Trail Mixes

 This is the season for biking and hiking along with finally hitting the beaches. All these outdoor activities stimulate the appetite. The question is what to bring for healthy snacking?

One snack both  hikers and bikers swear by is gorp. Yet buying it in the store can be tricky. It can come with a variety of so much dried fruit and chocolate that it's like a bag of candy. The best bet is making it yourself. If you do want to add chocolate you can control the amount put in.Start with the base. Think almonds or walnuts. almonds can reduce hunger along with walnuts which can suppress weight control. They're also pleasant tasting and work well with other ingredients.Seeds are a must. Pumpkin seeds are great. Not only are they flavorful but they're chock full of health benefits. They can lower blood sugar levels as well as promote heart health.They're also high in fiber. Another must add are sunflower seeds. These are high in Vitamins B1 and E  and also in copper and zinc. what about the chocolate that usually highlights the mix. Skip the M&M's because there's extra sugar with the coating. Use dark chocolate chips or break up dark chocolate bars in big , manageable chunks. You can also use carob chips too.

Many outdoors people love those protein bars.what are the best. Some dietitians recommend Kind. These come in a variety of different flavors. Try to get ones that have dark chocolate and nuts. These are probably healthier than the ones with dried fruit and milk chocolate. One is usually 170 calories.Vegans will love the  Go Macrobar.These are gluten and dairy free and come in such flavors as maple sea salt and peanut butter and chocolate chip.They are high in calories at around 280 however they'll be quickly burned in in whatever activity you choose. Protein bard can also be made at home too. They can be baked and non baked. The baked can be brownie like with the addition of cocoa powder but also healthy with protein powder. Nuts, and chocolate chips can be added. These even make a great after school snacks or perfect for soccer and baseball games. The no bake ones are an easy blend of rice syrup,peanut butter and protein powder. Rolled oats or quinoa flakes give them body and shape.

There's a lot you can bring with you during your outdoor activities. They can be as simple as gorp or as complex as home made protein bars. Whatever you choose , pack what's right and what will satisfy your hunger.

An International Mother's Day

 Tomorrow Mom will probably be greeted with the usual homemade brunch. There may be eggs and bacon. Toast will be there.Maybe it'll be capped off with a mimosa. Yet why not give the lady of the day something extraordinary? Take her on a culinary tour of the world!

Instead of the usual breakfast, look to France and crepes. Think about a simple folded one with some butter and sugar. Some may see this as a chic little pancake, but it's much more. It's a delicate batter made up of eggs,melted  butter whole milk, water and flour. The batter is put into the fridge for an hour or two. This ensures a lighter , crisper crepe. It's then pouring the batter into a lightly oiled pan and cooking for two minutes. It can be served with brandy butter or just lemon juice and granulated sugar. For a savory start to the day look south of the border to Mexico. Huevos rancheros are a hearty way to begin a fun filled day.It's basically a sunny side up egg served on a  warmed tortilla and topped with beans and warmed salsa.  Serve with a big margarita mocktail. Shakshouka, a spicy egg dish from the Middle East and North Africa is another interesting breakfast option. This is poached eggs simmering in a tomato and onion based sauce. Various spices such as paprika, cumin and chili powder are added.Garlic and green peppers also give this flavor. Serve with warmed pita wedges for a truly unique Mother's Day brunch.

Lunch and dinner can also be just as special and just as international. Choley , an Indian chickpea curry that also goes by the name chana masala is an excellent meal choice. One of the best recipes for it comes from the famed Brass sisters, Marilynn and Sheila from their Heirloom Cooking With The Brass Sisters. : Recipes You Remember and Love. Chickpeas, whole tomatoes, chopped onions and potatoes are cooked in a tantalizing sauce of garam masala cumin seeds, curry and chili powder, You can add spinach too if you want and sub in another kind of bean for the potatoes. It's an easy cook that takes less than half an hour. Ethiopian  cooking has given us some savory and memorable dishes. Try the country's vegan lentil stew redolent with berbere spice.It's too late to order this from Amazon but you can easily make it at home. It's blending paprika, cayenne, ground ginger, and fenugreek , along with nutmeg, ginger and ground cloves. The lentils are cooked in spiced butter or oil ( you can use the berbere spice for it) along with tomato paste, chopped onions and a mix of freshly minced ginger and garlic. Cilantro is also added for flavor and color. Once cooked you can serve it with naan or pita. You could also make teff bread,a kind of crepe made with teff flour , to serve with it as the Ethiopians do.

