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!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
A Happy Healthy Easter
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and may all of my readers worldwide enjoy the day with happy feasting and healthy eating. Remember to eat well with the vegetAble of the season asparagus along with new potatoes and Spring greens. Yes, it is fun to snitch a chocolate egg or two or even a marshmallow Peep, but leave it at that.
Go easy on all the fun foods. Eat healthy . Eat wisely or that sugar high from too much candy will leave you hopping like a hyped up bunny!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Good Friday Observances
Today is Good Friday , a day of observing the holiest and most somber of the Christian calendar days. During this time we should think o others less fortunate and remember that they struggle to put food on the table. even though we are heading towards warmer weather church food pantries still need to be stocked. help fill them up with the fruits and vegetables of the upcoming season. As you go to your local farm or farmers market buy not only for your family but for one extra as well.
Shop healthy not only for yourself but for others as well!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Relish This
Relish has been overlooked for so long not many people know about it.It doesn't have the pizzazz of its fellow condiments mustard and ketchup.However that's all changing.Soon it may be just the thing for hot dogs and hamburgers
This was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The piece ,written by Steve Kurutz,tells about the rebirth of this much overlooked condiment. Relish is basically misshapen cucumbers that were too ugly to make it to pickles.They are chopped up and put into a vinegary brine and the fermented into relish.Unfortunately it is not that popular(except in England where it is loved and cherished).Most stores usually put relish on the bottom shelves.
Relish is coming into it's own. Relish is becoming artisanal thanks to companies like McClure's Pickles where it's more of a salad.It has a fresh ,vinegary flavor as opposed to the usual sweetness associated with relishes.NewYork's famed Shake Shack chain makes a corn relish as well as one with dill.There are now relishes made with cranv
Berries and red peppers.There is also a chow chow style one that has a tomato based one full of onions,cabbages, celery and bell peppers This would be good not only with the usual hot dogs and hamburgers but grilled chicken or steak.
Relish may not have the oomph of mustard and ketchup.However that may all change.It may be the go to topping for everything from chicken kabobs to hamburgers and hot dogs. It will be the right accompaniment to anything ,given the chance
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Egg Time
This is the season for eggs, especially with Easter around the corner. There's nothing better than organic eggs.Even better are the ones that can be found in backyard chicken coops.That's right - more and more people are raising chickens in their backyards. This ensures a richer quality egg and better meals involving them.
This was the subject of Julia Moskin's article in today's New York Times Dining section. She writes about the urban farm movement where even apartment dwellers have chicken coops. Mind the chickens that are urbanites usually are the smaller kind like the Olandsk dwarf hen which is the size of a grapefruit. Its' eggs fried are the size of a silver dollar pancakes. Most chickens that are being raised are normal sized and can even be bought from catalogs and online. Eggs start to be laid in the Spring when there is more daylight. hence the egg connection with Easter,Passover and the Persian New Year.
What about the eggs? Much better than store bought. That's the consensus amongst chicken owners. The yolk is different.instead of just being yellow it's that deep rich orange yellow of a taxi cab. The whites are different too.They're never runny and make excellent meringues.They also have a freshness and sweet ness to them that the store bought ones don;t have. The eggs also pick up what the chicken has eaten and the eggs possess either a grassy, earthy nutty or even chickeny kind of flavor. They can be used even to enhance stews and soups as well as make flavorful egg noodles.Of course fresh eggs made wonderful omelets, especially mixed with freshly grown garden vegetables.They also make better tasting scrambled and poached coddled and sunnyside up.
There's nothing like a good egg made any kind of way. Better yet, if you have the room start a hatchery and raise your own. It's a good experience plus the benefits are eggs-tra great. It's organic food right at your doorstep.
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This was the subject of Julia Moskin's article in today's New York Times Dining section. She writes about the urban farm movement where even apartment dwellers have chicken coops. Mind the chickens that are urbanites usually are the smaller kind like the Olandsk dwarf hen which is the size of a grapefruit. Its' eggs fried are the size of a silver dollar pancakes. Most chickens that are being raised are normal sized and can even be bought from catalogs and online. Eggs start to be laid in the Spring when there is more daylight. hence the egg connection with Easter,Passover and the Persian New Year.
What about the eggs? Much better than store bought. That's the consensus amongst chicken owners. The yolk is different.instead of just being yellow it's that deep rich orange yellow of a taxi cab. The whites are different too.They're never runny and make excellent meringues.They also have a freshness and sweet ness to them that the store bought ones don;t have. The eggs also pick up what the chicken has eaten and the eggs possess either a grassy, earthy nutty or even chickeny kind of flavor. They can be used even to enhance stews and soups as well as make flavorful egg noodles.Of course fresh eggs made wonderful omelets, especially mixed with freshly grown garden vegetables.They also make better tasting scrambled and poached coddled and sunnyside up.
There's nothing like a good egg made any kind of way. Better yet, if you have the room start a hatchery and raise your own. It's a good experience plus the benefits are eggs-tra great. It's organic food right at your doorstep.
\
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Back To Nature Healthy Fun Treats
Is there such a thing as a good for you cookie? Or a healthy baked mac and cheese dinner? Or nutritious snacks that aren't fruits and veggies. The answer is yes. Thanks to a great all natural company, Back To Nature conscientious foodies can enjoy not only healthy treats but also fun ones too.
