A Quest For Healthy Snacking

Snacking is never easy.If we indulge in some sinful or tasty, then there's the guilt of eating mixed with the extra calories and fat.If we eat healthy, we have to give up flavor for something that tastes like cardboard.Luckily there's a new chip that's not only good for you but really flavorful as well. The munchie that promises everything from taste to benefits is Quest Protein Chips.This is a brand new snack.The company is known for their,good for you candies and even pasta.Each bag has twenty one grams of protein.It is low in carbs making it an excellent snack for both mid afternoon and late night. Another plus is that they are low calories too with each 32 gram bag being 120 calories.A huge benefit is that they are gluten free so anyone with gluten allergies can use these instead of crackers.Protein blend and protein isolate are also included in the recipe as well making them a tad more nutritious than the average potato chip or Pringles chip.There are three flavors, sea salt, barbecue and cheddar and sour cream. The big question is are they tasty? Most good for you snacks aren't however Quest chips is just the opposite.The sea salt flavor is pleasantly salty, has a nice cracker like texture and would work well with hummus or a veggie dip.The cheddar and sour cream is cheesy more than sour cream.I can see this crushed as a coating for fried chicken (which kind of defeats it's purpose)"The barbecue flavor has a nice ,sweet and smoky tang in the taste.Again use this too as a coating for fried or even barbecued chicken..The chips come in smaller packs ,ideal for lunch boxes and brown bags?Hopefully, there will be more flavors in the future along with Quest coming out with a line of protein enhanced pretzels, popcorn and popcorn chips. Quest Protein Chips are the ideal snack for those who want both taste and quality.Have them as a mid afternoon pick me up or a late night snack.They are the best treat for you .

Pretty Pretty Foods

Food has to look good.It's just an accepted fact.It's even more delicious when it's cut and arranged in pretty shapes.However, most home chefs are scared to attempt even a simple radish rose.Not to worry .There an excellent how to book to create everything from picturesque salad to whimsical desserts Garnishing and Decorating : Ideas For All Seasons (Schiffer Publishing, New York 2014) is the must have book, especially for those who love throwing lush and elaborate meals and dinner parties.The author, Chef Georg Hartung, has written a very good how to book.Any part of a dinner can be made pretty and it just requires patience and the right tools.He has included a chapter along with pictures of what you need to employ for edible decorations.The tools are what most home chefs have in their kitchen drawers, namely a peeler, a good sharp knife, and a fruit and veg knife.The only exotic ones are the spiral cutter which is kind of like a pencil sharpener to create pointed ends for certain veggies and the marzipan modeling tool.Also small cookies cutters are need to create some of the bases.Chef Hartung also has a how to guide for creating piping bags from parchment squares.The book's photography is amazing along with the how to ones.Each recipe has the raw materials pictured and then smaller photographs to show the various steps. Once the techniques are tried and tested, it s time to create.The edible artwork is divided into the four seasons and the patterns reflect them.For a Spring wedding try the salad with blossoms ,a simple garden mix with the addition of colorful and edible flowers.The vinaigrette is an easy yet elegant pumpkin seed balsamic one.Another is onion crowns with a fluffy tomato carrot paste.This is meant as an amuse bouche but resembles a creamy sorbet.Summer brings chocolate covered fruits with the standard strawberry and the not so usual gooseberry.There are also sweetly decorated melon boats to start a meal and pannacotta to end it.The last is wonderful creamy treat that can be topped with a lovely raspberry mash ,whipped cream and kiwi stars.For autumn there are deviled eggs, perfect for Thanksgiving or a fall family reunion.Chef Hartung offers them with a purée of salmon or chicken ,also cutting out edible carrot and cucumber chickens and fish to be placed near the eggs when they're served.Winter is the most fun with instructions on how to make cute marzipan animals, roses and snowmen.All three, especially the snowman would look adorable gracing trays of home made cookies. Creating an aesthetically beautiful meal is easy thanks to Garnishing & Decorating:!Ideas For All Seasons.Plain fruits and veggies can be turned into ethereal works of art with a few cuts and snips.Best of all anyone can follow the directions and bring up the level of their meal.