Get away from the traditional Mother's Day fare. Try something other than the typical American dishes. Go to France or India.Visit Mexico, the Middle East or Ethiopia. Make Mom's day a truly international one,

The Prediabetic Diet

 Any diagnosis with the word "diabetic" in it can be scary. Yet it you've been diagnosed  as prediabetic , there are ways to reverse it. It does require some sacrifice but it comes with some delicious ways  to get your sugar down.

I was recently diagnosed with this condition and it did freak me out. Diabetes doesn't bode well , with the threat of amputation and all the restrictions - and there are many. Yet with cutting out , eating less and exercising more I may just have a chance to reverse this.One aspect my doctor stressed was cutting the carbs. This is an easy thing to do. It's rare that I eat pasta and bread. I have tried to limit these in the past. However there are ways to work around this. Grocery stores - as well as Amazon sell all sorts of pasta made from different flours. Banza has one of the best and most variety. Theirs is made from chickpea flour and has half the carbs as regular wheat based spaghetti and manicotti. Classic pasta companies such Ronzoni are also creating veggie based spaghetti and a super greens rotini. The first has spinach and tomatoes cooked in while the second is a mix of spinach, zucchini, kale parsley and broccoli. with any of these you can serve them hot with any kind of tomato based sauce or as salads with chopped veggies. Pizza is usually off the table with a prediabetic diet. Again this can be remedied by making one with a cauliflower crust, such as Green Giant's or ordering one from Blaze Pizza. As for bread, keep away from the refined white kind. Go for the whole wheat.

Of course sodas and sweetened juices are also off the table. However you can get a Soda Stream and make your own sodas and seltzers. As far as their add ins use them sparingly. You can get creative by adding fresh squeezed blueberries or strawberries . Fresh mint leaves are also a good flavor booster. The only juice prediabetics should consider is kale which controls and can even reverse the condition. Think  plain iced tea and coffee when you want a frothy iced cappucino. Don't worry about sweetening. I've discovered liquid stevia which is a plant based sweetener - that i keep in my car. Not many restaurants or coffee places have it , instead offering artificial sweeteners instead. The liquid stevia bottle is small enough to fit in a pocket or purse and a drop can sweeten any hot or iced coffee or tea. Lunches and dinners should also changed- but just slightly. Get rid of the red meat. Roasted chicken or turkey without the skin is the best. Think chicken or turkey breasts with asparagus or broccoli. Beans are another good choice in the prediabetic diet. They take time to digest and are high in necessary fiber.

Don't freak out of you've been diagnosed with prediabetes .It can be reversed with some delicious foods. It's easy to sub in these healthy alternatives and still have a varied and tasty diet.

Korean Home Cooking

 This last year has certainly brought families closer together . In a way it was no different for Eric Kim and his mother Jean. Together they cooked traditional Korean dishes and learned a thing or two about each other as well.

Mr. Kim, a cooking writer at the New York Times food section wrote about going home to Atlanta, Georgia in yesterday's section. They worked on a cookbook together, one that featured dishes from Korea. Yet he leaned so much more just being with her. He saw how she blanched pork ribs first with ginger to remove any gaminess. He noticed how she bloomed gochugaru, Korean chili peppers, in a little fat before adding it to red pepper based stews. Pine nuts were always a staple in her kim chi recipe. Mr. Kim thought of the great chef and cookbook writer, Nigella Lawson's words that she wrote in her 2008 article for The New York Times: "quite often you cook something the way your mother did before you." This idea has been dubbed the Pot Roast Principle.We want to cook exactly the same way our mothers and grandmothers did but we all want to tinker with the recipes and make them our own. Mr Kim saw this and put his spin on such classic recipes as bimbimbap, turning it into a sheet pan recipe.

