinner that will be perfect.

Winter Salads

Even though it's December you can still have a nice salad.It's a great alternatie to the usual hot soup or sandiwch fare most are eating.Besides there's nothing like a refreshing cool dish to revive you after a morning of X-mas shopping or after a  night of heavy eating.A homemade salad is a great perk during this season.

Salads can be made with a variety of different ingredients or just one. This is the season for cabbages and they can be shredded into a tasty main dish, If you want to make it more substantial, then added shredded cooked chicken along with water chestnuts .This is also the season for avocadoes.Use them, not in guacamole but a simple , refreshingsalad  where they're cubed and dressed with a vinaigrette.Another winter favorite, celery  can also be treated the same way as can be fennel. You can also mix these two for a tasty salad. Mixed salads are also good, Add some canned veggies such as corn niblets, string beans and beets.

What kind of dressing goes well with a cold weather salad? You can always go with a mayo based one.You many want to rethink that though if you feel heay and bloated after all those holiday buffets.A simple dressing is always the best because it brings out the veggie's sharp, earthy  flavors
have simple mixes of just olive oil blend with a red wine or apple cider vinegar.Toss in a small pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.You can add some dried Rosemary or oregano if you want more taste. Even though it's the holidays , you can still indulge in a cool light salad.It's great antedate to all those hot , heavy holiday meals. Having greens now makes perfect sense, and a perfect alternative during these crazy days.

Sticking To A Summer Diet

It's hard to stick to a diet and surprisingly it's worse in the summer. Why? We usually surrounded by fresh fruit and veggies. Yet our favorite places from beach to carnival are full of sweet or fatty treats. They're sometimes worse than all those wintry holiday foods. Luckily we do have all that fresh warm weather produce to counter balance those "bad" but  fun summer foods.

If you do have a bad week of splurging, then go straight back to healthy eating . All that summer food is fun and meant to be . Carry that idea to your diet to make all those good foods more attractive. Kabobs are always fun and you can have them fresh or grilled. A popular mix would be a low cal mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and peppers chunks interlaced on a skewer r . You can also add celery and carrot slices for color and crunch. A grilled skewer is also fun and tasty. Here you can add low cal meats such as shrimp or chicken chunks along with the veggies for a yummy dinner. Want fun sliders like what you'd get at out door movies? Try turkey burgers with turkey bacon for a healthier spin on the classic drive in  nibble. Serve with baked french fries or sweet potato fries.

The summer is full of sweet treats like boardwalk fudge and candy apples. These can add inches to any bikini waistline . If you really crave a boardwalk sweet then go for chocolate covered strawberries. You can buy these or make them at home. Use farm fresh strawberries and dark chocolate. The combo is chock full of Vitamin C and and antioxidants .They're sinful while being good Another treat is farm fresh peaches -not with fattening cream but with creamy good for you Greek yogurt.Slice up one or two peaches and mix with the  yogurt for a delicious dessert. Sprinkle on ginger for some bite  if you want.Another treat is fresh fruit juice over shaved ice.This is better than any Sno Cone or Italian ice.

Summer foods can be fun however make sure they're also healthy. Take advantage of the season and incorporate fresh fruits and veggies into your diet. You'll not only stick to it, you 'll look forward to eating these good for you treats instead of the carnival and boardwalk ones!

Healthy Picnics Fun Picnics

A picnic is a time of just having fun and relaxing on the beach or in the park. Its a time when people usually indulge in healthy outdoor activites like volleyball,baseball or even Frisbee chasing. However most people usually don't think healthy when they have a picnic.They bring fun food but not good for you food.

Sandwiches are a big part of any outdoor dining. They're easy to make and easy to tote. Yet  most picnickers load them up with nitrate laden cold cuts and mayo. Think light when you make a sandwich. Start with slices of whole wheat bread or even pita, followed by a low cal mayo. Add leftover cold chicken or turkey along with veggies.Nix the baloney and other cured meats. These aren't that great for you and besides will leave you feeling  thirsty and bloated afterwards.Another option is getting an already roasted chicken that can be served cold. It's better than fried and everyone can still munch on a leg or wing if they want to .

Sides are another important must in any successful outdoor meal.People usually opt for the easy way out and bring potato chips. This can be done but opt for the more healthier ones that have been fried in olive oil or baked. Popcorn can be fun to bring along.It's also neat to toss out to the the birds too. Picnics should have  a good salad. Opt for ones that are made with veggies and olive oil as opposed to ones like macaroni salads which has too much mayo and pasta  in them. One good one is a refreshing fiesta corn. Use a can of niblets along with freshly chopped red and green peppers, onions and celery. Toss with a vinaigrette and sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground pepper over it. A celery salad made the same way is also very good along with being light in calories.

Picnics are meant to be healthy outings full of good food. Don't spoil that by adding unhealthy cold cuts and fatty sides. Serve good, nutritious fare that's perfect for a day out.

Easter Leftovers Holiday Recycling Part One

Now that the holiday weekend is over, there are the holiday leftovers to deal with. WHat to do with the leftover ham and lamb? All those pretty eggs? Recycle them into new and tasty  dishes that empty the fridge and keep the family fed for a few days. It's also a nice way to prolong Easter and keep the holiday spirit.