Pitstop Picnics

This is the time of year when everyone hits the road for their vacay destination. With that comes food and rest stops. These are a big help because it recharges everyone 's batteries, especially for the chief driver.There's nothing like a restorative drink and meal or snacks before a long haul. Most roadways like New Jersey's Turnpike and our Garden State Parkway have rest stops with a variety of fast food joints.These are quick , a somewhat adequate replacement to packing a lunch or even dinner.Eating healthy here can be achieved however.If there's an Italian style one such as SBbarros then order pizza or pasta.These are about the healthiest and most nutritious.There are also burger places such as McDonald's or Burger King. Try their burgers or Burger King's veggie burger..As for extras, a side salad would be better than fries.There's usually an area when you can buy bottled water(stay away from the energy drinks (they"ll only dehydrate you) and packaged snacks.Go here for the bottled water(and definitely stock up on this for the trip) along with pretzels and almonds.There's usually a Starbucks or Cinnabon gracing these rest area's too.Yes ,a frosty whipped cream and syrup topped latte is treat however stick to plain black iced coffee or iced tea.These are better for you and have less calories.Better stay clear of the baked goods,opting instead for an apple or banana. The best fuel at a pit stop are the sandwiches and salads you make at home and bring along.Your family can have salads along with cold cuts. This last can be bought at your supermarket's deli counter.One, the meat is actually cheaper than the packaged stuff and two, there's not that many nitrates in the curing process.Buy different kinds to satisfy everyone's tastes.If there's any leftovers .repackage them and store them in your cooler for later at the motel or hotel.You can pre make the sandwiches and individually wrap them or bring bring a loaf of French and Italian bread,and make the sandwiches fresh.Some outdoor rest stops have grills and you can make fresh grilled hot dogs and burgers you have the time too.Salads are always welcome and you can drizzle them with oil and vinegar instead of mayo which can go bad if not properly refrigerated.Try a Cole slaw an apple cider vinegar dressing or just olive oil and basil for a tomato and mozzarella salad.Have nips or mini bottles of juice , iced tea and water for drinking.Snacking could be pretzels along with fruit and those low calorie cookie packs.All travel well and better than some of the junk that the stops offer. A pitstop picnic is always fun and always restorative.Eat and drink healthy on these .You'll feel more refreshed and ready to tackle the next leg of your journey.

A Basket Of Eggplants

Gardens and farmers markets are yielding up the fleshy, delicious beauties otherwise known as eggplants.Like their cousins,the tomatoes, these veggies have all different kinds and can be grilled, fried or roasted to create interesting and exotic dishes.A home chef can get lost in the many sorts and with them create a different meal every day. David Tanis wrote about them in yesterday's A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section,The eggplant world is expanding.Not that long ago there was only the deep purple kind, thickly sliced and then dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried.These were known as " poor man's oysters" and served only with a lemon wedge and salt.To add more zing tomato sauce and mozzarella were put on the already cooked sliced, baked almost like a casserole and called Eggplant Parmesan.Both dishes are still tasty but it's time to try other kinds and other recipes?Italy may have given us the second dish but they're also given us another genus, the Rosa Bianca, a pale lavender colored ones, now gracing farmers markets throughout the US..Home chefs looking for something unique should visit Chinese markets .These sell the magenta hued kind.There are also eggplants from Southeast Asia, the size of a cherry tomato and multicolored.Japanese stores carry sleek, shiny elongated ones from their country. The eggplants that Americans use should be a glossy deep purple.It's called the Black Beauty.It should be firm with a green calyx, the caplike pod that attaches the fruit(and yes the eggplant is a fruit) to the stem. This ensures that the eggplant's flesh will be sweet with very little seeds.Mr Tanis has included a baba ghanouj type recipe.This is a great way to enjoy them and also a good dip for any summer party.It starts with charring the fruit until the skin blisters.The flesh should be smooth right now and ready to be pureed.Cut it into quarters and then scoop it out.Put this in a food processor along with tahini paste and lemon juice.Add toasted and crushed cumin seeds along with cayenne and paprika.Drizzle in olive oil for smoothness..Throw in parsley and mint.Toasted pita chips work well with it but you can also have toasted and thinly sliced baguettes to dip in too. This is the height of season for eggplants.Try an exotic and smokey spread or have slices dipped in egg and bread crumbs, fried to a golden crunchiness.Anyway you have it, just enjoy the eggplant's earthy sweetness.

Shrimp Facts

Everyone love shrimp.It's so common that it"s part of our weekly diets,,thanks to fast food chains and all you can eat buffets.Yet do most shrimp lovers know what kind they're really eating? Is this love helping or harming the environment? it 's not just prawns in cocktail sauce anymore.It's a whole new world, as deep and complex asvthe oceans that give us these tasty morsels. Luckily regular contributor,Kim Severson,The New York Times Wednesday Dining section explored this along with giving us really good recipes.There's a wealth of knowledge to grasp before buying shrimp though.Most shrimp come from Asia, primarily Thailand .However if you're fortunate to live in the Southeast, you have your own kinds.The Gulf Coast produces brown shrimp ,from the Gulf of Mexico.This is an acquired taste because the shrimp has a strong iodine taste yet most natives of the area swear only by it.The waters off South Carolina gives us white shrimp while eastern Florida has pink.The Sunshine State also has the much treasured Royal Reds, a rare variety because they are pulled from very deep water and spoil quickly.As with salmon, there are shrimp farms on both American coasts.When buying in your local grocery store make sure that the shrimp have their shells still on.Shelled varieties are usually treated with chemicals to preserve them.Also look for the letters I.Q.F. Which stands for individually quick frozen..The lack or abundance of the crustacean on the market also depends on the season, government regulations and reproductive cycles. Shrimp also come with an environmental price too.Firstly the are affected by pollution. Louisianan shrimpers saw this when BP created that ghastly spill a few years ago.The result is deformed animals that can't be eaten and must be discarded..Other animals suffer too in the shrimping industry.Fish and turtles get caught in the large nets that shrimpers use however there are now devices that they must use.This allows freeing the turtles.Before buying research where the store or fish market has acquired them.Despite all this shrimp always has been and still is addictive.They meld well with any seasoning and cooking method.Ms Severson offers some tasty recipes such as spiced salt baked shrimp.This is a salt rub, enhanced by cardamon, cinnamon and peppercorns and baked around the shrimp in a kind of casing.there's also a scampi made with wild shrimp along with pan roast shrimp with mescal, tomatoes and arbor chiles..The last is broth cooked and fired up with poblamo chiles and a shot of the Mexican liqueur ,mescal.This last is the perfect dish for a Saturday night with friends. Shrimp may be a simple dish to create but it comes with a complexity of quandaries.The best bet is having an open dialogue with your purveyor about it's origins and how it was caught.Then enjoy it.It's is excellent in a salt rub or spice with peppers or a shot of mescal.