It was this recipe along with his kimchi jiggae with ribs. Mr Kim's bimbimbap is an easy cook. It's two sheet pans in one oven. The first contains sweet potatoes,oyster mushrooms, red onion and kale.  Don't crowd them. You want them to brown not steam. Roast them on your oven's top rack until the sweet potatoes are tender while the mushrooms and onions are caramelized. The kale should be crisp. The second sheet pan should be slightly oiled and filled with the rice and eggs that will be baked sunnyside up. after they've been cooked, It's layering the veggies over the rice and then adding the eggs. Sesame oil and a teaspoon of the Korean chili paste or gochujang is layered on top. The ribs with kimchi are another good cook. The ribs are cooked first with the ginger . After they're drained in a colander and rinsed with cold water. The kimchi or fermented cabbage is cooked in a mix of butter and garlic Water is also added. The ribs are added and nestled in the kimchi.It's brought to a boil with over a high heat and then simmered. A medium yellow onion is sliced and layered on top of this. Fish sauce and maisi cheong, green plum syrup finish it off. All the Korean products can be found at Korean markets.

Mr. Kim embraced his mom's recipes yet added his own spins. This is what Korean home or cooking or any cooking really is. Taking the traditional and making it his own. It's what every home chef does.

The Famed Gateway Bread Recipe

Bread baking can be a chore thanks to all that kneading. However there's a no knead recipe out there that's changing home baker's perceptions. It's a great way to ease into the fine art of artesinal bread making. Once done, then it's onto the next step of low knead dough making.

Chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt wrote about this famed recipe in today's New York Times Food section, The revolutionary recipe came from the Times own Mark Bittman along with Jim Lahey, owner  and chief baker of Manhattan's famed Sullivan Street Bakery and pizza spot Company. Chef Lopez-Alt first discovered this miracle recipe when he was a test cook at the well known Cook's Magazine in Brookline, Massachusetts. It was 2008 when his fellow test cook David Pazmino had just taking hos loaf of no knead bread out of the oven. It was perfect with its' glossy crust and open airy structure. It has the preferred custardy crumb. This was a recipe worth looking into and trying. It's a simple process any home baker can do. Mix flour water, salt and yeast in a bowl until they all come together. Cover the bowl and let sit on the kitchen counter overnight. The next day , shape the dough into a loose loaf, let proof and bake inside a preheated Dutch oven with the lid on. The modified recipe eliminates this and uses a large oven friendly bowl to lock in the steam over the loaf. This will produce a crust similar to the loaves baked in the Dutch oven.

Chef Lopez-Alt has included the recipe along with  two other easy bread recipes. You will need a rapid rise yeast and a good flour like the one from King Arthur. You do also have to add a mix of vinegar and lemon juice and water to the dough as well.Proof it and also dust the loaf with rice or bread flour. First preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place the dough on a baking sheet.  Reduce the heat to 450 degrees Farenheit. Splash some water in the large metal bowl and place over the loaf. It's baked this way for twenty-five minutes. Using oven mitts or those Ove Gloves remove the bowl and then bake the bread for as long as you like it or until the crust turns the desired color. There are also recipes for low knead bread and low knead sandwich bread. These are the next step in bread baking. The recipe varies slightly with the amount of water. The low knead requires three hundred grams of water. Low kneading is not intense. It's simply folding the dough and then flipping it over.It's then allowing the dough to rest for twenty to forty minutes for two to three times during a two to three hour period. For the sandwich bread, brush the top of the loaf with a whisked egg and water mixture.  You could  also sprinkle coarse salt or spices on it for more flavor if you want. rye or whole wheat flour can also be subbed in for the white.

