Spring Cleaning Your Diet

Now that Easter and Passover are over , it's time to Spring clean your diet. There are no more heavy calorie laden meals, desserts and treats. It's the season for lighter fare,not to mention lighter cooking and baking.

One of the best aspects of Spring is foraging. There is a wealth of healthy greens right outside your back door. Think about adding some of  your local woodland's best in a salad.One of the most traditional and most widely used is the dandelion. The slightly prickly leaves can be eaten on their own or with other greens. Dress with a tangy lemon -honey vinaigrette and serve with grilled chicken or scallops. Another woodland green to consider is the tongue tingling garlic mustard which can be made into a pesto or cooked with pasta similar to broccoli rabe.Mushrooms can also come from the parks and forests.Many home chefs are leery about foraging them and with good reason -half are poisonous.Buy a book on foraging (your best bet is Amazon) and read it cover to cover. Think about making your bounty in a light mushroom sauce spiked with garlic and onions. The mushrooms can also be pickled and served as a side to grilled chicken, steak or fish. Those dandelion greens can also be pickled and would be a light and interesting side.

With the weather growing warmer, it's time to get out the grill. This is chance to have delicious meats and veggies simply cooked. Don't stop at the proteins. Try a light meal of grilled asparagus with peppers and eggplants. Ramps from foraging can also be grilled . Spritz them with olive oil and cook on a grill pan until ready. A fun way to welcome in the warm weather is kabobs. Think cherry and grape tomatoes with scallops and shrimp. Or try marinated mushrooms skewers for something light and different. Climbing temps usually mean the taste for grilled burgers. These too can be lightened up. Portobello caps are a great sub in for beef patties.Marinate the caps in canola oil - which is lighter than even virgin olive oil - along with  chopped onions, balsamic vinegar and garlic.Instead of plopping it on a heavy bun, think an open faced sandwich on Italian and French bread. Gardein also has veggie burgers that taste like the real thing. Instead of the usual burgers and potato salad - just have the patties plain with grilled veggies .As for desserts, we're heading into blueberry and strawberry season. Finish the meal with a bowl of mixed berries, sweetened with dark honey and topped with Reddi-Whip's coconut or almond milk whipped creams.

It's Spring. Lighten up your diet. Go for fresh picked greens and kabobs. Get rid of the greasy burgers and try the ethereal portobellos or soy burgers. Invest in the fruits and veggies of the season. You'll feel better- and lighter. 

A Springtime Treat Peas

Peas are the often forgotten Spring  time vegetable. Most home chefs usually just relegate it to a side,  usually with a winter roast or fall soup. Yet  fresh picked ones are springy , almost minty tasting. They can be made into a variety of different dishes , from main ones to salads and even hors d' oeuvres.

Peas have been around since ancient times, first being cultivated in Neolithic Era Greece, Syria and Turkey.Peas or pisum sativum are actually the fruit of the pea pods.They are usually eaten in the immature or semi ripe stage and can be canned, fresh or frozen..They're usually green but can also be purple or yellow.Green peas have been enjoyed by centuries, keeping famine at bay during the Middle Ages due to their versatility and abundance during droughts.. They were popular in France and early America, where Thomas Jefferson grew thirty different kinds of the cultivar. Victorians loved them especially when canning came in, allowing people to  eat them all year round. Peas are one of the best vegetables to eat because they are high in folate, part of the Vitamin B family as well as being loaded with  Vitamins A, C and K. They re incredibly low in calories , 125 calories  a cup which makes them the ideal summer food...Peas are actually graded, the smaller have the highest, due to their tenderness.Le Seuer is one of the best canned peas however the most flavorful are fresh ,whether from your garden or the farmer's market.


These little green gems were featured in a healthy recipe in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Martha Rose Schulman , who usually writes for the Tuesday Health recipes  gave us a garlic  shrimp recipe , brightened up by English peas. These cut the garlickyness and add to the seafood's sweetness.A warm weather favorite is pea salad.It is good with just a plain vinaigrette.  You don't want an overpowering dressing that can drown out the sweet flavor.Another salad idea is combining white rice and mint. This is the perfect foil for lamb or beef kabobs or for grilled lamb chops. Peas can also be pounded into hummus. They're mashed  like chickpeas and then add olive oil during this to create a satiny textured dip. some recipes call for a clove but just sea salt and freshly ground pepper are really all it needs.They do have to be cooked first , usually for one to three minutes only.Of course, the most famous dish is pea soup. This can be made with a ham bone for added flavor or parsley for a fresher taste. One of the best dishes is the Roman piselli al prosciutto, a yummy combo of braised sweet peas with cooked prosciutto or ham and white onions. A simple side dish is steamed peas with melted butter. This works with any kind of meat and is super easy to make.