Mom's Best Cereals Healthy And Fun

There's always a quandary when it comes to breakfast cereals.Do you give the family healthy when they want sweet? Do you give in then and feel guilty because you're basically feeding them garbage? Don't despair.Mom's Best Cereals is here to save the day. This brand is brilliant.It plays on some of the unhealthy kind like Lucky Charms and Coco Puffs with a healthy spin.It also is one of the country's oldest, started in 1919 by Joseph Campbell.The original name was Malt-O-Meal (hence MOM)They're now the third largest cereal company in the US.The founder created away of melding both farina and malted wheat.There are still Malt-O-Meal cereals out there such as the original as well as chocolate and maple and brown sugar.MOM has a good chunk of the market,their Three Sister brand is a staple at both WalMart and Whole Foods.They also have Better Oats and several other types of farina,oatmeals and cold cereals.Mom's Best Cereal is one of the most popular in the New York metro area being sold in stores such as Stop&Shop and Target. Mom's Best Cereal is one of my favorites and the only cold cereal that I'll eat.It really is one of the healthiest with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes.Another plus is that all the flavors are gluten free.It is high in much needed magnesium and relatively low in calories.One of my favorites is their Honey Nut Toasty Os .These are a take on the Honey Nut Cheerios and they are just truly tasty.I like the fact that they're sweetened with honey and not sugar.Pair it with almond milk and it's the perfect start to the day(along with making a good night time snack too)I have also tried their Mallow Oats, a natural twist on Lucky Charms.To be honest I wondered how the manufacturers were going to make this all natural ,with the colored marshmallow pieces .They did.The marshmallows are all natural with all natural dyes such as blueberry and beet y taste like the other brand( from what I can remember) and were a fun vacation from the oats.I'm looking forward to trying the Honey Ful Wheat and the Oats And Honey .These are also gluten free. If you 're looking for a cereal that will satisfy you and your family look to Mom's Best Cereal. They're both healthy and tasty. That's all you need to start the day off right.

A Healthier Ice Cream Treat

August is the time for ice cream and ice cream sandwiches.True, they are delicious but kind of limited in their flavors.It's usually the same chocolate cracker with only a few filling choices.Not to worry .There's a new recipe book out that offers tons of options.The best part they're all homemade and healthy! Vegan cook, Kris Holechek Peters has come up with an ingenious book aptly called " Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches" (Ulysses Press 2014).This slim book is chock full of good all natural cookie and ice cream recipes.Separately both treats are good on their own.Together they are heavenly.This is a great book for the lactose intolerant and those who want to get away from dairy and eggs.There is am introductory chapter in which Ms. Holechek Peters explains why and how to use the milk substitutes such as soy milk, coconut milk and raw cashews( although she also suggests using almonds and macadamia nuts).The ice creams are easy to make, the mixtures being thickened by all natural thickeners such as tapioca and arrowroot as well as guar gum and coconut oil.The cookies again, great on their own also have healthy ingredients like unbleached flour, evaporated cane and brown sugar,along with non dairy margarine.(although you can use regular),One the two components are made, assemblage is easy and kids will love scooping and sandwiching, probably testing both. What I love is the variety of different ice creams and cookies.For traditionalists there is the standard chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream filling.Chocolate lovers will love the double chocolate sandwich and the fun X Ray sandwich.These are vanilla cookies with a chocolate middle.There is also the pairing of homemade sorbets and cookies too.For an entirely refreshing treat try the lemon raspberry pucker sandwiches.The cookie is a snap made with the unusual ingredient of cornmeal.The filling is a sherbet of fresh raspberries.Another truly neat one is a spin on the non alcoholic drink Shirley Temple.Ms. Holechek Peters pairs a chewy cherry cookie with a lemon lime sherbet.Of course there are plays on ice cream standards with an homage to the banana split, orange dreamsicle and a root beer float with homemade root beer ice cream!She even includes sandwiches for cold weather holiday desserts? Imagine ending a Thanksgiving or fall Sunday dinner with pumpkin snicker doodle or cranberry gingersnaps sandwiches. There are nods to the coffeehouse with chai ice creamed filled sandwiches and a neat coffee infused treat. Spend these balmy August days makes dreamy treats.Use Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches to create tasty and healthy ice cream sandwiches.They're a departure from the usual fare plus, they not only good tasting but good for you!