Back To Nature is a California company that started in Pasadena in 1960. In an era when most Americans were clamoring for processed TV dinners and mass produced snacks, Back To Nature started its' line with granola. Fifty years later it has expanded to include everything from all natural juices to prepared dinner along with fun snacks. Their philosophy is simple make everything with unbleached flour and cane juice along with honey and fruit concentrates. It works. Foodies who want tasty treats without all that fructose and transfat turn to Back To Nature for cookies , nuts and crackers.
I bought their Classic Creme cookies and was instantly hooked. It's hard to find a relatively all natural cookie in the grocery store however I did. I like the fact that Back To Nature's spin on the classic Oreo is even better than the original cookie. It was just as chocolate-y with the right amount of filling. I am looking forward to trying some of the other flavors, namely the Fudge Stripe and Crispy Oatmeal. After looking through their site I also want to try some of their nuts, crackers and definitely their version of a more wholesome baked mac and cheese.This is a must have brand all households should have.
Back To Nature puts the fun back into healthy eating and snacking, Their wide variety makes snack time as well as dinner time a pleasure. Best of all the products are not processed. They're pure and simple - the way food should be.
Back To Nature is a California company that started in Pasadena in 1960. In an era when most Americans were clamoring for processed TV dinners and mass produced snacks, Back To Nature started its' line with granola. Fifty years later it has expanded to include everything from all natural juices to prepared dinner along with fun snacks. Their philosophy is simple make everything with unbleached flour and cane juice along with honey and fruit concentrates. It works. Foodies who want tasty treats without all that fructose and transfat turn to Back To Nature for cookies , nuts and crackers.
I bought their Classic Creme cookies and was instantly hooked. It's hard to find a relatively all natural cookie in the grocery store however I did. I like the fact that Back To Nature's spin on the classic Oreo is even better than the original cookie. It was just as chocolate-y with the right amount of filling. I am looking forward to trying some of the other flavors, namely the Fudge Stripe and Crispy Oatmeal. After looking through their site I also want to try some of their nuts, crackers and definitely their version of a more wholesome baked mac and cheese.This is a must have brand all households should have.
Back To Nature puts the fun back into healthy eating and snacking, Their wide variety makes snack time as well as dinner time a pleasure. Best of all the products are not processed. They're pure and simple - the way food should be.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sweets From Bulgaria
The other day was dedicated to Bulgarian cooking. This was a varied hybrid cuisine of Slavic and Greek dishes. Bulgarian sweets are also the same, having as many different kinds of cake and pastries like the Italians, Germans and of course, the French.The Bulgarians are lucky to have such a wide cornucopia of desserts to choose from.The array is one of the most dazzling of all the European.
Thanks to Greece as well as the Ottoman Turk influence baklava is a big treat/. This is the very popular layering of crisp and flaky phylo dough and chopped nuts. Usually the nuts are pistachios or walnuts and honey or a simple syrup is poured over the layers.Another treat of the area, halvah is also made. This is a kind of treat has a base of flour, clarified butter and semolina. There is also a tahini version which derives from sesame seeds.The Bulgarians also love fruit so there are a lot of fruit tarts such as with their cherry ones and a fruity called Kompot. This is a a kind of tea made with fruit cooked in a large volume of water. Apples and rhubarb are used as are gooseberries, peaches and strawberries along with sour cheeries and apricots.
Sweet breads are also popular, probably thanks to the Slavic influence on the country. Many Bulgarians are probably making their own version of kozunak, a sweet Easter bread.This is like the Italian panettone , a sweet bread redolent with fruits and nuts. Rum or poppy seeds can be sprinkled on top. Another treat is sweet pita which is a fried pita usually served with jam and cheese. Kazaniak doughnuts, are also a big favorite, and they're similar to our American ones with powdered sugar.There is also lokum, a puff pastry that has poppy seeds on top.
Bulgaria isn't just known for its' hybrid main dishes but for a wide variety of dishes. There's influence from Greece, Turley and to the north , the Slavic states.It makes for an interesting dessert table. It also makes for great endings to great meals.
Thanks to Greece as well as the Ottoman Turk influence baklava is a big treat/. This is the very popular layering of crisp and flaky phylo dough and chopped nuts. Usually the nuts are pistachios or walnuts and honey or a simple syrup is poured over the layers.Another treat of the area, halvah is also made. This is a kind of treat has a base of flour, clarified butter and semolina. There is also a tahini version which derives from sesame seeds.The Bulgarians also love fruit so there are a lot of fruit tarts such as with their cherry ones and a fruity called Kompot. This is a a kind of tea made with fruit cooked in a large volume of water. Apples and rhubarb are used as are gooseberries, peaches and strawberries along with sour cheeries and apricots.
Sweet breads are also popular, probably thanks to the Slavic influence on the country. Many Bulgarians are probably making their own version of kozunak, a sweet Easter bread.This is like the Italian panettone , a sweet bread redolent with fruits and nuts. Rum or poppy seeds can be sprinkled on top. Another treat is sweet pita which is a fried pita usually served with jam and cheese. Kazaniak doughnuts, are also a big favorite, and they're similar to our American ones with powdered sugar.There is also lokum, a puff pastry that has poppy seeds on top.
Bulgaria isn't just known for its' hybrid main dishes but for a wide variety of dishes. There's influence from Greece, Turley and to the north , the Slavic states.It makes for an interesting dessert table. It also makes for great endings to great meals.
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