Peas should be the stars of the Spring table. They are fresh and sweet, high in vitamins and low in calories. Make them to day for a yummy good for you  treat.

The Ever Versatile Bulgar

Bulgar may sound exotic but it's more homey than foreign.You can do anything with it,from creating a nutritious breakfast to an exciting side.It's also a great way to expand your dish repertoire with all the different recipes. Bulgar has been around for millennia It was a staple of the Great Ottoman Empire and still used in MIddle Eastern as well as in Lebanese and Syrian cuisine.It's basically the groats primarily from Durham wheat .The supermarket sells it already parboiled and dried.The U.S.D.A. Recognizes it as a whole grain and it can be labeled as such.it is rich in potassium and high in protein, making it a more nutritious side than rice.The best and easiest way to cook it is to steam it in a covered pot for twenty minutes and then fluff with a fork.You can microwave bulgar.Just use three tablespoons of water to three quarters of a cup of bulgar.This makes fro a quick breakfast if you add maple syrup and butter afterwards.Sub in herbs, minced garlic and Parmesan for the syrup if you want a quick meal. The grain can be made a variety of ways.The most traditional is tabbouleh, which is a salad of it mixed with cucumbers and tomatoes.Onions,parsley and mint are also thrown in for bounce as is lemon juice for more flavor.This is a perfect barbecue side, more refreshing than mayo laden macaroni and potato salads.Another idea is making it into a kind of dal, cooked with lentils .Carmelized onions along with such spices such as coriander and cumin along with cinnamon are added.Serve hot with toasted pita bread.It can also serve as a bed for chicken ,beef or lamb kabobs.Mix it with some olive oil and a variety of Middle Eastern spices to compliment the meat.Bulgar can also be used like barley to thicken soups and stews, along with stretching them too to last a few days.O Bulgar may be from the Middle East and have an exotic. Cachet, yet it is a homey grain, full of goodness.Start the day with it or have it liven up your evening meal.Any way you serve it is good.

Fig Time

This is the time of year, late August and early September, when figs are abundant. Trees are laden with the ripe, juicy fruits , just waiting for tempting dishes. The best part about figs is that they are versatile . They can be served as a dessert or with main meals.

Melissa Clark explored various fig recipes in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.Her column, A Good Appetite covered all aspects of the fruit. She grows them in her Brooklyn  backyard where she has easy access..Mostly  Southern Italians and Sicilians  raise them, with figs being indigenous to the lush warm landscape. However a lot of urban New Yorkers are discovering the figs trees. charms. They take well to the city landscape, enjoying ambient heat from the brick buildings(the urban heat island effect ) and the buildings protect them from the elements. Come winter, they just need to be wrapped in burlap to protect them from the elements.

Figs are good on their own and most like them accompany a good ripe cheese for dessert. However figs can be made into delicate cookies or cooked into kabobs. Ms. Clark's offers us both. There is a recipe for financiers , a merengue like cookie with a fig sliced baked in the middle. These would be nice as a Sunday dinner dessert with vin Santo,/ She also gives us a tasty lamb and fig shish kabobs that have been doused with honey and rosemary.This is a more Middle Eastern nod thanks to the addition of mint and lamb. Figs are also a Middle Eastern staple too and any recipe from there could work with figs.

Figs are a late summer treat that can be made a variety of ways.Try them in a dessert or as part of the meal. Their lush , sweet flavor is good any way and a nice introduction to the fall harvest.

A Big Summer Blow Out

This is the time for those bigger summer blowouts, the once last chance to really party before the fall season arrives. What kind of party to throw? That's up to you but make sure it's full of fun and food. Try buffets if you' ve spent the summer just grilling or have an old fashioned fancy picnic with real china and elegant food. There's a lot of different types to try.

Most people usually throw an end of season barbecue. This is the easiest to have and within most cooks comforts zones. However you can mix it up a bit by adding some bratwurst and bauenwurst to the mix. These tasty German sausages go well on hot dog buns or just eaten by themselves with a good potato salad.Another shake up is trying ostrich, or emu burgers .You could also throw a luau with a whole roast pig along with fun tropical kabobs of pork, pineapple and cherries. For any of these make sure you get a definite head count so you're not under or over with supplies.