Ham is one of the easiest meats to recycle. It can be ground in a food processor with some mayonnaise and celery seeds for a yummy deviled ham.This can be spread onto whole wheat bread for lunch or even a Spring picnic. It can also be chunked and mixed in with chili for a more richer and earthier flavor. Save the bone for flavoring split pea soup.Lamb can be made into everything from meat balls to meat loaf.An exotic dish is making a spicy version of the meatballs, using coriander, onion and mint with a mint laced yogurt sauce. Another is a lamb loaf, a variation on  meat loaf, using chili powder, fenugreek and cumin.

What to do with those dozen or two dozen eggs you dyed on Saturday? Hard boiled eggs can be used in a whole slew of ways..They can add color to a regular salad, thanks to the dye seeping through the shell and into the whites. Add them to a Spring spinach salad with some crumbled bacon bits or to a lush salad Nicoise , redolent with tuna and olives. They can also be sliced and served  with a butter sauce.over the vegetable of the season - asparagus.Of course hard boiled eggs are their best in a tarragon laced egg salad. As for the asparagus itself, leftover stalks can be cut up and mixed in with salads. Other veggies such as spinach and celery can be cut and put into soups or even omelets and quiches.

Easter leftovers needn't be challenging.There's so many ways to recycle them. They can into interesting dishes that still have the flavor of Easter but with something more. Good dishes that celebrate the Spring season!

Le Chien Chaud

Hot dogs and France are rarely used in the same sentence. However one French chef is making this German American standard haute cuisine.It may take some convincing but the food snobbish French may warm to this standard.

This was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. Elaine Sciolino had the lucky chance of interviewing hot dog fanatic and three star chef Yannick Alleno. Even though he creates some of the worlds' best dishes Chef Alleno prefers a New York dog above all else. He dcided to bring this love back to Paris and tweak up the recipe. The result is a gourmet version and a much tastier one. Instead of the traditional pork, he uses veal and renames the dog veau chaud or hot veal. Veal is his signature meat. He has made some amazing dishes such as his famous tete de veau. The hot dog will be in the same tradition with , delicate ground veal , held together with a gelatin as opposed to casing.it is also cooked in a vegatable broth full of savory leeks, carrots and cloves.

The dog is then served in a crusty mini whole wheat baguette and slathered with a gribiche. This is a light sauce that can be made with capers, cornichons and of course, mustard. I'm sure other variations will follow. The veau chaud could be served inside an elongated puff pastry or even grilled for a bistro dog. Whether it will be as popular as steak au poivre or crepes remains to be seen.

Veau chaud may take a while to catch on in both cities.However once it does, Americans may forget about their traditional weiner. TheFrench may take it to heart too, making it as beloved as their croque monsiuer and croque madames.

Easter Monday A Time For Picnics

Today is Easter Monday - a time when most families throughout Europe take the day off and have a lovely Spring picnic. I wish we could do this here in the States. The weathe r is perfect for it. Besides there’s nothing like enjoying a fun meal with family under sunny skies. An Easter Monday picnic is a great way to unwind after a hectic holiday weekend plus using up leftovers from yesterday’s feasting.
If you do have the day off pack a lunch and pack the kids You can make some delicious ham sandwiches with your Easter meal’s leftover ham. Add some celery seed laced mayo and a potato roll and it’s a great lunch. You can also chop the ham , add celery and mayo and make a yummy ham salad. Another thing is using up those Easter eggs before they go bad. Peel and either have a side of hard boiled eggs or an egg salad. If there are no leftovers, pick up some freshly sliced chicken or turkey at your supermarket and then create heroes for you and your family.
Spring picnics also have the greens of the season too. You can make a light yet filling salad using field greens and any leftover asparagus. Cut the asparagus into one inch pieces, add what’s left over of the Easter eggs . . If you want, toss in some grape tomatoes to give the salad some color. Top with a vinaigrette and voici -la you have the perfect salad.
If you’re lucky to have this day off, then go out and enjoy it. Transform yesterday’s holiday meal into a the perfect picnic lunch. Bring a favorite drink along with a kite or a Frisbee and you have a great and fun Easter Monday outing!

Good Stuffing

Stuffing is one of the symbols of Thanksgiving. The big bird is nothing without it anyway. There are several different ways to make It.We found that my grandfather's Swabian recipe, from Southern Germany is the best. He got it form his parents who were new to these shores but quick to incorporate it into American holidays.

Stuffing meats have been around since Roman times when even the occasional mouse was stuffed(my cats would love this! Meow!) The English have been preparing it since the 1600's as well as the French who first called it farce or stuffed meat. Stuffing or dressing got a renaissance in 1972 when Ruth Siems,a home economist was able to take breadcrumbs and flavorings and package them in a boxed mix called Stovetop Stuffing. Stuffing went from a once or biannual dish to something that could be made on a weekly basis.

What makes a good stuffing? The bread you put into it. Challah or any egg bread is the best but you can also add rye or pumpernickel for chewiness and more intense flavor.Some add chestnuts or sausage as well for body and flavor. Germans like to use sage in their dressing. This is what I grew up on and it is a wonderful flavor. My family recipe also includes sauteed celery and egg. This last almost makes for a cakelike stuffing that can be cut into squares. It's also easy to reheat int he microwave too.

Stuffing is what makes Thanksgiving hum. Even if you don't like turkey or yams, you;re sure to like stuffing. Who doesn't after all?