This is an easy bread recipe to make and one that produces a crusty , tasty loaf. Try it and the also easy low knead breads. They're all great to make and simple too.

A Vegetarian Mother's Day

 Mother's day is full of good homemade meals and treats. Yet what happens when Mom eschews those yummy strips of bacon or that great chicken dish? Not to worry of you have a vegetarian or vegan mother. There are plenty of substitutes that you can use for  tasty and delicious dishes throughout the day.

Nothing beats a Mother's Day breakfast.One of the best sub ins to serve is Morningstar Farms Bacon strips.

This is like the real thing, especially when it's microwaved crisp. It has the same crunch and flavor as the real thing and goes great with any of the Vegg products.

These can be bought on Amazon and both the power scramble - which resembles scrambled eggs when cook and the egg yolk are great. One of my favorite any time meals is bowl of the yolks which are easily cooked in the microwave, and the Morningstar Farm bacon strips. I love dipping the bacon in the "egg' yolk". Make a side of toast buttered fingers also for fun dipping. Add a mimosa and it's a great brunch.

As for lunch and dinner, you cannot go wrong with the Gardein soy meat products. I love their teriyaki chicken strips.

They're a quick fry in the air fryer while the sauce is heated in the oven. Serve with white rice and a Japanese salad with a carrot ginger dressing for a nice dinner in. Gardein also has turkey cutlets with gravy which tastes like the real thing. Serve with steamed asparagus for a lovely Spring dinner for Mom. For a more fun meal, definitely grill up their burgers for an old fashioned barbecue or serve their chicken sliders with air fried French fries.Finish with soy or almond milk shakes in chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.

Don't worry about cooking your vegan or vegetarian mom a meal. There are so many ways and so many products to give her memorable meals. She can have brunch , lunch  and dinner with a whole host of meatless products.

It's Party Time Again

 Things re getting back to what we remember before the pandemic. With that small parties are coming back. It's time for a refresher in how to create a fun little do.

Small parties are allowed right now. They're a great way of easing into bigger ones later on. That means getting the right amount of food and ingredients. Don't go overboard. You may have a fridge full of leftovers later on.As with all get togethers ask your guests what they'd like. This is their party too and it would be extra special to welcome them back  with favorite recipes. Everyone loves burgers. You can have the regular beef along with Beyond or Impossible Burgers. Customize them for your guests. Add a slices of avocado  and tomato. Create a special sauce along with having barbecue sauce, ketchup and mustard. Also have slices of everyone's favorite cheeses for tasty cheeseburgers. Make smaller amounts of potato and macaroni salads. If you feel the last may be too much work, then buy them at  your grocery store. As for chicken and ribs, again don't go overboard. Figure about five to six wings per person and two to three for kids. You could also buy breasts and legs too and marinate all in a traditional barbecue sauce. As for ribs, most people usually go through five to six ribs with kids having one or two.

Many are craving fancier dos. You can easily do this with a smaller crowd. Think individual plates full of hors d'ouevres. Bruschetta is always a must. It's easy to make  with chopped tomatoes mixed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (or red wine if it's too intense) and garlic. You can vary it by mixing cherry and grape tomatoes with plum. You can also add a layer of prosciutto or salame to give ti some oomph. Small squares of the Greek spinach pie , spanokopita are also good to serve. Many home chefs find this a bit labor intensive but there are short cuts. Use frozen puff pastry along with frozen spinach to make them. It also requires sauteed chopped onion but you can also use onion powder too.Mini quiches are another tasty and elegant bite. You can easily buy these in any grocery but you can also make these at home. Again there are shortcuts for these. Use frozen pie crust and then mold it in mini muffin tins. Have fun with the fillings. Try the traditional ham for mini quiche Lorraines or veggie ones with broccoli and asparagus. You can also have Gruyere cheese and bacon too. Since it is a party., serve plastic flutes filled with champagne to celebrate .your reunion.

It's time to party again! Serve good old fashioned barbecue fare or something more elegant. Just serve! It's time to enjoy good food and good friends again.