Of course you can also try something elegant and Old World. Having an entire pasta dinner out under the trees on a starry night is a great way of ending the season. First have a traditional antipasto of cold cuts cheeses and pickled veggies. Then serve just simple rotelli or penne with a fresh veggie sauce. Finish with an easy to assemble tiramisu or fruit and wine salad. Another idea is an elegant picnic and if you want have guest s come dressed up. You can serve cold roast chickens and turkeys along with roasts and hams on a carving board. Serve cucumber salads along with ones made from spring greens . Place buckets of iced champagne in  set up corners along with plastic flutes  for niche dining. it's a neat way to have a blow out but in a very courtly manner.

No matter how you do it just celebrate the end of a fun season. You can do it with a wild style or a regal manner. Anyway just have a blast with good foods and good friends.

Fun With Dinner

Sometimes a summer dinner can lack luster.Thanks to hot weather it's just a quick thrown together salad or sandwich. However supper can  made made exciting again, just by serving it differently or adding a different spin on it.Dinner can not only be tasty but a real treat to eat.

Warm weather brings about salads. Let's face it they're easy to literally toss together and just douse with dressing. However a dinner of raw veggies can be made fun. Instead of  salad use bite sizd pieces of tomatoes,broccoli, and cauliflower along with celery bits, olives and peppers. Forget the lettuce. Now instead of the usual vinaigrette  try a fun  homemade French dressing made with two tablespoons of mayo to one tablespoons of ketchup(you can also make more if you'd like)Another idea is a fresh raw veggie kabob with a tangy honey mustard dip,

Sandwiches along with grilled meats can get a punching up too. Create barbecued mini heroes by taking a French or Italian bread, stuffing it to  the max with cold cuts and cheeses and then slicing it into smaller snadwiches. These can then be toasted over the grill  to get the cheeses melted and gooey. Hamburgers can be turned into sliders by either dividing already made patties or making smaller meat ball sized ones. Get mini rolls for them and  then create some fun and interesting dips. For hot dogs cut them into quarters and wrap some biscuit dough around them for pigs in blankets.

Dinner can be made  fun  if you try a different or another way to serve it. Have a good time with a summer supper. Doing this will bring a smile to everyone's faces.

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!

Bulgarian Cooking A Hybrid Cuisine

Bulgaria is one of those countries that's off the beaten path on European tours. However it's an interesting place with an even interesting cuisine. Mix Greek and Slavic tastes and flavors with a pinch of exotic and it comes out Bulgarian. From salads to sweets, it 's a interesting array of dishes.

Bulgaria lies between Greece ,Serbia, Romania and Turkey. These countries , surely have had a hand in creating the national cuisine. There were native people there from the very beginning as well ans their recips have been passed down in various meat dishes and cheese.It's famed for its' rich salads  which accompany every meal.They even have a special Easter salad for their Bulgarian Orthodox Easter which features sliced boiled eggs. There is even one whimsically named Snow White because most of the ingredients are white.They also eat a lot of yogurt,first enjoying it as far back as 3,000 years ago. Cheese also plays an important part in the Bulgarian lifestyle. There are many varieties

Thanks to a strong Turkish and Greek influence kabobs are a big part of Bulgarian cuisine. Lamb ones figure prominently in dinners and street fare.Meatballs also make up some dishes whether as a main dish or an addition to soup. The Bulgarians love cold cuts and their spicy salame,lukanka is one of the most popular.It is a blend of pork and beef with a good dose of black pepper, cumin and salt. There is also sujuk which is a milder version but has a slight kick thanks to red pepper. fish is also popular and it's either baked in flaky pastry or grilled.

Bulgarian cooking represents the hybrid dishes of its' more dominent neighbors. However it blends the tastes of its' own people to create a cuisine that is both interesting and bold.


Monday Buglarian breads and sweets

Oregano The Versatile Herb

Oregano is one of the most versatile herbs you can grow. It adds spark to salads and livens up any meat. It also is a must have in Italian, Spanish and Greek dishes. if you're leery about using it don't be. It's a great improvement to any dish.

Oregano first was cultivated in the Mediterranean region where it it still used today. It's one of the hardier herbs to grow and many people have included it in their home gardens. The great thing about having an oregano plant is that you can snip the leaves off at any time and add them to your sauces or salads. Dried oregano is also good to have around . Use this in a garlic and oil rub for steaks and lamb. It imparts a smoky taste to kabobs as well.

Oregano is mainly used in tomato sauces. It brings out the tomato's sweetness and can be used in place of salt. Add a few pinches of it to your pasta or pizza sauce to rev up the flavor. It's also good in Italian dressing where this time it gives zips to the oil and vinegar.

This summer use fresh or dried oregano in your cooking and barbecuing. It may look innocent but this herb packs a wallop .It gives zing to indoor and outdoor cooking.